Reincarnation of The Strongest Sword God

2021-2040

Chapter 2021 - Sudden Appearance in Golden Flow Town

After the jittery Berserker reported what was happening outside the Residence, the entire meeting room fell silent.

"How is this possible?!"

"Why would Zero Wing's members be here? Didn't they just capture Wildhammer Town?"

"Are you sure you saw correctly?"

This sudden development stupefied everyone inside the meeting room. Their minds simply could not process this turn of events. Even though the reporting Berserker had already explained things clearly, they still found an attack on Golden Flow Town inconceivable.

Zero Wing had just fought a battle in Wildhammer Town. No matter how powerful Zero Wing's Giant players were, they would definitely have suffered some losses. Meanwhile, only a little over two hours had passed since Zero Wing captured Wildhammer Town. Logically, Zero Wing should be prioritizing taking over of Wildhammer Town instead of launching another attack.

Zero Wing's unconventional way of doing things messed up their original plans.

"We haven't even gone to reclaim Wildhammer Town, yet Zero Wing is already knocking on our doors?" Wind Cloud revealed a playful smile at this situation.

"Zero Wing is too arrogant! As soon as it captured Wildhammer Town, it is trying to take Golden Flow Town? Is Zero Wing planning on annihilating the Starlight Alliance in one fell swoop?" Shadowlight Axe, on the other hand, revealed a dark expression.

In his opinion, the main reason why Zero Wing was able to capture Wildhammer Town before was the Starlight Alliance's ignorance of the existence of the Giant players and of Zero Wing's ability to teleport 1,000 players directly into a town. Had the alliance known about these things and prepared beforehand, Zero Wing wouldn't have been able to take down Wildhammer Town at all.

"Zero Wing most likely doesn't know that we have already gathered our combat power in Golden Flow Town and is launching a preemptive strike," Sky View said, frowning as a hint of rage flashed across his eyes. Hurriedly, he turned to the reporting Berserker and ordered, "Relay my commands! Have every expert in the Guild gather in Golden Flow Town! I want Zero Wing's visit here to be a one-way trip!"

"However, it is best if we proceed with caution. We should not take Black Flame lightly. He might have some trap set up for us," Wind Cloud cautioned.

Wildhammer Town and Golden Flow Town served as the Starlight Alliance's foundation. Even the loss of one could push the alliance to the brink of annihilation. If both towns were lost, the Starlight Alliance would be done for. Hence, they needed to be extra careful in this upcoming battle.

"This is certain! I will have everyone in Star-Moon Kingdom understand that Zero Wing is already old news! The future Star- Moon Kingdom will belong to the Starlight Alliance!" Sky View said, sneering. "Gather every monster player inside the town! Prepare all the war weapons and Magic Scrolls we have! Let's go and meet Zero Wing!"

"Let's hope that's the case..." Wind Cloud muttered in exasperation. He felt that Sky View wasn't listening to him at all. However, he also had to admit that the current Golden Flow Town was quite unlike the lightly defended Wildhammer Town of before, what with the Starlight Alliance's upper echelon, experts, and elites all gathered here.

Afterward, the Starlight Alliance's upper echelon went into action, ordering their Guild experts to gather at Golden Flow Town. At the same time, they also had their subordinates, who were already in town, form an encirclement around Zero Wing's Giant players, to prevent Zero Wing from wreaking havoc on the town.

Meanwhile, Zero Wing's 1,000 Giant players were already engaged in battle all over Golden Flow Town. Due to the effects of Miniature World and Ring of Brilliance, the Starlight Alliance's members and NPC soldiers were at a total disadvantage. Giants sent players flying all around. Craters pocked the various streets. Rather than a battle between players, this scene looked more like a monster siege instead.

The independent players inside the town could not help but be stunned upon seeing this scene.

The Strength and Defense that Zero Wing's Giant players possessed were absurd. The town's Level 80 NPC soldiers were simply a joke before these Giants.

However, under the commands of the Starlight Alliance's upper echelon, a defensive encirclement quickly formed around Zero Wing's members. Multiple teams led by Tier 2 experts started using magic arrays to suppress the Giant players and then engage these Giant players in battle.

Among the various teams, the ones led by Guild upper echelons possessed the greatest strength. Not only were these teams composed entirely of Tier 2 players, but every team member was also an expert that was capable of reaching the late stage of the Trial Tower's fifth floor at the very least. Due to the assistance of magic barriers, these experts could cooperate with each other to take advantage of the Giant players' slow Movement Speed and reaction speed. Each expert team could go up against several Giant players at a time.

The teams led by the Starlight Alliance's four strongest powers performed even more fiercely. Wielding a flaming, magic staff, Sky View, Warring Empire's Guild Leader, released one fire-type Spell after another, the power of each Spell rivaling that of Tier 3 Spells. Moreover, his attacks were extremely fast—a perfect counter to the slow Giant players.

All by himself, Sky View managed to deplete a Tier 2 Giant player's HP in just a dozen seconds or so. After battling for around three minutes, Sky View's 100-man team killed a Giant team made up of a dozen or so Giant players. Sky View then led his team to patch up the holes that had formed in the defensive encirclement, preventing other Giant teams from advancing.

However, although the Starlight Alliance's upper echelon teams performed well against the Giant players, their efforts were negligible, as they could cover only so much ground at a time. The corpses of the Starlight Alliance's members filled many other locations in the town.

"Zero Wing!" Sky View's complexion turned very ugly as he looked at the corpses of his Guildmates strewn across the street he stood on. "In the name of the Warring Empire, I definitely will not let any of you leave this place alive!"

This situation was simply horrible!

Every Warring Empire member currently fighting in the town was an elite player at the very minimum. Among them, many were even expert players. These players were the mainstays of the Guild. With so many of these elite and expert players dying, Warring Empire would need a very long time to recover afterward.

At this moment, the other Guild upper echelons were also experiencing the might of the Giant players and Shi Feng's Miniature World.

This situation was indeed outside of their expectations.

"Brother Wind, are you still not ready?" Sky View asked through a call with Wind Cloud.

"It's done!" Wind Cloud, who was currently holding a ceremony in Warring Empire's Residence, replied, smiling.

As soon as Wind Cloud said so, the sky above Golden Flow Town suddenly darkened. At the same time, the 5,000 Level 50- plus players taking part in the ceremony in the Residence disintegrated instantly, their bodies transforming into pitch-black smoke that gathered in the sky. Afterward, the smoke started descending in streams, one after another. Upon reaching the ground, each stream of smoke took on a humanoid shape. Even the weakest among these humanoid gas lifeforms was a Level 70 Great Lord, with several among them being Level 70-plus Grand Lords. These gas lifeforms easily numbered in the hundreds. Moreover, the eyes of every one of these smoke monsters shone with intelligence.

In addition to the appearance of these smoke monsters, the suppression effect of Miniature World also vanished without a trace.

This move was none other than Sin Realm's strongest trump card—Death's Praise. It was a super-rare Epic item that could be used only once every ten days.

"This move from Sin Realm is amazing!" The smoke monsters astonished Roaring Flame, who was commanding the members of the War Riders.

Even an army of 3,000 Tier 2 players would most likely fall if attacked by so many of these smoke monsters.

"Good! Everyone, tighten the encirclement and kill every Giant player in sight!" Sky View commanded.

Without the suppression of Miniature World, even the Great Lord ranked smoke monsters would be able to go toe-to-toe against the Giant players. As for the Grand Lords, they possessed combat power superior to the Giant players'—and there were more than 50 of these Grand Lords.

After just a short moment, Zero Wing's Giant players started getting pushed back. Now, these Giant players no longer dared to operate in parties or small teams, as they would be killed off easily if they did so.

"Zero Wing sure is gullible. Does it really think it can take down Golden Flow Town as easily as it did Wildhammer Town, using just 1,000 players?"

"Since Zero Wing dares to look down on our Starlight Alliance, we should teach Zero Wing's members the consequences of overreaching!"

"I'm really looking forward to the expression of regret Black Flame is going to make. After this battle, I'll definitely compile a close-up video of this battle and post it onto the official forums for him!"

While the Starlight Alliance's upper echelons were merrily chatting among themselves, the Starlight Alliance's army cornered Zero Wing's forces at the town's central plaza.

At this moment, only a little over 700 Giant players stood in the central plaza. Standing among these Giant players was a cloaked man carrying two exquisite longswords at his waist. The cloaked man was currently observing the situation with a calm gaze. Meanwhile, this cloaked man was none other than Black Flame, a person everyone in Star-Moon Kingdom was familiar with.

"Guild Leader Black Flame! I'm sure you never thought that such a day would come for you, right?" Sky View said excitedly as he looked at Shi Feng. "Unfortunately, it is too late for regrets! Everyone, charge! Let Guild Leader Black Flame know how laughable his arrogance is!" 

Chapter 2022 - True Slaughter

As soon as Sky View gave the command, the monster players and Tier 2 experts under his lead charged toward the central plaza.

"Black Flame! Surrender your life!"

Once Sky View was within 50 yards of Shi Feng, he activated his Berserk Skill, and the surrounding Mana surged toward him. His aura intensified until it was no weaker than the monster players' around him. He then pointed his staff at Shi Feng.

Small, crimson magic arrays began to surround Shi Feng. Spears of raging fire then flew from the arrays, one after another.

Tier 2 Curse, Violent Flame Spears!

This Curse was normally as powerful as a Tier 3 attack, and with the effects of Sky View's special Berserk Skill, it had grown even more powerful. Now, each flame spear had the power to rival an attack from a Grand Lord of the same level.

Even a Tier 2 MT with active Berserk and Lifesaving Skills would die instantly if they faced 28 flame spears from multiple directions.

However, Shi Feng effortlessly deflected the spears with his swords. Moreover, he had done so without moving. In the end, every flame spear had brushed past him and crashed into the ground without accomplishing anything.

Seeing that his first attack had failed, Sky View promptly cast his second ultimate move, the Tier 2 Curse, Flaming Fangs.

Although Flaming Fangs only consisted of five attacks, far fewer than Violent Flame Spears, Sky View had full control of all five. In comparison, he could only aim the Violent Flame Spears when he activated the Spell. Once the Spell launched the attacks, the spears' trajectories couldn't be altered.

The five Flaming Fangs circled Shi Feng like a crimson ring around him. With how fast the Flaming Fangs moved, guessing where and when they'd strike was almost impossible.

"Die!" Once he found an opportunity, Sky View swung his staff.

The five Flaming Fangs flew toward Shi Feng's blind spots, altering their trajectories multiple times as they approached. Boom! Boom! Boom!

A round of explosions shook the battlefield, but Shy View didn't express joy even after releasing his attacks. He had practiced Flaming Fangs tirelessly to master the Spell. He had even created a Basic Combat Technique of his own to amplify the Spell's effectiveness, yet the galaxy of stars that had manifested around Shi Feng had rendered all five Flaming Fangs useless.

It was as if all of the effort he had invested was in vain...

"Guild Leader Sky, we'll help you!" Shadowlight Axe ran towards Sky View alongside a dozen or so monster players.

"No! Wait!" Sky View yelled at Shadowlight Axe to stop as he watched Shi Feng, who remained unharmed.

With the experience of countless life-or-death battles in God's Domain, Sky View had honed his instincts to an extraordinary level. He was particularly sensitive to the threat of death and danger. After his brief clash with Shi Feng, he knew that the man wasn't as simple as rumors had made him seem.

His Flaming Fangs' attacks had the Strength of a Grand Lord of the same level, yet Shi Feng had blocked all five of without any Skills; the man had simply relied on his own Strength. Shi Feng's Strength definitely shouldn't be underestimated. With a single mistake, they could all die in an instant.

If they wanted to contend with a player of such Strength, they would need multiple Great Lord ranked monster players or the Starlight Alliance's peak experts with active Berserk Skills. However, only one of the dozen or so monster players accompanying Shadowlight Axe was at the Great Lord standard. Based on Shi Feng's serene performance, the three of them wouldn't be enough to take the Swordsman down.

Furthermore, Shi Feng hadn't activated a Berserk Skill. Sky View realized that he'd need many more people to defeat this man.

He's already honed his instincts to such a beast-like level? Shi Feng flashed Sky View a surprised look as the man kept his distance.

While Sky View and Shadowlight Axe watched Shi Feng warily, Roaring Flame and Wind Cloud had arrived with their respective teams.

"Black Flame! We've sealed off all paths out of this plaza! You and your Guild members have no hope of escape!" Wind Cloud shouted, smiling faintly at Shi Feng.

The town only had six paths that led to the central plaza, and the Starlight Alliance's monster players had blocked all six. Moreover, they had used a spatial seal to lock down Golden Flow Town, preventing players from using Teleportation Skills or tools. Not even Tier 3 Instantaneous Movement Magic Scrolls would be effective within the seal. Now, all they had to do was eliminate Shi Feng and his Giant players.

"The seal's complete already?" Sky View could not help his grin after hearing Wind Cloud's declaration. "Guild Leader Black Flame, it would seem that today, you will finally fall! Are you going to hand your life over obediently? Or should we take our time with killing you? Make your choice!"

If Shi Feng's Giant players had any hope of fleeing Golden Flow Town before, the Starlight Alliance's players had dashed it. Now that the seal was in place, it was only a matter of time before Shi Feng and his force fell.

"Sky View, why are you wasting your words on him? Why don't we just kill him?" Shadowlight Axe asked.

"What a pity. I really wanted an exciting battle, but I guess that won't be possible," Roaring Flame sighed as he glanced at the eager crowd around him.

"Black Flame, how can you appear so calm in the face of death? Truly arrogant!" Sky View was displeased with what he saw as he watched Shi Feng, who still maintained his composure. He then laughed and ridiculed, "Or is the almighty Guild Leader Black Flame scared stiff? Do you think you can turn the tables by using the same large-scale-destruction Spell you used in Wildhammer Town? Even if you do, it will be futile! We aren't going to stand still and let you destroy us! Even with that Spell, we won't let you accomplish anything here!"

The Starlight Alliance members nodded in agreement. They then began to spread out.

When they had learned about the means Zero Wing had used to capture Wildhammer Town, they had organized appropriate countermeasures. They had divided their main combat power into several groups. They would not let Zero Wing destroy their main combatants so easily again.

"It seems that everyone is here now," Shi Feng said as he eyed the hundreds of monster players and smoke monsters around him. In a mild tone, he continued, "In that case, let's begin the real battle!"

"Still so calm in the face of death!?"

"Do you truly think that you have a chance?!"

"Black Flame, your arrogance ends here!"

"Get out of the way! I'll hack him down with my axe!"

The Starlight Alliance's upper echelons were enraged when they heard Shi Feng's reply. They clearly had the upper hand, yet Shi Feng remained defiant.

However, as the Starlight Alliance's ranged members moved within 40 yards of the Swordsman, beginning to cast their Spells and nock their arrows, Shi Feng pulled a crimson globe from his bag.

Suddenly, a colossal magic array formed above the crowd, driving the ambient fire-type Mana berserk.

In the blink of an eye, the fire-type Mana gathered before Shi Feng and formed an eight-meter-tall Flame Dragon. Once the Fire Spirit took shape, it released a deafening roar.

"It seems that you're all mistaken about something. I haven't remained here because I couldn't leave. Rather, I've been waiting for you to gather around me.

"Let me say it again; let's begin the real battle!" 

Chapter 2023 - Misconceived Victory

Everyone in the central plaza fell silent as the Fire Spirit's thunderous roar echoed through the town, its powerful aura making every player feel uncomfortable. However, the pressure they felt wasn't just due to the Flame Dragon's high Level, but also due to the creature's superior Life Rating.

"Waiting for us to gather? Are you claiming that you're so much stronger than us?" Wind Cloud questioned as he eyed the Fire Spirit. He then returned his gaze to Shi Feng and laughed, saying, "Since that is the case, show me how this Tier 3 Archaic Species of yours will defeat our monster army! Smoke monsters, attack!"

As Wind Cloud gave the command, the humanoid smoke monsters charged past him, running at the Fire Spirit.

These smoke monsters were more like NPCs than ordinary monsters. They did not charge at the Fire Spirit as a disorderly mob. Rather, they fell into proper offensive formations.

Eight Level 75 Grand Lord ranked smoke monsters led the charge, smoke pulling away from their forms to create shields and spears. Like a group of hunters chasing after a large beast, they quickly surrounded the Flame Dragon. Behind these Grand Lords, multiple groups of 10 Great Lord ranked smoke monsters transformed parts of their bodies into longbows. In organized rows, they nocked their arrows and prepared to launch a concentrated attack.

Intense killing intent filled the central plaza. A chilling sensation encompassed the players standing close to the monsters.

The smoke monsters' formation shocked everyone watching. Even the Starlight Alliance's upper echelons were stupefied.

What high intellect! Roaring Flame was just as stunned to see the smoke monsters move like an orderly army.

He wasn't incredibly familiar with Sin Realm's trump card. It had been mentioned briefly during the meeting, but he hadn't dreamed that it would be this powerful.

Militaristic formations were a large part of the reason that players could defeat a large number of powerful monsters in God's Domain. Players would be able to exert greater combat power when they used such tactics than without. This was also why players could fend off monster sieges despite being outnumbered.

The weakest of the hundreds of smoke monsters was a Level 70 Great Lord. If these smoke monsters worked together and fought like players, they could even defeat a Level 80 Mythic monster, let alone a Level 80, Tier 3 Archaic Species.

"Good! While these smoke monsters pin down that Dragon, the rest of us will surround and attack Black Flame! Do not let him escape!" Sky View commanded. As he watched the smoke monsters inch closer to the Fire Spirit, he knew that Shi Feng's final trump card had been neutralized. He no longer felt threatened by Shi Feng's calm exterior. He only needed to concentrate on slaying Shi Feng and announcing the Starlight Alliance's victory in Star-Moon Kingdom.

As Sky View fell silent, he and Shadowlight Axe led a dozen or so Great Lord ranked monster players to surround Shi Feng. The weakest among these players could reach the Trial Tower's sixth floor, and including their powerful Attributes, any one of them could hold their ground against a Mythic monster of the same level.

"Die!" Sky View shouted as he finished chanting the incantation for a Tier 2 Curse.

However, before Sky View released his Spell, he paused, noticing something that confused him. Despite more than a dozen monster players charging at him, Shi Feng's expression hadn't changed. It was as if he viewed these Great Lord ranked monster players as nothing more than air. Or, perhaps, he was ignoring these players.

Even a true Tier 3 expert would feel threatened by so many Great Lord ranked monster players, yet Shi Feng was unfazed... Am I overthinking this? Sky View could not help but wonder if he were being too careful.

Meanwhile, Shadowlight Axe and the others moved within 10 yards of the enemy Swordsman and launched their attacks. Finally, Shi Feng made his move.

He hadn't launched his own attacks, yet Shi Feng's aura abruptly skyrocketed. With unbelievable speed, the Swordsman unsheathed Killing Ray, swinging the blade in a forward slash.

Lightning Slash!

A lightning bolt instantly tore through Shadowlight Axe and his companions.

The monster players and their leader lost HP at a horrific rate. After a single attack, Shadowlight Axe collapsed to the ground like a puppet with cut strings. The impact threw the dozen or so Great Lord ranked monster players over 30 yards back as they lost more than a quarter of their HPs.

Everyone who saw this was stunned.

The Starlight Alliance had carefully selected expert players to become these Great Lord ranked monster players, yet a single strike had shattered their coordinated assault Moreover, Shadowlight Axe, the assault's leader, had died instantly. In contrast, Shi Feng hadn't received one point of damage. In fact, he hadn't even moved from his original position...

"Die!" Sky View growled. He finally realized how terrifying Shi Feng truly was, but he still shouted in an attempt to restore his courage.

Tier 2 Curse, Flame Blast!

This was the most powerful Spell Sky View had in his arsenal. When cast with an active Berserk Skill, even a Grand Lord of the same level would suffer heavy injuries if struck directly.

Suddenly, four gigantic fireballs appeared around Shi Feng, each the size of a small house. These fireballs then descended on their target

The surrounding experts reacted and prepared for Shi Feng to evade the attack, but something surprised them. Contrary to everyone's expectations, Shi Feng didn't try to dodge the fireballs. He didn't even try to defend himself.

Suddenly, four sword lights blinded the crowd, carrying enough power to split the four fireballs in half.

How is this possible?! Sky View was dumbfounded as he watched the Swordsman slice apart his attack so effortlessly. Before today, he had felt that even the various superpowers' old monsters would flee from this attack, but now, he found the idea laughable. He also viewed all of the effort he had spent trying to master the Spell as one big joke.

The strength to fight monster-level experts?

That had only been wishful thinking.

However, Sky View didn't know that Shi Feng had already reached Level 70, wearing equipment that not even Super Guilds' Guild Leaders could dream of equipping. Most importantly, he was currently affected by both the Ring of Brilliance and Heavenly Dragon's Power. Not even a Level 60 Mythic monster could match his Strength.

Following which, Shi Feng appeared before the Great Lord ranked monster players and brandished his two swords. After just a few seconds, one of these monster players was dead.

"What should we do?"

"His Strength is too high!"

"He's using his Berserk Skill! Get away from him for now! Once his Berserk Skill is over, we can easily take him out!"

After witnessing Shi Feng's performance, the Starlight Alliance's members wondered which side had the real monster. They had never expected to find a normal player that could be this powerful. They had to buy themselves some time. If even the Great Lord ranked monster players were helpless against Shi Feng, other players would die instantly if they faced him. Although the Grand Lord ranked smoke monsters had high intellect, they were only monsters.

After killing a few Great Lord ranked monster players, Shi Feng sensed what the Starlight Alliance was trying to do. At this rate, he'd only be able to kill several dozen monster players before Heavenly Dragon's Power ended.

Now that I've seen these monsters' strength, it's time to end this battle, Shi Feng thought to himself as he surveyed his Guild members fighting in the plaza. Although only a short time had passed since the battle in the plaza had begun, Zero Wing had lost a considerable number of lives. Turning back to the Starlight Alliance's upper echelons, Shi Feng said, "Since you have no intention of fighting, let's remove Golden Flow Town from the Witch's Hill!"

"Remove?"

"You really think you can accomplish such a thing?"

Although the Starlight Alliance's members watched Shi Feng with fear in their eyes, their gazes still contained a spark of hope. While they were at a disadvantage now, as time passed, the situation would become more favorable for them.

Suddenly, Shi Feng snapped his fingers.

The Fire Spirit, which had been battling the smoke monster army, abruptly transformed into a small fire and appeared above Shi Feng's head. A complex chant reached the surrounding players, increasing the town's Mana density.

The various superpowers hadn't viewed the Fire Spirit as such a strategic item, even fearing it, in the past due to its prowess, but because of the number of fire-type large- and super-large-scale destruction Spells it wielded.

"No! Stop him!" Sky View yelled in panic, turning deathly pale when he saw the two gigantic magic arrays forming in the sky. He could sense the power in those Spells, and he knew they could rival the power of Tier 4, large-scale destruction Spells.

Before anyone could react, massive fireballs, easily dwarfing the ones Sky View's Flame Blast had created, fell from one of the arrays above the plaza, one after another. At the same time, a raging inferno erupted beneath the second magic array. In the blink of an eye, a fiery hell engulfed Golden Flow Town. 

Chapter 2024 - Golden Flow Town Falls 

Witch's Hill, Zero Wing City:

Due to Zero Wing's successful capture of Wildhammer Town, merchant and independent players began to return to Zero Wing City. Players hawked their wares and recruited team members for grinding and questing across the city. Many were even Tier 2 experts. At this point, not even Star-Moon City or White River City could rival Zero Wing City's prosperity.

Meanwhile, Star-Moon Kingdom's various Guilds, both large and small, began to send teams to investigate Zero Wing within its city. This increased the traffic in the city's bars and restaurants.

Several cloaked players stood on the street outside of one of Zero Wing City's Advanced Bars, warily eyeing their surroundings. They only entered the bar after ensuring that they were safe.

Players crowded the bar, most wearing Black Cloaks.

If a player used a Skill that could see through a Black Cloak's concealment, they'd discover that the cloaked players within weren't independent players. Rather, they were from the kingdom's various Guilds, and they were all impressively powerful, with the weakest being a Level 58, Tier 2 player.

To survive in God's Domain, small Guilds generally formed secret alliances to withstand larger Guilds. These Guilds would exchange information to further their development, as well.

This Advanced Bar had become a hub for these Guild members to do just that.

Meanwhile, the new group of cloaked players quickly headed for a corner of the bar after entering, approaching a stone table with a single occupant.

After taking a seat, the Tier 2 female Elementalist that led the group looked at the Assassin with a tattoo on his face and asked, "How is your investigation going? Have you learned how Zero Wing captured Wildhammer Town yet?"

Unlike the majority of the players in the bar, this Assassin did not bother to hide his identity, boldly revealing his status as an independent player. However, despite doing so, none of the Guild players present dared to look down on him. This independent player was the host of this information center, the middle man for the information gatherers and buyers. He specialized in information on Zero Wing, in particular.

The various Guild players acknowledged this Assassin as a middle man because he was also a player from Green Eye, a top adventurer team in God's Domain.

Unlike other adventurer teams, Green Eye focused on information gathering. Not only were its members skilled in combat, but they also possessed plenty of connections. The information they sold was always legitimate, so the various Guilds trusted the team's members.

Of course, as Green Eye's manpower was limited, it didn't collect information on every Guild. It generally focused on first- rate or stronger Guilds. Second-rate Guilds and below didn't qualify for its attention.

"We have, but we will only accept Coins or Magic Crystals as payment. We'll give you a 10% discount if you pay with Magic Crystals," the Tier 2 Assassin said, sipping from the cup of wine he held as he eyed the female Elementalist before him.

"How much?" she asked.

The Green Eye adventurer team usually accepted Credits for its information, but since this information was particularly valuable, it would only accept Coins or Magic Crystals this time.

In God's Domain, accomplishing anything required strength. Adventurer teams only earned Credits if they were powerful enough, and to develop a team's strength, it was only natural that it charged Coins or Magic Crystals.

"Five hundred Gold," the Assassin replied.

"Five hundred?! Isn't this a little much?!" When the heard the Assassin's price, the few players behind the Elementalist objected.

At this stage of the game, 500 Gold was an astronomical amount, even to expert players. Individual experts would be lucky if they obtained a weapon or equipment piece that could sell for more than 10 Gold. Anything more valuable than that would be extremely difficult for individual players to get their hands on.

Five hundred Gold was a significant amount to any Guild, yet the Green Eye adventurer team demanded so much just for some information. This was simply extortion.

"It's not such a high price. It wasn't easy to secure this information from within Zero Wing, and we paid a heavy price to obtain it Moreover, this includes the latest details about the Guild," the Tier 2 Assassin said, unperturbed by his customers' reaction.

"Fine! I'll pay the 500 Gold!" the female Elementalist said, gritting her teeth.

"Vice Guild Leader, we just started our development in Star-Moon Kingdom. We're short on funds in all aspects. Isn't this expenditure too expensive? Why don't we discuss it with the Guild Leader first?" a Tier 2 Berserker quickly suggested.

Unlike the other Guilds in the bar, their Guild wasn't from Star-Moon Kingdom. They were based in another country and had

been forced to shift the Guild's development to this kingdom.

Despite the Tier 2 Berserker's reaction, the other Guild players didn't seem surprised. They simply minded their own business.

Such occurrences were very common in the virtual gaming world, especially in the incredibly popular God's Domain. A large number of Guilds rose and fell in the game on a daily basis. So, it wasn't surprising to hear that a Guild had shifted its focus to another kingdom since its original home base was no longer habitable.

However, if the various Guild players noticed the Guild Emblem on the female Elementalist and her companions, they'd be surprised. This Guild Emblem belonged to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, a first-rate Guild. It was a colossal existence to these various Guilds, a true large Guild that would be considered an overlord in any kingdom.

"That won't be necessary. I'll pay this 500 Gold from my own pocket. We don't need to use the Guild's funds," the female Elementalist responded, shaking her head. She then took out 500 Gold and handed the Coins to the independent Assassin.

"Here is all of the information we have gathered on Zero Wing recently. Take a look." After receiving the 500 Gold, the Assassin took out a crystal ball and traded it with the female Elementalist.

The crystal ball contained a recording of all of Zero Wing's latest movements. It also held more than a dozen battle videos of the fight in Wildhammer Town. Naturally, these battle videos involved the Giant players. In addition, one video within the crystal ball showed Zero Wing's arrival in Golden Flow Town. Unfortunately, the video didn't have a long duration, cutting off after ten or so seconds of footage.

"Is Zero Wing insane? It's actually attacking the heavily fortified Golden Flow Town?" The female Elementalist was astonished after examining the information within the crystal ball.

Golden Flow Town was the Starlight Alliance's last remaining town, and the alliance had invested an unimaginable amount of manpower and resources in it, yet Zero Wing had besieged the town the moment it finished capturing Wildhammer Town. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't take this matter seriously.

"Vice Guild Leader, what should we do? Should we move to another kingdom or stay here?" the other upper echelons from the Hundred Flowers Pavilion asked softly.

The Hundred Flowers Pavilion had decided that the chaos in Star-Moon Kingdom made for an excellent opportunity to leave the Dark Night Empire. Although the kingdom didn't have as many resources as the empire, it had grown into a considerably powerful country after several major events.

If the Hundred Flowers Pavilion could secure a foothold in Star-Moon Kingdom, it could rise to power once more.

As Cleansed Rue, the Hundred Flowers Pavilion's Vice Guild Leader, decided her Guild's future, the bar's atmosphere changed. Suddenly, a heavy sensation enveloped the bar.

"What's happening?" Cleansed Rue wondered aloud as she looked around at the bar's customers.

"What? Your Guild didn't receive the announcement?" the Assassin from Green Eye asked, giving Cleansed Rue a strange look. "Every Guild member from the Warring Empire has just received a message stating that Golden Flow Town has fallen!" 

Chapter 2025 - Reversal

Cleansed Rue and her entourage were stunned. They couldn't believe what they had just heard.

They were only able to digest the information after a long moment, and like the other Guild players in the bar, they found the news to be both heavy and outlandish.

"How is that possible? That was the Starlight Alliance's final town!" Cleansed Rue exclaimed.

Any Guild that paid any attention to the situation in the Witch's Hill knew how powerful the Starlight Alliance had become. They were also familiar with the alliance's monster players, which had already displayed frightening combat power. Tier 2 experts weren't even a match for the High Lord ranked monster players, and the alliance had plenty of Great Lords.

She found it truly hard to imagine that the Starlight Alliance would not increase Golden Flow Town's defenses after losing Wildhammer Town. After all, Golden Flow Town was the alliance's last town in the Witch's Hill, and without it, the Starlight Alliance would have a difficult time wrestling control of the Witch's Hill from Zero Wing, regardless of how many monster players it had.

"That can't be true, can it? Didn't Zero Wing just capture Wildhammer Town? Could the informant have been mistaken? Maybe the information referred to Wildhammer Town?" an upper echelon from the Hundred Flowers Palace asked.

"Are you trying to accuse Green Eye of selling false information?" the Assassin from the adventurer team asked acidically, anger flashing in his eyes as he stared at the Hundred Flowers Palace member.

Those in the intelligence industry prioritized credibility above all else. Accusing the Green Eye of selling false information was the greatest slander one could possibly commit about the adventurer team.

"No, it was just a slip of the tongue," Cleansed Rue hurriedly apologized before glancing at the several Guild upper echelons behind her.

"This news is no longer a secret. Every Guild in the kingdom likely knows about the event already. If you don't believe me, you can investigate the Warring Empire yourself. I doubt it will be long before the news spreads throughout Star-Moon Kingdom," the Assassin said, nodding as his gaze returned to its previously cold indifference. Calmly, he continued, "If you want to set your sights on the Witch's Hill, based on the current situation, I'd advise against it. Zero Wing captured both Wildhammer Town and Golden Flow Town almost as soon as it decided to do so. Moving against Zero Wing would be utterly foolish after witnessing such prowess."

Some had once viewed the Starlight Alliance as the last hope of overthrowing Zero Wing in the kingdom, but now, Zero Wing had made an example of the alliance, deterring the various Guilds in Star-Moon Kingdom from considering taking control of the Witch's Hill and the kingdom itself.

"I very much agree with you. We can no longer imagine Zero Wing's true strength, and although the Starlight Alliance is formidable, it's nothing in comparison. The alliance made a massive mistake when it made an enemy of Zero Wing," a robust, Tier 2 male Berserker said as he approached the stone table the Hundred Flowers Palace and Green Eye occupied.

"While I admit that Zero Wing is very strong, don't you think you're blowing things out of proportion? You speak as if you are acutely familiar with the Guild." the occupants of other tables ridiculed the Berserker.

However, before the jeering could begin, the Tier 2 Berserker removed his Black Cloak and revealed his true appearance. "What?! The Assassin's Alliance's Guild Leader is here?!"

The crowd that had been about to laugh at this Berserker promptly fell silent. The Assassin's Alliance was a bona fide second-rate Guild, and it had been developing rapidly recently. It had already clashed with many first-rate Guilds in the Twin Towers Kingdom and begun to show signs of growing into a top-ranked second-rate Guild. Cruel Sword, the Assassin's Alliance's Guild Leader, even ranked on the God's Domain's Experts List

If not for Zero Wing's several great experts overshadowing him, Cruel Sword would've been relatively famous in Star-Moon Kingdom.

When they saw Cruel Sword's face, the various Guild players in the bar stopped treating his claim as a joke. Now, they only had respect for his words.

"Thank you for your warning, Guild Leader Sword." Cleansed Rue, who still wore her Black Cloak, expressed her gratitude.

"It's nothing. Vice Guild Leader Rue is being overly polite," Cruel Sword responded quietly. "However, I'm certainly surprised that the Hundred Flowers Palace wants to develop in Star-Moon Kingdom."

Meanwhile, the instant Cruel Sword revealed her identity, Cleansed Rue's expression became vigilant. However, she quickly realized that he had simply used an Advanced Identification Skill. Obtaining such a Skill wasn't difficult in a top-tier second- rate Guild. She immediately relaxed her guard.

"We have no other choice. I'm sure you've heard of the Hundred Flowers Palace's current predicament," Cleansed Rue said grimly, her mood souring as she mentioned her Guild's struggles.

"Ah, that's right It's truly a pity." Cruel Sword lowered his head and fell silent

"But Guild Leader Sword, you are impressive. Not only have you led the Assassin's Alliance to flourish in Star-Moon Kingdom, but your Guild's performance in the Twin Towers Kingdom has also been noteworthy," Cleansed Rue said with a hint of admiration in her gaze. Her eyes also held a flash of anticipation. "Are you here to sell some information on the powers in the Twin Towers Kingdom? The Hundred Flowers Palace is willing to purchase the information for a high price."

The Palace had also intended to develop in the Twin Towers Kingdom and had investigated the situation there, but the Guild hadn't invested significant resources yet, focusing on securing the hidden class, Demonblade Knight, by slaying abyssal monsters

Now that the situation in Star-Moon Kingdom had reached this point, the Hundred Flowers Palace had no hope of developing in the kingdom. If Zero Wing were able to crush a local power like the Starlight Alliance so decisively, eliminating a foreign power would be child's play.

If the Hundred Flowers Palace tried to establish itself in Star-Moon Kingdom, it would face utter annihilation.

No power would tolerate others in its territory, where resources were limited. Otherwise, God's Domain's various powers wouldn't compete so desperately.

Hence, the Twin Towers Kingdom was the Palace's last hope.

The Twin Towers Kingdom was in chaos due to the threat of abyssal monsters. Even so, quite a few powers contested for control of the kingdom. Meanwhile, the Assassin's Alliance was one of the few outstanding performers in the battle for prominence, but the Guild had only focused on developing in maps near Star-Moon Kingdom.

"Information on the Twin Towers Kingdom?" Glancing around him, Cruel Sword replied, "This isn't the place for that discussion. Let's head to one of the rooms upstairs."

He had already attracted the crowd's attention in the bar, and although others couldn't listen to their private discussion, there was the possibility that one of these players possessed a special Skill that would allow them to do so.

Cleansed Rue nodded, understanding that the bar was too public for their talk.

Cruel Sword and Cleansed Rue then left for a VIP room on the second floor alongside their subordinates. Although the VIP room was not large, its design was magnificent, and it could easily accommodate more than a dozen people.

"Guild Leader Sword, let's be straightforward. If you are willing to sell detailed information on the Twin Towers Kingdom, we're willing to offer you five pieces of Epic Equipment," Cleansed Rue said as soon as she took a seat.

"The Hundred Flowers Palace is truly a first-rate Guild. Even after falling so far, it still has such a stable foundation," Cruel Sword commended, surprised.

Obtaining a single piece of Epic Equipment was incredibly difficult, and despite the Assassin's Alliance's recent achievements, the Guild had fewer than 20 Epic items. The Guild treated these items as their foundation, refusing to sell them under any circumstances.

"We offer the price because the Assassin's Alliance is worth it. Do you agree to our offer, Guild Leader Sword?" Cleansed Rue asked, smiling.

The Assassin's Alliance's performance in the Twin Towers Kingdom had been exceptional. It operated alongside quite a few first-rate Guilds, and the fact that the Assassin's Alliance had laid claim to a significant portion of the kingdom, despite its second-rate status, was astounding. Without enough strength and understanding of the kingdom, accomplishing such a feat would've been impossible.

"I understand your determination to develop in the Twin Towers Kingdom," Cruel Sword said. With a serious expression, he continued, "However, I'm afraid you are asking the wrong Guild. If the Hundred Flowers Palace wishes to develop in the Twin Towers Kingdom, you shouldn't look to the Assassin's Alliance."

"Why not?" Cleansed Rue gave Cruel Sword a confused look. She didn't understand what he was trying to tell her. Was the man refusing to cooperate? Or was he dissatisfied with the compensation she offered?

"Don't misunderstand me. It's not that I don't want to trade with you, but I'm afraid that my Guild doesn't have the ability you are looking for," Cruel Sword explained when he saw the Vice Guild Leader's heavy expression.

"You must be joking. If the Assassin's Alliance can't help us, then who in the kingdom can?" Cleansed Rue wondered if the man before her were playing some kind of joke.

"No! You might think that I'm joking, but I'm telling you the truth," Cruel Sword said as he shook his head. "If your Guild wishes to develop in the Twin Towers Kingdom, you need to visit Zero Wing. If you do, your Guild might be able to make a comeback." 

Chapter 2026 - Zero Wing's Hidden Strength 

"Visit Zero Wing?"

Cleansed Rue wasn't the only one confused; the several Hundred Flowers Palace upper echelons behind her revealed similarly shocked expressions.

Based on the information they had obtained, Zero Wing only operated in Star-Moon Kingdom, the Ore Empire, and the Black Dragon Empire. Although they had found Zero Wing's shadow in the Twin Towers Kingdom, the Guild hadn't accomplished anything in the kingdom thus far.

Yet, Cruel Sword told them that if their Guild wanted to develop in the Twin Towers Kingdom, it needed to speak with Zero Wing?

"That's right. If you want to gain a foothold in the kingdom, you should speak with Zero Wing," Cruel Sword said, nodding his head. "Rather, if the Hundred Flowers Palace wishes to develop in the Twin Towers Kingdom successfully, it can only do so with Zero Wing's help."

"Does Zero Wing really have that much power?"

The Palace's upper echelons gave Cruel Sword skeptical looks.

Zero Wing was impressive for reaching its current state without any background or support, but based on the information they had gathered, the Guild shouldn't have any relation to the Twin Towers Kingdom. They found it hard to believe that Zero Wing could help them develop in the kingdom.

"Of course it does!" Cruel Sword insisted. "The Assassin's Alliance has only developed so rapidly in the kingdom due to Zero Wing's assistance.

"I'm sure you know about the abyssal monsters in the Twin Towers Kingdom and how dangerous it is in the fields. If one cannot avoid these monsters, developing in the kingdom would be incredibly difficult. Meanwhile, Zero Wing can construct magic arrays that repel the abyssal monsters, preventing them from approaching a specific area.

"My Guild only established itself in the kingdom due to the magic arrays Zero Wing set up. Unlike the other Guilds in the kingdom, the Assassin's Alliance has taken almost no damage. It's only natural that the other Guilds are no match for us."

"A magic array that can repel abyssal monsters? Zero Wing has such a thing?"

Realization dawned on Cleansed Rue and the others after listening to Cruel Sword's explanation.

In reality, the Twin Towers Kingdom had just as many resources as Star-Moon Kingdom, but the abyssal monsters' invasion had crippled it. Even so, the temptation of a new class had lured many players to the kingdom.

If a Guild could construct magic arrays that repelled abyssal monsters, it could monopolize the various resource-rich maps in the Twin Towers Kingdom. It was easy to imagine how quickly a Guild could develop with such an advantage. It was no wonder why the Assassin's Alliance's performance in the kingdom had been so impressive, leaving the various first-rate Guilds in its dust.

If what Cruel Sword said was true, then the Hundred Flowers Palace truly needed to visit Zero Wing.

"Thank you for sharing such integral information, Guild Leader Sword," Cleansed Rue thanked the man. "I'll have someone deliver the five pieces of Epic Equipment I've promised tomorrow."

Although Cruel Sword hadn't provided any details about the various powers in the Twin Towers Kingdom, such information paled in comparison to what he had told her about the magic arrays that could repel abyssal monsters.

"Let's forget about the Epic Equipment. I simply told you this to gain an ally in the Twin Towers Kingdom. Whether or not you persuade Guild Leader Black Flame to help you is entirely up to you. I haven't actually done anything," Cruel Sword said, refusing the offer.

"No! I must thank you! Moreover, I'd like to ask you to introduce us to Zero Wing," Cleansed Rue firmly insisted, shaking her head.

She had some understanding of the Assassin's Alliance's situation in the Twin Towers Kingdom. Due to the Guild's recent growth, the various first-rate Guilds in the kingdom had secretly banded together to hinder the Assassin's Alliance's progress. As a result, the Guild hadn't been able to operate in the kingdom's central region.

She also knew why Cruel Sword rejected her offer. If the Assassin's Alliance had a powerful ally, it could reduce the pressure it faced. The Hundred Flowers Palace was undoubtedly a good fit for the position. However, no one would doubt that Cruel Sword had provided the Palace with this information.

"Introduce you?" After giving the matter some thought, Cruel Sword said, "Alright. I'll talk to Zero Wing about this matter, but I can't guarantee that the Guild will agree to a meeting."

After Cleansed Rue and Cruel Sword finished their discussion, Cleansed Rue left the bar with her subordinates and made their way to Zero Wing's Residence.

She was in such a hurry because of the fact that the Twin Towers Kingdom was the best hope for the Hundred Flowers Palace, and the Guild didn't have much time left. The longer they delayed shifting their base of operations, the more their Guild would suffer.

As Cleansed Rue and her entourage walked through Zero Wing City's streets, they noticed that the news of Zero Wing's dominance in Golden Flow Town had already spread throughout the city. Excitement filled the air, and the merchant players were particularly lively. They found it hard to imagine that not long ago, an intense killing intent had enveloped Zero Wing City.

"There are so many merchant players and Tier 2 players here. Zero Wing City has almost caught up to Dark Night City."

"This city may not be a match for Dark Night City yet, but the political situation in Dark Night City is chaotic. On the other hand, Zero Wing has full control of its city."

"That's true! It really makes you wonder how strong Zero Wing actually is. Zero Wing City is already so impressive, and the Guild has so much influence in the Black Dragon and Ore Empires. It even has influence in the Twin Towers Kingdom!"

The Hundred Flowers Palace's upper echelons, who rode an advanced horse carriage, gained a newfound appreciation for Zero Wing as they watched players roam the city streets. They had never considered that Zero Wing had hidden so much of its power.

They hadn't expected that their Guild, a bona fide first-rate Guild, would have to cooperate with Zero Wing to continue its existence in God's Domain, either.

"Do you think that Zero Wing will agree to work with our Guild?" a female Cleric asked worriedly, gripping a wooden staff in her hands.

"The Hundred Flowers Palace is a first-rate Guild. Even though we have fallen from our peak, we are still much stronger than any ordinary Guild. If Zero Wing wants to secure more resources from the Twin Towers Kingdom, why wouldn't it agree to cooperate?" a bearded, middle-aged man stated confidently.

"While you're not exactly wrong,..." Although the female Cleric wanted to offer a retort, she held back.

Zero Wing had the ability to produce a magic array that could repel abyssal monsters. In other words, Zero Wing had the initiative. And while Zero Wing could cooperate with many other Guilds, the Guild was the Hundred Flowers Palace's only hope.

"Alright, enough talking. We've arrived." Cleansed Rue also knew how disadvantageous the Palace's current position was, and she was just as worried as her companion. Once the horse carriage rolled to a stop, she disembarked.

Their carriage had stopped before the main entrance to Zero Wing's Residence.

When Cleansed Rue and her subordinates left the carriage, they were stupefied by the scene before them.

Hundreds of four-meter-tall players stood beyond the main threshold, all of which had reached Level 60. They also wore Level 55-plus, top-tier equipment, and some even sported pieces of Level 60 Fine-Gold Equipment. Their auras were so intense that even peak experts like Cleansed Rue and her entourage couldn't help but shudder.

However, these Giants weren't the most eye-catching scene within the Residence. Rather, what caught Cleansed Rue's attention were the eight, two-story-tall, crimson tanks parked within. These crimson tanks were none other than the rumored Hell Tanks. However, Zero Wing had used these Hell Tanks constantly in the Ore Empire, and they weren't easy to move elsewhere.

In other words, these eight Hell Tanks weren't the war weapons that defended Silverwing Town. Zero Wing had only recently built these tanks.

While Cleansed Rue and the others stared at the war weapons in astonishment, a beautiful woman in luxurious clothing approached. When they saw this woman, the representatives from the Hundred Flowers Palace couldn't help but gasp.

Their reaction hadn't been a result of witnessing the woman's elegance and beauty, but because of her Level and equipment

Not only was she a Level 61, Tier 2 Summoner, but she actually possessed three pieces of Epic Equipment. And they had never heard of this woman before!

"Hello, you must be from the Hundred Flowers Palace, correct? I am Youlan, Zero Wing City's trade manager. Our Guild Leader has heard of your situation from Guild Leader Cruel Sword," Youlan said as she beamed an elegant smile at Cleansed Rue's group. "Please, follow me." 

Chapter 2027 - Obscure Experts

When Cleansed Rue and the others saw Youlan and felt the powerful pressure she radiated, they could not help their surprise. No matter how they looked at it, a Level 61, Tier 2 player with three pieces of Epic Equipment should be well- known.

The highest level players in God's Domain's various empires had only reached Level 61. Even the Dark Night Empire only had five of these experts.

"She must be one of Zero Wing's hidden peak experts," the Tier 2 female Cleric from the Hundred Flowers Palace said through the team chat.

"I agree. With her level and equipment, she is definitely on the level of Zero Wing's Fire Dance," the middle-aged Tier 2 Berserker agreed, nodding.

The rest of the team nodded, as well.

God's Domain's various Guilds generally hid some of their power, including the Hundred Flowers Palace. However, unlike Zero Wing, the Palace hadn't hidden an expert as powerful as Youlan. Reserving such an expert would be a waste.

But when they considered Zero Wing's stealthy presence in so many locations, they realized that it wasn't strange to hide a peak expert.

When they remembered the eight new Hell Tanks sitting in the Residence, as well, goosebumps erupted across their arms.

They had learned some details about those Hell Tanks, and they knew that each tank was the equivalent of a mobile Defense Turret. Moreover, the Hell Tanks' defensive and melee capabilities were far beyond Defense Turrets', yet eight of these tanks were stationed within Zero Wing's Residence.

"Alright, enough. Let's prepare to enter Zero Wing's Residence. Don't forget that you represent the Hundred Flowers Palace! Once we're inside, do not do anything that would sully the Guild's reputation!" Cleansed Rue said, expressing her dissatisfaction with her teammates' actions. After lecturing her team, she followed Youlan into the Residence.

As a Residence within a Guild territory, Zero Wing's Residence was far more spacious than those normally found in NPC cities. Not only did the Residence have far more facilities than normal, but it's Mana density was even higher than elsewhere. It felt pleasant just to walkthrough the Residence's halls. The Hundred Flowers Palace's members also discovered a change to their Double EXP bu什 accumulation bars, located directly beneath their experience bars.

"Amazing! Players can actually accumulate the Double EXP buff so quickly here?!"

Although players would start to accumulate the Double EXP buff the moment they entered Zero Wing City, they could only accumulate 20% after a 48-hour stay. However, players would accumulate 30% after resting in the Residence for the same amount of time. Visiting the Residence was 50% more effective than just visiting the city. Even in first-rate Guilds, very few players enjoyed such an astounding accumulation rate. After all, a Guild Hall only had a limited number of Private Rooms, and only the Guild's expert members were usually allowed to rent the rooms for GCPs.

accumulate 20% after a 48-hour stay. However, players would accumulate 30% after resting in the Residence for the same amount of time. Visiting the Residence was 50% more effective than just visiting the city. Even in first-rate Guilds, very few players enjoyed such an astounding accumulation rate. After all, a Guild Hall only had a limited number of Private Rooms, and only the Guild's expert members were usually allowed to rent the rooms for GCPs.

As Cleansed Rue and her companions entered the Guild Hall, yet another spectacular scene greeted them.

Zero Wing members filled the first-floor hall, all of which were Level 57 or higher. These players' levels were on par with first-rate Guilds' expert members. Furthermore, even if they ignored the Giant players, there were hundreds of Tier 2 players in the hall.

The number of Tier 2 experts within Zero Wing City was almost half as many Tier 2 players in Hundred Flowers Palace.

Quite a few NPCs also moved around the hall, making up roughly 30% of the first-floor hall's occupants.

"This isn't a joke, right?! Judging by the number of NPCs here, easily 4,000 NPCs visit this Residence each day! Only about 600 NPCs visit our main headquarters to commission Guild Quests per day!" The Tier 2 Cleric stared with wide, shocked eyes when she saw the number of NPCs milling about the hall.

Aside from player count and strength, a Guild's prosperity relied on the number of Guild Quests it received from NPCs each day. Not only did these commissioned Guild Quests bring in a significant amount of income, but they also awarded a lot of benefits to the Guild members that completed them.

Over 70% of the high-ranked quests the Hundred Flowers Palace's members received were commissions from the NPCs that visited the Guild Residences.

Even the Guild's expert players fought to complete high-ranked quests.

"No, that's not it! Look over there! Some of these NPCs are nobles!" a Tier 2 Ranger with sharp eyesight said as he pointed to a handsome, weH-dressed man nearby. Two maids followed the man around.

"Even Baron ranked NPCs commission Zero Wing for quests?" Cleansed Rue's heart skipped a beat when she inspected the handsome man with her Identification Skill.

There was a massive difference in God's Domain between noble NPCs and ordinary NPCs.

NPC nobles rarely reached out to veteran first-rate Guilds like the Hundred Flowers Palace for quests. When they did, these quests were typically quite important and yielded valuable treasure. Moreover, those quests were from ordinary NPC nobles.

She had never seen a ranked NPC noble commission the Hundred Flowers Palace to complete a quest.

There were currently more than 30 ordinary noble NPCs in Zero Wing's hall, in addition to two Baron ranked NPCs. Every one of these nobles stood in line to request Zero Wing's help with a quest. It was unbelievable.

Once Cleansed Rue and the other upper echelons from her Guild finished gawking, Youlan led them to the Guild Leader's office on the Guild Hall's top floor.

Two NPC guards stood before the Guild Leader's office, and both were Level 80 NPCs. Although they stood by the door quietly, their auras made Cleansed Rue and her companion's hearts palpitate.

"They actually use Secret-Silver Personal Guards to guard an office?"

The Hundred Flowers Palace's members were speechless when they saw the two Personal Guards.

Nowadays, the various Guilds had allotted some of their focus to searching for and nurturing Personal Guards. Even so, the number of high-ranked Personal Guards the Guilds had actually found was pitifully low. Most of the Personal Guards the various Guilds employed were merely Bronze rank. Mysterious-Iron Personal Guards were as rare and valuable as a piece of Epic Equipment. As for Secret-Silver rank...

The Hundred Flowers Palace had only obtained three Secret-Silver Personal Guards thus far, and only because it had gotten lucky. The other first-rate Guilds generally only had one or two. These Secret-Silver Personal Guards were valued as priceless treasures and wouldn't be given any responsibility. Rather, Guilds would instruct them to focus on improving their strength and levels.

Yet, Zero Wing used two Secret-Silver Personal Guards to guard an office...

Under Youlan's lead, Cleansed Rue and her entourage entered the Guild Leader's office.

A cloaked man sat behind a desk within the office. A dozen or so expert players stood beside him, including Silent Blade[l], Stubborn Bone, Remnant Cloud, Graceful Moon, and Seven Light. The lowest leveled player among them was Level 61, while the highest had reached Level 62. Every one of these players wore Level 60 Fine-Gold and Dark-Gold Equipment, and some even wore a piece of Epic Equipment. When Cleansed Rue sensed these players auras, she felt the threat of death loom over her. Their auras were no less intense than Youlan's.

After crossing the threshold and sensing the powerful auras of the dozen or so Zero Wing members, the several Hundred Flowers Palace upper echelons stumbled to a halt, not daring to take another step into the room.

"Are you kidding me?!"

"These people are all Zero Wing members?!"

As the Palace's upper echelons gazed at Silent Blade and the others, whom they had never heard of before, they lost any and all confidence. Now, they only felt an immense pressure.

"Welcome to our Residence, friends from the Hundred Flowers Palace. I've heard that you have something you wish to discuss with me. May I know what it is about?" Shi Feng, who sat in the Guild Leader's seat, asked Cleansed Rue and the others. 

Chapter 2028 - Youlan's Proposal

Shi Feng's words snapped Cleansed Rue and her entourage out of their daze.

"Right! Thank you for finding time to meet with us in your busy schedule, Guild Leader Black Flame! I am Cleansed Rue, the Hundred Flowers Palace's Vice Guild Leader. I am here to represent my Guild in our request for cooperation with Zero Wing," Cleansed Rue explained after regaining her senses.

"To think that even the Dark Night Empire's famous Frostflame Goddess has come to visit me, it would seem that you have an extraordinary request. Can I trouble you to elaborate? It will allow me to make a more sound decision," Shi Feng calmly asked as he watched Cleansed Rue's tense expression.

"Certainly." Cleansed Rue nodded. She then explained why the Hundred Flowers Palace wanted to develop in the Twin Towers Kingdom without withholding any details.

Before they had arrived at Zero Wing's Residence, the Guild upper echelons accompanying Cleanse Rue had disagreed with revealing their situation to Zero Wing. However, their discontentment had vanished after witnessing Zero Wing's Residence.

Meanwhile, Shi Feng hadn't spoken a single word throughout Cleansed Rue's explanation, and this made the Hundred Flowers Palace's upper echelons nervous.

Zero Wing was far stronger than they had imagined. They had assumed that Zero Wing had only allied with the Assassin's Alliance because it lacked the manpower to develop in the Twin Towers Kingdom personally, but after witnessing the Guild's Residence, they realized that Zero Wing was fully capable of securing a foothold in the kingdom without any assistance. It did not need anyone's help to exploit the Twin Towers Kingdom's resources.

"While your proposal is interesting, please allow me to reject it," Shi Feng said, shaking his head.

"Why? If you help us contest with the other first-rate Guilds in the kingdom, we can quickly secure the kingdom's central region. We'll be able to provide Zero Wing with even more resources than the Assassin's Alliance!" Cleansed Rue impulsively retorted as she stared at Shi Feng's impassive expression.

"As you have seen, Zero Wing previously lacked the strength to lay claim to the Twin Towers Kingdom's territories, but my Guild has grown. With how rapidly Zero Wing has been developing lately, we'll need to expand our territories. Zero Wing no longer faces a lack of resources," Shi Feng said as he gestured to Silent Blade and the others. "If we hand over the Twin Towers Kingdom's territories to the Hundred Flowers Palace, the kingdom won't have much left for us. It's not that I don't want to help you, but for the sake of my own Guild's development, I can't afford to help."

Cleansed Rue fell silent for quite some time.

She simply could not think of a rebuttal. Shi Feng's decision was reasonable. As a Guild Leader, his priority would forever be the Guild's benefit. How could he possibly give up a good expansion opportunity to help another Guild? Now that Zero Wing had defeated the almighty Starlight Alliance and stabilized its rule in the Witch's Hill, this was the perfect opportunity for the Guild to expand its influence.

If she were in his place, she'd likely choose her own Guild's development over helping another, as well.

The other Hundred Flowers Palace despaired upon hearing Shi Feng's decision.

"What should we do now?" one of the Hundred Flowers Palace's upper echelons muttered in the team chat.

Currently, the Hundred Flowers Palace had already begun to prepare for its migration from the Dark Night Empire, yet they had just been told that their two best options were no longer available. With how weak the Hundred Flowers Palace had become, contesting for kingdoms under other first-rate Guilds' rule would be nigh-impossible.

As Cleansed Rue and her companions began to panic, Youlan, who stood near the group, stepped forward with a smile.

"Guild Leader, I have a proposal that will benefit both our Guild and the Hundred Flowers Palace. May I speak up?" Youlan asked respectfully.

"A proposal that will benefit both Guilds? Let's hear it, then. After all, the Hundred Flowers Palace has taken the initiative to seek our help. We can't disappoint the Palace too much," Shi Feng said and nodded after giving the matter some thought.

"Understood!" Youlan then straightened herself and continued, "The Hundred Flowers Palace is struggling due to the fact that it doesn't have enough territory to sustain itself. This is all because of Starlink's interference, hampering the Palace's continued survival in the Dark Night Empire. But what if the Palace could defend itself against Starlink? If that were possible, couldn't the Palace remain in the Dark Night Empire?

"However, trying to stand against a superpower like Starlink isn't an easy task. Even if our Guild sends an army to assist, we're not likely to accomplish anything. We'll need sufficient support from the Hundred Flowers Palace itself."

"Support?" Upon hearing Youlan's words, Cleansed Rue's eyes began to glow as she hurriedly interjected, "If such an operation requires funds or manpower, that won't be an issue! If you can help defend our position, the Hundred Flowers Palace will supply Zero Wing with plenty of the empire's resources!"

She had gained a certain level of understanding of Zero Wing's strength. If Zero Wing were willing to help the Hundred Flowers Palace on a large scale, the Palace should have no problem defending over half of its territories in the empire.

"Although I have offered this proposal, the risk of openly opposing a thriving superpower is incredibly high. Moreover, this war will definitely be a protracted one. Zero Wing will also have to keep an eye out for multiple enemy superpowers. This is no longer a problem that can be solved with funds and resources. If the situation is not handled properly, Zero Wing could suffer on all fronts. I don't believe that anyone wants to see that outcome," Youlan said, shaking her head as she glanced at Cleansed Rue.

"Is there no better way to help them?" Shi Feng asked, pretending to sigh in disappointment. However, he was quite satisfied with Youlan's performance.

"There is! Our two Guilds can form a mutually dependent relationship! If Zero Wing has management rights to the Palace's Shops and Lands, and we can become close allies, Zero Wing can develop in the Dark Night Empire and amass enough strength to contend with Starlink. It wouldn't affect our strength in our other territories, satisfying our Guild with the alliance," Youlan said after giving the matter some thought.

"This..." Cleansed Rue couldn't help but hesitate. Shops were a part of a Guild's foundation, but with the Hundred Flowers Palace's current state, they couldn't afford more of a delay. Gritting her teeth, she turned to Youlan and asked, "How many Shops will Zero Wing require?"

"If we want to amass enough strength to survive in the Dark Night Empire, we'll need around 60% of the Hundred Flowers Palace's Shops," Youlan replied seriously.

"Sixty?! Isn't this a little...." Cleansed Rue's eyes widened in shock, and she broke out in a cold sweat.

The majority of the Hundred Flowers Palace's funds and resources originated from the Guild's Shops. If the Guild suddenly lost 60% of these Shops, it would definitely impact the Guild's operations.

"Youlan, the Hundred Flowers Palace could become one of Zero Wing's close allies in the future. Is there no way to reduce the cost a little?" Shi Feng asked, playing along.

"Since you insist, then...50%. Any less, and we'd have to dig into the funds and resources from our other territories. We'd be at a disadvantage against the superpowers in those areas," Youlan said with a troubled expression.

"That's the gist of the situation. What is your opinion on this matter, Vice Guild Leader Rue?" Shi Feng asked softly, turning to Cleansed Rue. 

Chapter 2029 - Presumptuous Request 

"Fifty percent?"

Cleansed Rue and her companions revealed bitter smiles.

Even losing 50% of the Guild's Shops and Lands was unbearable for the Hundred Flowers Palace. Both were essential to a Guild's development, and neither could be casually sold off.

If the Hundred Flowers Palace lost half of the Shops and Lands under its control, the Guild would be forced to limit the scale of its operations due to the decreased income, even if the Guild could survive in the Dark Night Empire. If that happened, returning to the Guild's former glory would become excruciatingly difficult Most of the Lands in major NPC cities were already owned, and even if they had the money, it wasn't necessarily possible to purchase more.

"I know this isn't an ideal offer, but we have our own troubles to deal with. You can return to your Guild and consider the offer carefully," Shi Feng announced, watching the silent group before him.

"Guild Leader, our Guild intends to develop in the Twin Towers Kingdom. We'll need a lot of manpower to accomplish this. So, we'll need to know whether or not we're going to help the Hundred Flowers Palace as soon as possible to see to the appropriate preparations. Otherwise, this alliance will impact our original plans," Youlan hurriedly advised.

Cleansed Rue and her entourage's expressions twisted further.

As Guild upper echelons, they knew that planning was necessary before a Guild began a large-scale operation. If Zero Wing truly intended to mobilize a large amount of manpower to lay claim to the Twin Towers Kingdom, then helping the Hundred Flowers Palace would become far more difficult for the Guild. Zero Wing might even dismiss the idea of providing assistance entirely.

"How soon do we need to make a decision?" Shi Feng asked.

"A day, if possible," Youlan replied after giving the matter some thought "That will be the opportune time for our Guild to expand."

Although Cleansed Rue and the other upper echelons wanted to comment, they couldn't bring themselves to speak up. They couldn't possibly tell Shi Feng that they'd need a long time to gather the Guild's upper echelons and Elders, not to mention the representatives from the major corporations that supported the Hundred Flowers Palace. One day simply wasn't enough time for the Palace to reach a decision.

In fact, the decision to abandon the Dark Night Empire and develop in another kingdom had only been made after a lengthy discussion. The proposal to partner with Zero Wing would likely take even longer. Too many people and organizations were tied to this matter, and persuading all parties involved would be extremely difficult.

"How is such a short time enough to negotiate anything? Try to find a way to give them more time!" Shi Feng sternly commanded when he saw the awkward expressions on the Hundred Flowers Palace's upper echelons.

Deciding something so important in a single day was impossible for any Guild, especially a true veteran first-rate Guild like the Hundred Flowers Palace. Too many people held shares of the Guild.

"We can hold off for two days, but we will miss out on the opportune moment to strike in the Twin Towers Kingdom," Youlan said, her imperative tone implying that Zero Wing would cough blood if it gave the Palace a second more.

"Thank you, Guild Leader Black Flame," Cleansed Rue said sincerely. "However, before I negotiate with my Guild's upper echelons, may I make a presumptuous request?"

"Let me hear it. As a potential ally, I will help wherever I can," Shi Feng said, nodding after giving the matter some thought.

"I'd like to borrow Zero Wing's strength during the meeting to show my Guild that we truly have hope offending off Starlink's harassment. I'm sure they will find it easier to agree to the partnership that way," Cleansed Rue said as she turned to Silent Blade and the others, who stood beside Shi Feng.

Silent Blade and his comrades were all Level 61, Tier 2 players or above, and every one of them radiated a deadly aura. No Guild could afford to take their strength lightly.

If she could show off Zero Wing's experts, she believed that she could persuade her Guild's upper echelons to agree to this alliance.

After all, the Hundred Flowers Palace's members would have a much easier time developing if they could continue in the Dark Night Empire, where they were comfortable, rather than migrating to another kingdom.

"That won't be a problem. Before your meeting begins, I'll send some people to express Zero Wing's sincerity." Shi Feng agreed. He understood Cleansed Rue's thoughts.

Convincing people was easier if one provided a personal experience.

Cleansed Rue and her subordinates soon left Zero Wing's Residence, returning to the Dark Night Empire to break the news to their Guild. They weren't in such a hurry simply because of the time limit Zero Wing had given them, but because the Hundred Flowers Palace didn't have much time left in the empire without help. They needed to move quickly.

After the Palace's representatives left, the atmosphere in the Guild Leader's office relaxed. Stubborn Bone and Remnant Cloud, who had both served as commanders of an adventurer team, couldn't help but turn reverent gazes on Shi Feng.

Both of their teams had been well-known adventurer teams, but compared to first-rate Guilds, they had been insignificant.

Yet, they had just witnessed a veteran first-rate Guild like the Hundred Flowers Palace submit before Shi Feng.

"Guild Leader, although the Hundred Flowers Palace is in a precarious state right now, I'm afraid that Cleansed Rue will have a difficult time persuading the Palace's old members with her status as a Vice Guild Leader. I suggest that we send Fire Dance and the others to visit the Guild in the Dark Night Empire. If they attend the meeting, I'm sure that those old members will agree to the partnership regardless of their personal feelings. If this partnership succeeds, developing in the Dark Night Empire will become much easier. We won't have to waste a large amount of time and manpower building a foundation from scratch," Youlan offered after Cleansed Rue and her companions had left the Residence.

"Forget it. Fire and the others are still participating in their special training. Let's not interrupt them," Shi Feng said, shaking his head. "We'll just send Silent and his team."

Although Silent Blade, Stubborn Bone, Remnant Cloud, and the others hadn't been members of Zero Wing long, they had grown a lot stronger after training in the Lost Town's Extraordinary Tower.

Shi Feng had to admit that the Realms of Truth training was immensely helpful to expert players.

Despite the fact that they hadn't yet entered the Realms of Truth, Silent Blade and the others had successfully mastered one or two Advanced Combat Techniques during their training in the Extraordinary Tower. With how close they were to reaching the Refinement Realm, their overall combat power could now rival true Refinement Realm experts.

Furthermore, Silent Blade and his team were geared in weapons and equipment that even the various superpowers struggled to acquire at this stage of the game. Only superpowers' peak experts had a chance of defeating these Zero Wing experts.

"This..." Youlan could not help but worry as she looked at Remnant Cloud and the other players standing by Shi Feng's side. Although she knew that their combat standards were on par with hers, she was concerned that they wouldn't be enough to fulfill their purpose.

"Relax. I'll give them something good before they leave. Once the Palace's people see it, they'll know what the wisest decision is," Shi Feng said, chuckling. He then asked, "How is the material collection I tasked you and Melancholic Smile with coming along?"

"We have done our best to gather as many of the materials you requested. However, the required stock is massive, and every material is incredibly rare. Even after raiding the treasuries in the Starlight Alliance's two Guild Towns, we have barely collected five sets of materials," Youlan said.

"Good! Transfer the materials to White River City's Candlelight Trading Firm immediately!" Shi Feng was ecstatic to hear the news. "Also, notify Melancholic and tell her to gather the people I requested earlier."

He had been waiting for this moment for a long time. He could finally craft the Guardian Puppet! 

Chapter 2030 - Puppet Production 

Star-Moon Kingdom, White River City:

As Shi Feng left the crowded Teleportation Hall, he sensed that the city's atmosphere had changed.

During his last visit, a depressing energy and dense killing intent had fallen over the city. Now, however, excitement almost crackled in the air. Far fewer Guild players wandered the city streets, replaced by far more adventurer team players than before.

As Shi Feng wandered through the city, he could hear players discussing the recent events in the Witch's Hill.

"Zero Wing is so amazing! It captured two of the Starlight Alliance's Guild Towns, back to back! Not even the various superpowers have accomplished such a feat!"

"Who would've thought that Zero Wing had such a powerful foundation? After its defeat, the Starlight Alliance disbanded. The corporations supporting it have already pulled out their investments. I don't think it'll be long before Zero Wing removed the Guilds that participated in the alliance from the kingdom."

"Who told those Guilds to be so arrogant and make an enemy of Zero Wing? Didn't they see how Zero Wing became Star- Moon Kingdom's overlord in the first place? They're just reaping what they sow."

"I know, right? I've heard that Zero Wing's Giant players were responsible for capturing both Guild Towns. They're four- meters-tall and have immeasurable Strength. Their Defense is off the charts, too. The town's Defense Turrets barely left a scratch on them. With Zero Wing's home-ground advantage, who would dare provoke the Guild in the Witch's Hill now? It really makes you wonder how Zero Wing managed to convert so many players into Giants. I wish I could become a Giant player, too."

"Isn't that simple? Just join Zero Wing. Since Zero Wing can convert so many players into Giants, it's natural that it can do so with even more players. The conversion price is the only concern now."

"That's right! After its victory in the Witch's Hill, independent players in the kingdom are rushing to join Zero Wing in the hopes of securing a conversion slot Although living in human cities will be inconvenient after joining a neutral race, the combat power you get in return is definitely worth it Moreover, once we reach higher levels, we'll be able to explore more neutral maps. The inconveniences players face as a neutral race will become insignificant"

"Honestly, it isn't really necessary to join Zero Wing if you want to become a Giant All of the powers in God's Domain, aside from those in Star-Moon Kingdom, have begun to look into the conversion process due to the performance of Zero Wing's Giant players. They all hope to amass their own force of Giant experts. It is only a matter of time before someone reveals the conditions for becoming a Giant. Once they do, even independent players like us will have an opportunity to convert."

The independent players on the streets talked about the battle in the Witch's Hill passionately. Their eyes glowed as they discussed Zero Wing's Giant players, and many of them wanted to convert.

At this point, both independent players and the various powers were eager to become Giant players. The era of the Giants had officially begun.

Seeing this, Shi Feng merely smiled as he continued toward the Candlelight Trading Firm.

While the Giant race was impressively powerful, it also had glaring flaws. These flaws included promotion difficulty. Without a Guild's support, even expert players would struggle to reach Tier 3.

Shi Feng had only chosen to convert 1,000 Shield Warriors and Berserkers into Giants due to Zero Wing's precarious position. Normally, he would've only converted players after ensuring that they understood the implications of the process.

Of course, these Giant players could return to their human state at the cost of a few Levels. If they struggled with their Tier 3 Promotion Quests, they could simply convert back. A few lost Levels wouldn't be a problem compared to gaining the Giant race's advantages while they were still at Tier 2.

Moreover, he could determine the truly talented players among the group by converting them into Giants. Before converting, no one would know whether or not they'd be suitable for the race. Once he discovered these talented players, he could grant them the Titan Bloodline, reducing their promotion difficulty and allowing them to shine as true Giant experts.

As for the various large Guilds' search into the Giant conversion, both Aqua Rose and Youlan had expressed some concerns on the matter. However, Shi Feng paid it no mind. It was only a matter of time before the public discovered Thunder Axe City, and he had already activated the teleportation array that led to it.

Moreover, players would need some time to complete the Conversion Quest, if they used the normal method of becoming a Giant Meanwhile, Zero Wing would reap all of the possible benefits from the Giant race.

It wasn't long before Shi Feng reached his destination. When he arrived at the Candlelight Trading Firm, he found that Melancholic Smile had already prepared the necessary manpower and materials to begin the Guardian Puppet's production.

Zero Wing urgently needed capable combatants, so it should work on increasing its members' levels and the number of Giant players in its employ, but in Shi Feng's opinion, producing the Guardian Puppets was more meaningful.

In the past, war weapons like the Combat Puppets were a large part of the reason that the various second- and third-rate Guilds had survived the presence of first-rate Guilds and superpowers.

Sin Realm's decision to use the Steel Puppet against him had been foolish. Combat Puppets weren't meant to kill individual players. They were only truly valuable when they defended or attacked towns and cities.

Had Sin Realm utilized its Steel Puppet to protect Golden Flow Town, capturing the town would've been far more challenging. If Sin Realm had used enough Combat Puppets, Shi Feng would've been forced to rely on more than just his Giant players.

Likewise, if he crafted a certain number of Guardian Puppets, the various superpowers wouldn't be able to threaten Zero Wing.

Inside his spacious Special Forging Room, a small mountain of materials sat atop his work desk. These materials would only be enough to produce one power source for the Guardian Puppet.

Let's begin! Shi Feng took in a deep breath as he examined the design and materials before him. He then activated the Soul Fire's and Philosopher's Hand's abilities, quickly melting down the Fine Titan Ingots and Mana Stones on the table.

The most difficult part of constructing the Guardian Puppet was its power source. To attempt the production, one had to be an Intermediate Master Forger at the very least. Moreover, an Intermediate Master would have a painfully low success rate. Fortunately, the Philosopher's Hand's ability could upgrade Shi Feng to Advanced Master Forger for a short time. This was why Shi Feng dared to attempt producing the Guardian Puppet.

Time passed quickly. Before he had realized it, half a day had passed since Shi Feng had begun to work on the Guardian Puppet.

Dark Night Empire, Silver Pine City:

Silver Pine City was the seventh-largest NPC city in the Dark Night Empire and fully under the Hundred Flowers Palace's jurisdiction. However, players from other large Guilds roamed the city as if they owned the place. It did not look like the Hundred Flowers Palace's territory.

Meanwhile, the normally lively Hundred Flowers Palace Residence was as quiet as the grave.

The Palace's members watched one Guild upper echelon after another enter the Guild Hall's first-floor hall, shock gripping their hearts when they saw the upper echelons' faces. Some of these upper echelons had come from other kingdoms and empires, and even the rarely-seen Guild Elders made an appearance.

"What's going on? Why are all of the Guild's upper echelons gathering here?"

"Isn't that Crimson Heart, the First Vice Guild Leader? Wasn't she managing the Branch Guild in the Holy Hill Kingdom? She's actually made a trip here?"

The Hundred Flowers Palace's members went into an uproar when they saw the silver-armored, soldierly woman with crimson eyes.

Although Crimson Heart was the Guild's First Vice Guild Leader, she disagreed with the Guild Leader's management choices and had led a group of players to develop in the Holy Hill Kingdom. Her endeavors in the kingdom had been quite successful, and she paid no heed to the main branch's matters. Even when the Palace's main branch had fallen into a precarious state, she had refused to make an appearance.

The Guild's members had never expected Crimson Heart to visit the main branch at this time.

When the crowd saw the three players following Crimson Heart, they couldn't help but gape. The highest-leveled player among them had reached Level 61. At that level, one could rank among the top 30 experts on the Dark Night Empire's Ranking List Moreover, all three players wore Level 60 Equipment, with the weakest piece at Secret-Silver rank. Level 60 Secret-Silver Equipment was currently considered top-tier equipment, and not even the various superpowers had many pieces. In addition, these three players had a few pieces of Level 60 Fine-Gold Equipment on them. Most importantly, they all wore two or three pieces of Epic Equipment It was a dazzling sight

Many of the Hundred Flowers Palace's upper echelons were stupefied to see these three players, as well. They had never considered that Crimson Heart's development in the Holy Hill Kingdom had been so profitable.

"Crimson, you're finally here. And here I thought that you planned to abandon the Hundred Flowers Palace," a Level 60, Tier 2 male Berserker carrying a greatsword on his back commented, smiling when he saw Crimson Heart enter the meeting room.

"My opinions simply differ from the Guild Leader's, but I am still a member of the Hundred Flowers Palace! Of course, I have to make an appearance for such an important matter! Moreover, Rue has fallen too far! The Hundred Flowers Pavilion can solve its own problems! We don't need outsiders' help!" Crimson Heart sapped, frowning as a flash of rage lit her eyes.

As soon as Crimson Heart fell silent, a commotion broke out outside of the meeting room.

Shortly after, Cleansed Rue joined the Guild's upper echelons with a dozen or so players trailing behind her, all of which wore a six-winged emblem on their chests. 

Chapter 2031 - Strong Team

Inside the grand, solemn meeting room, the Hundred Flowers Palace's upper echelons and Guild Elders were silent as they stared at Zero Wing's players standing behind Cleansed Rue.

"How is this possible?! Level 62?!"

"How does Zero Wing have so many Level 61 experts and above!?"

"Are these people really from Zero Wing? I thought the players Fire Dance and Cola were Zero Wing's peak experts."

The Hundred Flowers Palace's members whispered to each other as they examined Silent Blade and the dozen or so Zero Wing members from afar, confusion filling their gazes.

Although many of the players in the meeting room had reached Level 60, a massive amount of EXP was necessary to rise from Level 60 to 61. Currently, fewer than 30 people in the Dark Night Empire had reached Level 61, and even if they included the experts that chose to hide their levels, there were still less than 50 Level 61 players in the empire. Moreover, most of these players were from the three superpowers in the Dark Night Empire.

Yet, the fourteen representatives from Zero Wing could make up one-third of the empire's highest-leveled players. Furthermore, ten of them were Level 62. If these Zero Wing members migrated to the Dark Night Empire, they would instantly monopolize the top ten positions on the empire's Ranking List...

Although a player's level was not proof of strength, the equipment these players wore was at least on par with the equipment the three players who accompanied Crimson Heart wore.

When these fourteen Zero Wing members stood together, their combined aura was significantly stronger than the combined aura of Crimson Heart's three subordinates. Even the Guild upper echelons felt greatly pressured by this aura, not to mention the Guild members outside of the meeting room. It was no wonder why there had been such a commotion beyond the meeting room's doors.

"So, this is Zero Wing? It is even more powerful than the rumors claim!"

A hint of surprise flashed across the male Berserker's face as he looked at Silent Blade, Stubborn Bone, and the others. He was particularly surprised to see the young man leading Zero Wing's members. Despite having used an Advanced Identification Skill, he couldn't learn any details about him. The only thing he discovered was the young man's name, Ye Feng.

"It seems that Zero Wing isn't all talk. No wonder it dares to meddle in our Guild's affairs," Crimson Heart commented as she glanced at Shi Feng and the others. "Unfortunately, they came for nothing!"

A Guild could not become more powerful by relying on a small number of peak experts.

Although Zero Wing had sent a shocking number of peak experts, Guilds had to rely on the cooperation of a large force of ordinary expert and elite players when safeguarding its territory.

The greatsword-carrying Berserker nodded in agreement with Crimson Heart's statement.

From an outsider's point of view, the Hundred Flowers Palace had fallen from its peak. However, that wasn't entirely true. At most, the Guild had two-thirds of its previous power.

Moreover, that didn't include the forces Crimson Heart had been nurturing in the Holy Hill Kingdom. Her forces alone made up one-third of the Palace's previous strength. Now that Crimson Heart had returned to the main branch, the Guild had, in a way, recovered to its peak.

With such strength, the Guild would have no problem fending off Starlink's offensive. Starlink's main target, after all, was Unyielding Soul.

After a brief discussion among the Hundred Flowers Palace's upper echelons, the Guild Leader, Shadow Flower, finally arrived, marking the meeting's official start.

So, she's Shadow Flower? Shi Feng was a little taken aback when he saw the masked woman sitting in the Guild Leader's throne.

The Hundred Flowers Palace was one of the few Guilds in the virtual gaming world that favored women over men. Meanwhile, among the multiple Guild Leaders that had led the Hundred Flowers Palace, Shadow Flower had accomplished the most. The Hundred Flowers Palace had eventually grown into a quasi-super-first-rate Guild under this woman's lead during Shi Feng's previous life. Although the Palace never managed to become a super-first-rate Guild, it had amassed the strength to rival one.

However, Shadow Flower's identity had even been a mystery in the past.

She almost never appeared before the public. People only knew of her existence, but no one had ever seen her in person.

Many had speculated that Shadow Flower was in her thirties or forties, but when Shi Feng inspected her with Omniscient Eyes, he discovered that she was barely over 20. She was even younger than Cleansed Rue, and she was no less beautiful. Her Level was even more impressive as a Level 61, Tier 2 Assassin.

While Shi Feng quietly observed the Hundred Flowers Palace's upper echelons, the players before him fell into a heated debate.

Overall, these upper echelons had split into two main groups. The first group supported the idea of accepting Zero Wing's help, but with the condition that part of the remuneration was paid in resources, rather than solely Shops and Lands. The second group vehemently wanted to refuse Zero Wing's offer since, due to Crimson Heart's return, the Hundred Flowers Palace had enough power to stop Starlink's merciless invasion.

Cleansed Rue and Crimson Heart led these two groups, and both argued intensely.

"Big Sis Crimson, although Starlink hasn't officially been recognized as a super-first-rate Guild, it's in no way weaker than actual super-first-rate Guilds! It has even surpassed Unyielding Soul! It's targeting us to ensure that it can focus on Unyielding Soul later! Starlink is not playing around and will do everything in its power to eliminate us! With just our Guild's strength, resisting Starlink will be incredibly difficult!" Cleansed Rue said.

"While you're correct, you know that there have been cases where Guilds that rival first-rate Guilds have stopped a superpower's offensive. Zero Wing's success against Miracle in the Black Dragon Empire is one such example. I admit that our Guild doesn't have weapons like the Basic Combat Device and Magicbreaking Crossbows," Crimson Heart said as she shot Shi Feng a glance, who currently lounged in a guest seat. Revealing a faint smile, she continued, "But we have an absolute advantage when it comes to terrain. We also have a large stock of Blood Source Potions. Replicating Zero Wing's success and chasing Starlink out of our territories isn't necessarily impossible."

The Blood Source Potion was a unique Berserk Potion, which she had the recipe for. After consumption, players would instantly rise by five levels for three hours. During the potion's duration, they'd also enjoy a 20% Basic Attribute increase, and their physique would improve by 40%.

The potion's side effects were its only flaws. Once the potion's duration ended, the player would lose one level and enter a Weakened state for 12 hours. Because of this, it was considered taboo, and most players refused to use it unless absolutely necessary.

If the Hundred Flowers Palace used Blood Source Potions against Starlink in the fields, it might achieve a greater victory than Zero Wing's against Miracle. The Palace had thousands of experts it could dispatch, whereas Zero Wing's forces had been limited to the number of Basic Combat Devices and Magicbreaking Crossbows in its possession.

Cleansed Rue fell silent at Crimson Heart's words. The other Guild upper echelons also found her opinions reasonable. After all, Crimson Heart had relied on the Blood Source Potion to secure a sizable territory in the Holy Hill Kingdom with a small number of Guild members.

Starlink couldn't afford to fight a drawn-out war with the Hundred Flowers Palace if it wanted to deal with Unyielding Soul. Once it discovered that the Palace was too tough to finish off in a short time, it would give up on the Palace. It was a similar mentality to the one Miracle used when it withdrew from its fight with Zero Wing.

Since Zero Wing was capable of stopping a superpower's offensive, why couldn't their Guild do the same?

Furthermore, the Hundred Flowers Palace could dispatch far more experts than Zero Wing had during that fight.

As the upper echelons discussed Crimson Heart's view and agreed with her suggestion, a system notification rang in their ears.

Guild System: Starlink has captured East Valley Town's Town Order. East Valley Town is no longer be under the Hundred Flowers Palace's jurisdiction. Guild Popularity reduced by 2,000. 

Chapter 2032 - Proof of Ability

When they heard the Guild system notification, the meeting room fell silent as if time had frozen. The Hundred Flowers Palace's upper echelons only recovered from their daze after three seconds had passed.

"East Valley Town has been captured? How is that possible?!"

"What did Starlink do?!"

"Quick! Send someone to contact our people in East Valley Town! I want to know what's happening! Find out how Starlink captured it!"

The upper echelons barked out orders to their subordinates, demanding a full investigation into this matter. They were all visibly anxious, having abandoned their prior calm. Even Cleansed Rue, one of the Guild's Vice Guild Leaders, was clearly flustered.

East Valley Town was one of the Hundred Flowers Palace's three most important towns due to its proximity to the Thorny Ridge, a Level 60 to 80 neutral map. The Thorny Ridge was the most suitable map for players to grind and level up. Not only could players level up quickly there, but they could also secure excellent resources from the map. Furthermore, East Valley Town had almost been large enough to promote to Intermediate rank.

Due to East Valley Town's importance, the Hundred Flowers Palace had station between 30,000 and 40,000 players in the town. Although only 1,000 of them were expert players, the rest being elites, East Valley Town shouldn't be easy to capture. To prevent other powers from taking the town from them, the Guild had also constructed eight Defense Turrets and ten Arrow Towers, in addition to hiring 1,000 NPC soldiers for the town's protection. If worse came to worst, the Palace had a collection of war weapons, Tier 3 Summoning Scrolls, and Tier 3 large-scale destruction Magic Scrolls stored in the town.

Yet, despite having such defenses, East Valley Town had fallen without any of them receiving word of an attack...

Why wouldn't they worry when such a heavily fortified town had been captured so easily?

After waiting for a short while, the Hundred Flowers Palace's upper echelons received reports from their subordinates. However, their expressions became even gloomier after reading the reports.

"Vice Guild Leader Rue, what happened in East Valley Town?" Shi Feng could not help but ask.

"We have received a report from the members stationed in the town. Starlink sealed off communication in the town before several thousand Tier 2 experts appeared in our Residence. Because of how sudden the attack was, our members were caught completely off guard. Using the confusion to their advantage, Starlink's members claimed the Town Order," Cleansed Rue said, turning to Shi Feng with a complex expression.

Starlink had used the same tactical assault that Zero Wing had employed against the Starlight Alliance.

It was highly likely that Starlink had only decided to use the tactic after witnessing Zero Wing's success. If Zero Wing had not used it, Starlink would likely have failed to capture such a fortified town as East Valley Town.

Although this situation impressed upon the Palace's upper echelons how truly impressive Zero Wing was, it was also a fact that Zero Wing had indirectly helped Starlink capture one of the Palace's fortified towns. This would likely encourage these upper echelons' resentment against Zero Wing.

"They used our Guild's assault tactic?"

Remnant Cloud and the others, who sat around Shi Feng, were stunned.

Although they felt as if the Hundred Flowers Palace deserved their apology, they were also a little delighted.

The Hundred Flowers Palace's upper echelons had already stated that they were capable offending off a superpower in the same way Zero Wing had, however, due to Zero Wing's tactic, the Palace had lost one of its most important towns.

However, the situation didn't particularly surprise Shi Feng. After an adventurer team had used the tactic to destroy a Guild Town in the past, similar situations had occurred across God's Domain. No one could resist the temptation of obtaining a Guild Town so easily.

But using this tactic required one to fulfill certain conditions.

The first condition required one to possess sufficiently strong combatants.

The second condition involved the ability to transfer a large number of players across long distances.

Naturally, the second condition was more difficult to fulfill since the majority of teleportation tools in the game only allowed individual travel. Group teleportation tools, even those that allowed short-distance travel, were extremely rare and valuable, not to mention long-distance, group teleportation tools. Normally, one would require tools like Tier 3 Group Teleportation Scrolls to achieve the feat, but such Scrolls were insanely rare, rivaling Tier 4 Magic Scrolls. They were not easy to come by.

This was also why Shi Feng treated his Seven Luminaries Ring as a divine tool. Its ability to teleport a group of players was already immensely precious, not to mention its other abilities.

"However, that isn't the most important news right now. Based on the information we gathered during our people's investigations, Starlink simultaneous dispatched an army to Moon Creek Town, one of our other important bases," Cleansed Rue said. "We estimate that the Guild has mobilized over 300,000 players for the assault, and it has sealed off communication and all paths to the town. We were only able to learn of its movements through offline means."

It was obvious that Starlink was serious about taking Moon Creek Town from the Hundred Flowers Palace.

An army of 300,000 elite players was the equivalent of three-quarters of the Palace's elite members. With all paths to and from Moon Creek Town blocked, teleportation to the town was impossible, as well. It would take a very long time for the Palace to mobilize a force large enough to match Starlink's army. Meanwhile, only around 30,000 players defended the town. By the time the Palace's main army arrived, the Guild would have likely lost Moon Creek Town.

If the Hundred Flowers Palace lost Moon Creek Town as well, the Guild would lose all hope of developing in the Dark Night Empire. The various large Guilds relied on their Guild Towns, which were usually constructed in high-resource maps, to obtain leveling resources and funds. Without any Guild Towns, a Guild would stagnate.

"Guild Leader, what should we do? It'll likely take an hour or two to gather 100,000 elite members right now, and we'll need another four or five hours to reach Moon Creek Town. With Moon Creek Town's defenses, I'm afraid it won't last that long."

"Don't forget; Starlink has set up blockades on the paths to Moon Creek Town. Getting through those blockades will likely take as much time as actually traveling to the town..."

"How are we supposed to send reinforcements, in that case? We've already lost East Valley Town; if we lose Moon Creek Town as well, we'll have no choice but to leave the empire."

All of the Palace's upper echelons anxiously voiced their opinions, one after another. They had never expected Starlink to launch such a fierce offensive. Rather than facing their Guild in the field, Starlink had directly assaulted their Guild's vital points.

"All we can do is organize a small force of experts to break through Starlink's blockades. I have Blood Source Potions with me. If we can get these potions to Moon Creek Town, we can fortify the town's defenses. We should be able to buy enough time for the main army to arrive," Crimson Heart declared. "Currently, there are two paths that will allow us to reach the town quickly, but trying to break through a single front will be quite dangerous since both paths are relatively close to each other. The Starlink members stationed at the blockades will easily be able to provide each other reinforcements. Hence, I suggest that we try both paths. We'll use one force as bait while the other tries to deliver the Blood Source Potions to Moon Creek Town.

"Rue, you insisted that we ally with Zero Wing, correct? Then, let's see Zero Wing's strength. If Zero Wing can't even help us with this operation, then the Guild isn't strong enough to stop Starlink!"

"This...." Cleansed Rue couldn't help but turn to Shi Feng with an awkward expression.

She had merely invited Zero Wing's experts to this meeting to show off its strength to her Guild's upper echelons. With that understanding, Zero Wing had only sent fourteen experts with her. How could such a small force fight a large-scale battle?

"That won't be a problem. We can use this opportunity to prove to you that Zero Wing is powerful enough to repel Starlink," Shi Feng volunteered, nodding calmly.

Cleansed Rue had no choice but to agree with Crimson Heart's plan after Shi Feng's approval. However, she intended to gather the experts under her command, as well. She had suggested this alliance; she couldn't afford to watch from the sidelines.

"Since we're all in agreement, let's begin the operation. Moon Creek Town can't last long without our help," Crimson Heart said, flashing Shi Feng a grin.

In truth, she didn't have much hope of Zero Wing's success in this operation. She had only suggested the plan to prove to Zero Wing that she and her subordinates could smash through Starlink's blockade and reach Moon Creek Town in time to help its survival.

Following which, the two Vice Guild Leaders left to prepare, with Crimson Heart organizing the experts that had accompanied her from the Holy Hill Kingdom and Cleansed Rue leading her own subordinates and Zero Wing's group to the appointed location. 

Chapter 2033 - Breaking Through?

Dark Night Empire, Silent Canyon:

A 1,000-man team from the Hundred Flowers Palace rose through a rugged mountain path atop the Guild's Black Panther Mounts. The team left kicked up clouds of dust as they passed, the sound of the Black Panther's footfalls echoing throughout the valley. Players that encountered the army of Black Panthers stepped aside and made way for the beasts.

In the lead, Crimson Heart rode atop a pitch-black drake, unlike the rest of her team. She wore a suit a silver armor and carried a dark-purple spear across her back that radiated a frosty aura. Holding her Mount's reins in one hand, she looked like a heroic Valkyrie riding into battle. Independent players who saw her were awestruck, and many unconsciously followed the army of Black Panthers in hopes of catching another glimpse of Crimson Heart.

"Who is she? Since when has the Hundred Flowers Palace had a member like that? She feels so powerful! I only caught a glimpse, but I can't help my desire to submit to her!"

"You're new to the Dark Night Empire, so it isn't unusual that you haven't heard of her. She's the Hundred Flowers Palace's First Vice Guild Leader. With her strength alone, she established a Branch Guild in the Holy Hill Kingdom and developed it into one of the kingdom's two overlords in a short time. She's strongly opposed to entering her name on the God's Domain Expert List, so the Secret Pavilion ended up giving her the title 'Shadow Spear.' She's even stronger than the Hundred Flowers Palace's Frostflame Goddess, Cleansed Rue."

"A title from the Secret Pavilion?! Amazing!"

"That's not all. The Dark Cloud Legion under her command is frighteningly strong. The legion once defeated an army of tens of thousands of elite and expert players in the Holy Hill Kingdom. The legion isn't any weaker than superpowers' trump card legions. I've heard that Starlink has blocked off all paths to Moon Creek Town and intends to lay siege. She probably plans to reinforce the town by crossing the Silent Canyon."

"A siege battle? I have only seen siege battles in videos. Why don't we follow her and watch? The battle between Starlink and the Hundred Flowers Palace is definitely going to be an interesting show!"

"You're right! We don't get many chances to watch siege battles in person. Once the battle is over, we might even get to make a little profit."

The independent players quietly discussed the situation as they watched the Dark Cloud Legion dash by.

Although Starlink's siege on Moon Creek Town had been a tight secret, it was very difficult to keep the assault under wraps when mobilizing such a large force.

As some experts watched the imposing Dark Cloud Legion ride by, they began to grow even more interested in the upcoming battle. Unable to help themselves, they climbed on their Mounts and chased after Crimson Heart and her team.

"Big Sis Crimson, quite a few players are following us. Should we deal with them?" a female Assassin with a devilish body asked Crimson Heart as she glanced at the players behind the team.

"Ignore them. With the commotion we're causing, hiding our actions is impossible. Let them tail after us," Crimson Heart said, shaking her head. "Any news on the Starlink forces blocking this path?"

"A report just came in. According to our scouts, Starlink has dispatched particularly powerful forces to guard the two shortest paths to the town. The Guild must have guessed that we'd focus on these paths, so it sent two Vice Guild Leaders, each with an army of 15,000 elite and expert players, to block the paths," the female Assassin replied grimly.

Starlink was a new Guild that had only established after God's Domain had launched. It had become a superpower so quickly, even rivaling Unyielding Soul, after annexing plenty of Guilds, adventurer teams, and famous experts.

Meanwhile, Starlink's Vice Guild Leaders had either been Guild Leaders of first-rate Guilds or commanders of top adventurer teams. They were all famous experts that had shaken the virtual gaming world in the past.

Not only were these players incredibly strong as individuals, but they also had a large number of capable experts under their command. Otherwise, they wouldn't have qualified for the positions as Starlink's Vice Guild Leaders.

Since Starlink had sent two of its Vice Guild Leaders to guard the two closest paths, breaking through would be even more difficult

Crimson Heart couldn't help her frown. Although she had expected Starlink to establish a tight blockade, she hadn't expected this much trouble. She then asked, "Do you know who the Vice Guild Leaders are?"

After taking a deep breath, the Assassin replied in a soft, serious tone, "Starlink's Seventh Vice Guild Leader, Desert Tiger, is guarding the path we're on now. He has earned the title 'Hundred Fist Tiger.' The other path is guarded by Starlink's recently promoted Fourth Vice Guild Leader, Three Kills!"

"Three Kills? He actually joined Starlink? How did Starlink manage to recruit him? I thought he decided to retire a long time ago?" Crimson Heart's expression darkened when she heard the name 'Three Kills.'

Ordinary players might not know the name, but as an upper echelon of a first-rate Guild, Crimson Heart was quite familiar with Three Kills. The name had once shaken the virtual gaming world's apex over a dozen years ago.

Three Kills had been the Guild Leader of the Super Guild, Jormungandr. He had been one of the only geniuses that appeared in the Guild once a decade. However, for some unknown reason, Three Kills had announced his retirement one day, leaving the virtual gaming world alongside a large group of experts. Less than five years later, Jormungandr had disbanded and faded from the virtual gaming world, and other Super Guilds and super-first-rate Guilds had poached its abandoned members.

However, when Three Kills had led the Guild, Jormungandr had nearly become one of the top four Super Guilds in the virtual gaming world.

"We don't know the exact reason, but we're certain that this player is the real Three Kills," the female Assassin said, shuddering.

Ordinary players would assume that a Super Guild's Guild Leader only played a management role in the Guild, but Crimson Heart, a first-rate Guild's upper echelon, knew that the position was proof of one's strength in Super Guilds.

With a bigshot like Three Kills defending the blockade, why wouldn't she shudder in fear?

"Hopefully, Zero Wing can buy us some time," Crimson Heart said as she examined the map. "Let's increase our speed! We need to break through the blockade before Zero Wing clashes with Three Kills!"

She had planned to show off the Hundred Flowers Palace's strength to Zero Wing in this operation, proving that the Palace was no weaker than Zero Wing, perhaps even stronger. Once Zero Wing realized its inferior position, it would give up on trying to lay claim to the Palace's Shops and Lands.

However, she had lost her previous certainty.

Even a super-first-rate Guild would likely struggle to get past a blockade led by Three Kills, not to mention Zero Wing.

Right now, she needed to put as much distance between her team and Three Kills' as possible before he annihilated Zero Wing's small force. If she had to fight both Desert Tiger and Three Kills at once, she'd never reach Moon Creek Town.

Following which, Crimson Heart and the Dark Cloud Legion members increased their pace to reach Starlink's blockade before the agreed-upon time.

Meanwhile, on another path through the Silent Canyon, Cleansed Rue's group had arrived a short distance away from Starlink's blockade.

"Elder Ye Feng, the situation has changed. I've just received a report stating that Three Kills is leading the force ahead! He was the Guild Leader of Jormungandr, a Super Guild from several years ago!" Cleansed Rue reported grimly. "Breaking past them is no longer possible here. However, I'm hoping that you can help me delay Three Kills for some time. If we can hold him off for four or five minutes, it will be enough."

"I see. I understand, but since we've agreed to prove Zero Wing's ability to resist Starlink to the Hundred Flowers Palace, we cannot go back on our word. Zero Wing would become a laughingstock among the other Guilds if we did. We'll make sure you and your team make it to Moon Creek Town," Shi Feng calmly declared.

"Three Kills is a monster of an expert! Do you really think that you can break through his blockade?" a Tier 2 female Cleric from the Hundred Flowers Palace asked when she heard Shi Feng's confident tone.

"If the path is only guarded by one monster like him, we shouldn't have any issues," Shi Feng said after giving the matter some thought

"Big Sis Rue, this person is insane!" the female Cleric whispered to her leader, flabbergasted. She very nearly failed to control herself and shot Shi Feng a disdainful look.

Zero Wing had only sent them fourteen players.

Although the narrow mountain terrain didn't allow large-scale combat, only suitable for a small number of players to fight each other at a time, getting past a force of 15,000 elite and expert players with such a small force would be nigh- impossible. Furthermore, Starlink's force was led by the former Guild Leader of a Super Guild.

The female Cleric sent a hopeful glance at Remnant Cloud and his companions behind Shi Feng. She hoped that they would stop such a mentally disturbed leader, but when she saw one of Zero Wing's members open their mouth, assuming that they would indeed dissuade Shi Feng...

"Boss Feng, can you leave Three Kills to me?" 

Chapter 2034 - Beyond Salvation

Even Shi Feng was shocked into turning toward Seven Light, the player who asked to face Three Kills.

Seven Light was very young, and he hadn't come into contact with virtual reality games until recently. In fact, God's Domain was the first virtual reality game he had ever played. However, his talent was the real deal.

Although he had only joined Zero Wing recently, his talent for combat had helped him rise through the Guild's ranks to its main force through the Guild's monthly ranking competition.

Seven Light had also gained more inspiration and strength from his training in the Extraordinary Tower than any of his comrades.

Shi Feng had to admit that the youth was worthy of the title 'Arclight Sword Emperor,' the title he had wielded during Shi Feng's previous life. Although Seven Light had yet to enter the Realms of Truth, he had unexpectedly entered the Realms of Refinement during his training, becoming one of Zero Wing's few Refinement Realm experts.

"Alright, I'll leave him to you." Seeing the fighting spirit in Seven Light's eyes, Shi Feng could see that he truly wanted to test his newfound strength.

Although Seven Light had only reached the Refinement Realm, which wouldn't be significant in a superpower, he also wore the Level 60 Demonkin Set Equipment he had obtained after slaying the Demonkin King.

Shi Feng had awarded Seven Light the set equipment after he had entered the Refinement Realm. Rather, only Refinement Realm experts qualified to utilize the set Giving the equipment to an ordinary expert would be a waste. This was also the reason that Shi Feng had only distributed the Level 60 Secret-Silver Equipment to the players who had participated in the Demonkin King raid, while he had stored the Fine-Gold and Dark-Gold Equipment in the Guild Warehouse.

Seven Light currently wore the Level 60 Dark-Gold ranked Demonkin chest-piece and boots, while the pants, gloves, helmet, and bracers were Fine-Gold ranked set pieces. Despite the difference in quality, the combination still activated the Demonkin Set's six-piece set effects.

The Demonkin Set's effects were no weaker than Cola's Scorching Wind Set. However, since the Scorching Wind Set was Level 70 equipment, its Basic Attribute bonuses were far higher than the Level 60 Demonkin Set. They were two of the best set equipment available in the game right now.

"Understood! I swear I will complete this mission!" Seven Light could not help his growing excitement when Shi Feng agreed to his request.

After listening to the conversation between Shi Feng and Seven Light, the Tier 2 female Cleric nearby rolled her eyes at Zero Wing's members. Now, she looked at the players as if they were psychopaths.

Their opponent had once been a Super Guild's Guild Leader, a legendary existence in the virtual gaming world, yet Shi Feng and Seven Light spoke as if Three Kills was some Common monster that could easily be defeated.

"Big Sis Rue..." The Tier 2 Cleric could not help but tug on Cleansed Rue's sleeve in a plead for comfort. She hoped that Cleansed Rue would be able to dissuade these lunatics.

Cleansed Rue could only sigh in response, expressing her agreement. However, she found it natural that Zero Wing's members knew nothing of Three Kills. After all, Zero Wing was a relatively new Guild, so it was ignorant about many things regarding the virtual gaming world's hierarchy. Furthermore, Three Kills had retired over a decade ago. After all was said and done, she had been responsible for inviting Zero Wing's members here, and since they wanted to smash through the blockade, how could she demand they sacrifice themselves to simply buy some time instead?

"Vice Guild Leader Rue, it's almost time. Should we set off?" Shi Feng asked as he turned to Cleansed Rue.

"Are we not going to discuss our plan for getting past the blockade?" Cleansed Rue asked, giving Shi Feng a strange look.

Aside from Zero Wing's fourteen members, she had brought with her more than 900 experts from the Hundred Flowers Palace to help their operation. Although she recognized Shi Feng and his companions' strength, they were, at best, as powerful as ordinary peak experts. They should be far weaker than a superpower's peak experts.

If they did not plan this operation properly, the enemy ranged experts would likely bombard them to smithereens before they could reach the blockade.

Moreover, the defenders had the advantage with how narrow the terrain was. Even a 10,000-strong army could easily hold back several tens of thousands of players for a long time, much less their team of 1,000 players.

"Right! We need to come up with a plan!" Realization dawned on Shi Feng.

Shi Feng's reaction rendered the Hundred Flowers Palace members speechless. They hadn't dreamed that Zero Wing would have an upper echelon that lacked such common sense.

"I'll explain what I have in mind, then." After giving the matter some thought, Shi Feng said, "Later, my team and I will spearhead the charge. Once we tear a hole through Starlink's defenses, the enemy will concentrate their firepower on us. Catch up with us the moment you see an opening, and try to avoid fighting the enemy as much as possible. We are severely outnumbered, after all. If we try to fight them, we'll be at a disadvantage."

As soon as Shi Feng finished, every player from the Hundred Flowers Palace stared at him with dropped jaws.

They would've cursed at him if Cleansed Rue hadn't been there.

How was that supposed to be a plan?

He basically wanted them to launch a kamikaze attack! If they truly followed Shi Feng's play, they might as well call themselves the 'Suicide Team!'

Shi Feng wasn't satisfied with simply sacrificing himself and his players; he actually wanted them to die with him! Did he think that they were just as mentally ill as he was?

"Very good. It seems nobody has any issues with it," Shi Feng said, nodding his head when no one spoke up. "In that case, let's begin!"

"Big Sis Rue, are we really going to follow him?" the Tier 2 female Cleric could not help but ask Cleansed Rue softly. She felt that Shi Feng's mental disorder was beyond salvation.

If they followed his plan, they'd likely be annihilated within 30 seconds. They'd break the record for the fastest 1,000-man team to die while charging a blockade, becoming the biggest joke in the Dark Night Empire.

"Let them go. Once they die, we'll think of a better plan to buy time. That way, Big Sis Crimson's side should have an easier time breaking through to the town," Cleansed Rue said. She released a deep sigh as she watched Shi Feng and the others, who eagerly prepared to charge into Starlink's blockade.

Meanwhile, hundreds of independent players stood less than 1,000 yards away from Starlink's fortifications. They all waited for Starlink to let them pass.

Although many of these independent players whispered complaints, none of them could do anything about the roadblock.

Starlink had set up their blockade in a strategic location, choosing a path that was sandwiched between two steep cliffs. Although the cliffs were not magically enhanced, even high-Agility Assassins would struggle to climb across. Furthermore, several hundred ranged experts stood guard atop each cliff. They'd easily spot anyone who attempted to climb the rockside. Getting past this blockade without being detected was simply impossible.

The main path was guarded by several hundred MTs. Tier 2 MTs fully comprised the first two defensive lines, and when they raised their shields in unison, not even a rat could sneak past them, much less players.

"Boss Kill, someone's trying to break past Desert Tiger's team. From what we've learned, these players seem to be from the Dark Cloud Legion that follows Crimson Heart, the Hundred Flowers Palace's First Vice Guild Leader. It's the Palace's strongest legion, with impressively strong members. Why don't we take some people and head over to take a look? I'm tired of sitting here and doing nothing; it's boring," a Level 60, Tier 2 Ranger holding a beer bottle suggested to the middle-aged man wearing dark-blue plate armor and carrying two war hammers.

"It seems the Hundred Flowers Palace is tired of sitting still," Three Kills calmly commented. "Since they're here, let's greet the Shadow Spear."

Although Three Kills looked like a man in his forties, and he was relatively slim, lacking muscle mass, he radiated a chilling aura that made players unconsciously distance themselves from him.

If a player examined him with an Advanced Identification Skill, they'd discover that Three Kills was a Level 62, Tier 2 Berserker, and his equipment was just as frightening. He wore a total of five Epic items, four equipment pieces and one weapon. Of the rest of his equipment, the weakest piece was Level 60 Secret-Silver rank. His aura wasn't the slightest bit inferior to a Level 60 Grand Lord's.

As Three Kills finished speaking, the Starlink players that were responsible for scouting the surrounding area shouted, "Enemy sighted 500 yards away! A team of players is rapidly approaching!"

With the scout's warning, Starlink's elite players began to grow nervous. The Hundred Flowers Palace had been pushed to the brink of destruction, and the Guild wouldn't spare any expense to get past their roadblock. Even though they had the defender's advantage, they'd need to spend a long time grinding to recover the lost EXP on the off chance that they died in the upcoming battle.

"Luck is on our side today! We actually get to participate in such an event!"

"Hopefully, I'll loot a good piece of equipment before this is over!"

Starlink's Tier 2 experts, however, didn't respond in kind. Rather, they practically vibrated with excitement and anticipation.

The independent players that waited to move past the blockade had heard Starlink's experts, showing similar excitement. They rarely witnessed large-scale Guild battles like this, and they were so close to the battlefield. With how chaotic combat was, they might be able to take advantage of the situation to secure some unexpected loot for themselves.

"The Hundred Flowers Palace is launching a two-prong assault?" After giving the matter some thought, Three Kills asked, "How many people are approaching?"

"Um... Fourteen..." 

Chapter 2035 - Extraordinary Tower's Effects

The scout's report stunned Starlink's members, clearly wondering if the scout was toying with them.

Even 140 players would die instantly if they assaulted the blockade, much less fourteen players. If the Hundred Flowers Palace wanted to make it past the roadblock, it should've at least sent a 1,000-man team like the legion that assaulted DesertTiger's post

"They must be independent players that want to head to Moon Creek Town. The Hundred Flowers Palace can't be this stupid."

"I agree. They're most likely just passing by."

The Starlink members that had prepared for a fight began to relax. They also shot the scout disdainful looks for making them worry over nothing.

Starlink hadn't publicly announced its siege on Moon Creek Town, so very few knew about it. Even if some players discussed the situation on the official forums, most players grinding in the fields rarely checked the forums while they worked. It wasn't unexpected to find players that didn't know about Starlink's blockades as they made their way to the town.

In fact, they had already encountered several similar parties.

"No! These players are different! They're all wearing Black Cloaks, and I can't tell who they are. Moreover, their Movement Speed is extremely high. The man leading the charge is also riding an extraordinary Mount. The Mount is around five-meters tall. It should be a Secret-Silver rank or higher. They're definitely not ordinary players!" the scout hurriedly explained.

Although Mounts had already become popular among ordinary players, Bronze rank and higher were still incredibly rare. Even at this stage of the game, the various large Guilds' upper echelons didn't necessarily own Mysterious-Iron Mounts, let alone Secret-Silver rank.

"That's interesting. Everyone, get ready. We'll see what they intend to do," Three Kills commanded, deciding to take the situation seriously after hearing the scout's explanation.

As the scout had said, ordinary players weren't capable of obtaining a Secret-Silver Mount Even Three Kills had only recently secured a Secret-Silver Mount.

When they heard Three Kill's command, Sarlink's members began to prepare for combat.

After a short moment, a dozen or so figures appeared on the narrow mountain path. Each of them wore a Black Cloak, preventing anyone from determining whether they were independent or Guild players. However, as the scout had claimed, these players rode extraordinary Mounts. The Movement Speed was far greater than Common rank Mounts, at least as fast as Bronze rank-

"Incoming players, listen up! Starlink has closed down this road! Dismount immediately and maintain a 100-yard distance! We'll kill any who resist!" One of Starlink's members shouted a warning once the strangers were nearly 100 yards from the blockade.

But despite the warning, these intruders maintained their speed, continuing their approach.

"Didn't they hear Starlink's warning?"

"They had to. I've even farther from the blockade, and I heard it clearly. How could they not hear the warning?"

"Do they plan to charge through the blockade?"

"That shouldn't be the case, right? That's Starlink we're talking about! Such a small force isn't even a warm-up for Starlink's members!"

The hundreds of independent players waiting by the roadside were astonished as they watched the dozen or so figures run towards the blockade without any hesitation.

When the cloaked figures were less than 70 yards from the blockade, another Starlink scout shouted, "A 1,000-man team from the Hundred Flowers Palace has appeared 500 yards away! They're slowly approaching our location!"

"Is this first group acting as bait?" the Tier 2 Ranger, Mountain Passenger, wondered aloud after taking a swig of his beer. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he watched the dozen or so mounted figures, saying, "Boss, it seems the Hundred Flowers Palace has seriously underestimated us. Can I go ahead and eliminate those riders by myself?"

"Forget it. I'm sure this team is simply here to delay us, ensuring that the team on Desert Tiger's road can make it to Moon Creek Town," Three Kills said, shaking his head. Smiling, he continued, "Since that is the case, take a team of 3,000 and reinforce Desert Tiger's forces. As for this bait, we'll leave them to Tyrant."

"Understood!" Mountain Passenger replied as realization dawned on him.

As a first-rate Guild, the Hundred Flowers Palace had ways of learning about their movements. Information gathering was one of a first-rate Guild's foundational abilities. Once the Palace had discovered their intentions, it would realize that breaking past Starlink's forces would be impossible on this path. Hence, they intended to send wave after wave of a dozen or so players at the blockade, buying time for the Palace's Dark Cloud Legion to force its way past the other blockade.

Unfortunately, Three Kills was the Palace's opponent this time. If he hadn't been there, its ploy might have been successful.

"We don't need to waste time on these suicidal bastards. All ranged players, attack together!" Three Kills commanded as he glanced at Shi Feng and the other Zero Wing players.

The several hundred ranged players atop the cliffs on both sides of the road began to prepare their attacks.

However, just before these players could launch their attacks, a massive, silver magic array appeared above them, covering a 500-yard radius. Pitch-black smoke flowed out of the array, and the Starlink members who were about to use their Skills and Spells found themselves Silenced.

"An AOE Silence?" Mountain Passenger stared at the black smoke, stunned.

AOE Silencing Skills and Spells were extremely rare in God's Domain. A Tier 3 AOE Silencing Scroll's value could even rival that of a Tier 4 Magic Scroll, both treasured in any Guild. Naturally, Skills and tools that could employ an AOE Silence were far more valuable, and one would need more than just tens of thousands of Gold to purchase one.

Yet, for the sake of its bait, the Hundred Flowers Palace had used such a trump card. It was insanely extravagant.

"A futile struggle. Do they think Silencing us will change anything? Everyone, use normal attacks!" Three Kills calmly commanded, unfazed by the AOE Silence effect.

The debuff would be crucial in a team fight, Starlink still had an overwhelming numerical advantage. A single normal attack might not pose much of a threat to these trespassers, but several hundred at the same time would. Furthermore, their ranged players had the high ground. These fourteen players would find their attacks difficult to dodge.

Hearing Three Kills's command, his teammates calmed down and used normal attacks against Shi Feng's group.

Hundreds of arrows rained down on Zero Wing's members.

But after a second, Starlink's players were stupefied.

The fourteen players moved through the arrows as if strolling through their own backyards. None of the arrows touched them...

"How is this possible?"

Starlink's members, as well as the Hundred Flowers Palace's scouting Assassins and the spectating players, stared at Zero Wing's small force with gaping mouths. They couldn't believe what they were seeing.

They were talking about several hundred arrows!

Even ordinary experts would be forced to defend themselves with their weapons. Some ordinary experts wouldn't even block every arrow, taking a few hits. However, not only had Shi Feng and his party dodged every arrow, but they had also done so effortlessly. Based on their appearances, they still had plenty of energy to spare.

However, Seven Light and his companions weren't surprised in the least

After all, compared to dodging the Extraordinary Tower's attacks during the trial, avoiding these arrows was child's play. Not only were the arrows much slower, but their attack trajectories remained unchanged, as well. Players that could reach the 150-yard mark in the first-floor trial could easily avoid these arrows, not to mention Seven Light and his teammates, who had reached the 100-yard mark.

Meanwhile, after Starlink's Rangers launched several volleys of arrows, Seven Light, Remnant Cloud, Stubborn Bone, Graceful Moon, Silent Blade, and the other Zero Wing experts finally arrived before the blockade's defensive line.

The Level 58 to 60, Tier 2 Shield Warriors and Guardian Knights that made up the first defensive line had already raised their shields, forming an unshakable steel wall.

But when Seven Light and his comrades reached them, they plowed through the wall without hesitation. They did not even pause to find attack opportunities or target the MTs with weaker equipment.

Omnislash!

Whirlwind Slash!

Savage Charge!

Boom... Boom... Boom-

Like a powerful cannon blast, Zero Wing's players forced a hole through the steel wall almost instantly. Dozens of Starlink's Shield Warriors and Guardian Knights were sent flying, crashing into the players at the rear.

Not a single Starlink player could be found within 15 yards of the Zero Wing party... 

Chapter 2036 - Successive Breakthroughs

Starlink's members were stunned after watching Seven Light, Silent Blade, and the others blast apart the human wall. The fact that these fourteen players had dodged a rain of arrows was already shocking enough, but the word was no longer enough to describe the scene they had just witnessed.

"Are they monsters?!"

This thought simultaneously drifted through the minds of Starlink's players.

The MTs on the first line were bona fide Tier 2 experts, fully geared in Level 55 Secret-Silver Equipment. Some of them even wore one or two pieces of Level 55 Fine-Gold Equipment. They were the envy of ordinary experts.

That defensive line shouldn't have broken even under an assault by several thousand elite and expert players.

Yet, just fourteen players had shattered it...

Meanwhile, the independent players and the Hundred Flowers Palace's Assassin scouts were just as flabbergasted. Not only had Zero Wing's party broken past Starlink's defensive lines, but they had also sent the Tier 2 MTs flying over a dozen yards away. Their Strength was beyond common sense.

However, after a short moment of silence, Starlink's experts recovered from their shock and promptly reinforced the second defensive line while the Guild's ranged players provided cover fire.

Now, Starlink's members wouldn't dare look down on Seven Light and his party.

Only, their changed attitude didn't faze Zero Wing's players.

Although Starlink's expert players were well-equipped, Seven Light and the others were far beyond that. The weakest piece of equipment among them was Level 60 Secret-Silver rank, while most of their equipment consisted of Level 60 Fine-Gold and Dark-Gold Equipment. Their Basic Attributes far surpassed those of Starlink's experts.

Furthermore, due to their Tier 2 Skills and Spells enhancing their combat power, they increased the gap between themselves and Starlink's standards. The difference between them was like the difference between an expert and an ordinary player.

Zero Wing's players sent one Starlink member after another flying. Starlink's Tier 1 players couldn't even put up a fight as Seven Light and his companion's Skills and Spells killed them instantly. Without the help of their Skills, the Guild's Tier 2 experts only survived a few blows before they, too, fell.

In less than ten seconds, Starlink's second defensive line had shattered. Unlike the initial charge, however, Seven Light and his party left corpses in their path...

"Am I dreaming? Are those people really players?"

The watching independent players felt as if they were in a dream as they stared at the corpses littering the mountain path.

They had witnessed many team battles before, but they had never watched over a dozen players slaughter several thousand.

Seven Light and the others massacred Starlink's experts as if they were slaughtering chickens, taking a life with every swing of their weapons. Although Starlink's members had successfully landed a few hits, Zero Wing's healers easily mitigated the damage.

Although Starlink was normally the target of independent players' hatred, they couldn't help but pity its members as they watched the carnage. Some of them even considered cheering on Starlink's members, protesting the fear and irrationality Seven Light and the others instilled in them.

How is this possible? I thought they were supposed to be the Palace's bait. Is the Dark Cloud Legion the true bait? Three Kills was confused as he watched the invaders break his second defensive line.

"Boss, they're going to reach the third defensive line soon. If they break that line as well, we'll have trouble stopping them," Mountain Passenger warned his commander when he realized that Three Kills hadn't yet given an order. "Should we join the fight?"

They had set up quite a few defensive lines on this mountain path, but the first three were the strongest. If the enemy broke through, the most the rest of their players could do was buy time; they'd have no chance of stopping the Hundred Flowers Palace's advance.

Meanwhile, failing the first major mission it received after joining Starlink would be a massive embarrassment for Jormungandr. If the fallout weren't handled properly, it might even lose its standing within Starlink.

"Go! We can no longer afford to hold back," Three Kills said, nodding. In a chilling tone, he continued, "Since we must get involved, we cannot give these intruders an easy death!"

"Boss, rest assured; since these people have spoiled our plans, I'll make sure they regret ever standing before us!" Mountain Passenger enthusiastically declared.

He had to admit that these newcomers were quite strong, nothing that ordinary experts could compare to. However, compared to Jormungandr's peak experts, they were nothing.

God's Domain had main tools, and among them, some doubled a player's death penalty.

Fortunately, these Starlink experts had something even more valuable. The Necromancer's Globe in their possession targeted players' souls. Although it was a one-time use item, the targeted player would be barred from logging into God's Domain for five to ten days and suffer a permanent 15% decrease to their physique if they died within half an hour. To expert players, such a loss was far worse than losing several levels and several pieces of top-tier equipment.

When Zero Wing's players were within 30 yards of the third defensive line, ten figures emerged from both sides of the road, blocking their path.

"Commander Mountain?"

When Starlink's members saw these figures, excitement instantly replaced their anxiety.

All ten players were peak experts within the Guild, existences that ordinary players like themselves had no hope of comparing to. Every one of them was a monster capable of single-handedly eliminating several hundred ordinary experts.

Although Seven Light and the others wielded frightening strength, they were no match for Mountain Passenger's group. After all, Seven Light's party relied on an AOE Silencing effect to secure an overwhelming victory. Without it, the first defensive line would've stopped these players.

"Starlink's peak experts?"

When Seven Light and his comrades saw these ten players, they knew that these experts were on an entirely different level than the players they had faced thus far. Every one of them radiated a boundless killing intent, and the weakest piece of equipment on them was Level 55 Fine-Gold rank, with quite a few pieces being Level 60 Secret-Silver rank. Moreover, some of them wore Epic Equipment In terms of equipment, these ten peak experts could almost rival their own.

"I'm truly surprised that you managed to break past two defensive lines without stopping, but now that our Boss has allowed us to take action, your advanced stops here!" Mountain Passenger said, chuckling as he observed Seven Light and the others. "I had wanted to toy with you, but since you've made such a huge mess, we need to put on a show for the Dark Night Empire. So, I'll have to ask you to struggle as much as you can!"

After saying so, Mountain Passenger waved a hand. Immediately, the nine players around him began to move. The leading Ranger then removed the ancient, pitch-black bow that hung over a shoulder and pulled back its string.

"Since you're hiding so far away, I'll start with you!" Mountain Passenger said with a sneer.

Three streaks of black light then flew toward Shi Feng, who stood the farthest away from the third defensive line.

Advanced Combat Technique, Triple Moon Strike!

It seemed as if Mountain Passenger had only fired three normal arrows, but in reality, he had launched six, each arrow moving in tight pairs. When they struck, their hits would contain at least 60% more Strength that the Ranger possessed. Not even Tier 2 MTs of the same combat standards could stop his attack.

However, when these three streaks of light clashed with Shi Feng's Killing Ray, they stopped as if they had crashed into an adamantine wall. The arrows crumbled under their own power instantly, their remains scattering across the ground before Shi Feng... 

Chapter 2037 - Whimsical Battle

He blocked it? Mountain Passenger stared at the remnants of his arrows in astonishment.

He wasn't the only one surprised by the outcome. The other nine members of Three Kills' personal security team were also stunned.

Most of Starlink's members might not know about Mountain Passage's Triple Moon Strike, but as long-term friends, they were aware of how powerful the combat technique was. Not even they dared to intercept the move directly. Not only would they suffer grievous injuries by doing so, but it would also force them to reveal holes in their defenses.

Yet, Shi Feng had neutralized the technique effortlessly. For a moment, they wondered if their eyes had played a trick on them, and Mountain Passage had simply used an ordinary attack, not truly employing a combat technique.

"Not bad. While it looks like a normal attack, it's actually an Advanced Combat Technique that can end a life if one's not careful. No wonder why you were so confident," Shi Feng praised, chuckling at the distant Mountain Passenger.

Mountain Passage wasn't pleased to receive Shi Feng's praise, but humiliated, giving the Swordsman an intensely frosty expression.

As one of Jormungandr's peak experts, he had been quite famous in the virtual gaming world for over a decade. He felt humiliated and displeased to receive such an evaluation from an unknown junior, who was still in his early 20s.

"You have a big mouth for someone so young! You merely relied on your high Strength to block one of my moves! I'll show you what a true expert is!" Mountain Passenger bellowed as he readied his bow.

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

One streak of black light after another flew toward Shi Feng. Although each attack carried Mountain Passenger's normal Strength, the Ranger had lunched a large number of attacks simultaneously, his arrows raining down on Shi Feng without pause.

Advanced Combat Technique, Storm Barrage!

Unlike Triple Moon Strike, Storm Barrage didn't rely on overwhelming power to destroy the target Rather, it relied on a continuous stream of attacks to suppress and whittle down the target.

Mountain Passenger had created the Advanced Combat Technique specifically to counter Strength-based players.

While the Ranger fired his arrows, Seven Light and the other Zero Wing members shifted their gazes to Shi Feng.

"What? Are you thinking of helping him? If that's the case, I've got some bad news for you! You won't get past me!" Tyrant Dragon, a Level 61, Tier 2 Berserker and another member of Three Kills' personal security team, chuckled at Seven Light and the others. "You can only blame that kid for provoking the wrong person. He might have lived a while longer, but now, no one can save him."

"Help?" Giving Tyrant Dragon a curious look, Seven Light asked, "Why would we try to help him?"

"You don't realize why he needs help? You guys are really looking down on Mountain Passenger." Tyrant Dragon could not help but laugh at Seven Light's response. He never expected to find a bunch of nobodies looking down on Mountain Passenger, someone who had been renowned in the virtual gaming world back in the day. "Mountain is quite strong. If he hadn't been keeping such a low profile, he could've easily ranked among the top 100 on the God's Domain's Experts List.

But since it's been so long since anyone has made me laugh, I'll hold off for now and let you witness how powerless someone who only relies on overwhelming Strength truly is before Mountain Passenger. This lesson will benefit you all."

As soon as Tyrant Dragon finished speaking, more of Mountain Passenger's arrows rained down on Shi Feng.

Not only were these arrows incredibly fast, but they'd also collide while in mid-flight, altering their attack trajectories. The complexity of Mountain Passenger's attacks was on an entirely different level than the Rangers who guarded the mountain path.

However, despite the arrows descending, he simply and leisurely walked toward the Ranger. As if they were deliberately avoiding Shi Feng, none of the falling arrows touched him. Although some of the arrows looked as if they'd find their mark, a blue light would flash before Shi Feng, deflecting the arrows and sending them to crash into other arrows. Like the domino effect, these arrows would then collide with other arrows. Eventually, every arrow that might have struck Shi Feng landed at his feet.

"Am I dreaming?"

Every player watching the battle was stupefied by the scene.

Although they had considered the possibility of Shi Feng avoiding the arrows or using a Skill to block them, they had never imagined that a player could counter a rain-like attack method using nothing more than normal attacks. Not even Domain Realm experts would necessarily succeed, let alone peak experts.

Storm Barrage consumed a lot of Stamina, so Mountain Passenger was forced to stop after a little more than ten seconds of using the technique. Now, when he looked at Shi Feng, who stood less than 20 yards away, he did so with an expression that was tenser than ever before.

Although he didn't want to admit it, Shi Feng's performance wasn't anything like his previous feat.

The Swordsman had relied on brute force to counter his Triple Moon Strike, but now, he relied entirely on combat techniques.

"Although I don't know why you would think that I'm not a real expert or why you chose to attack me first, I'd like to know if it's my turn to attack now?" Shi Feng asked Mountain Passenger with a lackluster expression.

The moment Shi Feng finished his question, Mountain Passenger felt an unprecedented pressure weigh down on him. He immediately realized that Shi Feng wasn't just some player with nothing but Basic Attributes, but someone with combat standards that could rival, or surpass, his own. Upon realizing this fact, Mountain Passenger pushed his five senses to their limits and focused all of his attention on Shi Feng.

However, Shi Feng suddenly vanished without a trace. By the time he relocated the Swordsman, the man had moved within attack range.

Tier 2 Taboo Skill, Instant Strike!

A blue flash passed by Mountain Passenger's throat Despite seeing the attack, the Ranger had no time to block or dodge the strike. He could only watch as Killing Ray slit his throat, draining his HP bar. Eventually, his HP fell to zero, and he collapsed to the ground.

Only after Mountain Passenger's vision faded and his body was thoroughly paralyzed did he understand that Shi Feng had killed him, and he had been utterly powerless to retaliate.

When Mountain Passenger died, the battlefield seemed to freeze as everyone stared at the Ranger's corpse in silence. Mountain Passenger, one of Three Kills' personal bodyguards, had died, just like that...

The players who were most shocked were undoubtedly Tyrant Dragon and the other guard team members.

Although they couldn't believe that the Ranger was dead, their instincts as peak experts forced them to move. They immediately put more distance between them and Shi Feng, moving as far from the Swordsman as possible. Their instincts screamed at them that if this man came within attack range, they would suffer dire consequences. 

Chapter 2038 - Frightening Demonkin

Tyrant Dragon and the others reacted very quickly. The instant Mountain Passenger died, they realized that they'd be no match for Shi Feng in a one-on-one fight. They'd have to work together if they hoped to secure their victory.

However, as Tyrant Dragon and his teammates retreated, Shi Feng vanished once more.

By the time he reappeared, he stood before a Level 60, Tier 2 Assassin. He was so fast that he was impossible to follow with the naked eye.

The moment the Tier 2 Assassin saw Shi Feng before him, he understood that escape was futile. Instinctively, the Assassin used his trademark move.

Advanced Combat Technique, Phantom Assault!

As if the Assassin had used a Doppelganger Skill, his body split into four copies, all striking at Shi Feng. It was impossible to determine which copy was real.

In addition, this Assassin possessed an innate talent that amplified the Phantom Assault—Godspeed Response.

The Assassin's reaction speed was extraordinary, allowing him to execute more movements than normal players in the same time span.

This was a rare talent that could only surfaced in one out of several million people.

When the Assassin combined his talent with Phantom Assault, he could execute attacks that were impossible to block. This even held true against an opponent that could see his attacks.

However, before the Assassin's four copies could move within three yards of the Swordsman, Shi Feng's Killing Ray thrust into the Assassin's heart with lighting speed. A moment later, the Assassin's three doppelgangers faded, and his HP fell to zero.

When the Assassin noticed that his vision had begun to fade and saw the sword impaling his chest, he opened his mouth in an attempt to ask how the Swordsman had performed the feat. Unfortunately, the Assassin couldn't produce any sound.

The other members of Three Kills' personal security team felt an unprecedented fear lanch through them.

Shi Feng was too fast!

Not only was his Attack Speed incredible, but his reaction speed was just as fast.

"He's a monster! Do not let him get within melee range! Attack him from as far away as possible!" After watching another companion fall, Tyrant Dragon began to retreat away from Shi Feng with even more urgency. He now understood that Shi Feng was beyond their capabilities.

However, a figure abruptly dashed past Tyrant Dragon and intercepted his retreat. The figure also sent two fierce thrusts towards Tyrant Dragon's blind spots.

"Scram!" Tyrant Dragon bellowed, sensing the incoming attacks. Twisting, he began to spin while swinging his greatsword, the blade deflecting the incoming strikes.

Although he had blocked the two attacks, the figure didn't end their assault. On the contrary, this figure intensified their attacks.

In the blink of an eye, two more attacks flew towards Tyrant Dragon.

Defending himself, Tyrant Dragon brandished his greatsword once more.

Peng!

He blocked these attacks as well, but he had to stumble three steps back before he could stabilize his stance.

Strength Combination?! Through his greatsword's vibrations, Tyrant Dragon knew that he hadn't just blocked ordinary attacks. He shifted his gaze toward his assailant, wanting to know who attacked him, but he was stunned to see the player before him. "You?"

The person standing in Tyrant Dragon's way was none other than Seven Light, whom he had been prepared to clash with previously.

Tyrant Dragon simply could not believe that this brat was capable of executing a technique as difficult as Strength Combination.

He isn't just a Refinement Realm expert? Tyrant Dragon couldn't help but wonder as he stared at the youth.

Strength Combination was an Advanced Combat Technique. Logically, a mere Refinement Realm expert shouldn't be able to master the technique. Normally, players could only master it after reaching the Void Realm since it required perfect timing during execution. The slightest deviation would result in a failure to combine the Strength of multiple attacks. A player would only be able to perform such a precise attack once they were capable of pushing their five senses to their very limits.

When Tyrant Dragon recalled Shi Feng's victory over Mountain Passenger, he felt that his guess was likely correct.

When he realized that this little fellow, who likely wasn't even 20-years-old, was a Void Realm expert, he couldn't help his shock.

Within the various Super Guilds, players who could reach the Flowing Water Realm before the age of 20 were considered geniuses among geniuses, treated like priceless gems in their Guilds, yet Seven Light had reached the Void Realm at such a young age. He was likely a genius that only surfaced once every decade.

If that were the case, Tyrant Dragon was no match for Seven Light in a one-on-one fight Even after so long, he hadn't yet mastered Strength Combination. If he tried to fight a player that had mastered the technique had wielded combat standards on his level, he'd be guaranteed to lose.

No! Tyrant Dragon shook his head, attempting to banish the thought. Based on his previous attacks, he should have more Strength than me. If he really has mastered Strength Combination, the impact would've been more intense.

While Tyrant Dragon struggled with his internal debate, Seven Light launched another assault

Like before, Seven Light executed two attacks. After Tyrant Dragon dodged one of the slashes, he used his greatsword to block the other. Since he only took one hit, he didn't stumble in the slightest.

Sure enough! Tyrant Dragon could not help but smile at Seven Light's continuous assault. "Although I don't know how you managed to grasp Strength Combination, based on your attacks, you haven't mastered it yet."

"It's more than enough to take you down!" Seven Light snapped, attacking Tyrant Dragon again.

Seven Light was aware that he hadn't mastered Strength Combination. If not for the Extraordinary Tower's training, he wouldn't have been able to execute the technique at all. Even though he could use the technique, he could only increase his attack's Strength by 30% after combining his strikes.

He also knew that his minor advantage in Basic Attributes was practically negligible against an expert like Tyrant Dragon. If he tried to face the enemy Berserker normally, he'd simply be seeking an early grave. He could only defeat the man by increasing his attacks' raw power.

With 30% more Strength in his strikes, the Berserker would suffer a fatal blow if he didn't counter the attacks properly.

However, after launching several consecutive attacks, Seven Light's attacks grew weaker, and Tyrant Dragon was able to interrupt them forcibly before he could use the Strength Combination technique.

If Tyrant Dragon had had any access to his Skills, the Berserker would've long since had defeated him.

Fortunately, such an intense life-or-death battle had allowed Seven Light to recognize many of his flaws, especially with the way he utilized Strength Combination.

"Brat, you may have a Basic Attribute advantage, but your time will end soon," Tyrant Dragon commented as he glanced around him. The dark smoke on the battlefield had begun to lessen, signaling that the AOE Silence's duration was almost over.

He didn't have access to his true strength while Silenced, but once the effect was gone, he could finish Seven Light off in less than ten seconds. If he was not Silenced, however, he could finish Seven Light in less than ten seconds.

"What about this move, then?" Seven Light asked as he activated his Demonkin Set's six-piece effect.

Demonkin's Shadow!

Black smoke began to emerge from Seven Light's body, enveloping him. The smoke hid his abrupt and rapid growth.

It wasn't long before the smoke receded, revealing a five-meter-tall Demonkin with a body covered in black smoke. The Demonkin swished his tail and glared at his opponent with frightening, crimson eyes. His killing intent was so intense that nearby players felt as if they had plunged into an icy hell.

Before Tyrant Dragon could react to Seven Light's sudden transformation, the latter brandished his two swords.

The speed and power of Seven Light's attacks had increased. Now, Tyrant Dragon had no opportunity to dodge the attacks, forced to receive the strikes with his greatsword.

Boom!

One attack was already more than enough to send Tyrant Dragon airborne. Before the Berserker could adjust his posture, another slash struck him, Seven Light's longsword cutting through his armor and plundering all of his HP.

Meanwhile, Starlink's ordinary experts and Three Kills' personal security despaired when they saw Seven Light's transformation into a Demonkin.

Shi Feng was already difficult enough to deal with. Now, another monstrously powerful Demonkin had joined the battlefield.

Not even Three Kills, who watched from atop one of the roadside cliffs, could maintain his composure, looking down at the fight with a somber expression.

"You definitely aren't from the Hundred Flowers Palace! There is no way the Palace has experts like you! Who are you?!" Three Kills demanded, glaring at Shi Feng and Seven Light. 

Chapter 2039 - Zero Wing

Three Kills' words echoed throughout the valley. Starlink's members, who were in the midst of battle, promptly reacted to his words, their gazes shifting to Seven Light and Shi Feng in fear.

As Three Kills had said, the Hundred Flowers Palace was only an ordinary first-rate Guild.

There was no way the Guild could break past their blockade with only fourteen players, killing so many of Three Kills' peak experts.

No matter how they thought about it, the Palace wasn't capable of the feat.

There was only one explanation for this; these fourteen players were from a different power.

"Are you from Unyielding Soul or Crimson Emperor? Do you really have to be so secretive?" Three Kills asked, staring at Shi Feng.

It was only a matter of time before Shi Feng's group shattered the blockade. Stoping them was impossible, regardless of how much Three Kills wanted to.

He couldn't figure out which power would be capable of dispatching such a small, yet powerful, assault team aside from Unyielding Soul and Crimson Emperor.

If either of these superpowers had intervened in this battle, Starlink would definitely have to be careful, especially if Crimson Emperor were responsible for this team.

Starlink was already engaged in a war of annihilation with Unyielding Soul. If Crimson Emperor got involved, Starlink would likely have to face two superpowers at the same time.

Three Kills needed to know if Shi Feng's party originated from the superpower or not.

"You don't need to guess. We aren't from either of those Guilds," Shi Feng answered with a faint smile. He understood what Three Kills must be thinking.

"After all you've done here, don't tell me you're afraid of giving us your name? There are only a handful of powers in the Dark Night Empire that are capable of accomplishing what you have. Do you really need to hide?" Three Kills growled, attempting to provoke the Swordsman.

Starlink's members raised their voices in agreement the moment Three Kills finished his question.

"Our Vice Guild Leader is right! You've already won this battle, yet you refuse to own up?! You dare call yourselves a superpower with such cowardice?!"

"I bet they're afraid of our Guild's retaliation, so they don't want to reveal themselves."

"That's right! Only cowardly Guilds act like this! If they had faced us head-on and honestly, we would've flattened them!"

Starlink's members started to lambast Shi Feng and his party. They said anything they could think of to get a rise from the group. They no longer cared about their crumbling blockade, considering the feat as a matter of course. Now, they were only irked by the fact that Shi Feng's group refused to reveal their Guild after launching such a surprise attack.

"Vice Guild Leader Three, are you certain that you want to know?" Shi Feng could not help but sigh at Three Kills.

"What's there preventing you from telling us?" Three Kills asked, rolling his eyes.

"Since Vice Guild Leader Three has requested the name of our Guild, Seven, tell them where we're from. Make sure you say it loudly," Shi Feng said, turning to Seven Light

"Understood!" Seven Light, who had transformed into a Demonkin, nodded. After taking a deep breath, he shouted, "Listen up! We are from Zero Wing, and we have come under the Hundred Flowers Palace's invitation! If you wish to keep your lives, you should run!"

After transforming into a gigantic Demonkin, Seven Light's voice had become much louder than normal players. His words easily reached players that stood several hundred yards away. Even the independent players standing outside of the first defensive line could hear him clearly.

"What did he say?"

"They're Zero Wing's members?"

"How can that be possible?"

Starlink's members couldn't believe the claim.

Zero Wing might be a foreign name to the Dark Night Empire's general populace, but it was familiar to players from the various Guilds. The Guild was, after all, the overlord of an entire kingdom. As Starlink members, they would have, more or less, investigated such a powerhouse.

However, Zero Wing was merely an up-and-coming Guild, only capable of rivaling first-rate Guilds' strength. Claiming that the Guild had players who could break past their blockade so effortlessly was a joke.

"They must be lying!"

"Right! They must be afraid of revealing which superpower they belong to, so they're using Zero Wing to mislead us! They are shameless!"

"And here I thought you had the courage to take responsibility for your actions. What's the point of claiming to be from another Guild?"

Starlink's reaction to Seven Light's declaration was frenzied as if their rage could only be appeased if Shi Feng and his comrades admitted that they were truly from a superpower.

Seven Light and the other Zero Wing members were at a loss. They did not know whether they should laugh or cry.

They had told Starlink's members the truth, but the latter refused to believe them, trying to find incomprehensible reasons to force them into admitting their identities.

They finally.

"Forget it. Let's just destroy their fantasy and let them die in their foolishness," Shi Feng said after glancing over Starlink's members, who had practically fallen into madness.

Seven Light and his companions nodded, removing their Black Cloaks and revealing their true appearances before Starlink's forces.

Even if Starlink's members refused to believe their claim, they couldn't ignore the six-winged emblem the party members wore.

"That's a fake! It must be!"

"A disguise! Right! They must be using a disguise!"

While Starhlink's members still refused to believe that Seven Light and his party were from Zero Wing even after seeing the six-winged emblem pinned to their armor, the independent players on the sidelines didn't doubt the fact. Rather, they were shocked by the revelation.

"Zero Wing is actually this strong?"

"Zero Wing broke past Starlink's blockade with just fourteen players? This is big news!"

After watching Shi Feng and the others smash through Starlink's third line of defense so easily, the nearby independent players began to record the remaining battle and post the videos on the official forums. They planned to use this opportunity to make a little extra money on the side.

At this time, one of the Hundred Flowers Palace's Assassin scouts, who watched from several hundred yards away from the blockade, contacted Cleansed Rue.

"How are things going on Zero Wing's side?" Cleansed Rue asked anxiously.

She had already notified the Assassin scouts to contact her the moment Zero Wing's members began to falter, but she hadn't received word even after so long. She had even begun to wonder if the Assassin scouts had forgotten to do their jobs.

If they didn't send someone to pin down Three Kills the moment Zero Wing's members fell, Crimson Heart's army would fall into a precarious position.

"They just broke through..." the reporting Assassin said.

"What did you say?" Cleansed Rue asked again, wondering if she had heard wrong.

"Vice Guild Leader, Zero Wing's fourteen members have broken through Starlink's blockade. Starlink's forces have descended into chaos! This is the best chance for us to break through!" the Assassin reported excitedly.

叮hey broke through? But how?!" Cleansed Rue couldn't help her astonishment. "Was our information about Three KHIs' presence incorrect?"

She couldn't understand how Shi Feng's group could've succeeded if Three Kills had been present, but if even if he weren't, there were still plenty of experts guarding the mountain pass. It still shouldn't be possible for just fourteen players to break past the blockade. 

Chapter 2040 - We Meet Again

Crimson Heart and her Dark Cloud Legion dashed through a quiet, forested canyon without paying any attention to their Stamina consumption. Even when they were ambushed by monsters, their resistance was minimal, trying to avoid confrontation as much as possible.

"Hurry! We must hurry!" Crimson Heart shouted as she looked at the system clock with a grim expression.

Five minutes had already passed since their assault on Starlink's blockades had begun. It was highly likely that Three Kills' team had already reached her path, waiting ahead to stop her team.

Although they had broken past Desert Tiger's blockade and had been pushing their Mounts to the limit ever since, there were still multiple roadblocks ahead. The forces waiting for them might not be as powerful as Desert Tiger's, but they would slow the Legion's progress.

"Vice Guild Leader, I spotted another blockade ahead. It's manned by roughy 3,000 players," a Tier 2 Ranger suddenly reported through the team chat

"Three thousand?" Crimson Heart frowned slightly.

This was bad news for their team.

Normally, a Guild would post its forces on multiple sections of the road to seal it off. She had never expected so many players to man the secondary blockades.

They had already sacrificed over 400 players during the clash with Desert Tiger's forces, which meant they had less than 600 players remaining. If they tried to fight their way past another 3,000 players in such a forested region, they'd pay another considerable price and waste quite a bit of time.

Gritting her teeth, Crimson Heart commanded, "Use the Tier 3 Summoning Scrolls! Once we shake apart the barricade, I want everyone to gather and force through from a single point!"

Aside from the Blood Source Potions, she had prepared a few trump cards to fortify Moon Creek Town to increase their chances of surviving until the Hundred Flowers Palace's army arrived. The Tier 3 Summoning Scrolls were one of these cards.

She had planned to reserve these scrolls for the fight in Moon Creek Town, but to blast past Starlink's blockade as quickly as possible and maintain the distance between her team, Three Kills', and Desert Tiger's, she had no choice but to use them.

Understood!" Several Tier 2 Summoners behind Crimson Heart nodded in response.

A short moment later, Crimson Heart and her force arrived before a section of wooded valley that several hundred MTs guarded. A large number of Rangers and Elementalists also hid in the trees along both sides of the road. As soon as Crimson Heart's team moved within range, these Rangers and Elementalists would bombard them with spells and arrows.

However, when less than 100 yards separated the two forces, four Summoners atop Mounts began to chant an incantation, unfurling the Magic Scrolls in their hands.

Responding to the Summoners' magic, four Level 75 Great Lords appeared before the Dark Cloud Legion and charged toward Starlink's defensive lines.

"Attack! Attack with everything you've got!"

Although the sudden appearance of four Level 75 Great Lords had surprised Starlink's members, they were elite and expert players, reacting quickly and attacking the Great Lords on sight

Tier 2 Skills and Spells flew at the summoned monsters, inflicting damages in the thousands. At the same time, the Tier 2 MTs on the frontline activated their Lifesaving Skills, while the rear line healers began to cast their Healing Spells. Despite the level advantage, the Great Lords weren't able to scatter the blockade quickly.

However, with the four Great Lords taking most of the damage, Crimson Heart's team was able to approach the frontline MTs with relative ease.

Starlink's Tier 2 MTs had their hands full with the Level 75 Great Lords, and as a result, they fell instantly under the Dark Cloud Legion's concentrated attacks. In the blink of an eye, several Tier 2 MTs from Starlink died, opening a massive rift in the defensive line. Although the other MTs tried to fill the hole, Crimson Heart gave them no opportunities to do so as she brandished her daggers. When her blades struck, even Tier 2 MTs stumbled away from her.

Despite the fervent attacks from Starlink's ranged players, Crimson Heart easily avoided their bombardment and continued to widen the gap in the enemy's defensive line by relying on the Great Lord's massive frames. This allowed the Dark Cloud Legion members to break past the blockade as a single unit

Yet, despite their success, Crimson Heart's team had still suffered more than 50 casualties in the assault.

A few seconds after Crimson Heart's team broke through the blockade, a Tier 2 Ranger reported, "Vice Guild Leader, Starlink's members are giving chase."

"So soon?" Crimson Heart's expression twisted when she heard this. She hadn't expected Starlink's players to reorganize and take up the chase so quickly. "How far are they?"

"Roughly 700 yards," the Tier 2 Ranger said.

"Leave two Great Lords behind to delay them!" Crimson Heart commanded after giving the matter some thought.

Even for ordinary players, 700 yards wasn't a vast distance, much less elite and expert players with their own Mounts. If they allowed the Starlink members to get too close, they'd get caught in a pincer attack the moment they ran into the next blockade. With the legion's remaining combat power, a pincer attack would signal their demise.

They could only try to buy as much time as possible in this situation.

After receiving their orders, two of the four Summoners controlling the Great Lords split away from the team, staying behind to delay their enemies.

Fortunately, the two Great Lords were quite effective, allowing Crimson Heart's team to put more distance between them and Starlink's forces as time passed. Now that the legion had two Great Lords to lead the way, Crimson Heart's players no longer had to worry about monster interference. The Great Lords swept aside any monsters that attempted to ambush the players effortlessly.

Moreover, with the Great Lords' strength, breaking past the blockades manned by one or two thousand players became significantly easier.

"Vice Guild Leader, we'll reach Moon Creek Town in less than ten minutes," a Tier 2 Ranger excitedly reported after looking at Silent Canyon's system map.

"Everyone, get ready. Once we enter the town, we'll likely have another tough battle to face," Crimson Heart said as she breathed a sigh of relief.

Their journey had not been easy. Despite using Tier 3 Summoning Scrolls, the Dark Cloud Legion had still lost players. Now, fewer than 200 members remained. Fortunately, they were almost to Moon Creek Town.

As long as they passed the Blood Source Potions out to the players in Moon Creek Town, they should be able to buy enough time for the Hundred Flowers Palace's main army to arrive.

However, as Moon Creek Town appeared on the horizon, several hundred fire arrows rained down on Crimson Heart and her team. Caught off guard, the legion tried to dodge the incoming attacks.

Unfortunately, the fire arrows were quite fast, and not even the Dark Cloud Legion's experts could dodge them in time, taking the hits. To make matters worse, these experts fell after taking two fire arrows. The arrows' power was nothing like the Spells players typically used.

As chaos tore at Crimson Heart's team, a gigantic magic array appeared in the sky, enveloping the Dark Cloud Legion.

"This is...a magic barrier!" Crimson Heart's expression darkened as she watched the translucent barrier form around her players.

"That's right We prepared this specifically for you. Are you surprised?"

Suddenly, a rugged voiced emerged from within the barrier, familiar enough that Crimson Heart and her companions spun toward its origin.

Before they had realized it, a large group of players had appeared in the clearing ahead of them. The origin of the rugged voice was a Level 62, Tier 2 Berserker.

"Desert Tiger?!" Crimson Heart was stunned when she saw the man. "How did you get here?!"

Her Dark Cloud Legion had lost over 400 members during the battle with Starlink's first blockade. Desert Tiger himself had been responsible for over one-quarter of those deaths. If her subordinates hadn't fought as desperately as they had, Desert Tiger might have pinned her down, and they never would've made it past the first roadblock.

Logically, Desert Tiger should still be far behind her team, yet he stood before her now. Why wouldn't she be surprised?

"Don't tell me you think that Mounts are the only way to cross long distances quickly." Desert Tiger chuckled as he looked at Crimson Heart.

"Could it be...a flying tool?" Crimson Heart suddenly thought of a possibility.

Now that the Silent Canyon was sealed off, teleportation within the canyon would be impossible. The only other travel method she could think of that was faster than a Mount was a flying tool. However, flying tools were extremely precious. She had only ever heard of such tools, never actually seen one before.

"Smart." Desert Tiger nodded. He then chuckled and said, "Well? Are you going to surrender quietly? Or do you truly want to face us a second time?"

"Surrender?" Crimson Heart sneered at Desert Tiger and his team. "That depends on whether or not you can force us to!"

Desert Tiger's team only consisted of 100 players at this point Meanwhile, a dozen or so players maintained the magic barrier. This proved that the barrier wasn't that strong, so the Dark Cloud Legion had a chance of breaking out of it

"Since that is your answer, show me what the Hundred Flowers Palace is capable of," Desert Tiger said, smiling as he waved a hand.

Immediately, the several dozen players around him stepped into the array and charged at Crimson Heart's team.

However, once the two forces met each other in battle, the Dark Cloud Legion members were stupefied.

The two forces' combat power was on entirely different levels. A single Starlink expert was strong enough to overwhelm two or three Dark Cloud Legion experts. In a one-on-one fight, none of the Dark Cloud Legion members lasted more than ten moves.

Even an expert as powerful as Crimson Heart was forced to focus on defense against five Starlink experts' coordinated attacks.

Refinement Realm experts? Crimson Heart could tell that her five opponents were far stronger than the other Starlink experts her team fought They had definitely reached the Refinement Realm. The overall standard of Desert Tiger's newest team was far stronger than the players he had commanded earlier.

"I'm sure you can see the difference between our forces. Staying in the Hundred Flowers Palace is a waste for an expert like yourself. Why don't you join Starlink instead? If you submit to me, I can recommend that the Guild give you an Elder position at the very least. You won't have to fall with the Hundred Flowers Palace," Desert Tiger offered. Despite the fact that he had Crimson Heart cornered, he didn't rush to finish her off. Instead, he continued to try to persuade her, saying, "If you are hoping that the team on the other path will reach the town, I'd suggest you abandon the idea. Unlike myself, those old fossils don't have the patience to play with their opponents."

"In your dreams!" Crimson Heart growled, determination flashing in her eyes as she prepared to make a last stand.

"Since that is the case, I'll send you to hell alongside your precious Palace!" Desert Tiger bellowed. He immediate activated Charge, targeting Crimson Heart.

However, as soon as Desert Tiger entered the magic barrier, an indifferent voice echoed across the battlefield.

"Vice Guild Leader Crimson, I'm truly sorry for the long wait."