"They've finally left."
Fei Ye watched as Shi Feng and the others vanished into the distance, letting out a deep sigh of relief.
She had nearly believed Shi Feng was about to attack them. Though they wouldn't have minded being killed—it was the dropped equipment that would have stung.
"Black Flame!" Qi Yuan gazed at the distant sky, his eyes filled with frigid hatred. "Just you wait. I'll make you pay!"
Shi Feng's strength was undeniable, but he was far from invincible.
In the war between worlds, even fourth-tier Overlords who had achieved World Creation wouldn't stand a chance against their combined onslaught—let alone fifth-tier NPCs. Otherwise, the Divine Realm's continent wouldn't have lost so many kingdoms.
The current stalemate was nothing more than both sides gathering their strength.
And the next major offensive was not far off.
"Qi Yuan, don't do anything reckless. Black Flame's strength is far more terrifying than we anticipated. If you disrupt the alliance's plans, Elder Fengying won't be able to protect you—even if you are the guild's top prodigy." Fei Ye shook her head helplessly. "Right now, the priority is to report Black Flame to the elders as quickly as possible."
In a war between two worlds, a single Overlord might not change the grand scheme of things, but in localized battlefields, even one could make a difference.
"I understand." Qi Yuan nodded. "After this, I'm going back to headquarters to apply for a Trial quota."
"You want to apply for a Trial now? Isn't it a bit too early?" Fei Ye asked in surprise.
Their Divine Realm was nothing like the Divine Realm here on this continent. They possessed numerous legacies, including ancient Trials that the guild had set aside specifically for its prodigies—Trials designed to accelerate their growth.
However, these Trials came with considerable risk. Failure would leave one's soul weakened for a long period of time, and each prodigy the guild cultivated was granted only one chance.
"With the great war about to erupt, if I can advance my strength a step further, I'll be able to earn far more Contribution Points. And if I accumulate enough, getting another Legacy quota won't be difficult."
Qi Yuan had already thought this through.
The alliance was dead set on conquering the eastern continent of the Divine Realm, so the resources on offer were extraordinarily generous. Legacy Trials were invaluable, certainly, but for a lone prodigy like him—one who walked the path of the Hundred Ghosts—securing a spot wouldn't be too hard.
The only thing that mattered was achieving World Creation during the Trial.
Before now, he had only heard of World Creation and didn't truly grasp how fearsome it was. But after witnessing Shi Feng's battle, he finally understood the power it represented. That was what had solidified his resolve.
Great Frost Canyon. Zero Wing City.
As several streaks of light flashed from the teleportation magic circle in the teleportation hall, Shi Feng and his group of seven appeared within the hall.
"This is Zero Wing City?"
Yan Yun looked around the teleportation hall of Zero Wing City, and her jaw nearly dropped.
Mana!
The mana was extraordinarily dense!
Though rumors about Zero Wing City's unusual mana had long spread throughout the outside world, only now, standing inside the city itself, did she realize that Zero Wing City was even more impressive than the legends claimed.
Beyond the incredibly dense mana, the streets outside the teleportation hall were a bustling sea of activity—NPC merchants and NPC nobles everywhere, and even fourth-tier NPCs walking the roads.
If she hadn't come here representing Tiger Shine to formalize a deeper strategic alliance with Zero Wing and sign a cooperation contract, she never would have believed that Zero Wing City—which had never fully opened to the public—could be this formidable.
Fithalira and the other two visitors were equally stunned by what they saw upon arriving in Zero Wing City.
The mana here was even more overwhelming than at Starfall Fortress. What truly set it apart, though, was that fourth-tier NPCs could be seen patrolling the streets, leading guard squads. Such power was something the major guilds didn't even dare dream of for their own cities.
Fourth-tier NPCs weren't unheard of among the major powers, but they were all personally cultivated bodyguards—each one among a guild's most precious combat assets, valuable enough to anchor an entire city's defense.
Yet here at Zero Wing, fourth-tier NPCs were patrolling the streets in broad daylight. Just strolling along a few blocks, one could spot patrol squads led by one. Precious fourth-tier NPCs were as common here as cabbages on the roadside…
Shi Feng, for his part, felt no surprise at all.
As the only guild-owned main city on the Divine Realm's continent—and situated in a zone like the Great Frost Canyon—Zero Wing City naturally attracted a considerable number of fourth-tier NPCs seeking to develop further. Recruiting a batch of them as city guards was entirely plausible.
Given that Zero Wing City's mana density and environment now rivaled those of ancient Divine Realm cities, its appeal to fourth-tier NPCs was enormous. After all, advancing to the next tier required an extremely thorough understanding of how magical elements circulated.
But Shi Feng had to admit—