Nie Yan pondered for a moment. Although Century Corporation had withdrawn its capital from Carol City and had not acquired Holy Flame, it still caused him some concern. He couldn’t help but speculate where Cao Xu’s capital would flow next, which guilds it would eventually acquire, and whether it would continue reaching out toward the tribes of Bull and War God.
Nie Yan thought for a moment. No matter what the future held, enhancing his own strength would always be the most important. Once the Bull Tribe grew powerful enough, what did he have to fear from Century Corporation!
After clarifying his thoughts, Nie Yan stopped worrying about the matter and focused his attention on the current task—dealing with the Triumph Empire and Holy Flame first.
“I’ll head to the Guilty Chasm first. Be careful, and don’t advance recklessly without my command,” Nie Yan instructed, just in case there were ambushes set up by the Triumph Empire and Holy Flame.
Nie Yan left the town first, summoning his Falkner Warhorse. The tall stallion galloped away swiftly, leaving only a trail of dust behind.
As Nie Yan’s figure receded into the distance, the other team members stood there in astonishment.
Was their leader actually riding a mount?
At present, players couldn’t even dream of owning mounts, let alone seeing one. The mounts bred in the NPC stables cost anywhere from dozens to hundreds of gold coins, and even then they weren’t particularly impressive, nowhere near the caliber of the mount Nie Yan was riding.
Nie Yan’s Falkner Warhorse was tall and mighty, clad entirely in gleaming silver chainmail armor. Its movement speed was terrifyingly fast—just how many movement speed points had it gained!
“Damn it, the leader already has a mount! Why haven’t we heard him mention it before!”
“That warhorse looks really impressive. Where did he get it? Did he buy it?”
“The leader definitely wouldn’t spend so much money on a mount,” said Badman Who Can’t Be Killed and others who were more familiar with Nie Yan.
At present, the mounts sold at the NPC stables cost at least dozens of gold coins, with movement speed bonuses of around 50%. Mounts with movement speed bonuses exceeding 100% cost hundreds of gold coins, and those with bonuses over 200% cost thousands. Nie Yan’s Falkner Warhorse had a movement speed bonus far exceeding 200%! Where could one even purchase such a mount? Even selling off the entire Bull Tribe guild warehouse wouldn’t be enough.
“It must have been obtained through a quest.”
The guild members looked on with envy. The leader’s equipment was getting more and more impressive—now even owning such high-end gear.
Nie Yan rode his Falkner Warhorse at full speed, the scenery on both sides blurring past him.
He scouted around the entrance of the Guilty Chasm and noticed some scattered players from the Holy Roman Empire, Triumph Empire, Holy Flame, and Jialan Temple. These were spies dispatched by the four major guilds.
Nie Yan swiftly rode past on his stallion, glancing toward the nearby jungle, where a rogue from the Triumph Empire was wandering.
When the rogue saw Nie Yan, his gaze clearly froze for a moment.
What the hell! Am I seeing things? How come I encountered Bull Tribe’s leader, Crazy Thief Nie Yan, here?
And he was even riding a mount!
A formidable and powerful figure!
Even from over ten yards away, the rogue immediately recognized Nie Yan. The image of Crazy Thief Nie Yan was already well-known among countless players.
Just then, a flash of cold light streaked by, moving at an incredible speed.
Before the rogue could react, a beam of cold light struck the back of his head. A gleaming dagger slashed across his throat, blood spurting out, followed by another flash hitting his forehead.
A faint figure appeared in front of the player from the Triumph Empire, swiftly ending his life with a single strike.
Nie Yan reined in his horse and looked toward where the fight had occurred. The rogue had moved pretty quickly, but Nie Yan couldn’t tell who had taken him down. Glancing at the figure, he saw a young man in his early twenties, clad in relatively poor-quality leather armor, at best only silver-grade. However, the dagger in his hand looked quite decent.
Looking closer, Nie Yan realized it was a member of the Bull Tribe named Wu Dao, whose name sounded somewhat familiar.
“Hello, Chief Nie Yan,” Wu Dao excitedly greeted Nie Yan, surprised to see him here.
“Hello,” Nie Yan nodded, glancing at the corpse on the ground. “Good technique.”
Wu Dao had taken down the player from the Triumph Empire quickly and decisively.
“I’ve been watching Chief Nie Yan’s videos recently and practicing them. I found they were quite effective,” Wu Dao felt a surge of happiness. He hadn’t expected Nie Yan to praise him—it was an acknowledgment from Nie Yan himself! This sentence would be etched into his memory forever, a moment of pride to savor repeatedly.
“Are you leveling here?” Nie Yan asked, wondering why Wu Dao had appeared here.
“I’m part of the Rogue Hundred Group. Brother Guo Huai sent us here to scout ahead,” Wu Dao explained.
To ensure Nie Yan and the others’ safety, Guo Huai had stationed many scouts outside the Guilty Chasm, and the entire Rogue Hundred Group had been mobilized. In addition to monitoring the surrounding area, they had also eliminated many spies from the Triumph Empire and Holy Flame.
“If you’re part of the Rogue Hundred Group, why is your equipment so poor?” Nie Yan pointed at Wu Dao’s gear. It didn’t make sense—how could a player with such skill be wearing such low-quality equipment! Guo Huai had never been stingy with the Rogue Hundred Group, providing them with the best equipment in the guild. How could Wu Dao be so under-equipped?
Wu Dao chuckled awkwardly and explained, “A few days ago, I got into a conflict with a group of seven from the Triumph Empire. I took out three of them, but after gaining a red name, I was accidentally killed. I lost all my equipment and haven’t replaced it yet.” He omitted the embarrassing truth—that he had been showing off in front of a female teammate and ended up getting killed.
Wu Dao was now around level 25 or 26, meaning he had been at least level 27 or 28 before. His level was quite decent, but getting killed with a red name was indeed a tragic occurrence.
“Go to the guild warehouse and pick out a suitable set of equipment. If you don’t have enough guild contribution points, just put it on credit and tell Guo Huai I said so,” Nie Yan told Wu Dao. It was a pity for such a skilled player to be wearing such poor gear.
“Thank you, Chief.”
“Be careful not to get killed again.”
“This time won’t happen,” Wu Dao scratched his head and awkwardly smiled.
“I’m off first,” Nie Yan urged his Falkner Warhorse forward, riding toward the Guilty Chasm.
“See you later, Chief Nie Yan.”
Nie Yan rode his Falkner Warhorse into the distance, muttering a name to himself: “Wu Dao, Wu Dao… this name sounds so familiar, but I just can’t remember.” He thought for a while and then gave up. After all, Nie Yan couldn’t possibly remember every person he had met.
Nie Yan arrived at the entrance of the Guilty Chasm. The terrain here was indeed treacherous. In the center was a flat area covered in various weeds, about ten yards wide. On both sides were steep, smooth cliffs, as if sliced by a blade.
Looking up, only a narrow strip of sky was visible, with cliffs towering a hundred yards high.
Looking at the unique terrain, Nie Yan began to believe the legends might be true. Could this canyon really have been split open? Legends were rarely baseless; they might stem from information players had encountered and revealed.
Just like Nie Yan himself, after reading the Chapter of Order, he had gained access to some previously unknown information.
This canyon stretched about two to three hundred yards long, truly a place where one could hold off a thousand.
Nie Yan’s gaze swept across the cliff walls, spotting seven or eight caves on either side.
The terrain of the Guilty Chasm was complex, with many caves.
“Guo Huai, how many Featherfall Gems has our guild obtained?” Nie Yan asked. He had previously mentioned Featherfall Gems to Guo Huai and had asked him to collect more.
“We only managed to obtain two. Unfortunately, the Expert-level Treant Forest only opens once every five days, and the level is too high for us to fight there. We can only send in some low-level teams,” Guo Huai replied. Did Nie Yan need Featherfall Gems?
With only two Featherfall Gems, Nie Yan’s idea was dashed.
After thinking for a moment, he made up his mind. He would find another way to deal with the Triumph Empire and Holy Flame.
Passing through the narrow canyon and advancing toward the center of the Guilty Chasm, Nie Yan flew across the open plains and noticed many chaotic battlefields, with players from the Triumph Empire, Holy Roman Empire, Holy Flame, and Jialan Temple fighting each other in disarray.
“Enter the Guilty Chasm!” Nie Yan sent a message to the Bull Tribe members behind him.
Seeing the lively scene here, Nie Yan couldn’t help but feel a bit excited. He put his mount away and prepared to take down a few players from the Triumph Empire or Holy Flame.
“Where are you now?” Nie Yan sent a message to Ban Xing De Hu Li.
“Damn it, you guys finally arrived! Over seven thousand of my brothers have already been killed!” Ban Xing De Hu Li replied gloomily. If the Bull Tribe had taken any longer, he would have accused Nie Yan of being untrustworthy. “We’re at the center of the Guilty Chasm, coordinate 673, already fighting the Gold Earth Dragon. Players from the Triumph Empire and Holy Flame are also here.”
From Ban Xing De Hu Li’s words, Nie Yan could roughly imagine the chaotic scene.
“I’ll be there soon.” Nie Yan checked the coordinates. The 673 mentioned by Ban Xing De Hu Li referred to the last digit of the coordinate, a simplified way of referring to it. In smaller areas, a single coordinate digit could indicate an exact location.
Nie Yan quickly headed in the direction Ban Xing De Hu Li had mentioned.
Soon, Nie Yan spotted a tall figure in the distance—the Gold Earth Dragon. It stood eight or nine yards tall, its entire body covered in a dull golden hue. Its belly was bulging, with thick limbs, sharp claws, and teeth, giving off a powerful and formidable aura. It had a pair of wings on its back, though they were somewhat withered and degenerated, clearly unable to support its massive body.
Typically, Gold Earth Dragons were golden in color. However, Nie Yan noticed that this dragon’s golden scales were tinged with an eerie black glow. Black patterns, resembling runes, covered its entire body. Nie Yan’s heart chilled—this was a sign of demonic transformation!
A level 40 demonic-transformed elite boss—the Gold Earth Dragon!
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