Reincarnation of The Strongest Sword God

2001-2020

Chapter 2001 - Fire Spirit Appears

The Steel Puppet stumbled four steps back after Shi Feng's attack, nearly losing its footing.

How is this possible?! Shock filled Irontooth's eyes as he stared at his Puppet's cut.

With a single attack, the Steel Puppet had instantly lost 3 points of its 1,000 total durability. Shi Feng's Attack Power was ridiculously high, practically rivaling Mythic monsters.

Irontooth wasn't the only one dumbfounded, either. Sin Realm's nearby players were stunned. They had never considered that a player with the strength to stand against the Steel Puppet would exist at this stage of the game. Rather than a player, Shi Feng was a monster.

After his first attack succeeded, Shi Feng charged towards the Puppet once more.

Shadow Blade!

Ten strikes thrust toward the colossal construction, each attack carrying 100% of Shi Feng's Strength.

"Scram!" Irontooth bellowed as he controlled his Puppet. The Steel Puppet's four arms began to rotate, creating a storm that countered all ten of Shi Feng's attacks. The Puppet's sabers created wind blades as it blocked the attacks, which flew towards Shi Feng, forcing him to defend himself.

The storm calmed after three seconds, resulting in a severa卜meter-deep crater where the Steel Puppet stood The 50-yard- radius area around the construct was void of life.

So, this is one of the Steel Puppet's Skills? Shi Feng revealed a bitter smile as he watched his adversary. Truly amazing. It seems that it's truly impossible to defeat a Bronze Combat Puppet as a Tier 2 player.

Every one of the Steel Puppet's attacks resembled a Defense Turret. The fact that it had four arms meant it wielded four turrets. It could launch attacks without rest. Only, unlike actual Defense Turrets, the Steel Puppet wasn't capable of ranged attacks. Even so, it was strong enough to trouble any ordinary Tier 3 expert.

Furthermore, the Steel Puppet had high Defense and powerful Skills, every one of which was more powerful than the average Tier 3 large-scale destruction Spell.

These were the reasons that the various major powers used Combat Puppets as their most devastating trump cards.

Although Shi Feng had the strength to fight any ordinary Mythic Monster while suppressed by an Intermediate Magic Array after activating Twofold Berserk, the compounded Skills only lasted a little over 20 seconds. He couldn't defeat the Steel Puppet in such a short time.

"Ye Feng, although you are quite strong, the Steel Puppet isn't limited to normal attacks! I'll give you a taste of its true power!" Irontooth sneered as he glared at Shi Feng.

He had been surprised that Shi Feng had actually damaged his Puppet, but the Steel Puppet had three Skills that were incomparably powerful.

The Skill he had used to drive off Shi Feng had been a Defensive Skill with a powerful knockback effect. When activated, the Skill would force all enemies within a 50-yard radius back.

Both of the Puppet's remaining Skills were Offensive Skills: Steel Meteor and Death's Judgment. Steel Meteor was a singletarget Skill, whereas Death's Judgment was an AOE.

Since both Skills consumed a lot of Magic Crystals, he had avoided using them, but he didn't have the leeway to conserve Magic Crystals with how this fight had progressed.

Suddenly, the Steel Puppet's back bulged. Hundreds of magic bullets shot out of its back and flew towards the distant Shi Feng. Although each magic bullet only contained power at the peak of Tier 3, the attack could even instant-kill a Tier 3 player since it fired several hundred at once.

However, as everyone expected the magic bullets to shred Shi Feng, golden, divine runes began to appear around the Swordsman.

The moment the magic bullets encountered the divine runes, they evaporated like snowflakes landing on a burning furnace.

In the blink of an eye, the several hundred magic bullets vanished as if they had never existed...

An Invulnerability Skill? Irontooth's expression darkened slightly as he watched the divine runes circling Shi Feng's body. But then he smiled and said, "Steel Meteor only has a 30-second Cooldown. I want to see just how you plan to block the next wave."

Sin Realm's watching members laughed. Shi Feng might possess heaven-defying combat power, but at the end of the day, he was only a player. How could a lone player possibly defeat a war weapon?

"I might not be a match for the Steel Puppet, but I doubt that is the case for your magic barrier," Shi Feng said as he glanced at Irontooth. He then dashed towards the magic barrier.

"Crap! Stop him!" Irontooth shouted to his subordinates.

As Shi Feng had said, although he couldn't defeat the Steel Puppet, he'd have no issues destroying the Earth's Wind Magic Array. The barrier could only endure a few Mythic-level hits before it shattered.

Sin Realm's members responded by bombarding Shi Feng with ranged attacks, but with Twofold Berserk, Shi Feng's Movement Speed was just too high. Sin Realm's members could barely follow him with their eyes, much less land an attack.

In a split second, Shi Feng had reached the Earth's Wind's magic barrier.

Purgatory Pentaslash!

As the five sword lights descended, the impact cracked the magic barrier. Boom!

Following an explosion, the Earth's Wind Magic Array transformed into countless particles of light and disappeared.

Shi Feng immediately recovered his Basic Attributes and regained the ability to use tools.

"Ye Feng, don't even think about escaping!" Irontooth charged forward with his Steel Puppet as the magic barrier faded.

Although Shi Feng was very fast, the Swordsman still wasn't as strong as the Steel Puppet. As long as he kept up the chase, he'd have no problems reaching his target.

"Escape?" Shi Feng laughed. "It's impolite not to return what one receives. Since you want a fight, I'll give you one!"

After saying so, Shi Feng retrieved the Fire Spirit from his bag and spent 300 Magic Crystals to activate it.

Suddenly, a massive, crimson magic array appeared above him, enveloping the battlefield. The array began to fervently absorb the ambient Mana, concentrating it to form an eight-meter-tall Flame Dragon.

This Flame Dragon was none other than the Fire Spirit.

Roar!

The Fire Spirit released a furious cry as it descended, its roar shaking the very ground beneath it. At the same time, a frightening aura spread across the ]battlefield.

"A Level 80, Tier 3 Archaic Species?!"

"How?!"

The Sin Realm members, who had been charging towards Shi Feng, slid to a halt as they stared at the Fire Spirit, which was roughly as large as the Steel Puppet, in abject horror.

Chapter 2002 - Steel Puppet Destroyed

The Fire Spirit's appearance stunned Irontooth.

He's just an Honorary Elder, yet Zero Wing gave him a Tier 3 Archaic Species to protect himself? Both surprise and envy overcame Irontooth as he stared at the Flame Dragon before him.

He had never even heard of a tool that could summon a Tier 3 Archaic Species.

A Tier 3 Summoning Scroll was already enough to cause a fight between the various major powers. Despite Sin Realm's success in the Purple Thorns Kingdom, the Guild had only collected eight Tier 3 Summoning Scrolls, and every one was reserved as a final trump card. The Guild didn't even allow their players access to these Scrolls while raiding a particularly important Field Boss. They would only be used when the Guild faced annihilation.

Yet, Shi Feng had just summoned a Tier 3 Archaic Species, a creature even more powerful than those summoned with Tier 3 Summoning Scrolls.

The Guild had only allowed him to use the Steel Puppet because it could be used repeatedly. It only needed to be refueled with Magic Crystals. Had the Steel Puppet been a Consumable item like Summoning Scrolls, he definitely wouldn't have been allowed to use it against Shi Feng.

When the other Sin Realm members saw the angry Fire Spirit, they couldn't help but take a step back. They didn't back away because the Fire Spirit was a Tier 3 Archaic Species, but because the Dragon's aura was growing more intense, which felt painfully uncomfortable.

Moreover, a radius of 30 yards around the Flame Dragon had transformed into a lava field due to its appearance. Players could feel the lava's scorching heat from over a hundred yards away, and those with low Fire Resistance began to lose HP...

The players around the Fire Spirit had no choice but to back up.

Only Irontooth, who sat within the Steel Puppet, remained unaffected.

"Go! Kill him!" Shi Feng commanded, pointing at the Steel Puppet.

Upon receiving Shi Feng's command, the Fire Spirit roared again before extending its wings with a flap.

"Ye Feng, do you think you can destroy my Steel Puppet with one Tier 3 Archaic Species?" Irontooth sneered disdainfully as he watched the approaching Fire Spirit. He immediately controlled the Steel Puppet to meet the Flame Dragon in battle.

At the end of the day, a monster was still a monster. Monsters were only capable of defeating players due to their powerful Attributes.

However, the Steel Puppet was different. Although controlling the Steel Puppet was a challenge, it would still exhibit greater combat standards than the average monster when driven by a Refinement Realm expert like Irontooth. In a situation where the difference in Attributes meant nothing, the Steel Puppet could easily destroy the Fire Spirit. It would be akin to an expert beating up an ordinary player.

The Steel Puppet swung two of its four sabers at the Fire Spirit's claws. At the same time, it swung the other two sabers at the Fire Spirit's head and neck.

However, just as the four sabers were about to strike the Flame Dragon, the summoned creature altered its trajectory. Not only had it stopped the two sabers that aimed for its claws, but it had also diverted the blades to collide with the other pair of weapons, cleverly neutralizing the Steel Puppet's offensive.

The Flame Spirit also swept its tail at its opponent, catching the Steel Puppet off guard with the additional attack.

Peng!

As the Fire Spirit's burning tail slammed into its target, the construct was forced to take a step back, now sporting a new burn mark.

What... Irontooth's heart skipped a beat as he saw the scorched line across the Steel Puppet's chest.

Irontooth had fought and defeated countless experts in God's Domain. Hence, he could roughly determine an opponent's combat standards after a brief clash.

After the exchange with the Dragon before him, Irontooth was certain that it's combat standards were in no way inferior to an expert player's, and not just any ordinary expert. By Irontooth's estimates, the Fire Spirit's combat standard should reach the late stage of the Trial Tower's fifth floor. It was terrifying.

His combat standards while controlling the Combat Puppet were only on par with players that could reach the fifth floor's early-stage. He barely hit the mark of an ordinary expert. Even so, he was confident of facing multiple Tier 2 apex experts at once and coming out victorious.

Yet, not only did this Flame Dragon have the Strength and speed to rival the Steel Puppet, but it also had higher combat standards than the construct.

Just thinking about it caused a chill to crawl down Irontooth's spine.

With such power, the Fire Spirit would be even more frightening than a Steel Puppet in large-scale combat.

Meanwhile, Shi Feng's eyes glowed after watching the exchange.

As expected of an Advanced Fire Spirit. It already possesses such a high combat standard despite only being a Tier 3 Archaic Species. It's no wonder why the Tier 5 Advanced Fire Spirit in the past had forced Tier 5 experts to run with their tails between their legs. Shi Feng was ecstatic right now.

Unlike an ordinary Fire Spirit, an Advanced Fire Spirit's intellect wasn't constant. The more Mysterious Flames an Advanced Fire Spirit devoured, the greater intellect it would possess. It would have no trouble surpassing Refinement Realm experts' combat standards. Including the Dragon's superior Basic Attributes, not even apex experts of the same standard would be a match for the Advanced Fire Spirit. Furthermore, the Advanced Fire Spirit had a plethora of Curses.

"Ye Feng, I have to give it to you! I didn't think you would use such a precious tool to save your skin!" Irontooth said as he glared at Shi Feng. Gritting his teeth, he turned to look at his teammates and said, "We're retreating!"

After this last encounter, he realized what outcome awaited him if he continued this fight.

While he did not mind dying here, he couldn't afford to lose the Steel Puppet. The Fire Spirit had already proven that it could damage the construct, and if this battle dragged on, there was a very high chance that the Dragon before him would deplete the Steel Puppet's durability and turn it into a pile of scrap metal...

"Leaving?" Shi Feng smiled. "Do you think I'll allow that?"

"You couldn't stop us even if you wanted to!" Irontooth snapped.

The Steel Puppet's combat power was at the apex of Tier 3 due to its overwhelming Strength and speed. Even a Tier 3 Archaic Species would struggle to catch up to it.

"Is that so?" Shi Feng retrieved the Ring of Gospel and activated World Projection. With Shi Feng in the center, World Projection enveloped a 3,000-yard radius.

World Projection suppressed the flow of Mana within range. By doing so, it reduced players' physique and Basic Attributes. Players would also be prevented from teleporting and communicating with the outside world.

Although World Projection couldn't reduce a combat machine's Attributes, it affected the Steel Puppet's performance by stagnating the flow of Mana. Controlling it would become far more difficult, and even the Steel Puppet's speed would be affected.

The moment World Projection took effect, the Fire Spirit resumed its attack on the construct.

This time, damaging the Steel Puppet was much easier for the Flame Dragon, and the construct lost one point of durability after another.

Shi Feng wasn't idle in the meantime. He jumped in the fray, hunting down Sin Realm's other members.

While he was still under the effects of Twofold Berserk and World Projection suppressed his targets, Shi Feng slaughtered the fleeing Sin Realm players.

"No!" Irontooth's heart pounded as he watched the Steel Puppet's durability dwindle.

However, no matter how Irontooth tried to flee, he couldn't shake off the Flame Dragon. During the chase, the Fire Spirit cast one Tier 3 Curse after another, rapidly devouring the Steel Puppet's durability.

952.. .

814.. .

648.. .

Finally, before five minutes had passed since the Fire Spirit had graced the battlefield, both the Steel Puppet and Irontooth had been obliterated by the Flame Dragon's Tier 3 Curses...

Chapter 2003 - Famous in Purple Thorns

Crimson flames devoured the forest outside of the Elemental Altar. When the expert players gathering herbs nearby turned to look, they were stupefied.

They weren't surprised by the burning forest, but by the eight-meter-tall Flame Dragon that flew above the inferno. The Dragon's wingspan was over 20 meters, and its flaming body illuminated the dark, smokey sky.

"A Dragon?"

"Crap! That's a Level 80, Tier 3 Archaic Species! Isn't this area only supposed to have up to Level 75 monsters?"

"Is some kind of event taking place over there?"

Curiosity filled these experts as they watched the Flame Dragon. They began to head towards it to investigate. Events were commonplace in God's Domain, and if players could complete them, they could receive bountiful rewards.

Lying in the sea of fire was the Steel Puppet's heavily damaged body.

As expected of a Bronze Combat Puppet, it certainly wasn't easy to destroy. Anticipation filled Shi Feng as he gazed at the destroyed Steel Puppet.

He had his own Guardian Puppet Design, and as long as the Candlelight Trading Firm nurtured enough Master Lifestyle players and collected the necessary materials, he'd start producing his own Bronze Combat Puppets.

Like other war weapons, a force required a certain number of Combat Puppets to display their true potential. Had Sin Realm arrived with three or four of these constructs, Shi Feng would've found it difficult to escape, much less win the fight.

Multiple Combat Puppets were necessary due to their overly-monotonous attacks. Dodging and deflecting their attacks was simple, but if enough of these attacks targeted a player, even peak experts would fall.

A single Bronze Combat Puppet was already capable of displaying such power. Shi Feng found it truly hard to imagine what kind of power ten, or even a hundred, Bronze Combat Puppets could exhibit. Taking down Guild Towns would be child's play.

As Shi Feng recalled the Fire Spirit and prepared to leave using the Seven Luminaries Ring, he noticed two golden lights from beside the Steel Puppet's remains.

Irontooth's loot? Shi Feng approached curiously.

However, he was astonished after picking up the two items.

One of the items was a pair of Level 55 Secret-Silver ranked plate armor boots, and the other was a gemstone block within a steel frame.

Level 55 Secret-Silver Equipment was considered top-tier at this stage of the game. Even first-rate Guilds had a very small number of such items. Shi Feng assumed the boots had dropped from Irontooth.

However, Irontooth wasn't the origin of the gemstone block. Rather, it had dropped from the destroyed Steel Puppet.

The Steel Core!

This had been the Steel Puppet's power source, a must-have item when producing Combat Puppets.

Combat Puppet's power sources were the most difficult part to produce. Even Intermediate Master Forgers had an incredibly low success rate when forging them.

With this, I've just earned a free Combat Puppet. Shi Feng grinned at the undamaged Steel Core. Now, he only needed to construct a Guardian Puppet's frame and insert this core.

Fortunately, while a Bronze Combat Puppet's power source was difficult to produce, the other parts were not. Basic Master Lifestyle players could easily handle the rest.

After Shi Feng stored the Steel Core, he teleported to the Icefire Mountain Range with the Seven Luminaries Ring.

After some time, the Tier 2 Assassins that had been busy collecting herbs quietly snuck onto the battlefield. However, upon seeing the fallen Steel Puppet and its surroundings, they were stunned.

"What a huge robot!"

"What's going on?"

"What happened here? The terrain has been utterly destroyed!"

Once the crowd recovered from their shock, they noticed a player's corpse lying near the Steel Puppet. However, when they saw the player's appearance, they were flabbergasted.

"Sin Realm's Irontooth? Why is he here?"

"This can't be real, right? Irontooth is one of Sin Realm's seven great experts! He's the lead MT of Sin Realm's main force! How could he have died here?"

"Hold on. There are traces of another player, but they seem to have teleported away with a Return Scroll or something."

"Did they kill Irontooth?"

When the crowd considered the possibility, a chill ran down their spines.

Some of the players immediately posted what they had found on the Purple Thorns Kingdom's official forums, and the matter caused a sensation among the kingdom's general populace.

"Amazing! Someone actually killed Sin Realm's Irontooth!"

"But who would be so bold?"

"Irontooth died near Glory Town. Crocodile Breaker also died in the town earlier. It must be Ye Feng's doing. There's no way this is a coincidence."

"He killed two of Sin Realm's great experts so soon after arriving in the kingdom? Amazing! Ye Feng is simply awesome!" "Sin Realm definitely won't let Ye Feng off the hook now."

"Sure enough, Zero Wing is immensely powerful. It seems that our kingdom is going to get interesting."

The Purple Thorns Kingdom's population couldn't help but marvel at Zero Wing's strength. Despite being alone, Shi Feng had been responsible for the downfall of two of Sin Realm's great experts. It was clear how powerful Zero Wing was through these consecutive achievements.

While Shi Feng's first success might have been luck, could the same be said about his second?

For a time, the name 'Ye Feng' became well-known to the kingdom's players. Independent players that had feared Sin Realm now began to apply to join Zero Wing.

Meanwhile, news of this matter reached Sin Realm's Residence in Purple Thorns City.

"What did you say? The Steel Puppet has been destroyed?" Lone Beacon's eyes twitched when he heard his subordinate's report. A frosty aura enveloped the Guild Leader's office. "That Steel Puppet had Tier 3 defensive capabilities. How could a Tier 2 player possibly destroy it?"

"It's true, Guild Leader. That Ye Feng used a treasure to summon a Level 80, Tier 3 Archaic Species," Feather Hunter, who reported to Lone Beacon, explained.

Since he had only been tasked to track Shi Feng, he hadn't fought alongside Irontooth. Instead, he had observed the situation from afar, escaping Shi Feng's detection. Even so, he had broken out in a cold sweat while he had watched Shi Feng slaughter his Guildmates. He had also been relieved that he had refrained from joining the battle.

"A Tier 3 Archaic Species? How generous of Zero Wing!" Lone Beacon was astonished by the news. He had never heard of such a treasure, yet Zero Wing had spent it on a player that wasn't even one of the Guild's Vice Guild Leaders. However, Lone Beacon quickly calmed and continued coldly, "People are starting to look down at us since we haven't expanded our territory beyond the Purple Thorns Kingdom. And now, even a measly Guild like Zero Wing dares to pick a fight! Notify everyone in the Guild! From now on, they are to kill every Zero Wing member they come across!"

Understood!" Feather Hunter nodded sharply.

Chapter 2004 - Thunder Axe City

After about fifteen minutes of teleporting with the Seven Luminaries Ring, Shi Feng finally arrived in the Icefire Mountain Range.

Even from the range's entrance, Shi Feng could feel the bitingly cold wind against his face. If not for his high Ice Resistance, he would've frozen into an ice sculpture and died.

Although the Icefire Mountain Range wasn't a forbidden land, it wasn't an easy place for ordinary players to visit, either.

The mountain range was one-fifth the size of an ordinary kingdom, and either fire or ice enveloped the mountain's outer region. This map only had two entrances, one within the icy tundra, and the other within the flaming inferno. Both entry points led to the mysterious Thunder Axe City.

Fortunately, the ice zone wasn't as demanding on players as the fire zone. The ice zone's monsters ranged between Level 70 and 85, and they onl challenge was the area's high Ice Resistance requirement. If players wanted to survive in this cold, they'd need at least 100 points in their Ice Resistance. Any fewer and players would lose HP constantly, and the low temperature would reduce their mobility. If players wanted to fight at their peak here, they'd need at least 120 points of Ice Resistance.

The fire zone's monsters ranged between Level 80 and 90, and players would be fine with 80 Fire Resistance; 100 if they wanted to fight unaffected.

Shi Feng didn't linger around the entrance, summoning his Mount and venturing into the mountain range.

All Teleportation Skills and tools were prohibited within the Icefire Mountain Range. Players had to rely on their own feet or Mounts to explore the map.

Although there weren't a lot of monsters in the ice zone's outer region, the mountain range was a natural maze. The paths through the range were complicated and often crossed each other. There were also plenty of hidden magic traps. Depending on a trap's strength, one could die on the spot or be stuck in place for several hours.

Even though Shi Feng was somewhat familiar with the Icefire Mountain Range, he didn't dare to proceed carelessly.

Since Shi Feng was the first player to explore this map, he was able to claim several Treasure Chests as he explored the mountain range.

After over eight hours of maneuvering through the ice zone's outer region, Shi Feng had obtained a total of five Treasure Chests, four of which were Bronze Rank and one was Mysterious-Iron rank. This was far more than what one would expect to find exploring a map within a kingdom.

Weapons and equipment became scarcer after Level 50, and Treasure Chests were even rare. One would be very fortunate to come across a Bronze Treasure Chest in Level 50 maps or above. Obtaining a Mysterious-Iron Treasure Chest in a Level 70 map was akin to securing the loot of a Level 70 Grand Lord without expending any energy.

As Shi Feng expected, the Treasure Chests contained Level 70 equipment. The most valuable of the multiple pieces he had obtained was a pair of Level 70 Secret-Silver ranked cloth armor gloves. He had also gained some potions, Tier 1 Magic Scrolls, and Magic Crystals, all of which could fetch a considerable sum if sold on the market.

"I'm finally here," Shi Feng muttered as he arrived before a steep mountainside and stared at the cave entrance that was behind a magic array. This was where his Exploration Quest began, and it was the only entrance to Thunder Axe City.

Even after the various superpowers' peak experts had reached Level 75 in the past, they still hadn't been able to break through this array. Players had only been successful after reaching Level 77 and donning Level 75 and 80 top-tier equipment.

Following which, Shi Feng retrieved the Magic Scroll the Adventurer's Association had given him and used it to remove the magic array on the cave's entrance.

The moment Shi Feng removed the magic array, an enraged roar reached him from within the cave, echoing throughout the mountain range and causing the surrounding monsters to flee.

What a powerful pressure! It's no wonder why ordinary experts had refused to enter this cave in the past. Even Shi Feng felt slightly uncomfortable as the pressure washed over him.

Despite this, however, Shi Feng didn't hesitate in the slightest as he entered the cave.

Once he stepped inside, a new magic array sealed the cave entrance once more, entrapping the pressure within.

The cave's interior wasn't dark; on the contrary, it was as bright as day. Various crystals that radiated a faint glow covered the cave walls, and armed Gargoyles wandered the cavern. These Gargoyles occasionally emerged and entered the tunnel at the other end of the cavern.

[Enraged Gargoyle] (Elemental Creature, Lord)

Level 75

HP 15,000,000/15,000,000

[Gargoyle Warrior) (Elemental Creature, Great Lord) Level 76

HP 40,000,000/40,000,000

Although these Gargoyles were not particularly strong, they moved in groups of three to five. Moreover, there wasn't much distance between each group. If players weren't careful, they might attract two or more groups of monsters at once. While this might not be a challenge for a group of Tier 2 players, players had to face the Exploration Quest alone. Meanwhile, individual Tier 2 players would struggle to defeat the Great Lord ranked Gargoyle Warriors. It was only natural that so many peak experts in the past had failed to reach Thunder Axe City, even after reaching Level 75.

Following which, Shi Feng threw Howling Thunder at an Enraged Gargoyle.

Xiu!

An arc of blue lightning streaked toward one of the wandering Enraged Gargoyles, but just as Howling Thunder was about to find its mark, the Gargoyle's eyes glowed with a red light. The monster then swept its stone axe in a horizontal arc.

Dang!

A crisp, metallic clang echoed throughout the cavern.

What fast reaction speed! Shi Feng was astonished.

Although his attack was relaxed, his aim had been perfect. The targeted Enraged Gargoyle's back had been turned towards him, as well. Normally, the attack would've even struck elite players, yet this monster had reacted in time to block it...

Before Shi Feng could launch another attack, the Enraged Gargoyle and three of its companions charged toward him with even higher Movement Speed than a Tier 2 Assassin expert.

"What about this, then?" Shi Feng threw Howling Thunder again.

Tier 1 Throwing Skill, Phantom Thorns!

Suddenly, Howling Thunder split into over a dozen copies as it flew toward the four Enraged Gargoyles, accurately aimed for the Gargoyle's blind spots.

Dang... Dang... Dang...

A series of metallic clangs echoed throughout the cavern as the Enraged Gargoyles blocked most of the incoming attacks, but one phantom slipped past and struck a Gargoyle's rocky form. The attack forced the Enraged Gargoyle to stumble one step back and lose over 10,000 HP.

Their combat standards are so high? Shi Feng was actually surprised to see the Enraged Gargoyle stumble backward.

Shi Feng learned through this clash that these Enraged Gargoyles' combat standards were on par with the Trial Tower's fourth-floor. They weren't far behind expert players in terms of combat standards.

If an ordinary Tier 2 expert encountered four Lord ranked monsters with such high combat standards, their death would be guaranteed. Only Refinement Realm experts and stronger players would have any hope against them.

Now, Shi Feng, more or less, understood why the past's Level 75 peak experts hadn't been able to activate Thunder Axe City. If the monsters at the beginning of the quest were so tough, it was easy to imagine how challenging the monsters would be further down the tunnel.

Although these four Enraged Gargoyles were impressively strong, against Shi Feng, who had the Attributes of a Level 70 Great Lord, they were a joke. Shi Feng took less than ten minutes to eliminate all four Gargoyles.

When the Enraged Gargoyles died and dropped their loot, one shining item, in particular, caught Shi Feng's attention.

Chapter 2005 - Treasure Trove of Materials

These Enraged Gargoyles actually have a chance of dropping this? Shi Feng could not help but become a little excited as he stared at the glowing, golden pebble on the ground.

This pebble was known as the Earth's Spirit

This was an extremely rare material that only dropped from special earth-type Elemental Creatures; ordinary earth-type Elemental had no chance of dropping it. Meanwhile, on the market, one Earth's Spirit could sell for 50 Silver.

Furthermore, one could synthesize an Earth Essence from 100 Earth's Spirits.

Like Sun Essence, Earth Essence could be used when crafting power sources for mechanical tools. It could also strengthen the power cores, infusing the core with Attributed Mana.

Shi Feng had actually obtained an Earth's Spirit after killing four Enraged Gargoyles. Why wouldn't he be excited?

Even now, Zero Wing had only collected a few Sun Essences. They were simply too difficult to procure, and Earth Essence was just as rare.

When Shi Feng turned to look at the rest of the wandering Enraged Gargoyles, he realized that this cavern was a true treasure trove. He then retrieved the Bible of Darkness and Fire Spirit, summoning a Level 85, Tier 3 Demon and the Level 80 Flame Dragon to annihilate the Enraged Gargoyles.

He had no intention of slowly grinding these monsters. Instead, he directed his Demon to lure and gather multiple groups of these Enraged Gargoyles and Gargoyle Warriors. The Enraged Gargoyles were only Lords, and both types of Gargoyles were melee monsters. The Level 85, Tier 3 Demon could easily maneuver around most of their attacks.

The Demon had gathered every monster within the cavern and a few from the distant tunnel. There were easily over a hundred Gargoyles chasing the Demon. So many monsters could annihilate a 1,000-man elite team without effort, and not even the Level 85, Tier 3 Demon would last long against the group. In fact, the Demon had already lost more than a quarter of its HP by luring these monsters. If the Demon hadn't had such a level advantage, these Gargoyles, all of which possessed incredible combat standards, would've long since devoured it.

"Excellent! Attack!" Shi Feng ordered the Fire Spirit to join the fray as the Tier 3 Demon ran back from the distant tunnel.

When the Fire Spirit had become a Level 80, Tier 3 Archaic Species, it had gained plenty of Tier 3 Curses. The Flame Dragon alone could make up for the DPS of several Tier 3 Great Mages.

Shortly after the Demon left the tunnel, a sea of fire engulfed the area behind it. The dirt floor under the inferno melted, transforming into a field of molten lava. The moment the Gargoyles entered the lava field, their Movement Speeds decreased by 90% as if they had stepped into a muddy swamp. They also lost over 400,000 HP per second.

Joining the attack, Shi Feng used Flame Domain, and a towering fire pillar enveloped the tunnel's entrance, catching every Gargoyle within. Although his Flame Domain only dealt a little more than -200,000 damage each second, which couldn't compare to the Fire Spirit's DPS, it was still an impressive amount of damage.

As the Gargoyles tried to flee the lava field, the Flame Dragon cast another Tier 3 Curse.

A vortex of raging flames manifested in the center of the Gargoyle army, pulling the monsters into the fire and preventing them from escaping the lava field. At the same time, damages exceeding -300,000 appeared above the Gargoyles' heads every second, and this damage increased as time passed.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shi Feng and the Tier 3 Demon used one AOE attack after another.

Under the constant bombardment, the Enraged Gargoyles quickly lost all of their HP and collapsed, items appearing beside their corpses, but despite their high levels, they awarded very little EXP.

By the time the Gargoyles escaped the lava field, only two dozen or so monsters remained of the 100-plus group. Aside from five Gargoyle Warriors, the surviving monsters were Enraged Gargoyles with only a strand of HP remaining.

Shi Feng immediately instructed his Tier 3 Demon and Flame Dragon to destroy the Gargoyle Warriors while he took care of the low-HP Enraged Gargoyles.

After another ten minutes or so, every lured Gargoyle was dead, leaving a spread of items behind.

Although the dropped items were only materials, Shi Feng was delighted by the outcome. He had gained 16 Earth's Spirits from this wave, as well as various rare ores. He had even acquired Titan Ore, a metal that was exceptionally rare in the outside world.

Although Titan Ore was not as good as Fine Titan Ore, which could be smelted into Fine Titan Ingots directly, Shi Feng could create Fine Titan Ingots with his harvest However, he'd need ten times as much Titan Ore to do so.

After tidying up the loot, Shi Feng continued to rely on the Tier 3 Demon to lure monsters from the tunnel, clearing the tunnel out while advancing.

The cave was like a maze, and the farther Shi Feng ventured, the more monsters he encountered. The monsters also grew stronger as he progressed through the tunnel system. However, this strength increase wasn't in the form of Basic Attributes, but combat standards. The monsters he had initially fought had combat standards at the early stage of the Trial Tower's fourth floor, but he soon encountered monsters on par with the fourth floor's middle-stage. While this increase might not seem significant, the difficulty of eliminating these monsters increased by a large margin.

If not for the Tier 3 Demon and Fire Spirit's Attribute and level advantages, Shi Feng wouldn't have been able to explore this maze.

However, as Shi Feng traveled deeper into the cave system, his group's overall combat power also increased. With the Bible of Darkness's Cooldown and duration, he could command up to three Demons at a time. Combined with the Fire Spirit's overwhelming firepower, dealing with large groups of Gargoyles wasn't much of a problem, although his progress through the tunnel was painfully slow.

After fighting for four consecutive days, Shi Feng finally emerged from the underground maze. Although several traps had nearly claimed his life, he, fortunately, had the Flame Dragon to help with the burden, forcing his way through the tunnel.

Although the past four days had been an incredible challenge for Shi Feng, he had secured a bountiful harvest He had collected more than 3,200 Earth's Spirits and over 11,000 pieces of Titan Ore. If sold, he could easily make a fortune off these items.

Despite how little EXP the Gargoyles rewarded, Shi Feng had slain enough to raise his experience bar to 43% of Level 70.

His leveling speed was only slightly slower than ordinary expert players of his level.

As Shi Feng left the underground maze, he arrived before a vast, ancient shrine. Although the shrine had fallen into ruin, the gigantic crystal suspended in the center still shone brilliantly and exuded a frighteningly dense Mana.

When Shi Feng entered the shrine, he felt a chill assault his body, and he unconsciously halted his advanced.

Is the system joking? The corners of Shi Feng's eyes twitched as he stared at the crystalline statue in the center of the shrine. The towering, crystalline statue's eyes glowed with a crimson light, and the dense, ambient Mana flooded into the statue, disintegrating the crystal and revealing the monster within the shell. As more of the monster's body was exposed to the open air, its aura grew stronger. It took no time at all for its aura to grow stronger than that of an ordinary Mythic monster. Why is a Ferocious Beast guarding this place?

Before Shi Feng could process the situation, the Level 80 Mythic ranked Ancient Earth Serpent was freed from its crystalline prison and shot forward. Before the three Tier 3 Demons and Fire Spirit could react, the Earth Serpent threw the summoned creatures, sending them crashing into the surrounding stone pillars. After getting rid of the four obstacles, the serpent spread its jaws and pounced on Shi Feng.

Chapter 2006 - Altar

The Ancient Earth Serpent's sudden attack caught Shi Feng off guard. Moreover, it was so fast that even Tier 3 apex experts struggle to react in time. Needless to say, responding to this attack was impossible for a Level 70, Tier 2 player like Shi Feng.

[Ancient Earth Serpent) (Ferocious Beast, Mythic) Level 80

HP??????/??????

It's over... Shi Feng could only watch as the Ancient Earth Serpent's massive jaws descended on him. With no other choice, he activated Absolute Domain, but even he doubted that the Invulnerability Skill would be useful against the Earth Serpent...

The Ancient Earth Serpent was an apex monster, even among Ferocious Beasts. It had been capable of slaughtering Gods in ancient times, and its Life Rating was now weaker than a Dragon's.

According to legend, the strongest Ancient Earth Serpent had even devoured Gods. Since the Ancient Earth Serpent's stomach was a gate to another dimension, the swallowed Gods had been trapped until death had come to claim them.

Although the Ancient Earth Serpent before him was only a Level 80 Mythic monster, it was a bona fide Ferocious Beast. He couldn't avoid being eaten even if he activated an Invulnerability Skill.

Sure enough, the Ancient Earth Serpent swallowed Shi Feng whole. After devouring Shi Feng, the Ancient Earth Serpent began to attack the Tier 3 Demons and Flame Dragon, which had just recovered from the previous attack.

Meanwhile, Shi Feng found himself surrounded by darkness. Although he hadn't received any damage, a powerful suction prevented him from moving. He could only allow the force to drag him towards the small dot in the Ancient Earth Serpent's stomach.

Although the dot seemed small, it grew as Shi Feng approached.

Have I failed? Shi Feng watched the black dot grow in frustration.

Although he had not challenged the Thunder Axe City's Exploration Quest personally before, he had learned about it in the past Based on what he had heard, the Guardian Boss should've been an ordinary Mythic monster. There hadn't been any mention of a Ferocious Beast.

As long as one used the Sealing Stone to reduce the Guardian Boss's strength, they could complete the Exploration Quest.

But if the Guardian Boss were a Ferocious Beast like the Ancient Earth Serpent, the Sealing Stone would be meaningless. Not even Level 80 players could contend with a Level 80 Grand Lord ranked Ancient Earth Serpent. Even summoning a Tier 4 existence to fight would result in the same outcome.

The Ancient Earth Serpent's Life Rating was in no way inferior to that of Dragons. Even at the Grand Lord rank, the Ancient Earth Serpent could easily defeat Tier 4 monsters. Moreover, as a Ferocious Beast, the Ancient Earth Serpent possessed an extraordinary life force. Unlike other monsters, the serpent recovered 2% of its HP per second and wielded heaven-defying Innate Skills.

A Level 150 Mythic Ancient Earth Spirit had appeared in God's Domain in the past. To raid it, a superpower had formed a 100-man expert team of 95 Tier 4 players and five Tier 5 players. The team had been the best any superpower could muster, but it had still been annihilated in the end...

The Level 150 Ancient Earth Serpent had only been slain after players had reached Tier 6.

Although the Ancient Earth Serpent he currently faced was only a Level 80 Mythic monster, not even a 100-man team of Level 100, Tier 3 players had any hope of defeating it.

A short moment later, the mysterious force within the serpent pulled Shi Feng into the black dot. He immediately felt time and space warp around him. When he opened his eyes, he was stupefied by the scene before him.

Where is this? Shi Feng observed his surroundings in a daze.

He stood on an altar that floated in an endless void. A magic barrier, which prevented this world's boundless power from crushing the altar, enveloped it. In addition, a colossal serpent of immeasurable length had wrapped itself around the citysized altar. This was none other than the gigantified Ancient Earth Serpent.

If not for the magic barrier, Shi Feng had no doubt that the Ancient Earth Serpent could easily devour the altar in a few bites...

Examining the altar on which he stood, Shi Feng realized that it was empty. Only twelve light pillars were located in the altar's center, in addition to an eye-catching Treasure Chest made of Seven Luminaries Crystals at the core.

Seven Luminaries Crystal was intensely rare and valuable in God's Domain. One could sell a fist-sized crystal and earn enough money to live the rest of their life without worrying about food or shelter.

Shi Feng couldn't help but walk towards the Treasure Chest when he saw it, but when he was over 200 yards away, the twelve light pillars released a blinding glow. Responding to his movements, the light pillars launched one beam attack after another at the intruding Swordsman. Not only were these attacks incredibly fast, but they were also nimble and flexible.

Twelve light beams assaulted Shi Feng from multiple directions in the blink of an eye.

Absolute Domain's duration had already ended, and not daring to be careless, Shi Feng activated Heavenly Dragon's Power and brandished his two swords.

Boom... Boom... Boom...

Every one of the twelve beam attacks had Tier 4 Strength, and the instant his blades encountered the beams, Shi Feng felt his arms go numb. Fortunately, he had successfully stopped all twelve attacks from landing and deflected a few. In the end, he only lost a little over 10,000 HP. With Heavenly Dragon's Power, he could afford to block another 40 waves of attacks without a problem.

However, as the twelve light pillars brightened again, Shi Feng noticed that the altar had begun to disintegrate around the edges.

It seems I have no choice but to give it my all! Shi Feng understood that his life was on the line. If he did not reach the Treasure Chest quickly enough, either the twelve light pillars would kill him, or he'd die from falling into the endless void.

Shi Feng dashed toward the Treasure Chest However, as he grew closer to it, avoiding the light pillars' attacks became trickier.

Why does this situation seem so much like the Realms of Truth trial? Once Shi Feng was within 100 yards of the Treasure Chest, he realized that the light pillars' attacks were not without purpose. He also understood that no player could set foot within 100 yards of the Treasure Chest unless they had entered the Realms of Truth. Is this place testing players' advancement in the Realms of Truth?

The closer Shi Feng got to the Treasure Chest, the more frenzied the twelve light pillars' attacks became. After some point, the light pillars had begun to launch far more attacks. If he hadn't already reached the Ascension Realm and weren't able to utilize the beam attacks to nullify others, he wouldn't have been able to advance.

Faced with more frequent attacks, Shi Feng executed Sword's Transmigration, the strongest combat technique in his arsenal. Although the combat technique was a massive burden on his Stamina and Concentration, he had no choice if he wanted to move farther.

However, he continued to lose HP rapidly after executing Sword's Transmigration. Seeing this, he activated Void Shield.

Once Shi Feng was within 50 yards of the Treasure Chest, the attacks' ferocity increased yet again. At this time, Void Shield's energy reserve quickly drained, and his HP began to plummet again.

80%... 60%... 30%...

When only 20 yards separated him from his target, Shi Feng knew that he didn't have enough HP to last as he crossed the remaining distance. He was at his limit. If attacks' intensity increased any further, he would have no hope of survival.

Screw it! Realizing that he couldn't get through this trial in his current state, Shi Feng steeled his heart and activated Blade Awakening, the second Legacy Berserk Skill he had learned. His Basic Attributes and Physique skyrocketed, significantly improving his reactions. Following which, he activated Blade Dance, a Legacy Skill he was not adept at using.

He then retrieved Netherworld Brilliance, the weapon he had ignored in his bag for so long, and used it, Killing Ray, and the Abyssal Blade to block the incoming beam attacks.

As he executed Sword's Transmigration with three swords, the technique's defensive capabilities rose considerably.

In no time at all, Shi Feng arrived before the Seven Luminaries Treasure Chest.

Chapter 2007 - Ring of Gospel Upgraded

The moment Shi Feng entered the circle of the twelve light pillars, the attacks stopped. Seeing this, he breathed out a sigh of relief.

At this moment, he had less than 10% of his HP remaining. He would've definitely died had he suffered a few more rounds of attacks.

Fortunately, he possessed the Skill Blade Dance. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to cross the final 20 yards.

Not only did Blade Dance allow him to control additional swords_up to a maximum of five_that could exhibit 80% of his Basic Attributes, but the additional swords would also exhibit their own Attributes. This was the reason why Netherworld Brilliance could deflect the beam attacks, which carried Strength at the Tier 4 standard. The extra swords would be much more powerful than the Abyssal Blade phantoms summoned using Nine Dragons Slash. Since Shi Feng had Twofold Berserk activated, Netherworld Brilliance displayed Strength close to rivaling ordinary Mythic monsters of the same level.

If not for Blade Dance and Netherworld Brilliance, he definitely wouldn't have gotten a single step past the 20-yard mark, doomed to be whittled to death by the beam attacks.

I wonder what is inside this Treasure Chest to warrant such a test? Even a Domain Realm expert would've died to those beam attacks without any achievements in the Realms of Truth. Even now, when Shi Feng looked at the twelve light pillars hovering above him, he still shuddered involuntarily in fear.

The difficulty of this quest definitely surpassed that of the Epic rank. Shi Feng found it hard to believe that a player below Level 80 had managed to complete the quest After all, even he, someone who had reached the second stage in the Realms of Truth, had to rely on three swords to defend himself—and just barely passed.

After resting for a while, he carefully approached the Treasure Chest made entirely of Seven Luminaries Crystals. He then tapped his finger on the chest and chose to activate it

Immediately, a loading bar appeared before his eyes.

The instant the loading bar filled up and the Treasure Chest opened, the twelve light pillars hovering overhead transformed into twelve streaks of light that flowed into the Treasure Chest, which then released a colorful glow. Shortly afterward, Shi Feng felt a horrific pressure coming from the Treasure Chest

This pressure spread out like a boundless ocean. Shi Feng could not move his body at all, not until after the pressure started lightening up.

Meanwhile, once the colorful glow disappeared, the items inside the Treasure Chest came into view.

The Treasure Chest held a total of three items. One was a Rubik's Cube made of Seven Luminaries Crystal, one was an orb that gave off a fiery glow, and one was a crystal that gave off a dazzling purple glow.

No wonder the test was so difficult! The reward is so generous! Realization immediately dawned upon Shi Feng as he took in these three items. He could not help but grow ecstatic, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. This was especially true when he looked at the fiery orb and the dazzling crystal.

The Rubik's Cube made of Seven Luminaries Crystal was none other than the key to activate Thunder Axe City—and the item he needed to complete his Exploration Quest. As for the fiery orb, it was an item that even superpowers would fight desperately to obtain.

The reason for this was the Tier 3 Mysterious Flame Fallen Earthfire contained within this orb. It was a treasure that could significantly increase the production success rate of forgers and alchemists.

To Shi Feng, it was crucial for controlling his Soul Fire.

Tier 3 Mysterious Flames were exceedingly rare in God's Domain; there might not even be one Tier 3 Mysterious Flame in an entire kingdom. Its value was not the slightest bit lower than that of a Fragmented Legendary item.

Previously, he had obtained the Purple Thunder Flame, a Tier 3 Mysterious Flame, due to luck. The Purple Thunder Flame had allowed him to increase his control over the Soul Fire by a significant margin and greatly reduce the corrosion rate of the Soul Chain. If he could absorb another Tier 3 Mysterious Flame, he might be able to gain full control over the Soul Fire; then, he would not have to worry about the corrosion of the Soul Chain.

Of course, he could also feed the Tier 3 Mysterious Flame to the Fire Spirit. However, a Tier 3 Mysterious Flame was not enough to allow the current Fire Spirit to undergo a qualitative transformation, because the gap between Tier 3 and Tier 4 was massive. Shi Feng estimated that he would need at least two Tier 3 Mysterious Flames to upgrade the Fire Spirit to Tier 4. Either that, ortons of Tier 1 and Tier 2 Mysterious Flames.

Hence, rather than provide the Fire Spirit with a slight boost in combat power, using the Fallen Earthfire to remove the reaper's scythe hovering above his head would be more advantageous.

The last item inside the Treasure Chest was also the most valuable among the three.

Sacred Source Crystal!

The value of this item easily surpassed the combined value of two Fragmented Legendary items.

The Sacred Source Crystal was so valuable because it was guaranteed to upgrade one item to the Fragmented Legendary rank—even if it was a Bronze item.

The Sacred Source Crystal was something every expert player dreamed of obtaining.

After all, every weapon and equipment had different compatibility with players. If players were not compatible with a particular weapon or equipment, even if said weapon or equipment was at the Fragmented Legendary rank, they would not be able to exhibit the Fragmented Legendary item's full potential.

However, how precious were Fragmented Legendary items?

Even apex experts might not necessarily own one in their lifetimes. One would be fortunate to obtain a Fragmented Legendary item, let alone be picky about one's compatibility with it

Hence, the scarcity of Fragmented Legendary items allowed the Sacred Source Crystal to shine.

There were millions and billions of weapons and equipment available in God's Domain. While Fragmented Legendary items might be extremely rare, items between the Bronze and Dark-Gold rank were everywhere. With the Sacred Source Crystal, players could simply find an item that was compatible with them and upgrade it to the Fragmented Legendary rank. The aid the Sacred Source Crystal provided to players was simply massive.

Take weapons for example. With a compatible weapon, their combat power would increase by at least 20%.

In the past, when the Sacred Source Crystal made its initial appearance in an Auction House, the various superpowers had hotly contested over it. In the end, one superpower had used three Fragmented Legendary items to trade for the Sacred Source Crystal. Back then, many had found the trade preposterous. As a result, many had ridiculed the buyer for making a loss.

However, after obtaining the Sacred Source Crystal, the superpower that purchased it had managed to allow one of its Tier 5 experts to get promoted to the Tier 6 God rank.

This achievement had stupefied the various superpowers. They had never considered that a Fragmented Legendary item with high compatibility would provide so much help. Normally, even several Fragmented Legendary items would not necessarily be enough to help a player reach the Tier 6 standard.

As for the superpower that sold the Sacred Source Crystal, it had nearly died of regret after finding out about this matter. After all, a Tier 6 God-ranked expert was worth far more than just three measly Fragmented Legendary items.

Hence, now that a Sacred Source Crystal had appeared before Shi Feng, how could he not be ecstatic?

Which item should I upgrade? Shi Feng's mind started turning rapidly as he gazed at the Sacred Source Crystal.

The weapons and equipment he had on him right now were all top-tier at this stage of the game. Weapons were no doubt what could increase a player's combat power the most However, both the Abyssal Blade and Killing Ray were top-tier Epic Weapons that were extremely close to the Fragmented Legendary standard.

If he chose to upgrade either of these two weapons, he would simply be wasting the Sacred Source Crystal. After all, the Abyssal Blade and Killing Ray both had a chance to reach the Fragmented Legendary rank—especially Killing Ray. So long as he collected the remaining fragments of Solomon's Sword, he would be able to synthesize a true Legendary Weapon.

As for upgrading a piece of equipment, to a Swordsman like himself, this was even more wasteful than upgrading his swords.

After giving the matter some thought, Shi Feng retrieved the Ring of Gospel from his bag.

Let's have you upgraded. Immediately, Shi Feng tapped the Sacred Source Crystal and chose the Epic ranked Ring of Gospel as the target of evolution.

Chapter 2008 - Miniature World

After Shi Feng selected the target of evolution, countless streams of light suddenly flowed from the Sacred Source Crystal into the Ring of Gospel. Due to the Sacred Source Crystal's power, the incomplete divine runes and magic arrays engraved on the Ring of Gospel started completing themselves.

A few seconds later, a purple-gold ring exuding a frightening aura that even froze the surrounding space appeared before Shi Feng.

What powerful pressure! At this moment, the pressure from the Ring of Gospel surpassed even the aura of an ordinary Mythic monster. Even Shi Feng felt slightly uncomfortable when subjected to it.

The Ring of Gospel was one of the extremely few domain items in God's Domain. It was exceedingly useful to both individual players and Guilds. However, as an Epic item, it had a major flaw—it needed to be fed 20,000 Magic Crystals every seven days, a price no ordinary Guild could afford. As for Zero Wing, this was still a significant expenditure even after obtaining the Manatite vein.

Hence, Shi Feng had decided to upgrade the Ring of Gospel in order to rid himself of this troublesome flaw.

Shortly after, the Ring of Gospel released the surrounding space. Only then could Shi Feng finally move his body again. As for the Ring of Gospel itself, it returned to his hand. At this moment, though, the ring gave off a completely different feeling than before.

The ring felt extremely heavy. However, this weight did not originate from the ring itself but was a pressure coming from the surrounding space. Meanwhile, this pressure had reduced his combat power by a minimum of 50%, a phenomenon he had never experienced before when using the Ring of Gospel previously.

Could a deviation have occurred during the upgrade? Shi Feng could not help worrying. Hurriedly, he inspected the ring's Attribute Panel.

When an item's quality increased, normally, its effects would grow stronger. However, some items would encounter an error during the upgrade process and develop different effects. Some items would even have their nature altered completely. Although such occurrences were extremely rare, the chances were not zero. It was also the outcome that players dreaded seeing the most

[Ring of Gospel] (Fragmented Legendary Rank Item)

Crafted by the Dark Shaman King after gathering the world's energy, this ring contains a miniature world. The ring's inner space was further perfected using a Sacred Source Stone. The ring can suppress an area's space, granting the wielder absolute dominance over the space.

Additional Skill 1-

Miniature World: Freezes the space within a radius of 5,000 yards. All enemies within the area cannot use teleportation tools or teleportation-type Skills, and communication with the outside world is severed. Weakens enemies' physiques by 30% and decreases Basic Attributes by 30%, Movement Speed by 50%, and reaction speed by 30%. Maintaining Miniature World costs 5,000 Magic Crystals every 10 minutes. No Cooldown. (Cannot be used before binding.)

Additional Skill 2-

Ring of Brilliance: Improves all allies' physiques by 20% and increases Basic Attributes by 20% within a 2,000-yard radius. Increases an area's Mana density by 100%. Maintaining Ring of Brilliance costs 2,000 Magic Crystals every 30 minutes. No Cooldown. (Cannot be used before binding.)

As the Ring of Gospel contains an inner world, it is strongly rejected by the outside world. Existences below Tier 4 will be greatly suppressed by the external world's power when using this ring. The higher tiered the user is, the weaker the suppression will be.

It didn't deviate? Shi Feng breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw the Ring of Gospel's Attributes.

Although the upgrade had increased the usage requirement, the Ring of Gospel's Skills had also received significant improvements. Previously, the Ring of Gospel simply placed a seal on the affected space. Now, the ring directly froze it.

One could say that the Ring of Gospel's strength had improved from its original Intermediate Magic Array standard to the Advanced Magic Array standard. Moreover, Miniature World was even more powerful than the average Advanced Field Magic Array, as it was a combination of a Field Magic Array and a Barrier Magic Array. Only, the number of Magic Crystals required to operate it remained horrifying. Fortunately, he no longer needed to feed the ring 20,000 Magic Crystals every week.

With this improvement, the Ring of Gospel would be useful in both raiding bosses and large-scale combat out in the fields.

After upgrading the Ring of Gospel, Shi Feng stored it and walked to the teleportation array engraved at the altar's center. His body then transformed into a streak of light and disappeared from the altar. After he left, the altar crumbled rapidly and vanished into the void.

By the time Shi Feng opened his eyes again, he had appeared inside a grand Teleportation Hall.

This place is...Thunder Axe City? Shi Feng was surprised to see the four-meter-tall Level 200 NPC soldiers inside the hall. He had expected to get teleported to outside the Icefire Mountain Range, not directly to Thunder Axe City.

Normally, after Thunder Axe City was activated, players had to enter the city via the teleportation array in the Icefire Mountain Range's outer area. Meanwhile, activating the outer area's teleportation array required one to use the Rubik's Cube obtained through the Exploration Quest on the teleportation array. Only after arriving inside Thunder Axe City and handing the Rubik's Cube over to the Thunder Axe Giants' Great Elder would players be able to fully activate Thunder Axe City.

Now that he had directly teleported to Thunder Axe City, he could save up on a lot of travel time.

Just as Shi Feng was about to exit the Teleportation Hall, he suddenly noticed a bunch of new messages from Aqua Rose and Blackie.

Why are there so many messages? Did something happen? Shi Feng eyed the messages with some confusion.

His communication with the outside world had been severed when he entered the cave. However, when he was doing his quest inside the cave, he had logged off to rest every day. During these break periods, he would contact Aqua Rose and Blackie to get an update on the latest developments in Zero Wing and God's Domain. Before he logged into the game this evening, Aqua Rose and Blackie hadn't reported any problems. Now, after just a few hours, the two of them had sent him more than ten messages in total.

Shi Feng immediately contacted Aqua Rose.

"Guild Leader, are you done with your quest?" Aqua Rose asked.

"Mhm, it's mostly finished," Shi Feng replied, nodding. "I received quite a few messages from both you and Blackie. Did something happen outside?"

The fact that he was challenging a high-ranking quest and unable to make contact with the outside world was something the Guild upper echelons knew. Hence, they wouldn't contact him unless there was something extremely important. After all, his quest was very dangerous, and even the slightest mistake could result in failure. He could not afford any disturbance whatsoever.

"Originally, today was just like any normal day. Although our Guild members have continuously clashed with the various large Guilds at the Witch's Hill, there were no large-scale battles involving more than a thousand players. However, just three hours ago, players capable of transforming into monsters appeared among the enemy. These players are extremely strong, and every one of them could rival High Lords of the same level in terms of Basic Attributes. Some of these players even have Attributes of a Great Lord. Moreover, these players are all experts, so they could slaughter even our Tier 2 experts with ease.

"Our Guild members are no match for these people. Currently, several thousand members have already been killed. Due to these monster players, our members can't grind at the Witch's Hill at all," Aqua Rose said, frustrated.

Although their side had killed a few of these monster players, the difference in the casualties the two sides suffered was massive. Until now, they hadn't even killed 500 of these monster players, yet their side had already suffered more than 5,000 casualties. Moreover, the only reason why they managed to kill these monster players was mainly the Magicbreaking Crossbows and Basic Combat Devices. However, there were simply too few of these tools available, so contending against these monster players was simply impossible.

Players transforming into monsters? Shi Feng frowned upon hearing Aqua Rose's words. How willing of them.

He knew a little about matters regarding players transforming into monsters. It was indeed possible to accomplish this feat by utilizing special Legacies or tools. The Evil God's Temple's Legacy was one such example. Only, the Evil Dragonification process was the ability of one of the Evil God's Temple's Peak Legacies. Moreover, transforming a player into an Evil Dragon required the sacrifice of a large number of players. Going through such a transformation process simply wasn't worthwhile for regular Guilds.

Shi Feng had Aqua Rose notify all Guild members operating in Zero Wing City to stop grinding in the Witch's Hill and shift to other locations instead. After all, it wouldn't be wise to continue clashing with these monster players without proper countermeasures.

As for Shi Feng himself, he hastened his steps and headed straight for the Great Elder's mansion.

Chapter 2009 - Thunder Axe City Activated

When Shi Feng walked out of the Teleportation Hall, he was greeted by the sight of a very wide street with NPC Giants walking along it. If players were to visit this city, they would definitely feel very out of place.

The buildings in the city were also extremely large. Even the carriages used to travel around the city were much larger than the carriages found in other NPC cities. Moreover, the carriages here were pulled by the much larger and stronger herbivorous Earth Dragons, instead of horses. Aside from Giants, NPCs belonging to other neutral races also lived here, including the extremely rare Elves.

Although Elves looked very similar to Half-elf players, the Life Ratings of the two were as different as heaven and earth.

During the ancient era, Elves could be said to have been the messengers of Gods. They were the beloved children of magical elements, and they could cast Spells above their tier effortlessly. However, as the Gods in God's Domain fell, the Elven race also went into decline, the race's population continuously decreasing as the years went by.

Players visiting Thunder Axe City for the first time would definitely be very shocked by this scene. Shi Feng, however, had long since grown accustomed to it. He immediately hailed an Earth Dragon carriage and made his way to the city center.

As a super-large-scale neutral city, Thunder Axe City was extremely large. Even the Black Dragon Empire's capital was only half the size of Thunder Axe City. Hence, traveling through the city took a lot of time. To make matters worse, Thunder Axe City's Teleportation Hall was located on the outskirts of the city. Players were also prohibited from using their own Mounts, Teleportation Skills, and teleportation tools inside the city. Players could only rely on the carriages pulled by the house-sized Earth Dragons if they wished to travel through the city quickly.

Of course, if players managed to reach the Viscount rank in Thunder Axe City, they would be allowed to ride their own Mounts. However, becoming a Viscount in a neutral city like Thunder Axe City was exceedingly difficult. As far as Shi Feng knew, even after many players had reached Level 200 in his previous life, nobody had succeeded in becoming a Viscount of Thunder Axe City.

Meanwhile, while Shi Feng was traveling toward Thunder Axe City's central district, a commotion erupted in the Witch's Hill.

"Did I hear it right? Zero Wing is actually having its members give up on grinding in the Witch's Hill?!"

"Zero Wing must not want to continue the pointless fighting. Haven't you seen how powerful those monster players are? Taking care of Tier 2 experts is like child's play for them. Just one monster player can easily annihilate a six-man party of Tier 2 experts. Not to mention, these monster players generally move around in groups."

"Didn't Zero Wing manage to repel Miracle's attack in the Black Dragon Empire before? What's it doing now? It's already giving up after fighting for just a short while?"

"I never thought that the day would come when Zero Wing would fall into such a state. Previously, Zero Wing was slaughtering its enemies left and right. Now, it's forced to give up on a precious land like the Witch's Hill. With this, Zero Wing's development in Star-Moon Kingdom will definitely lag behind the other large Guilds by a significant margin. If this situation persists, Zero Wing might not even remain Star-Moon Kingdom's number one Guild in the future."

"That's right! This is a good opportunity for small Guilds to rise up using the Witch's Hill."

The players operating in the Witch's Hill all found Zero Wing's decision to pull back its forces to be very surprising. They had never imagined that the Guild would give up on the Witch's Hill so decisively. Zero Wing was clearly capable of fighting a war of attrition with the monster players, thanks to Zero Wing City, yet it did not do so.

Meanwhile, due to Zero Wing's decision to retreat, many of the small Guilds that had been maintaining a low profile in Star- Moon Kingdom started trying to join the Starlight Alliance formed by the Guilds operating the two Guild Towns in the Witch's Hill. After all, the current situation in the Witch's Hill was already clear for all to see: the Starlight Alliance, which was capable of transforming players into monsters, had the advantage in field battles. As long as Zero Wing's members dared exit Zero Wing City, they would definitely die.

Meanwhile, shortly after Shi Feng gave out the command to retreat, the upper echelons of the Starlight Alliance's member Guilds gathered at Wildhammer Town, a short distance away from the Million Forest, for a meeting.

The Guilds responsible for leading this meeting was the Purple Thorns Kingdom's Sin Realm and the two Guilds that established the two Guild Towns in the Witch's Hill, Knight's Judgment and Warring Empire. Although Knight's Judgment and Warring Empire were only second-rate Guilds, the investments of multiple corporations boosted the strength of the two Guilds, which could now rival ordinary first-rate Guilds.

"Zero Wing has truly been frightened by our monster army this time. Now, not only are Zero Wing's members not coming out of Zero Wing City, but they're not even operating within its vicinity anymore. I'm sure everyone present knows about the defensive capabilities of Zero Wing City. Currently, we still can't break through the city's defenses. However, we also can't let Zero Wing continue developing the city. Do any of you here have a good suggestion for dealing with this problem?" Knight's Judgment's Guild Leader, Shadowlight Axe, asked as he glanced at the dozen or so Guild representatives present

In reality, they were all caught off guard by Zero Wing's decisiveness. This was not the outcome they wished to see at all.

From an outsider's point of view, the monster legion their alliance created might seem very powerful, but the public did not know that a large number of lives were necessary to sustain these players' monster forms. Moreover, these lives needed to be willingly offered by players that were Level 50 or above. Hence, the Guilds could not allow their fight with Zero Wing to drag out.

"Since Zero Wing is so decisive in abandoning the Witch's Hill, let's think of a way to prevent Zero Wing from giving it up. We'll force Zero Wing to fight us."

"That's right. We'll make Zero Wing fight even if it doesn't want to. Since Zero Wing is relying on Zero Wing City for its development, we'll make it so that it can't rely on the city at all. We can set up a teleportation seal on Zero Wing City and announce that, so long as Zero Wing refuses to fight us out in the fields, we'll kill every player that comes out of Zero Wing City. We'll kill these players until Zero Wing is willing to come out and do battle. If Zero Wing still refuses to fight us then, nobody will dare to visit Zero Wing City. At that time, let's see how Zero Wing develops using Zero Wing City!"

"This is a good idea. Zero Wing's main source of income right now is Zero Wing City. If Zero Wing City fails, Zero Wing won't get off scot-free, either. If Zero Wing doesn't want to see its city fail, it'll definitely have to fight us."

"That's right! If Zero Wing really refuses to fight, it'll become the laughing stock of the kingdom! I want to see how Zero Wing plans on developing in Star-Moon Kingdom then!"

Everyone present nodded in agreement upon hearing this plan. They were all adamant about forcing Zero Wing into a fight.

Meanwhile, as the Starlight Alliance was planning all of this, Shi Feng had finally arrived at Thunder Axe City's central district.

There was a lot of traffic in the city's central district. Despite there being no players here, the street was still crowded. NPC merchants of neutral races could be seen doing business all around, selling all kinds of items and materials, the quality of their products not the slightest bit inferior to those sold by player Shops.

However, Shi Feng did not waste time sightseeing. Instead, he walked straight to a mansion located near the main street. Twenty Giant soldiers stood guard outside the mansion, every one of them a Level 180, Tier 2 soldier. The captain leading these soldiers was even a Level 180, Tier 3 Giant.

This mansion was none other than the residence of the Giant race's Great Elder.

Upon arriving at the mansion's entrance, Shi Feng immediately told the guards there his purpose for visiting. After the guards relayed his words and received a reply, they led him into the gigantic mansion. Very quickly, Shi Feng arrived in an elegant study where a white-robed elder sat.

Giants were natural-born warriors and were not adept at magic, yet the Great Elder was actually a Level 200, Tier 5 Grand Wizard. He would be considered an overlord-level existence even in an empire.

"It's been a long time since a human adventurer has visited this city. I heard that you have the power to activate the ancient teleportation array outside Thunder Axe City. May I know if this is true?" the Giant Elder asked softly as he observed Shi Feng.

"That is correct. Here is the ancient cube I found. It is capable of activating the ancient teleportation array," Shi Feng replied, handing the Rubik's Cube he obtained from the Seven Luminaries Treasure Chest over to the Giant Elder.

"Sure enough, this is the teleportation array's teleportation core," the Giant Elder said, his eyes glowing after he inspected the cube. In a somewhat excited tone, he added, "Thank you, human adventurer. This item is indeed what our Giant race has been searching for all this time. With this item, our Giant race will finally be free of the defensive seal that has been in place since ancient times! Since you have provided such a great help to our race, we Giants definitely won't mistreat you. Take this precious Giant's Holy Stone as a token of our race's gratitude."

After the Giant Elder was done speaking and Shi Feng accepted the Giant's Holy Stone, a series of system notifications entered his ears.

Chapter 2010 - Titan Bloodline

System: Congratulations! You have completed the Exploration Quest, "Giant's Hideout." Rewarding one Giant's Holy Stone, Adventurer's Association Reputation +20, and Adventurer's Association Contribution +1,000.

System: Congratulations! You have activated the neutral city Thunder Axe City. Rewarding one Thunder Axe Crystal, Thunder Axe City Reputation +100, and Thunder Axe City Contribution Points +2,000.

The two notifications echoed in Shi Feng's head three times, leaving him dazed.

The rewards for pioneering Thunder Axe City sure are abundant. Not only did I get 2,000 Contribution Points, but I also earned a Thunder Axe Crystal? Shi Feng looked at the glowing, dark-gold crystal that had appeared in his hand in astonishment.

Thunder Axe City was hidden deep within the Icefire Mountain Range. Normally, players could only reach the city through a teleportation array within the range's outer region once it had been activated. Teleporting to Thunder Axe City from another NPC city was impossible, making it inconvenient for players to visit frequently. However, as a trade city, Thunder Axe City overflowed with opportunities and resources. Even if the journey were tough and inconvenient, players would force themselves to visit.

Fortunately, there was more than one method of entering Thunder Axe City. One could also do so through the city's special tools.

The city had two special tools that allowed players to visit with ease: the Thunder Axe Insignia and the Thunder Axe Crystal. The Insignia only allowed the holder to teleport to Thunder Axe City, whereas the crystal allowed the user to open a teleportation gate, allowing a large group of players to pass through, saving plenty of travel time.

However, these tools were particularly difficult to acquire. Players had to become an ordinary noble in Thunder Axe City before they could trade the city's Contribution Points for the Insignia. As for the Thunder Axe Crystal, one could only purchase the crystal with Contribution Points after becoming a Viscount.

The Contribution Points were already exceedingly difficult to acquire, not to mention gaining status in Thunder Axe City.

Thunder Axe City was massive, with countless quests and opportunities to offer, but there were very few quests that awarded CPs. Moreover, players would only earn a small number of CPs from the quests that awarded them. Only high- ranking quests rewarded a higher number, but those were incredibly difficult to come by.

Even the most hardworking player would fail to collect 2,000 CPs after a full year of work. Meanwhile, purchasing the Thunder Axe Crystal required 5,000 CPs...

While the Thunder Axe Crystal had limited uses to individual players, it was extremely useful to Guilds. With the crystal, Guild members wouldn't have to waste time traveling to the city. With the time they saved, they could do far more in Thunder Axe City.

Following which, Shi Feng stored the Thunder Axe Crystal and turned his gaze toward the Giant's Holy Stone he had received from the Great Elder.

Based on what he had learned in the past, the Exploration Quest's reward included the Epic ranked Giant's Crystal. One could use it to convert 1,000 Level 50-plus players into Giants, bypassing the Conversion Quest.

Unfortunately, players under Level 50 would have to visit Thunder Axe City and complete the Conversion Quest normally to convert into a Giant. The Conversion Quest's application fee was 20 Gold per person.

In other words, by completing this Exploration Quest, one could forgo the 20,000 Gold in application fees while allowing selected players to skip the troublesome Conversion Quest and become members of the Giant Race.

However, what the Great Elder had just given Shi Feng wasn't the Giant's Crystal, but the Giant's Holy Stone...

Huh?! Fragmented Legendary rank?! When Shi Feng called up the Giant's Holy Stone's Attribute Panel, he was shocked. Isn't this quest reward a little too generous?!

[Giant's Holy Stone] (Fragmented Legendary Rank)

A holy stone created after condensing the Ancient Titin race's Bloodline.

Effect 1-

Converts up to 1,000 players to the Giant race. Targeted players must be Level 50 or above. No Cooldown. Effect 2-

Grants up to three Giant players a strand of the Titan Bloodline. No Cooldown.

Shi Feng had no particular feelings regarding the Holy Stone's ability to convert 1,000 players into Giants. The Giant's Stone he had expected to receive could do the same, but the Holy Stone's ability to grant players the Titan Bloodline was just too powerful.

Among God's Domain's numerous races, the Titan's Life Rating was the closest to that of the Gods'. Despite not being Gods, Titans were born with a portion of a God's abilities. When a Titan became a Tier 6 God, they became incomparably formidable. However, the closer one's Life Rating was to that of a God, the more difficult it would become to cross the final threshold to the Tier 6 standard. According to Shi Feng's memories, only the King among Titans had reached Tier 6. Not even the ten saints of Titan City had been Tier 6 Gods. In Shi Feng's opinion, they were only Demigods. Even so, they had the power to rival Tier 6 Gods.

Tier 6 God-ranked players couldn't compare to Tier 6 NPC Gods. Any random Tier 6 God could beat the living daylights out of a Tier 6 player; only multiple Tier 6 players had a chance against a Tier 6 God if they worked together. It was easy to imagine how frightening Titan Demigods were.

Meanwhile, the Giant's Holy Stone before him was capable of granting Giant players the Titan Bloodline, which was far more powerful than the Dark Iron Bloodline he had obtained. Moreover, he could grant the Bloodline to three players.

These Titan Bloodlines were even more valuable than three Fragmented Legendary items.

The Giant race offered exceptional racial traits; if this Bloodline were included in the equation...

Shi Feng didn't even dare imagine how powerful a player with this Bloodline would become. Titans were nearly perfect beings, unlike Giants, who had obvious flaws.

With this, the players that convert into Giants have hit the jackpot. Shi Feng could not help but feel slightly envious as he gazed at the Giant's Holy Stone.

Giant players would face far more difficulties when challenging their Promotion Quests than human players, but with the Titan Bloodline, that difficulty wouldn't be as high. With this Bloodline, the Promotion Quests shouldn't be more difficult than that of ordinary humans. This meant that the experts who became Giants could reach far greater heights.

Giant players would become terrifying after reaching Tier 5, not to mention Tier 6.

In the past, one Giant expert had reached Tier 5 thanks to a ton of resources from his Guild. Whether or not he had been strong enough to contend with Tier 6 God-ranked experts, he had ranked among the top 20 Tier 5 players in God's Domain. Those top 20 Tier 5 experts had all worn top-tier equipment, held at least one Legendary item, and wielded special Legacies. Their combat standards had been at the absolute apex of God's Domain.

Yet, this Tier 5 Giant expert had forced himself into the top 20 ranks despite carrying zero Legendary items. It was easy to imagine how powerful the Giant race was.

If possible, Shi Feng would convert into a Giant, obtaining the Titan Bloodline, as well, but he was a Guild Leader. He had many matters in the game to deal with that required that he remain human; he simply couldn't afford to become a Giant.

Shi Feng then departed from the Great Elder's mansion and headed toward the City Hall. This was the main reason that he had activated Thunder Axe City.

Thunder Axe City's resources were far beyond those in the Sea of Trees. The two cities were on entirely different levels. Nearly 10% of the ores and herbs first- and second-rate Guilds had required in the past had been sourced from Thunder Axe City.

Chapter 2011 - Advanced Shop

Shi Feng's carriage slowed to a stop before a majestic castle. A steady flow of NPCs entered and left the building, many of which were members of other neutral races.

This majestic castle was none other than Thunder Axe City's City Hall, located within the very heart of the city.

Tall walls, decorated with divine runes and magic arrays, protected the castle. The wall's defensive capabilities were even beyond Tier 5 NPCs' power. This was the safest location throughout Thunder Axe City.

Before Shi Feng reached the castle's entrance, a Level 180, Tier 3 NPC soldier stopped him.

"Lord Bronze Legatee, this is an important location in Thunder Axe City. If you wish to enter, you must register first," the Tier 3 NPC soldier respectfully informed Shi Feng as he retrieved a Magic Crystal.

"I understand. Please register me, then," Shi Feng said, nodding.

Thunder Axe City's City Hall wasn't like those in other NPC cities. Players could enter City Halls in human cities without registering or gaining permission. However, not only did players have to register, but they also had to obtain an ordinary noble rank in the city before they could enter this City Hall.

Players had to register due to the magic array around the City Hall. If the magic array didn't recognize their auras, it would attack and suppress them the moment they entered the building.

Security was so strict due to the importance of Thunder Axe City's City Hall. Rather than a City Hall, it was more appropriate to view it as a treasury or trade market. The City Hall stored all kinds of treasures the Giant race had collected since ancient times, including Legendary items.

Once players became nobles in Thunder Axe City, they could freely trade with the city's Giants.

The Giant race had lived in Thunder Axe City since ancient times, so they had accumulated countless treasures. As long as players had the ability and resources, purchasing a Legendary item wouldn't be a problem.

This was also why so many players and powers had been adamant in visiting Thunder Axe City in the past.

A few superpowers' experts had purchased Legendary items from the Giants back then, while far more had purchased Fragmented Legendary items.

Of course, some superpowers had tried to rob Thunder Axe City's City Hall, but less than a handful had succeeded. Moreover, all of those players had been Tier 6 God-ranked experts. When these God-ranked players had attempted the heist, their Guilds had invested a ton of resources and manpower to assist them. Even so, they had only claimed one or two Fragmented Legendary items before fleeing for their lives. In doing so, however, these superpowers had earned the city's ire and had been banned from entering Thunder Axe City ever again. The cost of the endeavor simply hadn't been worth the superpowers' investments.

The NPC solder had Shi Feng's aura recorded in the system after a short moment, allowing him to enter the City Hall.

NPCs of various races filled the castle's first-floor hall as they conducted their business with the Giants. Although Shi Feng wanted to trade with the Giants as well, he couldn't even afford an Epic item with his current strength and resources. Hence, he glanced at the NPCs before heading toward the castle's second floor.

When Shi Feng reached the second-floor hall, he noticed far fewer NPCs than on the first floor. There were only several dozen NPC merchants here, all of which sought to purchase the city's Lands.

Suddenly, a beautiful female Elf dressed in formal wear approached Shi Feng with a smile. She asked, "Lord Bronze Legatee, how may I be of service?"

A senior administrator? Shi Feng was slightly surprised when this female Elf greeted him. However, he quickly snapped out of his daze and responded, "I wish to purchase some Lands and Advanced Shops in Thunder Axe City. Can you recommend some?"

Normally, only the ordinary administrators received visiting players in the City Hall, so he had been caught off guard when this senior administrator welcomed him.

Although this Elven beauty was only a Level 200, Tier 3 senior administrator, Shi Feng could feel the intense pressure radiating from her. The pressure she gave off was no weaker than Weissman's, who was both White River City's Magistrate and a Tier 4 Great Wizard. This was why Elves were so frightening. Even at Tier 3, they could easily cast Tier 4 Spells.

"Alright, please follow me." The Elven administrator nodded and led Shi Feng to a reception room on the third floor.

Once inside the reception room, the senior administrator handed Shi Feng two lists. One list contained the city's available plots of Land, while the other contained Thunder Axe City's available Advanced Shops. However, the lists contained very few of both, with less than 50 entries in total.

If other players saw these lists, they'd be astounded. Most random NPC cities had more than 500 plots of Land for sale, yet Thunder Axe City had less than 50.

However, Shi Feng was ecstatic to examine the lists.

It was already impressive that the two lists had 50 prospects. Thunder Axe City was unique, and its Lands weren't easy to purchase. This prevented the various superpowers from monopolizing the city's benefits, giving other powers and players a chance to thrive within the city.

A Bronze Legatee's status in Thunder Axe City sure is high. Shi Feng sighed ruefully as he examined the first list. There are actually 19 Advanced Shops available?

When he had been a Baron in Thunder Axe City in the past and tried to purchase an Advanced Shop, he had only been given 12 to choose from.

Advanced Shops were often available in neutral cities. Like in the Sea of Trees, Thunder Axe City had Advanced Shops, such as Advanced Grocery Stores, Advanced Restaurants, Advanced Smithies, and Advanced Bars, to offer.

However, no power would normally be willing to purchase neutral cities' Advanced Shops.

These Advanced Shops' incredibly high prices were the first reason.

The second reason was Advanced Shops' lack of use. These Shops' main customers were NPCs, not players, and one could only earn Coins and other items from NPCs.

Typically, this was an ineffective way of doing business since trading Coins and items with other players was far more effective.

However, Thunder Axe City was a special case. Since it was a resource and trade city, a large number of neutral NPC merchants gathered here. In addition, the local Giants harvested the ores and herbs from the Icefire Mountain Range. As a result, the city offered a wider variety of items, selling these items at far below market value. Unlike in other neutral cities, Thunder Axe City's Advanced Shops had been quite popular in the past, becoming the main source of resources for God's Domain's powers in the city.

The various major powers had avoided renting Thunder Axe City's Advanced Shops because the only type of income they could earn in doing so was Coins; it was not possible to conduct business with forms of currency. Hence, the various major powers and merchant players in the past had resorted to purchasing the Advanced Shops, even if those in the city's outskirts had cost 20,000 Gold...

No matter how many times I visit Thunder Axe City's City Hall, I always feel like a poor bastard here. Shi Feng sighed and shook his head as he looked at the prices on the list.

The cheapest Advanced Shop cost more than 20,000 Gold. There was also an Advanced Grocery Store that cost 40,000 Gold, and a Smithy for 53,000 Gold. Although both Shops were in the city's inner area, both were merely 1-star Shops. According to Shi Feng's knowledge, the cheapest 2-star Shop in Thunder Axe City cost 70,000 Gold, while those in the city's inner area cost more than 100,000 Gold. However, Thunder Axe City rarely sold 2-star Shops.

But when Shi Feng read the list's last entry, he was flabbergasted.

What?! A 2-star Shop?!

Chapter 2012 - 2-star Smithy

Shi Feng stared at the Shop list's last entry with wide eyes.

A 2-star Shop!

Thunder Axe City did have a few 2-star Shops, but they were beyond players' reach. Even a Viscount would have to get lucky to secure an opportunity to purchase a 2-star Shop, much less a Baron.

Could this be a reward for being the first person to purchase an Advanced Shop? Shi Feng doubted that the Bronze Legatee title would grant him such an amazing benefit, allowing him to purchase 2-star Shops in the city. After giving the matter some thought, he realized that this must be a reward for being the first player to purchase an Advanced Shop.

The difference between a 1-star and a 2-star Shop was practically negligible for players in other super-large-scale neutral cities, but it was a different story in Thunder Axe City. Here, the difference between a 1-star Shop and 2-star Shop was like the difference between a town and a city.

Two-star Shops were more attractive to NPCs than their 1-star counterparts. NPCs typically viewed 2-star Shops as more valuable and reliable, so they favored Shops with higher-star ranks.

Two-star Shops also operated on a different scale than 1-star Shops, but this was beyond just the physical size of the Shop. More importantly, higher-ranked Shops could handle larger transactions with NPCs.

Each transaction with NPCs in 1-star Shops could only reach a maximum value of 50 Gold, whereas 2-star Shops' transactions could reach a maximum of 300 Gold, a sixfold increase. After factoring in NPCs increased interest in conducting business with 2-star Shops, the difference between ranks was clear.

Hence, Thunder Axe City's 2-star Advanced Shops were extremely valuable. Countless Guilds had dreamed of purchasing their own, but very few had actually succeeded. Most powers had been limited to 1-star Shops, slowly upgrading them to 2- star status.

However, in God's Domain, once one fell behind, making a recovery became intensely challenging.

Meanwhile, the various large Guilds dreamed of purchasing 2-star Shops to ensure the upgrade to 3-stat status. NPC cities could only have a limited number of 3-star Advanced Shops at a time. Once this limit had been reached, the 2-star Shops that met the requirements for an upgrade could only become 3-star Shops after surpassing another 3-star Shop's transaction volume. Unfortunately, surpassing a 3-star Shop's transaction volume was nearly impossible for a 2-star Shop...

When a 2-star Shop completed its promotion to 3-star status, it would undergo a qualitative transformation, increasing its maximum transaction value to 1,000 Gold. Although the increase ratio wasn't as great as that between a 1-star and 2-star Shop, it was a major turning point.

Once a Shop reached this maximum transaction value, Thunder Axe City's nobles would visit to conduct business. The items these nobles possessed was far beyond that of ordinary NPCs. A noble's every item was valuable and precious.

Upgrading a 1-star Shop to 2-star status in Thunder Axe City cost a lot of time and resources. By the time one completed the upgrade, those who had purchased 2-star Shops would've already upgraded to 3-star status. Trying to contest for the limited 3-star Shop slots would become atrociously difficult at that point.

This was also why Shadow had only possessed a 2-star Shop in Thunder Axe City during Shi Feng's previous life. As far as he could remember, only superpowers and a few first-rate Guilds had secured 3-star Shops in the city, and ordinary first- rate Guilds had no hope of competing for a slot.

Why wouldn't Shi Feng be surprised to find that he could purchase a 2-star Shop right off the bat?

Moreover, the 2-star Shop in question was an Advanced Smithy. Naturally, smithies were the most valuable to God's Domain's Guilds among the various Advanced Shops.

This was the case due to the specialized transactions each type of Shop conducted with NPCs. NPCs that visited smithies were generally there to order custom weapons and equipment. Moreover, these NPCs would prepare their own materials, including rare forging materials that players could obtain by operating a smithy. In addition, ordinary NPCs and NPC merchants frequently sold their ores to smithies, making these Advanced Shops the perfect place to obtain materials.

"Lord Bronze Legatee, are any of these Lands and Shops to your liking?" the Elven administrator asked curiously after Shi Feng's long moment of silence. "If nothing here interests you, you may return next week. We should have others who want to sell their properties at that time."

"No, I'm very satisfied with what I've seen. I'll take these five plots of Land and these two Shops," Shi Feng said as he pointed to the inner area Lands and outer area Shops.

Since he was only a Baron, he could only purchase Lands and Shops in the city's inner and outer areas. Moreover, very few Lands in the inner area were available to him, and they weren't in optimal locations. As for Advanced Shops, a Baron was only allowed to purchase those in the city's outer area. Only Viscounts and above had access to Advanced Shops in the inner area.

However, this discovery relieved Shi Feng. If he had only been offered Advanced Shops in the city's inner area, he'd only be able to purchase the 2-star Smithy along the city's edge with the money he had on him.

Even so, the 2-star Smithy already cost him 90,000 Gold, and the 1-star Potion Shop he had selected cost 47,000 Gold.

"Very well. The total for these five Lands and two Shops comes to 206,000 Gold!" the Eleven beauty joyfully exclaimed after swiftly completing her calculations.

If first-rate Guilds' upper echelons saw Shi Feng spend over 200,000 Gold on two Shops and five Lands, they'd think that he'd lost his mind. With so much money, one could purchase more than ten plots of Land in the heart of a kingdom's capital.

However, Shi Feng paid the 206,000 Gold without hesitation. Rather, he found the price quite reasonable. While this investment might not yield any short-term returns, the profits would be well worth the cost once players entered the game's later stages.

Shi Feng had only brought a little over 170,000 Gold with him when he had set out on his Exploration quest He had also spent over 20,000 Gold in Glory Town. Fortunately, while he had been gone, the Guild had accumulated over 70,000 Gold in savings, despite Zero Wing's continued expansion. He just barely had enough to settle the bill; he wouldn't have much left after this transaction.

A short moment later, the Elven administrator revealed seven Deeds and handed them to Shi Feng. Once he verified that everything was correct, Shi Feng set off toward his new Advanced Shops. He stored 5,000 Gold in each Shop for NPC transactions. With his tasks completed, Shi Feng didn't linger in Thunder Axe City. He used a Return Scroll and teleported back to White River City.

Contrary to his expectations, Shi Feng didn't find White River City in desolation upon his return. Now Zero Wing had temporarily withdrawn from the struggle in the Witch's Hill, its prestige in Star-Moon City had fallen, but as he wandered White River City's streets, he noticed that the city's population had increased yet again.

Shi Feng saw countless players from large Guilds on his way to the Candlelight Trading Firm. These Guild players wandered the city with enthusiasm, making up roughly 10% of the players on the streets.

White River City had already become a major city with a player population of over 10,000,000. Ten percent of that equated over 1,000,000 Guild players, a significant number.

"Melancholic, has something happened in White River City? Why are there so many players from other Guilds?" Shi Feng asked Melancholic Smile after returning to the Candlelight Trading Firm and storing the Titan Ore he had obtained during his Exploration Quest.

"Nothing has happened recently," Melancholic Smile answered, smiling bitterly. "So many Guild players are here due to the losses our Guild suffered in the Witch's Hill thanks to the Starlight Alliance. After our withdrawal, the Alliance called us out to fight in an all-out war. If we refuse, the Starlight Alliance will slay every player in Zero Wing City. Our Guild members have been fighting the Alliance's members all over the kingdom, but the results aren't pleasing. Because of this, every large Guild in Star-Moon Kingdom things that it has a chance of taking over White River City. They're all preparing to do so."

"These Guilds really know how to take advantage of an opportunity," Shi Feng could not help but chuckle upon hearing Melancholic Smile's report "Since the Starlight Alliance wants a fight to the death in the Witch's Hill, I'll grant their wish! Notify Aqua immediately and have her gather 1,000 Tier 2 Shield Warriors and Berserkers in White River City's Residence!"

"I'll notify her right away," Melancholic Smile said, nodding.

Chapter 2013 - Advanced Abilities Activated

After assigning Melancholic Smile's tasks, Shi Feng departed from the Candlelight Trading Firm and headed to White River City's library.

He had been bound by the Soul Chain all this time, and no matter how he looked at it, finding the mysterious NPC that had appeared in Blackwing City was simply unrealistic. Even if he found the NPC, he'd have to avoid the man. Not even Sharlyn, who had been a Tier 5 Red Official, had been able to stop him. How was a Tier 2 player like himself supposed to deal with the NPC?

The true goal of his quest wasn't to locate the mysterious NPC, but to collect enough Mysterious Flames to gain control of the Soul Fire.

While Aqua Rose gathered the necessary manpower, he could take advantage of this time to enlist Sharlyn's help with absorbing the Fallen Earthfire, which he had obtained during his Exploration Quest.

Although Tier 2 players weren't as rare anymore, they still made up a small minority of God's Domain's players. This was the case for Zero Wing, as well. Gathering 1,000 Tier 2 Shield Warriors and Berserkers would take Aqua Rose some time.

Meanwhile, after Melancholic Smile relayed Shi Feng's words to Aqua Rose, Aqua Rose began to secretly gather Zero Wing's Tier 2 experts from the Ore Empire and Star-Moon Kingdom. She instructed her chosen experts to teleport directly to White River City's Residence.

Unfortunately, despite the care she used while performing her task, news of her actions soon reached the kingdom's various major powers.

Star-Moon City, Star Alliance's Residence:

"Guild Leader, we've just received news. Zero Wing is gathering 1,000 Tier 2 experts in White River City. We do not know what the Guild plans to do with them yet," Purple Eye reported as she entered the Guild Leader's office.

Although more players had been completing their Tier 2 Promotion Quests, there still weren't many Tier 2 players in the game. Take the Star Alliance, for example. Despite being a first-rate Guild, it just barely had 3,000 Tier 2 players. The fact that Zero Wing was gathering 1,000 of these experts warranted scrutiny.

"One thousand Tier 2 experts?" Galaxy Past considered the situation carefully, muttering, "Could Zero Wing be preparing to move against the Starlight Alliance?"

Currently, Star-Moon Kingdom's various major powers were eagerly preparing for battle, and Zero Wing's sudden withdrawal from the Witch's Hill was the reason for this. In addition, the Starlight Alliance's reputation had received a massive boost due to the sudden development.

If Zero Wing did not put a stop to this, it might lose its position as the kingdom's overlord. God's Domain had changed, and more Tier 2 players surfaced each day. While Zero Wing might have a lot of these experts, the difference between their count and the total number of Tier 2 players in the kingdom was titanic. Zero Wing wouldn't be able to maintain its dominance over the kingdom if its development stagnated. Even the various superpowers faced such a problem.

Hence, for a considerable period in the immediate future, God's Domain's kingdoms and empires would enter an era of strife. It would no longer be possible for a single power to monopolize a country. The various superpowers could only maintain their advantages and their current status in their territories.

"That can't be possible, right? Zero Wing intends to strike out against the Starlight Alliance now?" Purple Eye was astonished by Galaxy Past's guess. "Doesn't Zero Wing know that the top adventurer team, War Riders secretly partnered with the alliance? If a fight breaks out, Zero Wing will suffer."

The War Riders were a mercenary-like adventurer team. It was one of the few adventurer teams in God's Domain that had tens of thousands of members. As long as one paid enough, the War Riders would move against any power. Superpowers were no exception.

In a past virtual reality game, a Guild had hired the War Riders to attack the Super Guild, Battle Wolves. Of course, they didn't target the entire Guild, simply one of the Branch Guilds. Even so, the Battle Wolves' First Guild Leader managed that Branch Guild, and it wasn't to be trifled with.

However, the War Riders had paid no heed to the Guild's strength. They had initiated a war without hesitation, and although the Battle Wolves had pummeled the War Riders in the end, the Super Guild had suffered significant losses. Because of the assault, the Battle Wolves still had a bounty out on the adventurer team.

The War Riders hadn't changed after joining God's Domain, and as time passed, both its reputation and its strength grew.

As a result, many independent experts that wanted to earn some side income sought to join the adventurer team. After all, the War Riders' sole goal was earning money. Members of the War Riders had no obligations and responsibilities to the team. Just some time ago, the War Riders' member count had exceeded 30,000. Now, it was already considered a super- large-scale adventurer team, and many first-rate Guilds feared its overall strength.

"I don't know. I can never tell what Black Flame is thinking, but he's preparing for something. However, with the War Riders' participation, the Starlight Alliance should maintain its status quo even if Zero Wing prepares for an assault. We should use this opportunity to further our development in the kingdom's various cities," Galaxy Past said, chuckling as he shook his head.

The various major powers had been busy trying to solidify their positions lately. Now that the sudden development in Star- Moon Kingdom troubled Zero Wing, this was the perfect opportunity for the Star Alliance to become the kingdom's number one Guild.

Meanwhile, the kingdom's other major powers concocted their own schemes. As soon as the Starlight Alliance defeated Zero Wing, they would spread their influence throughout the various NPC cities, especially White River City, the kingdom's most populated city.

As Star-Moon Kingdom's various major powers planned and prepared, Shi Feng arrived before White River City's library.

The library had changed drastically due to the city's latest promotion. Now, it looked more like a castle than a library. A large number of magical class players had gathered at the building, many here because of quests.

So many magical class players had come here to quest due to the library's new function-Magic Walkthrough. This function gave players access to the gigantic, magic water globe in the center of the library, allowing them to learn the double-casting technique.

Not many magical class experts had mastered the double-casting technique at this stage of the game, but now that the system provided a tutorial, magical class players swarmed to take advantage of the opportunity. However, using the magic water globe required Library Contribution Points and Magic Crystals. The required Magic Crystals were a small matter for magic class experts, but the Library Contribution Points could only be obtained by completing the library's quests. Hence, so many magical class players eagerly quested at the library.

After a brief look at the library's first-floor hall, Shi Feng made his way to the Star-Moon Hall on the library's top floor. As always, Sharlyn sat in the hall reading some tome. She only set the book down after noticing Shi Feng before she began to draw the magic array that would help him absorb the Fallen Earthfire.

Once the magic array took shape, Shi Feng retrieved the Fallen Earthfire and wrapped the Soul Fire's scorching flames around it.

However, fusing with the Fallen Earthfire proved far more difficult than fusing with the Purple Thunder Flame. This time, Shi Feng felt as if he were trying to wrap a sheet of paper around a bonfire. His control of the Soul Fire had to be precise; the slightest mistake could throw the process off-balance, which would cause the fusion to fail.

After 32 subsequent failures, Shi Feng finally encased the Fallen Earthfire in Soul Fire successfully.

The moment the fusion succeeded, flames devoured his body. He felt the flames burn and sting his flesh as he succumbed to a splitting headache. Shortly after, the sound of a system notification reached his ears.

System: Congratulations! You have successfully fused the Fallen Earthfire and activated the Soul Fire's advanced abilities.

Chapter 2014 - Soul Cleansing

I still don't have full control? When Shi Feng heard the system notification, he was disappointed. This Soul Fire really is troublesome.

He could only shed his worries about the Soul Chain by gaining full control of the Soul Fire. However, he hadn't expected two Tier 3 Mysterious Flames to not be enough.

Tier 3 Mysterious Flames were as valuable as Fragmented Legendary items. It was easy to imagine how hard they were to obtain, yet the system informed him that he needed more. Who knew when he would encounter another Tier 3 Mysterious Flame?

"It really is surprising that you managed to obtain two Tier 3 Mysterious Flames in such a short time. Although you haven't gained full control over the Soul Fire, fusing it with two Tier 3 Mysterious Flames has increased your compatibility with it. Now, you won't have to worry about the Soul Chain's corrosion for another 300 days," Sharlyn, who wore a crimson dress, said and nodded approvingly as she watched Shi Feng. "Moreover, there are benefits to being compatible with the Soul Fire, so don't look so dejected."

"Benefits?" Shi Feng muttered skeptically as he gazed at the blue fire enveloping his body. He didn't understand how the Soul Fire's present state could benefit him in any way.

His entire body stung with pain. Any ordinary player would wail like a ghost if they were in his position, but even though he could endure the pain, it made concentrating difficult. At this moment, he'd likely even fail to execute the simplest combat technique.

"Learn to appreciate what you have. The Soul Fire is currently cleansing your soul," Sharlyn explained as she rolled her eyes at Shi Feng.

This is Soul Cleansing?! Sharlyn's words astonished Shi Feng. So, this is the Soul Fire's advanced ability?

He had heard about Soul Cleansing during his previous life. It was one of the few methods to improve players' Concentration Attribute. If ranked by importance, one could argue that Concentration stood above Stamina.

When players fought in God's Domain, they used two Hidden Attributes: Stamina and Concentration. In the event of Stamina exhaustion, players would lose the ability to move. In the case of Concentration depletion, players would pass out.

God's Domain provided far fewer methods of increasing one's Concentration than those available for improving Stamina, which was one of the reasons that the former was more important. Generally, players' Concentration only improved when they increased their Basic Attributes and tiers.

Concentration's ability to affect a player's mental state was another reason. Players had only discovered this quite some time after God's Domain had launched.

This effect was similar to the experience players had when in areas with high Mana density. In truth, players felt more comfortable around denser Mana due to the Mana elevating their Concentration. In other words, higher Concentration allowed players to focus and maintain their calm more easily.

The higher a player's Concentration was, the more physical control they'd have; this was the third, and most important, reason. Players could manipulate their physical limits more easily, which was why, after reaching higher tiers, players could execute actions or techniques that their bodies couldn't previously handle.

For example, a Tier 2 player might struggle to master a complex Advanced Combat Technique, but could do so after reaching Tier 3.

These were the reasons that all of God's Domain's experts had frantically sought to improve their Concentration in Shi Feng's previous life. Unfortunately, the available methods to do so were just as rare as Fragmented Legendary items. The various superpowers would've even gone to war over a discovered method.

In the past, there had been multiple instances of items that could increase Concentration appearing in the Dark Auction. The various superpowers had even willing traded Fragmented Legendary items for items that only granted a 5% boost to Concentration. They had even exchanged Fragmented Legendary Weapons for items that granted a 10% boost without hesitation.

As far as Shi Feng could remember, Soul Cleansing provided between 5% and 15% more Concentration.

He had never dreamed that he'd get to experience the phenomenon now.

After ten minutes or so, the blue flames finally subsided. When they did, Shi Feng felt more refreshed than he ever had before. Both his physical control and mental clarity had improved drastically.

He immediately unsheathed Killing Ray and executed Sword's Transmigration.

Mesmerizing stars twinkled around Shi Feng. If ordinary players were to see this scene, they'd assume that he had used some Skill rather than a combat technique.

Amazing! Shi Feng's eyes glowed with excitement as he stared at the Sacred Sword in his hand.

When he had used Sword's Transmigration in the past, the Bronze Combat Technique had taken a massive toll on his Stamina and Concentration. He could only execute the technique about 20 times before it affected his physical performance.

However, not only could he execute Sword's Transmigration with greater precision after undergoing the Soul Cleansing, but his Stamina and Concentration consumption had decreased as well. Now, he estimated that he could execute Sword's Transmigration 30 times before it affected his performance. This improvement was simply terrifying.

Moreover, his sword slashes were visibly faster and nimbler than before. He had only been able to alter his swing four times before, and only five times when he fought in peak condition, but now, he could execute five alterations without reaching his limits...

Shi Feng felt as if he could fight a Domain Realm expert without losing ground even without relying on Sword's Transmigration and when both combatant's Basic Attributes were equal.

Once Shi Feng finished reveling in his recent improvements, he left the library and made his way to the Guild Residence.

By now, 1,000 Tier 2 Shield Warriors and Berserkers had gathered in Zero Wing's Residence, waiting in the second-floor hall.

"Why did the Vice Guild Leader suddenly recall so many of us? Are we going to attack the Starlight Alliance?"

"That's likely. However, we won't be able to take out those monster players with just Shield Warriors and Berserkers." "Maybe we're going on a quest?"

Many of these Tier 2 experts were curious about Aqua Rose's sudden summons, and they all discussed the situation as they waited.

Meanwhile, Zero Wing's members felt a surge of motivation after witnessing so many expert players gather. They hadn't realized that their Guild had so many Tier 2 experts. If there were already 1,000 Tier 2 Shield Warriors and Berserkers, it was easy to imagine how many more Tier 2 experts were in Zero Wing.

Moreover, every one of these Tier 2 players had already reached Level 60. Only peak experts had reached such a high level thus far. Many peak experts from first-rate Guilds had only recently reached Level 60.

"Guild Leader, everyone's here," Aqua Rose said as Shi Feng entered the Guild Hall. Worriedly, she continued, "But, Guild Leader, do you intend to fight the Starlight Alliance in the Witch's Hill? I have seen those monster players' strength. Without Berserk Skills, our Tier 2 experts have no hope against them."

"Those monster players?" Shaking his head, Shi Feng said, "No, that's not the plan."

Aqua Rose could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. If they faced the Starlight Alliance in the Witch's Hill now, they'd be at a severe disadvantage. If they wanted to defeat the alliance, they had to accumulate enough Magicbreaking Crossbows and Basic Combat Devices.

"My target is the Starlight Alliance's Wildhammer Town!" Shi Feng declared. "Notify everyone to prepare Master Regeneration Potions. Those that don't have any can collect some from the Guild Warehouse. Once they're ready, send them to teleport to Zero Wing City!"

Chapter 2015 - Approaching Storm

"Wildhammer Town?!" Aqua Rose was stunned to hear Shi Feng's target.

Wildhammer Town was one of the two Guild Towns in the Witch's Hill. It was also the town that Knight's Judgement poured its resources into developing. At this point, the town had as many as twelve Defense Turrets...

How were they supposed to capture the town with just 1,000 Tier 2 players?

"Mhm. Wildhammer Town doesn't need to exist anymore." Shi Feng nodded, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Sensing the killing intent radiating from Shi Feng, Aqua Rose recognized his determination. She was at a loss for words.

Zero Wing had never tried to stop any of the large Guilds from developing in the Witch's Hill. After all, the more popular the Witch's Hill became, the more of an asset it would be to Zero Wing. However, not only had the Starlight Alliance openly declared war on Zero Wing, but it had also made multiple attempts to provoke the Guild. It was only natural that Zero Wing issue a response.

Unfortunately, Wildhammer Town's defenses easily surpassed those of a Basic Town. Even several tens of thousands of elite and expert players might not be enough to capture a normally-fortified Basic Town, much less Wildhammer Town, which the Starlight Alliance had invested a ton of resources and manpower into.

When Shi Feng finished speaking, he turned on his heel and headed toward the Guild Warehouse, leaving behind a worried Aqua Rose in the Guild Hall's threshold.

Aqua Rose promptly recovered and notified the 1,000 Tier 2 experts of Shi Feng's instructions. She had them collect their Master Regeneration Potions and teleport to Zero Wing City.

Shortly after the Tier 2 experts left, a few spies hiding in Zero Wing reported to their superiors in the various large Guilds. "What?! Zero Wing plans to fight the Starlight Alliance in the Witch's Hill?!"

"It seems we'll get an interesting show in the Witch's Hill soon. Notify our Guild members! Everyone is to prepare to move at a moment's notice! Once Zero Wing has been defeated, we'll attack its Guild members in the fields! We cannot let the kingdom's other Guilds steal this opportunity to make a name for themselves!"

When the various major powers' upper echelons learned that the 1,000-man team of Tier 2 experts in Zero Wing's White River City Residence had teleported to Zero Wing City, they knew that the Guild had gotten serious. They immediately commanded their Guild members to prepare for Zero Wing's defeat.

When news of Zero Wing's movements reached the Starlight Alliance, the allied Guilds made their own preparations.

"Zero Wing is finally on the move!"

"Zero Wing is, after all, Star-Moon Kingdom's number one Guild. To protect its reputation, Zero Wing must fight us. How could it continue in the kingdom if it hides like a coward?"

"Notify the War Riders! Tell them to gather in the Witch's Hill!"

"We have so many monster players and experts on our side. Including the War Riders, who are equipped for large-scale field combat, we'll force Zero Wing into ruin."

"Hopefully, Zero Wing doesn't surrender too quickly. I don't want our plan to whittle down Zero Wing's main force to go to waste."

"In that case, we should deliberately act weak and let Zero Wing assume that victory is within its grasp. That way, we'll be able to sap away the Guild's strength."

"Right! Let's do that! Notify our teams to hold back a little. However, they are to kill as many players wielding Magicbreaking Crossbows and Basic Combat Devices as possible."

The various representatives in the Starlight Alliance's meeting voiced their opinions. Soon, they all reached a consensus and decided to toy with Zero Wing on the battlefield.

For a time, the experts from the Starlight Alliance's dozen or so member Guilds gathered in the Witch's Hill. At the same time, a large group of players from the War Riders adventurer team appeared in Zero Wing City. Despite being adventurer team members, these players moved with the discipline of Guild players. Not only were all of them Level 57 or higher, but they also had over 1,000 Tier 2 players with them. It wasn't long before the players in the Teleportation Hall noticed these adventurer team members.

"Zero Wing? I've been hearing this name for so long. Hopefully, the Guild isn't too disappointing," a Level 60, Tier 2 Guardian Knight muttered as he exited the teleportation array and glanced over Zero Wing City's Teleportation Hall, a hint of excitement shining in his eyes.

When adventurer team experts in the hall noticed this cloaked Shield Warrior with a Mana-imbued shield in the hall, they gasped.

"Why is Roaring Flame here?"

"Are the War Riders participating in the Guild war?"

Many experts were shocked as they stared at this unruly, middle-aged man.

The War Riders adventurer team was among the best adventurer teams in God's Domain right now. Roaring Flame, the War Riders' commander, even ranked among the top 100 on the God's Domain's Experts List.

Countless adventurer team players in God's Domain revered him as an idol.

With the War Riders sudden appearance in a backwater area like Star-Moon Kingdom, why wouldn't these players be surprised?

For a time, tension shot through Zero Wing City due to the War Riders' presence. Zero Wing's members were particularly concerned when they saw the War Riders' multiple 1,000-man teams marching through the city streets.

Meanwhile, in Zero Wing City's Residence:

"Guild Leader, members of the War Riders adventurer team have appeared in Zero Wing City," Aqua Rose reported to Shi Feng. "I suspect that the Starlight Alliance has invited them here. Why don't we eliminate them?"

She was quite familiar with the War Riders adventurer tarn. Unlike orthodox adventurer teams, the War Riders operated like a band of mercenaries. Not only were the adventurer team's members individually powerful, but they were also particularly adept in large-scale combat as a team. The War Riders had proved their capacity for top-notch battle strategies and formations that allowed the team members to exhibit greater strength than it should reasonably be able to. Many superpowers had suffered significant losses at the War Riders' hands.

In Aqua Rose's opinion, the fact that the War Riders had arrived in Zero Wing City spelled nothing good for the Guild. If the adventurer team wanted to develop in the Witch's Hill, it should seak permission from Zero Wing first. The fact that the adventurer team hadn't meant that it was under the Starlight Alliance's employ.

Meanwhile, now that the War Riders were inside Zero Wing City, the Guild had the home-ground advantage. This was the perfect opportunity to remove the adventurer team from the equation. With Zero Wing's defenses, not even the infamous War Riders had any hope of leaving the city alive.

"Forget it. Even though they have allied with the Starlight Alliance, they haven't openly opposed us. If we kill them in Zero Wing City, it will only cause a panic among the independent players and various adventurer teams in the city, which would be detrimental to Zero Wing's development," Shi Feng said, chuckling as he shook his head.

Roaring Flame should've considered this, in Shi Feng's opinion, so the man teleported to Zero Wing City alongside his teammates. Shi Feng had to admit that the Roaring Flame was a calculating individual. It was no wonder why the War Riders had become one of God's Domain's true top adventurer teams in the past, an existence that even the various superpowers had feared.

"I guess you're right, but I don't like the idea of letting them take advantage of us," Aqua Rose grumbled, frustrated. Despite the War Riders' bold use of their teleportation services, they couldn't do anything about it

"Take advantage of us?" Shi Feng laughed. "Our services are not that easy to take advantage of. Renew the teleportation settings. For today only, adjust Zero Wing City's teleportation fees to their maximum. The War Riders can use our services as much as they want to."

"Understood! I'll see to it immediately!" Aqua Rose joyfully replied.

If they adjusted the teleportation fee to the maximum, even Tier 2 experts would wince at the expense.

Chapter 2016 - Giant Conversion

Zero Wing, Four Towers of Elements:

Due to the Four Towers of Elements' teleportation ability and the Witch's Hill's popularity, an extraordinarily large number of players gathered at the towers to use the teleportation service each day. Even though the Starlight Alliance had placed a teleportation seal on Zero Wing City, such teleportation seals could only be maintained for a certain time; constant seals didn't exist. Hence, for the sake of safe and convenient travel, players still visited the Four Towers of Elements.

However, the players currently visiting the towers were in an uproar.

"What's going on? Why is the teleportation fee suddenly so expensive? I'm only traveling within the Witch's Hill map, yet I have to pay more than 1 Gold? This is daylight robbery!"

"Even as a Tier 2 player, I only earn one or two Gold Coins in profit per day in the Witch's Hill. Has Zero Wing gone insane?"

The players visiting the Four Towers of Elements heatedly debated over the sudden increase in teleportation fees. Meanwhile, the multiple 1,000-man teams that had lined up in one of the towers was just as stunned by the discovery.

"Commander, Zero Wing is too sinister. It raised the teleportation fee. We have 20,000 people that need to travel, which will cost more than 23,000 Gold in total. Zero Wing has done this on purpose," a female, Tier 2 Cursemancer in a set of gray robes fumed as she complained to Roaring Flame.

Although their adventurer team had a lot of members, they didn't have nearly as many funds as a first-rate Guild. Currently, they had only saved up around 70,000 Gold in their shared warehouse. If they spent over 23,000 Gold on teleportation fees, they would lose over one-third of their adventurer team's liquid funds, significantly impacting their ability to purchase resources and nurture new members.

"It seems Zero Wing has noticed us, but this type of greeting is certainly unorthodox," Roaring Flame said, laughing. "Since Zero Wing doesn't want to allow us to teleport out of the city, we'll walk."

"Zero Wing is cowardly. It is afraid of us working with the Starlight Alliance against its forces, so it has used this plan deliberately to buy time?" the Level 59, Tier 2 Cursemancer asked, clicking her tongue. "I had thought Zero Wing was a mysterious and powerful Guild, but it seems that there's nothing really special about it after all. Does Zero Wing really think delaying us will change anything?"

With no other choice, the War Riders left Zero Wing City through the city's entrance.

Meanwhile, a 100-man team stood on the top floor of the tower the War Riders had left. Although these team members had hidden under Black Cloaks, their auras were intense enough to drive Tier 2 players away.

If Shi Feng were present, he would have noticed that this 100-man team consisted of Blackwater's Heavenly Eagle Legion, established by Xuanwu Chisha. Quite a few of these players were Refinement Realm experts, and Snow Scar, the leader of the team, had recently risen through the ranks on the God's Domain's Experts List, earning the title of 'Spear Demon.'

"So, it's true; as the report stated, the War Riders have joined the Starlight Alliance. Zero Wing is in for a tough fight."

"Zero Wing is pitiful. It's going to lose its position as Star-Moon Kingdom's number one Guild before we even have a chance to take action."

"That's right! Sin Realm has deep connections with Beast Emperor, so the Guild has gotten its hands on the power to transform players into monsters. Based on what we've learned, the Star Alliance has prepared over 3,000 monster players to ensure Zero Wing's destruction. It's also dispatched another 20,000 experts, and the War Riders are providing reinforcements. As long as Zero Wing leaves this city, the Starlight Alliance will devour it."

"I've heard that Roaring Flame, the War Rider's commander, is exceptionally strong. Seeing him now, he truly seems powerful. It's no wonder why he dared to reject the Vice Guild Leader's recruitment offer."

"Seeing his strength makes me want to challenge him to a duel."

"I'd rather duel Black Flame. I want to see if he is as powerful as the rumors make him out to be."

"Alright, enough! Don't forget our task!"

As the discussion reached a tipping point, Snow Scar interjected. Everyone on the team immediately shut their mouths. Unlike when the Heavenly Eagle Legion had initially been established, this team was convinced of Snow Scar's strength and followed his leadership obediently.

"Head to your respective positions and wait Be prepared to act as soon as Zero Wing sends its army out of Zero Wing City!" Snow Scar snapped through the team chat. "Whether Zero Wing wins or loses, we are going to sever its income source."

"Understood!" The team members then split up and headed toward each of the Elemental Towers. Once they received the command, they'd destroy Zero Wing City's Four Towers of Elements, the city's greatest income source.

Zero Wing! Although our plan is despicable, you only have yourself to blame for standing in Blackwater's way! Snow Scar

glanced at the distant Zero Wing Residence one final time before heading to his appointed location.

While the various major powers were paying close attention to the situation in the Witch's Hill, 1,000 Tier 2 Shield Warriors and Berserkers had gathered in the second-floor hall of Zero Wing's Residence. Even now, they didn't know why Shi Feng had called them there, and they couldn't help but discuss the situation amongst themselves. They had only fallen quiet after Shi Feng and Aqua Rose had entered the hall.

"Since everyone here is a core member of our Guild, I'll just come out with it We want you to fulfill a specific task, but it requires that you convert to the Giant race, gaining far greater Strength. If you do not wish to convert, you may leave. I'll find a replacement later. If there are no problems, line up before me to complete the conversion," Shi Feng stated after sweeping a glance over the players in the hall.

"Convert to the Giant race?" Aqua Rose was stunned when she heard Shi Feng's intentions.

She knew a little about race conversion, so she understood the benefits of converting to a neutral race, especially the Giants. The Giant race had been fathered by the Titans and wielded incredibly strong combat power. The Giants were far superior to humans. However, a race conversion wasn't accomplished so easily.

The players in the hall remained silent for some time, but once they recovered from their daze, they expressed their shock. They were all core members, so they knew about the benefits of converting to a neutral race, not to mention the legendary Giant race. The Giants were a mysterious race and even more powerful than Beastkin and Half-elves.

After a moment of processing Shi Feng's offer, they rushed to line up before their Guild Leader, hoping to be the first to become a Giant.

Seeing his players' excitement regarding the conversion, Shi Feng retrieved the Giant's Holy Stone and began to change the players before him. After ten minutes or so, all 1,000 Shield Warriors and Berserkers had become four-meter-tall Giants, and with so many of them, the hall seemed a little crowded.

"So strong!" Aqua Rose exclaimed as she examined the Giant players. She could feel an intense pressure radiating from every one of the Tier 2 Giants. With all 1,000 in one place, their combined aura was astounding.

"Good! Let's head to Wildhammer Town and pay the Starlight Alliance a visit!" Shi Feng nodded approvingly at the 1,000 Tier 2 Giants before him. He then activated Spatial Gate, opening a teleportation gate that led to Wildhammer Town's area.

Chapter 2017 - Giant Raid

Witch's Hill, WildhammerTown:

Due to its proximity to the Million Forest, which made travel to the Otherworld Gate considerably easier, and the investments from multiple corporations, Wildhammer Town's player population had grown past 600,000. Player Shops filled the town alongside the variety of virtual stores, which were run by real-world corporations. The town was no less prosperous than a minor NPC town.

Since the Starlight Alliance was growing stronger, the number of merchant players and adventurer teams visiting the town continued to increase. Sooner or later, Wildhammer Town would become the main hub for players wanting to grind in the Million Forest.

Although the town had to deal with the occasional monster siege, the Starlight Alliance had solid fortifications. Despite being a Basic Town, Wildhammer Town was surrounded by tall, solid walls, and over a dozen Defense Turrets and another dozen or so Arrow Towers had been built along the walls. The Starlight Alliance had also ensured that more than 20,000 players protected the town constantly. With all these defenses, not even the Witch's Hill's monsters could cause any damage.

Moreover, the Guilds that made up the Starlight Alliance had constructed more than a dozen temporary Guild Residences. Even in the event that the town's defenses failed to repel an enemy invasion, the Guilds could easily call in more than 100,000 players as reinforcements at a moment's notice. One could say that Wildhammer Town was the safest town in Star-Moon Kingdom.

As the sun set, the afterglow gradually covered the earth as darkness began to awake from its slumber.

Currently, a robust man carrying a silver longbow climbed atop one of Wildhammer Town's Defense Turrets and quietly observed the distant forest. The six-man party that guarded the turret stopped slacking the moment they noticed this man, growing nervous.

Although this Tier 2 Ranger was only Level 57, an insignificant level in a Guild like Knight's Judgement since so many Tier 2 players had already reached Level 58 and beyond, the six-man party only had admiration and respect for the man before him.

This man was one of the only six players in Knight's Judgment that had obtained an Advanced Legacy. He was also the only expert in the Guild to complete the Hell Mode Promotion Quest. He had been dubbed 'Soul Chaser' in Star-Moon Kingdom- Eight Feathers!

Anyone who had challenged the Tier 2 Promotion Quest understood how difficult the quest was. A lot of players had to spend a long time preparing for the Normal Mode Promotion Quest. Some expert players had even failed their Promotion Quests after reaching their current levels, still stuck at Tier 1. The Hell Mode Promotion Quest was practically a legend among players right now, yet Eight Feathers had completed it.

Some time ago, the Ranger had sparred with Sin Realm's famous seven great experts. Although he hadn't defeated any of them, he hadn't lost, either. Sin Realm's seven great experts ranked at the very peak of Purple Thorns Kingdom's players, but unlike these experts, Eight Feathers was still in his early 20s. He still had plenty of time for growth.

"The forest seems pretty quiet today. I doubt we'll see any monster sieges," Eight Feathers said, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes as he gazed at the forest.

The six players on duty nodded in approval. They were also disappointed with the lack of activity.

Although fending off monster sieges was troublesome, it was an opportunity to obtain treasures and train.

"The players on duty yesterday were so lucky. They got to participate in a monster siege. Why don't we get to have any fun?"

"I've heard that Commander Eight made a killing yesterday. He even managed to obtain a piece of Level 55 Secret-Silver Equipment and over 20 Primordial Crystal Fragments."

"I heard the same! The players on duty also earned two or three fragments each! They're so lucky! With a few more fragments, they can synthesize them into a full crystal and upgrade their Guild Mounts to Bronze rank! The Bronze Guild Mounts' speed and appearances are to die for! I wonder when I'll get to synthesize my own crystal?"

"There's no need to be in such a hurry. Zero Wing has decided to fight the Starlight Alliance. Once it's defeated, the Witch's Hill's resources will be ours for the taking. Obtaining a Primordial Crystal will be a piece of cake."

"I guess you're right. But isn't Zero Wing full of itself? Just because it is Star-Moon Kingdom's number one Guild, it is taking us lightly. Doesn't the Guild realize that we've entered a new era? Tier 2 players have already become commonplace. With how few Tier 2 experts Zero Wing has, how could it suppress the dozen or so Guilds in the Starlight Alliance?"

When the plays atop the Defense Turret spoke about Zero Wing, they could not help but laugh at and ridicule the Guild's ignorance. Even now, it tried to cling to its past achievements.

However, as these players began to discuss where they should go to grind for Primordial Crystal Fragments, a spatial tear suddenly opened near the town's main entrance, adding a bizarre effect to the reddening sky.

The spatial tear continued to grow until it formed a black hole. Once the black hole had stabilized, a figure emerged and stepped onto Wildhammer Town's main street.

"A monster siege?"

Watching from the Defense Turrets, the players on duty didn't have a clear view of the figure. They could only see the invader's enormous framer. This invader was far larger than the players wandering the streets, so the watching players assumed that it must be a monster.

"No! That marker... That guy's a player!" Eight Feathers, who had incredible sight, exclaimed as he shook his head, his expression grim.

The invader was four meters tall and radiated an aura resembling that of a wild beast. No matter how he considered the situation, this invader would be difficult to deal with. Moreover, the invading player was Level 60, which only peak experts had reached at this stage of the game. This only solidified the idea that this player wasn't to be trifled with.

Shortly after the first Giant appeared, more began to emerge from the black hole. In a brief moment, several dozen Giant players graced Wildhammer Town's streets...

Most importantly, these Giant players wore the six-winged emblem of Zero Wing.

"Zero Wing's members dare to trespass in our Wildhammer Town?! Are they that tired of living?! Commander, let's blast them to smithereens!"

No matter how powerful players were, they were still players. Against the Defense Turrets, they were little more than cannon fodder. The fact that Zero Wing's members had grown larger only made them easier targets.

"The Defense Turrets' AOE is too large! There are other players on the street! With so few of them, the NPC soldiers and patrol squads can deal with them easily enough!" Eight Feathers said.

The Defense Turrets' attacks did not differentiate between friend and foe. If they accidentally bombarded bystanders, it would be very bad for the town's reputation.

Rather than using the Defense Turrets, it was wiser to let the several thousand NPC soldiers and 20,000 player guards deal with these intruders.

Furthermore, Zero Wing had only arrived with several dozen members. They didn't need to employ the Defense Turrets for such a small force.

However, when one of Knight's Judgment's patrol squads reached Zero Wing's Giant players, one of Zero Wing's massive members executed a Tier 1 Whirlwind Slash with his battle axe. The impact threw ten or so players from the 100-man team over a dozen yards away. The squad's Tier 2 players remained standing, but for Tier 1 players, only those that wore plate armor had survived the attack. The rest had died instantly, their bodies transforming into streaks of light before disappearing...

Chapter 2018 - Battle at Wildhammer

Due to the frightening power the axe-wielding Giant player had just displayed, the bystanders on the street had fallen silent. When they looked at the shattered ground beneath the Giant player's feet, they could not help but grow nervous.

"So strong!"

"Zero Wing isn't seriously attacking Wildhammer Town, is it?"

"Has Zero Wing gone insane?! It actually dares to attack Wildhammer Town directly?!"

If they had been confused about why such a small group from Zero Wing had appeared in Wildhammer Town, they weren't now. Zero Wing intended to strike out against the Starlight Alliance, and it would use Wildhammer Town to do it, the alliance's most important base.

Just as the surrounding crowd whispered among themselves, Zero Wing's Tier 2 Giant players annihilated the first 100-man patrol squad that had greeted them. Even Knight's Judgment's Tier 2 players fell helplessly before the Giant Berserkers.

After witnessing the Giant players' combat power, the bystanders fled the scene, only daring to watch the battle from a long, safe distance.

"Commander, the bystanders have left the battlefield. Should we open fire?" One of the players on duty at the Defense Turret turned to Eight Feathers, asking for confirmation.

Zero Wing's Giant players had displayed far greater combat power than they had expected. The patrol squad had consisted of 100 elite and expert players from Knight's Judgment, yet these several dozen intruders had wiped out the squad in less than ten seconds. The Giant players' mighty Strength had carved out numerous craters on the town's main street If these players were allowed to wreak havoc, Wildhammer Town would suffer significant damage.

"Sure enough, Zero Wing has come prepared. Open fire! Annihilate them before they leave that street! We cannot let them cause damage to the rest of the town!" Eight Feathers commanded through the team chat Even he felt slightly threatened as he watched Zero Wing's Giant players. If they were allowed to destroy the town and kill these players, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Understood!"

Upon hearing Eight Feathers' command, the players manning the town's Defense Turrets went into action. Very quickly, over a dozen Defense Turrets turned and fired upon the Giant players simultaneously.

A series of explosions rang out from the Defense Turrets. With the turret's range and AOE attacks, Zero Wing's members had no hope of escaping the blast radius in time.

However, a dozen or so Tier 2 Shield Warriors among the Giant players suddenly stepped forward and raised their shields, receiving the cannon shells.

Boom... Boom... Boom...

The cannon shells exploded as they collided with the shields, and the resulting shockwaves were so intense that even the players some distance away could feel them. However, once the dust settled, the revealed scene stupefied the watching players.

Not only had the Giant Shield Warriors survived the attacks, but they also remained in their original positions; not one of them had taken a single step back. Moreover, the Shield Warriors hadn't even lost 10% of their HPs.

"How high is their Defense?! Those were Tier 3 attacks!"

The players manning the Defense Turrets stared at the barely injured intruders in astonishment

The Defense Turret's cannon shells could even deal over -300,000 damage to Tier 3 NPCs. The attacks would kill players instantly if they landed. A Tier 2 Shield Warrior with both a Berserk Skill and a Lifesaving Skill might survive, but only barely. However, the Giant players had taken almost no damage after receiving the Defense Turrets' attacks. They would look as good as new if they simply dusted off their armor.

"Commander, what should we do?" the players manning the Defense Turrets asked Eight Feathers desperately.

"Prepare to fire another around! Once the Cooldown ends, fire!" Even Eight Feathers watched Zero Wing's Giant players with a grim expression. Finishing them off would take quite some time with how high these Giants' Defense and Strength were. Meanwhile, these dozen or so Giant players would wreak havoc in Wildhammer Town.

The moment Eight Feathers finished issuing his command, he caught sight of more Giant players emerging from the black hole. He was so shocked that his mind froze momentarily.

But contrary to his expectations, these Giant players didn't start a rampant slaughter. After exiting the black hole, the new arrivals guarded their position alongside the first group of Giants.

"Quick! Notify the Guild Leader! Request reinforcements to Wildhammer Town immediately!" Eight Feathers barked as a foreboding feeling overwhelmed him.

When one normally launched a surprise attack on an opponent's town, they'd do their best to avoid the town's defenses and cause as much destruction as possible. After all, the Defense Turrets and Arrow Towers' power was no laughing matter, and every Guild Town had plenty of NPC soldiers for security.

Once the invaders were surrounded, they'd be doomed.

However, Zero Wing's Giant players showed no intention of doing so. They simply stood on the main street and wasted time as they fell into a defensive formation. No matter how one looked at the situation, their behavior seemed foolish.

The more time Zero Wing wasted, the more of an advantage the town's defenders would have.

But was Zero Wing truly that foolish?

As Eight Feathers watched more Giant players gather on the main street, his hands began to tremble. However, he didn't tremble with excitement, but because he had considered a possibility.

His enemy didn't care about advantages or disadvantages. Zero Wing had full confidence in its ability to capture Wildhammer Town.

The players manning the Defense Turret felt that Eight Feathers was making a mountain of a molehill. The intruders were merely a small group of Giant players, not a 1,000,000-strong army. Did they really need every Guild in the Starlight Alliance to send reinforcements?

However, despite their opinions, they followed the Ranger's orders and contacted their Guild Leader, letting him decide what should be done.

After a short moment, 1,000 Giant players had gathered in Wildhammer Town. The crowd's breathing grew heavy as they watched the invaders. A single Giant player could easily negate a Defense Turret's attack, and a thousand of these monstrous players now stood in the middle of their town...

Tension shot through the town's independent players and those from Knight's Judgment.

When everyone began to assume that nothing else would emerge from the black hole, a figure, which was considerably smaller than the Giant players, appeared. When they saw this figure, both the independent players and Knight's Judgment's members grew even more nervous.

"Black Flame?!"

"Black Flame is leading the attack himself?"

Everyone in Star-Moon Kingdom knew the name 'Black Flame.' He was a legendary existence that had the power to stand against a Tier 4 Mythic monster by himself for a short time. Even now, everyone could easily recall his achievements.

"Guild Leader Black Flame, you actually decided to visit Wildhammer Town personally? This is truly surprising. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?" Eight Feathers asked, deliberately dragging his words to buy time.

Relying on a bunch of Defense Turrets and NPC soldiers wouldn't be nearly enough against an expert with Mythic-level combat power. They needed to use their Guild's trump card, but activating it required time.

"Since the Starlight Alliance has declared war on Zero Wing, we are here to issue our response and wipe the Starlight Alliance from Star-Moon Kingdom's map!" Shi Feng responded, his tone casual. It was as if he knew that Eight Feathers was trying to buy time and didn't mind at all.

"Do you think that's really possible with just 1,000 players?" Glancing at the time, Eight Feathers grinned and shouted, "Activate the magic array!"

Suddenly, a gigantic magic array manifested, enveloping the main street and several adjacent streets. The intruding expert's Basic Attributes plummeted as the powerful pressure from the array washed over them.

This was Wildhammer Town's trump card_a large-scale Intermediate Magic Array that could even survive against a Mythic monster's attacks for a considerable amount of time. The enemy players caught within the array would lose at least 20% of their Basic Attributes.

"Why not?" Shi Feng responded by activating Miniature World and Ring of Brilliance.

Chapter 2019 - Destruction of Wildhammer

The instant Shi Feng activated Miniature World and Ring of Brilliance, a silver ripple spread out from him. When the silver ripple passed through the non-Zero Wing members, their bodies immediately felt heavier as their Basic Attributes decreased. Even their reaction speeds had become slightly sluggish.

Meanwhile, this silver ripple quickly engulfed the entire Wildhammer Town.

"What's going on? Why can't I contact the outside world?"

When the ripple stopped expanding and disappeared, a translucent barrier enveloped the entire Wildhammer Town. Some of the players inside the town quickly discovered that communications with the outside world had been completely cut off. They couldn't even access Star-Moon Kingdom's official forums.

The Starlight Alliance members present in the town started panicking.

Not only were their Basic Attributes and physique heavily suppressed, but they were also rendered incommunicado. They naturally wouldn't be able to ask for reinforcements and could only deal with the 1,000 Giant players, who suddenly had their Attributes enhanced, all by themselves.

They were already at an absolute disadvantage even when fighting against the Giants in their normal state. Now that the gap in Attributes had been further widened...

"Alright, I won't mind if anyone else inside the town wishes to help the Starlight Alliance. Now, let's start a delightful fight!" Shi Feng said as he swept a glance at the various independent players and adventurer teams, who were showing hints of wanting to take action.

Although Shi Feng did not speak that loudly, it would be hard for everyone not to hear him as the street was deathly silent right now. The various independent players and adventurer team members involuntarily avoided his gaze, their eyes wide with fear.

"Amazing! With just a few words, Black Flame scared the players that were planning to take advantage of the situation into inaction!"

"Of course! After seeing all the cards Zero Wing has revealed thus far, in addition to hearing Black Flame's calm tone, who would dare make an enemy out of Zero Wing now?"

"As expected of Zero Wing's Guild Leader. With his charisma and intelligence, the Starlight Alliance will definitely have their hands full dealing with Zero Wing. With this, the Starlight Alliance will most likely have a difficult time getting the players inside the town to help out."

When the upper echelon of the various Guilds that were not part of the Starlight Alliance saw this scene, they felt great admiration for Shi Feng. At the same time, their wariness of Zero Wing also further increased.

At this moment, Eight Feathers, who had reached the battlefield, waved his hand. Immediately, several players hidden along the street took out Tier 3 large-scale destruction Magic Scrolls and aimed the scrolls at Shi Feng. In the next moment, gigantic magic arrays bloomed above the main street, one after another.

"Black Flame! Pay for your arrogance!" Eight Feathers shouted as he glared at Shi Feng and the other members of Zero Wing. "Attack!"

Nine Tier 3 large-scale destruction Spells activated simultaneously, the AOE of the Spells covering the entire main street.

The power of the Spells was much greater than the attacks of the Defense Turrets. Shields also wouldn't be effective against these Spells; MTs could only endure them. Even if the Giant Shield Warriors activated their Lifesaving Skills and survived this combined attack, they would most likely have very little HP remaining.

As for Shi Feng, even if the Swordsman was more amazing, he would not be able to kill the nine players activating the nine Magic Scrolls within the scrolls' short activation time.

The nine gigantic magic arrays in the sky immediately released a blinding glow and started rapidly sucking up the Mana available in Wildhammer Town's main street

However, even after seeing that the nine Tier 3 large-scale destruction Spells were about to activate, Shi Feng still showed no intention of dodging. Instead, he merely waved his hand casually.

Forbidden Domain!

A gray ripple spread out from Shi Feng and shattered the magic arrays in the sky, allowing the rampaging Mana to calm down. Following which, the nine large-scale destruction Spells vanished without accomplishing anything.

What?! Why does he have a large-scale Silencing Domain?! Eight Feathers' eyes widened as he checked the nine players responsible for activating the large-scale-destruction Magic Scrolls. At this moment, the Magic Scrolls these players previously wielded had already disappeared. This situation was clearly the effect of the Silenced debuff.

The Silenced debuff made attacks using Skills and Spells impossible. If they were to fight inside this Silencing Domain's AOE, they would be in an extremely disadvantageous position. Now, their only way to repulse Zero Wing's members was by utilizing the Defense Turrets and Arrow Towers. Although these defensive structures would have little to no effect against Zero Wing's Giant players, these defensive structures could still buy them time to escape the Silencing Domain's AOE.

Just as Eight Feathers was about to have the Defense Turrets and Arrow Towers bombard the main street, a clear and crisp voice suddenly entered his ears.

"Now that you're done attacking, it's my turn now. Hopefully, this Spell will be to your satisfaction!" Shi Feng said as he pointed a finger to the sky.

Flame Domain!

Immediately after, Eight Feathers saw a massive, crimson magic array appear overhead, covering nearly half of the entire main street.

"Not good!"

At this moment, the magic array encompassed every Starlight Alliance member on the main street Before Eight Feathers could order a retreat, however, a column of flames descended from the magic array, the flames visible to all the players in Wildhammer Town. The ground within the AOE of Flame Domain instantly turned into lava. Meanwhile, even the Level 80, Tier 2 NPCs didn't survive, dying and turning into ashes after getting caught within the fiery hell for a few seconds.

After the column of flames disappeared, the scene that appeared had all the onlookers gasping involuntarily.

Several thousand players and a few hundred NPC soldiers had disappeared, just like that. Now, nearly half of the main street was void of life, with plenty of player items strewn across the street.

Most importantly, the players killed by the column of flames were the main fighting force of the Starlight Alliance. This loss was much more severe than if the Starlight Alliance had lost several tens of thousands of Tier 1 elite members. After all, while Tier 1 and Tier 2 experts were somewhat capable of hindering Zero Wing's Giant players, Tier 1 elite players were practically cannon fodder in front of the Tier 2 Giant players.

As for Shi Feng, after seeing that he had torn a hole in the enemy encirclement, he commanded, "Everyone, advance! Our target is Knight's Judgment's Residence!"

A part of the reason why capturing a town or city was considered difficult was the external defenses. Enemies would have a difficult time breaking into the town or city. However, unlike cities, towns did not have defensive magic arrays to prevent enemies from teleporting directly into the town via a Skill or tool.

In a situation where the Defense Turrets and Arrow Towers were ineffective, the only trouble they would face was the Tier 2 players and NPC soldiers garrisoning the town. Previously, the Starlight Alliance's Tier 2 players and NPC soldiers had a considerable numerical advantage. However, after the blast from Flame Domain, that advantage had diminished. Moreover, Miniature World was also suppressing the surviving players and NPCs. Hence, Shi Feng was no longer worried about facing any problems and commanded his team to head straight for their target.

After Shi Feng gave the command, the 1,000 Giant players promptly charged toward Knight's Judgment's Guild Residence. The Tier 2 Giant Berserkers in front easily tore through the Starlight Alliance's defensive lines. The Starlight Alliance's members could not even slow Zero Wing's advance. Only the Tier 2 experts that had activated their Berserk Skills could contend against the Giants.

However, Zero Wing's Giant players also possessed Berserk Skills. Like rampaging wild beasts, the several Tier 2 Giant Berserkers who had activated Power of Darkness were capable of killing over a dozen players with a single attack. Even the Level 80, Tier 2 NPCs received a one-sided beating when going up against them.

Presented with this scene, the spectating independent players did not dare to leave their current positions, deeply afraid of attracting the attention of these violent Giant players. As for the adventurer teams and members of small Guilds that were previously planning to take advantage of the situation to attack Zero Wing, they had given up entirely on their thoughts. They also celebrated the fact that they had not hastily taken action.

Before the players inside Wildhammer Town could recover from their shock, Zero Wing's Giant players had already charged into Knight's Judgment's heavily fortified Residence, destroyed the Guild Flag located on the first underground floor, and obtained Wildhammer Town's Town Order. With this, the Starlight Alliance had lost all control over Wildhammer Town.

Chapter 2020 - Great Changes

Star-Moon Kingdom, Witch's Hill:

Due to indications that Zero Wing would take action, many of the Starlight Alliance's members had gathered a short distance away from Zero Wing City and were grinding there, thoroughly sealing off the paths leading from the city, while quietly awaiting Zero Wing's next move.

However, standing atop a hill a short distance away from Zero Wing City, Shadowlight Axe, the Guild Leader of Knight's Judgment, was currently confused and agitated. Just a short while ago, he had suddenly received news that Knight's Judgment had lost control over Wildhammer Town. Moreover, this was directly announced into the ears of every Guild member of Knight's Judgment.

Guild System: Zero Wing has captured Wildhammer Town's Town Order. Wildhammer Town will no longer be under Knight's Judgment's jurisdiction. Guild Popularity reduced by 2,000.

Although Shi Feng's Miniature World sealed off the communications of players caught within the Skill's AOE, it could not prevent the release of the notification of the Guild Town's capture. As long as one was a member of Knight's Judgment, they would immediately receive news of Wildhammer Town's capture. This could be considered a morale punishment toward a Guild that failed to defend its town.

"Wildhammer Town got captured? How is this possible?"

"What did Zero Wing do?"

The sudden notification threw Knight's Judgment's members for a loop. Wildhammer Town was a town their Guild had fortified heavily. Just the players garrisoning the town numbered over 20,000. There were also more than two dozen static defenses built in the town, as well as thousands of NPC soldiers.

Most importantly, Knight's Judgment had invested a lot of money into building a sturdy wall, which encompassed the entire town and prevented players from vaulting over it. The only way to get into the town was by destroying the wall. However, doing so would be extremely difficult. Even 100 Tier 2 players targeting a single section of the wall would need to launch numerous attacks to reduce the wall's durability by just one point. Even if Zero Wing's members had war weapons like cannons, they should still take quite some time to breach the wall.

Hence, Knight's Judgment's members found it truly hard to imagine that such a we 11-fortified town could actually be captured—and within only a short time.

At this moment, confusion plagued the entire Knight's Judgment. Even Shadowlight Axe, who had experienced countless trials and tribulations, wore an ashen complexion, a cold glint flashing across his eyes.

"Guild Leader, let's rush back to Wildhammer Town now! We can't let Zero Wing get away with this so easily!" a Level 59, Tier 2 male Cleric urged anxiously.

Even if a Guild Town's Town Order were snatched, the town would not immediately switch owners. The ruling Guild would simply lose control of the town. If the ruling Guild could snatch the Town Order back within an hour, the town would promptly return to the ruling Guild's control.

"No, we're out of time for that," Shadowlight Axe said as he shook his head in frustration. "What we need to do now is head immediately to Warring Empire's Golden Flow Town. Also, look into how Zero Wing managed to capture Wildhammer Town. Afterward, we'll discuss with the rest of the alliance how we should proceed."

Nowadays, Wildhammer Town was Knight's Judgment's main support. It was precisely because of Wildhammer Town's existence that Knight's Judgment received a large amount of funding, gaining an advantage over the other major powers. Without Wildhammer Town, Knight's Judgment's position would plummet into oblivion.

If it were possible to take back Wildhammer Town's Town Order, he, too, wished to do so. However, Knight's Judgment's main army was currently far from Wildhammer Town. With their ability to teleport to the town robbed, they would need over an hour to reach Wildhammer Town even if they took the shortest route and traveled nonstop by Mount. Not to mention, there were also plenty of high-level monsters on the way there.

"Understood! I'll contact the other Guilds of the alliance!" The male Cleric had no choice but to nod in agreement with Shadowlight Axe's words. Although he felt unreconciled to simply letting Zero Wing gain Wildhammer Town, he was helpless.

Meanwhile, news of Zero Wing capturing Wildhammer Town spread like wildfire across the entire Star-Moon Kingdom.

After all, the matter of a Guild Town falling was staggering news that could not be kept a secret Not to mention, the various large Guilds and adventurer teams of Star-Moon Kingdom were all paying close attention to the situation at the Witch's Hill.

"Are you kidding me? That Wildhammer Town actually fell to Zero Wing? What did Zero Wing do?"

"Could this information be fake?"

When the players of Star-Moon Kingdom found out about this matter, their first reaction was denial. After all, how could such a well-fortified town fall so easily? Moreover, Zero Wing had captured the town so quickly that almost no news about it had leaked beforehand.

The only thing everyone knew before this was that Zero Wing had suddenly gathered 1,000 Tier 2 experts. However, what could 1,000 Tier 2 experts possibly do against a Guild Town? It would be sheer suicide to attack a Guild Town with such a small force. Just the NPC soldiers inside the town would be more than enough to kill these experts.

Meanwhile, the news of Zero Wing suddenly capturing Wildhammer Town sent the ferment in Star-Moon Kingdom into an immediate and rapid cooldown. The various major powers automatically took a step back and started observing the situation more carefully. After all, if Zero Wing was capable of capturing even a weH-fortified town like Wildhammer Town, then it was definitely more than capable of capturing the Guild Towns of smaller Guilds like theirs.

"I really underestimated Zero Wing. To think it would capture Wildhammer Town so quickly... No wonder Zero Wing dares to resist Blackwater." Snow Scar, who currently stood inside one of the Four Towers of Elements, was surprised to receive news about this sudden development.

"Commander, are we going to give up on destroying the Four Towers of Elements, then?" a Level 60, Tier 2 Assassin asked in a quiet tone.

"Let's wait a little while longer and see what actions the Starlight Alliance takes. The alliance has suffered a considerable setback with the loss of Wildhammer Town. It definitely won't be able to sit still and do nothing. It will take some sort of action. And when it does, we'll have our opportunity," Snow Scar replied, chuckling.

The main reason why the Starlight Alliance was able to develop so rapidly in the Witch's Hill was the two Guild Towns it controlled. Now that the number of Guild Towns it controlled had been halved, if the alliance still refused to take action, there would be only one outcome.

The resources available in a single town wouldn't be enough for so many corporations to share. It also wouldn't be enough for the various member Guilds of the alliance. At that time, some corporations and Guilds would choose to withdraw from the alliance. Eventually, the Starlight Alliance would naturally disappear from Star-Moon Kingdom. Snow Scar had to admit that Zero Wing was truly vicious to deal such a fatal blow to the Starlight Alliance.

Of course, achieving what Zero Wing achieved was also extremely difficult, to begin with.

Witch's Hill, Golden Flow Town:

Due to Wildhammer Town's capture, the entire Starlight Alliance was currently in chaos. After receiving a call from Shadowlight Axe, the representatives of every member Guild had gathered in Warring Empire's Residence to hold an emergency meeting.

"Zero Wing is truly ruthless. With this single move, it silenced the entire kingdom. As things stand, we'll have a much more difficult time locking down the Million Forest," Wind Cloud, Sin Realm's representative and a Tier 2 Assassin, said. Turning to Shadowlight Axe, he smiled and asked, "Do you have any thoughts on this or any information to report? Don't tell me you still haven't found out a single thing about what happened in Wildhammer Town even now."

Aside from being one of Sin Realm's seven great experts, Wind Cloud was also the most famous Assassin in the Purple Thorns Kingdom. Many experts and Guild Leaders of first-rate Guilds had fallen at his hands before he joined Sin Realm.

Only after suffering defeat at Lone Beacon's hands did he join Sin Realm.

"My side has already received a report on what happened in Wildhammer Town. According to the report, Zero Wing raided Wildhammer Town suddenly by means of teleportation. Although only 1,000 people were teleported into the town, these 1,000 people were no ordinary players. They were all four meters tall and possessed extraordinary Strength and Defense. They could contend against Level 80, Tier 2 NPCs head-on and survive the attacks of Defense Turrets without receiving much damage," Shadowlight Axe said. He also did not forget to show the battle videos recorded.

"So, the equivalent of 1,000 monster players?" Roaring Flame, War Riders' commander, said, frowning. "What frightening combat power! If the fight occurs in a narrow place like the street of a town, they will indeed be very difficult to deal with."

Roaring Flame frequently fought large-scale battles, so he understood very clearly how powerful these 1,000 Giant players would be in an urban battle. Battles inside of towns were different from battles out in the fields. Executing large-scale battle formations was extremely difficult inside a town. Rather, units of several hundred or several thousand players would be more suitable in such a situation.

"We have too little information! We have never before heard about any of the cards Zero Wing has just shown! If we had, Zero Wing never would've succeeded!" Shadowlight Axe exclaimed.

"That's right! However, what we need to do now is take back Wildhammer Town. Although Zero Wing has these Giant players, we have monster players on our side. Moreover, we outnumber Zero Wing considerably. The only problem is that Domain Skill Black Flame used. Its suppression effect is simply too powerful. If we have some way to resist it, the problem would be solved much more easily," Sky View, Warring Empire's Guild Leader, said as he nodded in agreement with Shadowlight Axe's words.

Dealing with the Giant players was not a problem. After all, their side had monster players. According to the information they received, the combat power of their monster players should be equal to that of Zero Wing's Giant players.

"No need to worry about this. I have a tool here that has a powerful suppression force, although the cost of activating it is very high. This tool can also summon powerful monsters. Although it can't summon a lot of monsters, their quality is top- notch. They are much more powerful than even the Evil Beasts found in Ancient Rock City. In the past, when Zero Wing launched a large-scale attack against Ancient Rock City, it could only retreat in defeat when faced with those Evil Beasts. With these summoned monsters, we should not have any problem retaking Wildhammer Town," Wind Cloud said, smiling.

"We'll have to depend on Brother Wind afterward, then." Shadowlight Axe breathed out a sigh of relief.

Wildhammer Town's defenses were far from being a match for Ancient Rock City's. It also didn't have a defensive magic array protecting it. Although Wind Cloud wouldn't be able to summon many monsters, if they included the support of a large number of monster players, retaking Wildhammer Town should be feasible. After all, Zero Wing lacked numbers.

However, just as the gathered representatives were about to discuss further how they should retake Wildhammer Town, a person suddenly barged into the room with a panicked expression. When this person entered, everyone inside the room could hear quite the commotion coming from outside.

"What's going on outside? Why is it so noisy?! Don't they know that we're holding an important meeting?!" Sky View demanded of the Guild member that barged in.

"Guild Leader! Not good! Outside... A large number of Giant players have suddenly appeared outside!" the Level 57 Berserker reported while panting.