Nie Yan glanced at his equipment: the Obsidian Leather Armor, Ghost King Legguards, Zennad’s Sword, Shadow of Darkness. When he initially started collecting the Chapters of Order, his gear was barely at a beginner level. However, after extensive crafting over time, his equipment had long surpassed that of the vast majority of players.
Especially the Zennad’s Sword—currently, which player could withstand a slash from a weapon with over 600 attack power and +12 level ignore? Let alone Nie Yan’s own formidable attributes; even shield-bearing warriors clad in heavy armor would still fall under his blade!
Still, he was uncertain how many people were on the other side. If there were a group of top-tier players, he would need to be cautious.
Nie Yan naturally wouldn’t go charging in to his death. As a rogue, when outnumbered by the enemy, tactics were crucial.
“You should be careful; word came that this player named Canshe is accompanied by a dozen people.” However, Gu Huai quickly reconsidered and smiled, “I guess I’m overthinking. Numbers won’t matter to you anyway.”
In their eyes, Nie Yan’s skills alone could easily handle any situation.
“Just take care of the people over there, get the Chapter of Order, and come back quickly. We still need you to finalize the construction plans for the other strongholds. Also, tomorrow we’re heading into a dungeon as a group, and we’ll need your guidance,” Cui Can Dao Guang said. They were heading to the forty-level Dragon Bell Valley, a newly opened dungeon. They would gather the team first and wait for Nie Yan before entering, which would help avoid many losses.
“No problem. Contact me when you’re ready,” Nie Yan replied. With their group of top-tier players forming a team, even tackling an expert-level dungeon wouldn’t be an issue.
Nie Yan thought for a moment. Besides the several Chapters of Order, he also needed to collect the remaining fragments of the Sogard Shadow, specifically the part located in the thirty-level Karong Valley. Thinking about the location of the Sogard Shadow fragment, it should be absolutely safe; otherwise, he wouldn’t have left it untouched until now.
After a while, Yu Rui from the Longyue Syndicate arrived. The Bull Tribe handed over the commercial district responsible for credit point transactions to the Longyue Syndicate. In return, the Longyue Syndicate injected another 50,000 gold coins into the Bull Tribe, further strengthening their financial resources.
With the new capital injection from the Longyue Syndicate, Nie Yan began equipping his team members with various high-end items, such as large-capacity backpacks. Additionally, the number of guild members who had purchased mounts continued to rise, reaching a total of 3,000. These 3,000 members were all top-tier players within the Bull Tribe, forming an elite mobile force meticulously cultivated by the guild.
After capturing the stronghold, the Bull Tribe was directly promoted to a level-five guild, steadily advancing toward level six.
With massive financial investment, the Bull Tribe was growing rapidly, and more and more players in Karol City were aspiring to join.
“I’m going to check things out in Radiant City. Although various guilds are competing to seize and build their own strongholds, the Crusader Empire and Holy Flame currently pose no immediate threat to us. However, we must be cautious of potential surprise attacks from groups like Blade of Blood, Mage Alliance, and Sacred Guardians, especially Blade of Blood, which is so close to us. We need to be prepared,” Nie Yan warned with some concern.
“Don’t worry. Although these strongholds haven’t been fully developed yet, the walls have been reinforced, and there are plenty of defenders. Even if attacked, we can hold out long enough for us to organize reinforcements,” Gu Huai replied confidently. He had already considered this. Although Blade of Blood was located near Karol City, even if they captured the Bull Tribe’s stronghold, it wouldn’t last long. Karol City was the Bull Tribe’s territory!
Nie Yan nodded. Since Gu Huai had already taken precautions, he felt reassured.
“Blade of Blood has been making frequent moves in collaboration with the Crusader Empire and Holy Flame, hinting at a possible alliance against us. They’ve even started poaching our members with high salaries. Players like Xia Chong Yu Bing and Ben Zhi E Mo have received their invitations. Many members have refused, but it’s hard to say whether some might be tempted,” Gu Huai said, clearly stressed by these developments.
“I think most Bull Tribe members understand that Blade of Blood’s offers are merely tactics to weaken our guild and are not credible. Staying with the Bull Tribe ensures future growth. If they defect to Blade of Blood, no matter how skilled they are, they will always be seen as traitors,” Nie Yan replied. In Faith, a player who betrays a guild for personal gain will forever be labeled a traitor, recorded in their personal file. Who would trust such a person afterward?
Given the Bull Tribe’s comprehensive guild policies, when an elite member joins, they typically sign a contract entitling them to various benefits. Leaving the guild in breach of contract requires paying multiple times the penalty fee. Coupled with the negative record, few signatory members ever left. As for regular players, if they wanted to leave, there was little that could be done to stop them.
Of course, there were always exceptions—those who lost their heads over money.
“I’m just worried that if they offer high enough salaries, more people might be tempted,” Gu Huai said, noting a slight increase in recent resignations from the Bull Tribe.
“So what? They try to poach our members with high salaries, so we can poach their elite members with even better offers! The Bull Tribe isn’t short on funds anymore. However, we must closely monitor any defectors, offer them the best treatment, but impose the strictest clauses to prevent future betrayals,” Nie Yan replied. Guild rivalries weren’t just fought openly; behind the scenes, covert battles were constantly waged.
The Bull Tribe feared no declaration of war. Compared to other guilds, the Bull Tribe had fewer members, allowing benefits to be distributed more generously per member—several times higher than other guilds. Many players longed to join the Bull Tribe but couldn’t find an opening. Those who did join rarely considered leaving.
This elite-focused strategy ensured that each Bull Tribe member surpassed ordinary players in strength, fostering a strong sense of pride among members. With teammates and comrades all around them, Blade of Blood’s attempts to poach might affect a few individuals, but overall, it had little impact on the Bull Tribe as a whole.
“I’ll get right on it. Let’s see who can withstand longer—Blade of Blood or the Bull Tribe!” Gu Huai’s eyes lit up as he listened to Nie Yan’s plan. Using their own tactics against them was indeed a clever move.
With Gu Huai handling guild affairs, Nie Yan felt at ease. Gu Huai was always steady in his approach, and with Nie Yan’s guidance, as long as the overall direction remained correct, everything would be fine.
Cui Can Dao Guang and others had already formed a group and were preparing to go leveling.
“Just be careful. Don’t let yourselves be targeted,” Nie Yan warned Cui Can Dao Guang and the others. They were easy targets while leveling in regular zones, even though the Crusader Empire and Holy Flame had been quiet lately. The Bull Tribe still had many other enemies, such as Blade of Blood.
“Don’t worry. We’re going to the fifty-level zone to farm monsters. It’s usually pretty empty there,” Cui Can Dao Guang replied.
Nie Yan looked at his team members: Cui Can Dao Guang, Shui Se Yantou, Leng Ao Ying, Li Li Huasha, Sha Bu Si De Huaide, Xia Chong Yu Bing, Xi Huan Jiangnan… Each of them was an elite force within the Bull Tribe. If any trouble arose, with their strength, it wouldn’t be easy for other guilds to take them down.
As Nie Yan and others chatted, a group of distant members kept glancing their way.
Shui Se Yantou pointed at Nie Yan’s waist where Zennad’s Sword hung. “A few members from the Dead Leaf Workshop asked us to check what sword you’re carrying. They said it looks awesome. They want to know where it drops so they can get one too.”
Zennad’s Sword had a unique design, its entire blade engulfed in eternal black flames, exuding an unmistakable aura of sharpness. It was impossible to go unnoticed.
Nie Yan chuckled. They thought Zennad’s Sword was a common item like Splitting Blades or Eternal Sets, something you could farm for a while in a fixed area and eventually obtain? They were way off.
“This is Zennad’s Sword,” Nie Yan smiled. If he didn’t say it outright, these guys would surely keep pestering him about where it dropped.
Everyone present wore expressions of disbelief.
“Zennad? Isn’t that the tyrant from the Age of Darkness, the Dragon King?” Shui Se Yantou felt his mouth go dry. The name alone was a massive shock to him. Zennad, the Dragon King—this wasn’t just any legendary figure.
“Damn, no wonder it looks so damn cool. It’s Zennad’s!” Cui Can Dao Guang exclaimed, his curiosity about the sword’s attributes growing intensely.
Zennad’s Sword—just hearing the name was enough to know it was a unique item.
“A legendary item?” Shui Se Yantou asked. Named items were usually either semi-legendary or legendary. Especially one bearing such a flashy title as “Zennad, the Dragon King’s Sword,” it must at least be a legendary item, with extraordinary attributes.
“A sealed divine artifact, roughly equivalent to a level-50 epic gear,” Nie Yan replied. Since everyone was asking, there was no need to hide the attributes of Zennad’s Sword anymore. He simply activated the share function.
Instantly, the attributes of Zennad’s Sword spread rapidly among the team members, each one stunned by what they saw. This was the equipment used by their leader, the rogue legend Nie Yan!
Although this piece of equipment currently only matched the attributes of level-50 epic gear, at this stage, it was considered top-tier. Such high-damage attributes made it an incredibly powerful weapon. For players at this level, it lived up to its name—a mighty sword of slaughter, a god-slaying blade!
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