Arcane Mage Xingshuo completed his incantation, and violent black flames poured down like a torrent, wildly crashing down and covering an area of about 100×100 yards. This region was engulfed in raging infernos.
Within the scorching flames, damage numbers popped up in clusters as players fell one after another. The area covered by the arcane explosion was instantly cleared.
Out of the initial three to four hundred players, more than half were eliminated, leaving only a few scattered survivors fleeing the scene.
Elemental Shaman Anyi glanced at the surrounding area ablaze with fire, noticing some low-health players from the Niuren faction escaping. He waved his staff, casting a Chain Lightning spell. The lightning leaped from target to target, instantly killing seven low-health players from the Niuren faction.
Holy Word Mages unleashed their Holy Light spells. Although the Windfury Totem duration of the Elemental Shaman had expired, his spell damage remained quite high, more than sufficient to instantly kill low-health players in their mid-forties.
After ten consecutive waves of black flames, Xingshuo finally concluded his magical assault, jumping down from the boulder. His red name glowed ominously and strikingly.
“Kill count: 288. Just a bunch of cannon fodder, no real challenge,” Xingshuo remarked arrogantly.
The seven of them had swept through the three to four hundred Niuren faction players like a whirlwind, obliterating them effortlessly.
While these Niuren players were superior compared to ordinary players, they were still far inferior to these top-tier players. The elite players’ precise control over skills and timing was unmatched by ordinary players. Once hit by an area-of-effect spell from a top-tier player, even large numbers of ordinary players couldn’t withstand the onslaught.
“It’s just a few hundred regular players. Don’t underestimate the Niuren faction. Be cautious and you’ll sail safely for ten thousand years,” Anyi advised calmly. After all, the main opponents hadn’t even shown up yet!
“The top players of the Niuren faction are all undergoing class changes. There’s only Nie Yan here. I’d like to meet him,” Xingshuo replied. A black flame quietly flickered at the tip of his staff. Defeating Kuangzei Nie Yan would surely bring him great fame, not to mention the substantial bounty.
No one could resist the temptation of fame and fortune, and Xingshuo was no exception.
At this moment, the Niuren faction was under attacks from all directions. Fully class-changed players from factions like Zhanda Xuexue (Bloodthirsty Warriors), Fa Shi Lianmeng (Mage Alliance), and Shensheng Shouhu (Divine Guardians) launched attacks from all sides, either in groups of seven or eight or in groups of over ten.
This two-thousand-strong force became chaotic, suffering heavy losses.
“Protect the black powder!” Nie Yan gathered some of the black powder, about seven barrels, and personally led over five hundred Niuren faction members to guard it.
With Nie Yan’s permission, Knight Lang Ge (Knight’s Elegy) nervously coordinated players across various positions to handle the sudden emergencies, issuing commands to different squads. The young man’s command was quite organized.
Nie Yan was happy to take it easy for now. If Knight Lang Ge made any mistakes, he would point them out.
With Nie Yan right beside him, Knight Lang Ge felt a bit nervous but remained calm while issuing commands.
Nie Yan glanced at Knight Lang Ge. Previously, he hadn’t paid much attention to him, having only met a few times. Now, he realized that this young man was indeed a promising talent worth cultivating.
“Boss, the brothers ahead just lost three to four hundred men,” Knight Lang Ge wiped cold sweat from his forehead. The enemy’s attack was ferocious—three hundred forty-level teammates were wiped out as easily as cutting melons.
“How many enemies are there?” Nie Yan asked. Their opponents acted quite decisively.
“Seven people, they used an advanced magic,” Knight Lang Ge replied. Previously, he had seen videos of the infamous ‘Budaobudie’ (Inescapable Death) using area-of-effect spells to massacre Triumph players, which felt exciting at the time. But this was his first time experiencing it firsthand, and the feeling was oppressive.
“Used an advanced magic, that explains it,” Nie Yan remained calm. He patted Knight Lang Ge’s shoulder, saying, “It’s just an advanced magic. In the future, on the battlefield, it won’t be rare to see multiple advanced area-of-effect spells. There’s no need to be too nervous.”
Hearing Nie Yan’s words, Knight Lang Ge felt much calmer.
Nie Yan’s composure subtly influenced Knight Lang Ge.
Everywhere, area-of-effect spells flew through the air as enemies attacked from all directions. The Niuren faction members fought back bravely, managing to take down several enemies.
“Protect the black powder!” About two hundred Niuren members guarded two barrels of black powder, fully alert.
At this moment, not far away, an Elemental Mage began gathering magical elements, chanting incantations—preparing a fire-based area-of-effect spell!
“Paladins, silence him!”
A group of Niuren Paladins rushed forward, attempting to silence the Elemental Mage.
On Zhanda Xuexue’s side, several warriors charged forward, intercepting the Paladins. Suddenly, a Niuren Paladin charged through the warriors’ blockade with a powerful burst.
The Elemental Mage had nearly completed his incantation, red magical auras spreading outward. It seemed an area-of-effect spell was about to be unleashed.
Silence!
The Niuren Paladin successfully silenced the Elemental Mage, interrupting his spell. The violent magical elements in the air dissipated into nothingness. The Elemental Mage was stunned—he was just a moment away from completing the spell! After being interrupted, he still consumed a significant amount of mana, and the area-of-effect spell was temporarily unavailable.
“Xiao Qi, great job!”
“Xiao Qi, well done!”
The Niuren group cheered excitedly. The Paladin named Xiao Qi had averted a crisis with his silence ability.
However, their joy didn’t last long. On another flank, five or six Mage Alliance members appeared. An Arcane Mage waved his staff, unleashing a wave of devastating arcane flames—an area-of-effect spell!
Player after player fell under the arcane flames.
In the center of the flames, several barrels of black powder guarded by the Paladins’ protective magic were in grave danger. The protective barrier around the black powder barrels flickered and shattered into fragments, vanishing into the air. Flames fell into the barrels, instantly igniting the black powder inside. With a deafening boom, a massive explosion occurred.
A powerful shockwave swept outward, clearing everything within a hundred-yard radius. Black flames surged, and a massive mushroom cloud rose into the sky.
At the explosion’s epicenter, two to three hundred Niuren players perished. On Zhanda Xuexue, Mage Alliance, and Shensheng Shouhu’s sides, two players also failed to escape in time and were killed by the shockwave.
The ground violently trembled, nearly knocking everyone off their feet. The terrifying power left everyone pale with fear.
This was the devastating power of black powder explosions!
Each barrel contained about twenty pounds of black powder. The explosion of two barrels was nearly enough to destroy city walls.
“Boss, two barrels exploded!” Knight Lang Ge said, feeling a pang of regret. Each barrel of black powder was worth at least ten thousand gold coins at market price—more valuable than an artifact-level piece of equipment.
Nie Yan also felt a bit pained, even though it was just two barrels.
The enemy was coming on strong. Alone, Nie Yan couldn’t turn the tide. Reinforcements from the Niuren faction were already on their way. He needed to preserve as much black powder as possible. Once they held out a little longer and received support from players like Daoguang, Shuise, and Qizi, they would be safe.
The battlefield was chaotic. Xuechi Kuada (Bloodthirsty Blade) led the charge, dominating the battlefield with his formidable equipment. With a single charge, he sent five or six Niuren players flying. Then, with a mighty cleave, his sharp blade cut down one of them, sending the player flying.
About fifty yards separated Xuechi Kuada and Nie Yan, their gazes locking. A sudden surge of killing intent flashed in Xuechi Kuada’s eyes.
Nie Yan, finally we meet!
The Niuren faction’s actions during the recent bounty hunt had pushed Zhanda Xuexue into a desperate situation. Naturally, he hated Nie Yan bitterly, wishing to devour him whole. Enemies meeting, their hatred flared intensely.
Nie Yan looked up and immediately recognized Xuechi Kuada. Though they had never met before, Nie Yan instantly identified him as the leader of Zhanda Xuexue, Xuechi Kuada himself!
Xuechi Kuada was tall and imposing, clad entirely in dark steel armor, leaving no gaps visible. He looked like an iron statue, wielding a five-finger-wide greatsword like a powerful war machine.
Nie Yan hadn’t expected to encounter the leader of Zhanda Xuexue in such circumstances. They were indeed bitter rivals destined to clash!
Nie Yan tightened his dagger. If it was a fight they wanted, he wouldn’t back down—he had never feared anyone!
Xuechi Kuada executed a Whirlwind Strike, causing over a thousand points of damage to five or six Niuren players. He let out a low growl, activating Shockwave!
A powerful force erupted from Xuechi Kuada, slamming into the Niuren players with a resounding thud. The impact sent them flying, all collapsing to the ground unconscious.
A flash of white light enveloped Xuechi Kuada as a healer from behind cast a healing spell, restoring his health to full.
Xuechi Kuada charged through the Niuren players, drenched in blood, exuding a terrifying aura.
Players from Zhanda Xuexue, Mage Alliance, and Shensheng Shouhu rushed to Xuechi Kuada’s side. Along with three Elemental Shamans, they formed a group of eleven.
Nie Yan’s side had over five hundred players guarding the seven barrels of black powder at the center.
The two sides faced each other, the air thick with the scent of gunpowder, the battle poised to erupt at any moment!
This was the destined confrontation between Nie Yan and Xuechi Kuada!
It would end only with one’s death!
“Coldfire, use an area-of-effect spell!” Xuechi Kuada stared at Nie Yan and commanded coldly. Beside him, a blue-robed Elemental Mage began waving his staff. Without a doubt, he was preparing an advanced magic.
Lightning elements rapidly gathered, swirling around Coldfire. An advanced magic—Lightning Storm!
Lightning could also ignite black powder!
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