The five thieves were clearly seasoned partners with excellent coordination. They blocked all of Nie Yan’s escape routes. Under the illumination of the Light of No Escape, Nie Yan couldn’t use stealth to flee and had no choice but to fight.
Individually, each of these five thieves was somewhat inferior to Nie Yan, Sun, and King of the World. However, when working together with their long-established synergy, there were probably very few players in Faith who could match them.
“Lock-on!”
Lie cast a skill. Just as his targeting locked onto Nie Yan, Nie Yan dodged it with a Shadow Step.
Lie was startled. To evade a Lock-on skill—what kind of reaction speed was that?
Lock-on was nearly an instant-cast skill. Unless players could anticipate its activation in advance and use skills like Quick Step, they would definitely be locked down. Once locked, the target would inevitably hesitate momentarily, giving teammates the chance to coordinate attacks. Yet even in such circumstances, the infamous rogue, Nie Yan, still managed to evade it.
“Be careful everyone! This guy is super fast!” Lie exclaimed in alarm as he swung his dagger and charged toward Nie Yan.
Nie Yan used Phantom Step, creating a series of illusions to dodge Lie’s attack. As he slipped past Lie, he counterattacked with a reverse backstab using Zeinald’s Sword straight into Lie’s back.
Nie Yan’s movements were clean and decisive, without a hint of hesitation.
Lie hadn’t expected Nie Yan to be so fast. Caught off guard, he was about to be hit when Ming, standing nearby, thrust his dagger like a serpent toward Nie Yan’s forehead.
If Nie Yan landed his strike on Lie, he would definitely be stunned by Ming’s counterattack.
The other three thieves also rushed in from the side.
“Lock-on!”
Ying, standing nearby, cast another Lock-on. Having two or more players with the Lock-on skill in a group made things extremely difficult—any misstep could lead to being locked down.
Just before Ying initiated his Lock-on, Nie Yan used a cooldown-removing skill to reset the cooldown of Shadow Step, dodging the Lock-on skill again with another swift movement.
The three thieves closed in and their daggers rained down toward Nie Yan.
“Blitz Rush!”
Nie Yan activated Blitz Rush, dodging the thieves’ attacks. His movement speed surged as he charged toward Ming.
The battle between Nie Yan and the five thieves was a dizzying blur, with life and death separated by mere moments. The thieves had too many control skills—should Nie Yan be caught by any of them, he would surely die. The reason he didn’t immediately escape using a Random Teleport Scroll was to test their strength, giving his guild members a better understanding of their abilities. He also wanted to use this encounter to hone his own skills. As the fight progressed, Nie Yan grew increasingly alarmed. The five thieves, known as Xuesha, were incredibly strong. Only Nie Yan could hold out against them for so long. If other players from the Niuren Tribe, except for a few like Cui Can Dao Guang, Shui Se Yan Tou, and Sun, were ambushed by them, their chances of survival would be slim.
No wonder players like Bad Guy and Xia Chong Yu Bing had fallen victim to these five. Bad Guy and Xia Chong Yu Bing were definitely elite-level players, but against this group of five, they were at risk unless they escaped immediately using a Random Teleport Scroll. However, players from the Niuren Tribe, with their proud personalities, would never consider fleeing before a fight.
These five thieves were targeting the elites of the Niuren Tribe, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. This was indeed a troublesome situation.
After this incident, Nie Yan resolved to make sure his guild members were vigilant and never to act alone to avoid ambushes.
Even with Nie Yan’s many skills, it was impossible to fight five top-tier thieves simultaneously. He was struggling hard.
“Quick Retreat!”
Using the Quick Retreat skill’s speed boost, Nie Yan rapidly retreated backward.
Seeing Nie Yan trying to escape, Ming charged forward with a Sudden Rush.
As Ming closed in, Nie Yan sidestepped and countered.
Nie Yan moved quickly, dodging Ming’s attack and striking Ming’s back with an elbow.
It was a free-style skill!
Caught off guard, Ming was hit by the elbow strike, staggering backward and nearly spitting out blood. He barely managed to hold it back, his body entering a disabled state—the effect of the counterattack elbow!
Nie Yan’s counterattack was well-timed. Seeing that Ming was disabled, he swung Zeinald’s Sword toward Ming’s head.
Among the five, Ming and Lie were the strongest, with Ying being slightly inferior. If Nie Yan could eliminate either Ming or Lie, he still had a chance to win.
Zeinald’s Sword blazed with intense flames as Nie Yan infused it with Cataclysmic Disaster. This strike would undoubtedly kill Ming!
However, at that very moment, seeing the dire situation, Lie and the other teammates rushed forward.
“Block!”
Nie Yan had to retract his swing and blocked Lie’s charge with Zeinald’s Sword. At that moment, another dagger headed straight for Nie Yan’s back.
Nie Yan vanished, dodging the attack from behind. With a leap, he escaped their assault and dashed outward.
The five thieves pursued relentlessly. Ming, rescued by his teammates, recovered from his disabled state and joined the chase.
Nie Yan had used every trick in his arsenal but still couldn’t break their coordination. If he could instantly kill one or two of them, things would be much easier. However, their teamwork was so tight and their support so timely that Nie Yan had no opportunity to eliminate any of them.
Nie Yan’s skills were limited and soon ran out, while their skills seemed endless, leaving him overwhelmed.
Enough. This time, it seemed impossible to defeat them. However, this encounter was still valuable. At the very least, Nie Yan now understood their true strength.
Nie Yan pulled out a Random Teleport Scroll from his bag. If he couldn’t win, he would escape. A wise man bides his time for revenge.
“Don’t let him escape! We must kill him here today! The invincible myth of Nie Yan will end at our hands!” Seeing Nie Yan take out a scroll, Ming gritted his teeth, accelerating his attack toward Nie Yan. If they could kill Nie Yan together, their reputation would skyrocket fivefold.
This was their opportunity—absolutely not to be missed!
“Die!” Feng launched a stun attack toward Nie Yan’s forehead. Lie and Ming flanked Nie Yan from behind, blocking his escape route. Meanwhile, Ying chanted a spell and activated a High-Level Web Scroll. A giant net descended from the sky.
Nie Yan had nowhere left to retreat. As Feng’s dagger was about to pierce his forehead,
Ying launched an Illusory Strike.
Nie Yan’s body suddenly created multiple illusions, dodging Feng’s attack. At the same time, he crushed the Random Teleport Scroll.
As Nie Yan crushed the scroll, three daggers simultaneously struck his head, forehead, and chest.
Hit!
Ming and the others shouted in excitement.
Just then, Nie Yan’s body twisted and vanished from the spot.
“Damn! It’s a Random Teleport Scroll!”
Nie Yan had acted too fast. Had he been a moment slower, even the Random Teleport Scroll wouldn’t have saved him.
“Damn it! He still got away!” Lie and Ming exchanged glances, both astonished.
“At the beginning, Nie Yan had ample opportunity to use the Random Teleport Scroll but didn’t. He stayed and played with us for so long, probably testing our strength. Even under our five-man assault, he still remained undefeated. Nie Yan truly lives up to his reputation,” Ming said with admiration. After the fight, even he had to admit Nie Yan’s superior skill.
“What do we do next? How do we explain this to our client?” Lie asked.
“Forget it. We’ll wait for another chance. As per our agreement, if we can’t kill Nie Yan, we can still target a few other elite members of the Niuren Tribe. Next time we meet them, we’ll renegotiate the price. If they want Nie Yan assassinated, the payment must be doubled,” Ming replied. After today’s encounter, he was certain Nie Yan was worth every penny.
“Let’s go back,” Ying said, as they had already ambushed Nie Yan here, making it unsafe to linger. They needed to leave immediately.
After using the Random Teleport Scroll, Nie Yan reappeared in a forest over a thousand yards away. Three damage numbers floated above his head, and he was stunned for several seconds before the effect wore off.
Nie Yan hid in a corner and bandaged himself. Fortunately, he was fine—just barely. Thanks to the timely use of the Random Teleport Scroll, he had narrowly escaped. That small margin was a testament to his skill. Had he been a moment slower, he would have perished. Unfortunately, his Falkner Warhorse was lost, likely suffering a drop in loyalty.
These five were indeed formidable.
Nie Yan sent the battle footage of his encounter with Lie, Ming, and the others to Guo Huai. After watching the video, Guo Huai asked in shock, “You were ambushed?”
“It was the Xuesha group. They’re very strong. I barely escaped. Warn the others to be cautious and avoid being alone outside,” Nie Yan replied.
“If even you barely escaped?” After watching the video, Guo Huai furrowed his brow. If Nie Yan had nearly been defeated, ordinary players encountering the Xuesha group would likely fare even worse.
“Gather intelligence on them. Report their location immediately once found,” Nie Yan instructed. Since Xuesha was so bold, he would respond in kind. He issued a bounty mission within the Assassin Alliance—100 gold for each Xuesha member killed and confirmed, and around 1,000 gold for each of the five, including Lie and Ming.
This was a case of fighting fire with fire.
“Understood, I’ll handle it right away,” Guo Huai nodded. He realized the seriousness of the situation. The Xuesha group was too strong. If they continued ambushing and assassinating players from the Niuren Tribe, the guild would suffer heavy losses. This matter had to be resolved!
As he was chatting with Guo Huai, Nie Yan received a task prompt.
Quest Update: Go talk to Ignatius. He is urgently looking for you.
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