Reincarnation of The Strongest Sword God

641-660

Chapter 641 - Battle Demon

Black Dragon Empire, Sandstone Town:

Sandstone Town occupied the Black Dragon Empire's southern border and was the nearest town to the Star-Moon Kingdom. Unfortunately, the forces of darkness occupied this town, so ordinary players could not venture here. Only players who had joined the forces of darkness could enter the town safely.

The forces of darkness controlled very few towns, so many Dark Guilds were based in Sandstone Town. Among them, the most powerful Dark Guild was The Million Ghosts. One could say that The Million Ghosts was Sandstone Town's absolute overlord.

"Thousand Mile's team was defeated?"

"Impossible!"

"We sent twelve core members to assist them! With the strength of the independent Caravans that travel between Starfall City and Copper Mountain City, how could they possibly lose?!"

Inside the conference hall of The Million Ghosts, the Dark Guild's upper echelons were flabbergasted when they received news of Thunder Mile Bear's defeat.

Dark Guilds were different from ordinary Guilds. Their members relied on strength to raise their positions within the Guild. Meanwhile, every person who became a core member was an expert who had fought hundreds and thousands of Guild members to get to there. There were only slightly more than 100 core members in The Million Ghosts. If these core members were members of any of the ordinary large Guilds, everyone would easily become one of the top few experts within the Guild. Yet, of the twelve core members they dispatched, not a single one managed to return alive. It was simply inconceivable.

"What did the twelve that died have to say?" the middle-aged man, who occupied the Guild Leader's seat, asked. This middle-aged man had dark eyes, a stalwart body, bronze skin, and a chiseled face.

When this man spoke, the conference hall immediately fell silent. Nobody dared to act presumptuously before this man.

This man was The Million Ghosts' Guild Leader, Lifestealer. He was also an intimidating character who the various large Guilds in Black Dragon Emperor had nicknamed 'Battle Demon.'

In an ordinary Guild, the position of Guild Leader was only a symbol of status, not a symbol of strength. This held true for most Guilds in God's Domain. However, for Dark Guilds, the position of Guild Leader was the symbol of both status and strength. The fact that Lifestealer had become The Million Ghosts' Guild Leader proved that his strength ranked number one in the entire Guild.

Due to Lifestealer's presence in The Million Ghosts, the various large Guilds in the several nearby cities avoided provoking The Million Ghosts at all. Even the Guild ruling over Bronze Mountain City, the Holy Church of War, deferred to The Million Ghosts.

The Holy Church of War was a second-rate Guild with control over five cities. It was a top-tier second-rate Guild that had over 300,000 members. The Guild also had two experts who ranked on the God's Domain Experts List. Yet, such a Guild still allowed The Million Ghosts to manage the trade route to Star-Moon Kingdom freely. This was all due to the Battle Demon Lifestealer.

"Their opponents wore cloaks, so they did not see who they were fighting. However, judging by the enemy's tone, it seems that they look down on The Million Ghosts. They even warned us not to touch the trade routes."

"They're taking us too lightly! Guild Leader, let me lead some men and hunt down those bastards! If we don't do anything about this, the reputation our Guild has built will be ruined!"

"Guild Leader, I'll go as well. The nearby large Guilds should have learned of this by now. The Holy Church will also be watching. If we show them what the consequences are for messing with us, the Holy Church won't dare consider vying for dominance."

The Elders in the conference hall began stepping up, one after another, all wanting to teach those who dared provoke The Million Ghosts a lesson.

"It seems that our Guild's reputation isn't as well known as it should be, to think that even the people from Star-Moon Kingdom dare provoke us. However, there is no need to be anxious. Since they have done such a thing, it shows that they possess certain confidence and background. Have our members stationed in Starfall City investigate this matter. Once we know who we're dealing with, we'll give them a taste of hell," Lifestealer revealed a malicious grin.

Seeing the smile on Lifestealer's face, everyone involuntarily shuddered.

Back when the third-rate Guild, Divine Flurry, had provoked their Guild, their Guild Leader had revealed this exact smile. Four days after the initial incident, every core member of Divine Flurry died over a dozen times, and the Guild disbanded as a result. Now that Lifestealer wore this smile once more, Starfall City would most likely fall into chaos.

---

Meanwhile, inside the shrine in the Great Forest of Soria...

Watching the Thunder Wolf's HP rapidly approach 10%, tension grew in the party.

This was the crucial moment to capture the Thunder Wolf, and any mistakes could waste all of their previous efforts.

Suddenly, Shi Feng controlled the Evil Blade Spirit to leave the flooded area. Meanwhile, Fire Dance and the others dashed towards the Thunder Wolf, each holding a Hunting Scroll.

12%...

11%...

10%...

"Start!" Shi Feng immediately lured the Thunder Wolf out of the flooded area, the Lord's HP stopping at precisely 10%.

Upon reaching her position, Fire Dance chanted the last verse of the incantation and activated the Hunting Scroll.

Xiu!

A pitch-black chain emerged from the Hunting Scroll and bound one of the Thunder Wolf's hind legs. Meanwhile, Fire Dance affixed the scroll on the ground.

The Hunting Scroll's purpose was to trap the targeted beast. However, its effect only lasted one short minute.

At the same time, everyone else in the party also activated their Hunting Scrolls, binding all four of the Thunder Wolf's limbs and preventing the Demonic Beast from moving.

"Awoo!" the Thunder Wolf howled in anger.

Suddenly, dense dark clouds condensed above the fight, releasing blue strikes of lightning towards the affixed Hunting Scrolls.

Reacting quickly, Fire Dance activated Wind Steps, utilizing the Skill's nearly 1-second invulnerability to block the oncoming lightning strike. However, though she was unscathed from the attack, the Hunting Scroll was obliterated.

"Continue using Hunting Scrolls! Do not let it go no matter what!" Shi Feng also retrieved a 5-star Cage from his bag and charged at the Thunder Wolf.

The second key aspect when capturing a beast was timing. Cages required time to activate. During this period, the target must not escape the Cage's range. Otherwise, the capture will fail, rendering the Cage useless.

Fire Dance and the others understood what they needed to do. They retrieved more Hunting Scrolls from their bags and activated them. Meanwhile, the Thunder Wolf continuously destroyed the affixed Hunting Scrolls in a fit of rage.

At this moment, Shi Feng found an opportunity as he abruptly leaped into the air, jumping above the Thunder Wolf and activating the Cage.

Fixing the Cage to a specific location required approximately two full seconds. However, the 5-star Cage's enclosure was not large.

"Awooo!" the Thunder Wolf released an angry howl. Suddenly, more dark clouds collected in the sky, the lightning strikes increasing in number as well.

Immediately, two of the five affixed Hunting Scrolls were destroyed. The Thunder Wolf then made an angled jump, escaping the Cage's enclosure in the nick of time.

Capture failed!

Following which, Fire Dance and the others hurriedly used more Hunting Scrolls to pin down the Demonic Beast.

However, Shi Feng's second capture attempt also failed.

Meanwhile, Shi Feng only had two 5-star Cages remaining. In other words, he only had two chances to capture the Thunder Wolf left.

As expected of a 5-star rare Mount. It really is lively. This was the first time Shi Feng had attempted to capture a 5-star Mount in either life. The Thunder Wolf was far more difficult to capture than he had expected.

However, Shi Feng was not someone to be trifled with. For his third attempt, he activated one of the Abyssal Blade's Skills, Abyssal Curse, preventing all targets within a 30-yard radius from moving for 5 seconds.

Although the Thunder Wolf was a Level 50 Lord, the Skill would still affect it somewhat.

Suddenly, the Thunder Wolf's movements visibly slowed.

Shi Feng then activated Heavenly Dragon's Power and used Thunder Flame Explosion on the Demonic Beast.

-8,679.

Although his damage was negligible, Thunder Flame Explosion had a Movement Speed Reduction effect. As a result, the Thunder Wolf's speed dropped further.

"Use the Hunting Scrolls quickly!" Shi Feng shouted anxiously.

Hearing Shi Feng's command, Fire Dance and the others activated their Hunting Scrolls. This time, five chains simultaneously bound the Thunder Wolf.

Still not satisfied, Shi Feng activated Abyssal Bind as well. Nine chains suddenly sprouted from the ground, locking the Thunder Wolf in place.

However, despite the many restrictions, the chains began to shatter, one after another.

Shi Feng began setting a Cage into position once more.

For a moment, everyone forgot to breathe.

Just to hold the Thunder Wolf in position, they had used more than 60 Hunting Scrolls. Each person only had a few Hunting Scrolls remaining.

The Cage's channeling time slowly decreased.

Two seconds...

One second...

"In you go!" Shi Feng roared.

Immediately, a massive steel cage fell from the sky, trapping the Thunder Wolf within. 

Chapter 642 - Formation of the Dark Gods Legion

The Thunder Wolf struggled desperately inside the Cage, repeatedly slamming its body against its steel bars. The 5-star prison even began showing signs of strain.

Seeing this scene, Shi Feng hurriedly chanted an incantation.

In the next moment, the magic runes carved into the Cage glowed. The Cage itself then proceeded to shrink, only stopping when it was squeezing the Thunder Wolf. At this point, the Thunder Wolf no longer had space to generate enough momentum for a powerful charge.

"It sure is difficult to capture a Demonic Beast."

Aqua Rose swept a glance at the numerous little craters around her, the aftermath of the Thunder Wolf's attacks on the anchors of the chains binding it. Fortunately, the few of them managed to react and evade the Lord's lightning attacks quickly, allowing them to capture the Thunder Wolf without any fatalities.

"Let's get ready to leave, then." Shi Feng took a look at the time. They were cutting things fine; the Golden-winged Lion King would return soon. He then retrieved a bunch of Storage Space Scrolls from his bag.

Although they had already captured the Thunder Wolf, the Demonic Beast's massive frame was over three meters tall. In addition, there was the massive steel Cage. Transporting the Thunder Wolf out of this place would be extremely troublesome. They would require many players with high Strength just to lift the Cage and the Thunder Wolf. And even if they did manage to lift them, their Movement Speed would be significantly reduced. They would also encounter many dangers while carrying the Demonic Beast. Who knew just how much time they would have to waste conveying the Thunder Wolf back to White River City?

Hence, Storage Space Scrolls were available for purchase in God's Domain. These scrolls could be used to store large items.

Not only was the Thunder Wolf massive, but it was also a living creature. Shi Feng had to use a total of 20 Storage Space Scrolls in order to fit the Thunder Wolf into his bag space. The Thunder Wolf instantly took up 20 slots there. However, the duration of the Storage Space Scrolls was not indefinite. They could only be used to store items for up to half an hour.

Following which, everyone used Return Scrolls and departed from the shrine.

---

White River City, Zero Wing's Guild Residence:

After Aqua Rose and the others went to rest, Shi Feng went to the Warehouse inside the Guild Residence by himself. He then placed the Thunder Wolf inside the Warehouse, as well as took out several Magic Crystals from his bag and put them inside the Thunder Wolf's Cage.

Demonic Beasts were different from wild beasts. Their primary source of food was Magic Crystals. Just a single crystal could sustain a Demonic Beast for a long time.

"Now that I've obtained a rare Mount, next up will be constructing a Stable." When Shi Feng looked at the ferocious Thunder Wolf, he grew eager to construct a Stable as soon as possible.

Only after he had a Stable could he begin taming the Thunder Wolf.

Demonic Beasts were much more difficult to tame than wild beasts. Moreover, the higher the star-ranking of a creature, the longer the time required to gentle it. Complete taming of the Thunder Wolf would need at least 10 to 15 days. If he could finish the Stable even a day sooner, he might be able to have the Thunder Wolf trained by the time the Guild's core members reached Level 40.

If he could pair every core member with a Thunder Beast, their combat power would soar through the roof.

Only, too many materials were required to construct a Stable. The Stable was different from the other structures inside the Guild Residence, which needed only money to build. Moreover, many of the materials required for a Stable were obtainable only from large-scale Team Dungeons.

"I need to speed things up a little bit." Shi Feng then thought about forming the Dark Gods Legion.

Whether it was the collection of the materials for the Stable or for the Candlelight Trading Firm's future development, he needed to form a powerful Dark Gods Legion right away.

Shi Feng had already experienced the development process of God's Domain before, so he knew full well that as players reached higher levels, battles between players would occur more frequently. Guild wars would also grow increasingly intense.

If a Guild did not possess a formidable legion that could serve as a deterrence, said Guild would get embroiled in many wars in the future.

Following which, Shi Feng instructed Aqua Rose to pick roughly 300 elites to form the Dark Gods Legion. Meanwhile, the equipment provided to the members of the Legion would be inferior only to that of Zero Wing's main force.

Shortly after Shi Feng began establishing the Dark Gods Legion, news of this matter spread like wildfire throughout the entire White River City. The development immediately attracted the attention of the many Guilds in the city.

However, the ones paying the most attention to this matter were still the independent players.

At this point, Zero Wing was no longer the small Guild it was in the past.

Not only did it have over 100,000 members, but it also had the strength to clear the Hell Mode Ruins of the Crow God. Whether it was grinding monsters or questing out in the fields, not a single Guild dared to do anything to the members of Zero Wing within the region of White River City. This situation had made many independent players envious of the members of Zero Wing.

At this stage of the game, large Guilds already occupied all available high-resource maps. As independent players, even when they were out doing a high-level quest, there was a chance that Guild players would target and kill them. As a result, leveling up and upgrading equipment became extremely difficult for them. Hence, many independent players were considering joining a powerful Guild.

Meanwhile, Zero Wing was currently forming a Dark Gods Legion. Moreover, the members of the Legion received treatment that was inferior only to the Guild's main force. It should be known that, while every Guild had plenty of ordinary teams in its midst, there would be only one main force. Zero Wing's formation of a legion was equivalent to establishing a second main force. This situation tempted many independent players to join Zero Wing.

For a time, the number of players trying to enter Zero Wing surged once more.

Shi Feng spent two whole days carefully choosing the members of the Dark Gods Legion. After all, the number of people he could use Light of Darkness on was limited. Even though he could take back the Power of Darkness he bestowed, he still preferred not to flaunt it.

Meanwhile, during this period, Shi Feng produced quite a number of Intermediate Mana Armor Kits, which were all meant for the members of the Dark Gods Legion.

During these two days, many things happened throughout God's Domain as well.

One of these developments was that many Guilds had succeeded in raiding 50-man Team Dungeons and had moved their competition on to 100-man Team Dungeons.

However, 100-man Dungeons were significantly different from 50-man Dungeons. One could say that 50-man Dungeons were warm-ups for 100-man Dungeons. The number of monsters and the monsters' strength inside a 100-man Dungeon were both significantly higher than in a 50-man Dungeon. Of course, the loot from a 100-man Dungeon would also make many players drool.

Initially, Level 30 Fine-Gold Equipment was extremely difficult to obtain. However, it much easier to get in a 100-man Hard Mode Dungeon—even the Chieftain ranked monsters inside the Dungeon would drop it. There was also Fine-Gold Set Equipment specifically meant for the various classes.

Nevertheless, the most attractive part about 100-man Dungeons would still have to be the forging designs and various sorts of rare potion recipes that were not obtainable from any other place. Getting even a single design or recipe would mean endless riches.

Meanwhile, Zero Wing was also desperately trying to raid a 100-man Dungeon.

However, despite obtaining the Power of Darkness, the progress of Zero Wing's main force was only subpar at best. A 100-man Dungeon had a total of six main Bosses. Currently, Zero Wing had managed to defeat only two of them. They had yet to see what the Final Boss looked like.

Aside from competing over 100-man Dungeons, the next thing that excited players the most was the activation of the Colosseum List.

To experts, this was a relatively good benefit. The Colosseum List also served as an incentive for players to improve their Skill Completion Rates and combat power.

The Colosseum List was the combat power rankings of the Divine Colosseum. As long as one managed to rank within the List, they would obtain the corresponding Colosseum Points. Players could use these points to exchange for many items such as equipment, Skills, potions, rare materials, and many more items. Among them, the greatest attraction was the equipment available.

Not only was there Level 30 Dark-Gold Equipment available, but even Level 30 Dark-Gold Set Equipment was also up for exchange.

Due to this reason, Divine Colosseums throughout God's Domain became extremely popular. Many players fought desperately to raise their rankings on the Colosseum List.

Large Guilds sent their core members one after another to challenge the Divine Colosseum.

For a time, many hidden experts emerged throughout God's Domain, giving players a great shock. Nobody had thought that there were actually so many experts in God's Domain.

Meanwhile, Shi Feng was currently seated in a large private room in the Divine Colosseum of White River City. 

Chapter 643 - Astonishing Financial Resources

Inside the towering Divine Colosseum...

Dozens of large screens hung inside the main hall of the Divine Colosseum were currently displaying the battle videos of experts who had managed to reach the fourth floor of the Colosseum.

The challenges inside the Divine Colosseum were purely meant to test how much combat power a player could exert. The quality of a player's equipment was irrelevant in these challenges. Even a player wearing only Bronze Equipment could get past the fourth floor.

However, ordinary players would have a difficult time just getting through the first floor of the Divine Colosseum, not to mention the fourth. In White River City, experts capable of breaking through the fourth floor were as rare as a phoenix's feather.

As for players who did not have any Magic Crystals to challenge the Divine Colosseum, they could also watch the battle videos of experts at the main hall. Of course, these videos were only released with the consent of the players involved. Players could also use this opportunity to make a name for themselves.

"Look! Heaven's Burial is here again!"

Everyone in the hall quickly noticed the arrival of a group of players.

These players were uniformly Level 30, and they were members of Heaven's Burial's current main force. If not for the fact that they were aiming to obtain the First Clear of a 100-man Dungeon, these players would have long since leveled up.

Even so, their levels were currently far ahead of ordinary players. Besides their levels, the equipment of Heaven's Burial's members was also extremely eye-catching. Most of them boasted Level 30 Fine-Gold and Dark-Gold Equipment, with the most inferior being Level 25 Dark-Gold Equipment.

In contrast, the typical equipment of current ordinary players was only Level 25 Mysterious-Iron Equipment. Only elite players possessed several pieces of Level 25 Secret-Silver Equipment.

"Not only does Heaven's Burial have so many experts, but these experts also come here to train multiple times each day. It makes you wonder just how strong they are."

"What do you even know? Having more experts in a Guild is better, of course. Moreover, by training here, they can increase their rankings on the Colosseum List and earn points to exchange for Dark-Gold Equipment, aside from improving their combat techniques—that's killing two birds with one stone. Why wouldn't they do it?"

"Recently, Heaven's Burial has been growing increasingly stronger. Initially, they had less than ten members who managed to pass the fourth floor. Now, after only a few days, that number is up to 20. Two members of the Guild even have managed to get to the sixth floor. In the entire White River City, Heaven's Burial is only slightly inferior to Overwhelming Smile and Zero Wing."

"Isn't that only because the Guild is rich? Challenging the Trial Tower costs one Magic Crystal each time. Normally, when we raid Dungeons, we will only get one Magic Crystal after a lot of difficulties. Even then, we still have to split it among several people. After raiding Dungeons all day, our turn to get a crystal might still not come. Meanwhile, the members of Heaven's Burial's main force get a daily allowance of five Magic Crystals, so they get to challenge the Trial Tower five times a day. With 100 members in the main force, Heaven's Burial has to spend 500 Magic Crystals per day. Due to the Divine Colosseum, the current price of Magic Crystals has long since gone up by severalfold. Right now, each crystal is worth 20 Silver, yet there is a shortage. There is still room for prices to rise."

"That's right. I knew I should have stocked up on some Magic Crystals. I would have been able to make a small fortune by now."

"It would be great if I could become a member of Heaven's Burial's main force."

Many players looked on with envy as the members of Heaven's Burial walked towards the Trial Tower.

Not even the wealthy Overwhelming Smile could afford such extravagance. Currently, 500 Magic Crystals were equivalent to 100 Gold. Of course, a majority of these Magic Crystals came from the Dungeons raided by the Guild. Otherwise, even Heaven's Burial would find it extremely taxing to fork out 100 Gold every day.

---

Meanwhile, Shi Feng, who had rented a large private room in the Divine Colosseum, was currently standing before 300 people. These people were all players he had selected for the Dark Gods Legion.

Currently, everyone in the Dark Gods Legion was feeling excited. These members had not expected to be able to meet their legendary Guild Leader, Black Flame, in person. Moreover, Black Flame was even going to nurture them himself. This training was a privilege that was not available anywhere else in the entire Star-Moon Kingdom.

Nobody in Star-Moon Kingdom did not know of One-hit Asura, the publicly acknowledged number one expert of Star-Moon Kingdom.

Tuition with the number one expert of Star-Moon Kingdom was a privilege beyond price.

"I'll put this out first. Although you all official members of the Dark Gods Legion and get to enjoy extremely high benefits, the Dark Gods Legion operates on an elimination system. Waiting behind you are 700 reserve members. If your strength is found wanting, a reserve member will take your place," Shi Feng said in a somber tone. "From today onwards, each of you will receive ten Magic Crystals daily to challenge the Trial Tower. I will rank you based on your battle record in the Trial Tower. At the end of each week, I will compare the last thirty official members with the top thirty reserve members. The winners will be official members, while the losers will go on the reserve team."

Everyone could not help but gasp.

The competition was incredibly intense. Up to thirty people might switch out each week. However, everyone was also shocked at Zero Wing's generosity.

The Dark Gods Legion had 300 members in all. If every member could spend ten Magic Crystals a day, that meant that Zero Wing would expend a total of 3,000 crystals—or 600 Gold—daily. This outlay was simply inconceivable. Even a first-rate Guild did not boast such frightening financial resources.

What no one knew was that, even if Zero Wing had that much money, it was impossible to purchase so many Magic Crystals. Currently, the various large Guilds were treating Magic Crystals like strategic resources. They would not sell any of their Magic Crystals at all. One could only purchase a small amount from independent players.

However, even before the release of the Divine Colosseum, Shi Feng had already tasked Melancholic Smile with purchasing Magic Crystals in bulk. They had spent practically all the Coins they earned stocking up on Magic Crystals. Currently, the Candlelight Trading Firm had several Warehouses full of Magic Crystals.

"Ah, right. I forgot to mention one more thing. The top 30 people will receive an invitation to undergo training together with the Guild's top-tier experts," Shi Feng laughed. "I believe that all of you have probably heard how Zero Wing has a special training ground. Whether you will be able to go there and train will depend on your efforts."

"Guild Leader, you're not tricking us, right? Can we really go to that place?" many Dark Gods members asked in anticipation.

They had indeed heard that Zero Wing possessed a specialized training facility in the real world. There, one could ramp up their combat techniques. One could also learn the rumored advanced combat techniques and become a true top-tier expert.

Originally, training at that place was a privilege available to only a limited number of core members. Nobody had expected that even official members of the Dark Gods Legion could receive such a treatment.

"As long as you can enter the top 30, you can naturally go." Shi Feng shook his head and laughed. The Big Dipper Training Center completed the renovation of the Greenwater Villa only recently. The villa was outfitted with all kinds of training apparatuses and could now accommodate more people. Otherwise, he really would not be able to extend its use to the members of the Dark Gods Legion.

When Shi Feng was done speaking, the atmosphere inside the private room instantly changed. Everyone there was flushed with fighting spirit, and they could not help but want to dash to the Trial Tower right this instant to raise their rankings.

After Shi Feng distributed the Magic Crystals and concluded the meeting, everyone promptly rushed out of the private room and ran as fast as they could towards the Trial Tower.

This scene stupefied the players inside the main hall. 

Chapter 644 - Secret Competition

"How rich is Zero Wing? They're actually sending so many people to the Trial Tower all at once."

"They should be members of the newly-formed Dark Gods Legion. I heard that the benefits they receive are only beneath what Zero Wing's main force enjoys."

"Being a Guild's core member must be great. They get to enter the Trial Tower every day. On the other hand, independent players like us can only enter once in a long while."

"I know, right? Magic Crystals' drop rate is simply too low in Party Dungeons. It's only higher in Team Dungeons."

"As expected of the number one Guild of White River City. Even Overwhelming Smile can only send 200 members each day, while Heaven's Burial only sends 100 members. On the other hand, Zero Wing is sending 300 people in one go. Moreover, they are only members of the Dark Gods Legion."

Everyone was incredibly jealous. Only the members of large Guilds had access to such a large supply of Magic Crystals each day. Independent players had to struggle just to obtain a single crystal. As for small Guilds, although they could also afford to supply their members with Magic Crystals, they could not afford to offer a large amount every day.

One could gage a Guild's financial strength in White River City by the number of members that entered the Trial Tower.

"What's so amazing about Zero Wing? Can its financial strength compare to Overwhelming Smile?" the Level 30 Guardian Knight, Lone Tyrant, sneered as he entered the Divine Colosseum.

Ever since the Dark Star's disbandment, Lone Tyrant held firm to his hatred of Zero Wing.

If not for Zero Wing, Dark Star would have been White River City's ruler, and he would have stood as its emperor.

Due to Zero Wing's constant rise, he was now only one of Overwhelming Smile's core members. He was not even the Guild's Chief MT; he was nothing more than cannon fodder.

However, it was also because of this that he was able to experience just how frightening Underworld was.

Particularly, after the third evolution of God's Domain, Underworld had increased its investment in God's Domain by several folds, pouring a massive sum of money into the game. Not only did the organization begin recruiting a large number of experts, but it had also collected a large stock of Magic Crystals, which were extremely important to current players. Even a first-rate Guild could not compete with Underworld's financial resources.

Underworld's influence covered a vast expanse of God's Domain. It could purchase Magic Crystals through several avenues. This was an advantage that many first-rate Guilds did not possess. With all these Magic Crystals, Underworld could quickly nurture plenty of experts through the Divine Colosseum.

God's Domain was not a game that could be dominated by a single player's strength.

Even if Shi Feng were stronger, he could only defend White River City. However, White River City was not the only city in Star-Moon Kingdom, much less God's Domain.

As far as Lone Tyrant knew, Underworld had yet to give up on the feast that White River City offered. Hence, the organization had once more invested significant funding and Magic Crystals, enough to even put a first-rate Guild to shame.

On the surface, Overwhelming Smile sent only 200 members to the Trial Tower each day. Moreover, every member could only challenge the Trial Tower three times a day. In reality, however, Overwhelming Smile secretly sent a large number of hidden experts to challenge the Trial Tower as well. This group of experts consisted of nearly 400 people, double that of what the Guild sent openly.

In total, Overwhelming Smile sent nearly 600 people to the Trial Tower every day, affording each member three challenges.

The public was already astounded by Heaven's Burial's financial strength. Unfortunately, compared to Overwhelming Smile, Heaven's Burial was nothing. After including the additional resources that War Wolf and his group of top-tier experts had received, Overwhelming Smile was spending nearly 2,000 Magic Crystals every day. What did Heaven's Burial's expenditure of 500 Magic Crystals amount to?

"Lone Tyrant, control your mouth. It is not the time for Overwhelming Smile to display its strength. Let Zero Wing and Heaven's Burial bask in the limelight." Watching the Dark Gods Legion enter the Trial Tower, a faint smile appeared on Feng Xuanyang's face. With pride and arrogance, he said, "Black Flame, your complacency won't last."

In truth, Feng Xuanyang had not expected Underworld to continue investing in White River City. He had thought that the organization would just let Overwhelming Smile, the Guild he controlled, fend for itself.

Currently, there were extremely few experts who had managed to pass the fourth floor of the Divine Colosseum.

Among them, Zero Wing had the most with a total of 36 people.

Overwhelming Smile came in second. It had 29 people in total.

Next up was Heaven's Burial. It had 20 people.

Assassin's Alliance stood in fourth place. The Guild only had 14 people.

At fifth place, Cloud Nine had 12 people.

At sixth place, Yin Yang Court had 11 people.

However, Overwhelming Smile had hidden a large fraction of its forces. For example, their 29 experts did not include War Wolf and his team. In reality, the Guild had more than 50 people who had passed the fourth floor. Overwhelming Smile had long since surpassed Zero Wing by leaps and bounds. Moreover, as time passed, that number would only increase. Soon, it would be Overwhelming Smile's turn to rule over White River City.

---

While the various large Guilds in White River City competed over the First Clear of a 100-man Dungeon and compared their progression in the Divine Colosseum, Shi Feng had used the Bible of Darkness to travel to the Evil Ghost Domain.

After his two-day absence, Shi Feng found that District One had developed rapidly. The Shelter had annexed six other Shelters and invested all of the Soul Crystals they obtained into promoting the Lions Bar, upgrading it to a 2-star Bar.

Now, the Hundred Berry Wine's production had increased to 50 bottles per day.

According to Shi Feng's arrangements, 20 bottles would be held for District One's Shelter, while he would take the remaining 30 with him. Shi Feng had been away for two days now, so he had a stockpile of 60 bottles.

Shi Feng had also brought with him a huge stock of Light Stones for Blue Frost and the others.

The nights in the Dark Den were longer than the days. Hence, Light Stones were far more useful to these players.

"Having a Guild is awesome. I never imagined that we would get our hands on an item like this. Even at night, our top ten parties will be able to grind safely." Blue Frost expressed his shock as he stared at the Light Stone in his hand.

Not a single Shelter in the Dark Den had anything like the Light Stones.

Other than grinding and questing, the Light Stones could also be used during monster attacks to weaken the monsters, making it much easier to defend the Shelter.

"Right, my main goal in coming here this time is to give this to you," Shi Feng said as he retrieved the Chapter of Shelter from his bag.

The Chapter of Shelter was an item that could promote a Shelter by a single rank, up to a maximum of Large Shelter.

When everyone saw the Chapter of Shelter, they were stupefied.

Up until now, Large Shelters were something that only Guild Forces possessed. Although they had thought of upgrading District One's Shelter to a Large Shelter countless times before, it was simply too difficult for independent players. They would require at least a month to gather the required manpower and resources. That time might be extended further depending on their progression on the quests involved.

Now, however, with the Chapter of Shelter, they could upgrade District One's Shelter into a Large Shelter without going through all that trouble. They would then qualify to compete for dominance in the Dark Den.

Zero Wing was astonishing!

Shi Feng's generosity had engraved this notion on Blue Frost and everyone else's hearts.

The many Guild Forces in the Dark Den had spent a ridiculous amount of effort to upgrade a Medium Shelter to a Large Shelter. They had gathered all of the resources from the Shelters under their control and had spent significant time to do so. On the other hand, Shi Feng had completed a similar feat by casually revealing a Chapter of Shelter.

If the other Guild Forces discovered this, they would definitely be dumbfounded.

"Lotus, begin the preparations. We're going to upgrade the Shelter," Blue Frost proclaimed, grinning at the Chapter of Shelter in Shi Feng's hand. 

Chapter 645 - Administrator

The Evil Ghost Domain was vast. It was roughly the one-fifth the size of Star-Moon Kingdom. There were also several Shelters within the Domain. Among these Shelters, some were under the control of large Guilds. However, not a single Shelter within the Evil Ghost Domain had been promoted to a Large Shelter until today. One could just imagine how difficult it was to promote a Medium Shelter to a Large Shelter.

When a Medium Shelter became a Large Shelter, its player capacity increased from 30,000 to 100,000. Not only would this increase the Shelter's defensive capabilities, but the larger population would also improve collection speed of Soul Crystals by several times.

Most importantly, upon becoming a Large Shelter, a Shelter could have three Specialties, which was two more than a Medium Shelter. Moreover, these Specialties production volumes would increase significantly.

Originally, the 1-star Lions Bar only produced 20 bottles of Hundred Berry Wine per day. After becoming a Large Shelter, the Lions Bar's production of 50 bottles a day doubled. In other words, the 2-star Lions Bar could produce 100 bottles of Hundred Berry Wine each day.

The Hundred Berry Wine was a rare tool that could increase a player's compatibility rate with their weapons for a short time, allowing players to grasp the feeling and subtlety of improved compatibility rates. It was the best item for cultivating experts. The Hundred Berry Wine was far more effective than the Trial Tower of the Divine Colosseum.

Otherwise, with no Divine Colosseums inside the Dark Den, these players would stagnate and fall far behind players elsewhere.

Half an hour later, the Heavenly Crystal Pillar inside District One's Shelter released a dazzling red light that shot into the sky. A faint red barrier then began to form around the Shelter. For a time, aside from Shi Feng and the others who were currently inside the Heavenly Crystal Pillar, every player was teleported out of the Shelter.

In the next moment, the Shelter began to expand. At the same time, new buildings began appearing, one after another.

A short while later, the Medium Shelter's size had increased by tenfold.

When the Shelter stopped expanding, a system announcement reached out to every player inside the Evil Ghost Domain.

Evil Ghost Domain System Announcement: Congratulations to the Shelter of District One for becoming the first in the Evil Ghost Domain to become a Large Shelter. Rewarding 1,000 Soul Crystals to the Shelter. All players of District One will receive a two-day Protected buff that increases all Attributes by 10%. Production volume of the Shelter's Specialties will be increased by 100% for seven days.

The system announcement excited District One's stunned players.

"Our District One is too amazing! We actually became a Large Shelter! We won't have to worry about getting Mounts once we reach Level 40!" Everyone celebrated the new achievement.

Currently, the Shelter's players were nearing Level 40. It wouldn't be long before they reached that milestone.

However, upgrading a Medium Shelter to a Large Shelter was not achievable in a short amount of time. If they wanted to obtain Mounts, they would have no choice but to travel to other Large Shelters and pay an exorbitant fee to purchase one. Moreover, they had to obtain permission from the ruling parties of said Shelters beforehand. Otherwise, they would not be able to purchase a Mount even if they could afford one.

Now, however, they no longer had to worry about such problems.

They could just buy a Mount at cost price from their own Shelter.

---

Meanwhile, the various other Shelters in the Evil Ghost Domain were stupefied.

Normally, to promote a Medium Shelter to a Large Shelter, one had to pool the majority of the resources available within a Domain and invest a lot of time. Although District One was one of the strongest Shelters in the Evil Ghost Domain and had annexed several competitors, it should still require a long time before becoming a Large Shelter.

Yet, after only a few days since District One began annexing other Shelters, it had successfully upgraded to a Large Shelter. It was simply inconceivable.

"Contact the leader of District One's First Party, Blue Frost, immediately! Tell him that our District Nine is willing to submit."

"How did they manage this so quickly? Wouldn't it be more beneficial to join District One, rather than joining a Guild Force, now? We need to head to District One and discuss an alliance."

...

Shortly after the system announcement, the top ten parties of many Shelters discussed currying favor with District One.

When a Medium Shelter became a Large Shelter, it could hold 70,000 more players than before. It could easily fit the population of two or three Medium Shelters. If they could obtain a slot for themselves, they would not have to worry about obtaining Mounts in the future. They could also enjoy the various benefits only available in a Large Shelter.

---

Meanwhile, inside District One's Heavenly Crystal Pillar, Blue Frost and the others were similarly surprised.

Although they had expected the Shelter's promotion, they had never expected their hold over the Shelter to become more powerful.

All along, the Shelter belonged to all of its residents. Meanwhile, they, the Shelter's top ten parties, only acted as managers; they were not the owners. The managers were determined through Contribution Shares. If another party possessed more Contribution Shares than they did, they would be replaced immediately. Normally, this rule held fast even after a Shelter was upgraded.

Only, after a Shelter's promotion, the top ten ranking parties would receive a massive amount of Contribution Shares, making it more difficult for other parties to compete for the top ten positions. However, while it might be difficult for a Guild Force to take over a powerful Shelter by force, it was not entirely impossible.

However, after Shi Feng used the Chapter of Shelter, the management system had changed.

Shi Feng had become the Shelter's Administrator.

An Administrator was far more powerful than the managers. Shi Feng could now arbitrarily delist players from District One, exiling them from the District and the benefits the Shelter offered. No other player possessed this authority.

Of course, this was useless against the Shelter's top ten parties. Moreover, there was a limit to the number of players an Administrator could delist each day.

Even so, an Administrator's authority was plenty frightening. Now, they had the ability to remove potential threats easily, preventing other Shelters from scheming against their Shelter.

More importantly, an Administrator had the authority to veto a decision.

For example, if the top ten parties wished to construct something, even if all ten parties agreed, the Administrator could voice their refusal, and the matter would end there.

Moreover, the position of Administrator was unrelated to Contribution Shares. In other words, even if someone else accumulated more Contribution Shares than the Administrator, they could not replace the Administrator. The only way to overthrow an Administrator and take over a Shelter was to assault the entire Shelter and destroy it.

However, it was not easy to assault a Large Shelter. In other words, currently, the Shelter of District One was under Zero Wing's complete control. Outsiders could not steal it.

"So the Chapter of Shelter has such a function as well."

Shi Feng also only learned this after using the Chapter of Shelter. However, with this, he would not have to worry about losing the Shelter to other Guilds. He could rule with an iron fist.

With that out of the way, he could invest more resources in District One's Shelter, transforming it into an iron fortress.

Following which, Shi Feng left the Shelter's management to Blue Frost. He then purchased all of the available bottles of Hundred Berry Wine from the Lions Bar and took the massive batch of Gemstones Blue Frost had prepared before returning to White River City.

As the Shelter had just upgraded to a Large Shelter, its Specialties' production had improved. As a result of the 7-day bonus, the Lions Bar could produce up to 200 bottles of Hundred Berry Wine each day. However, as Blue Frost and the others had already purchased 50 bottles, there were only 150 bottles remaining. Even so, Shi Feng was satisfied with this amount.

Even one bottle of Hundred Berry Wine could tempt many experts, not to mention 210 bottles. With this many, he could raise the combat power of Zero Wing's core members to a whole new level. 

Chapter 646 - Killing Multiple Birds with One Stone

Shortly after Shi Feng used a Return Scroll and returned to White River City, the Shelter of District One hummed with activity.

Now that the Shelter's population potential had increased so drastically, many players in the Evil Ghost Domain planned to migrate to District One to enjoy the benefits of a Large Shelter.

Hence, reviewing the invitations demanded a considerable amount of work.

In addition, the promotion to a Large Shelter did not mean that players could purchase Mounts immediately. There was a need to construct a Taming Facility first, and the construction of a Taming Facility required a massive amount of Soul Crystals.

Meanwhile, after District One's Shelter became a Large Shelter, many Guild Forces based in the Evil Ghost Domain began to consider it a target. They all wished to conquer the Large Shelter.

In the past, although District One occupied valuable land, and the Shelter was relatively strong, to Guild Forces, it had been a trivial opponent. After all, independent players ran District One. It was of no threat to Guild Forces. Now, however, things had changed. District One had become the first District to own a Large Shelter in the Evil Ghost Domain. This would greatly affect the situation in the Evil Ghost Domain. The Medium Shelters under their control held no advantage against a Large Shelter.

If they could take control of District One, not only could they extinguish any looming threats, but they could also increase their own strength. They also wouldn't have to waste effort collecting and pooling their Guild's resources to obtain a Large Shelter for themselves. Most importantly, District One's Large Shelter had not been promoted by a Guild Force. As far as they were concerned, District One was like a heap of loose sand; its residents were not united. They could take advantage of this and take the Shelter by storm.

With this, they could kill two birds with one stone. Why wouldn't they do it?

For a time, the many Guild Forces in the Evil Ghost Domain secretly plotted to insert their own men into District One's Shelter.

Meanwhile, although Blue Frost and the others had predicted these Guild Forces' intentions, not only did they not attempt to stop them, but they also actively encouraged it.

After all, they were not afraid of anyone trying to replace them.

They earnestly wished the various Guild Forces would come and offer them more resources.

The matter of District One joining Zero Wing was only known by a few of District One's upper echelons. In the eyes of outsiders, District One had only obtained a Large Shelter due to its managers being very united, powerful, and lucky.

Moreover, there were only so many Guild Forces in the Evil Ghost Domain. Everyone knew which Shelters belonged to which Guild Forces. Hence, everyone believed that District One's Shelter had yet to ally themselves with a Guild.

Normally, if players wished to join a Shelter, the Shelter's managers would welcome them with open arms. After all, more players would strengthen the Shelter itself and increase the number of Soul Crystals the Shelter could obtain. For District One, however, other than those who had been recruited by the Shelter's upper echelons, any player who wished to join District One was required to pay a fee of one Soul Crystal.

Although the price was high, current players were much higher leveled than before. As a result, the difficulty of obtaining Soul Crystals and the price of Soul Crystals had decreased. Compared to Shi Feng's initial arrival in the Dark Den, Soul Crystals' prices had fallen by two to three times. Currently, every elite party had at least one Soul Crystal on hand at all times. If they worked hard for a week or so, they could collect six Soul Crystals. Obviously, Guild Forces' elite teams had a far easier time of collecting the Crystals.

Even after Blue Frost and the others recruited some players, there should still be 50,000 spots remaining. Charging one Soul Crystal per person, if they managed to fill all 50,000 slots, they would receive an additional 50,000 Soul Crystals. A player's ownership of 50,000 Soul Crystals was vastly different from a Shelter's ownership.

Take the Lions Bar's promotion for example. If Blue Frost and the others funded the promotion themselves, they would only have to spend 500 Soul Crystals to promote the bar to 3-stars. However, if they used the Shelter's cumulative resources, they would have to spend 10,000 crystals.

With 50,000 Soul Crystals, not only could they easily construct a Taming Facility, but they could also construct two more buildings that supplied Specialities and upgrade both buildings to 2-stars. In addition, they would have enough leftovers to upgrade the Lions Bar to 3-stars, increasing the production volume of the Hundred Berry Wine once more.

---

Meanwhile, Shi Feng had returned with a large stock of Gemstones and Hundred Berry Wine to White River City.

Gemstones were extremely rare. Ordinary players would be reluctant to embed the Gemstones they had obtained into their equipment; if the item were destroyed, the Gemstones would similarly be destroyed. Players would generally only embed Gemstones in top-tier equipment as it was a safer option. When the need arose, they could simply remove the Gemstones and reuse them with other top-tier equipment.

Currently, Tier 1 Gemstones were very cheap in the Evil Ghost Domain. Each crystal only cost 3 Silver. In Star-Moon Kingdom, however, each Tier 1 Gemstone sold for 9 Silver. As for Tier 2 Gemstones, each sold for 30 Silver in the Evil Ghost Domain, while prices in Star-Moon Kingdom fluctuated around 1 Gold. Star-Moon Kingdom's prices were at least three times higher.

Shi Feng had obtained 30,000 Tier 1 Gemstones from Blue Frost. These Gemstones had either been secretly purchased from the various Shelters in the Evil Ghost Domain or traded for Light Stones. A single stack contained 20 Gemstones. Shi Feng had returned with a total of 1,500 stacks of Tier 1 Gemstones, valued at a total of 900 Gold, which practically filled his entire bag. As for Tier 2 Gemstones, he had not bothered taking any as he had the Philosopher's Stone. Through Alchemy Synthesis, he could produce Tier 2 Gemstones from Tier 1 Gemstones.

After returning to White River City, Shi Feng first headed towards the Candlelight Trading Firm.

At this point, the Candlelight Trading Firm was the most lively location in White River City. It could be considered the business center of all of Star-Moon Kingdom. The Trading Firm was the organization with the highest number of forgers and other Lifestyle classes in the entire kingdom. There were all sorts of player-made advanced products for sale on its shelves. If it were available in Star-Moon Kingdom, the Candlelight Trading Firm would almost certainly have it. Only certain exclusive items such as the Overwhelming Trading Firm's Fire Dragon Potion were not available, as not even Zero Wing could obtain the designs and recipes for these items. Even so, the wide variety of products they offered was enough to overwhelm players.

Other than Star-Moon Kingdom, thanks to Phoenix Rain's help, the Candlelight Trading Firm had also set up Branch Shops in the major cities of neighboring kingdoms and empires. The Trading Firm's daily profits reached several thousand Gold. However, this placed a heavy burden on the Firm's manager, Melancholic Smile.

The Candlelight Trading Firm's ability to earn money far surpassed even first-rate Guilds. Only super-first-rate Guilds and Super Guilds could rival the Trading Firm now. However, as time progressed, super-first-rate Guilds and Super Guilds would definitely surpass the Candlelight Trading Firm due to their massive range of influence in God's Domain. The resources and contacts they possess far surpassed the Candlelight Trading Firm.

Although the Candlelight Trading Firm could continue to expand, Zero Wing simply did not possess the required strength and manpower to keep up with it.

Fortunately, Shi Feng had long since prepared for this situation. He had not been the Guild Leader of a second-rate Guild in the past for nothing. Since the first day he logged into God's Domain in this life, he had been thinking of ways to improve his Guild's background and had come up with a series of plans. At this point, his plans had finally produced some results.

Shi Feng retrieved the Philosopher's Stone from his Personal Warehouse and arrived at his exclusive Advanced Forging Room in the Candlelight Trading Firm. He then began to synthesize the Tier 2 Gemstones.

If he sought out the aid of NPC Alchemists to synthesize high-tiered Gemstones, not only would he have to foot an exorbitant labor fee, but the success rate was also not particularly high. For Tier 2 Gemstones, NPCs only had a 30% success rate. Synthesizing a Tier 2 Gemstone required four Tier 1 Gemstones. With acceptable luck, he might obtain one Tier 2 Gemstone for every twelve Tier 1 Gemstones. However, the Tier 2 Gemstones was only ten times more valuable than Tier 1 Gemstones. Hence, it was not profitable to synthesize high-tiered Gemstones.

On the other hand, the Philosopher's Stone in Shi Feng's possession had a 100% success rate for synthesizing Tier 2 Gemstones. If he synthesized Tier 2 Gemstones using the Philosopher's Stone, he could easily multiply his profit. Naturally, Shi Feng could not let this opportunity escape him.

Only, Shi Feng's goal was not to earn money.

Tier 2 Gemstones have already become a mainstream item among large Guilds. If I want Zero Wing's main force to clear a 100-man Dungeon even a day sooner, I will have to set Tier 3 Gemstones as the standard. Shi Feng took out his Tier 1 Gemstones and began the Alchemy Synthesis. 

Chapter 647 - Realm of Experts

Currently, the highest-tiered Gemstone one could obtain from monsters in God's Domain was a Tier 2.

As for Tier 3 Gemstones, they only dropped from Level 30 and above large-scale Dungeons.

Meanwhile, NPC Alchemists only had a 20% success rate to synthesize Tier 3 Gemstones. The cost involved was massive. Currently, Tier 2 Gemstones sold for 1 Gold. Ignoring the labor fees and with average luck, one would require at least 20 Tier 2 Gemstones to synthesize a Tier 3 Gemstone.

The cost alone was 20 Gold. It was simply not realistic for a Guild to supply its main force with Tier 3 Gemstones.

However, the Attributes Tier 3 Gemstones provided were significantly higher than Tier 2 Gemstones.

Tier 1 Gemstones only increased a single Attribute by 3 points.

Tier 2 Gemstones increased a single Attribute by 6 points.

As for Tier 3 Gemstones, they increased a single Attribute by 12 points. If one embedded every piece of equipment they had with Tier 3 Gemstones, it would be the equivalent of wearing an additional piece of top-tier equipment. This would significantly increase a player's combat power.

To the large Guilds' main forces, upgrading Attributes was limited because their equipment had already reached a certain level.

If an ordinary player swapped out their full set of Bronze Equipment for a full set of Mysterious-Iron Equipment, their strength would rise by a single level. However, a large Guild's main force usually wore the highest quality equipment they could get their hands on. If it were not Dark-Gold rank, then, at the very minimum, they would wear Fine-Gold rank. Hence, it was extremely difficult to upgrade their equipment. If they could receive a bonus to their Attributes that had as large of an impact as another piece of Dark-Gold Equipment, it would make a huge difference.

Without rest, Shi Feng spent half the day synthesizing Tier 2 Gemstones. In the end, he transformed the 30,000 Tier 1 Gemstones into 7,500 Tier 2 Gemstones.

"The success rate for synthesizing Tier 3 Gemstones is actually as high as 80%?" Shi Feng could not help but grin when he saw the message that the Philosopher's Stone displayed.

Initially, Shi Feng would have been satisfied with a 60% success rate. After all, NPC Alchemists' success rate was only 20%.

Furthermore, Shi Feng's Luck Attribute was also relatively high. That would most likely lower his expenditure even further.

Four hours later, Shi Feng had a total of 1,674 Tier 3 Gemstones, 174 more than his initial estimation.

"If I sold all these Tier 3 Gemstones, just how many more plots of Land could I buy for the Candlelight Trading Firm?" Shi Feng sighed as he stared at the Tier 3 Gemstones cluttering the table.

It was no wonder why the Philosopher's Stone was a treasure that could incite war between kingdoms and empires.

Moreover, it was currently incomplete. Shi Feng could not even begin to fathom just how powerful the complete Philosopher's Stone would be.

In the past, during God's Domain's initial stages, a Tier 3 Gemstone could sell for 25 Gold. Its price was more than ten times higher than Tier 2 Gemstones. If Shi Feng sold all 1,674 Tier 3 Gemstones, he could earn over 40,000 Gold. That was enough money to purchase three or four golden Lands. Meanwhile, he had only spent 900 Gold on the Gemstones.

However, Shi Feng had no intentions of selling the Tier 3 Gemstones.

What Zero Wing lacked right now was a large group of experts. With these Tier 3 Gemstones, he could elevate Zero Wing's strength to a whole new level. That way, the Guild would have the power to support and stabilize the Candlelight Trading Firm's development.

---

Just as Shi Feng was excitedly contacting Aqua Rose and preparing to replace the main force's Tier 2 Gemstones with Tier 3 Gemstones, the situation at White River City's Divine Colosseum had reached a boiling point.

More experts from Heaven's Burial suddenly broke through the fourth floor of the Trial Tower. Currently, the Guild had a total of 42 members who had reached the fifth floor, double that of their previous record and surpassing Zero Wing's previous record of 36 people.

"Although three more people from Zero Wing have passed through the fourth floor, Heaven's Burial is superior. Another 22 of their people have passed the fourth floor within the same timespan. It really makes you wonder just how they have nurtured so many experts."

"It seems that Heaven's Burial has a chance of replacing Zero Wing as White River City's overlord."

"Overwhelming Smile isn't doing too bad, either. Today, another eight people have reached the fifth floor, pushing their total to 37. Right now, Overwhelming Smile is only behind Zero Wing by two people. In another one or two days, Overwhelming Smile's number of experts will probably surpass Zero Wing as well."

Due to the increase of each Guild's number of experts in the Divine Colosseum, many players had begun changing their opinions of Heaven's Burial and Overwhelming Smile.

Although one could not tell much by the number of experts, it could indicate a Guild's potential.

In the God's Domain of today, due to Shi Feng repeatedly shattering the concept of strength by numbers, the public no longer evaluated a Guild based on how many members it possessed.

Then, how could one judge a Guild's strength?

The first method was by examining the Guild's raid progression of large-scale Team Dungeons. This was the best way to judge the comprehensive strength of a Guild.

The second method was by reviewing the number of experts a Guild possessed. At present, passing the fourth floor was the commonly accepted standard for an expert.

Very quickly, this matter attracted the attention of the various large Guilds in White River City.

Originally, Zero Wing had been White River City's sole ruler. Now, however, it would seem that three rulers would sit on the city's throne. Heaven's Burial, in particular, was very mysterious. The Guild developed as fast as Zero Wing had in the past. Even the famous Ghost Shadow Workshop had joined Heaven's Burial. One could just imagine how powerful the Guild's backing was.

Previously, Zero Wing had relied on Shi Feng to shoulder its success. Now, however, Heaven's Burial's potential was even greater than Zero Wing's. Not only did it possess well-known, top-tier experts, but it also had the financial strength to rival Overwhelming Smile. Heaven's Burial was definitely a powerful competitor.

For a time, many players were tempted to take part in Heaven's Burial's entrance examination.

Heaven's Burial was constantly recruiting Guild members. Moreover, its entry requirements were a lot lower than Zero Wing's. If they joined Heaven's Burial now, by the time the Guild grew into its power and became White River City's overlord, their statuses would rise with the tide. It was just like the Zero Wing of today. Currently, even a normal member of Zero Wing was enviable.

---

Zero Wing's Guild Residence:

The members of the main force had gathered in the conference hall after receiving Shi Feng's summons. At this moment, they discussed events among themselves.

"Did Guild Leader summon us because of the Divine Colosseum?"

"Probably. After all, this is a matter concerning the Guild's reputation. Zero Wing is the number one Guild in White River City, yet right now, we have fewer experts who have passed the fourth floor than the newly established Heaven's Burial. We have to do something to restore our reputation."

"How could the Trial Tower's fourth floor be so easy to break through? I am still stuck in the fourth floor's middle sector, not to mention the end."

"Indeed. Based on what I heard from Guild Leader, if one cannot display 50% of their actual combat power, they will not be able to overcome the fourth floor."

Everyone felt disheartened when they spoke about the Divine Colosseum's Trial Tower. They all were members of Zero Wing's main force and were the envy of ordinary players. In reality, however, they knew that, without breaking through the Trial Tower's fourth floor, they could not be considered as true experts.

Despite Zero Wing providing far better resources than Heaven's Burial or Overwhelming Smile, for some reason, only a small number of people had managed to reach the realm of experts.

As everyone chatted, Shi Feng entered the conference hall, leading Aqua Rose and Fire Dance.

The conference hall suddenly fell silent, everyone in the room shifting their gazes towards the black-cloaked Shi Feng. 

Chapter 648 - Rapid Improvement

As Shi Feng appeared, the atmosphere inside the conference all became extraordinarily heavy.

The benefits that this Zero Wing team enjoyed were far more generous than what Overwhelming Smile and Heaven's Burial offered. Not only had everyone received their own rooms, allowing them to store up the Double EXP buff easily, but they also had access to an extravagant number of Magic Crystals.

Each of them received ten Magic Crystals each day. This was double what Heaven's Burial's main force received. Yet, in the end, Heaven's Burial had more members reach the fifth floor. If the public learned about the benefits that Zero Wing's main force enjoyed, they would ridicule the team as a bunch of trash.

Knowing this, everyone had prepared themselves to receive Shi Feng's scolding.

Shi Feng took his seat on the Guild Leader's throne. Without saying a word, he took out a cyan wine bottle and placed it on the table.

Everyone shifted their gaze to the bottle curiously.

The wine bottle's information displayed the name "Hundred Berry Wine." It was only a bottle of wine.

"Guild Leader, you're not forcing them to get drunk as a punishment, are you?"

Aqua Rose could not figure out what Shi Feng intended to do. At this moment, rather than admonishing everyone for their arrogance, which had led to their complacency, Shi Feng instead revealed a bottle of fine wine. Just what was he trying to do?

"I am not that extravagant." Shi Feng shook his head and laughed. "I've prepared this bottle of Hundred Berry Wine as a reward."

As for the matter regarding Zero Wing's performance falling behind Overwhelming Smile and Heaven's Burial, it had not surprised Shi Feng whatsoever.

These two Guilds were not as simple as they appeared.

Both Guilds had been recruiting talents from everywhere, not just White River City. In addition, both Guilds possessed powerful backgrounds with long histories. Now that these two Guilds had familiarized themselves with God's Domain, their advantage began to reveal itself. It would still be a while before a newly-established Guild like Zero Wing would catch up to these two. This was also why first-rate and second-rate Guilds looked down on upstart Guilds like Zero Wing.

Every time a new game came out, many upstart Guilds would appear.

They rose very quickly and fell very quickly.

These newly-recognized Guilds were like the nouveau riche. How could they possibly compare to the wealthy aristocrats who had been tested over time?

Only those capable of withstanding the test of time were able to set foot into this realm.

"Reward?" Everyone curiously stared at the bottle of Hundred Berry Wine on the table.

Every player here was a core member of Zero Wing. They would usually have plenty of excess money to spend, and normally, they would treat themselves at high-class bars and restaurants. After all, the food and wine that these establishments served were far superior to those in the outside world.

It had become a trend for many wealthy prince and princesses to dine at these establishments.

However, despite frequently enjoying those delicacies, none of them had ever heard of a wine named the Hundred Berry Wine.

Moreover, what could they do with only one bottle of wine?

"This Hundred Berry Wine can assist you with improving your combat techniques. I doubt any of you will take my word for it, so I intend to allow each of you to test it. Everyone will receive one bottle. When you have reached your limit inside the Trial Tower, drink the whole bottle. At that time, you'll see what I mean," Shi Feng laughed. He then took out another 99 bottles from his bag. "After this, if any of you want the Hundred Berry Wine again, that will depend on your improvement speed and strength. Once every three days, I will reward at least one bottle to the top ten ranking members in the Trial Tower. The first place will receive three bottles, second and third will receive two bottles, and the rest will receive one. The top ten to improve the most during the three days will also be rewarded. At that time, how many bottles you receive will depend on your own ability.

Although Shi Feng wished to supply everyone with a bottle of Hundred Berry Wine, enabling them to search for that feeling, the wine's production volume was simply too low. He could only offer it to very few of the Guild's elites.

"Guild Leader, can this item really improve a person's combat techniques?" Aqua Rose also knew quite a bit about God's Domain. However, she had never heard of an item capable of improving a player's combat techniques. If the Hundred Berry Wine was truly capable of such a feat...

The rest of the team similarly doubted Shi Feng's claim.

Improving combat techniques was not something that could be done overnight. The process involved a lot of learning and practice. The Divine Colosseum's Trial Tower also offered suggestions on how to improve one's combat techniques. Although the guidance was minimal, everyone considered it very helpful.

"You'll find out once you test it." Shi Feng smiled, not bothering to explain.

---

Inside the Divine Colosseum:

In order to promote their Guilds, Heaven's Burial and Overwhelming Smile publicized their battle videos through the screens in the Colosseum's main hall for free. Many players took the time to study these videos.

"Ah, Zero Wing's members are here."

"Are they trying to wrestle back their glory?"

"Probably. However, the likelihood of them succeeding is slim. Some time ago, a few more experts from Heaven's Burial and Overwhelming Smile broke through the fourth floor. Currently, Heaven's Burial has 49 people who have reached the fifth floor. The Guild even has eight people who have reached the sixth floor. Their position as White River City's number one Guild is solid now. Meanwhile, Overwhelming Smile is closely following behind, with 45 people who have reached the fifth floor and six who have reached the sixth. Both Guilds are way above Zero Wing, who only has 39 people on the fifth floor and four on the sixth."

Many players were not optimistic about Zero Wing's chances. Whether it was the members of the Guild's main force or the Dark Gods Legion, both had already challenged the Trial Tower today.

"I never thought that there would be a moment when Black Flame would panic. However, his actions only bring him more despair." Seated in a room on the second floor, Feng Xuanyang quickly noticed Shi Feng enter the Divine Colosseum with the other members of Zero Wing's main force. With excitement filling his eyes, he said, "Go; notify War Wolf's team. It's time to show the public who the true ruler of White River City is."

Originally, Feng Xuanyang had intended to keep Overwhelming Smile's strength hidden for a little while longer. However, after seeing Shi Feng personally show up at the Divine Colosseum, he could not suppress the hatred in his heart. Although he could not do anything to Shi Feng directly, it would soothe his heart if he could strike a mental blow to Shi Feng.

As long as War Wolf's team took action, Overwhelming Smile would immediately have a large group of experts pass through the fourth floor. At that time, Zero Wing's efforts to make a comeback would be rendered futile. Its reputation would be in tatters.

---

Meanwhile, the members of Zero Wing's main force, who had just entered the Trial Tower, felt a burden of expectation.

Everyone clearly understood their own combat power. To put it simply, it was extremely difficult for them to break through the fourth floor.

However, since Shi Feng had told them to give it a try, they could only grit their teeth and follow his commands.

Very quickly, the members of Zero Wing's main force passed through one floor after another. Upon reaching the fourth floor, everyone grew anxious.

The Trial Tower's tests were set according to the player's strength. For every test, the system would generate a perfect doppelganger of the challenger. The doppelganger possessed the same combat power as the challenger. However, the doppelganger's actual combat power varied depending on one's progression in the Trial Tower. Each floor was also divided into three stages: early, middle, and late. Through the battles with their own doppelgangers, players could learn their own shortcomings. Meanwhile, players who were capable of defeating the doppelganger during the fourth floor's late stage would basically be able to display 50% of their actual combat power. These players were regarded as experts of God's Domain.

However, based on the standard of the current players of God's Domain and the time they had to develop themselves, very few were capable of reaching the standard of an expert.

"Hopefully I can pass through the late stage this time," Blackie prayed as watched his doppelganger before him. He then took out the Hundred Berry Wine from his bag and emptied the bottle's contents, swallowing every last drop. Suddenly, his mind felt clear. Moreover, his compatibility rate with his weapon and equipment began to rise rapidly. The items felt like an extension of his own body. "This is amazing!"

The others were similarly shocked.

After drinking a bottle of Hundred Berry Wine, their perception of the world had undergone a complete change.

When everyone casually used a Skill, they immediately discovered their Skill Completion Rates had significantly improved. Even Shadow Sword and the others, who had been stuck at around an 80% Completion Rate, could now easily achieve an 85% Skill Completion Rate, their combat power soaring.

After familiarizing themselves with this new sensation, everyone tackled their respective opponents. 

Chapter 649 - The Number One Guild's Background

Shortly after Zero Wing's main force entered the Trial Tower, both Overwhelming Smile and Heaven's Burial simultaneously dispatched a large number of players to challenge the Trial Tower as well.

Due to the competition between these three Guilds, the originally quiet Divine Colosseum suddenly grew lively. Many players who had returned to the city to rest had quickly made their way to the Divine Colosseum, hoping to witness this competition's outcome and watch the exciting battle videos.

Compared to the battle videos of normal PvP battles, these battle videos were far more valuable as references. It was especially true for the battle videos after the fourth floor.

This was because the system would specifically display the fighting styles of the various classes, making the battle videos much more instructive. Normally, Guilds would not release such instructive battle videos to the public, keeping them for their own members.

Some experts would even earn money with their battle videos. Other players would have to pay these experts a fee to watch. Many players who wished to improve themselves usually went for this option. As for those who did not wish to spend money, they would come to the Divine Colosseum to observe the battle videos for free. However, that which one can obtain for free lacked value. One would not learn the truly powerful techniques from a free battle video. As a result, the gap between paying and non-paying players widen, little by little.

Meanwhile, the three great Guilds of White River City occupied themselves with their competition. Although the battle videos these Guilds publicized was limited to the fourth floor, it was enough to excite many players.

"I wonder which Guild will obtain first place this time."

"I'm betting on Heaven's Burial. Of the members of Heaven's Burial I saw going in to challenge the Trial Tower a moment ago, a few were well-known experts of other virtual reality games."

"Heaven's Burial really is amazing. It has actually recruited so many experts. It won't be long before they try to claim the seat of White River City's overlord."

"That's right. Now that Ghost Shadow Workshop has joined Heaven's Burial, the Guild's strength has soared by leaps and bounds. Ghost Shadow himself still maintains the highest record in the Trial Tower."

"Ghost Shadow indeed deserves to be called one of the virtual gaming world's top-tier experts. Even now, no one else has reached the seventh floor. Moreover, he even reached the middle stage of the seventh floor. I heard that Star-Moon City's best record stopped at the sixth floor's middle stage."

"This is simply madness. I'm an elite member of the Assassin's Alliance, but even until now, I am still stuck on the third floor. The fourth floor is still out of my reach. It really makes you wonder just how those experts manage to do it."

"However, isn't Black Flame Star-Moon Kingdom's number one expert? Did Black Flame fail to reach the seventh floor?"

"I'm not sure. However, Black Flame's name isn't on the Trial List. Maybe he hasn't challenged the Trial Tower yet."

"Hasn't challenged it yet? He must be afraid of embarrassing himself. If he fails to surpass Ghost Shadow, he will lose his title as Star-Moon Kingdom's number one expert."

Everyone grew excited as they examined the Trial Tower's ranking list.

Normally, it was extremely difficult for ordinary players to meet experts like Ghost Shadow. They lived in two completely different worlds. Now, not only did they have the chance to see these experts in person, but they also got to watch these famous experts compete against the main force of White River City's number one Guild, Zero Wing. How could they not be excited?

Just as everyone chatted about which Guild was stronger and which expert was more powerful, something changed on the Trial List.

"Quick! Look! Someone just passed the fourth floor and reached the fifth!" A perceptive player quickly discovered the change.

There were two ranking lists posted in the Divine Colosseum. One was the Tournament List, which catered towards PvP battles, while the other was the Trial List. Trial List held the names of the players who managed to clear each floor and the name of the Guild they belonged to. However, only the top 300 players on each floor would be displayed. For those who cleared the same floor, they would be ranked based on their clear time. However, the clear time held no particular meaning, as everyone only paid attention to the players on the highest floors. Nobody would care about how fast a person could clear the first three floors.

Meanwhile, as there had yet to be a total of 300 players in White River City who had reached the fifth floor, it was very easy for players to notice a change to the number of players currently on the fifth floor and identify the person responsible for the change.

"War Wolf? Who is that? Why haven't I heard of him before? Really though, his clear time sure is short. His clear time for the fourth floor is only longer than Ghost Shadow's."

"I never thought that Overwhelming Smile would have such a powerful expert. If he has cleared the fourth floor so quickly, he should be able to reach the sixth floor."

Suddenly, the crowd fell into a heated discussion.

In White River City, the players who could reach the sixth floor were as rare as a phoenix's feather. There were less than twenty as of this moment. Moreover, these experts were members of the three great Guilds. Meanwhile, there was only one person who had managed to reach the seventh floor, and that was the famous Ghost Shadow.

"Sixth floor?" Feng Xuanyang was filled with disdain when he heard the players chattering downstairs. "What does the sixth floor amount to? The number one spot on the Trial List will belong to Overwhelming Smile."

A moment later, War Wolf cleared the fifth floor, his name entering the sixth floor's list.

The sixth floor's list housed very few people, so a new addition was bound to attract attention. At the same time, five more players passed through the fourth floor. Among them, two were members of Heaven's Burial, two were Overwhelming Smile's members, and the last person was Zero Wing's Blackie, who had once ranked number one on White River City's Ranking List.

"It seems Zero Wing really is crap. Three more experts from Overwhelming Smile have reached the fifth floor, and one has even reached the sixth. As for Heaven's Burial, two of their players have passed through the fourth floor as well. On the other hand, despite sending so many people in, only one person from Zero Wing has managed to reach the fifth floor. It seems that Zero Wing is no match for the two other Guilds when it comes to nurturing experts."

Everyone made their own judgments upon seeing the obvious differences between the three Guilds.

"Hahaha! Black Flame, do you see now? This is the difference between our Guilds! No matter how amazing you are, do you think a Guild with the support of only one person can surpass a real, large Guild?" Feng Xuanyang celebrated as he looked towards the room Shi Feng resided in.

Time slowly passed.

Suddenly, something inconceivable happened.

The seventh floor's list, which originally only had one, lonely name on it, suddenly had two.

"Who is War Wolf?! He has actually passed through the sixth floor and entered the seventh floor!"

"This is madness. It would be awesome if he released his battle video."

The main hall suddenly exploded with activity.

To the majority of current players, the seventh floor was a legend. It was a floor they could never reach.

Meanwhile, sitting in one of the rooms on the second floor, Ghost Shadow frowned when he saw this change.

"So, there's still such an expert in White River City." A hint of excitement flashed in Ghost Shadow's eyes.

It was very lonely being an expert of his caliber. It was extremely difficult to find someone to compete with.

Throughout White River City, there were only two experts who he was interested in. The first was Black Flame, while the second was Flame Blood. Now, one more had caught his interest–War Wolf.

However, while everyone committed War Wolf's name to memory, another name suddenly joined his on the seventh floor's list.

Fire Dance!

Everyone knew this name, the Commander of Zero Wing's main force. Many of Overwhelming Smile's experts had died at her hands. She had even fought valiantly in the great war with the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion, making a name for herself.

Nobody would have thought that she would once more appear in the limelight.

"Sure enough, Zero Wing will not be replaced so easily." Ghost Shadow could not help his elation when he saw another person reach the seventh floor.

"How is this possible?" Feng Xuanyang stared at the name on the seventh floor's list in disbelief.

Fire Dance, Assassin, Affiliated Guild: Zero Wing.

No matter how he looked at it, the name belonged to Fire Dance of Zero Wing.

However, a short moment later, another new name appeared on the seventh floor's list.

Violet Cloud, Cleric, Affiliated Guild: Zero Wing. 

Chapter 650 - Breaking the Record

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

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

"How?!"

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

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

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

Yet...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Look, two more people from Heaven's Burial have passed."

"Three more from Overwhelming Smile have passed as well."

...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Moreover, all 45 were members of Zero Wing.

Suddenly, the Divine Colosseum fell silent.

Just what was this?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 651 - Sensational

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

Meanwhile, in Heaven's Burial's Guild Residence...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

"Gentle Snow?" 

Chapter 652 - Asura Mode Dungeon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cloud Nine.

Yin Yang Court.

Heaven's Burial.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 653 - Overall Improvement

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

Inside the conference hall of Zero Wing's Guild Residence...

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

"All of you, equip these Tier 3 Gemstones."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aqua Rose was similarly stunned speechless.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

They could select a resurrection point.

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

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

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

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

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

"Wow, what's Zero Wing up to?"

"Whoa! That's so impressive! I'm actually having trouble breathing right now!"

"Is Zero Wing planning to start a war?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 654 - Town Capturing

Star-Moon City, Stone Forest Town:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How many people could Zero Wing possibly dispatch?

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

"This is Zero Wing?"

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

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

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

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

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

It was simply inconceivable. 

Chapter 655 - Flame Shaman

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meanwhile, Gentle Snow's intuition currently told her that...

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

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

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

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

"Let's talk inside," Gentle Snow said as she led the way to a large Tent.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"What if we don't give them the chance?" Shi Feng smiled confidently.

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

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

Chapter 656 - Crazy Decision

"Don't give them the chance?" Gentle Snow grew curious.

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

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

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

How would that even be possible?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

One man holding off 250,000 elite players?

Just thinking about it gave them goosebumps.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

The crowd watching from afar was stupefied.

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

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

[Sareya] (Great Leader, Professional Mage)

Level 60

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

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

[Lyme] (Second Leader, Sword Master)

Level 60

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

[Paddo] (Third Leader, Berserker Master)

Level 60

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

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

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

Laughing, Shi Feng turned and flew away.

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

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

"Shit, they're heading towards us!"

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

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

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

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

Chapter 657 - Pits of Despair

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

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

"Hurry! Get rid of Black Flame!"

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

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

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

"Hurry up; use Control Skills! Don't worry about friendly fire!" the upper echelons hurriedly commanded.

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

When the lightning strikes stopped, silence fell.

Everyone was stupefied.

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

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

Everyone else, however, met a tragic end...

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

This scene caused witnesses to gasp and shiver.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

The nail that stuck out would be hammered down.

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

---

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

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

"Black Flame, it's too late! Today, we'll teach you the consequences for antagonizing the masses!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 658 - Nightmare Descends

"Aqua, lead everyone away from the town immediately," Shi Feng said through a whisper.

"Understood." Aqua Rose was slightly stunned by this command. Originally, she had thought Shi Feng would use Zero Wing's trump card. She had not expected him to order a retreat and give up on Stone Forest Town.

However, since Shi Feng had given the command, Aqua Rose had no choice but to lead everyone away.

Gentle Snow's army similarly retreated.

Throughout Star-Moon Kingdom, there was not a single Guild that could stand against an army of 250,000 elite players. If they continued fighting, only death awaited them.

In truth, though, even if they did fight, their enemy would not leave unscathed either. Both sides would be destroyed.

In terms of equipment, Zero Wing's main force was far superior to the other Guilds' experts, not to mention their elite players. After the main force had swapped out their Tier 2 Gemstones for Tier 3 Gemstones, their Attributes were simply overwhelming. In addition, there were currently no enemy experts to pin them down.

As a result, the Zero Wing's main force swept like a scythe across the enemy forces, leaving only devastation in its wake.

Spell after Spell bombarded Cola, Ye Wumian, and Turtledove, who stood at the forefront of the team. However, these Spells had not even tickled the three MTs. Even the most powerful attack only dealt slightly over -1,000 damage. However, all three MTs had over 10,000 HP each. Moreover, the majority of their enemy's attacks had not even landed. These MTs only needed a single heal to recover to full HP.

There were also the two Tier 2 Demons. Both Tier 2 Demons were melee fighters with over 3,000,000 HP each. Under Shi Feng's control, both Demons were like Gods of Destruction. The two Demons were unstoppable as they targeted the enemy healers. Also, although Shi Feng could not control the two Demons perfectly, he could maneuver them to avoid as many attacks as possible.

In terms of Basic Attributes, the two Level 35 Tier 2 Demons were much stronger than even Shi Feng. Even their Strength was superior to Shi Feng's, who wore Tier 3 Strength-attributed Gemstones. So, how could ordinary players hope to touch them?

Only if everyone concentrated their attacks on the two Demons and sealed off their escape routes would the two Demons receive some form of damage. However, with Zero Wing's healers and the Demons' innate battle recovery, they could very quickly recover the lost HP.

Against the two Tier 2 Demons' assault, the various large Guilds suffered scores of deaths with every passing second.

After only a few minutes of battle, the coalition of Guilds had lost nearly 7,000 elite players. Zero Wing claimed just as many lives as the Three Great Leaders.

The members of the various large Guilds felt like a knife had been plunged into their hearts as they watched. Without any of their Guilds' experts, they were helpless against a team like this. This was also why the various large Guilds were desperately trying to nurture experts and frantically fighting over the Stoneclaw Mountains. The only consolation was that Ouroboros suffered similar losses. Since the battle had begun, Ouroboros had lost over 2,000 members.

As both sides watched their companions die, an intense fighting spirit began to fill their hearts. At this moment, the area around Stone Forest Town was like an ancient battlefield.

Meanwhile, the Red Names in Stone Forest Town were dumbfounded.

Players were killing each other all over the place. There were players dying every second. Even experts would be insignificant in a war of this scale.

In comparison, their kill counts were a joke...

While Ouroboros and Zero Wing retreated from Stone Forest Town, Shi Feng activated Windwalk and crushed a Speed Scroll as he dashed towards the town. Meanwhile, the Three Great Leaders followed closely behind.

"Hahaha! Black Flame is finally scared! Too bad that it's too late for regrets!"

"Brothers, charge! Don't let anyone from Ouroboros or Zero Wing get away!"

With the Star Alliance taking the lead, the other Guilds enthusiastically chased after Ouroboros and Zero Wing's remaining members.

However, as the two Guilds charged at the enemy encirclement, everyone finally witnessed Zero Wing's strength.

With just 400 members, Zero Wing had easily torn apart the encirclement of over 10,000 players.

Casting Stars of Light, over a thousand players died by Blackie's hand in the blink of an eye. As for Fire Dance, she was like a ferocious beast as she charged into the enemy crowd. With a swing of her short swords, she easily sent players flying and dispersed the crowd. There was even less need to mention the Strength-based classes like Cola and Rampant Blade.

Crashing into the enemy frontlines with his shield, Cola easily sent five Level 28 and Level 29 MTs flying, damages of over -1,000 points appearing above the enemy players' heads. After absorbing an accumulated damage of 5,000 points, he then activated Bluefire Shield, causing 150% damage to an area of 3*10 yards in front of him. The enemy players before him lost over half of their HP.

As for Rampant Blade, he brandished his Bluefire Double-edged Sword, killing an enemy player with each hit. From time to time, he would also trigger the Bluefire Dance, instantly wiping out a group of elites.

However, when it came to group-killing capabilities, Aqua Rose was the strongest of them all. Not only was she a glass cannon, but she also had the Bluefire Heart. She could summon three Elite ranked Bluefire Crows to assist her in battle. Although the Bluefire Crows were only Elite ranked and were the same level as Aqua Rose, Level 30, their Attack Power would increase based on Aqua Rose's Intelligence Attribute. Meanwhile, Aqua Rose currently wore a complete Tier 1 Set Equipment. In addition, she was also fully equipped with Tier 3 Gemstones. Her total Intelligence was over 400 points. Overall, each Elite ranked Bluefire Crow could rival a Special Elite of the same level.

However, the Bluefire Crows' most impressive aspect was their Growth Skill. One minute after the Bluefire Crows had been summoned, they could grow from Elites to Special Elites. After five minutes, they would become Chieftains. After ten minutes, they would become Lords. After 18 minutes, they would become High Lords. Finally, at 27 minutes, they would become Great Lords.

At that time, even though the Bluefire Crows would only last for three more minutes, three Level 30 Great Lords could easily wipe out an army of 1,000 Level 30 elite players.

By this point, 18 minutes had passed since the Bluefire Crows' summoning, so all three were already High Lords. Their damage could rival even Great Lords. Aside from MT classes, the Bluefire Crows only needed one strike to kill the other classes.

"How is Zero Wing so strong?! Even though they have so few people, they've killed over 10,000 of our troops. Yet, we've only managed to claim over a dozen or so lives!" For a time, after seeing how powerful Fire Dance and the other members of Zero Wing were, the enemy Guild members refused charge forward, afraid that they would die instantly as well.

Before this, everyone had only heard that Zero Wing was very strong. However, no one had ever actually witnessed their exact strength. Now, however, these Guilds finally saw it for themselves.

An army of 10,000 elite players was nothing to these experts.

This scene also shocked Ouroboros's members.

With just 400 players, they had instilled fear into tens of thousands of players. As an enemy, they were a frightening force to reckoned with. As an ally, however, they were incredibly dependable.

Very easily, Zero Wing punched a hole through the encirclement of the various large Guilds, creating a path of escape.

However, facing the encirclement of over 200,000 players, even Zero Wing's members could only do so much. Ouroboros, which had started this war with an army of 50,000 players, had less than 30,000 members remaining. Should they continue fighting, they would most likely suffer complete and utter annihilation.

---

Meanwhile, Stone Forest Town suddenly began to collapse, the buildings within the town crumbling, one after another.

A massive Obelisk then emerged in the heart of the town, and Shi Feng stood atop this Obelisk.

"What's going on?"

This commotion instantly attracted everyone's attention as they felt the ground beneath their feet quake It was like an earthquake measuring 7 on the Richter scale had hit the area around Stone Forest Town.

"What are you trying to do?!" Sareya shouted anxiously at Shi Feng, an expression of horror on his face.

The two other Leaders similarly stopped their pursuit as they glared at Shi Feng.

This Obelisk was their group's greatest secret. They had never imagined that Shi Feng would know about it or to rush into their stronghold to activate it.

"Of course, I want to witness the depths of hell." At this moment, Shi Feng looked ragged. Not only had he needed to avoid all the traps inside the stronghold, but he also had to dodge the Three Great Leaders. Only after using all his usable Lifesaving Skills had he manage to activate the greatest Taboo Obelisk in the Star-Moon City region.

Saying so, Shi Feng swung the Abyssal Blade, shattering the dazzling crystal ball on top of the Obelisk.

"Stop!"

The Three Great Leaders shouted in horror. 

Chapter 659 - Town Token

"What's going on?"

Seeing the Three Great Leaders' panicked expressions, the players in Stone Forest Town turned to Shi Feng, who stood on top of the Obelisk.

The Three Great Leaders were Level 60 Tier 2 NPCs. At this stage of the game, these NPCs could squish players like ants.

Yet, such powerful NPCs were actually afraid. What was going on?

After Shi Feng shattered the crystal ball, he switched the Seven Luminaries Ring to the Aura of Space and used Space Movement to escape the town.

In the next moment, a massive fivefold magic array appeared above Stone Forest Town, enveloping it.

Suddenly, Mana Rain began to fall on the town.

"Such a high Mana density! My Spell effects have doubled! This feels awesome!" Many magical class players in the down grew excited.

At this moment, the members of Ouroboros and the various large Guilds had stopped fighting as they shifted their gazes towards the phenomenon in Stone Forest Town. The fivefold magic array covered the sky above the town and currently released a colorful brilliance. Even from so far away, they could feel the dense Mana filling the city.

Suddenly, Stone Forest Town became a paradise for players.

The higher the density of Mana in the environment, the clearer and more active a player's mind was. These areas were helpful for improving a person's Skill Completion Rate. Unfortunately, locations with high Mana density were extremely rare in God's Domain. Although the environmental Mana in the Divine Colosseum's Trial Tower was quite dense, it was nothing compared to Stone Forest Town.

Seeing that Stone Forest Town had such a valuable atmosphere, the various Guilds' upper echelons began to drool.

Regardless of the sacrifice, we must have a Guild Residence in Stone Forest Town! Ruthless greed flashed in these echelons' eyes.

Setting aside the Mana Crystals of the Stoneclaw Mountains, capturing Stone Forest Town for its atmosphere was worth every sacrifice.

If they possessed Stone Forest Town, they could send their Guilds' elites here to improve themselves. Although development here would not be as efficient as in the Divine Colosseum, they would not have to spend a single Mana Crystal on training. They could save a lot of money.

Moreover, if they allowed their members to train in Stone Forest Town for long periods, the rate at which they nurtured experts would definitely surpass the other Guilds. With a large group of experts, becoming even a super-first-rate Guild would be entirely possible.

Without hesitation, the upper echelons of the various large Guilds immediately reported this to their respective Guild Leaders.

"I never imagined that Stone Forest Town would have such a secret."

"I don't care what it takes! We must obtain Stone Forest Town!"

Hearing this news, the various Guild Leaders gave their orders.

For a time, none of these Guilds paid Ouroboros or Zero Wing any attention. Their members began to surge into Stone Forest Town. Moreover, with the dense Mana surrounding the town, the closer these players got to the town, the stronger their combat power became. It was especially true for magical class players. Their combat power more than doubled. At this moment, it would be a piece of cake to clear out Stone Forest Town's NPCs.

Although the NPCs in the city had also grown stronger due to the environmental Mana, only the magical class NPCs received a damage buff. Their Skill Completion Rates had not changed. However, that was not the case for players. The dense Mana created a conducive environment that improved both Spell effects and Skill Completion Rate. Players had received a much greater boost to their combat power than the NPCs. Hence, capturing the town became much easier.

"Guild Leader, just what did you do to Stone Forest Town?" Aqua Rose could not bring herself to believe what she saw. Stone Forest Town was practically a cultivating heaven for players now. In addition, there were also the Stoneclaw Mountain's Magic Crystals. Any Guild that claimed the town would definitely become Star-Moon Kingdom's overlord.

"Don't ask. Order everyone retreat from the town this instant," Shi Feng said sternly. He had long since distanced himself from the town.

In the past, when the Stoneclaw Mountains came into being, the Dungeon had incited a war between Star-Moon City's large Guilds. Back then, however, nobody had claimed Stone Forest Town for themselves. Only after a long time had passed did the Star Alliance launch an assault on Stone Forest Town. Naturally, Stone Forest Town had not been a match for the first-rate Guild. However, just before the Guild captured the town, Sareya had activated the Obelisk.

Shortly after, Star Alliance's army was obliterated.

Initially, when Shi Feng planned the attack on Stone Forest Town, he had intended to finish off Sareya quickly, giving him no opportunity to activate the Obelisk. However, since the situation no longer permitted that, he had no choice but to activate the Obelisk himself.

Under Shi Feng's command, even though Aqua Rose and the others were reluctant, they quickly retreated from Stone Forest Town.

"Snow, let's go. As long as we snatch the Town Token dropped by the Great Leader, Stone Forest Town will belong to us. At that time, even if the Star Alliance and the other Guilds band together, they will not be a match for us," Zhao Yueru suggested anxiously as she watched the Guilds frantically surge into Stone Forest Town.

If the other Guilds obtained Stone Forest Town, Ouroboros would struggle to survive in Star-Moon City.

Glancing at Aqua Rose and the others, who gradually fled the town, Gentle Snow shook her head and said, "Let's retreat."

"But what about Stone Forest Town? With that many elite players, they could definitely exhaust the Three Great Leaders to death. Not to mention, the other Guilds' experts are currently making their way here," Zhao Yueru asked curiously.

"Black Flame told us to leave Stone Forest Town. He must have a reason. Otherwise, with Zero Wing's strength, they could compete for the Town Token. Since they aren't trying to fight over it, there must be something wrong with Stone Forest Town. Moreover, Black Flame caused this himself. He must know more than we do. It's best that we retreat and observe the situation for now." Stone Forest Town tempted Gentle Snow as well, but she chose to maintain her calm because she knew that a calm mind was the strongest weapon in such a situation.

"Hah..." Zhao Yueru sighed. Although she was disappointed, her friend had never been wrong. In the end, she could only turn and retreat after glancing at Stone Forest Town.

Ouroboros's other members also began to retreat.

Time passed little by little.

The battle inside Stone Forest Town grew more intense as time passed. The environmental Mana also grew denser. The players in the town fought madly in the thick Mana.

After more than ten minutes of frantic battle, the majority of the NPCs inside Stone Forest Town had died. Only a few Tier 2 NPCs remained, desperately fighting for their lives.

The elite players that surged into the town in waves were simply too much to handle, even for the Three Great Leaders. At this moment, the three NPCs each had less than 30% of their HP remaining. On the other hand, there were still over 150,000 elite players in the city. Victory was in sight for the various Guilds.

"Kill!"

"Sareya only has about 1,000,000 HP left! Focus on avoiding his large-scale destruction Spells!"

"Guild Leader has issued the command. Whoever secures the Town Token will be directly promoted to a Guild Elder, rewarded with a set of top-tier equipment and five million Credits!"

The Guild's upper echelons secretly sent commands through their respective Guild channels.

Aside from the Guild Elder position, owning a set of top-tier equipment was everyone's dreams. In addition, there was also the reward of five million Credits. The Town Token's importance was obvious. To ordinary players, five million Credits was an astronomical amount. If they had that kind of money, they wouldn't have to work a single day for the rest of their lives. In addition to the position of Elder, they could enjoy a life of luxury.

Suddenly, everyone began attacking with even greater enthusiasm.

---

Meanwhile, Ouroboros and Zero Wing's members, who watched from afar, grew anxious.

"Guild Leader, at this rate, some other Guild will claim the Town Token," Aqua Rose said anxiously as she looked to Shi Feng, who maintained an extraordinary calm.

However, as soon as Aqua Rose finished speaking, Sareya, who was inside Stone Forest Town, suddenly bellowed, the sound waves sending all players within a radius of 30 yards flying.

Before anyone noticed it, Sareya's white hair had become a lustrous black. As if he had grown younger by several decades, his appearance morphed from one of an old man to that of a handsome youth. However, unlike ordinary people, this youth's eyes were pure black like two black pits. Those eyes contained no emotion, and just looking at them would send shivers down one's spine.

"It's finally coming," Shi Feng grew serious as he watched the distant Sareya. "Aqua, have everyone prepare." 

Chapter 660 - Awakened

The Obelisk functioned as a seal.

Meanwhile, crushing the crystal ball on top of the Obelisk was equivalent to undoing the seal.

Sealed inside the Obelisk was something horrifying. Players only discovered later on that the thing sealed inside the Obelisk was an Awakened. It was akin to Mutants among monsters. However, while a Mutant was a mutation of a monster, an Awakened was a mutation of an NPC. The probability of an Awakened appearing was extremely low; even Shi Feng had never personally witnessed an Awakened during his decade of experience playing God's Domain. He had only heard bits of information about them.

What followed the emergence of every Awakened was a disaster. After the Star Alliance had accidentally triggered one such disaster in the past, more than 100,000 of its elites had crossed the River Styx. Even Galaxy Past had failed to escape back then.

Compared to Mutants, an Awakened was much more frightening. Unlike Mutants, an Awakened was born with extremely high intelligence. It was the enemy of all living creatures. In addition, an Awakened could rival even a Fallen Angel, a Higher Being, of the same Tier, so it was ridiculously powerful.

The person sealed inside the Obelisk was originally a Tier 5 Divine Mage. As the person was also an Awakened, his strength was the equal of a Fallen Angel's of the same Tier—only Tier 6 Gods could suppress him.

Fortunately, with the Awakened's body already obliterated and just its soul remaining in existence, it could only possess the body of another NPC, even after the removal of the seal. Meanwhile, at this moment, the Awakened had taken over Sareya's body and devoured the old man's soul, becoming the new owner of the body.

After the possession, Sareya's strength underwent a heaven-defying change. He was no longer an existence that the old Sareya could compare to.

"Are we really going to take action now?"

Aqua Rose's eyes widened as she stared at Sareya, who was hovering in midair in the distance. Unconsciously, she had started holding her breath.

At this moment, Sareya was no longer a Level 60 Tier 2 NPC but already a true monster. Just looking at Sareya from a distance, Aqua Rose instinctively felt the need to run as far away as possible from him.

[Sareya] (Awakened, Great Mage)

Level 50

HP 30,000,000/30,000,000

Not only had Sareya's body suddenly undergone a massive transformation, but even his statistics had also experienced an earth-shaking change. Although the NPC's Level had fallen quite a bit, his HP had recovered back to full status. His class had even risen from a Tier 2 Professional Mage to a Tier 3 Great Mage, his strength increasing disproportionately.

A Tier 3 NPC was equivalent to a Great Lord of the same level. On the other hand, a Tier 3 Awakened NPC possessed a strength that could rival even a Tier 4 NPC of the same level. A Tier 4 NPC was not an existence that current players could challenge at all.

At this moment, the members of the various large Guilds, who had been frantically attacking Sareya before, were similarly stunned.

After his transformation was complete, Sareya flexed his body tentatively. A moment later, the surrounding air began trembling. Immediately after, Sareya pointed a finger towards the sky. Suddenly, countless lightning bolts flashed down and gathered around Sareya's fingertip, forming a two-story-tall ball of lightning.

"Prepare to dodge! With so many people remaining, even a Tier 3 Great Mage is no match for us!" a commanding Level 29 Elementalist shouted.

However, as soon as the Elementalist finished speaking, Sareya pointed his finger towards this Elementalist. The massive ball of lightning promptly transformed into a rushing river that poured down onto the Elementalist, devouring the Elementalist and all the players around him.

Under the effects of the Tier 3 Spell Lightning Stream, no players within an area of 15*100 yards survived.

In the blink of an eye, several hundred people died.

However, Sareya was still not satisfied. He then proceeded to use multiple Tier 3 Spells in quick succession. Whether it was the players or NPCs inside Stone Forest Town, Sareya did not let a single person off the hook. In the Awakened NPC's hands, Tier 3 Spells were like simple toys. He could forgo chanting incantations, immediately casting his Spells, not giving his targets any time to dodge at all.

After just a short moment, despite everyone standing sparsely apart from each other, Sareya still managed to kill nearly 6,000 players. Meanwhile, the attacking players discovered that far from damaging the Awakened NPC, their onslaught couldn't even penetrate Sareya's Magical Shield at all.

Suddenly, the players inside Stone Forest Town fell silent; no longer did they possess the enthusiasm from before.

"Run!"

"Everyone, retreat from this place quickly!"

Many Guilds finally realized that they were nothing against the Tier 3 Great Mage at all and that the only thing they could do was run for their lives. Otherwise, none of them would leave this place alive.

"Guild Leader, that monster is too scary. Look, the other Guilds are all retreating. If we charge ahead right now, only death awaits us." Aqua Rose was deeply pessimistic about defeating such a powerful NPC. They would only suffer like the other Guilds had if they tried fighting that monstrous existence.

"Who says we need to defeat him? We just need to seal him again," Shi Feng laughed.

In the past, when the seal on the Obelisk was undone, the Awakened had gone on a rampage, throwing the players within the Star-Moon City region into a panic. Moreover, as time passed, the Awakened had continuously risen in both Levels and Tiers. Even a coalition of the various Guilds residing in Star-Moon City had been utterly helpless against the Awakened.

In the end, however, this incident was still solved.

Back then, a player had discovered inside the Obelisk the method to reseal the Awakened—utilizing an immense amount of Magic Crystals to repair the sealing crystal ball. Otherwise, with the strength of the players back then, it would have been absolutely impossible to stop the roaming Awakened. Should they encounter him, the only fate that awaited them was death.

Meanwhile, now that Sareya was busy butchering the members of the various large Guilds, it was the perfect opportunity to reseal the Awakened NPC.

Shi Feng spent about ten minutes running back to Stone Forest Town. During this period, Sareya slaughtered over 100,000 players. At this moment, less than 50,000 players of the original 150,000-plus remained. When the various Guild Leaders learned of this death toll, they nearly vomited blood and passed out.

Meanwhile, the Guild that suffered the greatest loss was the Star Alliance. From their initial 70,000 elite members, less than 20,000 remained. Moreover, this number continued to decrease.

"Hahaha! With this, the Star Alliance is finished! After losing so many elite members, they will take a long time recovering from this loss!" Zhao Yueru giggled as she pressed her hand to her chest.

Although Ouroboros had suffered severe casualties in this war as well—having less than 30,000 elite members surviving out of the original 50,000—those were inconsequential compared to the losses of the other Guilds. With this, Ouroboros would become the number one Guild of Star-Moon City.

"Is this Black Flame's true plan?" This moment drove home to Gentle Snow how fearsome Shi Feng was.

Just a single Stone Forest Town had plunged so many elite members of the various large Guilds to their deaths. If not for them working together with Zero Wing, Ouroboros would most likely have been one of those Guilds right now.

While Sareya was hunting the members of the various Guilds, Shi Feng took the opportunity to dash towards the Obelisk.

Arriving at the top of the Obelisk, Shi Feng immediately retrieved 10,000 Magic Crystals from his bag and placed them atop the altar on which the crystal ball had originally sat.

To any Guild, 10,000 Magic Crystals was a massive sum. Fortunately, Shi Feng had tasked Melancholic Smile to purchase them in bulk before the appearance of the Divine Colosseum. If not for capturing Stone Forest Town, Shi Feng would not have readily parted with 10,000 Magic Crystals.

In the next moment, the 10,000 Magic Crystals transformed into droplets of transparent liquid that quickly agglomerated into a sealing crystal ball.

"Despicable human!"

Sareya panicked when he noticed the reformation of the crystal ball that had kept him sealed all this time. Using Instantaneous Movement, he flashed towards Shi Feng.

"You best return to where you came from," Shi Feng muttered in a low tone as he looked at the rapidly approaching Sareya. He then pressed his hand on the sealing crystal ball, muttering, "Fivefold Seal, activate!"

All at once, a fivefold magic array appeared above Stone Forest Town once more, illuminating the area around the town.

"No!"

Sareya shouted defiantly as he attempted to use Tier 3 Spells to attack the sealing crystal ball. Unfortunately for him, under the suppression of the fivefold magic array, he failed to cast even a single Spell. In the next moment, golden chains descended from the magic array and wrapped around Sareya's body.

Shi Feng had seen these golden chains before.

Chains of Order. Even Gods were helpless against them, what more of Sareya?

These chains then dragged Sareya above the Obelisk. Suddenly, a blue chain emerged from the tip of the Obelisk and pierced through his body. In the next moment, Sareya released an agonized scream as the blue chain dragged a half-transparent soul out of his body and into the sealing crystal ball.

Meanwhile, Sareya's body, which had long since lost its original soul, died with the sealing of the Awakened's soul. A pile of loot also showered the ground along with the NPC's death.