Chapter 718: The King’s Return!

Glory and pain, splendor and regret intertwined in everyone’s heart, stirring a whirlwind of emotions.

No one had expected that so many of their brothers had remained.

A long-forgotten emotion surged from their hearts.

As everyone gazed at Hei Se Di Yu (Black Hell) slowly walking toward the center of the square, tears blurred their eyes. “Brother,” such a familiar term, still deeply remembered after all this time. At this moment, Hei Se Di Yu was no longer just Hei Se Di Yu, but the once invincible Du Bu Tian Xia (Alone Across the Heavens).

The square gathered people of every race: humans, elves, orcs, giants, and gnomes. They had all come together for one person.

Looking at these enthusiastic people, Nie Yan wondered: if one day he disappeared, after several years, how many of his old comrades could he still gather? Could he be like Hei Se Di Yu?

Nie Yan didn’t know. To be remembered by so many people, Hei Se Di Yu—no, rather, Du Bu Tian Xia—naturally possessed extraordinary qualities.

More and more people kept pouring in from all directions. Based on information from various sources, Nie Yan roughly estimated around 300,000 people. If such a massive group were organized, it would form an incredibly powerful force, capable of forming an independent guild, rivaling any guild like Zhu Shen Zhi Jian (Divine Retribution) or Shen Sheng Shou Hu (Sacred Guardians). If Hei Se Di Yu decided to dominate the world, he would become the greatest enemy of Niu Ren Tribe.

But Nie Yan didn’t feel Hei Se Di Yu would become his enemy; it was just a gut feeling.

Hei Se Di Yu, Hei Se Tian Tang (Black Heaven), and Nie Yan arrived at the center of the square.

“Brothers, long time no see,” Hei Se Di Yu felt a lump in his throat, his voice slightly hoarse.

“Boss Dubu, is that really you?”

“Boss Dubu changed his name.”

“Boss Dubu, it’s so great that you’ve returned.”

The surrounding players became emotionally stirred.

More than twenty people gathered at the center of the square.

“Boss Dubu, I’m Bei Ge (Mournful Song).” Bei Ge forcefully suppressed his urge to cry, but his voice had already trembled.

Each of them felt the same. During Dubu’s absence, they had never stopped searching for him. This kind of emotion was incomprehensible to outsiders.

“Boss, I’m Mo Jiu (Lonely Roc).” An elven elemental mage choked up, the only magus present.

“Boss Dubu, I’m You Nan (Whisper).”

“Boss Dubu, I’m Ka Nong (Canon).”

…

Hei Se Di Yu looked at everyone present. Though their appearances had changed, he still recognized them. This familiar and affectionate term brought a piercing pain straight into Hei Se Di Yu’s heart.

He looked at each of them, as if trying to imprint their images into his mind forever, and asked, “Are you all doing okay?”

“More or less, just getting by.” Bei Ge replied lightly, but his words couldn’t hide his bitterness.

“Where’s Huo Long (Fire Dragon)? And Tian Shi (Heavenly Master), is that guy still fooling people around?” Hei Se Di Yu noticed some were missing.

The people present fell silent.

“What’s wrong?” Hei Se Di Yu sensed the atmosphere had changed.

“The last message we received from Huo Long was about three months ago. We couldn’t even attend his final farewell.” Bei Ge couldn’t hold back his tears after finishing his words.

Hei Se Di Yu was stunned. A figure slowly surfaced in his mind. Huo Long had been a carefree guy, always cheerful, teasing the girls in the guild, and charging ahead with his shield raised before the mages were ready during dungeon runs. Yet, this guy had exceptional skills, remarkable endurance, and unusually good luck, always managing to pull through unscathed.

“What about Tian Shi?”

“Tian Shi never entered Faith. We’ve had no contact since Faith’s launch.”

“Huo Long kept thinking about you until the very end. He said one day we would rebuild Hei An You Xia (Dark Ranger).”

Many of those brothers who had once fought alongside him had scattered to the far corners of the world, impossible to find; others had gone their separate ways, and some had changed their names, making them unreachable. Only about twenty or thirty percent of them could be found again. Because of his own momentary impulsiveness, he hadn’t even been able to see Huo Long one last time. Hei Se Di Yu was filled with guilt.

“Boss, let’s rebuild Hei An You Xia.”

“Yeah, Boss Dubu, let’s rebuild Hei An You Xia.”

“Boss Dubu, rebuild Hei An You Xia!”

Many shouted excitedly. More than 100,000 voices surged like a tidal wave, shaking the entire city of Carol.

“If you want to rebuild Hei An You Xia, we’re willing to let you go,” Nie Yan said. Hearing this thunderous voice, he understood the immense power this group represented. Even if Hei An You Xia eventually became an enemy of Niu Ren Tribe, fighting against such an opponent would still make his journey in Faith worthwhile.

Hei Se Di Yu looked at Nie Yan. He sensed Nie Yan’s sincerity. He shook his head and said gloomily, “Hei An You Xia is gone. I am now a member of Niu Ren Tribe.”

Nie Yan vaguely understood Hei Se Di Yu’s feelings at this moment.

Hei An You Xia was a history too painful to recall; it should be left buried in history forever.

Hei Se Di Yu raised his hand and pressed downward.

The voices of more than 100,000 people fell silent immediately. Everyone looked at Hei Se Di Yu with anticipation, their eyes burning with a light hard to refuse.

“Hei An You Xia has been destroyed. I allowed it to be destroyed. It is no longer the same Hei An You Xia, and Du Bu Tian Xia is no longer the same Du Bu Tian Xia.” Hei Se Di Yu’s words silenced the entire square, and everyone’s eyes filled with gloom.

Looking around the square, Hei Se Di Yu continued, “But if you are still willing, you can still call me Du Bu. Now, Du Bu Tian Xia is a member of Niu Ren Tribe. As long as Heaven remains, I remain. If you are still willing to follow me, I will say again: as long as I, Du Bu, am here, I will never allow any of my brothers to suffer even the slightest injustice.”

A long silence followed.

After struggling with their emotions, many still chose to follow Hei Se Di Yu, simply because he was Du Bu Tian Xia.

To them, Du Bu Tian Xia was more than just a guild leader. This was also why Hei An You Xia immediately disintegrated the moment Du Bu Tian Xia left. Wherever Du Bu Tian Xia went, he remained Du Bu Tian Xia. Without Du Bu Tian Xia, Hei An You Xia was no longer the original Hei An You Xia.

Still, many held onto the hope that they would follow Hei Se Di Yu for now and later try to persuade him to rebuild Hei An You Xia.

The commotion at Carol City’s central square surprised the leaders of various guilds. They knew of Du Bu Tian Xia, the once-undisputed king, who had later disappeared. No one expected his return to be so dramatically impactful. With nearly 300,000 followers flocking to him upon his return, if given some time, who knew what he could achieve! However, hearing that Du Bu Tian Xia had no intention of rebuilding Hei An You Xia but instead decided to join Niu Ren Tribe, everyone was shocked. They couldn’t help but envy Nie Yan for having the fortune to recruit someone like Du Bu Tian Xia.

Nie Yan established a branch within Niu Ren Tribe consisting entirely of former Hei An You Xia members. He hesitated to fully integrate so many people into Niu Ren Tribe immediately, fearing unpredictable effects. Naturally, this group was placed under the leadership of Hei Se Di Yu and Hei Se Tian Tang, as no one else could manage them.

With Niu Ren Tribe’s large population base, the former Hei An You Xia members could gradually integrate in the future.

With this group’s addition, Niu Ren Tribe’s forces expanded to a million strong, and the number of top-tier classes increased from thirteen to fifteen.

Under Hei Se Di Yu’s arrangements, the former Hei An You Xia players quickly occupied key strongholds of Niu Ren Tribe, assisting in their defense.

Soon, the forums were flooded with posts about Du Bu Tian Xia’s return.

Nie Yan browsed the forums. Many posts such as “Boss Dubu’s triumphant return, calling on former Hei An You Xia brothers!” and “A powerful alliance, Du Bu Tian Xia joins Niu Ren Tribe!” were highly popular. More people would see these messages in the future, including scattered Hei An You Xia members.

The addition of nearly 300,000 members greatly boosted Niu Ren Tribe’s morale, strengthening everyone’s confidence in defeating the Mone Corporation.

Qin Han’s skeleton army surged like a tide, advancing forward, swallowing three strongholds along the way, and gradually approaching Keli Busi Stronghold.

Nie Yan watched videos from various locations. Zhu Shen Zhi Jian had over a hundred trebuchets, still quite formidable in combat. A single barrage from over a hundred trebuchets could allow the skeleton army to advance unimpeded into the stronghold.

“Guo Huai, how many trebuchets does our guild have now?” Nie Yan asked. During this time, the construction of trebuchets in Niu Ren Tribe had never ceased.

“The latest count: 932 Ironclad Trebuchets and 627 Ballistic Trebuchets, with over a hundred already stationed at Keli Busi Stronghold. The rest are all ready.” Guo Huai replied. Everything was proceeding according to Nie Yan’s plan.

“What about area-damage magic bombs?”

“We’ve prepared over 800,000, all distributed to the most trusted members.”

“Good. When Qin Han’s skeleton army arrives, let’s give them a hard time.”

“Are you ready on your side?” Guo Huai asked with some concern.

“Everything’s been ready for a while. As soon as I click confirm, we can relocate the guild headquarters to Aokelun City anytime.”

Unbeknownst to Qin Han, before his skeleton army even reached Keli Busi Stronghold, Nie Yan had already set traps there, preparing to welcome them.

Time ticked by. The eyes of players across the entire server focused on Keli Busi Stronghold. This battle would determine the fate of the Gelinlan Empire!