Nie Yan entered the central meeting hall of the guild headquarters and found Guo Huai and others gathered together, chatting about something.
“What’s going on?” Nie Yan asked, looking toward Guo Huai.
“Someone named Tian Xie from Angel Empire has just acquired a territory located in the southwestern part of the Saturn Empire, slightly smaller than Abernathy Grassland,” Guo Huai spread out a map, pointing at a specific location with his finger. “It’s right here.”
Nie Yan took a look; the territory was very far from the border, making it a very safe location for Angel Empire. Moreover, the area was mostly mountainous, making it impossible for large siege machines like catapults to enter.
“Their development has been remarkable. As of just now, their main city has already advanced to intermediate level, and they’ve built five fortresses,” Guo Huai said with concern. If they didn’t stop Angel Empire, this place would soon become their main base. If Angel Empire managed to establish a foothold, it would become even harder to deal with them in the future.
Tian Xie? Nie Yan recalled this person. That guy was an orc warrior who had advanced to the rank of holy swordsman very early on. He rarely appeared in players’ sight. Everyone knew of his existence, but his whereabouts were very mysterious; even members inside Angel Empire seldom saw him, let alone gathering any related information. In the previous timeline, the only time he appeared was when Angel Empire had some conflicts with Triumph Empire. He defeated Angel Empire’s three top professional players alone, thereby gaining fame. After that event, he disappeared again without a trace.
There were some rumors back then. Ang Wing Angel was one of the heirs to a prominent European family, held high status, and was accustomed to a life of luxury. Tian Xie, on the other hand, was a top-tier assassin he had kept, loyal to Ang Wing Angel, with rumored strength surpassing even Ang Wing Angel himself.
If it weren’t for his sudden appearance today, Nie Yan would have almost forgotten about his existence. That guy was definitely a tough opponent.
Angel Empire now had their own territory, located in a mountainous area, which was somewhat troublesome. With the number of catapults, Bull Tribe had already fallen far behind Angel Empire after so many wars. Winning a battle was already a very daunting task. If Angel Empire moved their guild headquarters to their territory, it would be even harder for Bull Tribe to breach.
Nie Yan furrowed his brows deeply. Attacking Angel Empire’s territory now was unrealistic, as their forces would have to cross almost half of the Saturn Empire. If they continued to wait, Angel Empire would only solidify their foothold in that land.
“Do you have any good ideas?” Guo Huai asked.
“There are two options. The first is that I take a few elite squads to attack their territory, preventing them from developing peacefully. The second is that we continue waiting until we tame the Purple-Eyed Earth Dragon and let it sweep through them. It would be better than risking our men’s lives,” Nie Yan said.
“The first option is too risky, and the second takes too long. The longer we wait, the more likely changes will occur, making the situation harder to control. No one knows what the circumstances might be then,” Guo Huai frowned. Although Bull Tribe had accumulated many advantages under Nie Yan’s leadership, if they didn’t continue expanding their advantage, Angel Empire might catch up. This territorial incident made him feel a strong sense of crisis. Nearly three years had passed, and during this time, Angel Empire and Century Syndicate hadn’t merely stood still!
Nie Yan pondered for a long time before speaking, “I’ll go check their territory in a while, do some field reconnaissance to see how developed their territory actually is. If possible, I’ll find an opportunity to destroy it.”
“By yourself?” Guo Huai was taken aback but then thought, “It would indeed be safer for you to go alone than with a squad.”
Too many people would draw too much attention, making casualties likely if attacked. If Nie Yan went alone, Angel Empire would probably be helpless against him, allowing Nie Yan to move freely within their territory. Nie Yan alone was an absolute nightmare for Angel Empire.
Nie Yan calculated, with his pets, mercenaries, summoned creatures, and flying mounts, he had eight units altogether. If he acquired two more dragon pets, that would make eleven units in total. Even if he encountered a large-scale team from Angel Empire, he wouldn’t be at a disadvantage. And when he wanted to leave, no one could stop him.
“This task can only be entrusted to you. Right now, all fronts are engaged in battle, and we are under great pressure. The only thing that comforts me is that our economy hasn’t encountered any issues,” Guo Huai said. “There’s another matter: a level 180 golden unicorn lizard has appeared in the Sin City of the World Barrier. It has killed over thirty of our people. Now, people from various guilds are heading there.”
A level 180 golden monster, though its strength was inferior to a demonized lord, usually dropped very good high-quality items, just like when they had defeated the golden earth dragon, which earned Nie Yan the super pet.
“Are Dao Guang and the others already at Sin City?” Nie Yan asked.
“Yes, they’ve all gone. It’s said that Ang Wing Angel from Angel Empire, top players from Century Syndicate, and many others from other guilds have also gone. Basically, all the well-known figures from the Light Faction are at Sin City now,” Guo Huai replied.
Nie Yan thought for a moment and said, “Then I’ll go check out Sin City.”
Since everyone was going to join in the fun, he naturally couldn’t miss out. He wondered what items the demon unicorn lizard would drop, but whatever it was, it absolutely couldn’t fall into Angel Empire’s hands.
“If you go, then I can rest assured,” Guo Huai said. Previously, he had been worried about Cui Can Dao Guang and the others, but with Nie Yan present, there wouldn’t be any problems.
“I’ve already had the beast tamer Hall start taming the Purple-Eyed Earth Dragon. Please pay close attention and ensure no one disturbs him. Accommodate any of his needs as much as possible,” Nie Yan instructed. What the beast tamer Hall was doing was of vital importance, and Nie Yan felt uneasy about it. “We’ve been in Fate Valley for so long, Angel Empire must know about it by now. They’ll surely try to find out what we’ve been up to. We must do a good job of keeping it secret. No one, including our own people, is allowed near the special meeting hall, or else they’ll be executed without mercy!”
“Alright, you can rest assured about this matter,” Guo Huai nodded.
Nie Yan made preparations and summoned his Darkwing Dragon, riding it toward the World Barrier.
The World Barrier was a magnificent city suspended in the sky, accessible only to players riding flying mounts.
Since the World Barrier had never been opened in the previous life, Nie Yan knew almost nothing about it, only having heard some information from the data.
For ordinary players, the World Barrier was a very mysterious place. Currently, the areas explored by players accounted for less than a fifth of the entire World Barrier.
Sin City, this small town was merely a very small public area within the World Barrier. Here, free PK was allowed, and NPCs from various factions could trade here, selling many novel items. With good luck, one might even purchase one or two extremely rare gems and crystals.
Because of the news of the level 180 golden unicorn lizard appearing, this small town had already attracted the attention of high-level players from all guilds. They had sent many people to hunt the golden unicorn lizard in Sin City, but without success, and many lives were lost instead. However, the attraction of the golden monster remained undiminished, and players continued to flock to the city.
On the road to the World Barrier, flying mounts were everywhere, many of them belonging to casual players who came for the spectacle.
A group of over sixty flying mounts roared through the sky, charging recklessly, and ordinary players immediately kept a safe distance when they saw them.
Most of this group of over sixty flying mounts were above level six, and some were even level seven. For ordinary players who could only ride level four or five flying mounts, this was a terrifying presence, and they certainly didn’t want to cause any trouble.
“Do you know who these people are?”
“You don’t even know? They’re from Angel Empire, and the leader is their boss, Ang Wing Angel!”
“A while ago, a team entered; they’re from Century Syndicate. All the big bosses have come. It seems like Sin City is going to witness an exciting event.”
They chatted quietly, watching the Angel Empire players leave.
The group of over sixty flying mounts quickly approached the entrance of the World Barrier. A player resembling a warrior maneuvered his flying mount closer to Ang Wing Angel and said, “Boss Angel, Kuang Zei Nie Yan has also arrived.”
“In the World Barrier?” Ang Wing Angel narrowed his eyes slightly. It was truly a case of meeting an old enemy on a narrow road.
“Not sure. Our people saw him heading toward the World Barrier, but we don’t know if he’s entered it yet.”
“It seems he’s also here for the golden unicorn lizard. Let him come. This time, I’ll finally get to meet him,” Ang Wing Angel said, stroking the longbow in his hand. His expression remained calm, but his heart was surging with emotion. After so long, he had endured hardships, used various methods to search for powerful equipment and skills, and had completely transformed himself. He had also exchanged ideas with Cao Xu, who, although not a gamer himself, had very insightful views on the game. Cao Xu specially helped him analyze Nie Yan’s various tactical moves, the strengths and weaknesses of his pets, etc. Ang Wing Angel now felt unprecedented confidence. Today was the day to wash away his humiliation!
The group of over sixty flying mounts gradually landed at the square near the entrance of the World Barrier. Ang Wing Angel looked up. Towering buildings stood like giant warriors, magnificent and grand. Ancient architecture, weathered walls with patches of decay, and parts of the ruins collapsing, were telling the long and distant history.
“Let’s go in,” Ang Wing Angel waved his hand. The group of over sixty players put away their flying mounts and walked into the World Barrier.
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