On the vast plain not far outside the Beastman King City in the Beastman Empire, no beastmen ever traveled through the area. It was arguably the safest location outside the Beastman King City region's dungeon, and nearly every major power had established a camp here for players to recover and rest before venturing into the city to push deeper.
Although this wasn't a town, its bustling activity rivaled any fortress in the Beastman Empire. On any given day, over a million players crowded the plain, filling every inch of it with their encampments.
Among the countless tents dotting the plain, a large swath of land had been claimed by a newly arrived power, and not a single person from any of the major factions dared to say a word about it. That was because this power was none other than Star Ring — the very guild that currently made every super guild think twice.
As a hundred-man team rode toward Star Ring's camp, every player in the vicinity turned their attention at once.
Every member of the squad sat atop a jet-black war bear standing over three meters tall, charging forward in a majestic and imposing formation. Their levels were all above 67, each radiating an aura of battle-hardened resolve — far from ordinary players. They moved with the discipline of a well-trained army, and the worst equipment any of them wore was a Level 65 Gold-grade set, which was considered top-tier gear among even the elite players of the current era.
What truly set them apart, however, wasn't merely their superior base stats. There was a gap at the very level of their life force — a qualitative difference that everyone could feel.
The burly middle-aged man leading the group, in particular, made many of the top experts present feel as though they couldn't breathe. The oppressive aura he radiated was suffocating, like standing before a primordial beast that would tear you to shreds at the slightest provocation.
"Guild Leader, who is he? He looks familiar, but I can't place him," Purple Eye asked from within the Star River Alliance's camp, watching the burly man stride into Star Ring's grounds.
"Of course he looks familiar. He's the man who destroyed an entire kingdom on the Western Continent of the Divine Realm. The name Jing Feng might not ring a bell, but I'm sure you've heard the title 'Wild Beast,'" Xinghe Wangxi replied, his gaze full of wariness as he watched the burly figure. "I can't believe Star Ring actually managed to bring this Western Continent madman on board. Zero Wing is in serious danger now."
"He's the Wild Beast?" Purple Eye's eyes widened in shock.
For players developing on the Eastern Continent of the Divine Realm, the name Wild Beast might not be well-known — the two continents had little contact with each other. But as executives of a first-rate guild, they would have picked up at least some news about affairs on the Western Continent.
Wild Beast had been one of the most disruptive figures on the Western Continent. With nothing but an adventure team under his command, he had brought down a kingdom ruled by a super power — and left every major faction completely powerless to stop him. He was, in every sense, a lunatic.
It wasn't just Xinghe Wangxi who had recognized Wild Beast. Many other high-ranking officials from major powers had identified him as well.
"Star Ring really is Star Ring — to have recruited even the Wild Beast. No wonder every super guild gives them wide berth. After the humiliation Zero Wing forced on Star Ring, nearly making them the laughingstock among the super guilds, Zero Wing is as good as finished."
"Who knows what the Wild Beast plans to do to the Star Moon Kingdom this time. I just hope he doesn't go too far, or our lives are going to get a lot harder."
The appearance of Wild Beast had everyone talking.
Inside Star Ring's camp, as Wild Beast and his squad arrived, Xuanyuan Sansha — the guild's fourth Vice Leader — stepped forward to greet them.
"Brother Jing Feng, it's been too long. I'm truly glad you agreed to come," Xuanyuan Sansha said, looking at Wild Beast Jing Feng's towering presence, unable to hide a twinge of emotion.
He and Wild Beast Jing Feng were old acquaintances, having entered the scene around the same era. The difference was that back then, Xuanyuan Sansha had the super guild Mortal Illusory Dragon backing him, while Wild Beast had been completely on his own, fighting alone.
Now, the name Wild Beast echoed across the Western Continent of the Divine Realm. Jing Feng had become Star Ring's second Vice Leader, while Xuanyuan Sansha remained only the fourth.
"I understand. The Guild Leader wants to eliminate Zero Wing for good. Since I'm here, Zero Wing's end has arrived," Jing Feng said flatly. "But from what I've seen on the way over, this Zero Wing doesn't seem like much. The Four Shadow Demons were supposedly defeated by them before — looks like even the Four Shadow Demons have fallen from grace."
"Brother Jing Feng, Zero Wing hasn't deployed their real experts yet. Besides, they still have War Puppets and Hell Chariots at their disposal. If it comes to a fight, it could get messy," Xuanyuan Sansha explained.
"Zero Wing's real experts and War Puppets, huh? That sounds interesting. I'd very much like to see them for myself — I wonder if their swords are sharper or my blade is faster!" Jing Feng licked the corner of his mouth, a flicker of interest flashing in his eyes. "If they don't want to come out now, then we'll just force them out. I hear Zero Wing has a Silverwing Town in the Beastman Empire. I'll take my people there first and pay it a visit."
With that, Jing Feng led his squad on their war bears and headed straight for Silverwing Town.
Deep within the central zone of the Star Fall Secret Realm, Shi Feng stood gazing at the Lord of the Fire Meteor slumbering in the magma not far away, lost in thought for a long while.
"How could it have increased so much?" Shi Feng stared at the Lord of the Fire Meteor's stat panel, a splitting headache setting in.
The Lord of the Fire Meteor had always been significantly stronger than an ordinary Legendary monster, but now it had become an Ancient Demon. Forget about a hundred-man team of current peak experts — even a hundred-man team of Tier 3 Classes might struggle to win. It was that serious.
Ancient Demons were simply too terrifying. Their life force rivaled that of ancient primordial beasts. In the Divine Realm of old, they had been overlord-class existences.
In his previous life, when the major powers faced an Ancient Demon boss, they never dared to challenge one at the same level. They would always bring in Level 100, Tier 3 teams to deal with a Level 90 Legendary Ancient Demon — sometimes needing a level gap of twenty or more before they even dared to engage. That was how fearsome an Ancient Demon truly was.
Just before, he had relied on nothing but luck and the constraints of a quest design to barely take down the Flame Demon Lord, whose power had been stripped away. Now, facing the Lord of the Fire Meteor at its peak strength, even a thousand-man expert team at the same level would be walking to their deaths.
"Wait!" Shi Feng stared at the slumbering Lord of the Fire Meteor and noticed that golden divine runes were flickering across its entire body, flowing and merging into its flesh. This was completely different from the Lord of the Fire Meteor he had seen before. Moreover, the aura the creature radiated seemed to be growing stronger by the moment. "Could it be… evolving?"
Boss evolution was not unheard of in the Divine Realm — it was simply rare. It was usually triggered by some specific event, and evolution was by no means easy. It required an accumulation of time; ten days to half a month was perfectly normal, though it could also be completed in two or three days under certain circumstances.
"Hurry! Everyone, assemble immediately!" Shi Feng barked as soon as he realized what was happening.