While
The once-thousand-strong horde of red-named players had already been scattered by forty first-tier NPC guards and
In the past, they had ambushed players and snatched their equipment, raking in huge profits. It had been exhilarating beyond measure, and they'd made a small fortune doing so.
The sight of those players' terror and despair had only fueled their pleasure, making them unable to stop. They had ventured deeper and deeper down the path of red-named violence.
But now, these red-named players were getting a thorough taste of what it meant to be underdogs.
Though many among them were skilled players and Elites, no amount of technique could bridge such an enormous gap. After all, no matter how agile an ant might be, it could never hope to compete with a lion.
"If Zero Wing won't let us live anyway, we might as well fight them to the death!" one Warlock cried out, knowing escape was futile. He turned and rallied the others.
Some red-named players agreed and were about to turn and fight, but the moment they turned—
A first-tier Elemental Mage guard launched a Flame Blast that instantly killed the shouting Warlock.
Right after, a first-tier Berserker guard used a Flaming Charge to close the distance to four red-named players, then unleashed Whirlwind Slash. All four were wiped out, equipment scattering across the ground.
The red-named players who had been considering making a stand immediately changed their minds, redirecting their charge toward the Blood Hand Society NPCs instead.
Shi Feng's first-tier NPC guards moved far too quickly. Among the red-named players, only Assassins had any hope of escaping, while other classes stood no chance at all. But against level-50 NPCs, a level-20 Assassin's Stealth was practically useless — it only gave them slightly better odds than everyone else.
However, Stream Town was surrounded by desert on all sides, and venturing out meant certain death. The Blood Hand Society NPCs were their only hope of survival.
So these red-named players gave everything they had to charge through.
If they were killed now, all their recent efforts would go to waste. Just recovering their current levels — even with their familiarity with the Divine Realm — would take at least three to four days, let alone the weapons and equipment they'd lose. The thought alone was terrifying.
"Sister Watercolor Rose, we've really struck it rich this time! Every single piece of equipment is Bronze Rank or above, and most of it is Iron Rank. With this many weapons and equipment, we could easily open an equipment shop in
"You little money-grubber — selling these for Credit Points would be the real waste. Divine Realm hasn't been operating for very long.
At that moment, something changed on the elevated ridge outside Stream Town.
A dark-red column of light shot skyward, drawing everyone's attention.
Not only because of its overwhelming presence, but more because everyone felt a massive threat emanating from it.
That column of light came from the worn magic scroll Jue Tian had used.
"Oh no — that's a Tier 3 magic scroll, Phantom Beast Descent!" Shi Feng recognized the scroll in Jue Tian's hand at a glance and knew things were bad.
The power of a Tier 3 magic scroll was nothing any player could afford to underestimate. Even at Shi Feng's peak, if hit by a Tier 3 magic scroll, he'd have lost more than half his health — and right now, he wasn't even a first-tier Class.
Fortunately, Phantom Beast Descent wasn't an offensive scroll — it was a summoning skill, capable of calling forth a powerful phantom beast to fight alongside its master.
Above the column of light, a black heptagram magic circle materialized. Just as Shi Feng raised his sword to cut Jue Tian down, a beam of black light shot from the circle straight to the ground — landing precisely where Shi Feng stood.
Shi Feng didn't dare hesitate and immediately activated Sword Control Return to Heaven.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three consecutive impacts, and the elevated ridge was instantly blasted into a massive crater.
Had it not been for Sword Control Return to Heaven's ability to negate nine ranged attacks or four melee attacks, Shi Feng would have been killed on the spot.
At the center of the crater, a massive tiger with a body that shimmered like starlight sat quietly beside Jue Tian. Its silver-white eyes were locked on Shi Feng, teeth bared, its aura even more imposing than that of a Lord-tier monster.
"Guild Master Black Flame, our earlier agreement was that if I escaped, you'd grant me one request. I have to wonder — if I kill you, does that agreement still hold?" Jue Tian said with an amused smile.
"Of course it does. But you really are willing to part with it — do you have any idea what a Tier 3 magic scroll is worth?" Shi Feng glanced at the phantom beast beside Jue Tian, silently lamenting.
The power of a Tier 3 scroll, especially a summoning scroll, couldn't be fully unleashed by a zero-tier player. If a first-tier Class user activated it, it could decide the outcome of a battle involving tens of thousands. If a second-tier Class user wielded it, taking a large town would be effortless.
In terms of gold coins, many guilds would gladly pay thousands to acquire one.
Yet here it was being used like this — truly a squandering of a priceless treasure.
"Of course I know. But your speed is too fast — there's no way I could have made it back to Stream Town. I'd rather use it than die." Jue Tian was deeply reluctant, but the humiliation of being killed was something he never wanted to experience again. "Now that I've used this scroll, Guild Master Black Flame, you can rest in peace."
"Go — kill him!" Jue Tian pointed at Shi Feng and commanded the phantom beast.
Nebula Tiger, High Lord, Level 30, 1.8 million HP.
The phantom beast summoned by a scroll was determined by the user's level and tier. Jue Tian was level 20, so his summoned beast was ten levels higher — level 30. If Jue Tian had been a first-tier Class user, the Nebula Tiger wouldn't merely be a High Lord; it would have been a Great Lord at minimum. A Great Lord-tier monster was the stuff of nightmares — hundreds of players at the same level would be nothing more than fodder before a Great Lord. And if controlled by a player, it was even more terrifying.
That was exactly why a Tier 3 summoning scroll was so precious. It could summon a controllable Great Lord-tier monster, and with such a beast at your command, you could decide the outcome of a battle involving tens of thousands. (To be continued...)