As the defensive magic array that had enveloped all of Ancient Rock City dissolved into motes of starlight and faded away, every player within the city froze, as though time itself had been brought to a standstill. One by one, they stared blankly at the sky where the defensive magic array was gradually vanishing.
"No way..."
"What's going on?"
"Has the defensive magic array of Ancient Rock City been destroyed?"
...
In that instant, as the players watched the magic array disappear entirely, their minds raced with a thousand questions, utterly unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Most of them weren't especially familiar with a city's defensive magic array, but they all knew one thing: ordinary magic was completely incapable of dealing any damage to it. Even fourth-tier magic was no exception.
Back when the Heavenly Burial guild had laid siege to Ancient Rock City, they had attacked its defensive array for an ungodly length of time—even enlisting fourth-tier legendary evil beasts to assault it continuously—before they finally managed to break through. Only then had Heavenly Burial gotten the chance to storm the city and seize control.
And now, that seemingly indestructible defensive array had simply crumbled and dissipated under a single attack, as if it were all some kind of joke.
"What did that person do?"
"Is he a high-tier NPC?"
The crowd within Ancient Rock City stared at Shi Feng, suspended in midair, their curiosity toward the figure in the black cloak burning white-hot.
What's more, the various major factions resting inside the city all saw their eyes light up as they gazed at Shi Feng in the sky.
"This is it! Our chance has come!"
"Hurry! Get word to the guild master right now!"
None of the major superpowers had ever truly given up on Ancient Rock City. After all, the daily income it generated was staggering—even the super-guilds were deeply tempted. The only problem was that the city's defenses were simply too formidable.
Setting aside the level-100 NPCs, merely dealing with the defensive magic array alone was enough to drain the superpowers dry, let alone attempting to seize the City Lord's Manor.
But now the defensive magic array was gone. Unlike the temporary defensive arrays generated by magic scrolls, a city's defensive magic array was a permanent fixture. Once shattered, reconstructing it required a great deal of time—typically anywhere from twenty-four to forty-eight hours, depending on the speed at which magical energy could be replenished.
Even under the fastest conditions, it would still take a full twenty-four hours. During that window, Ancient Rock City would have no defensive magic array overhead. With its defenses limited to defensive structures and the stationed NPCs, mounting an assault was entirely feasible.
In an instant, members of the various major factions within the city relayed the situation to their respective guild leaderships.
The news that the defensive magic array of Ancient Rock City had been shattered spread like wildfire, sending shockwaves through every major power.
"No way—the defensive array of Ancient Rock City was broken? How did that person pull it off?"
"Get someone on it immediately. I want that person's identity confirmed!"
"This is a golden opportunity. Heavenly Burial has been using Ancient Rock City to suppress us throughout the Beastman Empire. Without the defensive array, we can absolutely take their place. Send the order at once—all members currently deployed in the Beastman Empire are to converge on Ancient Rock City immediately. And have all guild elites who are leveling elsewhere head there too. We cannot let any other guild get there first!"
Within moments, the various major factions operating in the Beastman Empire began dispatching their forces toward Ancient Rock City.
Twenty-four hours was more than enough time for every faction to mobilize and arrive. Without the defensive magic array, they only needed to keep those NPCs occupied. Once they destroyed the City Lord's Stone Tablet inside the City Lord's Manor, the entire city would fall into a state of ownershiplessness, and the City Token would manifest. Whoever seized the City Token would claim Ancient Rock City.
Meanwhile, in the guild master's office at the Heavenly Burial headquarters, a deathly silence had settled over the room.