The Dark Soul headquarters, City of Light and Shadow, Dark Night Empire.
"This Zero Wing Guild really is something. I can't tell whether to call them brave and determined or hopelessly overestimating themselves — picking fights with so many forces they shouldn't provoke. Getting on Lu Xingluo's bad side was one thing, but now the Black Water Guild is out to wipe them out completely." Duan Tianhu sat behind his desk, reading the intelligence report he had just received, and let out a cold chuckle.
The information in his hands was the official report that the Black Water Guild had declared all-out war on Zero Wing.
One had to admit, Black Water's move was ruthlessly calculated. It was a pure display of financial firepower — not only could they destroy Zero Wing without expending a single soldier, they could amass a huge number of players to Red Flame Fortress for economic benefits, and even recruit top-tier experts. A perfect triple play.
Zero Wing's foundations might be decent, but compared to the Black Water Guild, they weren't even in the same league. It wouldn't take long for Black Water to bleed Zero Wing's economy dry.
"Alliance Leader, should we still proceed with the original plan?" Mo Wudao, the second-tier Elementalist standing nearby, asked in a low voice.
"Of course. Originally, only the Star Ring Guild was footing the bill. Now we've got Black Water Guild added to the mix. Not only are we proceeding with the original plan, we're sending even more manpower." Duan Tianhu laughed coldly. "Last time Zero Wing made the Dark Soul suffer a small humiliation. Now it's time to repay them tenfold! Notify all the adventuring teams immediately — send every elite to the Beastman Empire. And you're going personally this time. Make sure Zero Wing learns what the Dark Soul is truly capable of!"
"Yes!" Mo Wudao nodded slightly, a flicker of excitement in his eyes.
Ever since the Dark Soul had grown in power, they — as the most formidable adventuring team within the Dark Soul — had rarely acted in person. It was always the Dark Hunters or the Shadow's Claw that handled things. It had become difficult just to get a chance to stretch their legs.
White River City, Adventurer's Guild.
The moment Shi Feng stepped into the main hall, he noticed the packed crowd of players all buzzing with discussion about the Black Water Guild and Red Flame Fortress. Every one of them was talking animatedly.
"The Black Water Guild really is impressive — they seized Red Flame Fortress so quickly. It's going to make venturing into the Beastman Empire much easier now. I heard that Red Flame Fortress can teleport players directly to designated coordinates nearby, just like Zero Wing City. That means even we can bypass the checkpoints deep inside the Beastman Empire and operate directly in its core territory."
"Yeah, I heard the core area of the Beastman Empire is practically a treasure mountain — rare ores, rare herbs, tons of them. The monsters there drop way more experience than the inner regions. And if you can get into the Orc King City zone dungeon, it's even better. The monsters in there have a chance to drop Magic Crystals."
"I heard about that too. The Orc King City is an extremely rare Shura-level zone dungeon — a massive mega-dungeon with a level range from fifty to a hundred. And since it's a neutral map, the drops are incomparable to any other zone dungeon."
"Still, Zero Wing is in deep trouble now. With Black Water pulling a move this vicious, I doubt Zero Wing will be able to survive in the Beastman Empire much longer."
"I heard that before this, a lot of famous and top-tier adventuring teams wanted to set up in Silver Wing Town. Many teams couldn't even get a spot. Now they're probably kicking themselves."
…
The players in the hall went wide-eyed whenever Red Flame Fortress came up. As for Zero Wing, they all shook their heads, none of them optimistic about the guild's situation. The gap between the two sides was simply too vast. Zero Wing had been able to rely on Silver Wing Town as an advantage before, but now that Black Water had Red Flame Fortress, that edge had completely vanished.
"The news really spread fast." Shi Feng listened to the chatter and let out a faint, bitter smile. "Seems like Black Water had the publicity campaign ready long ago and was just waiting for this moment."
One moment Black Water made the announcement about Red Flame Fortress, and the next, the players in White River City were already discussing it. No matter how you looked at it, that timeline didn't add up.
It made perfect sense for the higher-ups of major powers to know immediately — their intelligence operatives were scattered everywhere, ready to report the moment anything happened. But ordinary players were different. Information spread player to player, which required time before everyone caught on.
Yet here he was, having just received Bai Qingxue's message, and the very next moment, the ordinary players in the Adventurer's Guild were already talking about it. The speed was simply too fast.
The only explanation was that the Black Water Guild had been deliberately promoting the news behind the scenes, building momentum in the shadows.
But Shi Feng couldn't care less about that now. He headed straight for the second floor of the Adventurer's Guild.
Just as Shi Feng reached the second floor and made his way toward the VIP counter, a system notification for a friend's communication request chimed in his ear. The caller was none other than Feng Qianyu.
"Guildmaster Black Flame, I just received word that the Black Water Guild has openly declared all-out war on Zero Wing. As an ally, is there anything I can do to help?" Feng Qianyu said.
Zero Wing had been growing stronger and stronger, and their maritime influence was expanding steadily, which had been of great help to her operations around Thunder Island. She hadn't had much spare capacity before, but things had eased up considerably on her end. Now that Zero Wing was facing this kind of situation, it was only natural for her to return the favor.
"Since Pavilion Master Feng has put it that way, I won't stand on ceremony. I've received intelligence that the Black Water Guild has been getting very cozy with the Nine Dragon Emperor lately. I suspect the Nine Dragon Emperor played a significant role in the Red Flame Fortress affair. I'd like you to keep the Nine Dragon Emperor occupied," Shi Feng said gratefully.
"That's no problem. I'll send people to cause some trouble for the Nine Dragon Emperor. That should keep him too busy to worry about the Beastman Empire." Feng Qianyu nodded. "However, the Black Water Guild and the Beast Emperor are also in league together. Their combined field strength is nothing to scoff at. I can have Qinghuang lead a team of elites over there. They won't be able to go toe-to-toe with Black Water and the Beast Emperor, but they can keep those dark players cautious. That way, they'll have to hold back somewhat."
"That won't be necessary. Qinghuang is one of your key people — I'm sure she has plenty to handle on your end." Shi Feng smiled and declined outright. "As for the Black Water Guild, the Beast Emperor, and the dark players, I have some preparations of my own. Taking down Zero Wing won't be as easy as they think."
He was well aware that Feng Qianyu's own situation wasn't exactly a bed of roses. The struggle for Thunder Island was far more complicated than the Beastman Empire — every contender was a superpower with extraordinary resources. One wrong move and you could be thrown out entirely. The fact that she could at least keep the Nine Dragon Emperor from making a move was already more than enough.
"Alright then. If your side runs into any financial difficulties, feel free to contact me anytime." Feng Qianyu looked at Shi Feng, who had bluntly refused her goodwill, and felt a slight twinge of surprise. But since he'd said as much, she didn't push the matter.
After a brief exchange about the Dark Erosion set, Feng Qianyu ended the call.
"Sister Qianyu, how are things with Zero Wing? Do you need me to head over there with some people?" Qinghuang asked curiously.
"Not for now. It seems Zero Wing has some preparations of their own. But the Black Water Guild is playing for real this time. I estimate that even with their preparations, Zero Wing won't be able to hold out for long. Get ready," Feng Qianyu said.
"I understand." Qinghuang nodded, feeling that Zero Wing was being a bit too confident.
The Black Water Guild had claimed the Iron Empire, and their growth rate was so rapid that even the Grand Pavilion Master had been impressed. In terms of the sheer number of top-tier experts, Black Water now had more than their own Dragon Phoenix Pavilion — they only lacked a few monster-level powerhouses who had mastered Domain. But Black Water had their own methods for dealing with those old monsters, which was the only reason they had been able to drive out other super-first-rate guilds and seize the Iron Empire.
Meanwhile, in the VIP reception room of the Adventurer's Guild.
"Honored Guardian, how may I be of service?" A high-ranking NPC steward walked into the VIP reception room, smiled warmly at Shi Feng, and asked respectfully.
"I'd like to promote the Zero Wing Guild to a Four-Star Guild. Here is the promotion token." Shi Feng promptly produced the Four-Star Guild promotion token from his inventory and placed it directly on the table for the high-ranking NPC steward to examine.