Enough Tier 3 NPCs to fill a football field stood silently in the courtyard, their gazes fixed on Yuan Tiexin and Ziqiong beyond the gate. The pressure was crushing — so intense that the urge to turn and flee was nearly irresistible.
Though they had both advanced to the Tier 3 class, the gap between them and these Tier 3 NPCs was astronomical.
It wasn't just a difference in base stats — the sheer number of Tier 3 magic skills these NPCs possessed was incomparable. Newly promoted Tier 3 players like them simply couldn't compete.
Moreover, Tier 3 NPCs were the caliber that could serve as administrators of small NPC cities.
Virtually every player in the Divine Realm feared the strength of such administrators, even after advancing to the Tier 3 class themselves.
And now they were being stared at by a football field's worth of administrators — the feeling was beyond imagining.
"Could it be that Stone Forest City has already been occupied by NPCs from the dark factions?" Yuan Tiexin stared at the Tier 3 NPCs arrayed before him, his heart trembling as the thought crossed his mind.
Dark-faction NPCs seizing cities on neutral maps was hardly unheard of in the Divine Realm. It was similar to the chance encounters players could stumble upon — if a player managed to resolve such an event, the rewards were lavish. Risk and opportunity went hand in hand.
Perhaps Stone Forest City was exactly in that kind of situation.
Otherwise, how could one explain the presence of so many Tier 3 NPCs here and the city's sudden opening?
"Uncle Yuan, what do we do now? These NPCs have already locked onto our aura." Ziqiong stood beside him, gazing anxiously at the entire square filled with Tier 3 NPCs.
At this moment, she had absolutely no desire to complete whatever opportunity this might have been.
This was no longer an opportunity event — it was a catastrophe. No, even that word fell short. It was a natural disaster.
She knew that running for her life against a single Level 100 Tier 3 NPC was already difficult enough. Now an entire square of Tier 3 NPCs had their eyes on her — how was she supposed to escape?
"There's nothing else we can do. I'll hold them off while you use your Tier 3 teleportation scroll to get out of here. You have to be fast — these Tier 3 NPCs' reaction speed and combat proficiency are nothing like those great lords and high great lords. They won't give us any opening." Yuan Tiexin understood that at this point, neither of them could escape. One would have to be sacrificed to give the other a chance.
In the Divine Realm, NPC intelligence far surpassed that of ordinary monsters, and in combat, they were more precise and seasoned than even veteran players. The higher their tier, the greater their intelligence — at the Tier 3 level, it was nearly impossible for them to afford players any opportunity to use magic items.
Especially when the NPCs held the advantage, even top-tier experts would struggle to pull a magic item from their inventory.
Because in that split-second of vulnerability, a Tier 3 NPC could instantly kill any Tier 3 player.
As a Tier 3 MT, Yuan Tiexin could at least buy a bit of time with all his survival skills activated. But Ziqiong, a Tier 3 Sword King, was a different story — she would likely be reduced to ash the moment contact was made. After all, she wouldn't be facing two or three Tier 3 NPCs — she'd be facing an entire square's worth. That was annihilation on a catastrophic scale.
"I understand."
Ziqiong nodded. Though it gnawed at her, this was the only way. Otherwise, both of them would die. Dying once wasn't the end of the world — at Tier 3, leveling back up was still fairly fast. The real issue was that in outdoor PvP, death meant dropping weapons and equipment.
At their level, experience points were no longer the most important thing — the gear they carried was. Every piece of equipment they wore had been painstakingly acquired by the guild. Losing even one would be agonizing. Losing two would make recovery nearly impossible.
With Ziqiong's nod, Yuan Tiexin immediately raised his shield, ready to activate his survival skills.
Just as Yuan Tiexin was about to step into the courtyard square, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from within.
"Elder Yuan, what brings you here? Didn't Shuise bring you to the reception room?"
The moment that voice echoed across the courtyard, both Yuan Tiexin and Ziqiong froze. The voice was unmistakable — yet hearing it here seemed impossible. They both instinctively turned toward its source.
The rows of Tier 3 NPCs standing in formation across the square suddenly parted, clearing a pathway. One by one, they took respectful positions on either side, as though welcoming their sovereign — greeting a man in a black cloak who emerged from the main hall of the inner courtyard.
Watching the man approach at a leisurely pace, Yuan Tiexin and Ziqiong were completely stunned.
"Guild Master Hei Yan! Is… is that really you, Guild Master Hei Yan?" Ziqiong whispered in disbelief as Shi Feng drew closer.
A single Tier 3 NPC was already enough to make players like them wary. Having reached the Tier 3 class themselves, they understood all too well how formidable Tier 3 NPCs truly were.
Yet here, an entire square full of Tier 3 NPCs treated Shi Feng as their superior — and the look in their eyes was one of indescribable reverence.
He wasn't some ordinary player anymore. He was a sovereign ruling over a nation.
"Of course it's me," Shi Feng said, shaking his head with an amused smile at Ziqiong's dumbfounded expression. "Who else did you think I was?"