After chatting with Yaoyao for a while, Nie Yan mailed her one of the semi-legendary equipments he had on hand—Arcanoknights’ Hand of Knowledge. As for the other semi-legendary gauntlets, Entari’s Praying Gauntlets, he placed them into his personal warehouse.
What Nie Yan gave Yaoyao was nowhere near comparable to what Yaoyao had given him.
Yaoyao’s voice was like a refreshing stream, temporarily relieving his worries.
Yaoyao knew that during the time she entered the sealed map, Nie Yan had resolved the troubles of the Bull Tribe, which eased her concerns.
The Dragon Vault Consortium’s ability to gather gold was similar to that of financial conglomerates from last century; they might be able to hold on for another day or two, but if the duration extended further, they would definitely be dragged down.
Even Yaoyao could now undergo her second class change. Nie Yan did a tally and found that currently in the Bull Tribe, there were as many as sixty members who had reached the level fifty requirement for their second class change. These more than sixty individuals had a great chance of becoming top-tier players in the future. In terms of development potential, the Bull Tribe could probably only be matched by a few guilds like Angel Dominion, Angel’s Fall, and Earth Dragon Soar.
After ending the voice chat, Nie Yan teleported to Ishbel Town, a tranquil settlement filled with modern stone architecture, ornate railings, and exquisite carvings, giving a clear impression of the residents’ wealth. The lush green grass and blooming flowers throughout the town created a picturesque scene.
NPC residents hurried along the streets, but instead of looking cheerful, they appeared anxious.
Nie Yan recalled that in his previous life at level sixty, when he came to this town, he could chat casually with any NPC resident and be given a quest to hunt down evil thieves, with generous monetary rewards. As a result, players often formed parties to come here to farm gold.
Receiving this hostage-rescue class-change quest caught Nie Yan off guard. He made his way out of the town and, once outside, summoned his Falkner Warhorse before riding northward toward the Ishbel Mountains at full speed.
Galloping swiftly along the mountain trails, the terrain was rough and uneven. The monsters spawning here were all silver-gray Thornwood Behemoths, resembling massive tree stumps covered in sharp spikes. These level sixty creatures boasted formidable attack and defense capabilities.
While advancing along the mountain path, magical explosions erupted in the distance, drawing his attention. This was a level sixty map—what guild was farming monsters here in a group?
Nie Yan recalled that in this valley, the spawn was the Thornwood Lord, a level sixty boss monster. A team capable of defeating such a high-level boss must truly be formidable.
After thinking for a moment, Nie Yan decided to head toward the distant valley to check things out.
Standing atop a high slope, he looked down and saw a pitch-black, massive Thornwood Lord roaring furiously. Below, a team of nearly sixty to seventy players was attacking in an orderly formation—shield warriors held the front line while mages cast spells from behind, sending streaks of magic soaring into the sky.
In the entire Carol City, only a few guilds could handle a level sixty boss: the Bull Tribe, Holy Roman Empire, Kalam Temple, Light Holy Flame, and Triumph Empire. Only these five guilds could manage it, while other guilds were basically incapable.
Nie Yan noticed that it was the Triumph Empire players—over sixty of them, all quite high-level, around levels forty-five and forty-six.
They formed a crescent shape around the thornwood giant, with a group of rogues furiously stabbing at its back.
Mages were scattered everywhere—on rocks, in trees, at every suitable position.
Triumph Empire, Nie Yan smirked slightly, he didn’t have time to get entangled with these players right now, but quietly leaving without a trace wasn’t his style. As the leader of the Bull Tribe, running away would only invite mockery.
At the very least, he had to let these Triumph Empire players know he had been here!
Nie Yan leapt from the rock and strolled down toward the flat area in the valley below. With a flick of his finger and a string of arcane incantations, after a short while, a massive golden earth drake appeared before him. Man and dragon descended slowly and steadily.
“Chen Su, when the Thornwood Lord summons vines, be sure to raise your shield precisely three seconds after its roar,” calmly instructed a Holy Word mage. Known as Huo Yu in the Triumph Empire, he was one of their elite Holy Word mages, leading this team in their battle against the Thornwood Lord.
“Tian Rui, cast spell buffs!”
“Got it.” Liu Rui responded, casting a spell buff on Huo Yu. This Arcane Mage skill accelerated the casting speed of spellcasters.
Liu Rui’s in-game name was Tian Rui, currently level forty-four. He was definitely within the top fifty of the Triumph Empire, and previously this ranking had brought him some satisfaction. However, now it had become a source of shame. He had just received news from Feiyun that Xie Yao had already reached level fifty-two—an astonishing level. Moreover, Xie Yao possessed at least three semi-legendary equipments, which were considered god-tier gear in the eyes of players!
Compared to Xie Yao, Liu Rui felt a sense of inferiority. If Xie Yao were only one or two levels higher, he might still have the motivation to catch up. But with an eight-level gap, he felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t catch up to Xie Yao. Especially after witnessing that man standing behind Yaoyao, who had become an inescapable nightmare in his mind—Nie Yan, an immortal legend. With Nie Yan casually standing there, where was there any room left for him? Every night in his dreams, he saw Xie Yao leaning in the arms of that man, igniting a surge of resentment within him. If he couldn’t have her, no one else could either!
Under Huo Yu’s command, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion, with shield warriors firmly holding the Thornwood Lord’s attention.
“Everyone, push hard! The Thornwood Lord is almost down! Priests, hurry up!” Huo Yu shouted anxiously, watching the Thornwood Lord’s health drop to around 2%.
Just then, a player suddenly cried out.
“Huo Yu, someone’s coming!”
“Huo Yu, it’s a golden earth drake! It’s Nie Yan!”
Hearing the players’ alarmed cries, Huo Yu looked toward the nearby hill and saw Nie Yan approaching, his massive golden earth drake by his side. His heart constricted—Nie Yan’s appearance felt like a death sentence. Was Nie Yan planning to attack?
Watching Nie Yan approach calmly, their breathing became shallow.
“Finish off the Bramblewood Lord, hurry!” Huo Yu barked urgently. Even if Nie Yan intended to attack, they had to secure the boss’s loot first!
Nie Yan glanced at the Thornwood Lord indifferently. Most of its drops were mediocre and not worth much to experienced players.
He was merely passing through; attacking these players would be beneath him.
Nie Yan was still over fifty yards away from the Triumph Empire players. They stared at him nervously but persisted in their attack. Spell after spell struck the Bramblewood Lord, its skin gradually turning a vivid crimson.
“Watch out! The Thornwood Lord is summoning vines! Add shields!”
“Hurry!”
The Thornwood Lord let out a deep roar. Vines erupted from the ground, tightly binding the Triumph Empire players—only a few shielded warriors managed to evade the entanglement.
Boom! Boom! Boom! A barrage of spells exploded against the Thornwood Lord, which roared furiously, staggered, and collapsed to the ground.
Two shield warriors rushed forward and picked up the dropped equipment.
Watching the two warriors retrieve the Thornwood Lord’s loot, Huo Yu’s tension eased slightly. As he observed Nie Yan steadily approaching, an odd sense of relief washed over him. What awaited them next—would it be a massacre at Nie Yan’s hands?
Bound by the vines, the Triumph Empire players couldn’t move, watching helplessly as Nie Yan drew closer, now only ten yards away. The terrifying size of the golden earth drake made them shudder. The drake snorted, sending waves of scorching heat and rolling flames. Its enormous, fiery eyes surveyed the Triumph Empire players, making their hearts tighten.
In contrast, Nie Yan appeared completely at ease. He glanced at the group and continued forward.
“Follow my command—nobody attacks first!” Huo Yu bellowed in the team chat. Nie Yan might be waiting for them to strike first, giving him a pretext for retaliation. They couldn’t fall into his trap.
Still, Nie Yan’s presence created immense pressure—was he planning to wipe out the entire team?
These sixty to seventy players exchanged glances, their vine bindings fading. Seeing Nie Yan approach, they scattered like a wave, moving far away from him.
Nie Yan’s calm demeanor intimidated them greatly. Despite their numbers, not a single person dared to confront him directly. They merely formed a distant encirclement around him.
It was a complete display of contempt!
Even if they suddenly attacked, Nie Yan wouldn’t flinch.
Side by side with his golden earth drake, Nie Yan walked through their midst as casually as if strolling in a garden.
Huo Yu raised his staff, then lowered it again. With a single command from him, over sixty players could launch an immediate assault on Nie Yan. Yet recalling how Nie Yan had slaughtered dozens even when surrounded by the Bloodthirsty Warriors’ blades, he felt discouraged. If they attacked first, it might not be Nie Yan lying on the ground—but them.
Nie Yan’s gaze swept across the Triumph Empire players, none daring to meet his eyes. At this moment, he was like a god descending among mortals.
His eyes settled on one individual in particular.
That person was none other than Tian Rui—Liu Rui. Who would have thought he’d be here too—talk about a small world!
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage