Chapter 473: The Name of Shadow Kill!

The gang of thieves was still waiting for an opportunity, hoping to strike when Nie Yan encountered a boss or other monster. What they didn’t know was that they were walking on the edge of death—Nie Yan had already sensed their presence.

“Keep an eye on him. Don’t get too close. Maintain distance. We don’t know how high Niegong the Mad Bandit’s perception is. Keep at least twenty yards away from Niegong the Mad Bandit!” commanded Hei’an Yuyi in the party chat.

“Hei’an Yuyi, don’t worry, we’ve got it covered,” one of the thieves replied.

Hei’an Yuyi took out a gray scroll from his backpack—Soul Binding Scroll. When activated, it would bind the enemy, preventing them from fleeing beyond two hundred yards or using skills like recall. It lasted for three minutes, unless one of the caster or target died first.

The effect of the Soul Binding Scroll was somewhat similar to the Shadow Priest’s Warlock Chains, but in terms of effectiveness, Warlock Chains was significantly inferior.

Soul Binding Scrolls were still quite rare. They had only a 0.005% drop rate from monsters in the 70th-level map, the Soul Palace in Moonlight City. Other maps yielded even fewer. Across the entire realm of Faith, there were only a handful in existence.

Hei’an Yuyi had spent a long time farming monsters in the Soul Palace and had only managed to obtain one such scroll. Yet he was preparing to use it on Nie Yan without hesitation.

“Mad thief Nie Yan, let’s see where you run now,” Hei’an Yuyi thought to himself, his gaze locked onto Nie Yan’s back. The only thing making him cautious was the four Demon Forge Blacksmiths and the Golden Earth Dragon accompanying Nie Yan. He would wait a little longer, waiting for the right moment to strike.

At that moment, Nie Yan suddenly vanished into stealth mode, disappearing from their sight.

“Where did that damned thief Nie Yan go?” Black Feather exclaimed in alarm.

“I don’t know. He’s gone, maybe scouting ahead,” another thief replied.

Hearing this, Hei’an Yuyi felt slightly reassured, though an uneasy premonition lingered in his mind.

Nie Yan, hidden in stealth, silently circled behind the group of thieves, hiding in a corner. He muttered a low command: “True Sight!”

Two beams of red light shot from Nie Yan’s eyes as he scanned the area. Near several demon statues, one faint figure after another appeared—one, two, three…

Nie Yan confirmed the positions of over twenty thieves. Were there more hiding in the shadows? He couldn’t be sure, but discovering this many was already impressive.

Using his stealth, Nie Yan crept toward one of the thieves. He struck from behind with a sneak attack, followed by a throat slash, killing him instantly.

“It’s the mad thief Nie Yan!”

“He’s behind us!”

The thieves cried out in alarm. While they had been following Nie Yan from behind, they never expected Nie Yan to turn the tables and attack them from behind.

At that moment, Nie Yan’s four Demon Forge Blacksmiths suddenly turned around and roared furiously, like four giant beasts charging toward the thieves of the Mage Alliance and Holy Guardians.

The Golden Earth Dragon let out a mighty roar and suddenly attacked, unleashing a torrent of dragonfire. The scorching breath soared through the air and struck three thieves in stealth mode. The thieves instantly turned into three flashes of white light, not even having time to scream.

“No good! We’ve been discovered!” Hei’an Yuyi exclaimed in shock. He couldn’t figure out how Nie Yan had detected them from such a distance. But there was no time to think—the Demon Forge Blacksmiths were already upon them.

“Boss Yuyi, what do we do?” a thief asked anxiously.

“Run!”

As soon as Hei’an Yuyi’s words left his mouth, two Demon Forge Blacksmiths attacked from both sides, swinging their massive hammers down from the sky.

“I won’t go down that easily!” As one Demon Forge Blacksmith’s hammer came crashing down, Hei’an Yuyi activated Dash Step to evade. He had barely run a few steps when another hammer came down from the sky, striking him with a loud crash and sending him flying.

With a thud, Hei’an Yuyi crashed onto the ground. Immediately afterward, a stream of dragonfire descended from above, engulfing him in flames. He never even had the chance to use the Soul Binding Scroll.

“Boss Yuyi!”

“Boss Yuyi!”

The thieves stared at each other in shock. They never imagined their skilled leader could be taken down so easily.

From a distance, Nie Yan, controlling the Demon Forge Blacksmiths, raised an eyebrow. The fallen thief had reacted well, skillfully using Dash Step. But to think they could assassinate him? That was sheer arrogance.

With a loud crash, a Demon Forge Blacksmith swung its hammer and struck a thief, sending him flying. One after another, the sounds of impact echoed as thief after thief was smashed into the air and fell to the ground.

The thieves of the Mage Alliance and Holy Guardians were chased in panic by the Demon Forge Blacksmiths.

At that moment, Nie Yan activated a high-level Entangling Vines scroll. As the incantation completed, green vines sprouted from the ground, binding over a dozen thieves in place. Then, the Golden Earth Dragon summoned a meteor that crashed from the sky, exploding in a roaring inferno that consumed the bound thieves.

“Sending these weaklings to deal with me? The Mage Alliance and Holy Guardians are even more naive than I thought,” Nie Yan sneered. Surveying the area, he noticed the remaining thieves who had evaded his detection were now fleeing in all directions. Out of the original group of about thirty thieves from the Mage Alliance and Holy Guardians, over twenty had already been eliminated, leaving only about ten scattered survivors.

The thieves now realized how ridiculous their belief was—that their numbers and coordination could defeat Nie Yan.

Watching from a hiding place in the distance, Chiyan and Tianfa both gasped in shock.

“Chiyan, are we really going to pursue Mad Bandit Nie Yan?” Tianfa asked, his heart turning cold. Chasing after Nie Yan with just their small team would be suicidal! Thirty enemies were annihilated in the blink of an eye—this was nothing short of a one-sided slaughter!

Chiyan was also shaken by Nie Yan’s display, and messaged in the party chat: “I’ll send a message to our guild leader. Wait for his command.”

“Send the video we recorded to the guild leader,” Tianfa said. Once the guild leader saw the footage, he would understand the situation—Mad Thief Nie Yan was simply beyond their capabilities.

“Alright,” Chiyan nodded. After a moment, he checked his private messages and announced in the party chat: “The guild leader has issued orders: abort this operation and leave two people to continue tracking the Mad Bandit Nie Yan.”

Hearing Chiyan’s words, the other seven thieves all sighed in relief. Assassinating the notorious thief Nie Yan was clearly not a task for ordinary men!

Except for Tianfa and Chiyan, the rest of the thieves retreated the way they came. The two would stay behind to observe how Nie Yan concluded this battle. They kept a distance of over fifty yards from Nie Yan, too afraid to get closer.

As several thieves were about to escape, Nie Yan pulled out a Web Spell scroll, attempting to take down one or two more.

As he began chanting the spell, a sudden surge of elemental energy rippled through the air. The surrounding shadows stretched out like tendrils, encircling Nie Yan.

It was Shadow Bind!

Nie Yan’s heart jolted. He quickly canceled the scroll. As he prepared to dodge with Dash Step, his body suddenly froze, unable to move.

He was locked down!

At that moment, a figure emerged from the darkness at blinding speed, rushing toward Nie Yan. The dagger in his hand gleamed coldly.

Nie Yan caught a glimpse of the figure from the corner of his eye—Ying Sha, who had been missing for some time!

Instantly, Nie Yan’s mind raced. Those thirty-odd thieves were far too weak. The Mage Alliance and Holy Guardians would never expect such a group to defeat him. Their leaders wouldn’t be that foolish. The only explanation was that these thieves were merely bait, sent to draw Nie Yan’s attention. While Nie Yan was distracted, Ying Sha, hiding in the shadows, had struck suddenly.

Ying Sha moved at the peak of speed.

This was the essence of an assassin!

Assassins relied on one decisive strike!

The moment Nie Yan was locked down, the shadows around him twisted into ropes, binding him tightly. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t break free. While a lockdown merely prevented movement, Shadow Bind rendered him completely immobile, unable to use any active skills.

Ying Sha launched a sudden Rush, vanishing from his spot. In the next instant, he reappeared before Nie Yan, dagger raised high, aiming for the back of Nie Yan’s head.

Sneak Attack!

In this fleeting moment, time seemed to fly by. Nie Yan had no way to evade, with most of his skills on cooldown. Ying Sha’s appearance had been too sudden—Nie Yan had no time to think. A chilling aura pierced through from behind.

From the moment Ying Sha appeared to the moment he reached Nie Yan’s side, every skill flowed seamlessly into the next, without the slightest pause. Ying Sha knew that against a master like Nie Yan, giving him even a second to react would create countless variables. Ying Sha had only one choice—be fast, faster, fastest! Speed was the only way to break through!

“Die, you mad bandit Nie Yan!” Ying Sha’s eyes narrowed into slits, overflowing with murderous intent.

He would make Nie Yan die!

Ying Sha had repeatedly simulated this battle in his mind, studying Nie Yan’s skills, habits, and attack patterns. He had prepared meticulously for this moment. He would eliminate every possible variable, striving for perfection and leaving no room for error.

He was an assassin, a killer. Victory belonged to whoever could eliminate the opponent, no matter the method!

The legend of the invaсible thief Nie Yan would end here—by the hand of the assassin Ying Sha!

This strike would become a classic moment remembered by countless players!