Xie Yao’s Fenghuang had already reached the peak of the seventh tier more than a month ago. Nie Yan had asked Guo Huai to find many fire-elemental cores for her. The Fenghuang had consumed so many cores that they could fill a basket. However, there had been no sign of advancement for the Fenghuang.
Nie Yan understood that advancing a seventh-tier flying mount to the eighth tier required more than just elemental cores; it also needed the right opportunity.
If the Fenghuang could advance, it would be of great significance to the Bull Tribe, as they would then have two eighth-tier flying mounts. However, since the Fenghuang had shown no signs of progress, they could only leave it to fate.
However, in today’s battle, after the Fenghuang unexpectedly died and was reborn, it was completely different from before. Its body had grown significantly larger, only slightly smaller than the Dark-winged Dragon. Its feathers were brighter, and the flames burning on its body were more dazzling than before. Sparks danced around it, exuding a powerful and awe-inspiring aura. The tall Fenghuang cried out several times, its voice resonating like a large bell, full of vigor.
“Has the Fenghuang advanced?” Nie Yan looked at Xie Yao, asking in surprise.
“Its tier has already reached the eighth, but after the rebirth, its combat power is still the same as before at the seventh tier. It will gradually develop to the full eighth-tier level over the next month or so,” Xie Yao replied after checking the Fenghuang’s status.
A month was not a long time. After the Dark-winged Dragon, the Bull Tribe now had another eighth-tier flying mount, which was definitely a reason for celebration.
Nie Yan glanced at his pet space, where the corpse of the Dark-winged Dragon was lying silently. The Angel Empire thought the Dark-winged Dragon was dead, but Nie Yan still had a resurrection crystal that could bring it back to life!
After resurrection, the Dark-winged Dragon would be unable to fight for a short time and could not be deployed in battle immediately. However, once it recovered, the situation would be completely different.
“How long does the Rebirth skill need to cool down?” Nie Yan asked. This Rebirth skill was amazing, effectively giving the Fenghuang a second life. Normally, the Fenghuang’s power was far inferior to that of dragons, but because of this Rebirth skill, the Fenghuang was truly considered on par with dragons.
“It needs to cool down for sixty natural days,” Xie Yao replied.
“That’s okay,” Nie Yan said. Such a powerful skill was bound to have a long cooldown, so he was already mentally prepared for it.
“Nie Yan, your Dark-winged Dragon…” Xie Yao thought about his mount and felt a little down.
Nie Yan smiled and said, “The Dark-winged Dragon isn’t dead.”
“Not dead? But just now…” Xie Yao looked at him in confusion.
“I still have a resurrection crystal I can use,” Nie Yan explained.
“Oh, that’s why you retrieved the corpse of the Dark-winged Dragon,” Xie Yao realized suddenly, her mood no longer as gloomy as before.
Retrieving the corpse of the Dark-winged Dragon had been a great risk for Nie Yan. In such a critical moment, even a single second could determine life or death.
Reviving the Dark-winged Dragon would be a complicated process, requiring a special trip to Carol City to find a beast tamer.
Nie Yan could only temporarily put off the revival of the Dark-winged Dragon and focus on commanding the battle in Okerun City.
The war in Okerun City was becoming increasingly fierce. The Angel Empire, using some unknown magic, had summoned more than sixty giants, each about five yards tall and heavily muscled. These giants protected the players below as they launched an assault on the city walls of Okerun.
“They’re coming again!”
“Catapults are ready!”
“Crossbows are ready!”
Although the scene on the city walls was chaotic, it was actually very orderly, with everyone holding their respective positions.
The iron projectiles from the catapults whistled through the air, some landing on the walls and knocking down large groups of people.
“Liuzi is dead. Someone take his body away!”
Soon, the corpses on the walls were cleared away, and everything remained orderly.
“Nieyan is here!”
“Nieyan has arrived!”
Seeing Nie Yan and Xie Yao arrive, cheers immediately erupted from the walls. Nie Yan’s presence greatly boosted the morale of the Bull Tribe players.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The ground trembled with each impact.
Nie Yan looked ahead and saw that the towering giants were charging toward the city walls, each carrying a massive log to break down the gates.
The dense artillery fire covered these giants, who dodged nimbly, though a few were still hit by cannonballs and thrown back.
Thousands upon thousands of players surged forward like a tide, creating a deafening roar.
Soon, the two sides clashed again at the edge of the walls. Spells were constantly exchanged between both sides, creating a spectacular scene. Almost every second, many players fell, but neither side gave an inch.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The giants began to slam against the city gates, which groaned under the assault.
“Nieyan, the southern part of the wall has been breached by the Angel Empire’s artillery!”
“Send warriors to block the breach. Don’t let them in!” Nie Yan said sternly. He glanced back and saw that Xie Yao had already begun chanting a forbidden spell among the players, beams of holy light pouring down like sunlight.
A forbidden spell, combined with crossbow fire, could kill at least ten thousand Angel Empire players, even considering their magic resistance.
At that moment, Nie Yan sensed something unusual and shouted, “True Sight!”
As his gaze swept across, he spotted two faint figures rushing toward Xie Yao.
Nie Yan sneered. “Amateurs!”
They were two Shadow Dancers, clearly targeting Xie Yao in the crowd.
These two Shadow Dancers were freelancers, one named Moyan and the other Moyang, both professional players who had been recruited by Cao Xu. They had been hiding among the regular players in Okerun City, waiting until now to strike.
“Kuangze Nieyan is over there!” Moyan glanced toward the distance. Seeing Nieyan’s red eyes looking in their direction, he felt a chill and exclaimed, “He spotted us!”
“You cover me. I’ll kill Yaoyao and retreat immediately after,” Moyang said, activating his Dash Step and rushing toward Xie Yao.
“Got it!” Moyan replied. He stood between Nie Yan and Xie Yao, instinctively licking his dry lips. Facing Kuangze Nieyan, it was impossible not to feel nervous.
Moyang was already within five or six yards of Xie Yao, seemingly about to succeed.
In the blink of an eye, Moyan lost sight of Nie Yan. He activated his Crimson Vision to scan the surroundings but still couldn’t find him. Nie Yan had seemingly vanished into thin air.
“Be careful. He might be coming for you!” Moyan warned urgently.
As Moyang was about to attack Xie Yao, he suddenly felt a cold breeze on his neck. His mind went blank, and he instinctively swung his dagger to block.
A metallic clang rang out as the two daggers collided.
Nie Yan raised his eyebrows. Surprisingly, Moyang had blocked his attack. This guy had some skill!
“Run now, or it’ll be too late!” Moyang shouted anxiously, his left hand moving to reveal a random teleport scroll.
Before his voice had even finished, a thud sounded as Nie Yan’s dagger pierced Moyang’s chest.
Moyang was instantly killed!
The distant Moyan realized something was wrong and dared not stay any longer, immediately using the random teleport scroll to escape.
Nie Yan had thought Moyang might be a capable opponent since he blocked his first strike. However, he turned out to be all show and no substance. After the top-tier class transformation quests had been fully opened, more and more people had obtained the Shadow Dancer title. However, truly skilled ones were rare. Players like Sun, King of the World, Smile, Shadow Kill, and One Hit, One Marriage, who could actually exchange blows with him, were extremely rare.
Compared to them, Moyang and Moyan were just trash.
Within moments of the clash, one Shadow Dancer was dead and the other had fled. Several other thieves hiding elsewhere and planning to target Xie Yao were scared off and slowly disappeared into the shadows. Let Xie Yao cast her forbidden spell; they wouldn’t dare to interfere now, even if their lives depended on it.
Xie Yao unleashed her forbidden spell. A massive beam of light fell from the sky, turning the area outside Okerun City into a blinding white world. More than fifty giants screamed as they were reduced to ashes.
Xie Yao lowered her staff and restored her mana on the spot.
“Let’s go,” Nie Yan said, and the two of them headed toward the southern part of Okerun City.
“Daoguang, Shuise, how are you holding up?” Nie Yan asked in the party chat.
“We’re all back now and landing. We lost six mounts, all sixth-tier, but it’s worth it. We took out more than thirty of Angel Empire’s mounts, including over ten sixth-tier ones. We’ve made up for our losses!”
It was fine as long as they were safe. Nie Yan’s heart, which had been hanging in anxiety, finally settled. He said, “Be careful of their Flame Phoenixes. Don’t get caught by their attacks!”
“Got it.”
They had previously been unaware of the Flame Phoenix mounts, which was why they had been caught off guard. Now that they knew the skills of the Flame Phoenix and were prepared, there was nothing to fear. Moreover, the Flame Phoenix’s fire net skill probably required a long cooldown time, otherwise it would be too overpowered.
Nie Yan arrived at the breach. Hundreds of Bull Tribe warriors were tightly blocking the opening, preventing the enemy players from entering. However, from time to time, iron shells whistled in and knocked down one warrior after another. Fortunately, there were plenty of reinforcements ready to fill in immediately. Both sides fiercely contested this breach.
Nie Yan activated Dash Step and vanished. He leaped into the air, soaring over the heads of the Bull Tribe warriors, and with a swift stab of his dagger in his right hand, instantly killed an enemy player.
The nearby players could hardly see Nie Yan’s figure. They only saw a blur flash by, followed by splashes of blood and the sounds of bodies collapsing. More than a dozen players from the Angel Empire fell to the ground.
After these players fell, they transformed into skeletons and rose again.
The skeletons emitted sharp laughter, swinging their weapons toward the Angel Empire’s players, fearlessly charging forward with exceptional bravery.
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