Chapter 534: The Hunt

Three warriors led the way, cutting through the tangled branches and other obstacles to clear a path forward.

Nie Yan had considered numerous ways to hunt down his enemies, one of which involved summoning his Dark Winged Dragon to dive from the sky and attack the mages of the Mage Alliance. However, he rejected this idea. The Dark Winged Dragon was his trump card and must only be revealed at a critical moment. After all, he had no idea how many flying mounts the Mage Alliance possessed. Furthermore, in the complex terrain of the jungle, if they spotted the dragon and then hid, he might not be able to find them. The Dark Winged Dragon was better suited for aerial combat.

Nie Yan decided to hunt them down on foot instead. Although their numbers were large, to Nie Yan, they were nothing more than prey in a bag.

The jungle was his domain!

A few mages were lagging behind, chatting about something. When they mentioned the Bull Man Tribe, they used a tone filled with contempt.

“Although the Bull Man Tribe is strong, they have too many enemies. Provoking the Century Financial Group, the hegemon of the virtual gaming world, is practically a suicidal act. The Century Financial Group hasn’t even started yet. If they really get serious, they probably have countless ways to destroy the Bull Man Tribe.”

Upon hearing their words, Nie Yan sneered coldly and slowly approached the back of an Arcane Mage, drawing closer and closer.

Five yards, three yards, one yard—suddenly, he shot forward like an arrow from a bow and pounced.

These dozen or so players were clustered together, confident in their numbers, so their vigilance was somewhat lax. Nie Yan struck the Arcane Mage from behind with a “Blackjack” and before the mage could react, he was hit. Nie Yan followed up with a “Backstab,” instantly killing him. With Nie Yan’s top-tier equipment and a much higher level than his opponents, his attacks were simply too much for these cloth-wearing mages to endure.

The nearby mages turned their heads to look and saw the Zennarde Sword in Nie Yan’s hand, burning with eerie black flames.

“It’s the Rogue Killer Nie Yan!” shouted a Mage in terror.

They hadn’t expected Nie Yan to suddenly ambush them and eliminate one of their teammates in such a short time.

They waved their staffs, launching streams of magic at Nie Yan. These mages were all elites from various guilds and studios. Even though the name “Rogue Killer Nie Yan” was enough to make them tremble, their psychological resilience was solid. They knew at this moment they should counterattack rather than flee in fear.

Nie Yan used “Sprint Step” to dodge their magical attacks. As the Mage beside him tried to retreat, a dagger appeared ominously in front of his throat. With a “Slit Throat,” blood spurted out.

After killing the Elemental Mage, Nie Yan revealed himself from behind him.

Incredible speed! Nie Yan’s speed chilled them to the bone.

After consecutively killing two enemies, Nie Yan used “Shadow Dance Step” again to dodge magical attacks and instantly lunged at another Arcane Mage, killing him instantly.

These mages didn’t even have time to cast skills like “Resistive Aura” before Nie Yan cut them down like vegetables.

These so-called elites were nothing more than trash in Nie Yan’s eyes!

By the time Nie Yan had killed three people, the warriors leading the way finally noticed the chaos behind.

“Damn, someone is ambushing us!”

They activated their charges and rushed toward Nie Yan. Unfortunately, in the jungle terrain, their charges weren’t as convenient as on the plains. Randomly growing trees blocked their path.

In the blink of an eye, three of the six mages behind were eliminated. The remaining three mages panicked. Previously, even when facing some top-tier players, they could usually hold their own for a few rounds using their skills. Today was an exception. They had imagined scenarios where they faced off against the Rogue Killer Nie Yan, but never thought it would be like this.

Nie Yan’s movements were simply too fast, leaving no time for reaction. They couldn’t even cast a single skill—waving their staffs required time!

Only by being present could one truly understand how the name “Rogue Killer Nie Yan” came to be!

The three mages were terrified and fled in disarray in different directions.

Nie Yan chased one of them down without hesitation, performing a “Pierce” with his Zennarde Sword through the mage’s chest, eliminating another.

At this point, only two mages and three warriors remained on the battlefield. The other two rogues’ whereabouts were unknown—they might be rushing over.

The three warriors charged forward, attempting to drag Nie Yan into a melee, but Nie Yan used “Stealth” and vanished from their sight.

“He’s in stealth!”

“Anyone with a detect ability?”

“No!”

After this brief skirmish, the jungle returned to calm.

These mages and warriors dared not speak, holding their breath and trying to sense Nie Yan’s location. However, all their efforts were in vain. With their perception abilities, they couldn’t pinpoint Nie Yan’s exact location. One high-level warrior, at level 72, cautiously took a step forward to move closer to his companion. The silence of the jungle made him feel a bit uneasy.

As soon as he took that step, a cold gleam flashed before his eyes. He hurriedly tried to use “Crippling Strike” on Nie Yan, but Nie Yan’s Zennarde Sword had already landed a “Stun” on his forehead, leaving him in a stunned state.

With a “Backstab” and “Disembowel,” the warrior fell to the ground.

When the other four heard the commotion and looked over, all they saw was a corpse. Nie Yan seemed to have never appeared.

Their eyes scanned the quiet jungle, but they still couldn’t find any trace of Nie Yan. Their hands began to panic, overwhelmed by an endless fear because they had no idea when Nie Yan would appear and deliver a fatal blow.

Nie Yan’s every strike was instantly lethal!

The other two rogues rushed over. One of them, wearing a silver-gray leather jacket, greeted them, asking, “We’re back. What happened here?”

Before the others could warn him, a flash of black flame passed by. The rogue hadn’t even figured out what had happened before he fell to the ground. The remaining players exchanged glances and then fled in different directions.

Only by scattering might a few survive; otherwise, they would be hunted down one by one by Nie Yan.

Nie Yan chased and killed two of them, then looked toward the other directions. The remaining enemies had already run too far for him to catch up.

Out of eleven enemies, Nie Yan had eliminated eight—an impressive feat indeed.

Nie Yan picked up the dropped items from the ground, disappeared into stealth, and continued heading east.

While this battle was intense, players from the Mage Alliance and the Bull Man Tribe generally exercised restraint when encountering each other in the wild, trying to avoid confrontation to preserve their strength and avoid unnecessary losses, as their guild leaders had instructed. There had been a few skirmishes between the Mage Alliance and the Bull Man Tribe, but none had resulted in decisive outcomes.

As Nie Yan was swiftly crossing an open grassland, he suddenly received a message: Desire’s Youth and six or seven Bull Man Tribe players were being pursued and cornered by over twenty Mage Alliance players. Only Desire’s Youth remained, fleeing desperately in a jungle, his situation extremely critical.

Upon hearing this, Nie Yan’s expression changed. He knew Desire’s Youth’s strength well—he ranked in the top ten of the Bull Man Tribe. For the Mage Alliance to eliminate an entire team from the Bull Man Tribe, leaving only Desire’s Youth to escape, the enemy must be formidable.

“Desire, what’s your situation?” Nie Yan messaged.

“All six of my brothers are dead. Only I remain. Three of them are very strong—I can’t handle them. Two are from the Wolf Studio, and the other is a rogue from Blood Saber. These guys are too tough,” Desire’s Youth replied breathlessly as he continued running, trying to escape his pursuers.

He had the bad luck to run into members of the Wolf Studio and Blood Saber.

“Find a place. We’ll take them down together!” Nie Yan said, recalling his Ring of Teleportation. This ring was an excellent item. Using its teleportation ability, they could ambush the enemy effectively.

Desire’s Youth’s eyes lit up immediately, understanding Nie Yan’s plan. “I’ll lure them over!”

Nie Yan quickly informed Cui Can Dao Guang and others of his plan. Upon hearing it, Cui Can Dao Guang and the others eagerly began preparing.

In a distant jungle within the mountains, Desire’s Youth was running swiftly, while over twenty Mage Alliance players were approaching from various directions, surrounding him.

“Damn, that kid runs pretty fast. Earlier, he almost got me, but fortunately, a senior from the Wolf Studio saved me,” a rogue said with relief, looking at two distant figures wearing hoods, clearly impressed by the Wolf Studio members.

In the previous battle, the players had completely submitted to the strength of the two Wolf Studio members. The Wolf Guild was not a name without merit; their strength was formidable. Therefore, they now followed the two Wolf Studio members’ commands without question. In Faith, strength determined one’s status!

“Gamblers, during the fight earlier, what did you think of that guy called Desire’s Youth?” one of the Wolf Studio players asked another.

The warrior named Gambler replied solemnly, “One-on-one, I wouldn’t stand a chance against him. The Bull Man Tribe indeed has some skill. Si Kong, report this to Crow so he can prepare mentally.”

The paladin named Si Kong beside him nodded.

A Blood Saber rogue in the distance observed Gambler and Si Kong thoughtfully, then entered stealth mode and pursued Desire’s Youth.

“The path ahead is a dead end. He can’t escape now!” Si Kong smiled.

Desire’s Youth was blocked and had nowhere to run. Soon, he would be caught like a fish in a barrel.