Chapter 296: Shock

The Sword of Zenanard soon became a legend of the Bull Tribe, just like the Grimoire Staff.

These were two invincible pieces of equipment.

To Nie Yan, the Sword of Zenanard was merely a powerful weapon. If it could be used to increase the Bull Tribe’s popularity, that would be even better. As long as he was careful, no one could take the Sword of Zenanard from his hands.

Pictures of the Sword of Zenanard were posted online, and its formidable attributes immediately drew exclamations from all players.

This was a piece of equipment that everyone could only look up to.

The description of the six seals on its attributes sparked endless imagination among players. This sword was essentially an upgradable weapon; each seal unlocked would significantly boost its attributes.

Additionally, there was a photo of Nie Yan holding the Sword of Zenanard. The black flames reflected on the blade added a solemn and cold aura to him. Combined with his dark-toned gear, it created a strong visual impact.

Once this photo was posted online, it was immediately shared by countless players. Nie Yan wasn’t particularly handsome, but his aloof demeanor, paired with his outrageously powerful equipment, gave him quite the appealing look.

Even without displaying his name, Nie Yan was quickly recognized by players. This person was clearly the leader of the Bull Tribe, the infamous thief Nie Yan!

Nie Yan had now become the golden banner of the Bull Tribe, an unshakable legend! In the game Faith, anyone who didn’t know Nie Yan would likely be looked down upon. His image had long been deeply etched into people’s minds through those previous battles.

A flood of comments appeared below the forum posts.

“What incredibly awesome gear! I’m still using silver equipment. What a huge gap…”

“Respectfully gazing up, the poster is a god!”

Nie Yan himself didn’t pay much attention to what was happening on the forums, except occasionally checking announcements from several major guilds. He basically ignored everything else.

Nie Yan teleported back to Carol City from the fortress, then took another teleport to Radiance City.

“Who is watching those people from Cense’s group?” Nie Yan messaged Guo Huai, asking. After exiting the city gates, he quickly moved toward the direction where Cense and others were located.

“It’s someone named Wu Dao, a member of the Hundred Thieves group,” Guo Huai replied.

Wu Dao? Nie Yan recalled that he had met that player outside the Crime Valley Canyon before. He seemed to be pretty skilled, so Nie Yan felt slightly reassured.

Nie Yan passed through the rocky wasteland outside Radiance City, heading toward the distant mountains. The scenery here was a bit different from Carol City. On the other side of Carol City was a vast expanse of fertile grassland, while here was a rocky desert scattered with boulders. The distant mountains were bald, occasionally dotted with sparse vegetation.

After entering the mountainous area, Nie Yan recalled his Falkner mount and then stealthily made his way toward Wu Dao’s coordinates.

“Where are you located?” Nie Yan messaged Wu Dao.

“Boss, you’re here already.” Wu Dao was excited upon hearing Nie Yan’s voice. He hadn’t expected Nie Yan to come personally. “Coordinates 238.289.280.”

Wu Dao immediately reported the minimap coordinates.

Nie Yan stealthily moved in that direction and soon found Wu Dao. They were hiding behind a rock and then appeared.

Looking into the distance, he noticed more than a dozen people there grinding monsters and leveling up. They were fighting level 50 Desert Pythons. The monster respawn rate was fast in this area. A shielded warrior was pulling aggro while nearby mages continuously bombarded the pythons with spells, methodically clearing the monsters.

Nie Yan glanced at Wu Dao beside him. Compared to his previously shabby gear, Wu Dao’s equipment had improved greatly. He was now level 41, and his gear had also been upgraded. His level 40 Assassin set was quite impressive for his current level.

Seeing Nie Yan, Wu Dao’s face lit up with excitement. In the eyes of all thieves, Nie Yan was undoubtedly a near-divine figure. His numerous PK videos had been widely shared among countless players and were revered as classic instructional material. Yet, to this day, no player had managed to match Nie Yan’s ghost-like speed.

Wu Dao often studied Nie Yan’s videos and considered him his idol without exaggeration.

“There are a few people over there. Tell me what’s going on,” Nie Yan said, his gaze as sharp as an eagle’s, fixed on those people in the distance.

A chilling light emanated from Nie Yan’s eyes, making Wu Dao feel a shiver run down his spine. This was the kind of decisive and formidable presence that Nie Yan had long been known for, causing countless players to tremble.

Wu Dao quickly composed his expression and replied seriously, “Thirteen people total. Two shield warriors, one berserker, one paladin, five mages, two priests, and two thieves. These people are very skilled, especially a shield warrior named Cense and an arcane mage named Youran. At least eleven of our thief brothers have fallen to them.” There was a hint of suppressed anger in Wu Dao’s voice as he mentioned those fallen thief brothers.

As a member of the Hundred Thieves group, Wu Dao had become very familiar with the rest of the team. Despite his somewhat introverted nature, he had integrated well with the other members. Additionally, the members of the Hundred Thieves group often worked together on missions, solved problems collaboratively, and took pride in being part of the Bull Tribe’s Hundred Thieves group. Over time, they had developed deep camaraderie. If a team member died during a mission, they would feel deeply distressed.

Nie Yan looked at Wu Dao beside him and understood his emotions. This kind of brotherly bond among teammates was forged through countless battles. As ordinary people often say, the deepest bonds are formed when people have fought side by side. Their bond was exactly that—forged in battle, facing powerful enemies together, watching each other’s backs, and trusting one another. This was the kind of friendship built in combat.

Nie Yan patted Wu Dao’s shoulder and said, “Remember these people’s names. Learn from the humiliation and strive to get your revenge personally.”

This was Nie Yan’s personal principle, the kind of integrity a man should have.

Wu Dao nodded solemnly.

“Let’s go meet them together,” Nie Yan said. He wasn’t sure about the skill level of those thirteen people in the distance, but the fact that so many members of the Bull Tribe’s Hundred Thieves had fallen to them meant they must be quite formidable.

“Okay,” Wu Dao replied, somewhat excitedly. Fighting side by side with Nie Yan was the dream of countless Bull Tribe members!

System: Player Nie Yan invites you to join the team. Do you accept?

Yes! Wu Dao quickly confirmed.

Nie Yan received a system prompt on his end.

System: Player Wu Dao has joined your team.

“Let’s go,” Nie Yan said. Seeing that the team was complete, his body gradually faded from view as he entered stealth mode and moved toward those people in the distance.

Seeing Nie Yan disappear, Wu Dao felt a slight tension and followed into stealth mode, though he was still quite excited.

A gust of fierce wind blew down the hillside, kicking up sand that darkened the sky. Combined with the abundance of scattered rocks around, it provided convenient cover for the thieves. Nie Yan and Wu Dao completely vanished into the sandstorm, leaving no trace for other players to find.

Up ahead on the open ground, a shielded warrior in a deep red set charged into the snake pack, using a taunt to draw nearby monsters toward him before switching to a defensive stance. From within the mage group, an arcane mage finished chanting a spell and waved his staff, causing a series of fireballs to rain down from the sky and strike the group of monsters, causing massive damage floating above their heads.

The priests nearby cast a Holy Shield on the shielded warrior and continuously threw healing spells his way.

A barrage of fireballs pelted the shielded warrior, causing a string of damage numbers to float above his head, but he seemed unfazed by the bombardment. As the damage from the mages at the back became too intense, the snakes redirected their aggro toward the mages at the rear. The shielded warrior then used Demoralizing Shout, causing the snakes to hesitate momentarily.

Immediately following this, another heavy rain of fire fell from the sky, with fireballs pouring down like a storm, quickly blowing up the snakes.

The Holy Shield on the shielded warrior finally shattered into pieces. On the ground lay the corpses of fifty to sixty snakes, leaving behind a battlefield strewn with remains. Only the shielded warrior remained standing, the two of them working together like a dazzling performance.

“Cense, Youran, great job,” several other shielded warriors and swordsmen approached with smiles, their voices filled with flattery.

“Not bad, everything went smoothly,” the central shielded warrior, dressed in bright armor, replied indifferently, giving off an air of aloofness.

This shielded warrior looked to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a fairly imposing physique. His deep red armor gleamed with a radiant sheen. His name displayed as a bright red, indicating he had killed at least fifty to sixty players to achieve that level of infamy. He sheathed his one-handed sword and walked in this direction.

“Pleasure working with you,” the mage named Youran exchanged a smile with the shielded warrior, Cense.

Youran, the arcane mage, wore a dark arcane robe covered in various strange runes, exuding a mysterious aura. He was about the same age as Cense, and the two had been partners for several years, making them seasoned teammates.

Youran sat on the nearby grassland drinking spring water to restore his mana, while their two thieves went ahead to pull more monsters.

“I wonder why the Bull Tribe hasn’t sent anyone over yet. I’m getting a bit restless. I’m just waiting here for them; whoever comes, I’ll kill them!” Cense said arrogantly.

They knew Nie Yan had the Chapter of Peace, but recently Nie Yan’s coordinates had been too erratic for them to determine his exact location. They had been continuously harassed by the Bull Tribe, but all the thieves they had sent had been driven back and over a dozen of them had been killed.

“Don’t get too complacent. Nie Yan does seem quite strong,” Youran said, though his tone was still casual.

“That coward has been hiding for so long. Other than sending some minor minions, he still hasn’t dared to come out?” Cense sneered disdainfully.