Reincarnation of The Strongest Sword God

821-840

Chapter 821 - Demonic Flame Tiger

"Is it really possible?" Autumn Goose muttered doubtfully. Chills crawled down her spine despite the Frost Bone Dragon being so far away, her instincts constantly warning her of the danger.

Every time the Bone Dragon flapped its massive wings, the sounds of explosions rang through the air.

Even a fool could see the difference between the Grand Lord and a mere Great Lord. The two were on entirely different levels.

Shi Feng understood this fact as well.

The Frost Bone Dragon was South Lake City's final Boss. Of course, it wouldn't be an easy opponent.

Fortunately, however, he had two powerful trump cards. They still had a chance of victory.

Moreover, it wouldn't be a major issue if they died. At worst, they would be teleported out of the Abyss Battlefield. They would not suffer the usual death penalties.

Following which, Shi Feng played the dark gold flute, the sweet sound echoing throughout South Lake City.

"Rawr!"

With a roar, a golden magic array appeared before Shi Feng. Suddenly, a massive black tiger leaped out of the array.

The massive tiger stood over four meters tall. Black flames covered its razor-sharp claws, exquisite black armor wrapped around its body. Just by standing there, the tiger's flames increased the surrounding temperature significantly. The ground beneath its feet melted under the scorching heat. The tiger was too hot to approach.

"What's that?!" Everyone was stunned by the sudden appearance of the black, flaming beast.

"It's a Mount, of course." Shi Feng walked up to the giant tiger and rubbed the soft fur on its head. He was quite satisfied with his Mount.

[Demonic Flame Tiger] (Dark-Gold Mount)

Level 40

HP 1,020,000/1,020,000

In the past, the best Mount Shi Feng had ridden was only Fine-Gold rank.

In this life, however, he had obtained a Dark-Gold Mount after killing Noya, a Guardian Boss in the Dark Den.

Mounts were extremely useful to players in field battles, especially a Dark-Gold Mount.

Even a Bronze Mount already possessed certain combat capabilities, assisting players in battle.

After reaching Dark-Gold rank, the Mount was the equivalent of a Chieftain of the same Level. Although a Chieftain might not be anything to a top-tier expert, a Dark-Gold Mount's true power did not lie in its damage dealing abilities. Such a thing was only useful to ordinary players.

The true value of a Dark-Gold Mount lay in its Support Skills.

Having a Dark-Gold Mount was the equivalent of having a player with Support Skills by one's side.

Sure enough, a Dark-Gold Mount's Skills are very powerful. Shi Feng was slightly surprised after he examined the Demonic Flame Tiger's Skill Menu.

A Level 40 Fine-Gold Mount only had two Support Skills. One was single-target Skill, while the other was an AOE Skill.

However, a Level 40 Dark-Gold Mount had three Support Skills, with one being a single-target Skill and the other two being AOE Skills.

[Synergy] (Passive Skill)

While within 100 yards of the Demonic Flame Tiger, all Attributes of owner increase by 10%.

[Battle Roar]

The Demonic Flame Tiger releases a deafening roar. All allies within 20 yards experience a 20% damage increase, Movement Speed increased by 20%, and Attack Speed increased by 30% for 10 minutes.

Cooldown: 30 minutes

[Dark Blessing]

All allies within 20 yards gain 100 points of Magic Resistance, 20% damage reduction, and all Attributes increased by 10% for 30 minutes.

Cooldown: 10 hours

These three Skills alone could raise the strength of the entire team by a huge margin. This was the value of Dark-Gold Mounts.

"A Mount?" Everyone's jaws dropped when they heard Shi Feng's explanation. "This can't be true, right?!"

The Demonic Flame Tiger before them looked absolutely stunning. Moreover, they felt a heavy pressure from it. Based on its HP, it should be at least as powerful as a Chieftain.

A monster like the Demonic Flame Tiger could even serve as the Boss in a Party Dungeon, yet such a powerful monster was actually a Mount. This shattered any knowledge they had about Mounts.

"What rank is this Mount?"

"Secret-Silver?"

"Fine-Gold?"

Everyone nearly drooled as they stared at the Demonic Flame Tiger. With its imposing might and its majestic appearance, the Demonic Tiger would be the center of attention regardless of where it was.

"It's just Dark-Gold rank," Shi Feng said as he tapped the Demonic Flame Tiger's front paw. The Demonic Tiger obediently bent down before Shi Feng, its dignified behavior vanishing.

Shi Feng's team members shot him a disdainful glare. "It's just Dark-Gold rank?" Even though they had already reached Level 40, none of them even had a Common Mount.

They just hoped to obtain a Bronze or Mysterious-Iron Mount.

They wouldn't even dare dream of owning a Secret-Silver Mount, let alone a Fine-Gold Mount. They had never even expected to see a Dark-Gold Mount.

"After we leave the Battlefield, I must find my own Dark-Gold Mount to show off!" Blackie declared as he drooled over the Demonic Flame Tiger that was the size of a small house. He could not help but fantasize about riding his own Demonic Tiger down White River City's streets. He would be the object of everyone's envy. Just the thought gave him chills.

The other team members nodded in agreement.

The horses one could buy in cities were garbage compared to the Demonic Flame Tiger. Only a Mount like the Demonic Flame Tiger could be considered a real Mount.

"This is not the time for this. Everyone, head to your appointed locations. Aqua, cast Song of Sprites on me," Shi Feng commanded.

The Epic ranked staff Song of Beatrice he had previously given Aqua Rose had a very powerful Skill: the Song of Sprites. It could amplify the effects of a specific Spell. When used on large-scale destruction Spells and Summoning Skills, this Skill was incredibly powerful.

Shi Feng had long since used up his Magic Amplification Scroll. The Song of Sprites was the perfect Skill to replace it.

Following which, Shi Feng summoned the Demon Gate. Aqua Rose used Song of Sprites on Shi Feng, instantly buffing the Demon Summoning by 300%. In the next moment, a Tier 3 Battle Demon wielding a two-handed sword in one hand emerged from the Demon Gate.

[Battle Demon] (Demon)

Level 55

HP 14,000,000/14,000,000

It was a success! Seeing the Tier 3 Battle Demon step away from the Demon Gate, Shi Feng used the Bible of Darkness's ability to rob the Battle Demon of its will, turning it into a puppet.

"Is this Ye Feng and these core members' true strength?"

The instant the Battle Demon appeared, Autumn Goose, Thoughtful Rain, and the others were stunned.

A Tier 3 Demon was the equivalent of a Great Lord ranked monster. It was also Level 55. That monster could kill them instantly.

"Just how powerful is Zero Wing?" Autumn Goose and the others struggled with their shock.

Only now did they finally understand why Zero Wing's members had been so calm against all of those Great Lords. They even wanted to take on the Frost Bone Dragon.

With such a powerful summoned monster, even with so few members, it was not entirely impossible to defeat the Level 45 Grand Lord. 

Chapter 823 - Monster-level Battle

"Grawr!"

When the Battle Demon was within 200 yards of the Boss, the Frost Bone Dragon sensed the Demon's presence. As it released a furious roar, the Grand Lord flapped its massive bone wings; the generated gust prevented the Battle Demon from approaching.

Before the wind came to an end, the Frost Bone Dragon stretched open its jaws.

Suddenly, a storm broke out, covering a 200-yard-radius, and a seemingly endless amount of Mana gathered in the Bone Dragon's mouth.

"Damn it; it's using Dragon Breath!" Realizing what he was seeing, Shi Feng hurriedly shouted, "Everyone, get away from the Bone Dragon's front!"

Shi Feng's command confused Aqua Rose and the others. They were currently over 300 yards away from the Grand Lord. At such a distance, the Bone Dragon's attack should not be a threat.

However, seeing at Shi Feng's anxious expression, the Zero Wing team did not dare to be careless as they rushed to the sides.

Due to Battle Roar and Dark Blessing, everyone's Attributes had received a significant boost. Their Movement Speeds had also increased massively. In the end, they managed to move just as the Mana in the Grand Lord's mouth reached a critical level.

Before the team could relax, however, they suddenly felt a chill from behind them, and they could not help their shivers.

Instantly, a beam of white light devoured the buildings behind them.

"How is this possible?!" Aqua Rose could not believe her eyes.

The 600-yard-stretch before the Frost Bone Dragon had transformed into a frozen tundra. Had they not dodged the breath attack in time, they would have lost their lives.

"How can a Grand Lord be so powerful?!" The crowd gasped collectively.

With such a wide and long ranged AOE attack, even an army of ten thousand players would die instantly.

"Alright; snap out of it. Let the Battle Demon pin the Frost Bone Dragon down. Everyone else, attack from the dragon's sides. Absolutely do not stand in front of it," Shi Feng immediately commanded, not finding the Grand Lord's powerful attack one bit surprising.

The Frost Bone Dragon ruled over a city. Zerg tactics would never be enough for players to kill it.

If not for his ability to summon a Tier 3 Demon, he would not risk everyone's lives by provoking such a Boss.

Although the Frost Bone Dragon was more powerful than their team, it was only a Level 45 Grand Lord. However, the Tier 3 Demon he had summoned was Level 55. The difference of 10 Levels could, mostly, make up for the difference in rank. Even if he could not exert the Tier 3 Demon's full strength, he could use it to pin the Boss down.

As the breath attack ended...

The Battle Demon, which Shi Feng had previously moved out of the breath attack's range, arrived before the Grand Lord and used a Tier 3 Skill.

Round Flash!

Countless flashes of light appeared around the Bone Dragon's skull until the monster's head was hidden behind a dazzling, silver glow.

-592,018!

The Frost Bone Dragon released a pained cry as its body fell to the ground abruptly, flattening the buildings beneath it. The impact caused South Lake City to tremble.

As for Autumn Goose and the others, who had begun their charge towards the Frost Bone Dragon, they were momentarily stunned.

With a single hit, the Tier 3 Demon demolished a small, but visible, chunk of the Frost Bone Dragon's HP. This one attack was most likely more powerful than the combined attacks of a player army of thousands. Moreover, this was the first time she had ever seen Tier 3 beings fight against each other. Usually, she only saw players tackle monsters. The shock of watching two monsters face each other was intense.

This scene allowed them to realize just how weak players were.

Compared to this great battle, their previous battles were practically child's play.

Before the Frost Bone Dragon, which towered over a hundred meters tall, any player would seem insignificant. The mental pressure the Grand Lord exerted stole their breath.

"Don't stop! We've entered its Frost Domain! As long as we remain inside this Domain, our Stamina will decrease rapidly! Even if we don't move, our Stamina will decrease! We need to hurry and get rid of the Bone Dragon before our Stamina runs out!" Shi Feng reminded his team as he glanced at Autumn Goose, Thoughtful Rain, and the others, who had stopped moving due to shock. "Notify me immediately if any of you run out of Stamina during the battle!"

"Yes!" Everyone nodded as they regained their focus.

Against such a Boss, Aqua Rose and the other core members of Zero Wing fared relatively well. After all, they had raided a Grand Lord before. Only, the Frost Bone Dragon was significantly more powerful than that Grand Lord.

However, this was the first time Autumn Goose, Death Wind, Gunfire, Thoughtful Rain, and Blue Bamboo had faced a Grand Lord. Fighting against such an oppressive pressure and bathing in such frigid killing intent, even moving became a struggle for them. It would be a miracle if they could even exert 50% or 60% of their usual strength.

How can a Grand Lord be so terrifying?! Autumn Goose's heart pounded as she watched the Bone Dragon's mountain-like body. She then looked at Fire Dance and the others, who appeared almost unfazed and were still charging towards the Grand Lord, and she smiled bitterly.

Back in the Wind God's Spear, she had always pursued adventure and excitement. However, compared to the Frost Bone Dragon, those adventures had been a walk in the park. This Grand Lord's might was overpowering enough that she felt incredibly powerless.

In contrast, despite such an oppressive pressure, Zero Wing's members did not show any signs of slowing. With this, one could easily tell that Zero Wing's members had long since become accustomed to such battles.

For some reason, a random thought invoked a strange feeling within Autumn Goose.

This was what she has searched for all this time.

While Autumn Goose was caught up in her daze, the Frost Bone Dragon slammed its massive claws down onto the Battle Demon. Unable to dodge the attack in time, Shi Feng could only direct the Battle Demon to defend itself with its weapon.

Boom!

-95,164.

The ground beneath the Battle Demon's feet shattered as the Demon became embedded into the ground. The surrounding land shook from the impact, a deep fissure forming and spreading towards Autumn Goose.

Autumn Goose was momentarily taken aback.

Compared to the Frost Bone Dragon's destructive power, the Great Lords they had defeated earlier were nothing more than harmless kittens.

However, Autumn Goose still reacted. Although her movements were sluggish due to the Guardian Boss's pressure, she had managed to pull her weapon up before her.

Peng!

The incoming shockwave struck and threw Autumn Goose, a damage of -867 appearing above her head.

A gasp tore through the watching players.

Despite standing so far away, Autumn Goose still received nearly -900 damage after defending herself successfully. If she had failed to lift her weapon in time, she probably would have lost over 4,000 HP in an instant.

As for the Frost Bone Dragon's claws, even Cola might die instantly if he received a direct hit. Even after activating his Berserk Skill and all of his Lifesaving Skills, he would only survive one attack at most.

Fortunately, however, they had a Tier 3 Demon to take the Bone Dragon's hits for them. Otherwise, they wouldn't have any chance of surviving against the Grand Lord.

Shi Feng simply smiled at everyone's reaction.

Ordinary Bosses could not compare to a Guardian Boss. Furthermore, the Frost Bone Dragon was a member of the Dragon race. It was much stronger than ordinary Bosses. Even if Cola reached Level 45, he could not tank this Boss by himself. At the very least, they needed three MTs of equal caliber to handle the Frost Bone Dragon.

This should be far enough. Shi Feng arrived beside the Bone Dragon and raised the Abyssal Blade. He swung the Magic Weapon down on the Grand Lord.

Abyssal Curse! 

Chapter 824 - Super-Large-Scale Destruction Spell

"Seal!" Shi Feng shouted low.

Suddenly, a massive, black magic array appeared beneath the Frost Bone Dragon's feet. Even with its gigantic body, the magic array enveloped the Grand Lord, and an endless stream of black fog penetrated the Bone Dragon's body, slowly corroding it.

"Rawrr!"

The Frost Bone Dragon struggled, trying to break free from the array's bindings, but no matter how hard it fought, it could not expel the black fog from its body.

Everyone on the team immediately used their most powerful Skills against the Frost Bone Dragon.

Lifting his spear, Gunfire leaped into the air and used Beheaded.

Peng!

Although the Frost Bone Dragon had received the attack without any resistance, when Gunfire's attack struck the Grand Lord's white bone, it felt as if he had just hit a solid wall. Not only did the attack fail to cause any external damage, but the resulting vibration also inflicted pain to his own hand.

His attack had only caused slightly over -700 damage...

"What kind of Defense is this?!" Horror filled Autumn Goose as she stared at the damage.

No matter what was said or done, Gunfire was one of the top ranking experts in the Wind God's Spear; he was very well-equipped. Even against all those Great Lords prior to this fight, his Beheaded Skill always dealt around -2,000 damage. Now, however, even after receiving a significant boost to his Attributes, his Beheaded had only caused around -700 damage. The Frost Bone Dragon's Defense had to be more than double that of the previous Great Lords.

Meanwhile, the Frost Bone Dragon had 64,000,000 HP. With its battle recovery alone it could regenerate 640,000 HP every second. Not to mention, since the battle had begun, the Grand Lord had been absorbing 1% of their HP every three seconds.

With such a powerful recovery, even 100 continuously attacking Gunfires would barely scratch the Frost Bone Dragon. They would be no threat to the Grand Lord at all.

Fire Dance then jumped up from the Frost Bone Dragon's right, landing on the Grand Lord's spine, instantly executing Absolute Strike.

However, when Thousand Transformations, which was even sharper than the Sacred Sword Killing Ray, cut at the pearly white bone, the short sword only dug three centimeters deep into the bone before coming to a halt.

-14,489.

Why is there such a huge difference in Defense?! Fire Dance frowned.

Absolute Strike was her most powerful Burst Skill, yet even after a critical hit, the Skill only dealt over -10,000 damage. At this rate, they would die from exhaustion before they could kill the Frost Bone Dragon.

If this was already the case for Fire Dance, there was no need to mention how little the others could do against the Frost Bone Dragon.

Everyone's most powerful Skills had only managed to deal around -4,000 damage to the Grand Lord. Only after including Shi Feng's damage did the team barely deal enough to overcome the Frost Bone Dragon's recovery. At this rate, they would need to fight for five or six hours to kill the Grand Lord. Unfortunately, it would be a miracle if everyone's Stamina lasted for ten minutes.

As for the Battle Demon, although it was very strong, the Frost Bone Dragon easily blocked the majority of its attacks. It had barely any opportunities to damage the Grand Lord.

Two seconds after Shi Feng activated Abyssal Curse, the Frost Bone Dragon's wings shuddered as it broke free from the magic array. Immediately, it swiped its tail at the Battle Demon, launching a more violent attack than before. In the next moment, an afterimage briefly appeared. Before the Battle Demon under Shi Feng's control could react, the Bone Dragon had sent it flying.

Everyone had expected the Battle Demon to suffer an intense amount of damage. However, the Battle Demon only lost around 70,000 HP; that was even less than the damage it had received before.

"The Bone Dragon's Attributes have decreased!" Aqua Rose stated as she looked at the Frost Bone Dragon's HP. Currently, the Grand Lord only had a maximum HP of 57,600,000. Its Attributes had been decreased by 10%.

The players felt joy bloom in their chests. Their will to fight soared.

Even to ordinary players, a 10% Attribute drop would significantly affect their combat power, much less for a Guardian Boss like the Frost Bone Dragon.

"Everyone, activate your Berserk Skills! Use this opportunity to slay this Boss!" Shi Feng hurriedly reminded.

Abyssal Curse could reduce the Frost Bone Dragon's Attributes for ten minutes, so if they could not finish the Grand Lord off in these ten minutes it would become much harder to defeat later. They needed to exert all of their strength now.

Following Shi Feng's command, everyone activated their Berserk Skills at full strength.

As for Shi Feng, he activated Heavenly Dragon's Power. Among the several Berserk Skills Shi Feng had, Dragon's Power increased his Strength Attribute the most.

With the Tier 3 Battle Demon acting as a meat shield, Shi Feng used Silent Steps and appeared directly behind the Frost Bone Dragon.

Phantom Kill!

Flame Burst!

Shi Feng and his doppelganger released a series of 30 dazzling explosions on the Bone Dragon's weakened ribcage.

-20,484.

-28,497.

-41,054.

-57,149.

...

Thirty consecutive hits struck the Frost Bone Dragon, instantly stealing a small chunk of the Grand Lord's HP.

Aqua Rose used Song of Sprites and cast the Tier 1 Spell Soul Cloud. In the next moment, several dozen damages appeared above the Frost Bone Dragon's head, each one devouring over 1,000 HP. In addition, Aqua Rose summoned three Bluefire Crows and three Forest Sprites. Although each summoned creature could only deal around -1,000 damage, with the six attacking together, they instantly destroyed over 6,000 of the Grand Lord's HP. In terms of damage output, Aqua Rose was only inferior to Shi Feng and Fire Dance.

Besides, the Bluefire Crows were slightly different from the Forest Sprites. The Bluefire Crows possessed the Growth Skill. As time passed, they would increase in rank.

From Elite monsters, the Bluefire Crow could grow to become Lords. At that point, Aqua Rose's damage could even surpass Fire Dance's.

Seconds and minutes passed quickly. Under Shi Feng and his team's all-out assault, the Frost Bone Dragon's HP quickly fell to 30%. Finally, the Tier 3 Battle Demon was in an extremely miserable state. It currently had less than 20% of its HP remaining.

"Foolish humans, feel the wrath of the Abyss!" the Frost Bone Dragon bellowed as it suddenly flapped its wings.

Xiu!

The Frost Bone Dragon instantly appeared above South Lake City.

In the next moment, an endless amount of elemental Mana surged towards the Frost Bone Dragon's body from all directions. At the same time, a deep-blue, twofold magic array appeared above South Lake City as well, enveloping the entire space above the city.

The violent power radiating from the magic array threw everyone to the ground as if the end of the world had arrived.

"It's over... How does the Bone Dragon know such a Spell?" Shock filled Aqua Rose's eyes as she stared at the magic array above South Lake City. With her understanding of magic arrays, she knew that they had absolutely no chance of defending against the Frost Bone Dragon's Spell. They could only wait for death to claim their lives, "With Spells like this, how can anybody defeat the Frost Bone Dragon?!"

The other team members felt similarly powerless as they watched.

It was technically not impossible to deal with a super-large-scale destruction Spell like this. However, with the magic array covering the entire South Lake City, how could they escape the Spell's range in time?

"Hahaha! Go on! Flee! Let's see if you can escape the wrath of the Abyss!" the Frost Bone Dragon laughed.

"I've been waiting for this!" Shi Feng's lips curled into a smile. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Immediately, he activated Wind Rider. He then switched the Aura of Wind to the Aura of Time before looking at Aqua Rose, saying, "Use Song of Sprites on me!"

It had already been five minutes since Aqua Rose last used Song of Sprites. The Skill's Cooldown should have ended.

"Ah?" Although Aqua Rose did not understand what Shi Feng intended to do, she cast Song of Sprites on him.

Shi Feng then flew towards the Frost Bone Dragon, which was still in the process of gathering and condensing Mana.

Absolute Time!

This was Shi Feng's final trump card against the Frost Bone Dragon.

If he could not interrupt the Frost Bone Dragon's Abyssal Wrath, a super-large-scale destruction Spell, trying to deal with the Grand Lord would be sheer lunacy.

Immediately, with the Frost Bone Dragon as the center, the space within a radius of 300 yards froze. All Mana in the area scattered and vanished immediately.

"No!"

Due to the sudden loss of Mana, the Frost Bone Dragon released a pained cry as it suffered a backlash from its Spell. Its massive body, which had been over 100 meters in height, suddenly shrunk to only 60 meters or so. Its Attributes also fell by 40% as it entered a Weakened state for three minutes. The Frost Bone Dragon's body then crashed to the ground.

With its combat power greatly reduced, how could the Frost Bone Dragon be a challenge for the team from Zero Wing?

Even without the Tier 3 Battle Demon, the Frost Bone Dragon was no longer a threat.

At this time, Shi Feng activated the Power of Darkness, his Attributes soaring once more. He then began a rampant assault on the Grand Lord.

When the Frost Bone Dragon had less than 500,000 HP remaining, Shi Feng activated Divine Providence before using Flame Burst on the Grand Lord, destroying the Grand Lord's final strand of HP.

The instant the Frost Bone Dragon died, everyone heard the sound of a system notification. 

Chapter 825 - Loot of a Grand Lord

"It's finally dead!"

They could not help but release a sigh of relief when they saw the Frost Bone Dragon fall to the ground, the Grand Lord's HP thoroughly depleted.

As the Bone Dragon fell to the ground, everyone's experience bars filled abruptly by a large margin.

"So much EXP!"

A golden glow illuminated Autumn Goose, Death Wind, Gunfire, Thoughtful Rain, and Blue Bamboo as all five of them leveled from Level 38 to 39, shock coloring their expressions.

Even the combined EXP they had gained when they had killed the twenty Great Lords could not compete with the EXP from a single Frost Bone Dragon.

While the team celebrated their success of killing the Frost Bone Dragon, a sudden system notification surprised them.

System Announcement: Congratulations! You have killed the Guardian Boss Frost Bone Dragon! War God's Temple Reputation +20 points. Rewarding 5 Basic Medals of Honor.

"Wah! We've hit the jackpot! We got 5 Basic Medals of Honor!"

Autumn Goose and the others were similarly stunned. They had never imagined such great rewards for killing the Frost Bone Dragon.

They had heard that many large Guilds had organized massive expeditions to conquer towns. Aside from earning Honor Points, two other important reason for these Guilds' expeditions was to increase their Reputation with the War God's Temple and obtain Basic Medals of Honor.

The higher one's War God's Temple Reputation was, the more discounts one could obtain when trading Honor Points for items. At the same time, after one's Reputation with the Temple reached a certain level, they could trade for higher ranking items.

The high-ranking items available could tempt even top-tier expert players, much less ordinary expert players.

For example: Battlefield Mounts, rare Skills, high-ranking rare potions, and many other items that were not available on the market.

Although a Battlefield Mount was only useful in the Abyss Battlefield, the Mount was of very high quality. Players could trade for a Bronze Mount almost immediately. As one's War God's Temple Reputation increased, one could even obtain a Dark-Gold Mount. These Mounts could boost a player's combat power in the Abyss Battlefield significantly. Furthermore, there were many powerful Skills available.

However, these high-ranking items demanded one thing beyond the cost of Honor Points.

They required Basic Medals of Honor!

Obtaining a single Bronze Battlefield Mount required 20 Basic Medals of Honor and 30,000 Honor Points.

Without Basic Medals of Honor, even if a player had all the Honor Points in the world, they could not afford the truly useful items.

However, it was extremely difficult to obtain a Basic Medal of Honor. From what they had learned from the past few days of research, a single Basic Metal of Honor would be awarded to players who helped capture a town. Now, they had each obtained five medals. That was the equivalent of capturing five towns.

If one wanted to purchase a Bronze Mount, they'd need to capture 20 towns.

Capturing a town was easier said than done.

Unlike the outside world, once players died in the Abyss Battlefield, they had to wait until the next day before entering the battlefield again. Hence, one's life was essential in the Abyss Battlefield. To avoid death, players proceeded with caution and spent a long time raiding a single town.

Currently, there were no Bronze Mounts available on the market. Only a single Common Mount was for sale, costing 40 Gold. Even if someone sold a Bronze Mount, it would cost several hundred Gold, at the very least. How could ordinary players possibly afford that?

If one wanted to ride a Bronze Mount, this was the fastest method to achieve that dream.

In the Abyss Battlefield, Battlefield Mounts were slightly more powerful than normal Mounts. Not only were they faster, but their combat power was also higher by a rank. A Fine-Gold Battlefield Mount could rival a Chieftain of the same Level, while Dark-Gold Battlefield Mounts could rival Lords. With such a Mount, players could obtain Honor Points more easily in the future.

While everyone enjoyed their elation over their unexpected harvest, Shi Feng had appraised all of the items the Frost Bone Dragon had dropped.

Although the Frost Bone Dragon had only dropped five items, they were either top-tier weapons or equipment.

"Big Brother Ye Feng, what kind of items did the Boss drop to make you so happy? Hurry up and share! Don't keep them to yourself!" Blue Bamboo's curiosity grew when she saw the smile on Shi Feng's face.

This was her first time raiding a Grand Lord. Moreover, there was a rumor going around that Grand Lords had a chance of dropping Epic items.

"Nothing much. I'm just happy because we managed to complete the Abyss Set. Aside from that, the Boss also dropped a Level 40 Dark-Gold ranked shield, a Level 40 Dark-Gold ranked ring, and a pair of Growth-type gloves," Shi Feng said, laughing. He then shared the details of the shield and ring through the team chat.

[Frost Bone Shield] (Shield, Dark-Gold Rank)

Level 40 - Level 45

Equipment Requirement: Strength 500

Defense +2,720 (Level 40)

Block Rate: 37%

Strength +43, Endurance +51

Ice Resistance +10

Evasion +10

Weakens damage received from the front by 20%.

Every time shield is struck, 10% of the damage is converted to the user's Defense up to a maximum of 2,000 Defense.

Maximum HP increased by 10%.

Additional Skill-

Frost Body: Gain immunity to all damage from the front for 4 seconds.

Cooldown: 5 minutes

"This shield's Defense is especially high. This alone is already a match for my total Defense." Aqua Rose was dumbstruck after examining the Frost Bone Shield's Attributes.

The Divine Bluefire Shield Cola currently used only had 1,950 Defense. However, the Frost Bone Shield could provide 4,720 points to one's Defense. Beyond that, the shield had a Passive Damage Reduction Skill and an Active Skill that provided pseudo-invulnerability.

With this shield, they could even take on Bosses' super-powerful Skills in the future. Particularly when the healers could not keep up with the damage the MT with the Frost Bone Shield took, said MT could use Frost Body to alleviate the burden.

[Ice Spirit Ring] (Ring, Dark-Gold Rank)

Level 40 - Level 45

Equipment Requirement: Intelligence 400

Strength +15, Agility +18, Endurance +24, Intelligence +55, Vitality +37

Casting range +2

Casting Speed increased by 10%.

Magic damage increased by 10%.

Attacks have a chance to trigger Freeze effect, freezing the target for 3 seconds.

Additional Skill-

Rapid Cooldown: Resets Cooldown of all Skills the user has learned while simultaneously removing all Control effects and increasing casting speed and Movement Speed by 30% for 10 seconds.

Cooldown: 10 minutes

When these players saw the Ice Spirit Ring's statistics, their eyes nearly fell out of their sockets.

"With this ring, a magical class's damage output would increase by at least 20%!" Blue Bamboo exclaimed as she drooled over the ring. This was the first time she had ever seen a ring with such amazing Attributes.

Ornaments were very rare in God's Domain. They were even worth far more than weapons.

Despite being fully geared in top-tier equipment, her current ring was only a Level 20 Mysterious-Iron Ring. However, she was considered quite well-off. Many players still wore Level 10 Bronze ranked rings.

However, compared to the Ice Spirit Ring, her Level 20 ring was practically trash.

"Don't get too excited. Neither the shield nor the ring can compare to how valuable these gloves are." Shi Feng then shared the gloves' stats with his team. 

Chapter 826 - Background of the Number One Guild

"Growth-type Equipment?"

Everyone stared at the image that released a faint, white glow. Many divine runes decorated the pair of gloves. There was also a small, dark-blue magic array etched onto the back of the gloves, with a light blue bead in the array's center.

[Frost Gloves] (Gloves, Cloth Armor, Bronze Rank)

Level 40 - Level 90

Defense +348 (Level 40)

Intelligence +26

Vitality +22

Endurance +21

Additional Passive Skill-

Forced Chant: While casting, there is a 5% chance to cast Tier 1 or below Spells instantly.

Additional Active Skill-

Frost Breath: Deals 500% magic damage in a cone to enemies within 30 yards and freezes all targets hit for 5 seconds before reducing their Movement Speed and Attack Speed by 40% for 15 seconds.

Cooldown: 1 hour

The Frost King had once worn these gloves embedded with Frost Beads, which he had sealed and cannot display their full power. To lift the Frost King's five-layered seal, the wearer must sacrifice an abundance of EXP to the seal. (Removing the first seal requires 300,000,000 EXP)

"The upgrade requirement sure is rough. The first seal alone requires 300,000,000 EXP." Blackie's eyebrows rose when he read the gloves' description. The EXP was enough for an ordinary player to level up once. Moreover, this was only the first seal. There were four more seals after that. Needless to say, the following seals would have higher requirements.

"But the Skills are amazing. It can instant-casting Tier 1 Spells. Only, the chances are a little low. The AOE Control Skill, on the other hand, is quite good. With these two Skills, this pair of gloves is no less powerful than any Dark-Gold Equipment," Aqua Rose commented.

When Shi Feng heard the various unbiased evaluations, he could not help but shake his head and laugh, saying, "Do you guys think that removing the seals will only improve the equipment's Basic Attributes? This is Growth-type Equipment. It can be upgraded to Epic rank if you remove all of the seals. Both the gloves' Basic Attributes and its Skills will improve as you undo the seals. Dark-Gold Equipment definitely cannot compare to something like this."

"This is Epic Equipment?" Every player on his team was surprised.

Zero Wing's core members had a profound understanding of just how powerful Epic items were.

Compared to Epic Equipment, Dark-Gold Equipment was practically garbage. The two were on entirely different levels. Equipping a single Epic Weapon or piece of Equipment could instantly boost a player's combat power by a large margin, unlike Dark-Gold Equipment, where one would need multiple pieces to display their advantages.

"So, this is Epic Equipment?" Autumn Goose and her friends at a loss for words when they looked back at the Frost Gloves.

While they had rejoiced after obtaining a piece of Dark-Gold Equipment after defeating a Great Lord, Zero Wing had set its sights on Epic Equipment. Over time, the gap between them and Thoughtful Rain would unquestionably grow.

Following which, Shi Feng held an internal auction among Zero Wing's members. Autumn Goose, Death Wind, and Gunfire's envy grew as they watched.

They had never imagined that, even for such powerful equipment, Zero Wing would willingly distribute them with an internal auction. In other Guilds, the team's leader usually chose who obtained what equipment.

In the end, Ye Wumian won the Frost Bone Shield, while Thoughtful Rain obtained the Frost Ring. This outcome surprised Thoughtful Rain. Of course, part of the reason for this result was that the other magical class members had set their sights on the Frost Gloves.

Unfortunately, Aqua Rose won the Gloves.

After the equipment distribution, everyone teleported out of the Abyss Battlefield together.

...

As soon as the team appeared at the teleportation array in the War God's Temple, a wide array of noises reached their ears. Players shouting, recruiting team members, filled the Temple.

After just a few days, the War God's Temple had undergone tremendous changes.

Players crowded the Temple's main hall. These players' Levels had also changed drastically.

Originally, Level 30 players were considered mainstream. Now, however, the majority of the players in the main hall were around Level 32. Among them, there was no lack of Level 34 or 35 independent players. These players were also relatively well-equipped.

However, shortly after Shi Feng and the others appeared, the main hall fell silent. Practically every player in the building had shifted their gaze towards Shi Feng's group.

"Aren't they Zero Wing's upper echelons?"

"Damn! They're the real deal!"

"As expected of the top-tier experts in Star-Moon Kingdom. Even though I'm so far away, I can't help but shiver at the pressure they give off."

"Who are those three independent players with them?! All three are Level 39!"

"What?! Level 39?! The number one player on Star-Moon Kingdom's Ranking List just reached Level 38 not long ago. Did they hide their levels on the Ranking List?"

"How did they level up so quickly?"

"I wish I could mooch off of them!"

"Pros, carry me please!"

No one could believe their eyes when they saw Autumn Goose and the others. Shi Feng and the other members of Zero Wing wore Black Cloaks, so no one could identify their Levels. Autumn Goose and the others, however, did not; their Levels were quite visible to the public.

Autumn Goose and the others could not help but feel slightly embarrassed.

If not for Shi Feng bringing them along to kill so many Great Lords, they would never have reached Level 39 so quickly. At most, they would have reached Level 37 by now. After they returned to the Dark Night Empire, the other Wind God's Spear members would be just as shocked upon seeing their Levels.

"Ye Feng, are you not coming with us to turn in the quest?" Thoughtful Rain asked as she turned to Shi Feng.

"I still have some matters to attend to, so I won't be joining you," Shi Feng said as he shook his head. He had just received a message from Melancholic Smile, informing him that representatives from King's Return wanted to meet him to discuss an important matter.

After considering the situation for a long moment, the only conclusion Shi Feng reached for this sudden visit was the matter relating to Sinned Heart. After all, Zero Wing did not have any connection to King's Return.

However, he doubted that possibility.

A Super Guild like King's Return could annihilate an upstart Guild like Immortal Light easily. Like Nine Dragons Emperor of the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion, King's Return could attack Immortal Light directly. They didn't need to go through so much trouble to deal with one upstart Guild.

However, since people from King's Return had chosen to visit him, he had to pay back their sincerity regardless of what was said or done.

As for the Silver Legend quest, even if he turned in the quest with Thoughtful Rain and the others, the most he would get was a little EXP. That meager amount of EXP was practically negligible to him. Now that the final arc of the Silver Legend quest was complete, there was no reason for him to tag along anymore.

Hearing Shi Feng decline her invitation, a hint of disappointment colored Thoughtful Rain's face.

---

Zero Wing's Guild Residence:

Inside the large Guild Hall, Zero Wing's members busied themselves with various tasks.

The sudden commotion was due to the Guild Stable's completion.

To purchase their own Guild Mount once they reached Level 40, everyone began to frantically take on one quest after another, earning as much money as possible. This situation caused the Guild to buzz with activity.

However, inside the busy hall, two people sat inside the second floor's reception room, observing the situation leisurely.

"They've managed to run the Guild quite well. It's no wonder why Zero Wing is known as Star-Moon Kingdom's number one Guild. Unfortunately, the Guild's background is poor, and it doesn't have any expert-nurturing capabilities," a robust man in silver heavy armor spoke disdainfully as he watched the situation downstairs. This man was a Level 38 Berserker.

Although there were many elite players in Zero Wing, at the end of the day, they were only slightly stronger than Star-Moon Kingdom's ordinary players. They were no match for empire players. This was especially true when comparing expert players' Levels.

Currently, the highest-leveled player in Star-Moon Kingdom had only recently reached Level 38. On the other hand, many of the players on Empire Ranking Lists had reached Level 39.

Suddenly, the reception room's doors swung open. Shi Feng, who currently used his Black Flame appearance, walked into the room.

Level 40?! How can this be?! 

Chapter 827 - Sword King Black Flame

As Shi Feng entered the elegant reception room, he did not bother with disguising his current Level.

The robust man's gaze fixed on Shi Feng, confusion filling his eyes.

A Guild in Star-Moon Kingdom actually had someone higher-leveled than the number one player on the Glory Empire's Ranking List. No matter how he thought about it, this was inconceivable.

Their levels were already quite high, so they required a tremendous amount of EXP to level up. It was especially true for leveling from Level 39 to 40.

All those who held their rank on the Ranking List practically grinded without rest. Moreover, ordinary experts could not compare to their efficiency. Usually, these rankers had groups to lure and damage monsters for them. When the monsters dropped to their final strand of HP, these rankers would strike the final blow, taking the majority of the monster's EXP. Either that or these rankers formed teams who possessed AOE Attack Spells and had others lure hordes of monsters to these AOE teams. They would then rotate through each team, sharing the EXP as they killed the monsters.

The basis of these systems was sacrificing other players' EXP. Only large Guilds had the power to employ these methods.

With such a grinding efficiency, the EXP these rankers obtained was many times more than what ordinary expert teams could earn while grinding. Only with this technique could they exceed other players by so many levels.

Even so, Shi Feng had still surpassed them by such a large margin...

"I am Black Flame. What business do you have with me?" When Shi Feng examined the two representatives, he realized that he had met one of them before.

The robust man was none other than the Berserker, Thunder Tiger, whom he had met when he sold equipment in Blackwing City.

Aside from the unruly-looking Thunder Tiger, Shi Feng also recognized the indifferent youth beside the Berserker. The youth's name was Ordinary Stranger. In the past, he had been one of King's Return's top ten Summoner experts.

These two people were extremely powerful. Both could rank with Star-Moon Kingdom's top ten experts. Even the top-tier experts in first-rate Guilds could not hope to compete with either of these two. Their Levels alone made this evident.

Among the two, one was a Level 38 Berserker, while the other was a Level 38 Summoner. Most likely, they leveled far faster than even the number one player on Star-Moon Kingdom's Ranking List. Their equipment was even more impressive. Both were fully geared with Level 35 top-tier Dark-Gold Equipment. The staff in Ordinary Stranger's hand especially...

One could not judge the staff's quality based on its appearance alone. However, Shi Feng knew that the staff in Ordinary Stranger's hand was a Magic Weapon.

In God's Domain, although there were far fewer Magic Weapons than Epic Weapons, they were significantly less difficult to obtain. One did not need to kill some kind of super-powerful Boss to obtain a Magic Weapon. Players also did not need to complete an Epic Quest. Instead, a Magic Weapon's procurement depended on luck. Players might unexpectedly obtain a Magic Weapon by completing a Hidden Quest. They might even find a Magic Weapon when they opened a high-ranking Treasure Chest.

Although Magic Weapons had helped many players become experts, they had ruined far more.

Ordinary Stranger was one of those people who had managed to control a Magic Weapon in the past. Hence, he had become one of King's Return's top ranking experts. Otherwise, he would never have become one of the Super Guild's top ten Summoners.

"Hello, Guild Leader Black Flame! I am Ordinary Stranger of King's Return; my companion here is Thunder Tiger," Ordinary Stranger stated, a smile suddenly lighting his indifferent face. Although his smile contained no ill will, it looked horrifyingly forced. "In truth, we have come to speak with you about a small matter. We hope that you can help us with this."

Although he looked down on Zero Wing, he would show respect to a true expert.

This was the 51st ranking expert on the God's Domain Experts List, the Sword King, Black Flame.

Ordinary experts might not realize what such a rank implied, but as an expert from a Super Guild, Ordinary Stranger understood what it meant.

The fact that Shi Feng had earned the 51st rank told him that the man had already reached the Void Realm. He was many times stronger than either of them. If a fight broke out, even if they worked together, they would not be a match for Shi Feng.

After meeting Shi Feng personally, Ordinary Stranger felt that the man had grown a lot stronger. He was particularly convinced when he saw the exquisite mold and intricate runes of the weapons hanging from Shi Feng's waist. Although their special effects were hidden, he was certain that Dark-Gold weapons could not compare to those two blades.

Based on the rumors floating around, these two weapons could very well be Epic Weapons.

Epic Weapons!

Even experts like themselves only obtained weapons like those in their dreams. Currently, only the Guild's monster-level characters possessed Epic items. As to whether or not those items were weapons, that was one of the Guild's absolute secrets. Even they had no clue.

Even a Super Guild like King's Return had gone to great lengths to obtain these Epic items. Hence, it was truly hard to imagine that the Guild Leader of an upstart Guild actually wielded two Epic Weapons.

"You're looking for my help? Interesting. King's Return is a Super Guild. Is there truly anything your Guild can't do in God's Domain?" Shi Feng said, laughing.

"Guild Leader Black Flame, you jest," Ordinary Stranger said hurriedly. "We really need your help with this situation."

"Alright, tell me; what business do you have with me." Shi Feng waved his hand dismissively.

"Recently, we've heard that Zero Wing plans to buy some of Snow Field City's Lands. We would like to dissuade you. In return, King's Return will provide Zero Wing with a plot of Light City's Land, allowing the Candlelight Trading Firm to develop there," Ordinary Stranger explained.

Although Snow Field City was the third largest city in the Twin Towers Kingdom, its player population could not compete with Light City's. The difference between the two cities was simply too massive. Even an extremely ordinary plot of Land in Light City was far more valuable than Snow Field City's golden Lands.

"Can you tell me which plot of Land you are offering?" Shi Feng was slightly surprised. He had never expected King's Return to be so generous.

Only the extremely wealthy could afford Land in imperial capitals. Moreover, even if one managed to purchase one or two plots, without the endorsement from the city's ruling Guild, one's business would fail. The ruling Guild would cause all sorts of trouble to chase away their customers, going so far as to kill the players who dared to spend Gold at their Shops.

This was especially true for imperial capitals in which Super Guilds had set up their headquarters. In a few years, the players within these imperial capitals would either become members of the Guild, guests who had business with these Super Guilds, or players who supported these Super Guilds. It would be practically impossible these Guilds' foundations in their home cities.

Hence, even if one could afford the Land in an imperial capital, most Guilds usually avoided them. After all, these Lands would only become expensive paperweights.

Of course, it was a different story if one obtained the permission of the ruling Guild.

This was why Shi Feng wanted to cooperate with Phoenix Rain.

Since King's Return would willingly allow the Candlelight Trading Firm to develop at Light City, once the trading firm set up a Shop, that Shop would most likely earn more money than five or six kingdom cities combined. After all, the player population in Light City was that massive.

"Here it is."

Ordinary Stranger took out a drawing. This was none other than the map of Light City. A red dot had been marked on the map's top corner, representing the Land for resale.

"The Slums?" 

Chapter 828 - Chased Out

Shi Feng thought he had interpreted the map wrong when he examined the marked location.

Cities in God's Domain generally had many districts. Among them, the most important was the Trade Area.

Normally, when players tried to set up a Shop, they purchased Land in the Trade District.

Following the Trade Area would be the Noble's District.

The Noble's District housed the city's Library and the War God's Temple. Naturally, players frequently visited these locations.

The Commoner's District followed the Noble's District. The Commoner's District contained the Adventurer's Association and the Underground Arena. Hence, that district enjoyed quite a bit of player traffic as well.

The district with the worst traffic was the Slums. There were practically no establishments in the Slums that could attract players to the area. Very few players were willing to visit. Hence, in every city in God's Domain, the Lands in the Slums there were the cheapest. Opening a Shop there was no different than throwing money into the furnace.

"This is your offer?" Shi Feng asked, laughing.

After all that talk, King's Return wanted to trade a worthless location for five valuable plots of Land.

"Guild Leader Black Flame, don't be in such a rush. Many of Light City's Lands have already been distributed. We cannot procure good plots of Land with so little time. These are the only ones left. However, our superiors have stated that King's Return will allow the Candlelight Trading Firm to enter Light City to conduct business. If you are in a hurry to develop the Candlelight Trading Firm in Light City, you can purchase Land with potential from others," Ordinary Stranger explained.

In Ordinary Stranger's opinion, this offer was a powerful show of faith towards Zero Wing.

Light City was King's Return's main headquarters. The city was home to more than ten million players. In the future, that number could definitely climb to twenty million, or even thirty million.

It was not an exaggeration to say that every inch of land in Light City was worth its weight in gold.

To obtain a share of this golden pie, all Zero Wing needed to do was to turn away from those five plots of Land in Snow Field City.

There were lots of Guilds that hoped to set up a Shop in Light City. The fact that King's Return had agreed to let the Candlelight Trading Firm set foot in Light City was an opportunity that many Guilds dreamed of, but could not obtain.

"What if I refuse?" Shi Feng asked.

Although Ordinary Stranger's offer sounded nice, what fool would actually sell the high-potential Land they had only obtained after so much trouble? In the end, Zero Wing had nothing more than an empty promise at the loss of five very high potential Lands.

Wasn't King's Return being a little too arrogant

"This..." Ordinary Stranger was taken aback. He had never dreamed that Shi Feng would actually consider turning his offer down. Coldly, he replied, "I hope that Guild Leader Black Flame will rethink this carefully. King's Return is a Super Guild. Is it really worth offending us over a few plots of Land?"

"Alright, enough. You two can leave now," Shi Feng said as he gestured towards the door.

"Are you doing this because of Immortal Light?" Ordinary Stranger suddenly said coldly, "Guild Leader Black Flame, think this over. I can tell you that Immortal Light is a sworn enemy of King's Return. We must annihilate this pest. If Zero Wing helps Immortal Light, you will incur King's Return's wrath as well!"

"Now, that is interesting," Shi Feng said, his lips hooking up into a grin. He then continued, saying, "Do you think that Zero Wing is afraid of King's Return?"

Hearing Shi Feng's bold question, both Ordinary Stranger and Thunder Tiger were stupefied.

They had not expected Shi Feng to brush the Super Guild off like that.

Super Guilds were different from other Guilds. They were the true overlords of the virtual gaming world. In the virtual gaming world, aside from the few transcendent powers and other Super Guilds, nobody would dare disregard a Super Guild.

However, when they thought back to how Zero Wing treated the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion, it was possible that the Guild would ignore King's Return's threat.

"Both of you can get lost this instant. Oh, and go back and tell your superiors this: what Zero Wing does is of no concern of King's Return. I will buy those plots of Land. You can be certain of that," Shi Feng declared, a frosty glint flashing in his eyes.

Sinned Heart had helped him many times in his previous life. Moreover, since he had already promised Sinned Heart to buy those Lands, he would not go back on his word. He had only wasted so much time talking to these two representatives to gauge what King's Return's stance was towards Immortal Light.

Although Zero Wing could not defeat a Super Guild, in Star-Moon Kingdom, it had no reason to fear them either.

As soon as Shi Feng finished speaking, the temperature in the room dropped by several degrees. Both Ordinary Stranger and Thunder Tiger suddenly felt their bodies grow cold. Their instincts shouted warnings, reminding them that they were in an extremely dangerous situation and that they could lose their lives at any moment.

Both Ordinary Stranger and Thunder Tiger knew that they were not a match for Shi Feng. Helpless, they could only leave Zero Wing's Residence without accomplishing their objective.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Thunder Tiger asked as he looked back towards the Guild Residence. "Are we just going to return and report this?"

"What else can we do?" Ordinary Stranger had not expected Shi Feng to be this insane. He was actually willing to offend King's Return for a meager Guild like Immortal Light. "Let's find a quiet location and report to Elder Broken City. We'll let the Elder decide how we should proceed."

The two experts immediately ran to a high-class restaurant and rented a VIP room. They intended to report Shi Feng's reply, word-for-word, to Broken City.

---

Meanwhile, Shi Feng arrived at the Candlelight Trading Firm.

"Melancholic, how many Strengthening Devices has your team completed?" Shi Feng no longer carried a fortune. Although he had earned quite a bit through Stone Forest Town and the Candlelight Trading Firm while he had been gone, after deducting the Guild expenses and the Magic Crystals, which could not be sold, he only had roughly 4,000 Gold on hand.

Of course, to any first-rate Guild in God's Domain, having 4,000 Gold of liquid funds after deducting Guild expenses was practically a dream.

However, if Shi Feng wanted to purchase those five plots from Sinned Heart, he did not have nearly enough money.

He also had a city waiting for him to build...

---

Inside a VIP room in a high-class restaurant...

"Is that all?" Broken City asked with gravelly tone through the video chat.

"Yes, that is all. After that, Black Flame chased us out," Ordinary Stranger explained softly.

"Since Zero Wing is adamant about poking its nose into our business, we should teach the Guild a small lesson. I'll have Hell Fiend lead the Falcon Legion over. Find out where Zero Wing's core members are right now. When the time comes, we won't let any of them survive!" Broken City declared before disconnecting the call.

Both Ordinary Stranger and Thunder Tiger were stunned.

Although they did not know why Broken City focused so heavily on a small Guild like Immortal Light, sending the Falcon Legion to deal with Zero Wing was no more than making a big fuss over a small issue.

The Falcon Legion was King's Return's ace legion. The legion was comprised of the young experts the Guild had nurtured and had been specifically formed to deal with other Super Guild's legions.

Moreover, Broken City was actually sending the Adjudicator Hell Fiend. One could just imagine how furious the old man was. 

Chapter 829 - Fifth Floor Master

Blackwing City:

Many players hawked their wares on the wide, flourishing streets of the city. Shi Feng had already reverted to his original appearance and made his way towards the Blackwing Auction House.

It had only been a short time since Shi Feng last visited the city.

The street the Blackwing Auction House resided on had become a player market. It was even more lively than an empire's imperial capital.

However, unlike other cities, one only needed an entry pass to enter Blackwing City.

As players' Levels continued to increase, more entry passes dropped. Hence, Blackwing City's traffic had increased by several times. At this point, Blackwing City had become the largest trade hub in God's Domain. Even the Four Great Empires' imperial capitals could not compete with Blackwing City.

The transactions between the various large Guilds here were astronomical.

If one wanted to point out God's Domain's most profitable locations, Blackwing City would definitely be one of them.

The Auction House in Blackwing City was also where Guilds and independent experts of various kingdoms and empires preferred to sell or purchase items.

This was because those who could reach Blackwing City were either lucky individuals who had gotten their hands on an entry pass, independent experts with a certain degree of strength, or players from the various large Guilds. As long as one had a valuable item, they did not need to worry about it not selling in Blackwing City. They also didn't need to worry that players could not afford their prices. Hence, many players preferred to sell their treasures at the Blackwing Auction House.

Upon entering the Blackwing Auction House, Shi Feng discovered even more players inside the establishment than those who camped on the street outside. It was especially true for the registration counters. Long lines of people had queued up in front of the dozen or so registration counters.

Why are there so many people here? Shi Feng swept a glance over the sea of players before him. At the very least, there should be over a thousand players present. If not for the Blackwing Auction House's extremely large size, it would be impossible to hold so many people.

While Shi Feng tried to figure out why there were so many players lining up to get into the Blackwing Auction House, he suddenly heard a crisp, pleasant voice from behind him.

"Ye Feng, so you've received the news as well."

Turning to the source of the voice, Shi Feng discovered none other than Gentle Snow, whom he had not seen for quite some time. Currently, Gentle Snow wore a set of silver sacred armor. On her back, she carried a silver greatsword engraved with golden divine runes. A hint of bloodlust radiated from the greatsword. This faint bloodlust wrapped around Gentle Snow's body, making the woman seem like a goddess of the battlefield.

Walking through the building, Gentle Snow attracted the passionate, watchful gazes of many male players.

However, nobody in the room dared to approach Gentle Snow casually. Though her status as Ouroboros's Guild Leader was part of the reason, the main deterrent was the group of players accompanying Gentle Snow.

Among this group, the lowest player was Level 37, while the highest was Level 39. In a kingdom, these players would rank at the very top of the kingdom's Ranking List. Furthermore, every one of these players had an extraordinary origin. This was particularly the case for Hidden Cloud, the Level 39 Assassin leading the group.

Hidden Cloud was a famous character that belonged to the Super Guild Nine Heavens Pavilion. He had been one of the talented newcomers that had entered the virtual gaming world ten years ago. He had risen to prominence like a comet when he had joined. Through a relatively popular virtual reality game, he had earned numerous achievements. Afterward, the Nine Heavens Pavilion had paid an astronomical price to recruit him.

Back then, his appearance had shaken the virtual gaming world.

Moreover, after joining the Nine Heavens Pavilion, he had become the Ninth Floor Master in just three years. His growth had left other Super Guilds speechless.

There were a total of nine Floor Masters in the Nine Heavens Pavilion. Each of them enjoyed an even higher status than the Guild Elders. They were the Guild's absolute core members. The First Floor Master was the Nine Heavens Pavilion's Guild Leader.

Hidden Cloud had become the spearhead of the Nine Heavens Pavilion, leading the Guild through one conquest after another. By the time he joined God's Domain, he had been promoted to the rank of Fifth Floor Master.

With a Super Guild's high-profile individual present, who would dare try to flirt with Gentle Snow? Only those who wished to quit God's Domain or wished to start a new account would be so bold.

Not only was Hidden Cloud inhumanely strong, but he was also incomparably vicious.

There was once the upper echelon of a large Guild who had tried to compete with a good friend of Hidden Cloud's over a woman. In the end, Hidden Cloud had wiped his Guild out of existence, removing the Guild from the virtual gaming world permanently. From then on, nobody ever dared to offend anyone close to Hidden Cloud.

"Guild Leader Snow." Shi Feng could not help his confusion as he watched the woman approach. He had not come here due to any particular news. He had only come here to earn money. "Is something going on here?"

"You don't know? Today, Blackwing City will hold its monthly auction. Incredibly rare items will be available for bidding. I have heard that there is a possibility that Epic items will make an appearance," Gentle Snow informed him, somewhat surprised by Shi Feng's reaction.

The man before her was one of Zero Wing's core upper echelons. Although news of the monthly auction had only been announced today, with Zero Wing's capabilities, it should have received this information.

So, that is what is going on.

Realization dawned on Shi Feng. The end of the month was indeed approaching. Near the end of every month, Blackwing City randomly held a large-scale auction. Not only would NPCs sell large numbers of rare items during this auction, but players could also put their items up for sale. However, the handling fees were slightly higher. If one sold ordinary rare items during this auction, they would not walk away with any profit. On the other hand, if one sold extremely rare items, they could make a fortune.

Shi Feng was ecstatic about this discovery. He never expected this coincidence.

Before teleporting to Blackwing City, Shi Feng had retrieved 5,000 Strengthening Devices from Melancholic Smile.

These Strengthening Devices were the culmination of several days of Melancholic Smile and her team's hard work. The Magic Crystals the few of them had spent during this period would even astound a first-rate Guild.

The current market value for Magic Crystals was 24 Silver each. However, that was only true if one purchased them in bulk. Purchased individually, one would have to spend at least 25 or 26 Silver.

Unfortunately, Magic Crystals were the main material needed to manufacture Strengthening Devices. The other materials were very cheap. Fortunately, Magic Crystals were not a problem for Zero Wing right now. The Magic Crystals Shi Feng had won from the Glorious Lions Battle Team alone were enough to supply Zero Wing's needs for a relatively long time. They also had the Magic Crystals earned from Stone Forest Town.

"Snow, is this person your friend?" Hidden Cloud asked, his expression darkening as he examined Shi Feng.

"Mhm. Let me introduce you. This is Ye Feng from Zero Wing." Gentle Snow nodded. She then looked towards Shi Feng and introduced Hidden Cloud, saying, "This is Hidden Cloud from the Nine Heavens Pavilion. He is also a good friend of my elder brother."

Before Shi Feng could offer a greeting, he felt a very clear hint of killing intent from Hidden Cloud.

Although Hidden Cloud had hidden it very well, once one reached Shi Feng's standard, hiding killing intent was impossible unless one held absolutely no ill will.

However, this killing intent vanished as suddenly as it had appeared. It was as if this killing intent had never existed.

Was I mistaken? Shi Feng could not help but turn to the smiling Hidden Cloud. 

Chapter 830 - Beginning of Fame

"So, you're the rumored Ye Feng."

Hidden Cloud, with his tanned skin, a robust body, and a slightly evil air about him, wore a slightly surprised expression as he looked at Shi Feng.

The majority of God's Domain's players were completely clueless about what had happened in the Dark Arena.

Not to mention, matches were held in the Dark Arena every day, making it even more difficult for people to follow a single battle team.

To a Super Guild upper echelon like Hidden Cloud, however, there was no need to pay attention to the Dark Arena's ordinary experts. He was only interested in those who could leave an impression.

Someone like Shi Feng, in particular, who had defeated a famous, old monster like Sirius, would catch his attention even if he wanted to avoid information on this expert. After all, his Guild would remind him about such existences.

Experts at Shi Feng's standard could not be ignored. Even in Super Guilds, he would be a member of the top fighting force. He would be an apex expert the Guild would use against its competition.

"They're just rumors." Shi Feng shrugged, chuckling.

Hidden Cloud was an extremely powerful expert. His history was almost considered a legend. He had debuted into the virtual gaming world at the young age of 17. He was currently 27 years old, and already, he had become the Nine Heavens Pavilion's Fifth Floor Master. He was the target of admiration for countless young players.

In the past, Hidden Cloud's achievements in God's Domain had even pushed him to his peak.

After spending five years in God's Domain, he had gained the position of Second Floor Master. In the Nine Heavens Pavilion, he had been the most likely candidate to become the next First Floor Master.

However, Hidden Cloud's position in the Nine Heavens Pavilion had been secondary. The man himself was far more impressive. In the past, he had been one of the Ten Great God-ranked Assassins in God's Domain. No one throughout God's Domain had been able to stop any of his assassination attempts.

Hidden Cloud's most impressive assassination had the death of a powerful upper echelon of the Flower of Seven Sins, which he had completed without any assistance. This incident had struck fear into the assassin organization and boosted the Nine Heavens Pavilion's prestige.

After all, even Super Guilds did not dare offend a transcendental power like the Flower of Seven Sins. Many of these Super Guilds had suffered multiple losses at the hand of the organization. Super Guilds had always suffered the Flower of Seven Sins' wrath. Never once had the organization suffered a loss of its own. The fact that Hidden Cloud had managed to defeat one of the organization's upper echelons had significantly boosted the Nine Heavens Pavilion's reputation.

This incident had shocked the upper echelons of the various large Guilds in God's Domain. Shi Feng had been no exception.

I had never thought that Gentle Snow knew Hidden Cloud. It seems she has a few of her own secrets.

Shi Feng glanced at the four people behind Hidden Cloud. These four were Hidden Cloud's brothers-in-arms. Every one of them was extraordinary. Even in the Dark Arena, they would be considered first-class experts. It was also thanks to these four people that Hidden Cloud had reached his current position so quickly.

However, one thing confused Shi Feng.

If Gentle Snow was acquainted with such a powerful existence, it should have been quite easy to secure the position of Ouroboros's Guild Leader during the previous mutiny, so much so that, if Hidden Cloud had made an appearance, Cao Chenghua and the Elders backing him would have surrendered. After all, it was well known that Hidden Cloud greatly valued his relationships. He had even extinguished a large Guild just to help a brother earn a woman's affections.

Judging by Gentle Snow's tone and expression when she spoke to Hidden Cloud, her brother should have a very close relationship with this man. Yet, in the past, Gentle Snow had still left the virtual gaming world eventually. This was truly a mystery.

While Shi Feng pondered this riddle, Gentle Snow turned Shi Feng and smiled, saying, "Since you've only just learned about this, you most likely haven't purchased an entry ticket, right? If you line up now, the tickets will probably sell out before you get one. Why don't you join us? You will regret it if you miss out on the auction."

The Blackwing Auction House had organized the auction suddenly this time, and many Guilds had rushed to purchase entry tickets the moment they heard the news. Now that the auction would begin soon, it was most likely be impossible for Shi Feng to get his hands on a ticket.

Shi Feng had helped her earn a fortune in the Dark Arena. She had significantly increased Ouroboros's liquid assets because of it. Although Shi Feng did not know that, Gentle Snow still thought that she should return the favor. After all, aside from helping her earn money, Shi Feng had also helped her secure Ouroboros.

As soon as Gentle Snow extended the offer, Hidden Cloud's expression darkened slightly, his gaze sharpening as he turned to Shi Feng.

"Thank you for your kind offer. However, I have another matter that I need to deal with first, so it is best if I don't disturb you."

Shi Feng did not wish to miss this rare opportunity. He needed to register his auction items quickly. As for whether or not he could enter the auction itself, that was not important. After all, his goal was to make money.

"How much time do you need?" Gentle Snow prodded.

"Roughly half an hour," Shi Feng said as he glanced at the long queue. Although there were a lot of people at the registration counters, the registration process was simple and did not take very long. He should be able to finish what he needed in half an hour.

"That won't be an issue. In any case, there is still some time before the auction officially begins. I can wait here for you in the meantime," Gentle Snow offered after a moment of consideration.

"Alright, I'll try to finish as quickly as possible." Shi Feng nodded. Since Gentle Snow was willing to accommodate him, it would be rude to continue rejecting her offer.

There would certainly be many valuable items for sale at Blackwing City's monthly auction. He might be able to purchase something good if he participated. If an Epic item were available, he would hit the jackpot.

"It sure is difficult to invite this man," Gentle Snow sighed as she watched Shi Feng's departing figure. This was the first time inviting someone had been so difficult.

However, shortly after Shi Feng left, Hidden Cloud secretly messaged one of his brothers, whispering, "Blaster, research that man called Ye Feng! Find out his origin! I want to know everything about him!"

"Boss, rest assured; I'll get it done quickly." The Berserker named Blaster smiled confidently. He then began rapidly searching through the forums for all information relating to Shi Feng. At the same time, he contacted a number of people to help him with the search.

---

At the registration counter:

After waiting for over twenty minutes, it was finally Shi Feng's turn.

"Sir, how may I be of service to you today?" the NPC female receptionist asked, smiling.

"I wish to sell these items at this month's auction," Shi Feng said as he revealed a Strengthening Device.

"Alright, please wait for a moment," the NPC receptionist received the Strengthening Device and began appraising it.

Not all items were allowed in the auctions held in the Blackwing Auction House. Items needed a certain value before being permitted. Hence, all items presented needed to undergo the system's appraisal.

"I apologize for the long wait. Sir, the estimated minimum price for this item is 1 Gold 40 Silver. If you wish to sell this item at our Auction House, we will charge you a 30% handling fee. Do you wish to put it up for auction?" The female receptionist handed the Strengthening Device back to Shi Feng after she had finished.

Only Blackwing City's auctions would charge a 30% handling fee. Other places charged 20% at most. Even so, Shi Feng did not mind it.

"Yes." Shi Feng took out 2,000 Strengthening Devices and divided them into hundreds of auction lots, with each lot having anywhere from one to one hundred Strengthening Devices.

If he sold too many at once, it would only cheapen the Strengthening Device. The various large Guilds participating in this auction should be able to stomach 2,000 devices.

After dealing with the Strengthening Devices, Shi Feng ran to meet Gentle Snow. He then entered the auction venue with Gentle Snow and her companions, quietly waiting for the auction to start.

At this time, Blaster sent Hidden Cloud a private message, reporting, "Boss, we've learned everything there is to know about that brat." 

Chapter 831 - Great Disturbance

"There sure are a lot of high-ranking NPCs participating in the auction this time," Shi Feng commented as he swept a glance over the NPCs on the second floor, an amused smile appearing on his face.

"High-ranking NPCs?" At Shi Feng's comment, Gentle Snow turned to the second floor. Indeed, there were quite a number of NPCs present. "But isn't it normal for high-ranking NPCs to participate in the Blackwing Auction House?"

This was not her first time attending an auction in the Blackwing Auction House. She had even attended high-ranking auctions before.

Players were not the only ones to compete over items up for auction. NPCs similarly contested over the items. However, after some of her own research, Gentle Snow, more or less, understood these NPCs' function. These NPCs were here to make sure items were sold at an appropriate price. If the price players offered was too low, these NPCs would join the bidding. They would not let players take advantage of the system.

At such a large auction, it was natural that more NPCs would join.

However, when players tried to purchase an item, as long as the price they offered was higher than the item's actual value, these NPCs would automatically relent and end their bidding.

In response, Shi Feng smiled and nodded, saying, "It is very normal. Only, I've never seen so many powerful NPCs attend at the same time, so I'm slightly surprised."

"Tch, what about these NPCs is surprising?" Blaster commented disdainfully.

The others nodded in agreement, scorn flashing in their eyes as they looked at Shi Feng. Initially, they had thought that Shi Feng was one of God's Domain's apex experts. Now, however, it would seem that he was just a country bumpkin that had never seen the world of the great. At the end of the day, he was simply the upper echelon of an upstart Guild. There was no way he could measure up to their standards.

Shi Feng simply smiled at the group's reaction, not bothering to explain.

However, Gentle Snow's expression turned serious at Shi Feng's statement as she secretly observed the NPCs on the second floor. She did not think that Shi Feng would be surprised just because there were a lot of high-ranking NPCs present.

What?! How can this be?! When Gentle Snow's eyes fell on a handsome youth in a suit of golden armor and an exquisite cape, she was shocked.

Previously, she had never bothered to observe the NPCs. Now that she did, however, she discovered something astounding.

When she examined the handsome youth, she could not uncover any information about him. She could not even see the most basic of information such as his name or Level. Even after activating an advanced Identification Skill, she was still left empty-handed.

More frighteningly, when her gaze fell upon the youth, he actually turned and returned it, observing her. However, this youth simply smiled before turning away.

Although they had only exchanged glances for a brief instant, Gentle Snow felt as if she had been suffocating. In that instant, she had felt as if her life was no longer her own.

She had never encountered such an NPC before. She had not even experienced this feeling when she met with a Tier 5 NPC in an imperial capital. Tier 5 NPCs were considered top-class individuals even in an empire. Players could not encounter them casually. She had only met one due to a Special Quest.

Moreover, there were also over a dozen Tier 5 NPCs on the second floor...

Even if one added together the Tier 5 NPCs in an empire, there would be fewer than those that were here now. It was no wonder why Shi Feng was surprised.

"Ye Feng, with so many high-ranking NPCs participating in the auction, will something happen?" Gentle Snow sent Shi Feng a private message, wearing a nervous expression.

Events frequently occurred throughout God's Domain. If players could resolve these events, they could earn decent rewards. However, the penalties for failure were equally heavy. When these Events occurred, players' consent did not matter. As long as one was within the event's area, the system considered the players to have accepted the quest.

Events in God's Domain varied in terms of sizes. The larger an event was, the more horrific its punishment would be.

She had met the Tier 5 NPC due to an event. In the end, said event had claimed the lives of 99% of the tens of thousands of players that had been present. A lot of equipment had dropped that day, and very few players had survived. She had been one of the lucky few. Unfortunately, because the event had not been completed, neither she nor the other survivors had received a reward. However, compared to the players that had died, she was considered very lucky.

With so many Tier 5 NPCs here, she could not imagine what would happen if an event occurred.

"It's nothing major. Based on what I have learned, one can determine the value of the items that will be up for auction by the number of high-ranking NPCs that participate. The more NPCs that attend an auction, the more valuable the items will be that appear in said auction. Ordinary items wouldn't attract these hidden dragons," Shi Feng explained. He could tell what Gentle Snow was worried about.

"So, that's the case. It's no wonder why you would check the second floor." Gentle Snow finally understood. Her tense mood began to vanish.

However, Shi Feng had hidden one truth from the Snow Goddess.

More high-ranking NPCs joined an auction when there were more risks. It was especially true when an NPC like that mysterious young man attended.

God's Domain was not a game that let players have their way easily.

During the game's initial stages, conflict was limited to players. However, as players reached higher levels, the game would gradually introduce a new type of conflict: the conflict between players and NPCs.

In the past, a powerful NPC had even robbed Shi Feng...

Hence, money wasn't the only thing necessary to purchase an item from the Blackwing Auction House. It was a simple matter if one purchased an item from another player. However, if one purchased an item sold by an NPC, they would have to stay on guard. One might win the bidding for an extremely precious item, but keeping the item would depend on their ability.

While Gentle Snow and Shi Feng conversed in secret, the auction had officially begun.

Above the auction stage, a beautiful female NPC wearing a white evening gown approached the stage as the auction's hostess.

However, as soon as everyone noticed this beautiful, curvaceous NPC, their jaws dropped in shock.

This NPC beauty was a Level 220, Tier 4 Great Wizard. In any city, she would be an overlord-level NPC. However, such an existence had actually been tasked to host this auction. Everyone marveled at Blackwing City's wealth and influence.

While the various players struggled with their daze, the first auction item appeared before them.

After examining the item's information, these players were thrown back into their stupor.

The item was a golden tablet, radiating a purple-gold glow. Complex runes and images had been carved into the metal. With a glance, it was obvious that this tablet was anything but ordinary.

"A Secret Technique!"

"Damn! This can't be real, right?! The system is so generous to sell something like this at the very beginning?!"

"Our Guild must have that!"

"We had been right to join the Blackwing Auction this time! Notify the others and tell them to purchase Coins immediately! Buy as many as you can! We cannot let other Guilds obtain this!"

...

Ordinary large Guilds were completely clueless about the excitement that tore through the crowd. However, various Super Guilds and super-first-rate Guilds were thrown into chaos. These representatives eyed the golden tablet like ravenous wolves.

"Blaster, notify the Guild Elders immediately! Tell them to send as much money as they can as quickly as possible!" Hidden Cloud shouted, excitement coloring his face.

"I understand." Not daring to delay, Blaster rushed out of the Auction House and rapidly contacted the Nine Heavens Pavilion's Elders. 

Chapter 832 - Crazy Auction

Shi Feng was similarly stunned for quite some time after seeing the auction window.

A Secret Technique!

This was a treasure that every expert dreamed of obtaining.

He had never expected something so shocking to be the Blackwing Auction House's first item.

If he could obtain this golden tablet, he could help even more people from Zero Wing grasp a powerful combat technique.

While Shi Feng recovered from his shock, the bidding for the golden tablet had begun.

Bidding for the golden tablet started at 100 Gold. However, a few players present instantly bid on it like madmen.

"One hundred and ten Gold!"

"One hundred and twenty Gold!"

...

"Seven hundred Gold!"

It only took a few short seconds to stun many of the players present.

The golden tablet's starting bid had already been beyond many players, yet for just a piece of a broken tablet, someone was actually willing to pay 700 Gold. Even to a third-rate Guild, this was an astronomical price. A single third-rate Guild would have four or five hundred Gold at most. Only second-rate Guilds and above could afford such a price.

Second-rate Guilds, however, unless they had lost their minds, would not spend all their liquid funds on an unknown tablet piece.

Suddenly, Hidden Cloud shouted, "One thousand Gold! This tablet belongs to the Nine Heavens Pavilion!"

Once again, many players were dumbfounded.

They had never expected a Super Guild like Nine Heavens Pavilion to be so insane as to willingly spend 1,000 Gold on the golden tablet.

"Such big words! Do you think this item belongs to your family or something?" A female Elementalist with an exquisite body laughed pompously. "One thousand, five hundred Gold!

"Quiet Melody, what's the point of fighting it? Do you really think the Sacred Temple can compete with the Nine Heavens Pavilion?" Hidden Cloud laughed. He then raised the bid, saying, "One thousand, six hundred Gold!"

To develop the Guild, the Sacred Temple had recently spent a lot of Coins to purchase Land and Magic Crystals. Hence, the Temple's should be running low. It could not compete with the Nine Heavens Pavilion's financial strength right now.

Of course, he had two goals in mind with his comment. First, he wanted Quiet Melody to retreat, while his second goal was to buy time. Hidden Cloud had not intended to pay much attention to the auction. He was mainly here to accompany Gentle Snow. Hence, he had not brought a lot of money with him. After pooling the money he and his companions had brought, they only had around 2,000 Gold or so. If this were a normal auction, that would be more than enough. They could even purchase a piece of Epic Equipment.

Now, however, it was most likely not enough to win the golden tablet.

After all, that tablet was far more valuable than any single Epic item. Currently, God's Domain's various Super Guilds searched for these tablets frantically, yet after investing so many resources and manpower, they had not found any clues leading to these items. There were no set patterns to acquiring these items. It was purely based on luck. Now that this tablet had appeared, he would spend more than 10,000 Gold if he could purchase the golden tablet, much less several thousand.

This item was like God's Domain's golden Lands. Not only was it unique, but its value would also grow in the future. One could only encounter a treasure like this, not find one.

However, his Guild needed time to collect the required money. This made Hidden Cloud somewhat anxious.

"Hahaha! I never thought that the famous Hidden Cloud would be so arrogant!" Quiet Melody covered her mouth with the back of her hand and laughed. Her laughter mesmerized many of the male players in the auction venue. "It seems you really don't have much money on hand right now! Well then, I'll gladly buy this golden tablet on your behalf!

"Three thousand Gold!"

The entire venue suddenly fell silent. The various Guild representatives and the many independent players could not believe what they had just heard.

Three thousand Gold?!

With that much money, one could buy an ordinary plot of Land in an imperial capital. Even to Super Guilds, this was a large sum of money, yet someone was willing to spend it on a piece of a broken tablet. This was insane!

"Just what kind of item is this?" Gentle Snow was astounded when she heard Quiet Melody's bid.

As expected of the Sacred Temple's Vice Temple Master! Shi Feng, on the other hand, silently praised the beautiful Quiet Melody. He had not expected the woman to see through Hidden Cloud's troubles with just a glance and act on it.

While bidding for an item in a Blackwing Auction, the item would be sold to the highest bidder once a period of time passed without a competing bid. Moreover, if one did not have enough money on hand, they would not be able to bid.

Hidden Cloud's expression instantly soured when he noticed that his ploy had backfired. Three thousand Gold was already far beyond his limit. If he had not provoked Quiet Melody and had gradually increased the bid, he could have earned some time for his Guild to send more money. Now, however, he had lost the opportunity.

"Snow, how much money do you have with you? Lend it all to me. I'll pay you back with 10%, no, 20% interest later. How about it?" Hidden Cloud asked anxiously.

"This..." Gentle Snow hesitated. Although she did not know the golden tablet's function, she could not outbid a Super Guild. However, her goal in coming here was to buy some items that were useful to her Guild. If she lent all of her money to Hidden Cloud, it would be difficult to purchase the items she needed. After all, such auctions did not happen very often.

"Thirty percent!" Hidden Cloud shouted after hearing the hostess reporting the bid a second time.

"Alright, I have 1,700 Gold with me," Gentle Snow said after considering her options.

Gentle Snow immediately traded 1,700 Gold to Hidden Cloud, boosting his finances to 3,700 Gold.

"Three thousand, one hundred Gold!"

However, a few seconds after he called out this bid, Quiet Melody once more shouted, "Three thousand, two hundred Gold!"

At this point, Quiet Melody lost her composure.

Although she had prepared some money before coming to the auction, she had not prepared a lot. Recently, to develop its businesses, her Guild had purchased several plots of Land. Hence, her available funds were limited. For this auction, she had only brought 3,500 Gold.

After Quiet Melody placed her bid, the other members of the Sacred Temple began to borrow money from other participants.

However, a crisp sound echoed throughout the venue.

"Three thousand five, hundred Gold!"

Everyone immediately turned their gazes towards the new voice, discovering a beautiful young woman of similarly extraordinary origins.

"Phoenix Rain!" Hidden Cloud glared at the smiling Phoenix Rain, who sat in the back row on the first floor.

"I am truly sorry, but the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion has set its sights on this item as well," Phoenix Rain said, smiling softly. Recently, she had made a huge fortune in the Dark Arena. Although she had already spent some of that fortune, for this auction, she had brought 4,000 Gold with her. It was also obvious that both Hidden Cloud and Quiet Melody were reaching their limits. Hence, she had more than enough to obtain the golden tablet.

"Three thousand, seven hundred Gold!" Hidden Cloud yelled out his final bid. At the same time, he secretly sent a message to Blaster, demanding, "Blaster, is the money not here yet!?"

"Boss, they're still in the process of collecting money right now. They've already mailed some of it to me, but I'll need to wait for another minute to receive it!" Blaster was also jittery. However, the process of sending money in God's Domain was not instantaneous. There was a short transfer time.

"Three thousand, eight hundred Gold!" Phoenix Rain increased the bid by 100 Gold without hesitation.

Both Hidden Cloud and Quiet Melody frantically tried to borrow money. However, borrowing such a large sum in such a short time was easier said than done.

And yet, after Phoenix Rain had announced her bid, Shi Feng motioned towards the hostess and said...

"Four thousand Gold!" 

Chapter 833 - Stone Tablet Obtained

"Ye Feng?"

Phoenix Rain's mouth twitched slightly when she saw Shi Feng suddenly raise his hand.

She hadn't expected him to be here.

Moreover, he had placed such a high bid. This placed her in a somewhat awkward position.

She only had around 4,000 Gold on hand. It would be difficult for her to continue bidding.

However, Phoenix Rain's surprise was minor compared to the shock everyone else in the venue felt. This had been a contest between God's Domain's major powers, yet someone from a lesser Guild had actually dared to outbid them. He had practically issued a direct challenge.

How does he have so much money? Surprise flashed in Hidden Cloud's eyes when he turned to the calm Shi Feng.

He had already read through the information his team had collected about this man. Shi Feng had been an unknown pawn before entering God's Domain, an insignificant existence that did not warrant his attention. However, after joining God's Domain, Shi Feng had begun to shine.

During the game's early stages, he had only been well-known in a town. Afterward, he had vanished from the public eye.

The next time he appeared and displayed his strength was when he had helped Gentle Snow. Not only had he defeated Soaring Snake, one of Ouroboros's top experts, but he also helped Gentle Snow become the Guild Leader of Ouroboros.

However, the match against Sirius in the Dark Arena had truly earned him fame.

Nevertheless, compared to Hidden Cloud, Shi Feng was still insignificant. Even if the Swordsman were more powerful, at the end of the day, he was merely the upper echelon of a small Guild. A small Guild could never compete with the Nine Heavens Pavilion.

The resources each Guild commanded were on entirely different levels.

Yet, a minor character like Shi Feng had bid 4,000 Gold. Shi Feng was even richer than he was!

However, after a brief period of silence, Quiet Melody suddenly shouted, "Four thousand, five hundred Gold!"

She rose the bid by 500 Gold instantly. Even Shi Feng could only smile bitterly while shaking his head. Like Phoenix Rain, he had only brought around 4,000 Gold.

"That was a close call. Luckily, I managed to borrow some Coins at the last minute. Otherwise, I really would've lost the item to Phoenix Rain." Quiet Melody revealed a relieved smile as she turned to Shi Feng.

If not for Shi Feng raising the bid and earning her some time, she would have lost this auction.

"Damn it! The Sacred Temple is going to snatch it from us!" Hidden Cloud's frustration was overwhelming as he glared at the satisfaction on Quiet Melody's face. If he obtained the golden tablet, not only would the Nine Heavens Pavilion give him the right to use the tablet first, but he would have also made a huge contribution to the Guild.

Moreover, with the first usage rights to the golden tablet, he could nurture a group of trustworthy experts. With those experts by his side and his contribution to the guild, he could advance his position in the Pavilion.

Now, however, not only did he have to hand the golden tablet over to someone else, but that person was also a long-time rival. This was far more vexing than losing the golden tablet to Phoenix Rain.

"Ye Feng, lend me your 4,000 Gold. I'll pay you back with 30% interest," Hidden Cloud asked desperately, his voice no longer carrying any hints of superiority.

Shi Feng shook his head, saying, "No, I want 50% interest."

"That's going too far!" Hidden Cloud growled, killing intent lacing his words. "Thirty percent is already high! If you hurry, you'll lose the 30% interest and earn yourself a powerful enemy!"

Emotion warmed Gentle Snow's face. She had never thought that Hidden Cloud would ever make such a threat.

His desperation truly confused the Snow Goddess.

Just what kind of item was this golden tablet? It had actually driven Hidden Cloud to lose his composure. At this moment, the man before her behaved nothing like the Hidden Cloud she knew.

"Going too far?" Shi Feng grinned. Unhurriedly, he pointed his finger at the distant Phoenix Rain, saying, "The Phoenix Pavilion Master has also asked for a loan. Since you don't want to borrow it, I can lend it to the Phoenix Pavilion Master."

"You!" Furious, Hidden Cloud wanted to rage. However, when he heard the hostess smash the gavel a second time, he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! I promise 50%!"

On the surface, although Hidden Cloud had agreed to Shi Feng's conditions, he changed his view of Shi Feng from someone who needed a warning to someone who needed to be extinguished. Once the auction was over, he would introduce Shi Feng to despair.

Meanwhile, Shi Feng had long since been prepared as he quickly retrieved a contract and handed it to Hidden Cloud.

The terms of the contract were very simple. As long as Hidden Cloud signed it, he would obtain 4,000 Gold. However, the Assassin was required to return 6,000 Gold within a day. If he violated the contract, he would have to pay Shi Feng three times the amount he borrowed in Credits.

After Hidden Cloud examined the contract, his hatred for Shi Feng deepened.

This was the first time anyone had taken advantage of him to such a degree, yet he was powerless about it.

Unfortunately, he could only swallow this humiliation and sign the contract. Immediately, an additional 4,000 Gold appeared in his pockets.

"Seven thousand Gold!" Hidden Cloud shouted.

As these words echoed throughout the auction venue, even Quiet Melody was momentarily stunned. She couldn't believe that Hidden Cloud would be this decisive. She had only managed to gather a total of 5,100 Gold. The auction would be long over by the time she gathered enough money to make a counterbid.

"This Ye Feng really is hateful. Even though we are secret partners, he loaned the money to Hidden Cloud," Blue Phoenix huffed as she watched the calm Shi Feng. "I was truly blind to have thought of him as a good person."

However, Phoenix Rain, who sat beside Blue Bamboo, remained silent as she seriously evaluated the distant Shi Feng.

She, too, had initially been angry. However, her anger quickly dissipated after she read the message Shi Feng had sent her.

The message was very simple.

The golden tablet is dangerous!

Although she did not know what kind of danger the golden tablet possessed, she did not think that Shi Feng would lie to her. After all, she had a close partnership with Zero Wing. She had previously stated that, after she obtained the golden tablet, she would split half of the slots to learn the Secret Technique with Zero Wing. This trade would benefit both sides. There was simply no reason for Shi Feng to reject her offer. She also did not believe that Hidden Cloud would be generous enough split any of the learning slots with anyone else.

While Phoenix Rain pondered, the hostess smashed her gavel a third and final time.

"Congratulations to this gentleman for obtaining this tablet! Let us give him a round of applause!" the beautiful hostess announced as she clapped her hands.

"I finally got it." At this moment, Hidden Cloud felt ecstatic. When the golden tablet rested in his hands, wonderous fantasies of a powerful future filled his mind. He then shifted his gaze to Shi Feng, ridicule flashing in his eyes. Now that I've obtained the tablet, I'll take care of you soon.

Shi Feng paid no heed to Hidden Cloud's gaze. Instead, his eyes shifted towards the venue's second floor.

The moment Hidden Cloud obtained the golden tablet, the mysterious youth on the second floor smiled happily at the Assassin.

When Shi Feng had first laid his eyes on the golden tablet, he, too, had wanted it for his own. However, when he shouted his bid of 4,000 Gold, he had turned his attention to the second floor.

Indeed, just as Shi Feng had guessed...

This golden tablet was not some kind of treasure at all. It was a fatal poison.

The instant he announced his bid, the mysterious NPC on the second floor had shifted his gaze towards him.

Shi Feng had lived in God's Domain for many years, so he was very familiar with the game's NPCs. He was also very familiar with the look in the youth's eyes when he turned towards him. It had not been a look of curiosity or congratulatory. He had looked at Shi Feng as a predator looked at prey. Since the golden tablet was the youth's apparent target, Shi Feng had dropped out of the foolish competition for it.

After the first auction item sold, the venue's atmosphere grew heated. The items that appeared afterward sold quickly, one after another. However, none of these items caught Shi Feng's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the next auction item is a precious tool in God's Domain! With this, not only can you strengthen your Defense, but you can also preserve your equipment's Durability! This is definitely a must-have when adventuring!" The female hostess then presented the Attributes of the Strengthening Device.

When the players in the venue saw the Strengthening Device's Attributes, they were flabbergasted, and a passionate flame began to burn in their eyes. 

Chapter 834 - Tool of Astronomical Value

"There's actually such a thing in God's Domain?" The Strengthening Device was even enough to tempt Gentle Snow.

As players reached higher levels in God's Domain, battles grew increasingly intense. Against powerful monsters, in particular, the burden on their equipment Durability was massive. It was impossible for players to fight for extended periods in the fields. They had to return to towns frequently to repair their equipment. This limited their grinding and questing efficiency.

Unfortunately, no one had found a tool in God's Domain that could solve this problem. The only solution they had was to prepare several sets of equipment as temporary replacements.

However, Guilds simply did not have enough equipment to supply every member with multiple sets. It was especially true for top-tier equipment. Even a first-rate Guild like Ouroboros had to rely out outside sources for equipment, not to mention other Guilds.

To make matters worse, as players faced higher-leveled monsters, equipment drop-rates decreased.

This had significantly slowed Guilds' development.

If Guilds had a tool like the Strengthening Device, they could solve this problem.

Although the Strengthening Device was somewhat expensive, compared to the cost of preparing one or two additional sets of top-tier equipment for a player, the Strengthening Device was a cheap solution.

Gentle Snow wasn't the only person who had realized this. The representatives of the various large Guilds also understood the value of the Strengthening Device.

Unfortunately, only one device was up for auction right now.

"I wish more were up for sale," Gentle Snow sighed in disappointment.

Although everyone shared her feelings, nobody held back when placing their bids.

"Two Gold!"

"Two Gold 10 Silver!"

"Two Gold 30 Silver!"

...

Although only one Strengthening Device was available, many people participated in the bidding. This was completely different from the golden tablet's sale. The tablet's price would soar randomly by several hundred or thousands of Gold. Small Guilds simply could not afford to participate. However, they could compete for an item that only cost several Gold.

"Five Gold!"

Hidden Cloud decisively raised the bid by a large margin, causing hesitation to ripple through the crowd. After all, if they call out a higher bid now, they would be challenging a Super Guild. They were not so desperate as to offend a Super Guild for a single Strengthening Device.

Suddenly, Quiet Melody shouted, "Six Gold!"

"Melody, you think you can challenge me?" Hidden Cloud sneered. He then shouted, "Ten Gold!"

Now that he had the golden tablet, the Guild Elders were extremely pleased with him and had marked down his contribution to the Guild. Hence, he was in a very good mood. Moreover, the Guild had sent him the collected money. Even after paying off his debt to both Gentle Snow and Shi Feng, he still had around 5,300 Gold. He was not afraid to compete with the Sacred Temple in the least.

When the bid reached 10 Gold, everyone promptly gave up.

If they bought the Strengthening Device for 10 Gold, they would lose money rather than saving it.

After a moment of thought, Gentle Snow chose to give up as well.

Only a single Strengthening Device was up for sale. Even if she obtained it, its impact was limited.

After the hostess slammed her gavel three times, Hidden Cloud won the Strengthening Device.

Unfortunately, before Hidden Cloud could celebrate his victory, the hostess presented another Strengthening Device. Unlike before, however, she displayed a stack of 100 Strengthening Devices.

"One hundred devices?" Gentle Snow was momentarily stunned. Immediately, joy blossomed in her heart.

One hundred Strengthening Devices would have a far greater impact than just one. It would be of great help during large-scale team quests.

"Three hundred Gold!"

"Three hundred and ten Gold!"

...

"Five hundred Gold!"

The bids continuously increased.

"You want to compete with your meager wealth?" Hidden Cloud laughed. If he could obtain these 100 Strengthening Devices, he could contribute far more to the Guild. He then shouted, "Seven hundred Gold!"

"Eight hundred Gold!" Phoenix Rain bid.

"One thousand Gold!" Hidden Cloud raised the price without hesitation.

"One thousand and fifty Gold!" Quiet Melody gnashed her teeth as she rose the bid.

If she missed the opportunity to purchase these Strengthening Devices, who knew when she would get another?

"One thousand, two hundred Gold!" Hidden Cloud leisurely raised the price once more.

Even to a Super Guild, 1,200 Gold was not a small amount of money. In the end, both Quiet Melody and Phoenix Rain could only relent.

However, nobody could have expected that, after this stack of Strengthening Devices sold, a stack of ten Strengthening Devices would appear on the screen.

"Damn! Is the system playing with us?!"

"Can't they just tell us how many Strengthening Devices will be up for auction?!"

Although the various large Guild representatives were excited that the Strengthening Device had appeared again, they also felt helpless. After all, who knew if this stack of Strengthening Devices would be the last available?

For a time, everyone participated in another bidding war for the Strengthening Devices.

As one Strengthening Device after another sold, Shi Feng's elation grew.

In the end, all 2,000 Strengthening Devices had been purchased, with an average price of 10 Gold. After deducting the 30% handling fees, Shi Feng earned a total of 14,518 Gold. This was far more than he had initially expected.

With this money, he would have no problem purchasing the five plots of Land in Snow Field City.

After the auction concluded, players began to filter out of the Auction House.

"Boss, we really hit it big this time. Not only did you get the golden tablet, but you also bought plenty of Strengthening Devices. It won't be long before you secure the position of the Fourth Floor Master," Blaster whispered his congratulations.

"It's still too soon to celebrate. Now that we have the rights to the tablet, as long as you guys put on a good show, it will only be a matter of time before I become the Fourth Floor Master," Hidden Cloud laughed. He then shifted his gaze towards Shi Feng, who walked alongside Gentle Snow, and said quietly, "But that Ye Feng cannot stay. He swindled 2,000 Gold out of me. He is looking to die. Send someone to keep an eye on him. Once I'm done dealing with the golden tablet, I'll teach him that it is not that easy to earn my money!"

"Boss, rest assured; my men are already following him. He won't escape," Blaster reported as he patted his chest. He could only feel sorry for the Swordsman.

Throughout God's Domain, there were very few people Hidden Cloud could not kill. He had even recently obtained an excellent dagger. The weapon was practically a nightmare for Hidden Cloud's targets.

Just as Hidden Cloud and the others left the Blackwing Auction House, everything on the street froze.

"What's going on?"

The players wandering the street were shocked.

None of them could move, not even a step. They couldn't even make their fingers twitch. It was as if time had stopped, and only their minds remained active.

As the space had frozen, fear surfaced in everyone's hearts. They felt as if they stood in the middle of a ferocious beast's nest, and this ferocious beast had already stretched its jaws and was prepared to devour them all.

Even Phoenix Rain, Quiet Melody, Gentle Snow, and the other top-tier experts were astounded by this surprising event, much less the various ordinary players.

After all, it wasn't just players who could not move. Even the Level 180, Tier 2 guards patrolling the street had been rendered immobile...

Meanwhile, without anyone's notice, a black figure had appeared in front of Hidden Cloud and quietly overlooked the Assassin. 

Chapter 835 - Soul Disintegration

"Who is that?"

Phoenix Rain, who had just exited the Auction House, watched the mysterious youth slowly walk towards Hidden Cloud in disbelief.

This was the first time she had encountered such a situation.

Blackwing City was not an ordinary city. Even the city patrols were far superior to an imperial capital's.

Yet, despite it the daylight hour, this NPC acted so boldly.

The most unbelievable part about this situation was that even the Tier 3 Guard Captains had been frozen in place. This mysterious youth's power was incredibly frightening.

"What are you... trying to do?" Hidden Cloud asked the mysterious youth before him. He had only managed to force these words out after an intense struggle.

He could clearly feel how terrifying the man before him was. The bloody glint in the man's eyes alone made him involuntarily shiver.

Before this man, his power was as insignificant as a speck of dust. If this man wished it, he would lose his life instantly. His only option right now was to delay for time.

What kind of place was Blackwing City?

It was probably the safest location throughout God's Domain.

There was no way Blackwing City's authorities would allow an NPC to do as they wished.

"Hahaha! You sure are an interesting little fellow! You're still trying to buy time? I advise you to give up. Although you are still in Blackwing City, this space is in a completely different dimension. Even a Tier 5 Divine Mage, adept in space magic won't detect us here," the mysterious man smiled calmly at Hidden Cloud's question. "Alright, will you hand over the golden tablet on your own, or will I have to retrieve it myself?"

Although the youth's words had not been loud, every player on the street had heard him very clearly.

"What? An NPC is robbing someone?"

"Is this some kind of event? Isn't this NPC too strong? He's actually making a move inside Blackwing City!"

"This isn't a Legendary Quest, right?!"

The watching players were both excited and scared; although this chance encounter was interesting, they were afraid of being caught up in the incident. A meaningless death at their levels would be a major, unfortunate loss.

"Golden tablet? What is that? I don't know what you're talking about," Hidden Cloud said, his mouth twitching as he stared at the mysterious youth.

That golden tablet was his hope of advancing his career in the Nine Heavens Pavilion. Not only had he spent a large sum of money to obtain it, but the Pavilion's upper echelons had also heard of his procurement already. If he simply handed the tablet to this NPC and returned to report to his superiors that he had lost it, acting as if nothing had ever happened...

He would only enrage the Nine Heavens Pavilion's Elders and Guild Leader.

Handing over the golden tablet was scarier than death...

Hearing Hidden Cloud's words, Shi Feng glanced at the Assassin, "admiring" the man's courage.

When he had encountered an NPC robbery in his previous life, he had tried to resist as well. Unfortunately, he had not experienced a positive outcome. As he had not been strong enough, the NPC had successfully robbed him. However, being robbed was one thing. The true problem lay in the fact that said NPC had attacked.

Dying by an NPC's hand had a far more severe penalty than an ordinary death. Moreover, the more powerful the NPC was, the heavier the punishments players received when that NPC killed them.

Shi Feng had been considerably lucky. His murderer had only been a Tier 4 Sword Emperor. In the end, he had lost two Levels and suffered a Weakened state for five days. Meanwhile, no matter how he looked at it, the mysterious youth was definitely stronger than a Tier 4 Sword Emperor. A lot stronger...

"You're not gonna hand it over?" the youth sighed. "It seems that I have to do it myself, then."

As soon as the NPC finished his statement, he stretched out a finger and lightly tapped Hidden Cloud's forehead.

Peng!

"AHHH!" Hidden Cloud screamed with pain, sounding as if this pain came from the depths of his soul.

In the next moment, Hidden Cloud's physical body disintegrated, revealing a half-transparent version of himself.

However, this half-transparent Hidden Cloud began to fade.

The Assassin's scream grew in pitch and distorted, sounding almost inhuman.

Amazing! This NPC actually knows Soul Disintegration! Shi Feng was slightly surprised as he watched Hidden Cloud's body vanish in the wind.

At this moment, even Shi Feng had sympathy for Hidden Cloud.

Shi Feng had only seen Soul Disintegration in a video in the past.

Not only could this attack kill players, but it could also damage a player's soul directly.

It was similar to when he absorbed players' Immortal Souls.

An Immortal Soul, as the name suggested, was an immortal existence. No matter how much damage an Immortal Soul took, it could recover.

When Shi Feng absorbed the Immortal Souls of the players he killed, he had only absorbed a tiny portion. Even so, this prevented the players from logging into God's Domain for a short time.

Soul Disintegration was different. It was a Skill purely meant to shatter a player's soul. It could destroy a player's Immortal Soul completely.

Experiencing one's soul disperse was far more severe than someone or something absorbing a portion of it. Although players could also recover from this damage, it took far more than not logging in for two or three days. Shi Feng would not be surprised if Hidden Cloud could not log into God's Domain for half a month.

"Why fight it? Though, even if you had handed it over, I would've still killed you." The mysterious youth shook his head as he looked at the golden tablet that had fallen from Hidden Cloud's body. The youth then turned to the other players on the street, smiling as he stated, "Anyways, now that I've obtained the item, let's celebrate with your deaths!"

A chill gripped the players' hearts as they heard the young NPC's words.

"It's over..." Phoenix Rain frowned, her previous hint of joy vanishing.

Phoenix Rain wasn't the only one to have that reaction. Everyone trembled with fear.

They had all heard the Assassin's painful wails.

Hidden Cloud was an apex expert from the Nine Heavens Pavilion. How much pain could cause an expert like that scream as he had?

Ye Feng had been telling the truth! Phoenix Rain suddenly remembered the message Shi Feng had sent.

Shi Feng had warned her that the golden tablet was dangerous. Now, it would seem that she had also become one of this NPC's targets, and not even the heavens could save her.

Damn it! This NPC is too black-hearted! He won't even spare innocent bystanders! Shi Feng's expression darkened as he watched the mysterious youth's raised hand.

He had miscalculated this time.

He had never imagined that he would become entangled in the robbery as well. The NPC robberies he had encountered in the past had usually only involved the targeted players. If bystanders kept to themselves, the NPCs would leave them alone.

Unfortunately, it was too late to do anything now.

In the next moment, an endless amount of Mana gathered in the youth's hand. It was as if he had sucked all of the Mana in this space into his palm.

With this much Mana, the Spell the youth was conjuring was likely stronger than a Tier 5 Skill.

The mysterious youth smiled and pointed a finger to the sky.

Immediately, the black ball of Mana shot up from the youth's hand.

After reaching a certain height, a crack suddenly appeared in the Mana ball. 

Chapter 836 - Tablet's Secret

Just who is this mysterious youth?

Shi Feng was slightly shocked as he looked at the cracking ball of Mana in the sky.

The Skill the youth had used was a Tier 5 Curse.

Dark Paradise!

Even Tier 6 Gods would fear this move. The power that the Curse contained could turn all the players on this entire street into ashes instantly. Most likely, the penalty they would suffer would not be any lighter than Hidden Cloud's at all.

"Disappear!" The mysterious youth then flew up towards the sky.

In the next moment, the black ball of Mana transformed into a black hole that began sucking and devouring everything in its surroundings. As the suction grew stronger, the black hole expanded. Players on the street were even getting pulled off the ground.

Damn it! Shi Feng abruptly activated Heavenly Dragon's Power and Blade Liberation, and his Strength Attribute immediately surpassed that of a Lord ranked monster of the same Level.

Space Freeze, the Skill that the youth had used earlier, was partially a Control Skill. After activating Heavenly Dragon's Power, Shi Feng became immune to all Control Skills. Unfortunately, the Strength suppression, as well as an extremely powerful mental suppression, was still present inside the frozen space. Even without the original Control effect, moving inside the frozen space remained impossible with the Attributes of current players.

Only by using Twofold Berserk did Shi Feng have a chance of moving.

Sure enough, this Strength suppression is intense. When Shi Feng tried to shift his body, it felt as heavy as lead.

"Oh? There's still someone who can move?" The mysterious youth was slightly surprised as he swept his gaze towards Shi Feng. "You are the first Tier 1 class capable of moving under my Domain."

At this moment, Shi Feng could already twitch his fingers. However, his body was still immobilized.

"Unfortunately, under Dark Paradise, even if you can move, you cannot escape."

However, as soon as the mysterious youth said these words, a low shout entered everyone's ears.

"Shatter!"

As the sound of this low shout echoed throughout the entire space, the frozen space instantly shattered.

"You actually dare make such a huge fuss inside Blackwing City. Your courage is truly commendable." In the next moment, a woman dressed in white sacred robes appeared in the sky, overlooking the mysterious youth. "Or are you saying that you intend to make Blackwing City an enemy?"

Upon regaining his freedom, Shi Feng looked at the woman in white, and he could not help but shout in surprise, "Sharlyn!"

Shi Feng knew full well just how powerful Sharlyn was. Every time he met her, the woman's strength had received a significant improvement. At the very beginning, she had been playing the role of a female bandit. Afterwards, she had transformed into a Tier 3 Divine Official. Later on, she had even become a Tier 5 Red Official.

Now, she was even more powerful—actually managing to directly shatter the mysterious youth's Domain.

While Shi Feng was still in shock, a red-jade staff appeared in Sharlyn's hand. The instant this staff appeared, the Mana in the surrounding space stopped moving altogether. Sharlyn then lightly tapped her staff and...

Boom!

The black hole abruptly disappeared from the sky of Blackwing City.

"It seems I've underestimated Blackwing City's capabilities," the mysterious youth said as he looked at Sharlyn. "However, it is still impossible for Blackwing City's magic arrays to hold me captive."

Saying so, the mysterious youth transformed into a streak of light and vanished from everyone's sight.

"He sure is quick in running away."

The youth's disappearance did not surprise Sharlyn. After sending Shi Feng a glance, she, too, vanished from the sky, leaving behind only a group of dumbfounded players.

"What kind of situation is this?"

"Isn't that NPC a little too amazing? He actually succeeded in killing a player inside Blackwing City and got away safely on top of that."

Excited expressions appeared on the faces of the players on the street who had witnessed this scene.

This was their first time experiencing the power of a high-tiered NPC. In front of these NPCs, even the current strongest player in God's Domain would be no different from an ant.

However, their excitement was more due to their anticipation of high-tiered classes. Meanwhile, news of this matter also spread throughout God's Domain at the speed of light.

I never thought that there would also be such a risk when buying NPC-sold items from an auction. It seems I'll have to be careful when purchasing items in the future. When Gentle Snow thought about her purchases for the Guild, she could not help growing anxious.

Let alone that mysterious youth, even a Level 100, Tier 2 NPC could put her in a huge bind. If a Tier 3 NPC appeared, then only death would await her.

In reality, Gentle Snow wasn't the only person who had such thoughts. The representatives of the various large Guilds shared her fears.

In the future, when they were purchasing treasures sold by NPCs in an auction, they would have to estimate properly whether or not they had the ability to protect the treasures they wanted to acquire.

If they were not confident in protecting a treasure, they would not buy it. Otherwise, they could lose both their lives and money.

He's finally gone. Shi Feng breathed out a sigh of relief as he saw the mysterious youth disappearing.

Had Sharlyn come even one or two seconds later, he would have had to surrender to fate and gotten sucked into the black hole. At that time, not only would he have lost several Levels' worth of EXP, but he also would not have been able to log into the game for several days. It definitely would have dealt a fatal blow to his gaming career.

However, as soon as Shi Feng relaxed, Sharlyn's voice suddenly entered his ears.

"Come to the Library. I have some things to say to you."

System: You have triggered the Epic Quest "Tablet's Secret."
Quest content: Head to White River City's Library and meet with Sharlyn.

"What?" Shi Feng was momentarily stunned when he heard the system notification. Even an NPC robbery can trigger a quest?

This was Shi Feng's first time to encounter such a situation.

Generally, if one had a certain amount of strength, they would be able to repel an NPC robbery easily and protect the merchandise they bought from the Auction House. One could say that having sufficient financial power was only the first threshold to purchasing a treasure from the Auction House. At the end of the day, whether one would be able to obtain the treasure depended on their own abilities.

Hidden Cloud had purchased the golden tablet at a high price.

If the Assassin were to learn that Shi Feng had fortuitously gotten such a chance encounter due to his sacrifice, he would most likely faint from anger.

---

At this moment, however, Hidden Cloud had long since flown into a rage.

"Damn it! Damn it! That damnable NPC actually dared to steal my tablet!" Hidden Cloud bellowed as soon as he exited his virtual gaming cabin, an extremely ugly expression on his face.

Now that he had lost the golden tablet, the upper echelons of the Guild would definitely be angry.

This feeling of falling from heaven straight into hell maddened Hidden Cloud.

---

After Shi Feng had triggered the quest, he did not hurry to return to White River City. Instead, he bade farewell to Gentle Snow and secretly went to a private location and disguised himself. He then returned to the Blackwing Auction House and placed the remaining 3,000 Strengthening Devices up for sale at the establishment.

Rather than selling all 3,000 Devices at once, he split them up into batches and scheduled them for different time slots. However, instead of selling them in stacks, he would sell anywhere from ten to twenty individual pieces for each time slot.

If he sold the Strengthening Device at the Candlelight Trading Firm, he could indeed earn a lot more money. After all, he would not need to pay an exorbitant handling fee. He could even increase the trading firm's fame this way. However, Strengthening Devices were not items that ordinary players could easily afford. Only the various large Guilds gathered at Blackwing City possessed the financial reserves to purchase these items.

When Shi Feng's first batch of ten Strengthening Devices went up for sale at the Blackwing Auction House...

It immediately triggered another commotion in Blackwing City.

"Isn't this the Strengthening Device that appeared in the monthly auction?" 

Chapter 837 - Lake Heart City

Inside the Blackwing Auction House...

The moment the Strengthening Devices appeared once more, various members of large Guilds, who had been idling around in the main hall of the Auction House, began frantically contacting the upper echelons of their respective Guilds.

The Strengthening Device from the monthly auction held just before had already become famous. It had even caused a commotion on God's Domain's official forums.

Currently, the monsters in God's Domain were growing more powerful.

It would be a miracle if an ordinary player's equipment could last them over ten hours of grinding out in the fields. If these players frequently fought Elite or stronger monsters, their equipment's Durability would decline even faster—generally lasting eight hours at most. Guild elite members might be able to hold out for a little longer.

However, the current mainstream grinding spots were becoming farther and farther away from cities. Just making a round trip would cost players a lot of time, so much so that their travel time might be even longer than the time they spent grinding monsters.

To the elite members and upper echelons of Guilds, time was money.

It was especially true for the time of Guild experts.

To develop their Guilds, not only were these experts required to maintain a strong lead in Levels, but they were also required to raid Field Bosses and Dungeons to procure equipment for the Guild. Naturally, these experts could not afford to waste all their time on travel.

The obvious solution to this problem was to prepare extra sets of top-tier equipment. However, this method was simply too extravagant even for Guilds.

While the monthly auction was still ongoing, the various large Guilds had immediately experimented on the Strengthening Devices they acquired. As a result, they had already gained a relatively precise understanding of the item's effects.

Previously, they could only make a rough guess based on the introduction of the item. Hence, upon conducting their tests, these large Guilds were shocked.

Although the Strengthening Device could only extend a player's grinding time by three to four times, the better the equipment the Strengthening Device was used on, the greater the effects. In addition, while battling, the bonus Durability provided by the Strengthening Device would be the first to diminish instead of the equipment's own Durability.

In other words, as long as players still had Strengthening Devices on hand, they could devote their time to grinding. They would not have to prepare any additional equipment; neither would they need to return to a city to get their equipment repaired.

If allocated to ordinary or elite players, the 10 Gold Strengthening Device would indeed be very extravagant. However, when assigned to an expert player, it would not be one bit extravagant. On the contrary, it would be a profit, instead.

Unfortunately, the Strengthening Devices were sold only in the monthly auction. This situation caused many large Guilds that had not participated in the auction great frustration.

Now that the Strengthening Device had appeared in the Auction House as a player-sold item, how could the members of the various large Guilds not grow frantic?

Just a few minutes after the Strengthening Devices' appearance, the price for a single unit broke past the 9-Gold threshold. Moreover, the price was still increasing rapidly.

Even Shi Feng had not expected the Strengthening Device to be this popular. When he exited the Auction House, he saw group after group of players rushing into the building.

Huh? Why is Phoenix Rain suddenly contacting me? Just as Shi Feng was preparing to leave Blackwing City, he suddenly received a call from Phoenix Rain. However, the person she was contacting was not Ye Feng but Black Flame.

"Guild Leader Black Flame, have you heard? There is a player selling Strengthening Devices at the Blackwing Auction House right now," Phoenix Rain said through the video chat, smiling.

"Yes, I've also just heard about it." Shi Feng nodded, having already changed to his Black Flame guise. "But why is Phoenix Pavilion Master contacting me?"

"I want to purchase a large number of Strengthening Devices, so I wish to borrow some money from you. Of course, I won't borrow it for nothing. Three days later, I'll return it to you with 30% interest, or you can buy a high-potential Land in one of the Black Dragon Empire's major cities from me." Phoenix Rain smiled as she extended a tempting proposition.

Originally, she had not wished to borrow money from Shi Feng. However, with the appearance of the Strengthening Device—and based on her newfound knowledge regarding the item—she had a great opportunity for the Phoenix Pavilion to surpass the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion.

Level 40 was an important turning point in God's Domain. With the Strengthening Device, she could rapidly raise a group of experts to Level 40. At Level 40, even using only Common Mounts would still bring about explosive improvements to their leveling speeds. They would be able to develop new maps earlier than other Guilds.

However, she had already spent a large part of her funds to purchase other items during the monthly auction. She did not have enough to contest for the Strengthening Devices, not to mention needing money to buy Mounts. Hence, she gave Shi Feng such a lucrative offer.

Of course, the reason why she had looked for Shi Feng to borrow money from and not someone else was mainly because Zero Wing was simply too wealthy.

Zero Wing had relatively few members. The Guild's various departments were also incomplete. The Guild's expenses were not particularly high, either. Moreover, Zero Wing was the proud owner of Star-Moon Kingdom's wealthiest trading firm, the Candlelight Trading Firm. The Guild also possessed the enviable Stone Forest Town. The Guild's daily profits were in no way inferior to even those of a super-first-rate Guild like the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion.

Due to these reasons, the wealth Zero Wing possessed could make even her envious. Just from the bid Ye Feng had placed earlier on the golden tablet, one could tell how rich Zero Wing was.

"Alright, but I want to purchase Land at the Black Dragon Empire's Lake Heart City." Shi Feng inwardly cheered upon hearing Phoenix Rain's words. He had never imagined that the woman would be so desperate. "However, I'll say this first. I still have other uses for my Coins. I won't buy it if your price is too high."

Although he had previously purchased some potential Land in the Black Dragon Empire and subsequently established the Candlelight Trading Firm at these locations, there was a limit to his funds.

Currently, large Guilds within the empire had long since bought up the majority of the potential Land in the empire's major cities. Even if Zero Wing could afford to purchase them now, nobody would be willing to sell any of their Lands. Now that Phoenix Rain was willing to sell potential Land, he naturally had to take advantage of the opportunity. In the future, the value of these plots would increase manifold.

It was especially true for the Land in Lake Heart City.

Lake Heart City was a small island city located within the Black Dragon Empire. The island itself was situated in the middle of Mist Lake, the Black Dragon Empire's largest lake. Lake Heart City was also a producer of one particular item.

And that item was the Ice Jade.

On its own, the Ice Jade was an item that could raise a player's Ice Resistance temporarily. It could also be processed into Ice Resistance Gemstones, which could be inlaid into equipment, similar to regular Gemstones, and greatly increase a player's Ice Resistance. During the initial stages of the game, this item was not particularly valuable. After players reached Level 50, however, the value of Ice Jades would multiply. At that time, the demand for the item would exceed its supply. Likewise, the value of the Lands of Lake Heart City would also increase markedly.

Previously, there had been too many Lands that Zero Wing had to purchase. However, the Guild's funds were extremely constrained. Hence, it had to limit its purchases to a few cities. Although it had earned enough money later on, by then, the potential Lands of Lake Heart City had long since been bought clean. As for the golden Lands of the city, Zero Wing had neither the money nor Reputation required to purchase them. In the end, the Guild had no choice but to settle for an ordinary plot of Land.

"Lake Heart City?" Phoenix Rain checked and discovered that there were indeed two plots of high-potential Land under her name in Lake Heart City. Moreover, although Lake Heart City was one of the major cities in the Black Dragon Empire, the player population there was not particularly high, as the city was mainly a tourist spot for casual players. She had never imagined that Shi Feng would actually be interested in such a location. "Alright. I have Land that is close to the Auction House there. I'll sell it to you at market price, which is 6,200 Gold. However, I also want to borrow an additional 4,000 Gold. I'll return the 4,000 Gold three days later. How about it?"

"Deal." Shi Feng immediately grew ecstatic when he saw the location of the Land in the map Phoenix Rain had sent him. With this plot of Land, he would gain another income source for his city-building funds. 

Chapter 838 - Raging Market

Lake Heart City was currently a prime tourist spot for players, as the city itself was like heaven on earth. Many casual players or players who wished to get away from the frontlines would often visit this city.

However, those who preferred adventuring and battling rarely visited the city.

Most of the leveling maps around Lake Heart City were either located underwater or shrouded in mist. Both environments affected a player's combat power considerably. Hence, very few players wishing to level up and go on adventures would reside in Lake Heart City.

Due to players reaching higher levels and the increasing number of maps and Dungeon Bosses requiring high Ice Resistance, the presence of the Ice Jades eventually attracted a lot of attention to Lake Heart City. In the past, the city had very quickly gained popularity, becoming the sixth most populous city in the Black Dragon Empire. The prices of Land there had skyrocketed overnight.

Shi Feng never imagined that he would receive such a fortunate offer as a result from selling the Strengthening Devices.

After agreeing on the trade conditions, Shi Feng and Phoenix Rain decided to meet up in White River City.

If one wanted to trade Lands, they needed to do it through a City Hall through either of two methods. The first method was a relatively fast but troublesome process while the second method was simple but time-consuming.

Shi Feng usually left the responsibility of purchasing Lands to Aqua Rose and Melancholic Smile. They would then transfer the ownership of these Lands to him through a random City Hall. This way, he didn't need to make a trip to the City Hall. However, this method of transferring ownership had a verification period of one day. The other method was for him to go to the relevant City Hall in person. By doing so, he could complete the transfer procedures immediately.

Currently, Shi Feng was in no hurry to obtain the Land in Lake Heart City. Hence, there was no need for him to travel there personally to complete the transfer of ownership.

During the time Shi Feng and Phoenix Rain were chatting with each other, one notification after another popped up in Shi Feng's system notification window.

System: The 20 Strengthening Devices you placed on auction have been sold. After the deduction of the processing fees, a total of 164 Gold 85 Silver has been added to your bag space.

System: The 20 Strengthening Devices you placed on auction have been sold. After the deduction of the processing fees, a total of 165 Gold 64 Silver has been added to your bag space.

...

During the short time since Shi Feng left the Auction House, the amount of money in his bag had increased by over 1,000 Gold. The rate at which he was earning money was just staggering.

This handling fee is simply usurious! Shi Feng felt a pang in his heart when he looked at the actual amount of money he had obtained from the sales. Although the current handling fee was not as high as that of the monthly auction, it was still 20%. He could have purchased many good plots of Land with all the handling fees he had paid.

Shi Feng could not help but admit that the Auction House was extremely profitable.

Unfortunately, current players were still incapable of establishing their own Auction Houses. The precondition for doing so was having a city of their own.

Following which, Shi Feng teleported back to White River City and prepared to head to the Library.

The golden tablet held a great temptation for Shi Feng.

A Secret Technique was a treasure that could allow players to learn advanced combat techniques directly. To Guilds, not to mention several Epic Weapons, even the value of a Fragmented Legendary Weapon was incomparable to that of a Secret Technique.

If he could obtain the golden tablet, it would definitely improve the overall strength of Zero Wing's core members by a large margin.

Upon exiting the Teleportation Hall, Shi Feng took out the dark-gold whistle from his bag and blew it gently.

As the sound of the whistle rang out, a magic array appeared on the street. The Demonic Flame Tiger then emerged from the magic array.

The body of the Demonic Tiger was roughly the size of a small house. The black flames that surrounded its sharp claws sent the ambient temperature rising by several degrees.

The instant the Demonic Flame Tiger appeared, the players on the street were immediately stupefied.

"Why did a monster suddenly appear here?"

"Could monsters be attacking the city?"

"That's not right. Why aren't any of the guards on patrol reacting?"

The onlookers grew flustered as they stared at the Demonic Flame Tiger.

Not only did it possess an intimidating appearance, but the aura leaking out of its body also made their hearts shiver in fear. Even the elite players sensed a massive threat from the Demonic Flame Tiger.

Shi Feng could not help but smirk as he swept a glance at the immobilized players. He then walked up to the Demonic Flame Tiger.

This was a Dark-Gold Mount. Its strength was equivalent to a Level 40 Chieftain. Naturally, it is not something ordinary players could handle.

"Has that person lost his mind?! He's actually going up to it! Is he not afraid of getting killed?!"

Everyone thought that Shi Feng had lost himself to fear as they watched him approach the Demonic Flame Tiger. However, when they saw the Demonic Flame Tiger obediently lie down before Shi Feng and enjoy Shi Feng's caress agreeably, their mouths fell wide open.

However, an even more shocking scene occurred in the next moment as Shi Feng mounted the Demonic Flame Tiger.

"Let's go!" Shi Feng shouted lowly.

Suddenly, the Demonic Tiger let out a loud roar and took a step forward. It then transformed into an afterimage that disappeared before everyone.

"What?!"

"That's a Mount?!"

"I'm not seeing things, right?!"

"Who is that person?!"

"That giant tiger Mount looks so cool!"

No one dared believe what they just saw. Riding a Mount was still a faraway dream for them. Even if they managed to reach Level 40 eventually, amassing a fortune of 40 Gold was not that easy. It would be even more impossible for them to ride a Bronze or Mysterious-Iron Mount.

While Shi Feng was rapidly making his way towards the Library, the players present on the street outside the Teleportation Hall went into a frenzy. Every one of them was madly posting on the official forums.

A hero riding a giant tiger has appeared in White River City!

Many people initially did not believe the words written in this post.

After all, the number one players on the various empire Ranking Lists were only at Level 39. These players were still a long way off from reaching Level 40. How could there possibly be someone capable of riding a high-ranking Mount right now?

After watching the recorded video, everyone was shocked.

There were some who felt admiration, some who felt jealousy, and some who felt pride.

There were also many people trying to guess at Shi Feng's identity. Just who was actually capable of riding such a Mount?

Unfortunately, as Shi Feng had hidden his face using the Black Cloak, nobody could discern his identity.

A Dark-Gold Mount sure is fast. Even an advanced horse carriage is far inferior to it. This was also Shi Feng's first time riding a Dark-Gold Mount. The speed of the Mount was simply incomparable to Fine-Gold Mounts.

The Demonic Flame Tiger's speed was at least 20% or 30% faster than an advanced horse carriage.

Just as Shi Feng was quickly approaching the Library, he suddenly received a call from Autumn Goose.

When Shi Feng accepted the call, the image of an anxious Autumn Goose appeared before him.

"What happened?" Shi Feng could not help but ask after seeing her apprehensive expression.

"Ye Feng, Gunfire contacted me just now, saying that a group of players that had suddenly appeared is hunting Rain and Blue. These players are very powerful and are capable of doubling the death penalty of the players they killed. Moreover, they also have a means of jamming a player's communications. However, I'm currently not in Star-Moon Kingdom. Can you please go save them?" Autumn Goose asked worriedly.

After reaching their Level, even a single death was a painful loss. If their death penalties were doubled, the cost of dying once would be devastating. However, she could not come up with a good method to save Thoughtful Rain and the others at the moment.

The only person she could think of right now who might be of help in this situation was Ye Feng.

"Where are they now?" Shi Feng was initially stunned, but he immediately said in a hurried tone, "I'll head over there right away."

Shi Feng had never imagined that there would actually be people who would still dare to take action against Zero Wing's members within the boundaries of Star-Moon Kingdom at this point. 

Chapter 839 - Crystal Maze

Hearing Shi Feng answer without hesitation, Autumn Goose was touched. She also felt slightly envious.

The reason why she had joined an independent organization like the Wind God's Spear was precisely how the people within the organization treated each other like family. If one of them got bullied, they would fearlessly help out their companions regardless of the cost.

They did not behave like Guild members, who had to worry about various aspects even when helping out a companion.

Generally, players in the upper echelons of Guilds, like Shi Feng, were even less likely to make a move casually. People in his position would usually ascertain what kind of enemy they were going up against first and make a decision only after determining the potential profits and losses.

However, Shi Feng had not done any of this.

Instead of asking who their enemy was, the first thing Shi Feng wanted to know was the whereabouts of Thoughtful Rain and Blue Bamboo. Such a situation generally would never happen in a Guild.

"Some experts ambushed Rain and the others at the Crystal Forest. The enemies were wearing Black Cloaks, so they did not find out anything about those experts. Moreover, their ambushers operated silently. Fortunately, Rain and Blue managed to use the Instantaneous Movement Scrolls you gave them before to escape. However, based on what Gunfire told me, those people were there specifically to kill Rain and Blue. They definitely will not let them get away. Here are the coordinates of where the ambush took place. You have to be careful," Autumn Goose said as she sent the map coordinates to Shi Feng.

"I understand. I'll hurry there immediately." After seeing the coordinates of the Crystal Forest, Shi Feng silently committed it to memory. He quickly turned the Demonic Flame Tiger around and headed straight for the Teleportation Hall.

Despite the low odds for Thoughtful Rain and Blue Bamboo's rescue, when Autumn Goose heard Shi Feng's calm and steady tone, for some reason, she felt relieved.

The travel time from White River City to the Crystal Forest aside, just getting from the nearest transfer point to where Thoughtful Rain's group got ambushed would require at least two hours. Although Thoughtful Rain and Blue Bamboo had escaped using the Instantaneous Movement Scrolls, current players had many more Skills than before, which made tracking other players much easier.

Moreover, the enemies chasing after Thoughtful Rain and Blue Bamboo had somehow managed to keep them in a combat state, preventing them from using Return Scrolls. Even logging out of the game normally was not possible, as the system would directly mete out the death penalty if they went offline while in a combat state.

"Please let Rain and the others make it." At this moment, the only other thing Autumn Goose could do was pray. She was currently in the faraway Dark Night Empire. She would need even more time than Shi Feng to reach the Crystal Forest.

---

The core area of the Crystal Forest was rife with trees made out of crystals. Currently, over a dozen players covered in Black Cloaks were searching there.

"Damn it! Quirrell, have you not found their tracks yet? Boss Hell Fiend has already given the word that we must kill those core members of Zero Wing," Ordinary Stranger asked in a low tone as he looked at a distant Assassin.

They had already gathered information regarding the whereabouts of many of Zero Wing's core members. However, the majority of those members were currently grinding in the Stoneclaw Mountains. It would take Ordinary Stranger's team over a dozen hours of travel just to get there. As for the remaining core members, they were raiding Team Dungeons. They were unlikely to leave the Dungeons any time soon. The only ones nearby were Thoughtful Rain and Blue Bamboo, who had been seen grinding with Zero Wing's upper echelon before.

However, he had never imagined that even those two women would succeed in escaping his ambush. In the end, his team had only managed to kill two unrelated independent players. If this matter were to reach the Adjudicator's ears, his team's days in King's Return would no doubt be numbered.

"Do you think it is that easy to track players here?" The Assassin named Quirrell rolled his eyes at Ordinary Stranger. He then swept a glance at the surrounding crystal shrubbery, gnashing his teeth as he said, "Those two beauties sure know how to run. They actually reached this Crystal Maze. If not for this natural maze, I would've long since found them by now. However, rest assured, although the terrain here is complex, this place has only one exit. The two of them cannot use Return Scrolls right now. They also cannot log off normally. It is only a matter of time before we find them."

"Good, then. Thunder and I will guard the exit. You guys head inside and search for those two. We need to kill them as quickly as possible. Don't forget, we don't have much time left. We still need to deal with the other members of Zero Wing," Ordinary Stranger instructed.

"I understand." Quirrell also began hastening his search.

Aside from Quirrell, the other members of the team paired off and began searching the Crystal Maze.

---

"Rain, what are we going to do? Those people are still chasing after us. If we head in any further, we will arrive at the lair of the Crystal Wolves." Blue Bamboo's heart began palpitating as she looked at the patrolling pack of Crystal Wolves some distance away.

These Crystal Wolves were incomparably powerful. In order to complete a crystal collection quest, they had also personally experienced the strength of these monsters.

Previously, when Shi Feng had led them to kill the Crystal Wolf packs, they had not felt these monsters to be much of a threat. However, after returning to this place again by themselves, they found out just how difficult and exhausting dealing with these monsters was. Alone, a single wolf pack was not particularly scary. However, if they did not kill these Crystal Wolves quickly enough, these monsters would summon more companions in the vicinity, instantly bolstering their numbers by several times. Sometimes, the Crystal Wolves would also draw Special Elites, or even Chieftain ranked monsters.

Fortunately, when the Chieftain appeared, they had Death Wind to tank it. Otherwise, they would have died without a doubt.

Only, they had never imagined that, rather than dying to the Level 45 Chieftain, Death Wind would die at the hands of cloaked players that had suddenly appeared, instead.

If not for Death Wind and Gunfire delaying those people, they would not have had a chance to use the Instantaneous Movement Scrolls that Ye Feng had given to them for emergencies.

Currently, there were Crystal Wolves all around them. If they moved deeper into the maze, the possibility of discovery by a wolf pack would increase as well. In which case, by the time those cloaked players caught up to them, these Crystal Wolves would have long since killed them already.

"We can only give it a shot. We'll use an Invisibility Potion and continue forward. Hopefully, these wolf packs can buy us enough time." Thoughtful Rain gritted her teeth as she looked at her own status window. She then took out two Invisibility Potions and gave one of the bottles to Blue Bamboo.

Both of them were currently afflicted with the Soul Lock debuff. As long as they were out in the fields, they would not be able to contact anybody for five hours. Their attackers had also forced them into a constant combat state, which prevented them from using their Return Scrolls. Arbitrarily logging out of the game would result in them suffering the death penalty immediately.

---

While Thoughtful Rain and Blue Bamboo snuck deeper into the Crystal Maze, Shi Feng had already arrived at the Crystal Forest.

I finally caught up. Shi Feng tapped on the Demonic Flame Tiger, storing it away as he looked at the Crystal Forest before him. He then opened the map for the Crystal Forest.

Even now, Autumn Goose had yet to contact him again. This silence meant that Thoughtful Rain and Blue Bamboo were still alive.

The enemy is extraordinary. The fact that Rain and Blue have remained at large suggests that they entered the Crystal Forest's core area, the Crystal Maze. Hopefully, I can make it in time. After taking a glance at the map, Shi Feng used Space Movement, the Activatable Skill of the Aura of Space.

Space Movement allowed him to cross up to 600,000 yards instantly. He could easily traverse the entire Crystal Forest or move to any location within the map. If not for this Skill, he would not have made it to the Crystal Forest so quickly, either. Now that the Skill's Cooldown was over, he could use it once again.

In the blink of an eye, Shi Feng appeared at a location close to the Crystal Maze's entrance.

Guarding the entrance as well? It seems you guys really are targeting Zero Wing.

The instant Shi Feng appeared in the area, he immediately noticed the cloaked Ordinary Stranger and Thunder Tiger keeping watch at the entrance of the Crystal Maze, their eyes radiating cold killing intent. 

Chapter 840 - Magic Staff

Just when Shi Feng noticed Ordinary Stranger and Thunder Tiger, the two of them caught sight of Shi Feng.

"Brat, I don't know how you suddenly appeared here, but since you've come to this place, you can only consider yourself unlucky," Thunder Tiger, who had hidden his identity and appearance, said when he suddenly saw the similarly anonymous Shi Feng. Taking the initiative, he walked towards Shi Feng. "All this waiting around has made me annoyed. Old Stranger, you better not make a move. I'm gonna use this brat here to relieve some of my stress."

"Sure, but the equipment he drops will belong to me," Ordinary Stranger laughed.

Ordinary Stranger had discovered Shi Feng's presence the instant Shi Feng had appeared. Initially, he had thought that a powerful enemy had shown up. However, after some close observation, he did not sense any threat coming from beneath the Black Cloak. On the contrary, he had noticed many holes in Shi Feng's defense. If not for Thunder Tiger declaring his claim, Ordinary Stranger would have long since taken action to remove this ant.

However, even if the opponent were an expert, it would not matter.

Thunder Tiger was a top-tier expert of King's Return. Currently, he was already Level 38. Placed in Star-Moon Kingdom, his Level would rank within the top ten. Not to mention, he was fully geared in Level 35 Dark-Gold Equipment. His maximum HP was as high as 14,600. His combat standard was also at the Refinement Realm already. Dealing with two or three ordinary experts simultaneously would be child's play for him.

Even if the opponent were an expert of the same combat standards, Thunder Tiger was a Refinement Realm expert of King's Return. The Guild had long since presented the Berserker with a Berserk Skill. As long as Thunder Tiger activated this Berserk Skill, he could kill a Refinement Realm expert easily. He could even defeat a Flowing Water Realm expert.

In the off chance that Thunder Tiger was no match for this new arrival, Ordinary Stranger himself could still back up the Berserker.

If he and Thunder Tiger worked together, they would be practically invincible in Star-Moon Kingdom. Only Zero Wing's Black Flame and Ye Feng could cause them to feel fear. No one else was worth mentioning.

As soon as Ordinary Stranger finished speaking, Thunder Tiger retrieved a two-handed saber from his back and used Charge at Shi Feng.

When using Charge, controlling the sudden increase in speed was extremely difficult for ordinary players. As a result, they would usually reveal flaws in their attack. However, Thunder Tiger was different. He had long since mastered this Skill. By adjusting his center of gravity, he had managed to apply his increased speed to his attack, creating his own charging slash.

He had transformed a system-generated Skill into a personal Skill.

Not only did his saber speed up, but the power contained within it also increased. Even a Shield Warrior of the same Level would have to retreat several steps, breaking their stance.

Boom!

As the two-handed saber landed, sparks scattered into the surroundings.

A silver one-handed sword actually stopped Thunder Tiger's lightning-fast saber.

What?! Thunder Tiger was shocked as he stared at Shi Feng standing steadily in his original position.

The charging slash getting blocked did not come as a surprise to Thunder Tiger. However, this was his first time to encounter an enemy who could remain standing steadily after receiving his charging slash. Even Broken City, an Elder of King's Return, had to retreat half a step after receiving this attack of his. This situation was simply inconceivable.

"Tiger, be careful! We've got a tough one!" Ordinary Stranger warned hurriedly after realizing that their enemy this time was no common player. As he began casting a Spell, he added, "We'll deal with him together."

"I understand." Thunder Tiger's expression had turned serious as well, the contempt he felt before disappearing completely. He promptly used Whirlwind Slash in an attempt to drive Shi Feng away.

However, as soon as he started swinging his gray saber, a streak of blue light struck his weapon. A crack in space also appeared along the path the blue light had taken.

Peng!

Thunder Tiger felt his hands going numb as his saber came to an abrupt halt. It felt as if he had just struck an iron wall. Immediately after, however, a powerful impact shook him, forcing him to retreat four steps before he could stabilize his body.

Damage of -1,338 points appeared above the Berserker's head; he had instantly lost close to 10% of his HP.

"Who are you?" At this moment, even if Thunder Tiger were a fool, he would understand that the man before him was definitely stronger than himself.

In just a single exchange of Skills, he had lost over 1,000 HP. Shi Feng's Strength could practically rival a Chieftain of the same Level.

Before Thunder Tiger could react, a streak of blue light instantly slashed his body. Although the Berserker had tried to defend himself with his saber, he was simply no match for the speed of the sword light.

-7,151.

The Lightning effect having triggered, Shi Feng's attack instantly took away half of Thunder Tiger's HP. The Berserker himself also went flying over ten yards away.

"Who am I?" At this time, Shi Feng laughed. "You dared to come and find trouble with Zero Wing, yet you still ask who I am?"

Hearing Shi Feng saying so...

Whether it was Thunder Tiger or Ordinary Stranger, both of them immediately shuddered as a name appeared in their minds.

Sword King Black Flame!

Why is he here? Ordinary Stranger's expression darkened, his heart roiling with confusion. Their operation this time was top-secret. They had even placed a Soul Lock on the targets of their ambush. The two women should have no way of contacting anyone from Zero Wing. Hence, the possibility of them encountering Black Flame here was practically nonexistent. Yet, now, Black Flame had appeared before them.

However, Ordinary Stranger gave no further thought to this matter.

Since Black Flame was here, there was only one thing they could do right now.

Escape!

They had next to no chance of winning against Black Flame in a direct confrontation. Their only hope for resisting Black Flame was to meet up with the Falcon Legion.

In the next moment, Ordinary Stranger waved his staff and cast the Tier 1 Spell Summon Flame Spirit.

A Level 38 Special Elite Flame Lizard appeared immediately.

Following which, he used one of the Activatable Skills of his Magic Staff, Undead Sacrifice.

Suddenly, the Flame Lizard let out an agonized wail as the red flames covering its body turned into an emerald green, its body doubling in size. Its rank had increased from Special Elite to Lord as well.

[Undead Lizard] (Undead, Lord)
Level 38
HP 3,600,000/3,600,000

Such a powerful monster was more than enough to deal with a top-tier expert. Moreover, as a Summoner, he could form a Soul Link with his summoned creature, which allowed him to transfer 50% of the damage he received to it.

However, Ordinary Stranger knew quite well that even with the Undead Lizard, Thunder Tiger and he were still no match for Shi Feng. They had a very clear understanding of just how powerful experts of Shi Feng's standard were. He had summoned the Undead Lizard only to delay Shi Feng.

The Undead Lizard was a speed-type monster. At the same time, it possessed multiple Control Skills. It could surely pin down Shi Feng and give them an opportunity to escape.

"Retreat!"

Ordinary Stranger waved his staff and shot Elemental Bullets at Shi Feng. Simultaneously, he willed the Undead Lizard forward to attack Shi Feng.

Thunder Tiger no longer held back, either, as he activated his Berserk Skill, Heart of Fury. The Skill instantly increased his Strength by 80%, his Endurance by 50%, and his Movement Speed and Attack Speed by 50% for two minutes. After activating his Berserk Skill, Thunder Tiger turned around and fled without hesitation.

Looking at the oncoming Elemental Bullets and Undead Lizard, Shi Feng sneered and said, "Don't you think it's a little too late to be escaping now?"

Saying so, he abruptly stabbed the Abyssal Blade into the ground.