Chapter 736: Hunting the Elite Group

Since Jifeng was definitely involved in such an elite group activity, that’s how he knew their precise movements.

According to the information provided by Jifeng, a total of twenty elites from Angelic Domination were heading to the dungeon, led by Lieyan. Winged Angel was not among them, but the lineup remained formidable. Lieyan and another mage named Piaolai Piaoqu were top-tier players, while the rest had only completed their first class advancement.

Over time, major guilds placed increasing importance on top-tier classes, and more players successfully transitioned into these elite roles. Among them were Mu’en and Benzhi Emo from the Bull Tribe, as well as Lieyan and Piaolai Piaoqu from Angel Dominance.

At present, there were approximately twenty-six top-tier players across the entire server, with eighteen of them belonging to the Niu Ren Tribe.

With two top-tier class players leading this elite group, it was worth taking action.

Killing several elites of Angelic Domination would be tantamount to declaring to Winged Angel that Mad Thief Nie Yan had arrived in Angelic Domination’s territory.

As he walked down the street, a few players of Angelic Domination occasionally passed by Nie Yan, yet none of them recognized him.

As he walked, roughly two or three out of every ten shops in the Orcish Kingdom displayed the banners of Angelic Domination, fluttering in the wind—a clear sign of the guild’s influence here. Ordinary shops couldn’t survive without Angelic Domination’s approval, but this didn’t apply to Nie Yan’s Star Pharmacy.

Nie Yan himself held the title of Great Prophet, which was highly revered in both the Greenland Empire and the Sathen Empire. His shop was under imperial protection, and if players from Angelic Domination caused trouble at Star Pharmacy, they would face punishment from the guards.

Although Angel Wings had become a Marquis in the Saturn Empire, Nie Yan’s title of Great Prophet was equivalent to that of a Duke. The number of Dukes an empire would grant never exceeded ten, which demonstrated Nie Yan’s status.

If Angyi Tianshi tried to cause trouble for Star Pharmacy, it would be self-destructive.

Moreover, closing Star Pharmacy would bring no benefit to Angel Enterprise. They couldn’t do without potions, and Star Pharmacy held a monopoly. If Star Pharmacy were shut down, where else could they purchase potions?

Although Angel’s Dominion had many shops here, the most prominent was still Star Pharmacy. Despite its relatively remote location, it was bustling with activity, attracting many players. Players from other areas passing by might even mistake it for the city center. The level 16 Star Pharmacy had become a landmark in the area, standing sixteen stories high, grand and magnificent, comparable to some large auction houses.

As Nie Yan passed by Star Pharmacy and saw its thriving scene, he was quite satisfied.

Gradually, he became familiar with the main streets of the Orcish Kingdom. After crossing several streets, he entered the teleportation circle.

System: Are you sure you want to teleport to Blanford Village?

Yes!

A flash of light passed, and Nie Yan’s surroundings instantly changed. When he looked around again, it was no longer the bustling Orcish Kingdom, but a small town located in a wasteland with only a few dilapidated houses. Everywhere was flying yellow sand, and looking outside, there was a barren plain with no vegetation.

Nie Yan looked toward the center of the town, where Lie Yan, Ji Feng, and others were gathered, discussing something—likely still making preparations.

The town center was a square where several NPCs were selling items. This was a level 150+ map, and currently, very few players visited this place. The elite group of Tian Shi Ba Ye was regarded as pioneers here, coming to explore.

The tall figure in the center was Lie Yan, whom Nie Yan was somewhat familiar with, recognizing him at a glance. He wasn’t sure who the other top-tier player Piao Lai Piao Qu was. He scanned the crowd and finally spotted a player in bright red robes next to Lie Yan. The player looked about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, wearing red mage robes with flames burning around him. He held a mahogany staff with a fist-sized red gem glowing brightly at the top. That must be Piao Lai Piao Qu, and judging from his appearance, he was likely an expert in fire magic.

Nie Yan pretended to buy items from nearby NPCs while standing at the edge of the square.

Jifeng was chatting with another player when he spotted Nie Yan and suddenly thought: Leader Nie Yan has arrived.

Although they had twenty people, Jifeng had a strong feeling that none of them were Nie Yan’s match. Thinking about the opportunity to witness Nie Yan in action, he couldn’t help feeling excited.

In addition to Jifeng, others also noticed Nie Yan.

“Who is that guy?”

“Not sure, probably just a passing player.”

They appeared rather indifferent. In their eyes, this was Angelic Supremacy’s territory—who would dare challenge them? Even when confronting hundreds or thousands of players, they had never feared, much less a lone adversary. Thus, they completely ignored Nie Yan, continuing their casual conversation among themselves.

“Are we all set?” Lieyan asked, looking around at his teammates.

“Everything else is ready, just waiting for Guangmang to bring the potions,” someone replied.

“Star Pharmacy is so greedy. A bottle of high-grade fire resistance potion is so expensive, selling for two thousand gold coins per bottle. Nearly a third of our income from the next dungeon will be taken by Star Pharmacy,” Piaolai Piaoqu said gloomily.

“There’s nothing we can do. High-grade fire resistance potions are only available at Star Pharmacy. Such rare items are bound to be sold at high prices. It’s said that only master-level alchemists can produce them. All master-level alchemists in both the Greenlan Empire and the Saturn Empire have already joined Star Pharmacy,” Lieyan said helplessly.

“It’s understandable. People move upward, and water flows downward. An advanced alchemist outside earns only twenty or thirty gold coins a day. Even being an exclusive alchemist in a major guild can earn fifty or sixty gold coins, which is already quite good. But at Star Pharmacy, an ordinary advanced alchemist earns at least one hundred gold coins a day. If it were me, I’d also choose to develop at Star Pharmacy,” a fire mage said casually. Noticing the looks from others, he immediately realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly added, “I was just kidding.”

“Okay, Se Niu was just joking, everyone don’t take it seriously. Our income in Angel Domination is indeed not as good as Niu Ren Tribe, but since we are all in this guild now, let’s focus on supporting Angel Leader. Once the guild expands, we will all benefit accordingly,” Lie Yan said. He understood Angel Domination’s current situation. Niu Ren Tribe had been actively trying to recruit their guild members, causing unrest within Angel Domination.

The conversation continued. After a while, a warrior appeared at the teleportation circle in Blanford Village and swiftly ran towards Lieyan and the others.

“I’ve bought all the potions,” the warrior said.

“Alright, everyone is here. Let’s go,” Lieyan glanced at the group and said.

The team slowly set off, leaving Blanford Village.

As they were about to leave, Jifeng glanced toward Nie Yan in the distance and sent him a private message.

“Nie Yan, where are you planning to make your move?” Jifeng asked.

“Just outside Blanford Village,” Nie Yan replied. He didn’t want to follow them all the way; that would be too time-consuming.

“If a fight breaks out later, don’t hold back on me. Take me down first to avoid suspicion,” Jifeng said, already prepared to die.

“I can’t take down all twenty people. I’ll definitely let a few escape. You can escape with them,” Nie Yan suggested.

“The news about Angel Domination’s twenty-man team heading to the dungeon together is highly confidential, known only to those twenty teammates. If we ambush them along the way, they will definitely suspect a mole. Those who get killed will be less likely to be under suspicion. Also, during the battle, Leader Nie Yan must spare Lustful Black Bull. This way, Lustful Black Bull survives and will likely become the prime suspect, stirring up internal conflict among them,” Swift Maple explained.

Upon hearing Jifeng’s words, Nie Yan immediately grasped his meaning. Jifeng’s thinking was quite meticulous. First, he employed a self-sacrificing strategy to gain trust. Second, by sparing Haose Heiniu during the fight, he framed him as the sole survivor and a likely suspect, thereby sowing discord within their ranks.

Having someone like Jifeng as an insider was truly a wonderful thing.

Jifeng’s plan was flawless, and Nie Yan couldn’t find any reason to object. The only thing he could do was compensate Jifeng a little after defeating him. Such a person must be cultivated with great effort.

Jifeng was like a time bomb planted beside Winged Angel. Nie Yan considered whether he should arrange some events for Jifeng to further gain Winged Angel’s trust. This way, Jifeng could climb higher and access more of Angelic Dominance’s core secrets.

At this thought, Nie Yan smiled faintly and turned his gaze toward the village exit. The twenty-man squad had already departed from Blanford Village and was gradually disappearing into the distance.

Watching their distant figures, Nie Yan activated his stealth ability and slowly disappeared.

“Take out the compass and confirm the direction,” Lieyan said. The sandstorm here was too intense, obscuring the sky and making it easy to lose one’s way without a compass.

Drifting around took out a small wooden box and, based on its indication, determined the direction, pointing ahead: “This way.”

The twenty people lined up and marched into the sandstorm, completely unaware that danger was slowly approaching amidst the swirling sands.

Nie Yan was in stealth mode, about twenty yards behind them, quietly following and waiting for the right moment to strike.

The swirling sandstorm greatly reduced visibility, providing Nie Yan with excellent conditions for a surprise attack.

It was only about a hundred yards from Blanford Village, but he needed to go a bit further to prevent them from running back to the village.