Star Moon Kingdom, White River City.
Shi Feng walked out of the teleportation hall and immediately noticed that the streets were far less crowded than usual. Not only were there fewer players, but the way people looked at him—wearing a black cloak and bearing the Zero Wing emblem—was completely different.
Before, free players on the streets would look at anyone wearing a Zero Wing emblem with a hint of envy. Now, it was mostly sympathy and pity.
Shi Feng found this very strange.
He'd only been away from White River City for a few days. How had things changed so drastically?
"What on earth is going on?"
He scanned the crowd on the street. It wasn't just the free players—even the members of small guilds passing by looked at him with faint sneers, as though Zero Wing was nothing but a relic of the past.
Shi Feng couldn't make sense of it. No matter what, Zero Wing was still the acknowledged number-one guild in Star Moon Kingdom. Even if they'd gone to all-out war with Sky Burial, that shouldn't mean a small guild's members in White River City would dare look down on him—especially after what he'd done to Sky Burial.
Without the income from Ancient Rock City, Sky Burial's development potential and resource revenue had plummeted. There was no way they could compare to the current Zero Wing.
"He's wearing a Bronze-rank Zero Wing emblem—he must be an expert from Zero Wing. And he's just wandering around here?"
"Probably figured he couldn't win, so he ran back. Sky Burial has been absolutely terrifying this time. They actually pulled off something on that scale. There's no way Zero Wing survives. Every major guild is on edge right now. Sky Burial even put out the word—whoever dares to help Zero Wing is dead. But if Zero Wing members leave the guild, they'll be spared."
"Who would've thought Sky Burial could seal off the entire Stone Claw Mountain Range like that? Complete isolation from the outside world. You can't even use communication or Return Scrolls. Everyone inside is trapped—they can be killed as many times as they want. And there's only one way in. But getting in is easy; getting out is impossible. Apparently, there's a massive army of demons guarding it. Players can't even get out to send messages or call for the Kingdom's army."
"It's been sealed for six or seven hours now. With Sky Burial's strength, they've probably almost captured Stone Forest Town in the Stone Claw Mountains."
"Hard to say. Zero Wing sent plenty of experts to help, but there's been no word. According to some players who logged out from Stone Forest Town, the fighting inside between Zero Wing and Sky Burial has been intense—both sides taking losses. But Zero Wing still can't break through the entrance to the passage. Meanwhile, Sky Burial keeps flooding in more people, and more demons too."
"This is insane. No messages getting out means no Kingdom army support. Going in from outside is just suicide. If Sky Burial wants to, they can keep killing the enemies inside as many times as they wish. There's no escape unless you log out—but that comes with penalties, and you'd lose Stone Forest Town."
……
The players resting on the street chatted about Shi Feng, full of admiration for Sky Burial's methods. Sure, Zero Wing was formidable, but Sky Burial had proven themselves a cut above. With tricks like this, who in Star Moon Kingdom wouldn't bow?
Anyone who refused would face true annihilation—killed all the way back to level zero, since there was no leaving the sealed space inside.
"Sealed the Stone Claw Mountains?" Shi Feng couldn't help but be surprised.
He'd seen map seals before, but achieving complete isolation was extremely difficult. At present, he had no way to do it himself.
In his previous life, such measures were typically only used by massive, super-powered organizations against top-tier experts or major cities. Otherwise, a peak expert could always find a way to escape even if they lost the fight. As for major cities, their defenses were already incredibly high, and with constant reinforcements or allied support, it was nearly impossible without overwhelming force.