Ten Saints Empire, Imperial Capital Tiansheng City, headquarters of the Battle Wolf Guild.
In a lounge atop the guild’s nearly one-hundred-meter-tall headquarters, a man clad in crimson armor, his entire body seemingly wreathed in flames, sat motionless before a fiery greatsword, his eyes closed as if in slumber.
Although the man himself remained still, the fiery greatsword before him seemed alive. Flames danced along the blade like nimble fish, swirling in glowing orbs around the man. In mid-air, they coalesced into a mysterious divine rune, causing the surrounding fire elements to become utterly submissive. One by one, they surged into the man’s body, intensifying his imposing aura and thickening the mana around him.
In just a few short seconds, the man’s aura had climbed to the level of a Tier 4 Legendary. He looked like a living inferno, filling the surrounding space with crimson fire that seemed capable of incinerating everything.
If Shi Feng were here, he would be utterly shocked.
Not only because this man was Bei Chen Tian Lang, the old monster of the Battle Wolf Guild who had once fought him and now possessed Tier 4 Legendary combat power, but even more terrifyingly, Bei Chen Tian Lang’s control over fire elements surpassed even Shi Feng’s own—someone who had studied Mana Combat Arts. It was as if every fire element were an extension of Bei Chen Tian Lang’s own arm, allowing for far more precise manipulation.
This control was no longer a uniform manipulation, but something far more refined, making different fire elements operate simultaneously according to distinct patterns…
Suddenly, Bei Chen Tian Lang’s eyes snapped open. All the surrounding flames instantly turned a blinding blue-white, and the temperature of the space skyrocketed by several hundred degrees in an instant. If any ordinary Tier 2 player approached without sufficient fire resistance, they would likely be roasted alive by the terrifying heat.
«At last, the Sacred Fire Bloodline is fully absorbed. It’s time to pay a visit to Demon City.» Bei Chen Tian Lang stood up, looked at the strange blue runes that had appeared on his arms, and chuckled.
After his defeat at the Burning Forest to the Heart of Demons’ Vice Guild Leader, Yan Guang, he had originally given up hope of seeking revenge anytime soon. However, his guild had fortunately obtained a bottle of a very special, high-grade bloodline—the Sacred Fire Bloodline.
Initially, he had only hoped to boost his strength somewhat with it. Now, after fully absorbing the Sacred Fire Bloodline, he finally understood just how terrifying it truly was.
Forget simple revenge against Yan Guang; even making multiple forays into Demon City would be trivial.
Just as Bei Chen Tian Lang was about to leave the lounge, a tall, imposing middle-aged man strode in. This dignified figure was none other than Zhan Wuji, the former captain of the Radiance Team.
«Guild Leader, you had me monitor Demon City’s situation. Our scouts just reported that Demon City has been breached, and what’s more, Zhutian Luanshi, who was hiding within the Heart of Demons’ headquarters, has been killed by Black Flame…» Zhan Wuji couldn’t help but report the news upon seeing Bei Chen Tian Lang.
«Zhutian Luanshi was killed at the Heart of Demons’ headquarters?» Bei Chen Tian Lang was stunned, almost thinking he’d misheard.
In his view, Shi Feng and his group managing to attack Demon City was already impressive enough. Back then, his own Battle Wolf Guild hadn’t even been able to see the gates.
Now he was being told not only that Shi Feng had breached the city, but that he’d also eliminated Zhutian Luanshi who was hiding there? It was simply inconceivable.
«Now that Demon City is broken, the Heart of Demons hasn’t just lost face within the city, but their standing among the major superpowers will surely diminish considerably. Guild Leader, do we still need to go?» Zhan Wuji asked, observing Bei Chen Tian Lang’s surprised expression.
The news of Shi Feng killing Zhutian Luanshi at the Heart of Demons’ base had already spread throughout the Ten Saints Empire and couldn’t be hidden even if they wanted to. For them, who sought to wash away their humiliation, going after the now much-weakened Heart of Demons held far less significance than before.
In Zhan Wuji’s opinion, it might not even be worth bothering with the Heart of Demons anymore. The faction had suffered a massive loss of prestige. Bullying them further wouldn’t do much to restore the Battle Wolf Guild’s own tarnished reputation.
«Indeed, there’s no need to go to Demon City,» Bei Chen Tian Lang said slowly. «However, we could go take a look at Zero Wing.»
«That Black Flame is certainly impressive, managing to pull off such a feat. It’s a pity the Heart of Demons isn’t so easy to deal with, especially that Yan Guang—he’s not as simple as he appears. Otherwise, so many major superpowers in the Ten Saints Empire wouldn’t have entered into full cooperation with the Heart of Demons.»
«That’s true. I’ll start preparations right away!» Zhan Wuji nodded in agreement after a moment’s thought.
If this were two or three days ago, he might have genuinely believed Zero Wing had achieved a great victory. But based on intelligence gathered by the Battle Wolf Guild, the power the Heart of Demons wielded in the level-100 neutral zones was beyond what Zero Wing could possibly imagine. Shi Feng killing Zhutian Luanshi at their headquarters, while damaging the Heart of Demons’ prestige, was a reckless act—like pulling on a tiger’s whiskers without realizing it.
Meanwhile, the news sent shockwaves through every major superpower.
Who would have thought that the seemingly impregnable Demon City could suffer such a breach? Furthermore, the person the Heart of Demons had tried to protect was instantly killed by Shi Feng, and their members hadn’t even had time to mount a rescue.
Shi Feng’s strength was utterly inhuman!
However, strangely enough, the entire Ten Saints Empire fell into an unprecedented silence. The superpowers, who normally detested demon players to the bone, made no move whatsoever. Not one attempted to exploit the situation to plunder Demon City. Instead, they all sent considerable numbers of elite members toward Zero Wing, creating a bizarre spectacle.
«Vice Guild Leader, have these superpowers gone mad?» A Tier 3, black-robed assassin stared at the compiled guild reports, unable to hide his astonishment as he addressed Phantom Voice. «None of them are taking the opportunity to suppress the Heart of Demons. Instead, they’re all rushing to watch Zero Wing’s show… Did they miss the system announcement? Demon players’ advancement speed has slowed significantly—it’s the perfect time to strike against them.»
«They’re not mad,» Phantom Voice, who was reviewing the documents, shook her head. «They’ve simply made the most correct choice.»
«The correct choice?» The Tier 3 assassin was confused, not understanding what Vice Guild Leader Phantom Voice meant.
Because Shi Feng had breached Demon City, the demonic transformation buff for all demon players within the city had been reduced by 20%. This was the perfect moment for the major superpowers to act against demon players.
After all, if they allowed the Heart of Demons to grow even stronger in the level-100 neutral zones, the resources available to these superpowers would only shrink. Only by suppressing the Heart of Demons could they secure more resources. Yet the outcome was the exact opposite…
«Exactly, the most correct choice,» Phantom Voice said with a bitter smile, looking at the Tier 3 assassin. «Because currently, only a few within the major superpowers know the true terror of the Heart of Demons. They’ve already formed a partnership with one of the five great super-guilds, Illusion Myth. Whether in terms of actual power or background, Zero Wing is incomparable. Naturally, they want to watch Zero Wing make a fool of itself.»
«The Heart of Demons managed to connect with Illusion Myth?» The Tier 3 assassin finally understood, never having imagined the Heart of Demons could be so formidable.
Illusion Myth was one of the Divine Realm’s five great giants. Its strength was not something their superpowers could match, and one could argue even the other super-guilds couldn’t compare. If the Heart of Demons had Illusion Myth’s backing, there was indeed no concern about its development.
While the major superpowers of the Ten Saints Empire took action, a handsome young man dressed entirely in white also arrived at a mana-rich zone outside the Fire Dragon Empire. This refined, white-clad youth was none other than the Heart of Demons’ renowned Vice Guild Leader, Yan Guang.
Yan Guang had only taken a few steps when two top-tier, Tier 3 Level 107 experts blocked his path.
«Can I help you?» One of them, a Tier 3 Shield Warrior, eyed Yan Guang with undisguised contempt.
«I have some business with Vice Guild Leader Han Guang. Is he available?» Vice Guild Leader Yan Guang addressed the Tier 3 Shield Warrior calmly.