Chapter 304: Pursuit and Assassination

“Need our support?” Guo Huai asked. He had gathered a group of guild members on his side, ready to teleport them over if Nie Yan needed. Although the teleportation cost was a bit high, transporting several thousand people was manageable. With the investment from the Longyue Consortium, several thousand gold wasn’t a big deal for them anymore.

“No need. After all, Bright City is Warblade Xue’s territory. No matter how many people come, Warblade Xue will swallow them all.

Instead, let’s reduce our losses. Our group of more than twenty should be able to escape. You guys keep a close eye on Warblade Xue’s movements.” Nie Yan replied. As long as they knew Warblade Xue’s movements, they wouldn’t be surrounded on such a vast map. He quickly gathered his team members, and more than twenty people assembled together.

To the north was Bright City, and Warblade Xue’s people would definitely come from that direction, so escaping southward was the safest option.

“Mount up!” Nie Yan commanded. The team members were the most elite players from Niuren Tribe, and thus equipped with the best mounts the guild could provide, giving them very high mobility.

The team members summoned their mounts, all of them high-level warhorses with about a 200% movement speed bonus, a benefit provided by the guild. Having good mounts saved these players a lot of time and improved their leveling efficiency.

With mounts, more than twenty people mounted their horses and galloped away at full speed.

Nie Yan glanced at his teammates. Except for a few priests like Leader Big Brother Qi Zai and Li Li Hua Sha, the rest all had high red names. If they were intercepted by Warblade Xue, it would be a huge blow to Niuren Tribe.

The team rode swiftly, the scenery on both sides blurring past.

Back in Red River Fortress, Sexycutter received news that Nie Yan had escaped and was furious. His previously flawless plan had gone terribly wrong. Twenty-some players galloping across an open map were extremely difficult to intercept.

However, twenty-some elite members of Niuren Tribe, most of them red names, were a tempting target. If he didn’t seize this opportunity, Sexycutter would feel regret.

Even he had to admit that the top players of Niuren Tribe were unmatched by many guilds. Such elite players were rare; most major guilds had only about a dozen or so top-tier players, but Niuren Tribe had as many as fifty or sixty, which frustrated Sexycutter greatly.

To find a skilled player, one had to search among ordinary players for those with talent, then invest significant resources to provide them with the best platforms and benefits to nurture them slowly. This tested a guild leader’s eye for talent. If one’s judgment was slightly off, one might invest heavily in a player only to find out he wasn’t that good, which happened often.

So far, Sexycutter had only discovered a dozen or so talented players with the potential to break into the top 500 across all of Grinland. However, according to his investigation, Niuren Tribe had at least sixty or seventy players capable of reaching the top 500, six to seven times more than Warblade Xue. Almost all the elites in Carol City had gathered in Niuren Tribe, highlighting the gap between them.

This was also why Sexycutter harbored such strong hostility toward Niuren Tribe. If such a guild were allowed to grow, there would be no place left for Warblade Xue in the future!

“Boss, they’re fleeing south!”

“Spare no effort, we must eliminate them. Send the rogue teams to hunt them down! Intercept them and wait for reinforcements!” Sexycutter ordered grimly. The previous two thousand players should have exhausted all of Niuren Tribe’s advanced skills. Without their advanced skills, this was the weakest moment for the Niuren Tribe players. If not now, when?

Warblade Xue also had a rogue team, inspired by Niuren Tribe’s Hundred Rogue Team. It was larger, with about five hundred members. Although not as high quality as Niuren Tribe’s Hundred Rogue Team, they were carefully selected and equipped with mounts, giving them strong mobility. Five hundred rogues, divided into five hundred-man squads, had a high success rate when executing missions.

Sexycutter dispatched a large force to pursue and intercept Nie Yan and his group. Meanwhile, Warblade Xue players from various training areas also gathered.

Bright City was Warblade Xue’s territory. How could they allow Niuren Tribe to act so arrogantly here?

Sexycutter commanded the overall situation in Bright City, mobilizing players from all directions to chase and surround Niuren Tribe’s group.

More and more players gathered, forming a massive encirclement. It wouldn’t be easy for Niuren Tribe’s players to break through.

Nie Yan’s group galloped southward, leaving the desert behind. In the distance was a vast grassland, undulating like ocean waves when the wind blew. Level 40 Dark Bulls occasionally roamed the open plains.

Suddenly, fifty to sixty Warblade Xue warriors and paladins charged toward them, followed closely by a large group of priests and mages. They rushed to intercept Nie Yan’s group.

“Dismount and prepare for battle!” Nie Yan ordered in the team chat upon spotting the approaching Warblade Xue team.

Nie Yan dismounted his horse, dismissed his Falkner Warhorse, and then disappeared from his teammates’ sight with a Shadow Dance step.

The other team members dismounted as well.

Sun and Yi Chui Ding Qing both disappeared, entering stealth mode. Stealthed rogues were at their strongest, the most unpredictable force on the battlefield!

“Little brats from Warblade Xue, you’re all just coming for the slaughter!” Sha Bu Si De Huai Dan exclaimed excitedly upon seeing the large enemy force. His advanced magic was already used up, but he gathered a ball of flame in his palm.

Scorching Fireball!

A fireball shot through the air in a straight line, exploding with a bang. Flames flew everywhere, and a Warblade Xue shield warrior was blown back and killed instantly.

Sha Bu Si De Huai Dan, wearing his Flame Dance Set, immediately startled the Warblade Xue side with his powerful attack.

In an instant, players like Shui Se Yan Tou, Cui Lan Dao Guang, and Leng Ao Ying charged forward, blocking fifty to sixty shield warriors. Both sides’ priests continuously cast healing spells, engaging in intense confrontation.

Cui Lan Dao Guang roared and used Shield Bash, sending three shield warriors staggering backward.

These shield warriors were no match for Cui Lan Dao Guang in terms of strength.

Leng Ao Ying also held off six shield warriors alone. Explosions of magic hit him one after another, but only caused twenty to thirty points of damage. Under the blessing of holy light, his health constantly fluctuated but remained safe.

Because of the priests, Warblade Xue’s shield warriors suffered minimal casualties.

About thirty priests were at the rear of Warblade Xue, continuously casting healing spells.

Suddenly, a figure appeared among the priests—it was Nie Yan! The priests didn’t even know when Nie Yan had infiltrated!

Nie Yan swung his sword, and a priest fell dead. He immediately lunged at another priest, delivering another strike that felled another priest.

With his extremely high attack power, Nie Yan was practically slaughtering the priests unilaterally.

Nie Yan’s sudden appearance caused chaos among the priests. They scattered in all directions, fleeing in panic, no longer thinking about healing the players in front.

At this moment, Sun appeared not far away. He used a Mace Strike to control an enemy, followed by a Backstab and a Disembowel, eliminating another priest. Although his attack wasn’t as high as Nie Yan’s, his movements were clean and efficient.

One, two, three… Sun moved like a ghost, eliminating one person after another. When Nie Yan looked at Sun, his heart was shaken. Sun’s movements clearly showed traces of Shadow Dance.

Nie Yan had spent a long time comprehending Shadow Dance, through past and present lives. Only recently had he mastered it and demonstrated it once to Sun, yet Sun had already grasped its essence. This genius rogue was slowly shining with dazzling brilliance.

On the other side, Yi Chui Ding Qing, wearing a sexy rogue leather armor, had already eliminated three priests. Her movements were also extremely fluid, reminiscent of the goddess everyone admired in her past life. She was the dream lover of countless rogues, partly due to her beauty, but more so because of her incredible skills. In her past life, her prestige among rogues even surpassed Sun’s. She was a beauty who could bring down a city, even described as a calamity.

The three of them acted like sharp knives, piercing through Warblade Xue’s defenses, freely eliminating their priests.

With the rear priests in chaos, the Warblade Xue warriors in front were in trouble. Without healing, they were knocked away one by one by magical attacks.

Especially Tang Yao, like an artillery platform, launched spells one after another, knocking warriors flying with bangs.

With the front warriors collapsing, Shui Se Yan Tou, Cui Lan Dao Guang, Leng Ao Ying, and others charged in, beginning to slaughter the enemy mages.

Warblade Xue’s forces completely collapsed, unable to resist.

Shui Se Yan Tou performed a Whirlwind Slash, felling five or six mages. Then he charged at an arcane mage, delivering a swift strike that killed another. These mages were ordinary players, their awareness and reaction speed far inferior to Shui Se Yan Tou and others. Under their assault, the mages fell to the ground without even releasing their spells.

Shui Se Yan Tou, Cui Lan Dao Guang, Leng Ao Ying, and others advanced steadily, soon meeting up with Nie Yan’s group.

In the span of just one engagement, Warblade Xue’s team of two to three hundred players was reduced to about twenty survivors within five or six minutes, the rest either killed or scattered in retreat.