Outside the Dark Moon Cemetery.
"This dungeon isn't meant for anyone to play. Without at least level 10 average, nobody can freaking clear it," Yan Hu cursed as he respawned outside the dungeon.
They had attempted the Dark Moon Cemetery three times, and each time they all wiped before even locating the boss. The dungeon was pure torture — elite monsters swarmed everywhere, endless and unkillable, grinding them down until they had nothing left. It was practically a death sentence.
Zhang Luowei raised his thick eyebrows, staring at the Dark Moon Cemetery's portal with a dark expression. Their progress so far had already far exceeded their losses, but if this kept up, it would spell trouble for the team's development.
"We're taking a break. We can't keep burning time here," Zhang Luowei said. "The other guilds probably aren't doing any better, and they've taken just as many deaths. While they're busy trying to push the Dark Moon Cemetery, we'll split into groups and run the level-5 Lava Squad dungeon instead. There's no way they can clear that one either, and I can use the time to level up quite a bit." In the end, Zhang Luowei abandoned the Dark Moon Cemetery.
Making it onto the Glory Board was indeed a fast way to boost a guild's influence, but that only mattered if someone could actually clear it. What separated the top guilds now was the average level and equipment of their elite squads — and who could reach White River City first.
In truth, it wasn't just the Shadow Guild. Every guild in White River City was stuck on team dungeons.
Nobody had expected the team dungeons to be this brutal. There was simply no way around it. In previous virtual games, dungeons always had fewer monsters than players. But in the Divine Realm, the dungeon mobs vastly outnumbered the players, leaving everyone completely at a loss. Even adding more tanks and healers made no difference.
Before long, members of the second-rate guild Assassin Alliance also died their way out, looking utterly dejected.
"What's with all the gloomy faces? So we died a few times — don't forget, every death means we've made real progress. We'll clear it eventually, so don't lose heart. Everyone, think about whether there's another way through that misty zone. After a break, we'll make another run today," Ci Xin said in the team chat.
Encouraged by Ci Xin's words, the whole team's confidence picked up, and people started bouncing ideas off each other, determined to conquer the Dark Moon Cemetery.
**White River City Regional System Announcement:** Congratulations to Snake of the Body for being the first team to clear Hell Difficulty Dark Moon Cemetery! All team members receive 10 White River City Reputation points.
**Red Leaf Town Regional System Announcement:** Congratulations to Snake of the Body for being the first team to clear Hell Difficulty Dark Moon Cemetery! All team members receive 30 Red Leaf Town Reputation points.
Just as guilds were debating whether to keep pushing or cut their losses, two consecutive system announcements electrified every guild in the White River City region. The players in Red Leaf Town, upon hearing the announcements, were stunned for a moment — then erupted in admiration and cheers.
"Snake of the Body is insane — they're not even human!"
"I heard the Goddess of Ice led the dungeon run. My goddess is too incredible. Every other guild hasn't even cleared Normal difficulty, and she cleared Hell difficulty!"
"I've got to join Snake of the Body. Even if it means becoming the goddess's servant, I'd be perfectly happy."
The players of Red Leaf Town were buzzing about Snake of the Body and the Goddess of Ice — nothing but pure admiration.
Meanwhile, the entire White River City region had blown up.
"What the hell? We can't even find the Normal difficulty boss, so how did Snake of the Body clear Hell difficulty?!" The guild master of the second-rate guild Azure Dragon slammed his fist on the table and roared.
"Could the team dungeon in Red Leaf Town be easier? But then Ci Xin should have at least cleared Normal difficulty by now," muttered the guild master of the second-rate guild Assassin Alliance, staring at the system announcement lost in thought.
The major guilds were still reeling from the headache of competing over a small-town announcement when a large-city regional system announcement appeared — and it nearly killed them.