Passing through an area where hell hounds respawned, Nie Yan and his team began encountering more advanced demon hyenas. These creatures were slightly larger than the hell hounds, covered with sharp bone spines, and were level-180 elite monsters. They were significantly stronger than the regular hell hounds, but also offered several times more experience.
When dealing with the demon hyenas, Nie Yan and his companions became more cautious, yet they continued charging ahead aggressively. Their experience gains steadily increased, maintaining a considerable pace.
Nie Yan reached level 141 after four days, level 142 after six days, and level 143 after twelve days. Twenty days had quickly passed, and their exploration of the Dark World had only just begun.
Nie Yan still hadn’t located Mephist’s trail. Glancing at his backpack, he noticed the energy emitted by the Pater Noster Hammer growing increasingly powerful. Sparks of electricity crackled, and the wild, uncontrollable force was terrifying.
He dared not take out the Pater Noster Hammer, fearing it might cause trouble.
Dark clouds covered the sky, making the light dimmer than before, and the air unusually oppressive.
Nie Yan could sense they were getting closer and closer to the NPC Mephist.
Looking southward, at the center of the wasteland stood a towering mountain piercing into the clouds. Its peak emitted thick black smoke and occasional bursts of fiery glow—it was a volcano!
For some inexplicable reason, Nie Yan had a feeling that they would need to reach this volcano to find Mephist.
Though the volcano appeared close by, reaching it would likely take at least one or two months. They could use this time to level up.
While Nie Yan and his team were grinding monsters in the Dark World, Guo Huai and others were gradually expanding Bull Tribe’s influence in the Grilan Empire. Their actual controlled territory was expanding rapidly. As for the Abernathy Grasslands, the fortresses near O’Connell City had already been established. The city had become more prosperous than ever, with a large number of NPCs coming and going. Knowing that O’Connell was Bull Tribe’s stronghold, many merchants realized it was a huge business opportunity and rushed here from all over. Additionally, since the Abernathy Grasslands offered many suitable areas for players above level 100 to level up, it attracted many players.
O’Connell City was bustling with activity. With so many NPCs guarding it, the city’s security faced no issues.
Unlike other NPC cities, Nie Yan had instructed Guo Huai to implement many more humane policies in O’Connell, including tax reductions and exemptions, as well as a nobility system. Players who contributed significantly to O’Connell would be granted noble titles recognized across the entire Grilan Empire, reaching as high as the rank of earl. This was an irresistible temptation for many players.
During Nie Yan’s absence, the entire Abernathy Grasslands remained peaceful. However, due to its proximity to the End Times Canyon, more and more evil-aligned players arrived at the grasslands, causing conflicts with Grilan Empire players. Surprisingly, instead of reducing O’Connell’s popularity, this situation attracted even more high-level players. Those heading toward the End Times Canyon used O’Connell as a transit and supply hub. Thanks to the tax-exemption policies, potions bought here were about 5% cheaper. Buying a full bag of potions saved a significant amount of money, greatly boosting O’Connell’s commercial development.
Everything was developing in an orderly manner.
At the eastern edge of the Abernathy Grasslands, three squads totaling sixty people slowly entered the grasslands. They had diverse appearances, including dark-skinned black elves, fallen humans, and small goblins, representing various races. However, they shared one obvious common feature: each of them had a pair of silver wings on their backs, continuously flapping and lifting their feet about two inches off the ground, allowing them to hover and move quickly.
Sixty silver-winged individuals would be an absolutely terrifying force in the Demon Tribe, capable of destroying even large guilds.
These sixty individuals did not wear guild insignias. Instead, they had red shoulder patches on their left shoulders, each bearing a red flame symbol and the words “Blood Demon Knight Corps” written in the Demon Tribe’s script. Each of them was a notorious red name, with names so blood-red they were terrifying.
Each had killed hundreds, even thousands, of same-faction players to achieve such a terrifying status.
“Blood Demon Leader, we’ve now entered the Abernathy Grasslands controlled by Bull Tribe,” a short goblin mage spoke. He had an ugly appearance, with gray-green skin and a height only one-third that of an average player.
“Let’s hope Nie Yan isn’t around. I hope we don’t run into that guy,” Blood Demon replied. He had a handsome appearance and was a slightly dark-skinned fallen human warrior.
Everyone found it a bit strange. Normally, Blood Demon was fearless and arrogant, causing major guilds like the Demon Tribe’s largest guild, Divine Tribe, and the Undead Empire’s largest guild, Angel’s Fall, to suffer many losses at their hands. Blood Demon had never taken those two guild leaders seriously but seemed to hold Nie Yan in high regard.
“If Nie Yan shows up, he probably won’t be our match either,” a black elf rogue remarked dismissively. He had seen Nie Yan’s videos and didn’t find him particularly impressive—just a little faster in speed, with no particularly advanced techniques.
In fact, the videos circulating online were slowed down significantly. If played at normal speed, one would understand where Nie Yan’s strength truly lay, though one would need keen eyesight to discern it.
“Nie Yan managed to sweep through two empires for no reason. Would you dare to infiltrate Divine Tribe’s main stronghold alone and cause chaos there?” Blood Demon glanced at the black elf rogue with a calm expression.
The black elf rogue was momentarily speechless. He wanted to argue but didn’t know how, so he just stubbornly replied, “His golden earth dragon and paladin are just stronger.”
Blood Demon smiled indifferently without rebutting. In the party chat, he said, “Remember, we’re here only to clear our red names. Reputation and equipment are secondary. We’ll hit a few places and move on. Absolutely no staying in one location for more than half an hour.”
“Understood,” everyone around Blood Demon replied.
The black elf rogue also responded, though he remained unconvinced about Nie Yan. Still, he obeyed Blood Demon’s orders. In his opinion, Blood Demon was the strongest, and how could Nie Yan possibly compare to their Blood Demon Leader?
“The first target is a village one thousand yards ahead. Estimated NPC count is thirty, with the highest being a level-160 elite. Player count is around seven hundred. We’ll finish within twenty minutes. Move out!” Blood Demon ordered. He spoke without any emotional fluctuation, as if stating an obvious fact.
Everyone quickened their pace. The rogues activated stealth, disappearing from sight, while the remaining members scattered to prepare attacks from various directions on the village.
Krans Tribe was a peaceful village with only a few dozen scattered houses and no defensive walls. Only thirty-odd NPCs were present, and the number of players active there was at most a few hundred. Today was considered relatively lively because several player teams had arrived, preparing to group up for monster hunting.
Several dozen Grilan Empire players were chatting casually.
“I just dropped a gem today. It should sell for around 300 gold coins. My potion expenses for the next few days are covered.”
“Damn, so lucky! All I got today were two pieces of useless bronze gear.”
…
The team leader was adding members. With nothing urgent to do, they chatted happily. A mage turned his head and noticed five or six players swiftly approaching from the distant plains.
“Who are those guys? They actually have wings on their backs.”
“They’re from the Demon Tribe.”
Upon hearing someone say they were from the Demon Tribe, the players became excited.
“Kill them and loot their gear!”
A group rushed toward Blood Demon and his team. The opposing side only had a few people, while they had at least a hundred, giving them a significant numerical advantage, which emboldened them.
A human warrior was about to charge at Blood Demon when a rogue slapped his head and shouted, “Are you looking for death?”
“What’s wrong?” the human warrior asked, puzzled.
“Didn’t you see the wings on their backs?”
“So what if they have wings?”
“They’re silver wings, you idiot! The top-tier class in the Demon Tribe! Are you going to charge in and get slaughtered? Look at their group—each of them is a notorious red name. You think you’re a newbie who they haven’t killed thousands of yet?”
“What should we do then?”
“Quickly find a place to use a recall scroll!”
The two moved to a corner and started casting their recall scrolls. Looking into the distance, they saw the silver-winged group engage the Grilan Empire players. It was a complete one-sided massacre. The human warrior couldn’t help but feel relieved he had listened to his leader. Two beams of white light flashed, and they vanished from the scene.
As Blood Demon advanced, three warriors charged toward him. A cruel smile appeared on his lips. Ambush!
His greatsword in the right hand suddenly radiated a vivid red glow. A massive sword beam surged forward, slicing through the air. With a “plop,” blood splattered as the warrior was instantly knocked back and killed in one strike.
The other two warriors were momentarily stunned before realizing they were facing a formidable group. They immediately turned and fled desperately.
Ambush!
Blood Demon accelerated again, moving two times faster than the warrior he was chasing. He quickly closed the distance, impaling the warrior from behind with a single sword strike.
Another instant kill!
He glanced around. The other silver-winged individuals had begun a one-sided massacre against the Grilan Empire players.
“A bunch of ignorant fools,” Blood Demon coldly sneered. “Wipe them all out. Leave no survivors!”
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