Red Leaf Town, Slum District, Drunken Heart Bar.
Right now it was still broad daylight in the Divine Realm, and most players had headed out to the wilderness to grind levels, so there were very few players in the bar.
However, inside the Drunken Heart Bar, more than ten men clad in high-grade equipment, their bodies radiating a fierce, killing aura, were gathered in one corner. Their sharp gazes were like venomous serpents, sending chills down everyone's spines. The other patrons gave them a wide berth and quickly left the bar. In the spacious establishment, apart from the NPCs, only these men remained.
Among them, the thick-browed man sitting outermost was none other than Iron Sword Mad Lion, the former leader of the Martial Alliance in Red Leaf Town. But now the Martial Alliance guild emblem was nowhere on his body, signifying he was no longer a member.
"Iron Sword, you did well this time. Thanks to you, Feng Yun Wuhui was able to do what I wanted. I'll mark this as a merit for you when we get back. Put in more effort, and before long you can become an outer member of our Underworld, just like Jue Tian." Nan Lang, seated in the main chair, looked at Iron Sword Mad Lion and praised him.
"Thank you for your patronage, Lord Nan Lang. I will give my absolute best to complete every mission the organization assigns me." Iron Sword Mad Lion's face was filled with elation, and he spoke with extreme deference.
Ever since Jue Tian had introduced him to Nan Lang, Iron Sword Mad Lion had truly realized that his former self was nothing more than a frog at the bottom of a well, ignorant of just how deep the waters of the Divine Realm really ran. The web of interests entangled in the Divine Realm was staggeringly vast. Had he not come into contact with the mysterious organization known as the Underworld, he would never have learned that colossal secret.
When Iron Sword Mad Lion first learned that secret, he was completely stunned, thinking he must have misheard. It took him a full ten-plus minutes to accept the spine-chilling revelation. He was also grateful he had left that insignificant Martial Alliance behind, allowing him to cling to the Underworld's coattails.
Once he understood that secret, everything suddenly clicked into place.
The Divine Realm was not something those second-rate guilds could even dream of dominating. Even third-tier guilds could be reduced to ash at any moment. Only guilds with deep foundations—second-tier and above—had any qualification to vie for supremacy. If he could become an outer member of the Underworld, his future would be absolutely secure. An annual income of a million Credit Points would be child's play. More importantly, he would enjoy real-world status and power, not much different from those corporate tycoons in the cities. It was everything he had ever dreamed of.
"Now let's discuss how to deal with Night Blade. With Feng Yun Wuhui's smear campaign, Night Blade's reputation is bound to collapse sooner or later. The next step is to sever the relationship between Night Blade and Bai Qingxue, and finally deliver a fatal blow to make him disappear from the Divine Realm."
Nan Lang thought of Shi Feng's arrogant words, and his eyes narrowed dangerously, glinting with cold light. He wished he could kill Night Blade right then and there. But Feng Shao had given strict orders and even dispatched a squad of Underworld God Guards to assist him. All he could do was toy with Night Blade to death slowly and vent his frustration.
At that moment, Jue Tian, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke up. "Severing Night Blade and Bai Qingxue's relationship is simple enough. But as for how to deal with Night Blade—from the video footage just sent over, I think we all saw clearly. Hundreds of people couldn't lay a finger on him. That terrifying attack power—who could withstand it? The last time I fought him, I could still exchange a few moves. Now, I probably wouldn't even get a chance to run if I ran into him head-on. In a direct confrontation, I doubt I'd last two or three exchanges."
"To deal with Night Blade now, you'd need at least a dozen top-tier experts to gang up on him. But where are we going to find that many experts?"
"I know that, of course. That's exactly why we need to take him down. He possesses an Epic-grade item, so naturally his strength is formidable. But don't go inflating his reputation at our expense. He only took out the trash from the Martial Alliance. The Underworld God Guards may not be able to do it as cleanly as Night Blade did, but we can certainly manage it. The only difference is raw damage output. In terms of pure technique, the Underworld God Guards far surpass Night Blade."
"Besides, for added security, Feng Shao specifically sent a squad of Underworld God Guards to back you up. With a full squad on hand, even if Night Blade has an Epic-grade item, he's doomed. You don't need to worry about that." Nan Lang smiled.
"Just a nobody who got lucky. If it weren't for Feng Shao's orders, I alone would've been more than enough—no need for our whole squad." The speaker was Flying Rat, an assassin who wore the Blood Mist set—an Iron Rank Tier 8 armor—and had reached Level 9. He toyed with his dagger, looking thoroughly unimpressed.
"All right, Flying Rat. This Night Blade does have some skill, otherwise Feng Shao wouldn't have sent us. Nan Lang, if there's anything you need us to do, just contact us. We Underworld God Guards aren't exactly idle. The higher-ups have given every guard a strict deadline—reach Level 10 by tomorrow or be expelled from the God Guards. We're heading out to level up." The one who spoke was the Underworld God Guard squad leader, Ming Cha.
He was a tall, imposing man who looked to be in his forties, radiating a murderous aura so intense that even Jue Tian felt his heart tremble.
"Of course. I couldn't possibly waste Big Brother Ming Cha's precious time." Nan Lang smiled warmly and spoke with great respect.
Within the Underworld, the Underworld God Guards held extremely high status. They were the organization's core fighting force and typically took orders only from the guild master and the elders. Though Feng Shao was neither the master nor an elder, his position within the Underworld was somewhat special, which was how he had been able to summon the God Guards. Any other person—they couldn't care less. Wherever, have fun.
Meanwhile, Shi Feng had already walked into the City Hall.
"Sir, how may I help you?" An elegant female staff member approached Shi Feng and asked.
"I'd like to activate my permission to use the magic teleportation array," Shi Feng said.
In the Divine Realm, only players who had reached Level 10 were eligible to visit a town's City Hall to apply for portal access. After all, teleportation arrays were extremely rare and valuable, and their energy consumption was considerable—not just anyone was allowed to use them.
"I understand. Please follow me."
Shi Feng then completed the formalities at the City Hall counter and received an identification pass. With it, he could use the teleportation portal freely, though each use required a considerable fee. Generally, teleporting from a town to a city cost one silver coin, and the fees between cities were much steeper—depending on distance, even the shortest trip cost over twenty silver coins. A trip to the royal capital, Star Moon City, would run close to one gold coin.
This made inter-city teleportation fees something ordinary players simply couldn't afford. So in the early stages of the Divine Realm, most players would grind and quest within their own city's territory rather than venture to another city. Of course, you could always travel on foot, but the distance was not something one could cover in a day or two.
Arriving at Red Leaf Town's teleportation hall, there wasn't a single player present yet. Only Level 10 elite guards patrolled the area.
Actually, Shi Feng hadn't planned to go to White River City this early. But after the mess Feng Yun Wuhui had stirred up, the troubles just kept piling up. For the sake of his future guild development, he had no choice but to move ahead of schedule.
"Adventurer, using the portal requires a fee of one silver coin," the mage guarding the portal told Shi Feng.
Shi Feng paid the fee without hesitation and stepped into the portal.
With a whoosh, Shi Feng vanished from the teleportation hall in Red Leaf Town.
At that very moment, an announcement rang out across the entire Star Moon Kingdom.
Star Moon Kingdom Regional Announcement: Congratulations to player Night Blade for becoming the first player in the Star Moon Kingdom to reach a city! Rewards: 20 reputation points with White River City, and the title of Honorary Citizen of White River City.
The announcement sent shockwaves through every player in the Star Moon Kingdom. (To be continued...)
P.S. Thanks to Xiao Wo Chi Wang for the 588-credit tip!