Nie Yan no longer held any hope for the Life Crystal. Just as he was about to give up, Guo Huai sent a message saying that they had finally found one!
After receiving the message, Nie Yan felt a surge of excitement and immediately connected with Guo Huai via voice chat.
“Someone is selling the Life Crystal?” Nie Yan asked.
“Yes, there is. Our people have already made contact with him. That guy is asking for a steep price—100,000 gold coins and refuses to sell,” Guo Huai replied in a frustrated tone.
A Life Crystal selling for 50,000 to 60,000 gold coins was already considered an exorbitant price. Nie Yan had doubled the budget, yet the seller still thought it was too low.
Nie Yan furrowed his brows and asked, “How much is he asking for?”
“He probably sensed our urgency and decided to take advantage. He insists on at least 200,000 gold coins, or he’s willing to trade for equipment,” Guo Huai said. After hearing the price, he felt like killing someone. Who in their right mind would dare to ask for 200,000 gold coins for a Life Crystal?
“Hmm… he wants to trade for equipment…” Nie Yan pondered for a moment before asking, “What kind of equipment does he want?” Some high-level players didn’t care much about money—they already had plenty. At their level, they understood that top-tier equipment was often unattainable even with money. Usually, when they possessed something rare, they preferred to trade for equipment rather than sell it for gold.
“He wants top-tier Dark Priest gear—something he’d actually consider decent,” Guo Huai replied with a sigh. “That guy is actually pretty well-equipped. He has several items that are sub-legendary, and even wields a legendary staff.”
Nie Yan was taken aback. Dark Priests were the rarest class, with very few high-level players in this class. Among those Nie Yan had encountered, only Hei Se Di Yu (Black Hell) and the person who had injured the Umbral Thunder Roc stood out in terms of strength. Nie Yan couldn’t help but ask, “What’s his name?”
“Hei Se Di Yu,” Guo Huai replied.
“Him,” Nie Yan’s heart skipped a beat. What a small world it was, meeting Hei Se Di Yu again. Considering the rarity of Life Crystals and the strength required to obtain one, it made sense that Hei Se Di Yu had managed to acquire one.
“Do you know him?”
“He’s the older brother of Hei Se Tian Tang (Black Heaven),” Nie Yan explained.
“Oh, so he’s Hei Se Tian Tang’s older brother. Since he’s someone we know, that makes things easier,” Guo Huai said. When Hei Se Tian Tang first joined the Bull Tribe, he acted arrogantly, but eventually warmed up to the group and became a part of the community. Although Hei Se Tian Tang was introverted by nature, he respected those with skill. If the Bull Tribe had been filled with weaklings, he probably wouldn’t have stayed. Initially, he looked down on the other players in the Bull Tribe, but after losing several one-on-one duels to players like Bu Si De Huai Dan (Killer Without Death) and witnessing the strength of Cui Can Dao Guang (Brilliant Blade) and Shui Se Yan Tou (Smoke with Water Color), he finally accepted their superiority. Later on, everyone came to appreciate Hei Se Tian Tang’s personality. Since Hei Se Di Yu was Hei Se Tian Tang’s older brother, it might be worth having Hei Se Tian Tang negotiate the price.
“Let’s first look for some good Dark Priest gear. We shouldn’t take advantage of him,” Nie Yan suggested. If they could obtain the Life Crystal, spending a few pieces of equipment would be well worth it.
“Nie Yan, can we recruit Hei Se Di Yu? Since Hei Se Tian Tang is already in our guild, bringing his older brother in shouldn’t be too hard,” Guo Huai proposed.
“It’s difficult. I tried before, but failed. He seems to have some special attachment to the Dark Ranger Guild,” Nie Yan shook his head.
“Dark Ranger Guild? Hei Se Di Yu isn’t wearing a guild emblem. He’s a free agent. I heard that an unnamed Dark Priest once killed more than twenty members of the Dark Ranger Guild, including their guild leader, and then left the guild. Was that him?” Guo Huai asked.
Nie Yan hadn’t heard about that incident before. Guilds like the Dark Ranger Guild were already far beneath the Bull Tribe’s level. Nie Yan didn’t pay attention to what happened in such minor guilds, and even Guo Huai, despite knowing some things, wouldn’t bother mentioning them since these guilds posed no threat to the Bull Tribe.
“He left the guild?” Nie Yan was somewhat surprised. Hei Se Di Yu had actually left the Dark Ranger Guild.
If Hei Se Di Yu had indeed left the Dark Ranger Guild, Nie Yan might now have the opportunity to recruit him into the Bull Tribe.
“What’s his skill level like?” Guo Huai asked excitedly. Everyone had seen Hei Se Tian Tang’s abilities, and since Hei Se Di Yu was his older brother, he probably wasn’t far behind.
“He’s god-tier among all Dark Priests. If he joined the Bull Tribe, he’d definitely rank in the top five,” Nie Yan replied. Being in the top five of the Bull Tribe was something many players could only dream of.
Nie Yan’s confident statement sent a shiver down Guo Huai’s spine. The top five in the Bull Tribe—what a concept! The Bull Tribe’s top five included Nie Yan himself, Cui Can Dao Guang, Shui Se Yan Tou, Sun, and Tang Yao. As for Wang Zhe Tian Xia (King of Kings), no one had tested his strength, but according to Nie Yan’s description, he was on par with Sun. Others like Xie Yao and Yu Wang Ran Zhi Qing Chun (Desire Staining the Fingertips of Youth) were also formidable. Ranking them all would be extremely difficult.
Yet Nie Yan was confident that Hei Se Di Yu could break into the top five!
Guo Huai’s eyes lit up. Anyone who could make it into the Bull Tribe’s top five was a national treasure!
“I’ll have Hei Se Tian Tang approach him. We can’t let the wealth go to outsiders. If Hei Se Tian Tang fails to bring Hei Se Di Yu in, I’ll make that kid regret it!” Guo Huai said enthusiastically before contacting Hei Se Tian Tang.
Hei Se Tian Tang would probably want his older brother in the Bull Tribe as well. It all depended on whether Hei Se Di Yu agreed. Previously, Hei Se Di Yu had stayed in the Dark Ranger Guild due to his deep emotional attachment. But now that he had left the guild, something must have happened. If Hei Se Tian Tang worked hard to persuade him, Hei Se Di Yu might just join the Bull Tribe.
If Hei Se Di Yu wanted to join a guild, the Bull Tribe would naturally be his first choice, considering his younger brother was already there.
With Guo Huai and Hei Se Tian Tang handling the matter, there was no need for Nie Yan to get involved.
As for the Life Crystal, Guo Huai would probably deliver it before logging off. For a player of Hei Se Di Yu’s caliber, a Life Crystal was nothing significant.
Thinking about the imminent hatching of the Dark Winged Dragon, Nie Yan felt a surge of excitement.
Nie Yan glanced at the Flying Mount Rankings. There were already six mounts listed, and the number was steadily increasing. The Umbral Thunder Roc had been pushed down the rankings by a mount called the Venomous Dragonfly. Among the six flying mounts, two belonged to the Bull Tribe—Tang Yao’s Umbral Thunder Roc and Ben She E Gui’s (Essence Demon) Cang Lan Winged Bird, which he had recently acquired.
The Cang Lan Winged Bird was a massive avian creature with formidable aerial combat abilities, slightly inferior to the Umbral Thunder Roc.
The proliferation of flying mounts was an inevitable trend. As time passed, their numbers would only increase, leading to larger-scale aerial battles.
Nie Yan wondered who the other four flying mounts belonged to.
Tomorrow might bring encounters with flying mounts, but if the Dark Winged Dragon was ready, the Bull Tribe would have a significant advantage in aerial combat.
Over an hour later, Guo Huai sent someone to deliver the Life Crystal. He also brought good news—Hei Se Di Yu had agreed to join the Bull Tribe and would participate in the upcoming battle in the Death Realm tomorrow. However, Hei Se Di Yu had one condition: to eliminate the Dark Ranger Guild!
If Hei Se Di Yu revealed his identity, with his reputation, defeating the Dark Ranger Guild would be effortless. But he had chosen to entrust the Bull Tribe with this task. Since he had founded the Dark Ranger Guild, it was only fitting that it be erased from history through the Bull Tribe’s hands.
Guo Huai readily agreed. Was it worth mobilizing resources to destroy a guild for the sake of one player like Hei Se Di Yu? Guo Huai could answer without hesitation—yes! A top-tier expert like Hei Se Di Yu was a rare gem, while the decline of a guild like the Dark Ranger Guild was insignificant to the Bull Tribe. With a single declaration of war from the Bull Tribe, the Dark Ranger Guild would collapse on its own.
According to Hei Se Tian Tang’s revelation, there were still a few of their old companions in contact. Once they learned that Hei Se Di Yu had joined the Bull Tribe, they would undoubtedly follow suit.
For the Bull Tribe, this was undoubtedly a deal with no downside.
After receiving the Life Crystal from Guo Huai, Nie Yan checked his backpack. The crystals were neatly arranged, just enough to meet the required number. There was a place to hatch pets in Hilton Fortress. Nie Yan organized his backpack and made his way toward the pet shop.
Glancing at his pet space, the egg of the Dark Winged Dragon still lay quietly there. Nie Yan could feel the heartbeat of the life within. It was about to hatch, ready to become the undisputed ruler of the skies.
The pet shop in Hilton Fortress was somewhat rudimentary, still in the early stages of reconstruction from the ruins. However, the tamers there were still of high rank.
Nie Yan entered the pet shop. On both sides were cages filled with various pets. Unlike the pet shop in Carol City, this one also housed many high-tier flying mounts.
Walking down the long corridor, Nie Yan headed directly toward the tamers at the far end.
The shop was quite lively, with people coming and going. There were about fifty or sixty people in the hall, each busy with their own affairs, including a few members from the Mage Alliance.
Nie Yan frowned slightly. With so many people around, if he were to hatch the Dark Winged Dragon, many players would witness it—especially those from the Mage Alliance. Once the news reached Kuang Fa’s (Crazed Mage) ears, there would be no way to keep it a secret anymore. However, he didn’t have much of a choice and could only proceed toward the tamer.
“Honored Master Nie Yan, greetings. How may I assist you today?” A high-level tamer in a dark red robe approached and asked politely.
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