The members of the dark adventure team hidden in the distance heard what the assassin said and couldn't help glancing around.
Just as the assassin had noted, it wasn't just their team — another twenty or thirty adventure teams and quite a few members of dark guilds were stirring restlessly in the vicinity, creeping closer.
It was obvious that these dark adventure teams and dark guild members could wait no longer.
In the Divine Realm, the dark forces were suppressed at every turn, and in the early stages it was far tougher to scrape by than for ordinary players. After all, the dark forces hadn't yet risen to a point where they could contend with the great kingdoms and empires, so they all lurked in the shadows, and even grinding levels was a hassle.
Dark adventure teams or dark guilds that had reached the caliber of a superpower were exceedingly rare. Even if you wanted to join one, the requirements were extremely strict. A dark alliance like the Soul of Darkness — one that offered both freedom and genuine strength — was practically nonexistent.
If they could join, it would be enormously beneficial for their future development. They wouldn't even have to worry about being hunted down by major guilds for killing some of their members, and they could grind in the prime spots occupied by the Soul of Darkness instead of slogging through barren zones.
"Captain?" The assassin looked at the second-class ranger who sat in silence. "If we don't move now, the other teams are going to beat us to it."
"Fine. We go all in — if we fail, we just lose a level. But if we pull it off, we'll be members of the Soul of Darkness from now on, vaulting straight to the top tier of the dark forces." The rough-looking man with an exquisite crystal longbow strapped to his back nodded, a flicker of killing intent in his gaze toward Shi Feng.
The dark forces had it far harder than ordinary players, and finding a reliable backer was much more difficult than for regular players trying to join the great superpowers. Now that an opportunity had finally appeared, there was no way they'd let it slip.
The adventure team's twenty-odd members heard their captain's words and each bared a fierce look, following him as they silently closed in on Shi Feng.
It wasn't just this one team. Fully several thousand dark players were poised and ready, and some stealthed assassins had already crept to within two hundred yards of Shi Feng.
"This Black Flame is extremely dangerous — we absolutely cannot let him escape. Form the encirclement first, then hit him with War Bind. The moment the fight starts, silence him immediately. We have to take him out in one blow!" a Level 54 second-class assassin clad in dark gray leather whispered to the thirty-odd assassins beside him through party chat. "Once we've killed Black Flame, every one of us in the Poison Blade Guild can join the Soul of Darkness. Then we'll be living large in the Dark Night Empire — we won't even have to fear those super-first-rate guilds!"
The thirty-odd stealthed assassins, all between Level 53 and 54, heard their leader's words and felt their eyes light up.
Their Poison Blade Guild was just a fairly ordinary dark guild in the Dark Night Empire. On a good day they could tussle with second- or third-rate guilds, but when it came to first-rate guilds, their only option was to run.
As for super-first-rate guilds, those were the heavens of the Dark Night Empire as far as they were concerned.
Never mind making enemies of them — they didn't even want to cross paths.
But the thought of joining the Soul of Darkness and no longer having to fear the Dark Night Empire's two super-first-rate guilds, the Crimson Emperor and the Undying War Soul, filled them with a rush of exhilaration.
That was exactly the thrill and freedom they had always chased.
With such a promising future in sight, their footsteps grew even lighter as they neared Shi Feng, and their auras faded to almost nothing. At this moment, their concentration was sharper than it had ever been, and their eyes held only Shi Feng.
One hundred and fifty yards…
One hundred yards…
Eighty yards…
As the distance to Shi Feng shrank, the tension in the group tightened.
Just as the gap closed to nearly fifty yards, a low, resonant voice suddenly rang in their ears, sinking deep into their brains.
"Get lost!"