Following Shi Feng's command in the Lava Valley, the members of the Hell Legion began forming up, marching in a grand procession toward the dense forest not far ahead. This left Huanyu and the others, who had just stepped through the spatial transmission gate, completely dumbfounded.
"Vice Guild Master, what exactly is this Black Flame thinking?" a male Tier 3 Assassin bearing the Crimson Emperor's insignia asked, unable to hold back as he watched the Hell Legion march forward without the slightest attempt at concealment. "That forest up ahead is the main activity zone for demon players. If they just walk straight through without taking a detour, they'll definitely be spotted by those demon players. And without an invitation letter from Demon City, they'll be hunted down by every demon player in the forest…"
The Burning Forest served as Demon City's natural barrier. Not only were the monsters within it all above Level 100, but any demon player who had reached Level 100 was active in the Burning Forest.
Demon players possessed naturally sharp perception. More often than not, before ordinary players even noticed them, the demon players had already detected their presence. On top of that, demon players could earn demon reputation rewards by killing non-demon players of similar level, which accelerated their promotion to higher demon noble ranks. As a result, demon players were extremely eager to target non-demon players.
Under normal circumstances, outside of demon territory, demon players were a rare minority and would exercise some restraint.
But within demon territory, non-demon players were essentially invaders — killing them was considered a great contribution. Because of this, even the experts of the Ten Sacred Empire's various superpowers dared not set foot in the Burning Forest.
Unless one possessed an invitation letter from Demon City, extended by one of Demon City's major factions, the demon players would not dare act rashly.
Doing so would amount to a direct declaration of war against one of Demon City's powerful factions — an outcome far from pleasant for demon players seeking to develop within the city.
But now Shi Feng and his group had no invitation letter at all, and they were marching straight in. In the eyes of demon players, they were practically the finest delicacy imaginable. Never mind getting close to Demon City — if they could even walk out of the Burning Forest alive, it would be nothing short of a miracle.
One had to remember that a Level 100 outdoor map typically had over a hundred thousand players active on it at any given time. The Burning Forest was the only Level 100 map near Demon City, so the number of players gathered there far exceeded what a normal map would see…
"I don't know what this Black Flame is thinking, but the people he's brought along are no joke. They're wearing black cloaks that conceal their stats and aura, but I can tell they're all genuine Tier 3 Class holders," Huanyu said, her gaze carrying a hint of wariness as she watched the Hell Legion gradually march into the Burning Forest.
Over three hundred Tier 3 experts — that was a number not even their Crimson Emperor guild could muster.
"Over three hundred Tier 3 experts? Does Zero Wing really have that many?" The male Tier 3 Assassin's jaw nearly hit the floor.
A concentration of Tier 3 experts like that — in the entire Divine Realm, only the super guilds could field such a force. How could Zero Wing, a guild that had risen from nothing, possibly possess that many Tier 3 powerhouses?
And just as Huanyu and the others were reeling from the shock of Zero Wing's three-hundred-plus Tier 3 experts, a young man in white robes radiating dense dark power, who had just emerged from the spatial transmission gate, wore an expression of utter disdain.
"Three hundred Tier 3 experts is impressive, I'll grant you that. But if you think that's enough to get through the Burning Forest, you're sorely mistaken," the white-robed young man said, gazing at Shi Feng's group as they disappeared entirely into the forest. "This is just like War Wolf, the super guild that tried to conquer Demon City before. Back then, War Wolf sent over three hundred Tier 3 experts and even organized an army of over a hundred thousand powerful players. In the end, they were completely wiped out before they even reached Demon City — and became our food."
"Moreover, I hear that the Heart of Demons specifically had those large adventurer teams within Demon City move to intercept. Those teams are no ordinary force. Their numbers may be small, but each one is powerful enough to give the outside superpowers pause. With several of them working together, Zero Wing won't stand a single chance."
With the white-robed young man's words, neither the male Tier 3 Assassin nor Huanyu spoke up to argue.
Because everything he said was true — and if anything, his assessment of those large adventurer teams in Demon City was being generous.
Those teams had already given War Wolf a painful beating before. And after having slaughtered large numbers of invaders since then, their strength had undoubtedly grown considerably. They were no longer what they had been.
While the white-robed young man and Huanyu quietly discussed Shi Feng's group, the Hell Legion, which had only just entered the Burning Forest, was spotted by a demon squad that had been grinding monsters.
"How come so many human players have come to the Burning Forest?"
"Could they be the bounty that the Heart of Demons put out publicly? I thought the Heart of Demons was joking. Didn't expect anyone would actually dare come here!"
"Quick! We need to report this to those large adventurer teams right away! If we're too slow, someone else will claim the credit!"
The members of the demon squad that had spotted Shi Feng's group were absolutely thrilled, and they moved to send word to the large adventurer teams operating in the Burning Forest at the earliest possible moment.
But the instant the demon squad was about to relay their message, over a hundred figures suddenly descended from midair, landing not far from Shi Feng's group. Each one wielded standardized weapons, wore matching jet-black plate armor, and radiated dense dark power. On top of that, their terrifying pressure made even Tier 3 experts hesitant to approach.
"Damn it! What terrible luck! A demon patrol squad is right nearby — there goes our chance for credit…"
The demon squad members shook their heads one after another at the figures who had appeared so suddenly.
The entire Burning Forest was demon territory, and demon patrol squads were stationed everywhere. Each patrol squad consisted of three Level 4 Great Demons and one hundred Level 3 high-ranking demons. Their levels were ten above the average mainstream player level in Demon City — a force that players simply could not contend with at will.
The last time the War Wolf guild had been defeated in the Burning Forest, a significant part of the reason was these very demon patrol squads.
Now that the demon patrol squad had discovered Shi Feng's group, they were as good as dead. They wouldn't even have a chance to flee. After all, these demons all had wings — flight was useless against them.
However, just as the demon squad expected Shi Feng's group to turn and run, they did no such thing. Instead, every last one of them charged forward as though they had spotted prey they had been longing for.
A Guardian Knight at the very forefront, wielding an enormous tower shield, slammed directly into the Level 115 Great Demon. In an instant, the Great Demon staggered, involuntarily taking half a step back — the sheer force behind the impact was absolutely inconceivable.
As for the other two Great Demons, they were each pinned down by a hulking three-meter-tall figure and a comparatively lean-looking man. The high-ranking Tier 3 demons attempting to join the fray were similarly surrounded and engaged.
In that instant, the demon patrol squad — which should have been steamrolling the players — was being crushed underfoot by these three-hundred-plus fighters. Forget coordinating with each other; they could barely even hold their own against a single player before them. Their health bars drained at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In less than half an hour, the entire demon patrol squad had been annihilated. Not a single one had escaped…