Nie Yan checked the forums, but there was no mention of his return. It seemed those five players hadn’t shared his reappearance. Thinking about it, it made sense; five players at level 180+ failing to kill a single player at level 156 would be too embarrassing to talk about.
For now, he didn’t plan to return to the Bull Tribe. Unless absolutely necessary, he didn’t want the Bull Tribe members to know until the day he officially returned—when he, the rogue legend Nie Yan, would reclaim his former glory.
Nie Yan spent a few more days inside the Black Mage Realm, leveling his Light-Dark Holy Dragon up to level 156.
He gradually noticed an issue: although the system had weakened the role of pets, the experience required for each level had significantly decreased, making leveling up much faster than before. For example, his Golden Earth Dragon had already reached level 172.
Normally, if a pet exceeds the player’s level by five or six levels, it’s better not to summon it unless absolutely necessary, as there’s a chance the pet might betray its master. However, Nie Yan didn’t have to worry about this thanks to the effects of his Dragon King’s Power.
While a level 172 Golden Earth Dragon could clear monsters quite efficiently, compared to the Light-Dark Holy Dragon, it was nothing.
A level 156 Light-Dark Holy Dragon could now challenge the records of the Black Mage Realm.
Aurora Spell!
The Light-Dark Holy Dragon released a beam of aurora light, a dazzling magical display illuminating the entire Black Mage Realm. In a straight line spanning seven or eight hundred yards, all the Black Mages were wiped out.
Nie Yan and his pets charged forward relentlessly. As a large group of Black Mages rushed toward them, he ordered the Light-Dark Holy Dragon to use Dark Pierce. Instantly, five or six hundred yards ahead were cleared.
Continuing forward, within just five or six minutes, they had advanced over a thousand yards—an unimaginable speed for ordinary players.
The Golden Earth Dragon, Purple-Eyed Earth Dragon, and Shadow Wolf charged ahead fiercely. On the bridge, countless Black Mages were packed together, pushed off the bridge. Nie Yan continued at this pace for about a minute, until the Black Mages were completely jammed on the narrow bridge. Unable to move forward any further, Nie Yan commanded the Light-Dark Holy Dragon to unleash a breath of black and white energy toward the Black Mages. The two streams collided.
With a massive explosion like high explosives detonating, a swirling black-and-white fireball shot into the sky. The entire bridge shook violently, as if it were about to collapse. Nie Yan’s expression changed slightly—would the bridge actually collapse?
After a while, the explosion subsided, and the bridge remained intact. Within a hundred yards ahead, all the Black Mages were completely obliterated.
The Light-Dark Holy Dragon had unleashed nearly all its powerful magic, while the Golden Earth Dragon and Purple-Eyed Earth Dragon swept through the enemies relentlessly. As for the Shadow Wolf, it simply charged forward, causing countless Black Mages to be pushed off the bridge with every advance.
After about two hours, Nie Yan noticed the Black Mage Beacon in the distance.
Only about a thousand yards remained. Keep pushing forward—he would soon arrive.
Nie Yan led with the Shadow Wolf, ordering all his pets to charge. He leaped onto the Shadow Wolf’s back, and with a single Devastation Strike, he cleared another fifty to sixty yards ahead.
Charging forward for over three minutes, Nie Yan leaped across a distance of twenty to thirty yards. With a flick of his left hand, he shot out a strand of spider silk, pulling himself toward the Black Mage Beacon. Upon landing, he touched the crystal ball.
A dazzling ray of light flashed, leaving Nie Yan’s record behind.
Two hours and fifteen minutes. Nie Yan smiled slightly—it wasn’t bad.
System: You have reached the Black Mage Beacon. Record time: 2 hours and 15 minutes. The previous best record was 5 hours and 21 minutes.
System: You have broken the record previously held by player Feng Ming. You are the first player to complete the challenge within 3 hours. You have received the quest reward: An Invitation from the Artisan God.
An Invitation from the Artisan God: You may request the Artisan God, Brownick of Hadrock Valley, to forge one of your current pieces of equipment into a Chaos Armor.
Seeing this system prompt, Nie Yan was slightly surprised. The Artisan God Brownick? He had never heard of this NPC in his previous life. It must have been added in the past three years. Forging one of his current pieces of equipment into Chaos Armor?
According to information from the official website, the equipment system in the Atlantis continent was unique. The highest tier was Divine Artifacts like the Scythe of Death, followed by Divine Equipment like the Sword of Zaenard. Chaos Armor was a newly introduced system, originating from the distant void and crafted from void metal. It was equivalent to Divine Equipment, and among them, the best could even rival Divine Artifacts.
This was one of the reasons for Nie Yan’s disadvantage!
Nie Yan glanced at his equipment list. Could the Sword of Zaenard be forged into Chaos Armor?
If so, would the upgraded Sword of Zaenard reach the level of a Divine Artifact?
As Nie Yan was pondering, a system announcement suddenly rang out.
System Announcement: Player Nie Yan has set a new best record in the Black Mage Realm, completing it in 2 hours and 15 minutes. He is the first player to complete it within 3 hours. Brave warriors, challenge the Black Mage Realm!
This system announcement was broadcast to players from both the Light and Dark factions, sending shockwaves across the server.
Seeing this announcement, Nie Yan couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Now he was in trouble. Although he was logged in under stealth mode and even his friends didn’t know he was online, the system still broadcasted major events like this.
He hadn’t expected that breaking the Black Mage Realm record would cause such a huge reaction. Nie Yan scratched his head in frustration.
What Nie Yan didn’t know was that when the Black Mage Realm was first opened, hundreds of thousands of players came daily to the End Times Canyon to challenge it. Every time someone broke the record, the system would announce it. Countless players tried various methods to complete it faster, constantly challenging the record until Feng Ming set the five-hour record, which had stood until now.
The top mage of the Sathorn Empire still had considerable strength.
However, this latest system announcement left players across the entire server momentarily stunned. The rogue legend Nie Yan had returned?
Guild chat of the Bull Tribe.
“Everyone, look at the system announcement!” A mage shouted excitedly.
“We’ve all seen it. Is Leader Nie Yan back? Why hasn’t he returned to the guild?”
The news of Nie Yan’s reappearance spread like wildfire through the Bull Tribe guild.
“I knew it! Leader Nie Yan will definitely come back! He won’t forget us!” Several veteran members were moved to tears. In an instant, their minds drifted back three years ago, when Nie Yan led them through hardships and eventually built a great empire.
“Why hasn’t Leader Nie Yan returned to the guild?”
“Come back, Leader Nie Yan!”
“No matter when, you will always be our leader. All the brothers of the Bull Tribe are waiting for you to come home!”
The guild chat was flooded with messages. Looking at the stream of text, Nie Yan could almost see the excited faces and eager eyes. His eyes grew slightly moist.
Should he really go back? As the guild leader of the Bull Tribe, he didn’t want to return like this—level 160, with outdated equipment. It would be too embarrassing, too much like a failure. He could already imagine the gossip and speculation, especially from those with ulterior motives who would surely make a big deal out of it.
Soon, Nie Yan received a flood of private messages.
Cui Can Dao Guang: “Damn it, you came back without even telling me. You’re buying three drinks next time we meet!”
Shui Se Yan Tou: “It’s good that you’re back. Everyone is waiting for you.”
Bu Si De Huai Dan: “Leader Nie Yan, come back. We all miss you.”
Tang Yao: “Back from your honeymoon? Want to level up with us? Everyone’s been lost without you.”
Nie Yan’s private messages were flooded with hundreds of messages. Since he was in stealth mode and not accepting voice calls, everyone could only send text. Yet from these messages, Nie Yan could feel their genuine emotions, and his nose tingled—being alive was truly wonderful.
It had been a long time since they last met. He wondered how they were doing now.
Nie Yan replied to each of them, explaining his current situation. For now, he still wouldn’t return to the Bull Tribe.
Guo Huai, Cui Can Dao Guang, and others reassured the guild members in the chat. Nie Yan would return, but not yet.
Nie Yan took a deep breath, reading the greetings from his brothers. He felt like crying. If he returned to the Bull Tribe, he wouldn’t know how to face them. He might even burst into tears uncontrollably. Perhaps this was what it meant to feel anxious and emotional when nearing home after a long absence.
The guild chat was filled with joyous excitement. Nie Yan was back. Though he was still only level 156, they didn’t yet know that Nie Yan had already reached level 160 in a short time. But they firmly believed that one day, Nie Yan would reclaim his former glory. The day Nie Yan returned would be the day he stood at the peak once again!
That would be such an exciting moment!
“Nie Yan broke the Black Mage Realm record as soon as he came back, finishing in just two hours and fifteen minutes. It’s amazing! Feng Ming’s best time was five hours!”
“At this rate, Nie Yan won’t need much time to reach level 180!”
“This time, Angel’s Fall will feel the pressure!”
“Who knows when Nie Yan will collect the other Order Children and become a Pope. Then he’ll be unstoppable!”
The Bull Tribe players were excitedly discussing. Only a few more rational players realized that catching up after a three-year gap wouldn’t be easy.
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