Reincarnation of The Strongest Sword God

861-880

Chapter 861 - Consecutive Upgrades

While the ancient book Abyss Summoning could bring a disaster to God's Domain, it could also bring power to players.

However, there was one thing that Hell Fiend did not know.

The power of that the ancient book could provide was not limited to protection from abyssal monsters or an increase to Basic Attributes while in a Demonic Field erected by abyssal monsters.

Establishing a safe zone was the ancient book's true purpose.

Inside the established safe zone, abyssal monsters would not actively attack players.

This was the forbidden book's greatest value to players.

Now that the Abyss Passage had been opened, not only had swarms of abyssal monsters appeared in the Twin Towers Kingdom, but Star-Moon Kingdom would also be invaded. Fortunately, the abyssal monsters required some time to fly from the Twin Towers Kingdom to Star-Moon Kingdom. Hence, Star-Moon Kingdom was still relatively peaceful.

When the abyssal monsters reached Star-Moon Kingdom, the kingdom's players would suffer.

Of course, Star-Moon Kingdom wasn't the only country affected by the Abyss Invasion. Twin Towers Kingdom's neighboring kingdoms and empires would similarly be affected. Only, they would not suffer as severely as the Twin Towers Kingdom.

If Shi Feng wanted an advantageous position during the Abyss Invasion, the ancient book was a necessary item.

Fortunately, the ancient book would drop upon death. Moreover, after Abyss Summoning was used, the ancient book could only be stored inside a player's bag.

As long as he killed Hell Fiend, he could obtain the ancient book.

Now, Light City was the only problem.

As an imperial capital, the city's security was incomparably strict. A Level 180 Tier 3 NPC led every patrol group that roamed the city streets. If a player tried to cause trouble, these Tier 3 NPCs would kill them immediately.

It seems I'll have to level up the Abyssal Blade. Shi Feng felt somewhat helpless when he looked at his own Attributes.

To absorb the Soul Fire, he had temporarily sacrificed 44% of his Basic Attributes. Even if his Attributes had been quite high, after such a huge decrease, his Basic Attributes could no longer compare to apex expert like Hell Fiend. Furthermore, he had to kill the Elementalist inside Light City.

Shortly after he had upgraded the Abyssal Blade to Level 30, he had obtained the Sacred Sword Killing Ray. Hence, he had not rushed to upgrade the Magic Weapon.

However, now that his Attributes had dropped by so much, he had to upgrade the Abyssal Blade if he wanted to increase his combat power quickly.

Following which, Shi Feng entered the Candlelight Trading Firm and stored the Engineering Locomotive Design in the trading firm's warehouse. He then grabbed some of the weapons Melancholic Smile had prepared for him previously before using Space Movement to leave White River City and reach the deserted Howling Moon Canyon.

Howling Moon Canyon was a Level 10 to Level 20 leveling map. To current mainstream players, this map was far too low-leveled for grinding. Only newcomers to God's Domain would come here. Howling Moon Canyon didn't offer particularly abundant resources, either. There were also very few quests in this area. Hence, players rarely ventured here to level up, which made it a perfect location for Shi Feng to upgrade the Abyssal Blade.

I wonder what kind of commotion will happen with this upgrade? Shi Feng carefully unsheathed the Abyssal Blade from the scabbard hanging at his waist. He then called up the Abyssal Blade's system interface and chose to upgrade it.

Compared to the upgrade to Level 30, the Abyssal Blade required far more weapons to reach Level 35. It needed twenty Level 35 Fine-Gold Weapons and three Level 35 Dark-Gold Weapons.

To current players, Level 35 Fine-Gold Weapons were top-tier weapons. Very few ordinary experts could obtain weapons of this rank. It was even more so for Level 35 Dark-Gold Weapons. Even to large Guilds, weapons of such caliber were exceedingly rare.

However, without hesitation, Shi Feng chose to sacrifice the Level 35 Fine-Gold and Dark-Gold Weapons he had prepared.

Following which, the Abyssal Blade transformed into a dark cloud as 23 weapons flew out of Shi Feng's bag and hovered around him.

Immediately, a black magic array formed beneath Shi Feng's feet; the pitch-black light that the array released shot into the sky.

If one watched from afar, they would discover a pillar of light rise up from the canyon's forest.

The 23 weapons then disintegrated and transformed into 23 balls of pure, golden energy that melded into the magic array.

After the golden energy balls vanished, Shi Feng heard chains snap. Following which, a dragon's roar echoed throughout the canyon, causing the monsters in the area to drop to the ground, paralyzed with fear.

As if their lives had been stolen from them, the plants around Shi Feng began to wither before eventually turning into ash. This phenomenon continued to spread, only stopping after it had extended 20 yards away from Shi Feng.

In the next moment, the Abyssal Blade reformed into a sharp, silver sword with engraved, crimson runes on its blade, radiating a faint bloodlust. The runes gave off a sinister feeling. However, Shi Feng did not pay much attention to the changes that had occurred as he clicked the "Upgrade" button once more.

This time, to level up the Abyssal Blade from 35 to 40, although the number of sacrificial weapons had not changed, it now required Level 40 weapons.

To current players, Level 40 top-tier weapons were utterly out of their reach. After all, even the number one players on empires' Ranking Lists were only Level 39. They were still far from Level 40, not to mention obtaining Level 40 Dark-Gold Weapons.

Shi Feng, however, had plenty of Level 40 Fine-Gold Weapons. Previously, while farming for designs, he had killed tons of high-ranking Field bosses. He even had a godly Skill like Divine Providence to assist him. He had piles of Level 40 weapons in stock. Hence, he could easily offer the Abyssal Blade the required 23 articles.

The Abyssal Blade leveled up once more.

Compared to the previous black magic array, a twofold magic array now appeared beneath Shi Feng's feet. The array's radius had also expanded from the previous 15 yards to 45 yards. In the next moment, a massive pillar of black light appeared in the middle of the canyon. Even those standing at the canyon's entrance could see the pillar of light clearly, much less the players within the map.

"What's that?"

"What's going on with those monsters?"

The players grinding in the canyon were momentarily stunned.

The pillar of black light towered like a mountain. Everyone felt as if they were suffocating while they bathed in the pillar's pressure. It felt as if their fate were no longer in their own hands.

Shortly after, the pillar of black light faded. However, before anyone could feel relieved, a deafening dragon roar shook Howling Moon Canyon. This roar was so powerful that it even frightened some of the weaker monsters to death. The players inside the canyon had not fared much better as every one of them slumped to the ground, trembling.

"Is there a legendary monster over there?"

"Why don't we go take a look? It might be a fortuitous encounter or some kind of rare Boss! If we can kill it, we might be set for life!"

Although the numerous parties were afraid, they were also excited.

There were many fortuitous encounters in God's Domain. One frequently read such stories being on the official forums. There were many cases where unknown noobs miraculously stumbled across a powerful treasure, instantly becoming a famous local expert. Either that or they could make a fortune from selling the treasure they obtained and gear themselves with powerful equipment, earning countless players' envy.

Hence, compared to dying, the players in Howling Moon Canyon were more eager to obtain the treasure. This might very well be a turning point in their lives.

At this moment, however, the source of the pillar of light was a disaster. Every plant and monster within a radius of 100 yards had been turned into ash. Currently, only one man and one sword resided in the center of this desolate area. 

Chapter 862 - The Hidden Effect of Magic Weapons

After upgrading the Abyssal Blade twice in a row, the Magic Weapon's appearance had changed significantly.

The sword was now pure silver with blood-red runes engraved across the blade. There was also a faint layer of black mist enveloping the sword. The hilt bore a miniature black dragon which looked astonishingly lifelike.

Despite part of the sword's blade being buried in the ground, Shi Feng could feel a significant oppression from the weapon; even he felt slightly uncomfortable.

Even after Shi Feng had firmly held onto the Abyssal Blade, the oppressive feeling still did not disappear.

To think it would be so powerful at Level 40... If I upgrade it two or three more times, I won't be able to wield it in battle. Shi Feng both rejoiced and felt helpless as he gazed at the silver Abyssal Blade.

There were weapons capable of mentally oppressing players in God's Domain. However, this was definitely the first time Shi Feng had seen a weapon that would also oppress its user.

When expert players fought ordinary players, they could similarly exert a significant mental oppression. This mental oppression could dull an opponent's reactions and weight down their movement, which would, in turn, reduce their combat powers significantly. But against experts of similar standards, this mental oppression was practically negligible.

However, the mental oppression that God's Domain's weapons and equipment exuded was different from that of players.

This kind of mental oppression resembled what players felt when they faced Grand Lord ranked monsters. Not only could it dull players' thought processes, but it could also increase players' Stamina consumption rate. It was precisely this reason that Grand Lords were so difficult to deal with. It was practically impossible to rely on numbers to defeat Grand Lords.

Even expert players would suffer tremendously against a Grand Lord's mental oppression. It would be impressive if an expert could even exert 60% or 70% of their actual combat power.

Yet, the mental oppression the Abyssal Blade released was stronger than that of Grand Lords. Even an expert of Shi Feng's level would squirm under this mental oppression, affecting their combat power slightly.

Following which, Shi Feng tightened his grip on the Abyssal Blade and slashed at the empty space before him.

Earth Splitter!

Hua!

A streak of silver light slammed into the ground, stretching out over 30 yards. When the light vanished, it revealed a deep trench in the ground wide enough to fit three people lying shoulder to shoulder. The tench was nearly five meters deep. Earth Splitter's power was now far stronger than when he had used the Skill in the past. Moreover, swinging the Abyssal Blade also felt completely different.

However, what shocked Shi Feng the most was the sudden burst of mental oppression when he activated his Skill.

Under this mental oppression, even an expert like Shi Feng would lose nearly 40% of his combat power. Weaker experts might even experience a 50% decrease. Factoring in the element of surprise, the mental oppression might even increase further.

So strong! Sure enough, Magic Weapons are quite scary! Shi Feng was at a loss for words as he examined the Abyssal Blade's statistics.

[Abyssal Blade] (One-handed Sword, Magic Weapon)
Attack Power +1,204
All Attributes +72
Attack Speed +20
Ignore Levels +15

Attacks have:
60% chance to cause 200% damage.
30% chance to cause 300% damage.
Every attack increases damage by 2% to a maximum of 20%.

If wielder belongs to a Swordsman-related class, all Skill Levels +4.
Increase Free Ability Points received for every increase in Level by 2 points.

Equipment Level 40. Can be upgraded. (Devour thirty Level 45 Fine-Gold Weapons and ten Level 45 Dark-Gold Weapons to upgrade to Level 45).
Equipment Tier 1. Can be evolved (Devour ten Mana Crystals to evolve to Tier 2).

Additional Skill 1: Phantom Kill (Tier 1). Instantly creates a doppelganger under the wielder's control. Doppelganger has 80% of the wielder's Attributes and all Skills. The wielder can swap positions with the doppelganger at any time.
Duration: 1 minute, 10 seconds
Cooldown: 5 minutes

Additional Skill 2: Abyssal Bind (Tier 1). Binds enemies and prevents movement, reducing Defense by 100%.
Duration: 4 seconds
Cooldown: 50 seconds

Additional Skill 3: Nine Dragons Slash (Tier 1). Instantly creates twelve phantoms of the Abyssal Blade for wielder's use; each phantom sword deals up to 60% damage.
Duration: 30 seconds
Cooldown: 5 minutes

Additional Skill 4: Abyssal Curse (Tier 1). Prevents all targets within a radius of 30 yards from moving or attacking for 6 seconds and reduces their Attributes by 20% for 10 minutes. Effect doubles if there is only one target within range.
Cooldown: 30 minutes

Additional Profound Inheritance: Black Emperor (Tier 1). When activated, every critical hit will accumulate one stack of Death Aura. Each stack can be used to increase all Attributes by 2% and Attack Speed and Movement Speed by 1% for 10 seconds or to reduce the Cooldown of a skill by 3 seconds. Maximum of 33 stacks of Death Aura.
Duration: 10 minutes
Cooldown: 10 hours

The Famed Smith Olysses personally created the Abyssal Blade using the Black Dragon King's fangs as material. It is one of thirty-six Famed Swords, ranking 31st. However, the Black Dragon King himself has cursed this sword. Beyond the immense strength the blade offers, the wielder must face a Backlash after a certain amount of time. However, after Jack had remodeled the Abyssal Blade with a Star Crystal, the strength of the Backlash has reduced greatly. If the wielder is unable to suppress the Backlash, the wielder will receive the Black Dragon King's curse, permanently reducing all Attributes by 50%.
Unable to be dropped.
Unable to be traded.
Unable to be destroyed.

Purely regarding Attributes, the Abyssal Blade was no longer weaker than Epic Weapons. Now that it had gained the hidden effect of exuding mental oppression, it was a tool for slaughter.

"It seems that I'll have to make some time to get used to this kind of mental oppression." Even now, when Shi Feng thought back to the burst of mental oppression that had occurred when he had used a Skill, he was still somewhat afraid. If, when he faced a powerful enemy, this mental oppression affected him at a crucial moment, he would only have himself to blame if he lost the battle.

However, when Shi Feng returned the Abyssal Blade to its sheath, the mental oppression vanished.

"Oh? Someone actually dared to come here?" Just as Shi Feng was about to leave, he discovered someone attempting to sneaking up on him. This person was highly skilled with their stealth techniques. However, this person's light footwork was secondary. The frequency of this person's movements was crucial. This person had matched the rhythm of their footsteps to his own.

Expert players were powerful because of their ability to push their body's five senses and power to its very limits. With heightened senses, even a player in Stealth would not escape detection. After all, Stealth only made a player invisible; it did not eliminate a player's presence.

However, it was far more difficult for expert players to perceive those capable of matching their movement frequency. After all, a person's five senses mainly functioned to detect existences on different frequencies. It was very easy for a player to ignore those on the same wavelength.

The Assassin sneaking up on Shi Feng was actually capable of matching his frequency.

Unfortunately, the strength difference between the two players was simply too massive. Despite having matched his frequency, Shi Feng detected the Assassin easily.

"A pity," Shi Feng laughed. He then vanished from where he stood.

Void Steps!

When Shi Feng disappeared, the young man, a Level 18 Assassin, dropped his jaw in shock, not daring to believe what he had just seen. A Swordsman player had actually vanished right before his eyes.

"How did he disappear? Can Swordsmen learn the Stealth Skill as well?" The Assassin youth ran to where Shi Feng had disappeared from in an attempt to make sense of what had just happened.

However, before the Assassin youth came anywhere near his destination, his body froze with fright.

By the time he realized it, a chilling, blue longsword had appeared at his neck. Had he taken another step forward, that blue longsword would've sliced his head clean off. 

Chapter 863 - Audition

"Brat, you sure have guts to run all the way here." Shi Feng smiled faintly as he spoke to the stealthed Assassin youth.

At Level 18, there was no way that he could make up for the massive difference between their Attributes, regardless of how proficient he was with his stealth techniques.

Shi Feng had simply intended to leave the area. However, after discovering this Assassin, he changed his mind.

He had done so because he was impressed with this youth's strength. In the past, the youth had also been very famous in Star-Moon Kingdom.

The Afterimage Assassin, Soundless!

Shi Feng had encountered Soundless in the past.

Soundless had garnered fame in the past due to the mess he had made of Ouroboros.

Not only had Soundless targeted the first-rate Guild, but he had also targeted its Guild Leader, Cao Chenghua. Soundless had actually succeeded in killing Cao Chenghua for a total of three times.

This incident had humiliated Ouroboros thoroughly. It wouldn't have been so bad if Cao Chenghua's killer had been a well-known assassination expert in the virtual gaming world. However, a nameless Assassin had claimed his life not once, but three times.

After that incident, Ouroboros had tried furiously to get rid of Soundless.

In the end, however, the Guild had failed to do anything about the Assassin.

A single independent player had actually stood against a first-rate Guild.

This had been an incredibly rare occurrence even throughout God's Domain, not to mention a small country like Star-Moon Kingdom.

As news of Soundless's achievement spread, many large Guilds had attempted to recruit the Assassin. Some Guilds had even offered a portion of their shares to gain his membership. However, Soundless had paid no attention to the offers he received, refusing to join any Guild.

After some more time, Soundless started a journey through God's Domain to challenge the various experts on the continent. Of course, he had not remained undefeated. However, even after a defeat, he had lost gloriously. After all, the victors had not been ordinary experts. Every one was a top-class expert in God's Domain; some were even old monsters from various Super Guilds.

The Assassin had earned those old monsters' favorable opinions and high evaluations. Some of those Super Guilds had even stretched out an olive branch in an attempt to recruit Soundless.

After all, despite his age, Soundless already qualified to challenge those old monsters. Needless to say, his future would be brilliant. In the end, even the first-rate Guild Ouroboros had no choice but to surrender and offer corresponding compensation. Soundless had become an idol that many independent players revered.

However, Soundless had always mingled in Star-Moon City. Shi Feng had never imagined that the youth would appear in White River City.

Now that he had encountered such an expert, Shi Feng could not miss this chance to get acquainted.

Currently, despite facing the pressure Shi Feng exuded, Soundless showed no hint of fear. Rather, reverence filled his eyes as he looked at the Swordsman.

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

He had always been proud of his stealth techniques.

Although he was only Level 18, even Level 35 Guild elite players had failed to notice him when he stood beside them, yet despite being over 60 yards away from Shi Feng, the latter had discovered him...

Moreover, before he had realized it, a blue longsword had appeared against his neck.

He felt as if he were dreaming.

However, the icy sensation he felt at his neck reminded him that this was not a dream, but reality.

Although Shi Feng's Level was much higher than his, he could tell that the gap between them was not simply a case of Attributes. Even the gap between their techniques was despairingly wide.

"Brother Expert, please don't misunderstand! I just came here to take a look!" Soundless hurriedly explained as he faintly felt the longsword move forward.

While there were many fortuitous encounters in God's Domain, banditry was even more commonplace.

When one encountered another player trying to plunder their fortuitous encounter, they would take out said player without hesitation.

"You came to take a look?" Shi Feng laughed. He retrieved Killing Ray and said, "Alright, then. I believe you. However, you best stay far away from this kind of place in the future. Next time, you won't be as lucky."

The youth had mistaken the turmoil the Abyssal Blade had caused as a fortuitous encounter...

If not for Soundless's late timing, the Abyssal Blade's shockwaves would have certainly killed him.

Soundless had wanted to respond, but Shi Feng had vanished before he could utter a world. This time, however, Shi Feng had not used Void Steps. Instead, he used the Seven Luminaries Ring's Space Movement to return to White River City.

Soundless was dumbstruck when he saw Shi Feng vanish, his reverence of Shi Feng growing even more intense.

To come and go without leaving a trace, Shi Feng was even more of an assassin than an Assassin like himself.

"So strong! I wish I had even half of his abilities! Zero Wing's Ye Feng, is it? I must convince him to mentor me!" After recovering from his momentary stupor, Soundless retrieved a Return Scroll and activated it. He planned to join Zero Wing right away.

Previously, he had dismissed the idea of Guilds, thinking that Guilds' elites and experts were decent at best. However, after seeing Shi Feng's frightening performance, he finally understood how little he knew.

---

Elsewhere, Shi Feng had no idea that his display had attracted the Afterimage Assassin to join Zero Wing. He had only intended to establish an initial connection with the youth and later attempt to recruit him gradually. After all, independent experts like Soundless had a lot of pride. In the past, even after Super Guilds had extended an invitation, he had rejected their offers.

After returning to White River City, Shi Feng traveled to the Teleportation Hall and towards Light City.

When Shi Feng arrived in Light City, he discovered a crowd of players in the Teleportation Hall. Every one of these players was extraordinary, with most of them being Level 35 or above. One would not find a crowd like this in White River City or Star-Moon City.

Many players who had traveled to Light City were stunned by what they saw.

Just as Shi Feng wondered how he should search for Hell Fiend, a sudden commotion across the street attracted his attention.

"King's Return's audition has begun! Let's hurry over and check it out!"

"I heard that more than a million players are participating in this audition. There are over six million players here to watch! This is the grandest recruitment competition King's Return has ever held!"

"I know, right? Right now, God's Domain is insanely popular. Even King's Return has made some slight adjustments to how many people they will recruit this time. Instead of recruiting 100 people like usual, they are recruiting up to 300. I even heard that the upper echelons will be here to observe the auditions."

"I heard that Hell Fiend, the newest Adjudicator, will be watching. If I had even one-third of his abilities, I could secure first place! I'd get to enjoy the benefits of a core member!"

"Keep dreaming! I'm not as greedy as you. I don't need one-third; one-fifth will be enough for me."

Swarms of players on the street were discussing the event.

"Recruitment competition?" Shi Feng could not help his smile after overhearing these conversations. "This is a good opportunity." 

Chapter 864 - S-rank Evaluation

There were not many Super Guilds in the virtual gaming world.

As a result, the annual recruitment competition that King's Return, one of these few Super Guilds, held was a huge event in the virtual gaming world.

In addition, due to God's Domain's launch, this event had become even more popular than before.

However, its Guild Residence had far from enough space to accommodate the massive number of players participating in this year's assessment. Fortunately, King's Return had thought of a plan to deal with this problem; it would host the audition in the Divine Colosseum.

Unlike White River City, Light City's Divine Colosseum had been constructed in the sky, above the imperial capital. However, the building had an ethereal form as if it existed in a different realm.

"The audition's requirements are intense this year. They require participants to reach the Trial Tower's sixth floor. I only reached the fifth floor the last time I challenged the trial. I wonder if I can pass through the fifth floor this time?"

"I know, right? This requirement is simply too high. The most powerful player in my city has only reached the sixth floor! King's Return is not giving us a fair chance!"

As they arrived, players began to complain when the ready King's Return's listed requirements.

A player's Level and equipment did not matter in the Divine Colosseum's Trial Tower. Only their techniques mattered. However, the Trial Tower itself was the most damning aspect as each attempt to challenge its floors cost one Magic Crystal.

Magic Crystals had always been a rare commodity in God's Domain. Ordinary players had an extremely difficult time obtaining even one. Even expert players would only have a few on hand. Normally, players used every Magic Crystal sparingly, yet to prove their qualifications to take King's Return's test, they had to spend one Magic Crystal to challenge the Trial Tower. If, in the end, they failed to join King's Return, they would have suffered a huge loss.

However, as the various players fell into heated discussions, a young man caught their attention as he entered the main hall. Adoration and envy filled their eyes as they watched him.

This man was the host of this year's recruitment competition, Hell Fiend. He was also an Adjudicator of King's Return. Even in the Super Guild, he was considered a top-class expert. He was also the role model they dreamed of becoming.

While he had everyone's attention, Hell Fiend ran the participants through this year's competition rules. Following which, he entered a VIP room on the second floor to watch the audition quietly.

"Hell Fiend, quite a number of experts are participating in this year's audition. As the competition's host, you should take the opportunity to recruit more high-potential newcomers. They might even become powerful allies," Praying Lotus, who sat beside Hell Fiend, advised as she looked down on the crowd. She had discovered several experts among the participants. Some of them had even reached Level 38. To independent players, this was a very difficult feat.

There were many factions in a Super Guild. Hence, the Guild's upper echelons paid a lot of attention to the recruitment of fresh talent every year. It was also extremely difficult to obtain the rights to host the yearly auditions. Hell Fiend had only obtained the honor after all sorts of negotiation and trades.

As the host, Hell Fiend had the opportunity to rope in the participants he had set his sight on after the competition had begun. After the competition finished, he even had priority in choosing potential newcomers. After undergoing special training, these newcomers would quickly join the ranks of King's Return's experts; some might even become core members. These people would be extremely useful to Hell Fiend in the future. Hence, he needed to consider his selections carefully.

"Relax. I've already investigated some of the powerful experts participating in the audition this year. I won't let anyone else obtain a single potential newcomer." Hell Fiend laughed confidently. "If those old bastards knew that there were so many potential newcomers, they would regret trading with me."

Before the King's Return's recruitment competition had officially begun, he had already sent his subordinates to scout the participants and make a list of the experts taking part in the audition.

Among the numerous experts participating, eight had caught his attention.

Regarding either age or current strength, these eight people had earned an S-rank evaluation on his list.

In the past, three to five S-rank evaluations had been impressive. Now, there were a total of eight. Just thinking about it made Hell Fiend rejoice. To become this year's audition host, he had paid a tremendous price, even giving up his tablet slot.

However, securing all eight of these S-rank newcomers would definitely be worth the sacrifice. After all, it would be the equivalent of hosting two auditions.

The people who had received an S-rank evaluation would go on to become top-class experts in the Guild.

Praying Lotus had been one of these S-rank newcomers. Now, she was one of the leading figures in King's Return's younger generation.

"Old bastards, just you wait and see. Sooner or later, King's Return will belong to me!" When Hell Fiend thought about how he had not only foiled Sinned Heart's exchange today, but had also orchestrated the abyssal invasion of Star-Moon Kingdom, an indescribable joy bloomed in his heart.

It was true that he could not do anything about Zero Wing right now. However, those abyssal monsters could deal with the Guild easily.

He was very aware that devastation would follow those abyssal monsters wherever they went. Even Star-Moon Kingdom would fall if it were invaded, much less White River City. In the end, the Lands Zero Wing had purchased would be worthless.

However, Hell Fiend had no intentions of letting Zero Wing go with so little punishment.

To prevent Sinned Heart from obtaining that money, he had used up his most precious, ancient book. If he let Zero Wing get away with so little damage, how could he appease the anger in his heart?

He still wanted to get rid of Black Flame and every upper echelon of Zero Wing. He wanted to remove Zero Wing's name from God's Domain thoroughly.

In the past, he had feared Black Flame somewhat. However, now that he had activated the ancient book and obtained its power, he was very confident that he could kill the Swordsman.

Just as Hell Fiend congratulated himself, he received a message. Upon reading this message, his expression darkened.

"Has Zero Wing gone mad?!" A bloody glint flashed in Hell Fiend's eyes. He wanted nothing more than to devour every Zero Wing member alive.

"Why are you so angry? What happened?" Praying Lotus asked.

"Zero Wing bought those five plots of useless Land! Now, Sinned Heart has collected the required money. Black Flame! I won't let you get away with this!" Hell Fiend bellowed; his voice was so cold that the room's temperature plummeted.

"How can this be?! The abyssal monsters have already taken over Snow Field City. The Lands are worth nothing! Are Zero Wing's upper echelons fools?" Praying Lotus was shocked as well. She knew just how much money Sinned Heart needed. Zero Wing must be insane to spend that much money on five tattered Lands.

"Lotus, we're leaving! Everyone in Star-Moon Kingdom will watch as I end the Sword King's legend today!" Hell Fiend growled as he stood and prepared to leave.

"What about the selection?" Praying Lotus hurriedly asked. The audition had already begun.

"I've already notified Ordinary Stranger. When the time comes, he will represent me in choosing those experts." Hell Fiend refused to waste any more time. He rushed out of the room, intending to head towards Light City's Teleportation Hall.

However, as soon as Hell Fiend set foot out of the room, numerous black chains emerged from the ground and bound him, startling the Adjudicator. He couldn't respond to the sudden development while he was restrained. 

Chapter 865 - Clean Sweep

The instant the pitch-black chains bound Hell Fiend, the Elementalist released a low shout as he activated a Control Removal Skill, breaking free from his restrictions. He then instinctively raised his staff and used Frozen Circle.

A wave of cold air spread out to Hell Fiend's surroundings.

However, the cold air had failed to restrain the figure that had ambushed Hell Fiend. On the contrary, the figure had moved closer.

In the next moment, a streak of blue light slashed towards Hell Fiend.

Having no other choice, Hell Fiend used his Blink Skill, vanishing and reappearing 20 yards from where he had stood in the corridor.

At this moment, Hell Fiend finally realized who had attacked him.

It was a man hidden under a Black Cloak. The cloak's hood concealed the man's face, and he could only see a pair of black eyes. A silvery-white flame burned in those eyes, making Hell Fiend shudder. Despite the man standing in front of him, he couldn't even pick up the slightest tension or oppression with his five senses; it didn't even feel as if the man actually existed.

"Who are you?!" Hell Fiend immediately realized that the man before him was no weaker than himself, and a hint of fear flashed in his eyes.

If not for his sharp senses instantly detecting the chains that had emerged from the ground, this man would have likely killed him already.

Still inside the room, Praying Lotus was similarly stunned.

She had never seen such a foolish expert before.

She had never imagined that someone would be so daring as to aim for Hell Fiend's life here.

Setting aside Hell Fiend's combat standard, Light City was King's Return's main base of operations. Moreover, they were in the Divine Colosseum. The NPCs guarding this place were far more powerful than the NPCs patrolling on the streets. Every one of them was a Level 200 NPC. Attempting to assassinate Hell Fiend here was nothing more than a suicide attempt.

However, the Oracle Praying Lotus also reacted quickly as she began casting a Spell to cover Hell Fiend.

Meanwhile, the expert that Praying Lotus considered foolish was none other than Shi Feng.

Naturally, Shi Feng understood the risks of attacking a player in the Divine Colosseum. However, those risks were exactly what he needed to increase his chances of success.

Furthermore, he had chosen this narrow corridor on the second floor to make his move. Combat in such a cramped area was highly disadvantageous for a magical class. Hence, his chances of killing Hell Fiend here were much higher than if he targeted the Elementalist on the open streets or in the fields.

In addition, the Divine Colosseum's NPCs were garrisoned in the first floor's main hall. By the time they discovered his attack and reached the second-floor corridor, they would have wasted at least ten seconds. They would need more time to react than if he had launched his attack on the streets.

"No answer? Then, die!" Hell Fiend began to chant an incantation when realized that his attacker had chosen to remain silent, firing numerous Frost Arrows at Shi Feng simultaneously.

Inside the Divine Colosseum, he had an absolute advantage. Although the terrain worked against him, he didn't need to defeat Shi Feng. He only needed to buy time until the NPCs arrived.

He refused to believe that Shi Feng could kill him in such a short time. Moreover, he currently had the ancient book's enchantment. He was confident of contending with his Guild's old monsters, much less some fool with a few loose screws.

In the next moment, the Frost Arrows flew through Shi Feng's body and struck the wall behind him, resulting in a white explosion.

Hell Fiend's expression darkened as he noticed that someone had appeared behind him. However, Shi Feng had not revealed even a strand of killing intent. Despite reaching the Void Realm long ago, Hell Fiend had been slow by half a beat in discovering Shi Feng.

Just as Hell Fiend considered using Ice Barrier to protect himself...

The Abyssal Blade was already unsheathed, and Shi Feng used Blade Liberation and Chop against Hell Fiend.

The Abyssal Blade's mental oppression while unsheathed was already extraordinary. After using a Skill, the mental oppression increased by several times. Any ordinary player would freeze and fall in fear against such a powerful oppression. Even standing would be a difficult task. To an expert like Hell Fiend, however, although he had not frozen, the mental oppression still delayed his reactions.

Although mental oppression could not distinguish allies from enemies, Shi Feng had utilized the Soul Fire's power before using the Abyssal Blade. His mind was utterly serene. With the help of the Soul Fire's power, even the Abyssal Blade's suffocating mental oppression felt like a light breeze. The Abyssal Blade could not affect him whatsoever.

As a result of Hell Fiend's delayed reactions, he allowed the Abyssal Blade to slice through Praying Lotus's Magic Shield and his Frost Shield without any resistance. Hell Fiend had no time to deploy his Ice Barrier as the Magic Weapon bit into his body.

Blade Liberation's power had doubled Shi Feng's Strength and Agility Attributes. Even if Shi Feng's Attributes were currently weakened, his Attack Power was still higher than before.

Even after the Magic Shield and Frost Shield absorbed a significant amount of damage from his attack, when his Chop struck Hell Fiend, it achieved a critical hit and dealt -13,418 points of damage. To Hell Fiend, who only had around 11,000 HP, this single attack was enough to deplete all of his HP instantly.

"Just who... are you?"

Watching his HP rapidly decrease, Hell Fiend turned his head to look at Shi Feng, regret filling his eyes. If he had activated Ice Barrier from the very beginning, he might have held this man off until the NPCs had arrived, yet he had allowed his confidence of being in the Divine Colosseum to get the better of him. As a result, he underestimated his opponent's strength. However, no matter how much Hell Fiend regretted his arrogance, his body still collapsed to the ground. He dropped a piece of equipment and an ancient book as he died.

Praying Lotus, who still stood inside the VIP room, looked at Shi Feng grimly. She no longer dared to look down on Shi Feng.

This had all happened too quickly.

She had never dreamed that Hell Fiend would die like that, without even enough time to even activate Ice Barrier. Even if she relayed this story, nobody would believe her.

However, this unimaginable scene had indeed occurred.

Killing Hell Fiend inside the Divine Colosseum might have seemed extremely foolish, but they had been the true fools. After all, how could an expert of such standard possibly accomplish such a suicidal assassination without at least some confidence of succeeding?

Moreover, the burst of mental oppression that had suddenly appeared was simply too frightening.

Even from so far away, her mind had still gone blank for a moment. If Shi Feng approached her, only death would await her.

Experts were experts because of their quick reactions. However, that kind of mental oppression had even slowed her thought process...

In a battle between experts, even an instant of hesitation could be fatal, not to mention falling into a daze.

Just who is he? Praying Lotus's mind rapidly shuffled through the well-known experts in God's Domain as she watched Shi Feng's cloaked figure. However, not one of the experts she knew of possessed a cold, ethereal aura like the man before her. She felt as if she were looking at an emotionless robot, rather than a human being.

While Praying Lotus tried to guess Shi Feng's identity, Shi Feng hurriedly collected the equipment and ancient book Hell Fiend had dropped. He then used Space Movement and departed from the Divine Colosseum silently.

Shortly after Shi Feng left, a group of Level 200 guards wielding spears reached the scene of the crime.

However, aside from Hell Fiend's corpse, nobody else was present in the corridor.

Moments after the guards arrived, a few curious players rushed to the scene as well.

When they discovered Hell Fiend's corpse, none of them could believe their eyes.

Someone had killed King's Return's Adjudicator in the Divine Colosseum... 

Chapter 866 - Number One Bounty

"Isn't that Hell Fiend, this year's audition host?"

"Why is he dead?!"

"What happened here?"

When the players attending the audition saw Hell Fiend's corpse on the ground, the quiet corridor erupted with noise as they fell into a heated discussion.

Who was Hell Fiend?

What was this place?

Everyone knew the answers to these questions.

Yet, Hell Fiend had died here...

News of Hell Fiend's death in the Divine Colosseum spread like wildfire. Posts about the incident filled the front page of the Glory Empire's official forums. There were even commentary videos and photos showing Hell Fiend's corpse. Instantly, this incident caused a commotion that swept throughout the Glory Empire. Every player in the empire was curious about what exactly had happened.

---

Inside King's Return's Guild Residence:

"Lotus, you were there. What happened?" a dignified, middle-aged man sternly demanded after he finished reading the report he had received.

This man was none other than the Thunder Sword of King's Return, Broken City, one of the Super Guild's upper echelons. Even the Adjudicators had to treat Broken City with great respect. However, this was not only due to the man's status in the Guild, but also because of Broken City's strength. The man was one of the strongest fighting forces in King's Return.

Hell Fiend's assassination was by no means a trivial matter. He had even died inside King's Return's territory. King's Return had become a laughingstock among the Super Guilds over this incident.

"This is the video I recorded." Praying Lotus forwarded her video, which displayed Shi Feng's assassination of Hell Fiend, to Broken City.

In the video, Hell Fiend had died almost instantly without any time to resist.

This video made Broken City's eyes twitch in anger.

He was very familiar with Hell Fiend's combat standards. Theoretically, it was impossible for the young man to blunder so severely. If Hell Fiend had not fallen into a daze for that brief instant, he could've survived that attack.

"Lotus, what happened during that instant?" Broken City asked as he turned to the Oracle with a serious expression.

Although Praying Lotus had made a recording of the battle, there were many things that could not be felt through watching a video. He also did not think that Hell Fiend would die such a foolish death.

Following which, Praying Lotus relayed the events that had occurred in the corridor, particularly emphasizing the moment when Shi Feng had attacked Hell Fiend.

No matter how much she may have wanted to, she could never forget the feeling of that intense mental oppression. Even the oppression she felt from the Guild's old monsters could not come close to Shi Feng's. There had also been that sudden burst of mental oppression she had felt when Shi Feng launched his attack. In that instant, that oppression had far surpassed even that of Grand Lords. During that moment, she felt as if she had been an ant, waiting for some monster to squish her to death.

"Mental oppression?" Broken City's expression turned somber.

He had never imagined that God's Domain would have such an expert.

He finally understood why Hell Fiend had died so easily.

In a fight between experts, life and death could be determined in an instant. This fact could not be any more real than in a game like God's Domain.

"Lotus, notify the players below immediately. I don't care what methods they use; they must find this person! Also, place a bounty of 20,000 Gold on the man's head. Those who can provide clues leading to him can earn a reward of 100 to 500 Gold! We need to show everyone that any player who dares to strike against King's Return and use us as a stepping stone will only find death!" Broken City commanded.

This assassination was a serious matter. This was the first time King's Return had suffered such a loss from an assassin outside of the Flower of Seven Sins. If they failed to display their strength properly, they would only become a laughingstock for other Super Guilds.

Hearing Broken City's orders, Praying Lotus was shocked.

Twenty thousand Gold was no small amount. With this much money, they could easily hire a top-class expert from the Flower of Seven Sins.

However, Praying Lotus also understood that it would not be easy to deal with Hell Fiend's killer.

It would have been a different story if the other party had revealed their identity. The crucial issue was that the other party had not done so. As a result, they had to rely on his class and temperament to locate him. However, how large was God's Domain? Just how many players did the game have?

Moreover, God's Domain was somewhat different from other virtual reality games. The game's experts were not only from the virtual gaming world. There was also a large number of real-life martial artists who had joined God's Domain. After all, God's Domain could be played without affecting one's daily life. On the contrary, it could give someone more free time, allowing them to do more with their life. The game practically extended one's lifespan. Who knew just how many unknown experts roamed about God's Domain?

Furthermore, even if they looked into the motive behind Hell Fiend's assassination, finding the killer would not be any easier.

It would be a simple matter if that person had only killed Hell Fiend out of revenge or for a bounty. However, what if the player had done so to gain fame and prove his strength?

There were countless players in God's Domain who would be so daring.

This would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Such incidents often occurred every day. There were some who used Guilds to become famous, while others used well-known experts to become famous. It was typical for players to use Super Guilds' experts to garner fame. Moreover, such incidents had occurred many times in the past. Among them, the most famous case regarded Silver from the Flower of Seven Sins.

Silver had used the upper echelons of several Super Guilds to build his fame. Although these Super Guilds had tried to retaliate, they were all helpless against the man. Aside from Silver's personal strength, he had extremely powerful backing. In the end, the various Super Guilds had been forced to compromise.

However, unlike Hell Fiend's killer, Silver had not hidden his identity. Hence, the only way they could possibly locate this killer was to offer an astronomical bounty.

Shortly after, news regarding the bounty King's Return had announced spread throughout God's Domain.

The bounty of 20,000 Gold stupefied everyone.

The previous top player on the Bounty List had only been worth 8,000 Gold. This was, by far, a new record in God's Domain.

"King's Return is insane! That's 20,000 Gold they're talking about! If I had that much money, I wouldn't have to work for the rest of my life."

"This is too cool! If a Super Guild placed a 20,000 Gold bounty on me, I could die with pride."

"But why isn't there a mention of the target's name?"

"Silver fire burns in both of his eyes. He also has a chilling vibe about him. Why don't we call him Frost Eye?"

"Frost Eye? That sounds like a fitting name. A chilling aura and silver eyes. I can picture that person easily with that name."

After the bounty had gone public, it was all many players throughout God's Domain could talk about. Many also started to idolize Shi Feng. For countless players, both Hell Fiend's strength and his background were unattainable. Now, however, a mysterious expert had slain a powerful existence like Hell Fiend.

Moreover, as everyone thought that the nickname Frost Eye was rather fitting for the image King's Return had published of Shi Feng, the nickname spread like wildfire.

As a result, another top-tier assassin had emerged in God's Domain; his name was Frost Eye.

However, Shi Feng, the incident's culprit, was clueless about this as he had long since returned to the Candlelight Trading Firm in White River City and was carefully studying the ancient book. 

Chapter 867 - Ancient Abyssal Book

Inside the quiet Advanced Forging Room, Shi Feng was in an ecstatic mood.

He had never imagined that combining the Abyssal Blade and the Soul Fire's effects would be this powerful.

Initially, he had prepared a trump card to finish Hell Fiend off. He had never realized that he could defeat the Elementalist so easily by relying on the Abyssal Blade's hidden effect. With this power, he would even be able to contend with old monsters like Sirius without activating Twofold Berserk.

Twofold Berserk was his final trump card. He would not use it unless he ran out of options completely due to the severe side-effects. If he had to endure a Weakened state for a long time, he could easily fall prey to his enemies.

However, the Abyssal Blade's mental oppression was not significantly limited. He could utilize it at any time. The only drawback was that the Abyssal Blade's mental oppression also affected Shi Feng, but fortunately, the Soul Fire allowed him to remain calm and in control.

Unfortunately, now that he had used the Abyssal Blade's effect on Hell Fiend, he would have to be more careful when using the Magic Weapon in the future.

While he was not afraid of King's Return's retaliation, he was afraid of others realizing that he possessed the ancient book. Hence, he had hidden his identity when he killed Hell Fiend.

The ancient book's power was no trifling matter. It could also enable him to make a massive fortune.

Although current players still knew nothing of the ancient book's treasure, various quests would appear along with the abyssal monsters' invasion. This would, in turn, lead to players gradually learning about the ancient book and the book's true value.

While he was not afraid of anyone attempting to steal it from him due to his confidence of defending the book, he was afraid that, if others learned that he had the ancient book, someone would report him to the War God's Temple.

Now that the Abyss Passage had opened, the War God's Temple would need the ancient book's power to reseal the passage.

If someone provided evidence to the War God's Temple proving that the ancient book was in his hands, the temple's NPCs would hunt him down. If that happened, he would be a wanted man throughout the continent of God's Domain.

At that time, his life would be over, not to mention losing the book. The punishment for possessing the ancient book would not be as simple as dying one or two times.

In the past, players who had been caught using the ancient book had all their Attributes permanently decreased by 500 points, lost 10 Levels, and had their Reputation in all human cities decreased by 500 points. Players had found it difficult to enter the cities in which they had not earned any Reputation points as their relationship with the city's NPCs had been Hostile. If players wanted to enter the city, they had to make up for the negative 500 Reputation Points first.

When Shi Feng took out the forbidden, ancient book, a black mist instantly enveloped the room.

"Such powerful Demonic Energy!"

Shi Feng frowned. Previously, he had not experienced any such phenomenon when he had picked up the book. Now, however, just taking the book out had filled the room with Demonic Energy. Even after he returned the book to his bag space, Demonic Energy leaked from his bag.

Although Demonic Energy was Mana, it was an extremely violent Mana.

Players who remained inside Demonic Energy would find it difficult to stay calm. Moreover, players' reactions would become sluggish inside Demonic Energy. To abyssal monsters, however, being surrounded in Demonic Energy felt like heaven. After all, not only would Demonic Energy allow them to grow stronger, but it would also increase their reaction speeds.

However, the worst part about Demonic Energy was that it would attract abyssal monsters.

Now that abyssal monsters had invaded the Twin Towers Kingdom, it was inevitable that Star-Moon Kingdom would be affected. At that time, the Demonic Energy seeping from his bag would act as a beacon in the darkness when Shi Feng ventured out to grind. Swarms of abyssal monsters would hunt him down.

Moreover, the ancient book could only be stored inside a player's bag space after it had been activated. He could not store it anywhere else...

However, while Shi Feng's headache grew while he tried to find a solution to deal with the Demonic Energy leaking from his bag, the sound of a system notification reached his ears.

System: Congratulations! You have obtained the Ancient Abyssal Book. Do you wish to wield the Book?

System: After becoming the wielder, you can gain initial control over the Ancient Abyssal Book's power. However, an Abyss Imprint will be placed on your body. If the War God's Temple discovers you, you will receive a severe punishment.

"So, this is the issue," Shi Feng could not help but release a sigh of relief. Immediately, he clicked "Agree."

Currently, he was in sore need of money. Aside from the money he needed to provide Mounts for his Guild members as they reached Level 40 and the funds he had promised to Immortal Light, his head ached over the money he still needed to build his city.

Although the Strengthening Device netted him quite a profit, the money earned was simply not enough to build a city in a short period. After all, they could only produce so many Strengthening Devices each day. It would also become cheaper as time passed.

As for the Bronze Engineering Locomotive, it required a large number of Advanced Lifestyle players to manufacture. Nurturing these Advanced Lifestyle players alone would require a hefty investment. It would still be a long time before he could profit from the Engineering Locomotives.

Hence, after all was said and done, the Ancient Abyssal Book was the fastest way to earn money.

Due to the abyssal monsters' appearance, many players were attempting to kill these monsters to earn Merits. However, killing these monsters was not easy as those on the frontlines were generally high-level creatures. Low-level abyssal monsters, on the other hand, usually resided deep inside captured territories. Players had no choice but to circle around the high-level abyssal monsters and sneak into these captured areas if they wanted to earn any Merits.

Unfortunately, sneaking into these captured areas was time-consuming as there were no teleportation points in the cities. Players also had to avoid high-level abyssal monsters carefully. Even with a Mount, the journey would be an exhausting one. Furthermore, fights against abyssal monsters were taxing on weapon and equipment Durability. When one ran out of Durability, they would have no choice but to return to an NPC city, wasting even more time and energy in the process. Hence, those without great determination would not obtain the new class.

On the other hand, if a player focused fully on class-changing to the new class, they would fall behind in terms of Levels and equipment. Yet, the amount of Merit one gained, more or less, corresponded with the Level of the abyssal monster one killed, with higher-leveled abyssal monsters granting more Merits...

This was where the Ancient Abyssal came into play.

The Ancient Abyssal Book could be used to set up a barrier. Abyssal monsters would not actively cross this barrier, so players were safe inside.

If he established a barrier in an area with low-level abyssal monsters and set up a Teleportation Magic Array, he could allow others to teleport to the area safely. He wouldn't have to worry about the abyssal monsters destroying the teleportation array.

Afterward, he only needed to collect teleportation fees.

The Teleportation Halls in the various NPC cities made even more money than the Auction Houses. In God's Domain, there were various ways to save money such as purchasing fewer Consumables and avoid purchasing better equipment if unnecessary. However, there were two expenditures that one could not avoid: repair fees and teleportation fees.

The appearance of a new class sorely tempted players. There were also other rewards available. If one claimed to be uninterested in Merits, they would be lying. Meanwhile, to save precious time, these players naturally would not mind spending a little more money.

Operating a Teleportation Magic Array required Magic Crystals. A single Magic Crystal could teleport roughly 20 people.

Even if he only charged four Silver Coins per person, he would be swimming in money in no time.

After solving the problem of the Demonic Energy, Shi Feng left the Candlelight Trading Firm secretly. Wearing a Black Cloak, he rode an advanced horse carriage towards the Teleportation Hall and traveled to the Twin Towers Kingdom's capital.

Now that the Twin Towers Kingdom had fallen, the originally lively atmosphere in the capital had cooled completely. At this point, only a few players around Level 20 roamed the city; most of the people on the streets were NPCs. 

Chapter 868 - Abyss Town

"This place is certainly deserted."

Aside from noticing a few players in the Teleportation Hall, Shi Feng rarely came across any other players, even as he walked the Trade Area's streets.

It was hard to imagine that there were once millions of players living in this city.

Now that the Abyss Passage had appeared, the kingdom's other cities had long since fallen; only the Twin Towers Kingdom's capital had withstood the invasion. The abyssal monsters had transformed the various cities into nests. Players couldn't level up safely in the fields anymore.

Hence, the majority of the players in the Twin Towers Kingdom had migrated to neighboring kingdoms and empires. Moreover, due to the Abyss Invasion, teleporting from the Twin Towers Kingdom to other kingdoms and empires was now free of charge. Players did not need to worry about being buried with the Twin Towers Kingdom.

Although the Twin Towers Kingdom was the abyssal invasion's main target, the surrounding countries had also been significantly affected. As a result, the Black Dragon Empire experienced a flood of refugee players, causing the empire's player population to soar.

The capital's Shops were completely void of players.

However, although there were only a few players left in the city, none of the Guilds who owned the Lands here had any intentions of selling them.

None of them were fools.

The Abyss Passage's activation was simply an expansion pack. The kingdom would soon revert to its original state. They wouldn't sell their Lands rashly and hurt their opportunities in the future.

However, Shi Feng had not come here to purchase Land. Immediately, he searched for a deserted area and used Space Movement, traveling towards Snow Field City.

After abyssal monsters had invaded the Twin Towers Kingdom, every other city's Teleportation Hall had been rendered unusable, aside from the capital city's. If one wanted to travel to these cities, they had to do so on foot.

Although Shi Feng had a Mount, it would take over a week to reach Snow Field City from the capital. Hence, Space Movement was the fastest method.

If players wanted to earn Merits by killing abyssal monsters, Snow Field City was the best location to do so.

This was because the most dangerous location was also the safest.

Although Snow Field City was where the Abyss Passage had opened, the high-level abyssal monsters that had emerged had long since wandered off. The abyssal monsters remaining in Snow Field City could be considered the lowest-leveled bunch.

Players had discovered this after experiencing multiple Abyss Invasions.

Meanwhile, Shi Feng needed to find an optimum location to set up a Teleportation Magic Array. After that, money would flow into his pockets without him having to lift a finger.

As Shi Feng used Space Movement again and again, the abyssal monsters he teleported close to ignored him as he was the Ancient Abyssal Book's wielder. As a result, he arrived before Snow Field City safely.

Snow Field City had already become an abyssal nest.

Abyssal monsters patrolled the city. He could also see many abyssal monsters cultivating the surrounding forest, using the reclaimed land to grow various abyssal plants. The Abyss Passage was a short distance away from Snow Field City, and situated beside the passage was a tall fortress hovering in the air. Beneath the flying fortress was a town composed of abyssal monsters. Inside this town, one could even see abyssal monsters trading with each other.

Without hesitation, Shi Feng rode the Demonic Flame Tiger into that monster town.

The Dark Abyss was not only home to bloodthirsty monsters. There were also many intelligent lifeforms in the Abyss. Like the humans of God's Domain, the Abyss's intelligent lifeforms had their own towns and cities. Demons were one of the intelligent abyssal monsters. However, it was practically impossible for humans to enter these towns and cities safely. Only the wielder of the Ancient Abyssal Book could explore these places.

As soon as Shi Feng arrived at the town's main entrance, two ten-meter-tall, dark gray Level 200, Tier 3 Demons blocked his way and scrutinized him carefully.

Only after noticing the Abyss Imprint did they allow him to enter the city.

As Shi Feng entered the town, he noticed that many Demons had set up stalls on either side of the street. The items they sold could not be found in any human cities.

Very quickly, however, a Shop run by a Tier 3 Demon caught Shi Feng's attention.

There was a massive amount of Mana Source Ore piled up in front of the Shop, exciting Shi Feng.

I never expected to find this for sale here! I've struck gold this time! Shi Feng immediately strode over to the Shop.

Mana Source Ore was an extremely rare ore in God's Domain. It was used in producing high-rank weapons and equipment. If this item appeared on the market right now, players would fight over it.

Mana Source Ore only appeared in areas with intensely dense Mana.

However, there were extremely few locations with high-density Mana in God's Domain. The Dark Abyss, on the other hand, was filled with violent Demonic Energy. Hence, Mana Source Ore could be purchased cheaply in the Dark Abyss.

Mana Source Ore's main purpose was to improve the power of the crafting flames, allowing forgers to better refine materials.

Not only could stronger flames improve one's refining speed, but it could also increase the success rate. Hence, the various large Guilds were desperate to obtain Mysterious Flames. However, Mysterious Flames were simply too rare. The only other option was Mana Source Ore.

When the shopkeeper noticed Shi Feng enter his Shop, a gentle expression appeared on his sinister face as he said, "My shop has the best prices around these parts. May I know if anything has caught your interest?"

"How much are you selling the Mana Source Ore for?" Shi Feng casually inquired.

"The Basic Mana Source Ore costs 3 Silver per piece, while the Intermediate ore is 10 Silver per piece." The shopkeeper smiled as he glanced at the pile of Mana Source Ore outside of his Shop.

"Oh? You have Intermediate Mana Source Ore, too?" Shi Feng asked curiously.

Mana Source Ore fell into four ranks: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, and Special. On the continent of God's Domain, even Basic Mana Source Ore was quite rare. Basic Mana Source Ore could upgrade a flame's power to Tier 2.

"Of course. See those blue rocks inside the glass cabinet? That is the Intermediate Mana Source Ore. When burned, it can upgrade the flame to the Tier 3 standard. At that standard, producing Epic Weapons and Equipment won't be a problem," the shopkeeper explained as he pointed at the deep-blue rocks.

"Excellent. I want all of the Mana Source Ore you have." Shi Feng nodded.

"Sir, this is your lucky day. We just recently restocked. We have 30,000 pieces of Basic Mana Source Ore and 2,000 pieces of Intermediate Mana Source Ore. That will cost a total of 1,100 Gold," the shopkeeper excitedly reported.

What a profit! Shi Feng was instantly ecstatic when he heard this price.

It was no wonder why the Ancient Abyssal Book's wielders in his previous life had all been extremely rich. Back then, one Basic Mana Source Ore could sell for anywhere from 50 to 60 Silver, while the Intermediate version could sell for around 3 Gold. Even so, very few players had been willing to sell their ore as forgers had treated the Mana Source Ore like a priceless treasure. 

Chapter 869 - Monster of Legends

"Sir, this is all the Mana Source Ore that we have in our Shop. Please confirm the amount," the demonic shopkeeper said after stacking numerous crates of Mana Source Ore before Shi Feng.

After tallying up the total, Shi Feng stored the crates in his bag space.

If he resold all of the Mana Source Ore, he could easily make dozens of times what he had paid for them. He could only dream of how rich the Book's wielders had been in the past.

"When will you restock?" Shi Feng asked.

"We've only recently restocked. It will be roughly another ten days before the next shipment arrives through the Abyss Passage," the shopkeeper explained. He then added, "Although this little Shop has now sold out of Mana Source Ore, we still have plenty of rare products. I believe that you will find them to your liking, sir."

Glancing at the other products in the glass cabinets, Shi Feng shook his head.

Although there were many rare products on display, the profit he could make off of them wasn't anywhere near what he could gain from the Mana Source Ore.

However, as Shi Feng was about to leave, a blood-red pendant caught his eye.

[Abyss Pendant] (Fine-Gold Rank)

Although this item did not provide any bonus to Attributes, many players had dreamed of obtaining it in the past.

Generally, the item would only drop from high-tiered abyssal monsters, and its drop-rate was horrendously low.

Despite being so rare, this pendant only had one function.

Fixed Teleportation!

After marking a location, one could use the pendant to teleport there. Fixed Teleportation's Cooldown lasted five hours, and only one location could be marked at a time.

Even so, it was an extremely valuable pendant.

After all, players hated travel more than anything. Unfortunately, due to problems such as equipment Durability and running out of Consumables, players had to return to cities often to resupply. It was extremely troublesome to travel back and forth constantly. Hence, it was easy to imagine why so many valued the Abyss Pendant.

In the past, this Abyss Pendant had been one of the main reasons to farm abyssal monsters.

"How much are you willing to sell that pendant for?" Shi Feng pointed to the Abyss Pendant.

"You have great eyes, sir! This is our Shop's main attraction!" The shopkeeper smiled. He then took the Abyss Pendant from its cabinet and said, "If you are interested in purchasing it, I can sell it for 5,000 Gold!"

Shi Feng frowned when he heard this price.

A single Epic item only cost around 2,000 Gold, whereas Epic Weapons cost around 5,000 to 6,000 Gold.

In the past, people had only spent around 3,000 Gold to purchase Abyss Pendants.

Although the pendant's Fixed Teleportation was a convenient ability, there was one downside: its long Cooldown. After reaching Level 40, players would have Mounts, saving a massive amount of time when traveling. For distances that one could cross in five hours or less, Fixed Teleportation was a waste.

If the Cooldown could be reduced from five hours to three hours, the Abyss Pendant might be worth nearly 8,000 Gold.

Time was money. To any expert in God's Domain, time was far more valuable than Gold.

Seeing Shi Feng's dimming interest, the shopkeeper hurriedly advised, "Sir, are you sure you won't consider it? This pendant is extremely hard to obtain. It is highly unlikely that you will come across another one anywhere else."

Shi Feng pondered his choices as he stared at the blood-red pendant.

The Abyss Pendant was extremely rare. Even if he farmed high-tiered abyssal monsters, the chances of one dropping were abysmally low. Moreover, this could be considered an advantage the system gave the Abyss Ancient Book's wielder.

"Alright, then. I'll take the pendant." In the end, Shi Feng decided to purchase it.

Although the five-hour Cooldown was a big problem, he needed the Abyss Pendant right now. Moreover, he had a way to shorten the pendant's Cooldown. The pendant would be worth far more after he did so.

Shi Feng spent another 5,000 Gold to purchase the Abyss Pendant. He then left the abyssal town, searching for a suitable location to set up a teleportation array.

This was the nest of abyssal monsters. Unfortunately, there were far too many abyssal monsters nearby. If the players without an Abyss Imprint ventured this far, a swarm of abyssal monsters would slaughter them. Hence, he needed to choose his location for the teleportation array carefully.

Time flew by.

After spending over three hours searching, Shi Feng finally found a suitable teleportation point in the middle of a valley.

The valley was relatively far from the abyssal town, and the surrounding abyssal monsters had spread out. Moreover, few abyssal monsters wandered the several paths leading out of the valley, and those that did were not high-leveled. This area was perfectly suited for God's Domain's current players. Even if one were not an expert, they could easily survive if they formed a party.

Following which, Shi Feng began to set up the teleportation point.

In God's Domain, the most troublesome aspect of establishing a Teleportation Array was producing the array itself. Fortunately, if one had already produced the required components, setting it up was much easier.

Just as Shi Feng was about to use the Ancient Abyssal Book's power to establish a barrier, a sudden commotion shook the valley. A pillar of black fire had emerged in the valley's center. Even from the valley's entrance, Shi Feng could see the pillar of fire quite clearly.

"Soul Fire!" Shi Feng recognized the black flames with a glance, and he could not help his shock. "What is going on over there?"

Soul Fire was not a trivial matter.

Its appearance signified that an intensely powerful monster lurked in the area. At the very least, the monster had reached the Tier 4 standard.

To current players, a Tier 4 monster was practically invincible. It was not something that should be provoked.

However, before Shi Feng could investigate, several explosions shook the valley, the center's ground caving in and forming a gigantic pit. Following which, a dragon's roar echoed throughout the valley; Shi Feng even unconsciously trembled.

"A Dragon?" Shi Feng wanted to flee the area immediately.

Dragons were symbols of strength and violence in God's Domain. They were the natural-born rulers over the game. Even Higher Beings like Demons and Angels feared Dragons.

The appearance of a Dragon was cataclysmic.

Just as Shi Feng considered leaving, he suddenly noticed several dozens of players floating up from the forest's floor. These players had formed a gigantic, golden magic array that covered an extensive area.

"How are there players here?" Shi Feng was astonished.

Snow Field City had already fallen to the abyssal monsters, becoming a nest. Theoretically, players should have long since fled this place.

Suddenly, a Dragon with a wingspan of over a hundred meters suddenly flew up from the gigantic pit, its silver scales shimmering in the sunlight. The instant the Dragon appeared, Shi Feng realized how powerless he was.

Although this silver Dragon was smaller than the Frost Bone Dragon, in terms of power, the two were on entirely different levels. The pressure the silver Dragon radiated was many times stronger than Shi Feng's Abyssal Blade when he used a Skill...

If not for the distance between Shi Feng and the Dragon, he would even struggle to say standing.

However, just as the silver Dragon was about to escape the golden magic array, the magic array launched countless, golden chains, binding the Dragon's limbs and wings. 

Chapter 870 - Legendary Figure

When the silver Dragon landed, the sky darkened as a gray mist enveloped the area.

Shi Feng had still considered leaving this place. However, after seeing the gray mist envelope valley, a bitter smile appeared on his face.

"Just who are these people?"

Curiosity bloomed within Shi Feng as he looked at the flashing, golden magic array in the distance.

Regardless of the other players in the valley or why they were here, Shi Feng was shocked to see the gray mist. This was the Tier 5 Curse, Dark Sanctuary. When activated, the Spell would trap a fixed space within a barrier. Unless one destroyed the barrier or the caster removed the Spell, no one could enter or leave the barrier.

Moreover, under this Dark Sanctuary, players could not contact the outside world. Even teleportation tools and Skills were useless.

Gritting his teeth, Shi Feng dashed towards the Dragon.

The valley was not large; thus, the Dragon was not far. With Shi Feng's speed, after running for a dozen minutes or so, he reached an area of dense forest near a lake.

The silvery-gray Dragon, bound in golden chains, stood proudly in the center of the lake, releasing one roar after another.

The lake was roughly 400 meters across. With the Dragon standing in the lake, it seemed like a small pond. Every time the Dragon slashed its claws, it created massive waves that washed over the surrounding forest.

[Silver Dragon] (Dragon, Tier 5)
Level 220
HP ? ? ? ? ? ?/ ? ? ? ? ? ?

The Frost Bone Dragon Shi Feng had faced in the Abyss Battlefield paled in comparison to this Silver Dragon. With a single swing of its claws, the Silver Dragon could easily exterminate the Frost Bone Dragon. This was because the Frost Bone Dragon was not actually a member of the Dragon race. Rather, it was an Undead creature that had taken on the appearance of a Dragon. It did not possess the power of the real thing.

Shi Feng also noticed dozens of players standing around the lake, continuously bombarding the Silver Dragon with various attacks.

These players' Levels were quite impressive, with the lowest among them being Level 38 and the highest reaching Level 39. Including the players maintaining the magic array, it was obvious that this was a 100-man team. Currently, only super-first-rate Guilds and Super Guilds were capable of dispatching a team of such caliber.

Moreover, it was impossible for current players to deal any damage to the Silver Dragon, yet these players had managed exactly that. Although their damage was not high, with each of their attacks dealing one to two thousand damage.

These players were also coping with the Silver Dragon's attacks fairly well, dodging every avoidable attack possible. For attacks that could not be evaded, the team's five MTs worked together to protect the other players. Theoretically, even a light snort from the Silver Dragon could end these five MTs' lives, yet even after blocking an attack from the Dragon's claws, all five survive, being thrown backward and taking damages of -7,000 points each. To these MTs with over 17,000 HP, the damage was bearable.

"What a powerful magic array."

Shi Feng's attention was on the golden chains around the Silver Dragon's body.

Shi Feng could feel faint Divine Might radiating from those chains. Although the Divine Might was not on the level of the Chains of Order, it had no problems suppressing a Tier 5 Dragon.

With the golden chains binding it, not only was the Silver Dragon's mobility restricted, but its strength was also notably suppressed. This was also why these players could stand against the Silver Dragon. Otherwise, the Dragon would have undoubtedly killed them already.

As these players fought the Silver Dragon, Shi Feng quietly watched from a distance.

Oddly enough, not one of these players wore a Guild Emblem. They were all certainly independent players. Shi Feng found it hard to believe that such a large group of independent players could achieve such a high Levels and possess the strength to contend with the Silver Dragon.

However, when Shi Feng's gaze fell on the man leading this 100-man team, he was flabbergasted.

That man wielded a crimson longbow. Based on his appearance, he should be in his thirties. He had a handsome face and a well-toned body that resembled a cheetah. His entire being also exuded a certain nobility, as if he ruled over all.

"Why is Owl here?" Shi Feng watched the leading Ranger, not believing his eyes.

This man's player ID was not actually Owl. Rather, it was the name of an adventurer team.

In the past, independent players had formed many adventurer teams throughout God's Domain. The Midnight Tea Party had been among the most famous. Like the Midnight Tea Party, Owl had been a top adventurer team.

However, unlike the Midnight Tea Party, Owl had possessed many members. The entire adventurer team had around several hundred players.

Meanwhile, the combined combat power of these players had been enough to instill fear into Super Guilds' hearts. Moreover, unlike the Midnight Tea Party, which had not had a fixed base, Owl had successfully established its own city.

A Super Guild had even attempted to raid Owl's city. However, after sending hundreds of thousands of players, the Super Guild returned without success. After the war, Owl had garnered fame throughout God's Domain and ranked as one of the game's top adventurer teams.

Owl's creator had been none other than the man before Shi Feng, White Night.

During his peak, White Night had been capable of defeating two Tier 6 God-ranked experts from Super Guilds in a one-on-two fight.

Tier 6 God-ranked players had long since reached the very peak of God's Domain in terms of weapons, equipment, and combat techniques. Beating one of these players in a one-on-one battle was already immensely difficult, not to mention winning a one-on-two fight.

It's no wonder why Owl had been so impressive. Shi Feng was at a loss for words as he watched the Silver Dragon's HP decrease, bit by bit.

Although he knew that some quest was responsible for Owl's ability to stand against the Silver Dragon, the fact that these players had encountered such a quest in the first place showed just how extraordinary Owl was. Moreover, the longbow, chest armor, and shoes that White Night wore radiated the special effects of Epic ranked items. It was likely that one could only find such an array of items on an old monster from one of the Super Guilds.

However, those old monsters had the support of countless players. On the other hand, Owl only had several hundred players, yet they had obtained such powerful weapons and equipment. This was simply inconceivable.

"Look out for its breath attacks!" White Night suddenly shouted as he noticed the Silver Dragon open its mouth.

The other team members immediately spread out, avoiding the area in front of the Silver Dragon.

Dragons generally needed time to prepare a breath attack. However, they did not need long, roughly two or three seconds. Moreover, breath's attack range was quite wide. If players attempted to evade after a Dragon's breath attack had begun, they would likely be caught in the attack. However, as soon as the Dragon began to move its jaws, White Night had ordered his team to move as if he had a perfect understanding of the beast's movements.

In the next moment, a beam of silver light smashed through the forest, obliterating everything in front of the Silver Dragon. The beam dug out a long, eight-meter-deep trench, the lake's water pouring in to form a river...

Despite the strength suppression, the Silver Dragon could still alter the terrain with a single attack.

Dragons' power was undeniable.

Yet, despite the Silver Dragon's immense power, under White Night's command, the entire team emerged unharmed.

As time quickly passed, the damage the team inflicted on the Silver Dragon compounded, diminishing the Silver Dragon's HP.

"Everyone, keep it up! This Dragon is almost done for!" White Night shouted excitedly as he saw the Silver Dragon's HP bar turn red. 

Chapter 871 - The Ring of Legends' Restlessness

As the Silver Dragon's HP reached a critical low, Shi Feng turned and fled from the Dragon.

Shi Feng even activated Windwalk, transforming into a blur as he dashed through the thick forest.

Dragons should not be provoked. Even with the suppression from an extremely powerful magic array, they were still terrifying creatures when they went berserk.

Shi Feng understood that, with the golden magic array's suppression, the Silver Dragon was as powerful as a Level 50, Tier 3 Great Lord.

However, Dragons were not normal monsters. Dragons were even higher on the food chain than Fallen Angels. Based on Shi Feng's estimations, the Silver Dragon would reach at least Tier 4 after going berserk.

A Level 50, Tier 4 monster was not something current players could contend with. Owl's 100-man team would, at the very least, have to consist fully of Tier 2 players to stand any chance against the monster.

Although Shi Feng had stood roughly 400 yards away from the Silver Dragon, he had felt the danger he was in. Hence, he fled desperately, distancing himself from the Dragon.

When Shi Feng was over 500 yards away, the Silver Dragon bellowed angrily.

"Damnable ants! You dare to ruin my plans! I'll blast you all into oblivion!"

As if he had predicted the Dragon's next move, White Night shouted to his team as the Silver Dragon's voice echoed through the valley, "Everyone, retreat from the Boss's sides! Frozen Dream, prepare to use the Tier 3 Magic Scroll!"

A beautiful, white-robed Level 39 female Elementalist standing a short distance from White Night nodded to the Ranger's command. She then retrieved a deep-blue Magic Scroll from her bag. The instant she revealed this Magic Scroll, the surrounding Mana surged towards the item.

After its threat, the Silver Dragon's wings shook. The golden chains around its body shattered instantly. Following which, the Silver Dragon's body darkened to a pitch-black. A short moment later, the layer of darkness on the Dragon's body flowed like liquid into the now-empty lake.

The creepy black liquid had a metallic luster. As the liquid slid from the Silver Dragon's body, it caused the surrounding Mana to grow violent and transform into Demonic Energy.

The Silver Dragon abruptly fell to the ground and lost consciousness. However, as it fell asleep, its HP began to recover at a rate visible to the naked eye.

"This is the main objective! Remove the magic array! Everyone, be careful of that thing!" White Night's mouth curled into a smile as he commanded his team to surround the pool of black liquid. "Frozen Dream, get ready!"

Although Frozen Dream did not know what was about to happen, she did not hesitate to unfurl the blue Magic Scroll and chant the incantation inside it.

An aqua-blue magic array formed beneath the Elementalist's feet as Mana rapidly collected around her staff. The power she exuded was no weaker than a Great Lord.

In the next moment, the black liquid formed into 101 black-armored, human warriors. These warriors' height and weapons varied, with some wielding swords and others wielding spears. There were also some who wielded crossbows, short bows, and longbows. Their Tiers were also different.

Some were Common monsters, while some were Elites. The most powerful among them, however, was a two-handed-saber-wielding humanoid Chieftain. These monsters were unanimously Level 50.

In addition, the human warriors shared one special characteristic.

Their system interfaces listed them as Mutants.

When Shi Feng saw this, he couldn't believe his eyes.

Mutants were enemies of all life. Moreover, they were not bound by the system's restrictions in terms of Level or region. They could grow independently and roam through God's Domain as they wished.

Although these warriors' Tiers were not particularly high, a single Common Mutant could rival a Lord ranked monster of the same Level, while an Elite Mutant was as strong as a High Lord. A Chieftain Mutant's strength approached that of a Grand Lord.

However, this was only the tip of the iceberg. As time passed and these Mutants devoured and killed more monsters and players, their strengths would rapidly increase.

In Shi Feng's previous life, a single Level 80 Common monster that had become a Mutant had been enough to torment an entire country. Meanwhile, a total of 101 Mutants had just appeared. If they were allowed to live and grow, these Mutants would annihilate every player in every country neighboring the Twin Towers Kingdom before the abyssal monsters got anywhere near them.

Suddenly, White Night shouted, "Now!"

Almost immediately, the Frozen Dream waved her staff and pointed it at the recently formed humanoid Mutants as she activated her Tier 3 Magic Scroll.

Extreme Frost Field!

Suddenly, everything within 150 yards of Frozen Dram transformed into a frozen wasteland. All 101 humanoid Mutants froze as well.

When activated, the Extreme Frost Field would instantly freeze all enemies within 150 yards for 10 seconds. In addition, all enemies in the area would suffer the Deep Cold debuff, which decreased their Movement Speed and Attack Speed by 50% and increased the frost damage they received by 100%. Extreme Frost Field was a large-scale Control Spell, and in terms of Magic Scrolls, it was only inferior to Summoning Spells and large-scale destruction Spells.

Without a sustainable Control Removal Skill, both players and monsters' combat power would be limited under the effects of this Spell.

"Excellent! Charge!" White Night stretched his bow into a full moon as he smiled at the frozen Mutants.

Xiu... Xiu... Xiu...

Instantly, five arrows carrying the power of frost five Common Mutants' vital points.

-715.

-697.

-1,424.

-708.

-1,417.

When the five damages appeared, everyone gasped.

"My god! Are those really Common monsters?!"

"Their Defense is higher than a Level 50 Great Lord's!"

Every team member was shocked. Even White Night frowned when he saw the minimal damage, his expression turning grim as if he had not expected this development.

Everyone knew how powerful White Night's equipment was.

He had a total of three Epic items, one of which was his weapon. In addition, his Epic ranked chest armor could reduce the level requirement of all items by 5 Levels. Hence, aside from his Epic items, White Night's equipment was all Level 40 Dark-Gold Equipment.

Yet, even with such a high-end weapon and equipment, his Frost Arrows had only dealt around -700 damage. This was even after the Deep Cold debuff had increased the frost damage the Mutants received by 100%.

Meanwhile, the Common Mutants had 1,500,000 HP each, while the Elite Mutants had 4,800,000 HP.

As for the largest humanoid Mutant, it had 15,000,000 HP.

Even if these Mutants stood there and did nothing, it would take a long time for their team to kill all 101 of these Mutants.

"Don't panic! We knew that this quest wouldn't be an easy one! Kite the Elites and Chieftain first! We'll deal with these monsters one by one! Try to conserve as much of your Stamina as possible!" White Night commanded after he readjusted his mood. He knew exactly what they needed to do right now.

Meanwhile, Shi Feng, who stood far from Owl's 100-man team, stared at the unconscious Silver Dragon. Strangely, the Fragmented Legendary ring on his finger was reacting to the Silver Dragon. 

Chapter 872 - Repairing the Heavenly Dragon's Breath

Under White Night's encouragement, his team overcame their worries and started moving to separate the Mutants from each other.

However, just as a Shield Warrior was about to a still-frozen Common Mutant's aggro...

The Frozen effect, which should've lasted ten seconds, disappeared. As if it had been planned, six Common Mutants quickly and seamlessly surrounded the Level 38 Shield Warrior, flanking him from all sides. They then launched extremely precise, vicious attacks.

Although the Shield Warrior tried to dodge, the Mutants' Attack Speed was frighteningly high. It took the Shield Warrior all he had to dodge two Mutants, much less six mention six. Even after using his shield to defend himself, two Mutant's broke past his shield and struck.

The Shield Warrior lost nearly 10,000 HP from both attacks; over half of his HP had vanished in an instant.

As the Shield Warrior considered retreating, four Mutants charged forward and grabbed at him, restraining him. He could not even execute a Skill to shake the Mutants off. As for the remaining two Common Mutants, they laughed sinisterly as they thrust their weapons into the Shield Warrior, again and again, causing the Shield Warrior to scream with agony.

As if they were performing for the players, the Mutants took their time in killing the Shield Warrior.

Although the other Owl members tried to save the Shield Warrior, the other Mutants had coordinated to keep them at bay. The Mutants' damage was also quite high. Even with a constant stream of healing, the Shield Warrior could only watch as his enemy hacked him to death. His eyes contained an endless fear as he passed away...

Everyone's hearts grew cold as they watched, consumed by fear.

Were these monsters really monsters?

This thought penetrated the players' minds. They had never seen monsters coordinate so perfectly before.

Aside from having a large variety of Skills, the greatest advantage players possessed was their ability to cooperate, using their strengths to make up for their companions' weaknesses. This allowed players to challenge Bosses of higher Levels and Tiers. If monsters grasped this ability, players would lose over half of their advantages.

"Everyone, maintain your distance from these monsters! Don't let them surround you!" White Night hurriedly shouted. Although he was also shocked, he reacted quickly. He finally understood just how difficult this quest was.

However, the Mutants had no intention of giving White Night and the others any time to recover from their stupor. Splitting into multiple, smaller groups, they charged at the magical classes in the back of the group, not bothering to waste time with the MTs and melee classes. These Mutants behaved like players, rather than monsters.

Without any defenses against this sudden development, White Night changed strategies, choosing team PvP tactics instead.

He had the melee classes circle the ranged classes, holding back the incoming Mutants as much as possible as they retreated to more advantageous terrain.

Watching from afar, Shi Feng had to admit that White Night was indeed one of God's Domain's legendary characters. Not only were his leadership abilities first-class, but he also had incredibly accurate observational skills and foresight. He fought like a machine. Grasping every aspect of battle perfectly, he knew who needed to do what, where to supply reinforcements, and when to use specific Skills.

Every member of the team moved like an extension of White Night himself.

Unfortunately, White Night's team members gradually fell, one after another.

In contrast, the Mutants had yet to suffer a single loss. Everyone's attacks only dealt around -300 damage; critical hits only managed -600. Even if they concentrate their attacks on a specific Common Mutant, the latter had 1,500,000 HP. It would take the team a long time to kill one Common Mutant, not to mention the Elite and Chieftain Mutants.

Even with appropriate commands and responses, Owl's members could not make up for the difference in Attributes.

As White Night and the others gradually retreated from the Silver Dragon, the Mutants moved with them. This gave Shi Feng the opportunity to sneak up to the Dragon's side.

After the black liquid had left the Silver Dragon, the Dragon's silvery-gray body had paled to a pure silver. Despite being unconscious, the Dragon's aura was intensely frightening. Even Shi Feng found it difficult to move once he stood 30 yards from the creature. If an ordinary player stood in Shi Feng's shoes, they'd likely be paralyzed.

However, the closer Shi Feng came to the Silver Dragon, the greater the Heavenly Dragon's Breath reacted.

"Does it want me to collect the Dragon's Heart?" Shi Feng felt a headache brew as he raised his head to look at the massive Silver Dragon.

The Dragon before him loomed like a mountain. The two swords in his hands were no more than toothpicks before it.

Moreover, although the Silver Dragon was unconscious, the magic array no longer suppressed it. It had recovered to its original state.

A Level 220, Tier 5 monster!

Even if Shi Feng were allowed to hack and slash at the Dragon unhindered, he would not be able to inflict any damage.

However, Shi Feng decided to try. Unsheathing Killing Ray, he stabbed the sacred sword towards one of the Silver Dragon's scales.

Dang!

Sparks flew when his sword collided with the silver scale.

The unconscious Silver Dragon did not even receive a mandatory -1 damage from Shi Feng's attack. Moreover, the Silver Dragon's HP bar still increased, little by little...

"Sure enough, damaging a Dragon with my strength is nothing more than a dream," Shi Feng laughed bitterly.

Although he understood that White Night and the others had only wounded the Silver Dragon due to the magic array they had received from their quest, Shi Feng only truly understood how impossible it would be to slay this beast after trying it for himself.

Unable to harm the Silver Dragon, Shi Feng had no choice but to follow where his ring led.

He refused to give up on the chance of repairing the Heavenly Dragon's Breath.

The Heavenly Dragon's Breath had initially been a true Legendary item. If he wanted to restore the Fragmented Legendary ring, he needed three Magic Stars and a Dragon's Heart. Among them, the Dragon's Heart was the most difficult to obtain as Dragons were maddeningly rare in God's Domain. Moreover, they were incomparably powerful.

With such a godsent opportunity before him, Shi Feng really would not give up easily.

The Heavenly Dragon's Breath had not reacted to the conscious Silver Dragon in the least. However, as soon as the Silver Dragon fainted, the ring reacted. Moreover, the closer he was to the Silver Dragon, the greater the ring's reaction was. Even after standing beside the Dragon, the ring's grew more intense, throbbing on his finger like a pulsating heart. This indicated that there should be some method to repair the Heavenly Dragon's Breath. Otherwise, the ring would have remained quiet.

When Shi Feng arrived before the Silver Dragon's heart, the ring's reaction reached its peak.

"Could it be here?" Shi Feng unsheathed Killing Ray and stabbed the Dragon.

However, like before, the Dragon's scales were impenetrable. His attack hadn't even left a mark.

With no other choice, Shi Feng placed the hand that wore the Heavenly Dragon's Breath on the scales over the Silver Dragon's heart.

At this time, the sound of a system notification reached his ears.

System: Do you wish to absorb the Dragon's Heart?

"So, the Dragon's Heart isn't literally the heart of a Dragon, but the power it radiates." Shi Feng was instantly ecstatic.

Immediately, he chose to absorb the Dragon's Heart, afraid that he would lose this chance if he waited any longer. 

Chapter 873 - Ring of Legends Awakens

The instant Shi Feng clicked "Absorb," the Heavenly Dragon's Breath on his finger trembled faintly. Wisps of silver mist flowed from the Silver Dragon's heart and into the ring.

At the same time, a long loading bar appeared before Shi Feng.

As the loading bar began to fill, a golden magic array appeared beneath Shi Feng's feet. Numerous small, purple magic arrays also began to appear beside his hand, becoming more intricate as the loading bar filled. Line after line of divine runes automatically appeared and melded with these magic arrays, continuously perfecting them.

If another player saw Shi Feng's eyes, they would also discover a silver magic array in each, the arrays' complexity surpassing even that of a threefold magic array.

Shi Feng elation grew when he saw the restoration work for the Heavenly Dragon's Breath begin.

Fragmented Legendary items were exceedingly rare throughout God's Domain. Each item could easily incite an all-out war between large Guilds. No Epic item could compare to its value.

In the past, despite Shadow being a second-rate Guild and having established ten city-states, the Guild had not possessed a single Fragmented Legendary item. If Shi Feng had owned a Fragmented Legendary item back then, the item would have helped him become a Tier 4 Sword Emperor, even if his body were weak.

Previously, in the Dark Arena, the Heavenly Dragon's Breath had played a massive role in his victory against Sirius from the Battle Wolves. It was also why he had been able to defeat one apex expert after another in this life.

If he could upgrade the Heavenly Dragon's Breath, with the strength of the Abyssal Blade's hidden effect, he wouldn't need to utilize the double-edged sword of his Twofold Berserk to contend with monster-like experts.

After all, Fragmented Legendary items were insanely rare. Even now, he had not heard of anyone, aside from himself and Fire Dance with her Thousand Transformations, owning one. At most, he had seen others wielding Epic Weapons and Equipment.

After quite some, the loading bar finally reached 1%.

This pulled a frown from Shi Feng.

The ring's restoration required too much time. Meanwhile, the Silver Dragon's HP was still recovering. When the Silver Dragon's HP was full once again, it would definitely wake. At that time, he would lose his opportunity to absorb the Dragon's Heart's power.

"Hurry! Please!" Shi Feng panicked as he watched the Silver Dragon's HP reach 30%, whereas his absorption progress had only climbed to 4%.

Moreover, Shi Feng still had to worry about those Mutants.

Currently, he couldn't move. Although White Night's team was impressively strong, against so many Mutants, it was only a matter of time before they fell. If he had not finished repairing the Heavenly Dragon's Breath by then, and those Mutants returned, all his effort would be for nothing...

"Please, you guys have to hold on for a little longer!" Shi Feng prayed as he watched the loading bar reach 5%.

Time flowed quickly.

When the Silver Dragon's HP recovered to 50%, Shi Feng's restoration progress had only reached 32%. Although his restoration speed was slightly faster than the Dragon's recovery speed, the latter's HP was nearly full.

---

Meanwhile, White Night's team also faced an intense situation.

From the start of the battle to now, White Night's team of 100 had fallen to around 70 players. In contrast, only three Common Mutants had died so far. If a team of ordinary, even elite, players stood against these Mutants, the monsters would have long since annihilated them without losing a single Mutant.

The fact that Owl had persisted until now and had performed so stunningly proved that there had been a reason for their legendary reputations in the past.

"Don't hold back! Use all of the Magic Scrolls we have!" White Night ordered when the team reached the top of a steep hill.

In God's Domain, the terrain was an important factor in determining the outcome of a battle.

White Night's main goal behind the retreat was to move to favorable terrain.

In a battle between players, steep highlands were easily defensible.

Now that the team was on higher ground, they only needed to repel the incoming enemies. They could prevent the Mutants from surrounding them.

Under White Night's command, everyone on the team gnashed their teeth as they took out their precious Magic Scrolls and tools.

If they couldn't stop the incoming Mutants in time, they would use every Magic Scroll they had to force these monsters back.

Like this, they fought off one wave after another. After a short period, two more Common Mutants died.

However, these Mutants were not easy foes, either. Realizing that the battle was at a standstill, the dozen or so Elite Mutants began to work together to block White Night and his melee companions' attacks, creating opportunities for the Common Mutants to break through Owl's defensive line.

"Boss, I'm nearly out of Mana. If this goes on, they will exhaust us to death, even if they can't kill us directly," a Level 38 male Cleric anxiously reported as he glanced at his remaining Mana.

This battle was far more taxing than any Boss battle they had fought so far. In the past, he had only needed to focus on healing the lead MT. Now, however, he also had to heal the rest of the team, which significantly increased his Mana consumption. Moreover, they had already exhausted themselves during the battle against the Silver Dragon.

"Healers, control your Mana usage. If your Mana is running out, drink a potion. Melees, focus on pinning the monsters down; don't fight. Try to reduce the burden on the healers as much as possible. If your HP is low, drink a potion," White Night commanded. He also knew how dire their situation was. He had not expected that these Mutants to be so strong and possess such high intelligence. If they continued fighting as they were, their only outcome would be a team-wipe.

As the seconds and minutes passed, White Night's team lost members.

---

Elsewhere, Shi Feng's anxiety grew with each passing second.

The Silver Dragon's HP had already reached 97%, while the Heavenly Dragon's Breath's restoration had only reached 93%. It was likely that the Dragon would wake before the ring's restoration completed.

Faster! Faster! Just a little more! Shi Feng inwardly yelled. He had never been this nervous after re-entering God's Domain in this life.

95%...

96%...

97%...

98%...

When the Heavenly Dragon's Breath's restoration reached 99%, the Silver Dragon's HP bar finished filling. The Dragon's massive eyelids slowly opened. The Silver Dragon noticed Shi Feng immediately, and flames of rage filled its gaze.

"Despicable human! You dare try to steal my power!" the Silver Dragon bellowed. Widening its jaws, it used Dragon Breath on Shi Feng.

Without hesitation, Shi Feng initiated Absolute Defense, the Aura of Earth's Activatable Skill, which he had long since prepared.

Boom!

The powerful Dragon Breath created a massive crater around Shi Feng. Even White Night and the others, who were fighting quite a distance away, felt the ground tremble.

After the Dragon Breath ended and the smoke cleared...

Shi Feng held onto one of the Silver Dragon's scales with one hand, while his other hand pressed against the Dragon's side over its heart, absorbing the power of the Dragon's Heart. Although Shi Feng had not received any damage, he was dazed.

Unfortunately, Absolute Defense, which should've lasted five seconds, had been destroyed...

However, the Heavenly Dragon's Breath's restoration finally reached 100%. The magic arrays that surrounded him then began to merge with the ring, one after another. As if the ring had awoken from its slumber, it radiated an astounding aura. The ring no longer felt like an inanimate object. 

Chapter 874 - Dragon's Domination

Although the Heavenly Dragon's Breath had been restored, the Silver Dragon was thoroughly enraged.

"Rwarr!"

A single roar shook the valley. She Feng had even been thrown over 30 yards, a damage of over -1,000 points appearing above his head.

Sure enough, Dragons shouldn't be provoked! As Shi Feng climbed up from the ground, he stared at the towering Silver Dragon in shock.

This was the Silver Dragon's true power. Its roar alone had caused so much damage.

Even throwing several million players at it would be suicide.

However, Shi Feng did not know that, if not for the Heavenly Dragon's Breath absorbing a large portion of the Silver Dragon's power, the Dragon's roar would have been more than enough to claim his life.

---

The Silver Dragon's roar also alarmed the distant Mutants and White Night's team.

"Big Brother White, the Dragon's awake! What should we do?" the Elementalist, Frozen Dream, asked worriedly, frowning.

They were already badly battered from their fight against the Mutants, and winning against these monsters was still a huge problem.

If the Silver Dragon joined the fray, it would be their doom.

She understood powerful the Silver Dragon was. Now that they didn't have a magic array to suppress it, even its sneeze could end their lives.

They could deal with suffering a single death.

However, the quest White Night had accepted was extraordinary. If they failed the quest, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"We're still too close to the Silver Dragon. Let's continue to retreat. I remember a cave being nearby; let's head there," White Night commanded after considering the situation.

The Silver Dragon's strength spoke volumes for itself. However, as long as it did not discover them, it wouldn't be a threat. These Mutants were still their main problem. Killing one was exceedingly difficult. If not for the advantageous terrain and the large number of Magic Scrolls and tools they possessed, they would've been dead already.

"Boss, look! There's someone in the sky!" a Ranger with sharp eyesight suddenly announced as he looked towards the distant clouds.

"Huh?" White Night was confused. He unconsciously turned to look where the Ranger pointed.

They were currently within an abyssal monster nest. They had only arrived here safely due to the Teleportation Magic Array the quest had provided. It was hard to imagine someone else being here.

After a close look, White Night discovered someone flying across the sky.

However, roughly two seconds later, White Night's expression darkened. His team members' expressions were similarly grim.

They noticed the Silver Dragon following the player closely. Based on the Dragon's appearance, it seemed furious. Moreover, now that the Silver Dragon was free of the magic array's suppression, it looked far stronger than before.

The Silver Dragon they had previously faced felt like an adorable kitten compared to the prehistoric beast that flew through the sky.

"Crap, just who is that?"

As these players watched the figure fight while fleeing the Silver Dragon, they were stunned. They even wondered if that figure was an NPC, rather than a player. However, the green diamond marker above the figure's head confirmed that it was a player. Even if they wanted to deny the truth, they had to face the facts before them.

---

In the sky, Shi Feng had activated Power of Darkness, increasing his Attributes by 60% for 10 minutes. In addition, he had activated Wind Rider. Overall, he was slightly faster than the Silver Dragon.

Initially, Shi Feng had despaired, prepared to die and lose the Abyss Ancient Book. However, after examining the Silver Dragon's information, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Due to the Heavenly Dragon's Breath having absorbed a large portion of its power, the Silver Dragon had fallen into an extremely weakened state. The previous roar had been the Silver Dragon's last strand of power. Now, both its Level and Tier had fallen significantly.

[Silver Dragon] (Dragon, Tier 4)
Level 55
HP ? ? ? ? ? ?/ ? ? ? ? ? ?
(Extremely Weakened)

Although Shi Feng was definitely no match for a Level 55, Tier 4 Boss, with the Power of Darkness coursing through him and the partially-restored Heavenly Dragon's Breath, his Attributes had far surpassed that of a Tier 2 class of the same Level. He also had a Skill like Wind Rider to boost his speed. Escape was entirely possible.

[Heavenly Dragon's Breath] (Ring, Fragmented Legendary Rank)
Equipment Requirement: Strength 400, Agility 400, Intelligence 200

When equipped:
All Attributes +50 (Level 40)
Strength +50%, Agility +50%, Intelligence +35%, Endurance +50%
Movement Speed +35%
Attack Speed +30%
Ignore Levels +15
All item level requirements reduced by 10 Levels.

Additional Skill 1: Dragon's Authority. Suppress all enemies in the surroundings with the might of the Heavenly Dragon, inflicting the Fear status onto enemies within a 50-yard distance, reducing their Attack Power by 40%, Attack Speed by 40%, and Movement Speed by 40% for 1 minute.
Cooldown: 3 minutes

Additional Skill 2: Dragon Breath. Inflicts 10X damage in an 80*5 yard line in front of you. There is a 30% chance to induce the Fainted state for 3 seconds.
Cooldown: 4 minutes

Additional Skill 3: Heavenly Dragon's Power. Allows the user to temporarily possess the power of the Heavenly Dragon, increasing HP by 500%, Strength by 150%, Agility by 60%, and Defense by 300%, and grants immunity to all controlling effects for 2 minutes.
Cooldown: 3 hours

Additional Passive Skill: Dragon's Domination: Increases the Basic Attributes of all allied Dragons by 15% while suppressing the Basic Attributes of all enemy Dragons by 20%. Every Dragon within a radius of 1,000 yards will increase the user's Attributes by 500 points.

The Dragon Slayer Mekaseru once owned the Heavenly Dragon's Breath. It was originally a Legendary Ranked Item possessing the suppressed strength of the dragon tribe. Due to damage resulting from a war between Gods, its might has greatly decreased. However, the Heavenly Dragon's Breath possesses an incomparably strong magic power and possesses the potential to restore itself. Its past glory may be restored with just three Magic Stars. Current restoration (1/4).

After Shi Feng investigated the Heavenly Dragon's Breath's Attributes, he finally understood why the legendary NPC, Faust, had said that, as long as he restored the ring, he would not have to fear the Abyssal Blade's Backlash.

Despite having only completed one out of the four restoration requirements, the Fragmented Legendary ring's abilities were so powerful. He could only imagine how powerful it would be against Dragons if he fully restored it.

Even if the Silver Dragon were invincible at this stage of the game, due to the Dragon's Domination Skill, he had gained a 500-point buff to all of his Attributes. Currently, he was even stronger than when he had been at his peak by a large margin. He was even stronger than a Tier 2 class of the same Level. Moreover, the Skill had suppressed the Silver Dragon's Basic Attributes by 20%. It simply could not catch up to Shi Feng. 

Chapter 875 - Temple Ruins

In the sky over the valley, Shi Feng dodged the Silver Dragon's attacks as he observed the surrounding terrain.

Although the Power of Darkness had a very long duration, it was bound to end eventually.

Once he lost the Power of Darkness's buffs and had to rely solely on the Heavenly Dragon's Breath, escaping the Silver Dragon would be impossible.

"There it is!" Shi Feng quickly found the Silver Dragon's egress. He then turned and dashed towards that area.

Dilapidated temple ruins used to occupy the area. However, the Dragon's emergence had razed the ruins. Now, there was only a massive crater with the scattered fragments of the temple ruins.

The scene reaffirmed Shi Feng's previous assumption.

There was a 99% chance that White Night and the other Owl members' unexpected arrival was due to a quest. The Silver Dragon's entrance was even more precipitous. Moreover, as soon as the Silver Dragon had appeared, the Tier 5 Curse Dark Sanctuary had activated. This Spell had obviously been set up to prevent something from escaping, and that something was definitely the Silver Dragon.

Since the Spell had been set up to prevent the Silver Dragon's escape, there should be a Spell that could reseal it, just like in the Obelisk in Stone Forest Town.

The crater was bottomless.

The Dragon soon realized that Shi Feng was flying towards the crater. Although it was afraid to go near the pit again, Shi Feng had stolen its power and left it Weakened. Even if it could still recover, recuperation would take a long time. It wouldn't be able to soothe the hatred in its heart if it did not get rid of this Swordsman. Hence, it, too, flew into the crater after Shi Feng.

---

Once the Silver Dragon vanished, White Night and his team heaved a sigh of relief.

As long as they did not agitate the Dragon, they, more or less, had a chance of getting rid of these Mutants. Had the Silver Dragon joined the battle, they would have lost all chance of completing their quest.

"Just who is that person? He was actually able to stand up to the Dragon for such a long time!" The members of Owl had been deeply shocked when they saw the scene from before.

At the end of the day, a Dragon was still a Dragon. Even if it was weakened extremely, it was still not an ant that players like themselves could go up against.

Previously, they had managed to see very clearly that, although the Silver Dragon was in a Weakened state, the information it displayed showed that it still had the strength of a Level 55, Tier 4 Boss. It would be a piece of cake for the Silver Dragon to squash them into pancakes, so much so that they wouldn't even have any power whatsoever to resist it.

"Alright, focus. The Dragon has already disappeared. Let's hurry up and wipe out these Mutants. Use a magic array to suppress them, right away. We no longer have time to hold back." Shi Feng's performance had likewise shocked White Night considerably. However, he did not think that Shi Feng could pin down the Silver Dragon for very long. Hence, they needed to finish up their task as quickly as possible.

As soon as White Night said so, 15 magical class players in the team each took out a Magic Scroll and a blue potion.

When these magical class players drank down the Intermediate Mana Recovery Potion in their hands, their Mana, which had been below 10%, instantly recovered by 30%. Their Mana Recovery Speed also doubled for 30 seconds.

Following which, these 15 players activated a magic array.

Immediately, a gigantic magic array enveloped all of the Mutants. The initial Extreme Frost Field had already slowed down the reactions of these Mutants significantly. With the effects of the magic array added in, the Mutants' speeds decreased further by a large margin. Their Attributes were also suppressed by 30%.

Although the Attributes of the Mutants were still superior to theirs, they were no ordinary experts. Originally, with just the effects of the Extreme Frost Field, each of them could easily handle a Common Mutant by themselves. Some of them were even capable of pinning down the Elite Mutants. Now, against these much slower and weaker Mutants, everyone had an even easier time fighting.

The appearance of the magic array had instantly turned the tide of the battle.

---

At the bottom of the crater, Shi Feng very quickly discovered a gigantic magic array surrounded by 36 stone pillars over a hundred meters tall with numerous divine runes engraved onto them. In addition to these pillars, he also spotted a destroyed altar at the corner of the magic array.

It seems that, as long as that place gets repaired, I can reactivate the seal. Shi Feng immediately rushed over to the altar.

As soon as he arrived before the stone altar, however, he immediately felt as if he had been scammed.

To restore the stone altar, he actually needed 1,000 Magic Crystals as well as the permanent sacrifice of 80 points of all his Basic Attributes.

The number of Magic Crystals required was nothing to Shi Feng. After all, he always carried several thousand crystals with him in case of emergency. However, the permanent loss of 80 points in all Attributes was a different story. To current ordinary players, losing that much in Attributes would practically cripple their account.

However, seeing the Silver Dragon already flying over, Shi Feng gritted his teeth and clicked "Accept."

Anyway, after restoring the Heavenly Dragon's Breath, the ring now provided additional Basic Attributes. It also received massive improvements in various other aspects. Overall, even after factoring in this loss, he still ended up with a net gain in Basic Attributes.

The instant Shi Feng clicked "Accept," he immediately felt power draining out of his body.

Meanwhile, the Silver Dragon, which had just arrived before Shi Feng and was about to slap him to death with its claws, suddenly froze, fear flashing in its eyes. At this moment, it distinctly heard the clanging and jangling of metallic chains.

All at once, the Silver Dragon was terrified. It no longer cared about Shi Feng as it instantly tried to distance itself from this place that had once trapped it.

"You want to escape?" At this moment, a cold smile appeared on Shi Feng's face. If he were to let the Silver Dragon escape now, he would have sacrificed his Attributes for nothing.

Abyssal Bind!

Suddenly, over a dozen pitch-black chains emerged from the ground, directly binding the Silver Dragon.

Although Abyssal Bind had little effect on a monster of the Silver Dragon's caliber, it still managed to delay the Dragon by half a second.

To most, this half a second might not seem like much. To the Silver Dragon, however, this half a second was sufficient to send it falling from heaven straight into hell.

The Silver Dragon broke free of the pitch-black chains, but before it could escape the crater, numerous golden chains shot out from the magic array and bound it. No matter how hard the Silver Dragon struggled, it was slowly, bit by bit, dragged back down to the bottom of the crater. At this moment, the Silver Dragon's heart overflowed with despair.

It had gone through such lengths to escape its bindings and regained its freedom, yet, just for the sake of getting some petty revenge on a puny little human, it now suffered the binding of these damnable chains once more.

"Human, you are very amazing. You managed not only to plunder my strength but also to survive against me for so long, and even to reseal me now. I acknowledge you to be an existence equal to myself!" At this moment, the Silver Dragon stopped struggling. Instead, it quietly observed Shi Feng as it asked, "Are you willing to make a trade with me? You should know that Dragons won't easily make trades with weak existences like humans. Moreover, Dragons always keep their word. As long as a Dragon promises to do something, they will definitely see it through."

"Trade?" Shi Feng was surprised in spite of himself when he heard this.

At the same time, the sound of several system notifications also entered his ears. 

Chapter 876 - Breathtaking Shi Feng

The Silver Dragon's words already posed some temptation for Shi Feng in the first place.

After hearing the contents of the system notification, he was further stunned.

System: Congratulations! You have obtained the recognition of the Dragon race.

System: Congratulations! You have learned the language of Dragons.

System: Hidden Quest "Life Redemption" triggered. Do you wish to accept this quest?

So there's such a benefit for resealing the Silver Dragon as well. After taking a look at the system notification window, Shi Feng shifted his gaze back to the Silver Dragon.

Dragons weren't just incomparably powerful. They also loved collecting treasure. If he could complete this quest relating to the Dragon race, the potential rewards would definitely be much more bountiful than those from quests given by human NPCs.

Originally, White Night and the others were the ones who should've received this quest. Now, however, Shi Feng had accidentally stolen this opportunity from them.

"Sure, but what will I get in return?" Shi Feng asked, smiling as he looked at the fallen Silver Dragon. In any case, he was not in a rush to go anywhere. Hearing the Dragon out wouldn't hurt.

"I know that you humans are always in pursuit of power. I know of a certain location. At that place, there is a Secret Technique tablet that powerhouses among you humans are always dreaming of obtaining. If you can release me and help me vanquish those Mutants, I can send you to that place," the Silver Dragon said slowly.

"Secret Technique tablet?" Shi Feng was shocked despite himself.

He truly never imagined that this Hidden Quest he triggered would actually offer such a bountiful reward.

If he could obtain an additional Secret Technique tablet, he would be able to nurture even more Guild experts.

"Alright, I agree to your offer," Shi Feng answered without hesitation.

System: Hidden Quest "Life Redemption" accepted.
Quest content: Help the Silver Dragon kill the Mutants.

Such good opportunities did not come easily.

Currently, Shi Feng was still utterly helpless about the golden tablet quest. That mysterious youth was simply too powerful. Shi Feng simply had no chance to complete the quest at his current Level. Dealing with the Mutants, on the other hand, was much less demanding.

These Mutants had appeared just recently. They had not undergone any growth as yet and were currently at their weakest. Hence, it would be significantly easier to kill them. If he were to give the Mutants ten days or half a month, even he would be helpless to do anything about them.

Following which, Shi Feng destroyed the stone altar once more and liberated the Silver Dragon.

"Though I cannot get too close to those Mutants, I can support you from the sidelines!" Looking at the chains binding its body disappearing, the Silver Dragon extended one of its massive claws to Shi Feng and said, "Hop on. I will bring you over to the battlefield. Given free rein, those Mutants will only grow stronger as time passes. We need to exterminate them as quickly as possible."

Without hesitation, Shi Feng hopped directly onto the Silver Dragon's claw.

Indeed, just as the Silver Dragon had said, even if those Mutants did not devour or kill any monsters or players, they would still grow stronger with the passage of time. Without any intervention, they would become a disaster in God's Domain in a few days.

In his previous life, a Mutant that had been left unchecked in Star-Moon Kingdom had wreaked devastation on the kingdom. By the time players realized the severity of the situation, that Mutant had already grown into a difficult foe to defeat even with more than a hundred thousand players.

Suddenly, the Silver Dragon spread its wings and flapped them. It then flew straight out of the crater and shot into the sky.

---

"Boss, something's not right with these Mutants!" a Level 38 male Swordsman suddenly said. "I keep feeling that they're becoming stronger and stronger."

"Yeah, I get the same feeling! Although there aren't any changes to their maximum HPs, my attacks are actually doing less and less damage to them."

"Me too! Moreover, their movements and reactions are gradually improving."

At first, everyone had thought this was just their own misconception. However, after one person mentioned it, everyone else similarly felt that something was amiss.

If they allowed these monsters to continue strengthening, their situation would become increasingly precarious.

After all, just from a numbers point of view, they were now at a disadvantage.

Initially, there had been 101 Mutants. Now, there were still 87 of them. On the other hand, their team, which had started with 100 members, had only 64 members remaining. Most tragically, even until now, they had yet to defeat a single Elite Mutant.

Moreover, they had also used up nearly all the Magic Scrolls and tools they had brought with them.

This was the first time they had encountered such a difficult quest where they could not see any hope of victory whatsoever.

White Night, who had been kiting the Chieftain Mutant all this time, frowned deeply as well.

In truth, he, too, had long since noticed that these Mutants were becoming increasingly stronger—especially the Chieftain Mutant he was kiting. Whether it was in terms of reaction speed, Defense, or Attack Power, these monsters were receiving gradual minor improvements.

However, he was also helpless about the situation.

He had already made plenty of preparations for the quest this time. He had never thought that they would still end up failing.

Just as everyone was falling into the pits of despair, a massive figure appeared in the sky once more, the roar it released making everyone from Owl tremble.

"It's over! We're truly finished this time!" All their hearts sank into utter despair when they saw the Silver Dragon flying towards them.

A Tier 4 Silver Dragon was far more powerful than these Mutants they were struggling against.

They already possessed no chance of victory against these Mutants. Now that a Silver Dragon was joining the fray, they did not even have the heart to try to resist.

"Hey, look at the Silver Dragon's claw. There seems to be a person standing there!" Frozen Dream exclaimed as she stared at the distant Silver Dragon, her beautiful eyes widening in disbelief.

The Silver Dragon was beyond terrifying. It was truly hard to imagine there would be someone capable of standing on the Dragon's claw.

Hearing Frozen Dream's words, everyone promptly focused their gazes on the Dragon's claws.

"Isn't that the player from before?"

"I'm not dreaming, right? The Silver Dragon that was trying to kill him before has actually fallen under his control? Is he even human?"

Everyone was thunderstruck when they saw Shi Feng standing on the Silver Dragon's claw.

Once upon a time, they had been prideful over the fact that they were in possession of either a Bronze or Mysterious-Iron Mount even before reaching Level 40. After looking at Shi Feng, however, they were just a bit short of dying from embarrassment.

As the Silver Dragon rapidly approached them, its powerful aura left everyone breathless, despite several hundred yards still separating them.

Shortly after, Shi Feng jumped down from the Silver Dragon's claw and landed before everyone.

None of the members of Owl could find it in themselves to speak to Shi Feng. They only observed him quietly with eyes full of fear.

Just the thought of the Silver Dragon hovering above Shi Feng made them shudder.

A single snort from the Silver Dragon would be more than enough to wipe them out completely. One could say that their fates were currently in Shi Feng's hands.

"Fellow friend, how may I help you?" At this moment, even White Night had an incomparably tense expression as he looked at Shi Feng.

Setting aside the Silver Dragon hovering above Shi Feng, just the Swordsman himself gave White Night a feeling of an unreachable existence. Even though White Night clearly couldn't feel any danger coming from Shi Feng, the aura the latter radiated was actually somewhat superior to even a Lord ranked monster's of the same Level.

In front of an expert of such caliber, even his prideful self had to tread with great caution. 

Chapter 877 - Brutal Massacre

Shi Feng sent a glance at White Night and the others, who were currently still locked in combat.

From the current state of their battle, they were performing much better than he initially expected.

At this moment, Shi Feng had to admit that Owl was indeed an adventurer team on par with the Midnight Tea Party. There was quite a number of capable experts among them. If Zero Wing's main force were the ones fighting here today, they would've long since fallen to these Mutants.

In particular, White Night, who was pinning down the Chieftain Mutant, had already achieved perfection in terms of Skill utilization. Shi Feng estimated that every one of White Night's Skills had a Completion Rate of at least 90%. Despite fighting in such a cramped and dangerous environment, White Night still managed to achieve such results. Moreover, his control and utilization of his surrounding environment were similarly at a breathtaking level. Shi Feng did not think that even he himself could perform any better than White Night in this aspect.

In addition, White Night's predictions of the Chieftain Mutant's movements were extremely accurate.

Although the Level 50 Chieftain Mutant was not as strong as a Level 50 Grand Lord, it was not that far off, either. Even with the effects of the Extreme Frost Field and suppression barrier, a player at White Night's Level would still face extreme difficulty evading the Chieftain's attacks, not to mention doing so in such a cramped environment and without exposing any of his allies to the Chieftain's attacks.

If White Night could not predict the Chieftain Mutant's movements one or two seconds ahead, it would be utterly impossible for him to guide the Chieftain's attacks accurately.

Unfortunately, although White Night and the other members of Owl were amazing, it was obvious that the Mutants had the advantage in this battle. As more time passed, the combat power of the Mutants would increase as well. It was only a matter of time before White Night and the others were wiped out.

"Don't misunderstand. I'm not here to look for trouble," Shi Feng said as he took another glance at the overall situation of the battle. Seeing the anxious and slightly hostile expressions White Night and the others were wearing, he could not help but laugh as he said, "Moreover, even if I came to look for trouble, I could simply just stand to one side and watch. In any case, these monsters will kill you guys eventually."

When everyone heard Shi Feng's words, they wanted to rebuke him. In the end, however, their words got stuck in their throats.

This reaction wasn't just due to the strength Shi Feng had displayed. It was also because Shi Feng's words were not wrong.

"May I know if fellow friend would be willing to help us out? After the battle, you can have all the loot of these monsters. We won't take anything." White Night took the initiative to ask after giving the situation some thought.

"Big Brother White, these monsters are so powerful. The loot they drop will definitely be very amazing. Moreover, we've only managed to reach this point after sacrificing so much. Yet, now, we're giving all the benefits to someone else..." Frozen Dream immediately panicked upon hearing White Night's proposal to Shi Feng. Although they were indeed in a precarious situation, she did not think that Shi Feng would have a way to deal with these many Mutants. Both sides needed to work together in order to have a chance to eliminate these Mutants. Rather than just giving up all the loot, they should negotiate with Shi Feng. At the very least, they should ask to get the quest item.

The other members of Owl similarly grew anxious.

However, they also knew that White Night was doing this for them.

While in this area, there were only two methods for them to leave. Either they killed all of the Mutants, or they were killed by the Mutants. Judging by the current momentum of the battle, it was only a matter of time before they died—and they would suffer significant losses if they died. Aside from losing a Level, they would also drop a piece of equipment. It would take them a long time to recuperate from such a loss.

"Alright." Shi Feng nodded as he looked at White Night retreating while fighting the Chieftain Mutant.

In reality, even if White Night did not make such a proposal, he would still help them exterminate these Mutants in order to form a connection with the future legendary adventurer team. He could get White Night to owe him a favor by doing so.

White Night was a man who stood by his word. As long as he promised something, he would definitely do it.

Back then, the Ranger had owed the Super Guild King's Return a favor. In the end, he had started a war with King's Return's rival, the Super Guild Pantheon, without hesitation, aiding King's Return in securing a war fortress.

A war fortress was different from a player-established city or town, which had a fixed location. A war fortress could move, only it was very costly to shift around. However, it was the perfect tool to attack cities and devastate lands. At the same time, a war fortress could also serve as a small-scale city. It could move to the latest leveling maps to greatly reduce the travel time of players.

The value of a war fortress was far above even that of a Legendary item.

For this reason, Pantheon had hated Owl down to the very bone. The Super Guild had even mobilized its army to assault Owl's main headquarters. Although Owl ended up winning in the end, the adventurer team had suffered tremendous losses.

Meanwhile, although White Night had not said that he would owe Shi Feng a favor, the Ranger would definitely remember the favor Shi Feng would do him today. Just this point alone was enough for Shi Feng.

"Many thanks!"

Upon hearing Shi Feng agree to his proposal, White Night breathed out a sigh of relief. His teammates might not be convinced of Shi Feng's strength, but if Shi Feng did not possess sufficient strength, how could he possibly have managed to treat the Silver Dragon as a Mount?

Following which, White Night had Frozen Dream write out a contract. After both sides signed the contract, they added Shi Feng to the team and appointed him the team leader.

"What's there to thank him for? Haven't we given him all the benefits already?" Frozen Dream silently pouted, feeling extremely displeased as she looked at Shi Feng, who was wearing a Black Cloak and had his identity hidden. She refused to believe that Shi Feng could truly do anything about these Mutants. In the end, he would just be utilizing the strength of the Silver Dragon.

However, this was the Silver Dragon's strength, not Shi Feng's own strength.

...

After signing the contract, Shi Feng also informed the Silver Dragon to take action.

In the next moment, the Silver Dragon let out a deafening roar, and a gigantic, silver magic array covering a radius of 500 yards appeared immediately, catching everyone within it. As soon as the magic array appeared, the Mutants began emitting white smoke from their bodies. Not only did their Defense abruptly decrease by a large margin, but even their Attack Power had weakened significantly.

"Such a powerful Spell!" At this moment, everyone fully experienced just how powerful this silver magic array was.

Originally, their attacks only dealt around -200 to -300 damage to the Common Mutants. Now, however, their damages doubled. On the other hand, the damage the Common Mutants were dealing to their MTs had decreased significantly, instantly going from around -5,000 damage per hit to around -2,000 damage per hit. This sudden development greatly lessened the burden on the MTs and healers.

Unfortunately, even with such a powerful Spell assisting them, it was still not enough to bridge the gap between the two sides.

The HPs of the Mutants were simply too high. Just the Common Mutants already possessed 1,500,000 HP, not to mention the Elite and Chieftain Mutants. The monsters had more than enough HP to exhaust them to death.

"Let's use you all to test my new strength, then." A hint of excitement flashed in Shi Feng's eyes as he looked at the clumped-up Mutants.

In the next moment, Shi Feng activated Silent Steps and appeared behind a Common Mutant.

Chop!

-6,417.

Thundering Flash!

-3,405, -8,717, -7,004, -10,214.

Thunder Flame Explosion!

-12,137.

The Common Mutant's HP rapidly flowed away like running water. Even Shi Feng's normal attacks dealt around -2,200 to -2,300 damage.

When the members of Owl saw Shi Feng's damage, their eyes nearly fell out of their sockets.

The Swordsman's damage was two to three times higher than even the extremely well-geared White Night's.

In the next moment, Shi Feng adjusted his positioning slightly and followed up with Dragon Breath. A beam of white light instantly engulfed close to 40 Common Mutants, damage of over -20,000 points appearing above the Mutants' heads. Some even received critical damage of over -40,000 points. Over a dozen of the Mutants struck also fell into a Fainted state on the spot.

"Just who is this person?" Frozen Dream was utterly dumbfounded at this moment.

However, what no one knew was that Shi Feng was currently under the effects of the Power of Darkness as well as the Dragon's Dominator. Even the high HP and Defense of the Mutants could do little against his attacks.

Moreover, Shi Feng was not afraid of attracting the aggro of the Mutants at all. With his speed and mysterious footwork, none of the Mutants could close in on him at all. In fact, Shi Feng was even utilizing his high damage to gradually lure and concentrate the Common Mutants into a group. When he had gathered nearly 60 Mutants, he abruptly pointed his sword towards the sky.

Skywheel Sword!

Countless golden, divine swords rained down from the sky, trapping all the Mutants within a radius of 20 yards and dealing damage of over -5,000 points to every one of them. Immediately after, Shi Feng cast Firestorm.

Scorching flames instantly engulfed the Common Mutants.

Everyone immediately saw damages ranging from -30,000 to more than -50,000 rising through the flames. Moreover, this phenomenon repeated itself once every second for six seconds.

Shi Feng was still not done with his attacks. He retrieved a silvery-gray Tier 2 Magic Scroll from his bag and unfurled it, rapidly chanting the incantation recorded within the scroll. Suddenly, numerous silver whirlwinds appeared amid the group of Mutants, continuously garroting them, dealing over -20,000 damage each second for four seconds.

Tier 2 Spell, Storm Garrote!

Due to the silver whirlwinds' powerful suction, these Mutants couldn't escape the garroting at all, their HPs continuously decreasing.

This sight rendered everyone speechless.

Every one of these Mutants was a Boss-level monster. Yet, now, Shi Feng was actually fighting them as if they were weak, low-level monsters.

None of them knew what to say about Shi Feng's performance.

However, the HP and Defense of these Mutants were simply too high. Although this method might work against normal Elites and Special Elites, it was totally ineffective against these monsters that had over a million HP.

Just as everyone was thinking of a way to help Shi Feng scatter the group of Mutants, Shi Feng took out another Tier 2 Magic Scroll from his bag. This time, it was the Tier 2 Spell Blizzard.

Not only did the Spell freeze these Mutants for eight seconds, but it also dealt over -40,000 damage to each of them.

After using one scroll, Shi Feng would take out another Tier 2 Magic Scroll. Moreover, it was another AOE Attack Magic Scroll.

After he went through a total of eight Tier 2 Magic Scrolls in a row, the Common Mutants, which originally had 1,500,000 HP, had less than half their HPs remaining.

"Crap, does this guy run a Magic Scroll photocopying shop or something?!" Shi Feng's actions left everyone flabbergasted.

They could be considered a top-class adventurer team. Throughout their time playing God's Domain, they had accumulated a significant stockpile of items. They also possessed quite a few Tier 2 Magic Scrolls. However, even for them, Tier 2 AOE Attack Magic Scrolls were still extremely rare items. Until now, their entire team had managed to collect only five of such scrolls—which they had used up on previous quests.

Now, however, Shi Feng alone had taken out eight of such Magic Scrolls!

Just as everyone thought Shi Feng had already run out of scrolls, the latter pulled out yet another Tier 2 Magic Scroll.

Everyone was now at a complete loss for words.

This was definitely the first time they had seen such an extravagant way of grinding monsters.

On the market, a single Tier 2 AOE Attack Magic Scroll currently sold for around 200 Gold. One could buy a Level 40 Dark-Gold Weapon already with that kind of money. Despite that, Shi Feng was actually using these scrolls as if they were ordinary Skills.

What no one knew was that Shi Feng really did not lack in Tier 2 Magic Scrolls. He had obtained plenty just from the various Field Bosses he had raided with Zero Wing's main force. There were also the Magic Scrolls his Guild obtained from Hell Mode and Hard Mode Team Dungeons. Moreover, as he ventured to new high-level maps, he would often come across Bronze or Mysterious-Iron Treasure Chests. In addition, after capturing Stone Forest Town, Zero Wing had acquired many Magic Scrolls from the town's treasury. Just the number of Tier 2 AOE Attack Magic Scrolls in Zero Wing's possession right now came close to 100 pieces. Even the stockpiles of Super Guilds were not as well stocked as Zero Wing's.

Meanwhile, for the operation this time, Shi Feng had prepared close to 60 Tier 2 AOE Attack Magic Scrolls—more than enough for him to massacre the Common Mutants.

When Shi Feng used the twenty-fourth scroll, the Common Mutants finally could not hold out any longer. They abruptly fell before him one after another.

The abundant amount of EXP they provided allowed Shi Feng to level up once to Level 41. 

Chapter 878 - Foolish Humans

Frozen Dream and the other Owl members were speechless as they stared at the dozens of dead Common Mutants.

A single Tier 2 AOE Attack Magic Scroll cost at least 200 Gold, yet Shi Feng had just used 24 of them. He had essentially blown through enough money to purchase an Epic Weapon...

Meanwhile, not only had the abundant EXP allowed Shi Feng to level up once, but the rest of the team also leveled up once or twice. Every Owl member was now at Level 40, with some being only a short distance away from Level 41.

"These monsters give a ton of EXP!"

"Hahaha! This is awesome! I'm fully recovered after leveling up!"

Joy began to fill these players' eyes.

Both the healers and the magical classes, who had been running out of Mana, had fully replenished Mana bars. Their confidence in dealing with the remaining Level 50 Elite and Chieftain Mutants had been restored as well.

Previously, these players had lost hope of emerging victorious as they knew that they would not outlast these monsters. There were simply too many Common Mutants. Everyone on the team would have died long before they finished them all off.

"It's no wonder why he was so calm. He really does have a way to deal with these monsters by himself." Frozen Dream could not help but shift her gaze towards the cloaked Shi Feng. When she thought back to her previous words, a light blush colored her pale-white cheeks as embarrassment overtook her.

If not for Shi Feng's aid, they would have died here.

None of those who had spoken out against Shi Feng's participation said a word. They only admired the cloaked Swordsman.

At this point, only the 14 Elites and one Chieftain remained. Their team had finally reclaimed the advantage of numbers. Although the remaining monsters were far more difficult to deal with, they shouldn't have any issues taking down the remaining adversaries with a powerful damage dealer like Shi Feng on their side.

Just as the thought of ridding themselves of the Mutants entered everyone's minds, the remaining Mutants transformed into a black liquid and gathered at a single point in the air; the black mass's aura grew stronger as the liquid gathered.

The team's caution intensified as they watched the ball of black liquid squirm in midair.

"Be careful. He has absorbed a lot of power from my body," the Silver Dragon suddenly said.

As the Silver Dragon finished its warning, the black liquid transformed into a black Dragon and fell, shattering the ground with its weight.

The Dragon the black liquid had formed was much smaller than the Silver Dragon. It was only roughly 20 meters tall. However, that was still more than tall enough to tower over players. The Dragon loomed like a seven-story-tall building. With a swipe of its powerful claws, it could rip through players like paper.

[Mutated Dragon] (Mutant Dragon, Tier 2)
Level 50
HP 80,000,000/80,000,000

After reading the Mutated Dragon's statistics, Shi Feng frowned, a grim expression overtaking his face.

Although the Mutant's Level had not changed, only transforming from a Tier 1 Chieftain to a Tier 2 Lord, the difference between them was like the difference between heaven and earth.

The problem was no longer limited to a gap between their Tiers. Rather, the problem was their positions on the food chain.

The Upper-rank Tier 3 Frost Bone Dragon Shi Feng had previously killed had not been a true Dragon despite its appearance. The Mutated Dragon before them, however, was a bona fide Dragon. It was even higher on the food chain than Fallen Angels.

Even though it was only at the Tier 2 standard and the same Level, it could easily defeat the Tier 3 Frost Bone Dragon. Furthermore, this Dragon was a Mutant, which gave it a vast potential to grow in various aspects.

Shi Feng was no longer able to determine the Mutated Dragon's true power.

However, he could say one thing with certainty: the Mutated Dragon was exceedingly strong. If they allowed the Mutated Dragon to grow, it would cause a calamity across God's Domain that was several times more severe than the Abyss Passage's opening.

Not only could the Mutated Dragon grow indefinitely, but it also wasn't restricted to certain regions. It could go anywhere it wished, unlike Abyss Passages, which only affected the country where it spawned and its neighbors.

In fact, Shi Feng wasn't the only tense player in the group. The Owl members were also anxious. Even an expert like White Night felt a tremendous pressure from the Mutated Dragon. It felt as if they were sailing across the open ocean in a small boat, the threat of capsizing looming before them. Their lives could end at any given moment.

"Foolish humans, I really have to thank you. If not for your help in ridding me of all of that excess power, I wouldn't be able to display my true power." Revealing a human-like sneer, the Mutated Dragon laughed coldly as it said, "I also have you to thank, foolish Dragon. If not for your help, these humans wouldn't have succeeded. As a show of gratitude, I'll devour you all to nurture my power!"

"I won't let you have your way!" the Silver Dragon bellowed.

Suddenly, a silver magic array enveloped over half of the valley. Numerous silver chains emerged from the magic array and bound the Mutated Dragon.

"You've lost your mind! You are actually willing to sacrifice your lifespan to cast this Spell?!" The Mutated Dragon was flustered as it felt the silver chains drain its strength, yet no matter how hard it struggled, it couldn't even scratch them. "So what if you've used this Spell? How much of your lifespan can you afford to expend? Once you're exhausted, I will regain my freedom! You cannot stop me!"

"Human, I will leave the rest to you..." the Silver Dragon said weakly. Casting this Spell had obviously taken a massive toll.

Suddenly, a system notification reached Shi Feng's ears.

System: You have to kill the Mutated Dragon within two hours. If you cannot complete this task, the Silver Dragon will exhaust its lifespan and die.

At the same time, a timer appeared next to Shi Feng's system interface.

1 hour : 59 minutes : 57 seconds

"Hahaha! As expected of a foolish Dragon! Even in the face of death, you place your hopes in these little ants. Do you really believe that, even after siphoning my strength, these ants can defeat me?" the black Mutated Dragon laughed maniacally. "Fine, let me show you, foolish humans, how terrifying Dragons truly are!"

Saying so, the Mutated Dragon dashed towards the group of players.

"Be careful! Melees, focus on dodging! Do not try to block the Mutant's attacks! All ranged players, target its joints!" White Night issued his commands immediately.

The Mutated Dragon was, by far, the strongest monster they had ever faced since joining God's Domain!

[Mutated Dragon] (Mutant Dragon, Tier 2)
Level 50
HP 40,000,000/40,000,000

They might not have had any hope of victory before, but the silver chains now suppressed the Mutated Dragon. Both its Attributes and mobility had been significantly restricted. Moreover, they had recovered to their peak states and risen to Level 40, improving their Basic Attributes. All hope was not lost.

Very quickly, three Level 40 MTs moved to stand between the Mutated Dragon and the rest of the team, each one possessing over 18,000 HP. Seeing the Mutated Dragon swing one of its massive, clawed forefeet at them, all three MTs took evasive measures and activated their Lifesaving Skills simultaneously, reducing the damage they took by half.

As the Mutated Dragon attacked, the distant White Night used Triple Piercer, the Skill with the greatest impact among all his Tier 1 Skills. His Skill Completion Rate had even reached 97%, the original three arrows merging into one. The newly combined arrow tore through the air as it penetrated the Mutated Dragon's wrist.

Boom!

-2,315.

Although White Night's attack struck the joint, it did not affect the Dragon's forefoot at all. The claws blurred as they struck a Guardian Knight that had not dodged in time. The Guardian Knight's HP instantly fell by 10,000. If he had not activated his Lifesaving Skill, he would have become mincemeat the moment the Dragon's claws reached him.

"This is after it has been weakened?" The players gasped when they saw the Mutated Dragon's Defense and damage.

With such high damage, Defense, and speed, they had no hope of contending with the Mutated Dragon as they were right now.

As the Owl members began to despair, a black figure appeared before the Mutated Dragon. This figure was none other than Shi Feng. Seeing this, disgust flashed in the Mutated Dragon's eyes. It slapped at Shi Feng with its forefoot as if it were swatting a fly.

Before anyone could react, the Dragon's forefoot struck the ground, forming a crater with a radius of over ten meters. 

Chapter 879 - Overwhelming a Dragon with Force

The players from Owl were stunned when they saw the Mutated Dragon's Strength.

They had often seen attacks form craters after hitting the ground. However, this was the first time they had seen an attack form such a massive pit. Moreover, this had been a normal attack, not a Skill.

"Why was he so impatient?" Frozen Dream frowned at the crater beneath the Mutated Dragon's front foot.

From the damage their Guardian Knight had received, she understood that they could not stand up against the Mutated Dragon in a head-on clash. They could only rely on the melees to kite the Dragon while the ranged players dealt damage and whittled down its HP. Only by doing so would they have any hope of emerging victorious, yet Shi Feng had stubbornly rushed up to the Dragon, dying with a single swat. Now, their team had lost a powerful ally, reducing their chances of defeating the Dragon even further...

However, as the Mutated Dragon lifted its claws, these players discovered a figure beneath the giant forefoot.

"How?!" The team was astonished.

The Mutated Dragon's Strength was obvious. Even Level 50, Tier 2 MTs wouldn't withstand such destructive power, yet a Swordsman like Shi Feng had survived.

How could they not be shocked?

Such high Strength! If not for the Dragon's Domination's suppression and the additional 500 Attributes I received, I would've been forced to waste a Lifesaving Skill! Shi Feng inwardly celebrated his survival.

For each Dragon that was within 1,000 yards, Dragon's Dominator would increase all of his Basic Attributes by 500 points. Currently, two Dragons were within range: the Silver Dragon and the Mutated Dragon. The Mutated Dragon was, in fact, a member of the Dragon race.

With two Dragons present, each of Shi Feng's Basic Attributes had gained 1,000 points.

However, Shi Feng did not only enjoy this buff. As the Heavenly Dragon's Breath increased his Attributes by a percentage, his Strength, Agility, and Endurance had increased by another 50%, and his Intelligence by 35%.

Moreover, as he still had the effects of Power of Darkness, Shi Feng's current Attributes had long since exceeded that of a Level 50, Tier 2 MT. Blocking the weakened Mutated Dragon's attack wasn't an issue. However, it was somewhat strenuous.

Although Shi Feng had blocked the Mutated Dragon's attack with his swords, he had lost 2,187 HP.

Of course, two thousand damage wasn't considerable to Shi Feng.

After all, Shi Feng currently had a maximum of 83,460 HP. Such low damage was practically negligible. Not to mention, there were multiple healers on standby who could restore him to full health at any moment.

"Is he a human or a ghost?" Owl's members were thoroughly stupefied.

They had already been impressed by Shi Feng's Basic Attributes. Even their leader, White Night, was no match for him. However, they had been able to see the Swordsman's boundaries during the last fight. He had not been completely out of their reach.

Watching him now, however, they realized that they were apart of two different worlds.

While these players were still frozen with shock over Shi Feng's absurdly high Attributes, the Mutated Dragon noticed that the Swordsman was still alive. Immediately, it slammed its claws down on Shi Feng once more.

Boom!

The already large crater expanded further.

This time, however, the Mutated Dragon's forefoot had not hit Shi Feng. After dodging the attack, Shi Feng swung the Abyssal Blade at the Dragon's claw and executed Chop.

-34,157.

Upon receiving the critical damage of over -30,000 points, the Mutated Dragon's foot trembled slightly. There was even a shallow cut across its adamantite-like scales.

"Damn, my attacks are only dealing around a thousand damage, yet he can deal over 30,000 damage with a single hit...."

"Is he really a player?"

Everyone's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets when they saw Shi Feng's damage.

White Night, who had attacked the Dragon continuously, froze momentarily, his eyes glued to the cut left on the Mutant's joint.

While it was impressive that Shi Feng's attack had managed to deal over -30,000 damage, the implication of leaving a cut across the Dragon's scales was far more significant.

Direct damage would, at most, reduce the Mutated Dragon's HP. However, inflicting external injuries would weaken the Mutated Dragon's combat power.

His longbow was an Epic Weapon, yet his attacks couldn't even scratch the Mutated Dragon.

There was one thing he was very certain of.

The ability to injure a monster's body was unrelated to a player's Attributes. It was mainly due to the quality and sharpness of the player's weapon.

Is he using Fragmented Legendary Weapons? White Night's shock increased as he glanced at Shi Feng's two swords.

He had gone through hell and back to obtain his current longbow. He had never once harbored any thought of obtaining a Fragmented Legendary Weapon.

With this revelation, White Night considered befriending Shi Feng.

He had played God's Domain with the intention of getting to know various experts. He wanted to challenge his limits and surpass them.

However, what White Night did not know was that Shi Feng's weapons were not Fragmented Legendary rank. They were only on par with Epic Weapons. However, due to the Magic Devices he had equipped, their sharpness and destructive power had improved significantly, which allowed them to wound the Mutated Dragon.

"I'll serve as the MT! The rest of you, attack from afar!" Shi Feng commanded through the team chat after attracting the Mutated Dragon's aggro.

Originally, the members of Owl had their issues with Shi Feng leading their team. Now, however, they followed his commands without argument. The healers began to focus on Shi Feng, whereas the melee players retreated to maximum range, attacking the Mutated Dragon with the ranged players. Although the melee players' ranged damage couldn't compare to their ranged companions, overall, they dealt a considerable amount.

With a powerful MT like Shi Feng, the healers had gained some peace of mind; they didn't need to worry about Shi Feng being instant-killed. The ranged damage dealers could also attack without holding back.

Even if the Power of Darkness ended right now, Shi Feng was confident he could dodge the Mutated Dragon's attacks. However, he would have far fewer chances of counterattacking.

In any case, Shi Feng's goal in attacking the Mutated Dragon was not to decrease its HP, but to injure its joints.

Although a single attack's effects were not noticeable, after a hundred attacks, the effects were obvious. Once the Mutant's joints were heavily wounded, both its reaction speed and Attack Speed fell drastically. This made evading the Dragon's attacks and launching counterattacks even easier for Shi Feng. Eventually, the Mutated Dragon became utterly helpless against Shi Feng. It could only watch as the little human before it avoided every one of its attacks.

In the end, even losing the buffs from Power of Darkness, Shi Feng was still able to dodge the Mutated Dragon's attacks effortlessly.

Meanwhile, although the other players' damages were not considerable, their total damage exceeded the Mutated Dragon's recovery speed. From time to time, Shi Feng also dealt a heavy blow. As a result, the Dragon's HP continuously decreased.

Time passed quickly. The Mutated Dragon's HP had finally fallen to 20%.

"Humans, your luck ends here!" the Mutated Dragon bellowed, its roar echoing throughout the valley.

The Mutated Dragon, which had been 20 meters tall, started to grow, reaching 30 meters instantly. Not only did it receive an enhancement to its Strength and speed, but its range had also increased, making it far more difficult for Shi Feng to evade its attacks.

In the next moment, the Mutated Dragon swiped its tail at Shi Feng, the swipe's force instantly generating a storm. However, before the storm could devour Shi Feng, the Dragon's tail arrived before him. Moreover, the Dragon's attack range with its tale was quite wide, and Shi Feng did not have enough time to dodge.

Defensive Blade!

Peng!

The attack threw Shi Feng. Even the players attacking from over a dozen meters behind him died instantly.

Unfortunately, the Mutated Dragon was not done. It began to swing its tail like a whip, covering the area with afterimages.

One swipe... Two swipes... Three swipes...

By the time the Mutated Dragon's attack ended, Shi Feng's Defensive Blade had been exhausted of block counts. Meanwhile, there were less than 40 players still standing. If the Mutated Dragon launched that tail attack one or two more times, it would wipe out their team.

The Mutated Dragon's terrifying chain attack had also devastated the surrounding forest, leaving very little behind.

The Dragon race's explosive power is truly terrifying. Fortunately, I haven't used all of my cards yet. Shi Feng released a sigh of relief. Following which, he activated Heavenly Dragon's Power. 

Chapter 880 - Slaying a Dragon

"Boss, the Dragon's Defense and reaction speed have improved quite a bit. With our remaining numbers, I'm afraid that we can't survive another round of chain attacks," a green-robed, Level 40 male Summoner anxiously reported.

Once the Mutated Dragon went Berserk, a single round of whipping its tail had annihilated all of his summoned creatures.

Even their attacks were becoming less effective.

Previously, they had been able to, more or less, hit the Dragon, each of their attacks dealing around -1,000 damage. Now, however, the Mutant blocked over half of their attacks with its tail. Even when their attacks struck the Dragon, they only dealt around -600 damage.

After factoring in the members they had lost and the healers, their overall damage could not overcome the Mutated Dragon's regeneration. It was only a matter of time before they team-wiped.

"This is the final push! Throw everything you have at it!" White Night had been watching the battle from the rear. Excluding Shi Feng's hidden statistics, he had run through various simulations in his mind based on his team's statistics and calculated their probability of taking down the Mutated Dragon.

However, no matter how many simulations he ran through, they were no match for the Mutated Dragon.

The difference between them was simply too massive.

He had never expected the Mutated Dragon to be so terrifying after going Berserk. Ordinary Bosses generally gained around a 30% increase to their combat power after going Berserk. However, the Mutated Dragon's overall combat power had increased by 50% at the very least. White Night even suspected that the Mutated Dragon had doubled its strength after going Berserk.

Even after Shi Feng had joined, they had barely stood against the Dragon. Now that the Dragon's strength had grown, they had no hope of victory.

Hearing White Night's orders, every player began to use their most powerful moves against the Mutated Dragon. Some even activated Berserk Skills.

Although not every Owl member possessed a Berserk Skill, the remaining forty or so members were all experts with the highest strength among the team. Over a dozen had learned Berserk Skills.

Immediately, these dozen or so players' Attributes soared. White Night and Frozen Dream experienced the greatest improvements, their main Attributes increasing by 100%.

"Buy me some time!" Frozen Dream shouted. Immediately, she began to chant an incantation, the surrounding Mana gathering rapidly around her.

"Okay! Everyone, aim for the Dragon's joints!" White Night shouted.

Their survival now depended on this very moment.

Either the Mutated Dragon would wipe them out while it was still Berserk, or they would finish off the Mutated Dragon's 8,000,000 HP while they were Berserk.

Spells and arrows flew at the Mutant. Seeing this, the Dragon swiped its claws.

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

The Dragon's massive forefoot blocked over half of the attacks easily. Only extremely accurate attacks like those from White Night had struck the Dragon.

-3,348.

-1,448.

-1,279.

-1,354.

...

Although numerous attacks had landed, only White Night's attacks broke past the 3,000-threshold. Everyone else only dealt around -1,000 damage. Their overall damage barely made a dent in the Dragon's remaining HP.

Before White Night and the others could launch another volley of attacks, the Mutated Dragon rose its tail once more.

"Watch out for its tail attacks! Fall back!" White Night instructed and began to retreat while attacking the Mutated Dragon's massive tail.

However, the tail's Attack Speed and range were too much for them. Even Shi Feng had not been able to dodge the attack in time and had been forced to rely on a Lifesaving Skill. Although everyone had retreated quite a distance from the Mutated Dragon, they were still within range of the shockwave that would follow the tail swipe. The resulting shockwaves alone were enough to end White Night and his companions.

Boom!

A sonic boom ripped through the air as the Dragon's tail swiped at Owl's players, the tail's attack range reaching over half of the team.

Suddenly, however, a streak of blue light hacked at the swinging tail.

Boom...

The Mutated Dragon's attack halted abruptly. At the same time, a figure sank to the ground, a large crater forming around the player.

"He blocked it?!" White Night's jaw dropped as he stared at the figure in disbelief.

Although he had not seen it clearly, he had caught a glimpse of Shi Feng swinging his sword at the Mutated Dragon's tail. The instant his sword collided with the tail, however, Shi Feng vanished.

The Mutant's tail already contained far more power than its forefeet. The Dragon had also gone Berserk, yet Shi Feng had blocked the attack.

Shortly after, Shi Feng climbed out of the pit. Although he appeared somewhat miserable, his HP bar revealed that he had only suffered negligible damage.

The improved Heavenly Dragon's Power really is amazing. With this, I can take the Mutated Dragon's attacks without any problems. Shi Feng flexed his muscles a little. Due to the impact, he was sore everywhere. Overall, however, his combat power had not been affected overmuch.

Not only had Heavenly Dragon's Power increased his HP by 500%, but the Skill also increased his Strength by 150%, Agility by 50%, and Defense by 300%. Currently, he had over 260,000 HP. With his enhanced Defense, he had only received around -3,000 damage after receiving the direct hit.

Even without the healers' assistance, he could easily withstand several hundred such attacks. He didn't need to fear the Berserk Mutated Dragon at all.

Following which, Shi Feng activated Silent Steps and appeared behind the Mutated Dragon.

He then used Phantom Kill and Nine Dragons Slash.

Flame Burst!

In the next moment, the twin swords Shi Feng wielded and those of his doppelganger transformed into dazzling, miniature suns.

Scorching, white rays of light then slammed brutally into the back of the Mutated Dragon's neck, one after another.

-62,487.

-43,718.

-127,496.

-43,587.

...

Thirty consecutive scorching blades bit into the Mutated Dragon's neck, all thirty strikes hitting the same location. In addition, a dozen Abyssal Blade phantoms continuously assaulted the Mutant, each dealing up to -6,000 damage.

The Mutated Dragon released an agonized cry as it slammed into the ground.

The Mutated Dragon's HP had instantly fallen from 8,000,000 to 5,640,000.

Immediately after, Shi Feng used Firestorm and Dragon Breath.

The Mutated Dragon's HP fell below the 5,000,000-threshold.

"This is insane!" The witnessing players were nearly speechless as they stared at the fallen Dragon.

White Night was just as shocked. He could not figure out how many cards Shi Feng had kept hidden. Shi Feng alone was savagely beating a Boss that his entire team had been helpless against...

At this time, Frozen Dream finally completed her chanting as she waved her staff.

A deep-blue magic array suddenly appeared above the Mutated Dragon. A gigantic ice spear then emerged from the array and descended on the Mutant.

Tier 1 Curse, Frozen Earth.

When the ice spear struck, not only did it inflict over -7,000 damage, but it also encased the Dragon's four limbs in a layer of frost, restricting it. Despite the Mutated Dragon breaking free from the layer of ice, the ice reformed instantly. Moreover, each time the Dragon struggled free, it wasted a lot of time to do so. As a result, the Mutated Dragon's reactions were somewhat delayed.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Shi Feng launched one attack after another.

With an absolute MT like Shi Feng pinning down the Mutated Dragon, the other team members began to launch a fierce assault.

As a result, the Mutated Dragon's HP fell rapidly.

4,500,000...

4,000,000...

3,000,000...

1,000,000...

When the Mutated Dragon had less than 500,000 HP remaining, Shi Feng activated Divine Providence and used the Tier 2 Taboo Skill Instant Strike. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before the Mutated Dragon.

Over a dozen consecutive slashes bloomed over the Mutated Dragon's heart.

The Mutated Dragon's HP hit rock bottom instantly, falling to the ground with a loud boom. Over a dozen shining items dropped around its humongous body.

Suddenly, a golden glow surrounded Shi Feng's body as he reached Level 42.