The Fundamental Difference

Point out any errors I made in the chapters, as I'm very lazy and sometimes can't be bothered to reread them. Also give your opinions on something I should change or add.

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Aqua looked at Blackie in confusion for a moment, before her expression immediately darkened as her face turned deathly cold.

"What?" 

The deafening silence was pierced by the quiet, yet powerful voice that boomed in Blackie's ears. 

At the same time, a powerful pressure suffocated the entire room as an indescribable killing intent spread out. 

Blackie saw his surroundings of an office morph into a roiling sea as heavy rain poured on him from the gloomy clouds in the sky. Raging waves crashed all around as Blackie felt as if he were on a small boat in the middle of a giant storm, while countless monsters lurked beneath the water's surface; waiting for him to make a single mistake and get capsized. 

All of his primal instinct screamed in his mind to turn around and run, but Blackie's feet refused to budge as he tried his best to remain calm, knowing running would only place him in far greater danger. 

Lamenting his horrible luck, Blackie could only curse internally at Feng for getting him in this situation as he rapidly thought of the best way to save himself. Although Blackie had known Aqua would not be pleased when she heard the change in Fire's and Feng's relationship, he had not expected things to escalate to this level so quickly without any warning. 

Killing Intent Manifestation! 

A phenomenon caused when an overwhelming amount of killing intent is emitted and manifested by someone. It is a technique people who had killed countless others and cultivated their killing intent to the extreme could use.

When such a person's anger and lust for murder reach a certain threshold, they become capable of manifesting their killing intent into some kind of form. The form a person's killing intent will take depends on the person's own mind and its state, the amount of killing intent the person possesses, its quality, the person's mastery over it and the cause of the person's killing intent being invoked. 

The range a Killing Intent Manifestation can take form is from anything to everything, and there was no set rule. The most common one, though, was an environment manifestation like Aqua's, while the exact effects vary. Some could target the mind in order to weaken or restrict it, while some directly attack it, and some environment manifestation's serve for just boosting the person's combat prowess. 

Some Killing Intent Manifestations could also take form of weapons or armor, a random object, or even a construction. The effects were also all unique in some way, with each being dangerous due to Killing Intent Manifestations being difficult to deal with. 

Unless one possessed their own Killing Intent Manifestation, the only way to fight against it was through expending a large amount of mental energy and having a strong enough willpower to not go insane under the manifestation's effect. 

Of course, it was incredibly difficult for someone to create a Killing Intent Manifestation and use it in battle, as in order to first become capable of forming one, a person would have to have honed their killing intent by killing countless people through out numerous life and death battles. 

However, since the requirement for a person's killing intent to reach such a level of quality and quantity was enormous, the person would need to hold a complete and true, genuine wish to kill another creature, which was only possible through killing numerous people in real life. 

After all, no matter how realistic God's Domain was or how much it could determine a person's fate or its importance, at the end of the day, in the back of everyone's minds, it was still just a game. One's life wouldn't truly be in danger, as the cases for someone being physically affected in the real world through something in God's Domain were fairly rare. 

No matter how much people immersed themselves in God's Domain and lived in it, they'd still subconsciously consider it as another, non-real world. 

Thus, whenever they kill monsters, NPCs and other players, especially for the latter, even if they do build up killing intent, it was still inadequate to form a Killing Intent Manifestation due to knowing it is only a game. 

When killing in real life, though, such a thing wouldn't happen and the killing intent one gathers would be much different. There was a huge, fundamental difference between someone who had only killed in God's Domain and someone who's killed other people in real life. 

You could sense it simply by looking at them and feeling their aura. 

Even if the former's killing intent was many times larger than the latter's, it would still be vastly inferior due to the people not being on the same level, and the potency of the latter's killing intent would simply be an entirely different realm; as if the two people didn't live in the same world. 

Though, even if a person becomes capable of manifesting their killing intent, they'd still need to expend a sizeable amount of mental energy in order to maintain it, since it would quickly collapse if it was powered by just killing intent. 

In order to use Killing Intent Manifestation, one would also need their killing intent to be invoked, which was usually done through anger, and directed at something in order for its full effects to be shown. 

As such, a person usually wouldn't be able to activate their Killing Intent Manifestation completely at will, their killing intent and anger first needing to be stirred, but becoming an incredibly powerful weapon few people across the Greater World could achieve, unless one reaches Killing Intent Manifestation's second stage, Killing Intent Materialization, where one's manifestation of killing intent becomes capable of interfering with the physical world. 

Moreover, a Killing Intent Materialization was even more dangerous than a manifestation even though it's a physical attack instead of a mental one which someone can endure or survive with a powerful enough will due to it not simply being like regular attacks, and just immense physical strength and mental strength not being enough to combat it, needing an extreme amount of both as well as a huge amount of willpower. 

Due to its power and difficulty of combating it, along with that people capable of Killing Intent Materialization would also be capable of using Killing Intent Manifestation nearly at will as long as they are slightly irked with very minimum mental strength consumption, such people would be given immeasurable respect no matter where they went; no one wanting to become enemies with them unless they had the backing of another person capable of Killing Intent Materialization, otherwise they'd just be seeking their own death. 

It was also one of the reasons Feng, who became capable of using Killing Intent Materialization during the late stage of his previous life, had been feared by many throughout the Greater World despite only ever reaching the Half-step Beyond Domain Realm and being a Mental Strength Pseudo-Great Grandmaster, his capability of it having come in clutch during a critical time when he had possessed too many enemies to count. 

Feng using his powerful Killing Intent Materialization also being how he had managed to survive being hunted by the group of old Mental Strength Pseudo-Supreme Grandmasters for so long despite being ambushed and injured, forcing the geezers to use their own Killing Intent Manifestations and Materializations. 

Another reason why people capable of Killing Intent Materialization were so respected and why there were so few of them, with less than a hundred having existed across the history of all races in the Greater World, was the difficulty of reaching such a standard; or to be more precise, the unpredictability of it. 

Unlike Killing Intent Manifestation which required immense talent along with dedication and hard work as well as also not going crazy while building up one's killing intent and trying to form a Killing Intent Manifestation, possessing Killing Intent Materialization needed neither talent nor anything particular, as it sort of just happens when one's willpower and killing intent are strong enough. 

A person could have no history of mastery over their killing intent and be incapable of Killing Intent Manifestation, but suddenly become capable of materializing their killing intent in the physical world and using its incredible capabilities to become nearly unstoppable in both the real world and God's Domain. 

Naturally, though, there would still be a massive difference in power between such a person and Feng whose kill count in the real world had long surpassed a million and who had honed his killing intent so much his Killing Intent Manifestation had been nearly capable of fighting an actual Killing Intent Materialization before he had reached the second stage; but a person capable of Killing Intent Manifestation would still be stronger than people like Aqua, who had similarly to Feng killed millions, but was only capable of using Killing Intent Manifestation. 

However, a target was still required regardless of Killing Intent Manifestation or Materialization, otherwise its power and effectiveness would greatly suffer, becoming mostly for show and to intimidate people; which would still be plenty effective on people without a strong enough willpower. 

It was also why, despite all of his instincts screaming at him to run, Blackie stood as still as a statue, having sensed he wasn't the target of Aqua's Killing Intent Manifestation even though he was the one who had triggered it. 

After all, the real reason Aqua's anger had reached such a level was because she had realized the implications of Fire staying at Feng's apartment, as well as knowing that bastard had been talking to her that entire time without mentioning so much as a word about it, and as neither of the targets for Aqua's anger and killing intent were within range, her Killing Intent Manifestation had simply taken form out of reflex and representation of her current emotions without any actual target and was merely existing. 

If Blackie were to suddenly run, or even show any sudden movements, however, things would immediately change, and the target for Aqua's current rage that was close to exploding would become him. 

Currently, Blackie was struggling to keep his mind sane just from being in such close proximity to Aqua's boundless murderous intent, and he didn't want to imagine what would happen if he became its target; but staying quiet also wasn't an option, since Aqua was only temporarily distracted with her thoughts at the moment as she processed the situation, and she'd quickly come back into focus with himself becoming the target for her killing intent due to not only being the closest one, but also the bearer of enraging news. 

It was also at this moment that Blackie was reminded of a rumor that the souls of those killed by or under the effects of Killing Intent Manifestation would be in eternal agony and never find peace. 

Although Blackie didn't know how true that was in the real world, he knew with certainty it happens in God's Domain where souls could be perceived much more easily, and he had even witnessed it when Feng and some of the other Zero Wing members had used theirs to kill countless people, practically crippling the people's accounts and minds in the real world. 

And he definitely didn't want to find out if it was true for in the real world as well by experiencing it, so Blackie had to be very careful with what he said next in order to maneuver this situation and not piss off Aqua even more, as he quickly tried to think of the best way to survive; since he could sense Aqua's Killing Intent Manifestation growing even thicker and more condensed by the second. 

Since Aqua's killing intent was spread out flamboyantly without any particular target, though, aside from Blackie, everyone within the entire tall building suffered under the extreme pressure of Aqua's rage, while if looked at from outside, the light around the entire building seemed to have dimmed as if stormy clouds had appeared above it. 

If not for the fact everyone was too distracted with preparing for God's Domain's update to end and their own things, the sight would have instantly attract the attention of many passersby and quickly reach the news as some kind of paranormal phenomenon. 

Under the suffocating killing intent spread out by Aqua, the people inside the building, including the unrestored Zero Wing members, started collapsing to their knees as they felt like their legs suddenly weighed tons while breathing became difficult, and some even directly passed out. 

Their minds stagnated and raced at the same time as they tried to endure the back-breaking pressure mostly out of instinct since their brains at the moment weren't capable of formulating proper thoughts, while some among them were more affected than the rest. 

A sleeping baby was suddenly awoken and tried to cry, but the pressure kept it frozen without making a sound as tears started running down its face. 

An old man in his nineties suddenly felt his chest hurt with tremendous pain as his old heart raced, and the old man wondered if his time had come, but the rate of his heart only seemed to increase as if something slumbering within it had been awakened. 

A couple having a passionate time somewhere in the building suddenly stopped all movements as the pressure forced their bodies to lose control, with their climax reaching in an instant, along with their bowels giving out. 

Meanwhile, although the restored members didn't have as much of a visual reaction and appeared mostly calm on the outside, internally, they were shitting their pants, as unlike the commoners, they actually understood what this suffocating pressure meant and signified. 

Moreover, the pressure only kept growing and they could feel the Killing Intent Manifestation spreading the more time passed, resulting in the thought of running away to appear in their minds. 

As for a certain pink-haired girl sitting on her bed while waiting for God's Domain to become available to log in again, she only sighed upon feeling the suffocating pressure while not appearing at all affected by it. She had already known this was bound to happened after hearing Aqua had been restored, and was even slightly dreading it. 

Though, as she felt the pressure and killing intent growing larger, Violet wondered if she should interfere. 

"I'm not too sure on the details, Vice Guild Leader Aqua. You'll have to ask Violet about it, as she knows much more about the situation than me." Sensing that the situation was about to take a much worse turn for him, Blackie could only give up on finding the best way to resolve the situation and attempt to distract Aqua by reminding her of Violet. 

And it would seem like it worked, as Aqua's killing intent suddenly toned down by a significant margin upon being reminded there was also Violet in this entire situation. 

Seeing Aqua calm down slightly while seemingly entering deep thought, Blackie turned around and quickly walked out of the office at an almost running pace, while doing his best to not make it seem like he was running. 

Although Aqua noticed and fully understood Blackie's actions, she no longer payed him any mind and even felt slightly sorry, but focused on the fact that Violet definitely knew about this, and for some reason didn't come to her to mention it as soon as her memories were restored, leaving her to find out on her own. 

No matter how she thought about it, Aqua couldn't understand Violet's actions considering she had been one of the first to agree to delay things. 

Since she couldn't figure it out, Aqua could only opt to hear it from the horse's mouth. 

Looking towards a random direction of her new office, Aqua's gaze seemed to pierce through the multiple walls as she spoke in a cold voice "Violet, come here." 

Despite speaking in a a quiet tone in the small office, Aqua's order seemed to echo throughout the office floor and boom in every person's ear as if someone was whispering right beside them, causing the unrestored members to freak out and frantically look around them; while the restored ones seemed relived upon hearing the command, the situation seeming like it would be resolved peacefully. 

As the Zero Wing members were having various reactions, Violet quietly walked passed them and headed to Aqua's office. 

"What can I help you with, Big Sis Aqua?" Knocking before entering, Violet saw Aqua sitting behind her desk with a cold expression, but the girl still greeted her Vice Guild Leader with a smile as she asked the reason for being called to the office. 

"Cut the chit-chat, Violet. Didn't you know what Fire did-" Not in the mood for jokes or playing around with her words, Aqua immediately went straight to the point, but suddenly stopped as she noticed something. 

Closely looking at the pink-haired teen girl, Aqua noticed there was something different about Violet from the last time she had seen her; aside from being ten years younger, of course. There was something about her aura that put Aqua off. 

Violet appeared a lot more calm and relaxed before. The aura around her was of a newfound maturity Aqua had never seen on Zero Wing's number one Cleric before; and it strangely reminded her of...

Realizing something, Aqua's face grew even colder, as her originally emotionless gaze turned into something of a glare while looking at Violet "You too?"

"*Sigh* Big Sis Aqua, things are no longer the same as before." Releasing a sigh, Violet expressed her thoughts on the matter very clearly to Aqua. 

"Is that so?" An enraged chuckle left Aqua's mouth as she tried her best to remain calm "Why did you go back on the agreement? And why didn't you stop Fire in the first place?"

"It was already too late by the time I realized, and there was no point in holding back at that point any more. Feng surely wouldn't have stopped, and Fire definitely wouldn't have stopped even if I tried to interfere." Violet simply shook her head "As I've said, things have changed. The situation and circumstances have changed, and Feng has changed very much as well." Turning around, Violet no longer seemed interested in continuing the conversation as she placed her hand on the office door's handle, before turning slightly and saying "You should reconsider the way things originally were, since the agreement is no longer in place anyway." 

Exiting Aqua's office, Violet made her way back to her room and prepared for when God's Domain's second evolution finishes. 

Feeling the anger bubbling inside her only increase as she realized more of what's been happening behind her back, Aqua clenched her fist in order to suppress the rage and killing intent inside of her. 

Crack! Crack!

Hearing the cracking sound, Aqua opened her hand to see the pen she had originally been holding had been crushed into pieces that fell apart to the floor. 

Aqua slumped into her seat, suddenly feeling as if all of her rage had been doused and turned into anguish the more she thought about the situation. 

In reality, although she definitely wasn't the least bit happy Fire and Violet had went back on the agreement, Aqua wasn't so enraged by it that she would have such a large reaction to all of this. After all, Aqua had always known polygamy and sharing Feng were very likely to happen with the way things were going even though she hoped deep down she'd be the one to solely have a relationship with him. 

Though, it was wishful thinking, and Aqua had always known that, so she wasn't completely enraged when it eventually happened. 

What truly upset her was Feng's attitude towards it all and him not saying anything after restoring her memories, not even a warning, as if everything that had happened, all of the promises, none of it meant anything to him; and Aqua couldn't help but wonder if Feng had forgotten. 

Biting her lips, Aqua eventually calmed down and simply sighed, deciding that time would tell if her worst fears have come true. Afterwards, she finished up all of her remaining work as if nothing had happened, before going to her room where her original Virtual Gaming Cabin had been moved to. 

A few minutes later, however, ambulance sirens could be heard coming from the office building's entrance, and an 'Oh shit' look appeared on Aqua's face, as she realized she had released her Killing Intent Manifestation in this place where the vast majority of people were weaklings who had probably never even sensed killing intent; and Aqua couldn't help but wonder if she had accidentally killed someone. 

---

At 8 pm, the system upgrade of God's Domain was completed.

When Feng entered God's Domain, his virtual body felt particularly loose. His five senses had also grown sharper.

As he was settling into his new body, though, Feng suddenly felt a huge pressure appear behind him and a glaring gaze nearly burning a hole on the back of his head. 

'Here we go.' Sighing internally, Feng thought to himself as he prepared for the worst. 

Aside from Fire, who was also receiving the same glare as him, the other two had taken a couple of steps back and distanced themselves as if they didn't have anything to do with this. 

"Is something the matter, Vice Guild Leader?" Before Feng could turn around and address Aqua's stare and mood, Fire had already turned to her and asked in a calm tone. 

The two of them made eye contact for a moment, before Aqua simply shook her head "Nothing. I was just adjusting to the sudden change in my body. Anyway, we should get going." 

"Oh, is that so? That's quite normal, and you'll get used to it fairly quickly. Glad to have you back, Aqua." Seeing Aqua not bringing up the matter on the four of their minds, a bright smile appeared on Fire's face as she nodded; while Aqua merely gave a light nod. 

Feng glanced between the two women, wondering how things suddenly seemed so calm all of a sudden, as he had originally expected Aqua to be pissed and go off at him; but now everything seemed fine? 

Of course, Feng wasn't stupid enough to believe things were as simple as that, but he definitely wasn't complaining about this temporarily peace. 

Following which, Feng entered the silver flame's effective area. 

The instant he did, Feng felt as if he had dipped his feet into a hot spring the moment his boots touched the gray-white land, but due to his extremely high Fire Resistance, he didn't take any damage. 

Quickly locating the tightly shut door on the burning stone pillar, Feng grabbed the blue chain not far from the door, feeling a faint chill wash over him as he did so, and started pulling it, causing the stone door in the middle of the massive pillar to open slowly. A dark passage with zero visibility lay beyond the threshold.

After the stone door opened, the silver flames diminished gradually until they had been extinguished. Shortly after, the scorched earth also began to cool, allowing players to transverse through the region freely, and the five of them headed through the passage. 

The passage beyond the stone door was cramped, and engravings of ancient texts and drawings decorated the walls on either side. It allowed, at most, three people to walk abreast. 

Going down the passage for a few minutes the party arrived at a towering altar.

Massive statues of wolf-headed men guarded each side of the altar, and the silver flame dancing on the altar was the same flame Feng and the others had seen outside the stone door.

A short distance to the right of the altar, there was a teleportation magic array. A stone tablet emitting a golden glow sat to the left of the altar. Divine runes and drawings covered the tablet, and one could tell with a glance that the tablet was something extraordinary.

Glancing up, Feng spotted a figure hovering above the altar, but due to the poor lighting around the altar, it could not be seen clearly. Feng then activated Eyes of Truth and observed the figure.

[Anubis's Gatekeeper] (Great Lord)

Level 30

HP 10,000,000/10,000,000

Bouncing off the ground, Feng appeared in front of Anubis's Gatekeeper in an instant as he slashed his swords which lit up like miniature suns at it while activating Divine Providence. 

Before the sword strikes could land, however, the Anubis's Gatekeeper disappeared, reappearing behind Feng using Instantaneous Movement as a pitch-black spear as tall as Feng appeared in the Gatekeeper's hand. The Great Lord then swung the spear towards Feng.

But before the spear could pierce through him, Feng activated Silent Steps, teleporting behind Anubis's Gatekeeper and dodging the attack while his swords immediately made contact. 

With one Ten Extreme Slashes, all of the ten million HP in the Great Lord's HP bar disappeared in an instant, as it collapsed to the ground. Although players needed to use movement in order to activate skills after the second evolution, Feng had no trouble using Flame Burst to its fullest potential, and even achieved a Completion Rate of 100% on his first try; the skill's power surpassing what Feng was capable of before the second system update. 

The party then collected the loot from the Anubis's Gatekeeper, before Feng stored the golden tablet in his bag. However, the party didn't immediately activate the teleportation magic array, but Feng first walked up to the altar and towards the silver flame. 

As he stepped closer to the altar and was about to reach it, though, red glows appeared in the eyes of the two statues guarding the altar's sides. In the next moment, the spears wielded by the wolfmen statues descended upon the trespasser, who merely unsheathed his swords and blocked the two attacks. 

Cracks appeared on the ground below Feng as he stopped the two spears in their tracks, and he could feel a powerful force pushing against both of his swords. A hint of interest appeared in Feng's eyes as he looked towards the wolfmen statues and tried to identify them using the Eyes of Truth which were still active while taking a step back. 

[Moon Guardian] (Special Lifeform, Grand Lord) 

Level 30

HP 27,400,000/27,400,000

Glowing with a silver shine as the gathered dust and dirt on their bodies got whisked away by an unseen force, the two statue of wolf-headed men took a step forward as the red glows in their eyes gazed towards Feng who had stopped their attacks. 

The four spectating from the side also watched on from the side with faint surprise, not expecting Grand Lord rank Special Lifeforms to serve as guardians of this altar. As they scrutinized the two wolfmen statues, Aqua suddenly stepped forward. 

"Guild Leader, do you mind leaving one for me? I'd like to get a proper feel of my current limitations." Approaching one of the Moon Guardians, Aqua asked Feng, wanting to see how much of her prowess she could currently display. 

"Oh? Sure, have at it." Feng, who had originally been planning to quickly wipe out the two wolfmen statues, felt slightly surprised at Aqua's request, but decided to let her fight one of them anyway. 

Unlike the four of them, upon Feng's orders, Aqua hadn't completed her Tier 1 Class Change Quest yet due to Feng wanting her to first obtain a Peak Legacy before promoting through her tiers in order to get the best foundation possible. 

Thus, Aqua still remained a Tier 0 player, so fighting against a Grand Lord monster, especially one like the Special Lifeform Moon Guardian, solo would be incredibly difficult. Magical class players relied on the strength and control of their Mana in order to do high damage, but such a thing's effectiveness was very limited during the lower tiers. 

Although it was still possible to fight against opponents of a similar tier during these stages, crossing multiple tiers was many times harder for magical class player than melees due to melee players being capable of using various Combat Techniques to increase their damage output, while the help Combat Techniques could give to low-tier magical players was limited. 

However, Aqua is an Unthinking Realm expert. 

Despite being a Cleric with a Peak Legacy meant more for support than combat, Violet, who was similarly at the Beyond Domain Realm's second stage, was capable of dishing out damage surpassing most of Zero Wing's Domain Realm magical class players, with only a few top members like Su Qianliu rivaling her damage. 

Naturally, Aqua, who was a Cursemancer and more proficient than Violet, was capable of much more, so Feng quickly disposed of one of the Moon Guardians with a chain of skills and watched on curiously, wanting to see what the current Aqua was capable of. 

Shock appeared in the other Moon Guardian's eyes upon seeing his comrade get killed so quickly, but it still planned to continue valiantly fighting off the intruders, when it suddenly noticed the one who had just killed the other Moon Guardian step back, while another of the trespassers began to approach it. 

Not giving it much thought, the Moon Guardian abandoned going after the other trespasser and swung its spear at the approaching one. 

The Moon Guardian's Attack Speed was incredibly fast, and the silver spear in its hand crossed the distance in an instant, but as if having long predicted the attack, Aqua had already sidestepped out of the way, completely dodging the attack. 

Before the Moon Guardian could follow up on its attack, Aqua had pointed her Epic rank Staff which Feng had saved for her from the Wolfstein Palace raid along with a few more pieces of Epic rank equipment, and cast Dark Arrow. 

Flying through the air, the Dark Arrow reached an incredible speed and struck the Moon Guardian's chest, leaving a dent in the statue's sturdy body while forcing it to take two steps back. 

System: Dark Arrow Completion Rate 117%, resulting in 910% of spell's effect. Spell Proficiency +600.

At Aqua's standard, using low tier spells like Dark Arrow with a Completion Rate surpassing 100% was easy even though she had just been restored and was still getting used to her current body, and along with her being five levels higher than the Moon Guardian while being equipped with an Epic Weapon and multiple Epic rank equipment pieces as well as the rest being Level 35 Dark-Gold equipment, the power of her Dark Arrow with a 117% Completion Rate was incredible. 

The Moon Guardian once again became shocked after the intruder's, who it could sense was only Tier 0, attack had made it stumble, but before it could properly react to the situation Aqua began chanting and casting more of her spells, each having a Completion Rate above 110%. 

Despite Aqua's attacks being powerful, though, the most they could do was leave scratches on the Moon Guardian and remained unable to surpass its natural recovery, while it soon snapped out of its daze and started defending itself, greatly reducing the damage Aqua could do to it. 

Seeing the Moon Guardian putting up its defenses, Aqua decided she had gauged her current strength adequately for the strength of her current spells, and started chanting the incantation for the Tier 2 Spell Feng had given to her after looting the Wolfstein Library. 

A few moments later, a silver beam shot out of Aqua's staff, curving past the Moon Guardian's defenses and landing on its arm. An explosion sounded as the Grand Lord's hand was flung back, while half of its wrist was obliterated, nearly ripping of the Moon Guardian's hand. 

With Aqua's own strength and the Tier 2 Spell's Completion Rate reaching 104%, its power grew to be enough to do actual damage to the Moon Guardian. 

Aqua followed up with Dark Arrow and a few more of her spells and equipment's skills before the moon Guardian could recover, destroying the remaining part of the Special Lifeform's wrist and causing its right hand to fall to the ground, while it became forced to wield its giant spear with one hand. 

Enraged at getting its hand blown off, the Moon Guardian threw its silver spear at Aqua, which became covered with silver flames in mid air, greatly accelerating its speed and causing the spear's surroundings to turn even hotter. 

Of course, Aqua had moved out the way before the Grand Lord had even managed to throw its spear, causing the spear and its landing's explosion of flames to not even scratch her. 

Nevertheless, the Moon Guardian didn't give up and continued to attack Aqua using both melee and ranged attacks, only for all of it to be useless. Five minutes of the Grand Lord's barrage of attacks later, the cooldown of Aqua's Tier 2 Spell ended, and she immediately cast it again, her Completion Rate this time reaching 107% and nearly severing the Moon Guardian's other arm; which was quickly taken down by Aqua's following up attacks. 

Growing even more furious, the Moon Guardian went into a frenzy as the silver glow on its body intensified even more, before exploding out. Remaining completely unbothered, Aqua cast a few Defensive Spells and activated her equipment skills to fend off the attack. 

No matter what the Moon Guardian attempted to do or what skills it used, it remained completely helpless against Aqua, and another five minutes soon passed, at which point Aqua cast the Tier 2 Spell once again; however, this time, the silver beam was much brighter, and the space it passed through became cracked. 

System: Severing Moonlight Completion Rate 110%, resulting in 500% of spell's effect. Spell Proficiency +250. 

The silver light flew across the Moon Guardian's legs, instantly severing them and causing the Grand Lord to fall. Before it fell on its face, the Moon Guardian raised its head and glared at Aqua as the Mana in the surroundings gathered, before it spat out a giant silver ball. 

Preparing to defend against the Moon Guardian's last ditch attack, Aqua got ready to use her defensive spells and skills, when she suddenly noticed the silver ball fly high in the air instead of towards her. 

As she pondered over the silver ball's use, Aqua suddenly sensed life-threatening danger. Using Blink, Aqua appeared five yard away from her previous position, and in the next moment, a silver beam shot out of the floating ball, landing on where she had just been at with a speed her eyes and body were unable to follow. Of course, she could still sense the attack from beginning to end. 

'That's problematic.' Aqua couldn't help but think to herself upon sensing the power of that beam nearly reached Tier 4, while the silver ball floating in the sky suddenly released dozens of such beams in all directions that curved and the destroyed the ground as they moved towards her. 

Even if she used all of her spells and skills to defend against the beams, she might only be able to survive one or two, while the rest would surely kill her due to the difference in strength; and dodging being impossible due to the beams' number and speed. However, even though impending doom approached her, Aqua's face remained completely unbothered as if she wasn't at all concerned about those beams. 

Just as the multiple silver lights were about to devour her, a figure appeared in front of Aqua, slashing its sword with the power of thunder and flames around it, negating all of the approaching attacks. 

Slashing his sword at the floating ball, Feng cast Moonchaser, sending an opposing silver light at the silver ball, which reached it in an instant and punched a hole in it, before the ball blinked out of existence with an explosion. 

"Thanks." Walking past Feng towards the fallen Moon Guardian, Aqua thanked him for the assist, before sending a couple of spells at the helpless Grand Lord. 

However, after a couple of attacks landed on it and Aqua looked at the damages she was doing, she wagered that it was still nearly impossible for her to kill the Moon Guardian; at least not before running out of Mana multiple times and spending a long time pummeling it to death. 

Though, it might still be possible for her to kill Great Lords after the second system update with a bit of effort. 

Signaling to Feng that she was done experimenting, Aqua went back to the rest of the party while Feng finished off the crippled Moon Guardian as well a s the other one which had respawned by now, since Special Lifeforms were weapons the Gods had specifically crafted for war. Like puppets, they possessed eternal life. They also had the power of immortality.

Even if players killed them, they would resurrect. Moreover, they would revive slightly stronger than before. Generally, it only took these Special Lifeforms ten minutes to resurrect, with some of the more powerful monsters taking up to an hour or so. In addition, these monsters did not drop any loot. Hence, players usually kept their distance.

Getting rid of the two guards, Feng approached the altar once more and used the Eyes of Truth on the silver flame as he extended his finger towards it. 

[Silver Meteorite Flame] (Tier 3 Mysterious Flame)

System: Do you wish to bind the Silver Meteorite Flame as your personal Mysterious Flame?

Although he had already expected this after considering the place they were in, Feng was still surprised upon finding out the silver flame was the Tier 3 Mysterious Flame, Silver Meteorite Flame. Among Tier 3 Mysterious Flame, this one was amongst the most valuable, as well as the one every guild wished to obtain; its value to a large guild being comparable to a Tier 4 Mysterious Flame. 

Unlike other Mysterious Flame that provided both a powerful boost to a player's strength and great assistance for Lifestyle Jobs, the increase in strength provided by the Silver Meteorite Flame was barely comparable to an average Tier 2 Mysterious Flame; its benefits for Lifestyle purposes, however, was greater than even some Tier 4 Mysterious Flames, specifically when it came to helping many Lifestyle Players. 

Not only could the Silver Meteorite Flame increase the success rate when using Lifestyle Classes to make stuff more than other Tier 3 Mysterious Flames just by absorbing it, it could be spread out across over a thousand places for Lifestyle Players to use with nearly just as powerful effects. 

Thus, for large guilds that had many Lifestyle Players, the Silver Meteorite Flame was more valuable than one Tier 4 Mysterious Flame, and it was an incredibly sought after flame even in the Greater God's Domain due to the very low chance of it appearing in meteorite crash sites. 

After being surprised for a moment, Feng clicked "Yes", choosing to immediately bind the Silver Meteorite Flame to himself. 

Suddenly, the Silver Meteorite Flame started transforming. The flame sitting on the altar momentarily burned fiercely, wrapping around Feng's entire body. Feng immediately felt a scorching heat surrounding him as if he had just entered a pool of boiling water.

 A binding loading bar then appeared, slowly increasing.

Successfully fused 3%... 4%... 5%...

Pain started appearing all across Feng's body, and he felt the Silver Meteorite Flame seeping into every pore of his body while making it feel like he was being scorched from inside out. Feng also noted the pain brought by the Silver Meteorite Flame was many times greater than any other Tier 3 Mysterious Flame he had absorbed before, and the pain came along with the feeling of being crushed by a weight of hundreds of tons. 

Nevertheless, he gritted his teeth through the pain and endured as the fusion bar increased. 

While Feng was absorbing the Silver Meteorite Flame and the other four were waiting for the fusion process to finish, they were unaware that players throughout God's Domain had descended into madness. After God's Domain's second evolution, skill use demanded far more of players, and even experts needed a relatively long period to adapt to this new system.

After enduring the pain for thirty minutes, the fusion of the Silver Meteorite Flame finally completed.

System: The Silver Meteorite Flame has been bound as Player Ye Feng's personal belonging.

System: Fusion of the Silver Meteorite Flame completed. After undergoing the tempering of the Silver Meteorite Flame, player's physique has improved. Strength +30, Endurance +30, Agility +30, Fire Resistance +10. Able to fully control the Silver Meteorite Flame.

[Silver Meteorite Flame] (Tier 3 Mysterious Flame)

Can be used in battle to increase damage by 20%. Simultaneously, it increases the success rate for Potionmaking, Forging, and Cooking by 30%. 

Looking through the information for a moment, Feng extended his hand, on which a small silver flame appeared. Noting that the Silver Meteorite Flame's usage was mostly the same as other flames and that it could indeed separate into many different flames, Feng extinguished the small flame and headed towards the teleportation array with his guildmates, disappearing from the Land of the Fallen Star after twenty seconds. 

---

After its discovery, only a few elite players had willingly explored White Fog Canyon's outer region. At this moment, however, players had flooded the area.

The Warfire Set Equipment's appearance had even attracted players from other countries, and they all had rushed to the canyon to grind for the set, causing a sharp decrease in Battle Monkeys' numbers in the outer region. As a result, the danger had also greatly decreased.

Moreover, the Crimson-eyed Battle Monkeys in the outer area were only Level 22. By now, many players in White River City had already reached Level 20, while elite players had reached Level 22 or higher. Hence, White River City's players had also come to the canyon to grind for the Warfire Set Equipment.

Although the Warfire Set Equipment had an extremely low drop-rate, to the degree that only a few pieces had dropped thus far, everyone was still determined to grind in White Fog Canyon.

Their first reason was that of the high EXP from the canyon's monsters. As a result, they leveled much faster in the canyon than if they grinded monsters elsewhere.

The second reason was that all monsters within the canyon possessed a fixed chance to drop the Warfire Set Equipment.

Both the high EXP and the top-tier Set Equipment were sorely tempting to players. Even though the risk of grinding in White Fog Canyon was very high, players still rushed to the canyon in droves.

"Cloud, you really have a lucky touch. Other parties have not obtained anything over these past few days, yet, we have two Warfire set pieces." A thinly-built male Ranger said as he looked at the red-haired beauty beside him. Laughing, he continued, "I heard that the set's price has increased again. Now, someone's offering to buy individual pieces for 8 Gold per piece. We can get 16 Gold with the two we have. If we trade that for Credits, that'll be 170,000 to 180,000!"

"If we sell the set pieces for 180,000, we could get 30,000 each. That's more than six months of my salary! God's Domain really is the best place to make money!" Another middle-aged Cleric wearing mage robes exclaimed.

"You guys... All you can think of is Credits. God's Domain only launched recently. Things will get even more intense later on. If we convert the Gold Coins into Credits, we will suffer a huge loss. Even if we plan to convert them into Credits, haven't you guys seen the messages on the forums? There are people who are willing to buy each Warfire set piece for 100,000 Credits; two pieces mean 200,000." The Shield Warrior, Virtuous Cloud, laughed faintly. At this moment, she, too, was excited.

During this period, many parties spent their time grinding monsters in White Fog Canyon. Even so, the Warfire Set Equipment rarely dropped. From the news they had heard, only one or two pieces dropped each day.

Originally, their party was on the brink of despair. However, after killing a Level 24 Special Elite ranked Armored Battle Monkey, a Warfire set piece dropped. The following day, after killing a group of Crimson-eyed Battle Monkeys, another piece dropped. Instantly, they rose from the pits of hell to heaven.

One piece was sufficient to recover their initial costs. With two pieces, they could make a fortune.

With the Gold Coins they could earn, they could upgrade equipment. They could replace what they currently wore with some Secret-Silver Equipment. At that time, they could grind for the Warfire Set Equipment more efficiently.

"The new system upgrade is really a bastard. If the new combat system had not reduced our strength, we might have had a chance of claiming another set piece given a little time." The middle-aged Cleric said.

The other party members nodded, agreeing with the man's words.

It was extremely difficult to use combat skills at the moment. Moreover, the newly-implemented Skill Completion Rate had left them speechless. Other than one or two, their skills were all below 50%. They could only display less than 60% of their previous strength. Fortunately, White Fog Canyon was not as dangerous as it had been. Otherwise, they would have been in a lot of trouble.

"We can't do anything about the game's system upgrade. Moreover, everyone else is in a similar situation," Virtuous Cloud consoled. "Now that we have obtained two Warfire set pieces, as long as we sell them, we can replace our equipment with a few pieces of Secret-Silver Equipment. Everything will be fine, once we upgrade our combat power."

"That's right. White River City is a good place to do that. Compared to our city, there is more high-quality equipment available here. There are also the Mana Armor Kits that can raise one's Attributes significantly being sold here." 

While Virtuous Cloud's party chatted with each other, a team of roughly 20 to 30 players appeared on the small path leading to White Fog Canyon's entrance. These players all wore sneers, and the IDs they displayed were crimson, proof they had already killed many players.

"Seeing your joy, you guys must have had a bountiful harvest, right? Why not share it with us?" The Level 24 Berserker leading this team of Red Names asked mockingly. The man was Cold Laughter, and he sported a wide grin as he focused on Virtuous Cloud's party.

Virtuous Cloud and her party members immediately readied their weapons, their expressions turning grave.

Due to their previous excitement, they had forgotten about the horrors in White Fog Canyon.

Although the danger of monsters had decreased, the danger from other players had skyrocketed.

Monsters' drop-rates in White Fog Canyon were a lot higher than the outside world. Even if players did not obtain the Warfire Set Equipment, they could still make a hefty profit from selling the other equipment that dropped. Hence, many elite players had come to grind. As elite players, their equipment was definitely high quality.

Compared to grinding monsters, it was far more profitable to kill elite players. If one were lucky, high-quality equipment might even drop from the dead player's bag.

As a result, the number of players dying in White Fog Canyon was terrifying.

Just as Virtuous Cloud's party thought about turning to escape, another several dozen players emerged from behind them.

Virtuous Cloud's team was immediately flustered.

If the other side only had a dozen or so players, they could attempt to take them on. After all, they, too, were elite players. However, their enemies had over 50 players on their side. With just the six of them, they were outmatched.

"It isn't easy for us to guard this road. I won't mince words. I will let you guys pass if each of you hand over the best piece of equipment you have and 20 Silver Coins. If not, you will all die here." Cold Laughter grinned as he fiddled with the greatsword in his hand.

After Cold Laughter spoke, the Red Names blocking the road promptly unsheathed their weapons. If Virtuous Cloud's party refused, they would burst into action.

Currently, most players were around Level 20. Elite players, in particular, had higher levels. If they died, not only would they lose a piece of equipment, but they would also have to spend several days recovering their losses. Nobody wanted to deal with that.

Hence, Cold Laughter had proposed a suitable condition.

"Although you outnumber us, don't forget that you are all Red Names. Even if you wipe us out, with our strength, we will take one or two down with us," Virtuous Cloud said, unfazed. "At most, we will lose one level and one piece of equipment. However, if a Red Name dies, they will lose two or three levels, maybe even three or four, and a majority of the equipment they are wearing."

Virtuous Cloud's words had undoubtedly generated some hesitation among the Red Names. After all, nobody could guarantee that they wouldn't be the pitiful player who Virtuous Cloud's party killed. However, none of the Red Names were shaken. On the contrary, they smirked arrogantly at the smaller party.

Their expressions somewhat surprised Virtuous Cloud.

Before Virtuous Cloud could figure out what was going on, Cold Laughter sneered and said, "Stop trying to play tricks. I'll count to five. If you don't hand over the equipment and money, we'll take it ourselves."

"Everyone, be careful. In a moment, I'll clear a path towards the forest to our left. If we can reach the forest, we should be able to shake them off once inside." Virtuous Cloud hurriedly said.

Just as both sides prepared to take action...

A black hole suddenly appeared in the air. In the next moment, five people fell from the black hole, landing between Virtuous Cloud's and Cold Laughter's groups.

Virtuous Cloud's and Cold Laughter's groups were both stunned by the five who suddenly fell out of thin air.

"Boss Cold, check out their levels. The lowest among them is Level 25. It doesn't seem like a good idea to provoke them." A Level 23 Ranger said upon seeing the disguised levels of Feng's group, slightly breathless.

Elite players at this stage of the game were mostly around Level 22, while experts were around Level 24.

In Virtuous Cloud's party, only she was Level 23, while the others were Level 22.

As for the Red Names, the highest leveled player was Cold Laughter, who was currently Level 24, while everyone else ranged between Level 21 and Level 23.

On the other hand, the five players that had suddenly appeared ranged between 25 and 27; and there was even one with his level unknown...

It was common knowledge that each level demanded more EXP than the last. Disregarding their equipment, just the fact that some of them were Level 27 was terrifying enough.

"Why do these people seem somewhat familiar?" Cold Laughter was no fool. After taking a careful look at the newcomers, he used an identification skill. Suddenly, his lips curled into a smile. "Sure enough, it's him!"

"Boss Cold, who is it?" the Ranger asked.

"Don't you remember the bounty Overwhelming Smile has offered?" Cold Laughter said excitedly as he grinned at the Swordsman wearing a black cloak.

The Ranger then followed Cold Laughter's gaze and used an identification skill on that Swordsman as well.

Immediately, he discovered that the Swordsman's name was Black Flame.

"Black Flame?"

"That's right. He's the same Black Flame who has the title of Star-Moon Kingdom's number one expert. A few days ago, Overwhelming Smile posted a bounty on his head. If we report his location, they will reward us with 30,000 Credits. If he's still here when they arrive, they will give us another 500,000 Credits. If we kill Black Flame, Overwhelming Smile is willing to pay 5,000,000 Credits. Many experts have found the offer tempting, and everyone's been looking for him. I never thought that I would find him here."

"But, Boss Cold, I heard that Black Flame is ridiculously powerful. With our numbers, I'm afraid..."

"What's there to be afraid of? Now that God's Domain has undergone its second system upgrade, everyone's strength has decreased significantly. Even if Black Flame is the number one expert of Star-Moon Kingdom, he is a tiger that has lost its claws and fangs. Does he think he can do whatever he wants in my turf?

"Contact Overwhelming Smile immediately. Tell them that we have found Black Flame and to prepare the money for his corpse."

Saying so, Cold Laughter waved his hand. Suddenly, all 50 Red Names closed in on both Virtuous Cloud's and Black Flame's parties, leaving no opportunities for escape.

"Who are you guys?" Virtuous Cloud asked, surprised to see players suddenly appear in such a moment, as well as the sudden change of mood in Cold Laughter's team.

"You are...?" Feng looked at Virtuous Cloud. Suddenly, the figure of the red-haired beauty he had met in his previous life here in the White Fog Canyon popped into his mind. Unable to help his laughter at them meeting here in the same manner and in the same situation despite the timing being much different, Feng said, "Hello there. Sorry for intruding, but do you have any Warfire Set pieces to sell? I'll buy them at 10 Gold Coins a piece." 

Feng had originally met Virtuous Cloud during his previous life after White Fog Canyon had just gotten popular and he gave her the offer to sell Warfire pieces to him at a high price, which she later on did, helping him complete a Warfire Set. Afterwards, Virtuous Cloud had joined Zero Wing, becoming an elite member and remaining one even later on once they entered the Greater God's Domain. 

Since their meeting here seemed to be fated, Feng would naturally take advantage of the opportunity to recruit Virtuous Cloud once more. 

"Huh?" Confused, Virtuous Cloud couldn't help but be taken at back, wondering why this tycoon was asking this in such a situation, "Although I'd love to conduct business with you, Mr, but we're kind of in a predicament." 

"Predicament?" Feng asked as he examined his surroundings. These Red Names all had relatively high levels and good equipment—especially the Level 24 Berserker standing in the lead. They were all independent players. Anyone who could reach Level 24 at this stage of the game was definitely an expert. 

In the past, White Fog Canyon had become a gruesome war zone because everyone had discovered the value of Starfire Ore. Teams of several hundred players, even some with over a thousand, would gang up on innocent players to steal what they could.

However, in the next moment, Feng's body seemed to blur for a split second, before he looked towards Virtuous Cloud, asking "What predicament?"

"The-" Virtuous Cloud was left speechless by Feng's leisurely behavior. However, when she looked towards the group of red names, wanting to point them out, she suddenly noticed all of them had collapsed to the ground, their bodies turning into particles of light while all of their equipment was left behind. This situation only served to dumfound Virtuous Cloud as she wondered what had just happened.

"Well?" Feng asked as he gestured with his hand towards Fire and the rest to pick up the dropped equipment. 

Understanding the cue that Feng was somehow the one behind the red names sudden death after seeing that he had clearly known about their presence and him show zero surprise to the development while having his companions collect the dropped items, shock overcame Virtuous Cloud, but she quickly hurried to thank him "Thank you for saving our lives," Virtuous Cloud said as she took out a Warfire set piece from her bag, intending to give it to Feng. "I don't have anything else on me that I can offer, so please accept these Warfire Bracers." 

When Virtuous Cloud's party members saw her use a Warfire set piece as payment for their rescue, although their hearts ached at the sight, none of them tried to hinder their party leader's actions.

It had not been easy to reach their current Levels. If they died, not only would they lose a level, but every one of them would also have to lose a piece of equipment. Losing the Warfire Bracers was more affordable.

Moreover, Virtuous Cloud's decision could also allow them to forge a connection with an expert. This was a welcomed opportunity for all of them.

"Warfire Bracers? Sure, as I previously said, I'll buy it for 10 Gold Coins."

Saying so, Feng traded 10 Gold Coins to Virtuous Cloud. He then added the Warfire Bracers to his bag.

---

In White Fog Canyon's inner region, a large group of players currently faced a Level 27 Lord.

Although these players only inflicted around -100 damage with each attack, there were over 2,000 players attacking simultaneously. In the end, the Lord died, unable to withstand the barrage of attacks.

"Haha! What good luck! A Level 25 Fine-Gold Weapon dropped!" Lone Tyrant laughed after he finished organizing the loot.

During this period, aside from searching for Black Flame's whereabouts, they had also searched for and killed Lord ranked monsters.

After such a long time, they had managed to kill over a dozen Lords. However, the drop-rate of Level 25 Fine-Gold ranked weapons and equipment was very low. They had only obtained two pieces; one was a cloth armor, while the other was the weapon that had just dropped. Everything else they obtained was mainly Secret-Silver ranked.

When the Overwhelming Smile elites saw the Level 25 Fine-Gold Weapon in Lone Tyrant's hand, they nearly failed to contain their drool.

A Level 25 Fine-Gold Weapon was the equivalent of a Level 20 Dark-Gold Weapon. The former's Attributes were even slightly better than the latter. One could even say that Level 25 Fine-Gold Weapons were the best weapons currently available in God's Domain.

Aside from Zero Wing, there was no news of other Guilds in White River City possessing Level 25 Fine-Gold Weapons. Now, however, Overwhelming Smile had finally obtained one of their very own.

Although they possessed far fewer Level 25 Fine-Gold Weapons than Zero Wing, it was still proof of Overwhelming Smile's strength.

Unfortunately, the elite members of Overwhelming Smile could only look at the Level 25 Fine-Gold Weapon. They would have to wait a long time before they could obtain one for themselves.

In order to kill the dozen or so Lords, Overwhelming Smile had sacrificed many members. The price they had paid was simply unimaginable.

At this moment, however, Lone Tyrant handed the Level 25 Fine-Gold dagger to Summer Sunshine. Everyone's hearts ached when they saw the exchange.

They had only obtained this Level 25 Fine-Gold dagger after killing over a dozen Lords with great difficulty, yet they actually gave it to an outsider without batting an eye.

"Oh, this dagger is quite good. It's slightly better than my Level 20 Dark-Gold dagger," Summer Sunshine said after he gave the Level 25 Fine-Gold dagger a few swings. Nodding with satisfaction, he said, "Alright, let's search for another Lord, then."

"Wait a minute," Youlan suddenly said.

"Is there a problem?" Summer Sunshine asked as he turned to Youlan.

"Big Brother Summer, I've just received information that someone has spotted Black Flame. He is currently in the outer region of White Fog Canyon. If we hurry, we can still catch him." Youlan said.

After Black Flame had killed Overwhelming Smile's expert, Oriental Sword, all traces of the man had vanished.

To avoid letting Black Flame escape, Youlan had prohibited Overwhelming Smile's members from acting rashly and alerting the enemy, giving Black Flame the chance to take preventive measures. All this time, they had searched for Black Flame in secret and had posted a bounty for the man. Unfortunately, even after so much time, nobody had seen the Swordsman.

Now that they had received news of Black Flame, they could not let him go.

Black Flame was too famous. At this rate, Zero Wing would become increasingly difficult to deal with, and it would become very difficult for Overwhelming Smile to take control of White River City.

"He has finally shown himself. Good. Let's head over there immediately. I want to see just how strong the number one expert of Star-Moon Kingdom is." Summer Sunshine said as he sheathed the dagger he had just received, anticipation filling his eyes.

"I'll have to trouble Big Brother Summer, then." Youlan smiled faintly.

Although she had constantly searched for ways to deal with Black Flame, she was still not confident of killing him. Now, however, they had an expert like Summer Sunshine on their side. Moreover, Summer Sunshine had just received a new weapon. Combined with the plans she had prepared, she was 90% certain that they could take Black Flame's life this time.

Even if Black Flame were as strong as a Lord, he would still die at her hands.

---

Elsewhere, after buying the Warfire piece from Virtuous Cloud, Feng joined her party, greatly confusing the woman, and headed out of the White Fog Canyon. 

Meanwhile, what surprised Virtuous Cloud and the rest of the members in her party after Feng joined them was that, beyond there expectations, Black Flame was only Level 23 similarly to Virtuous Cloud. They couldn't help but wonder why an expert capable of taking down over fifty red names without them even noticing was only the same level as their party leader. 

What they didn't know, however, was that Feng had joined their party in order to utilized the Growth System and temporarily lower his level to the next highest-leveled player in the party. Although doing so would reduce his Basic Attributes, it would not affect the quality of his equipment.

This mechanic had been created to allow high-level players to help their lower-leveled companions grind and level quickly, as players of significantly higher levels would take the majority of a monster's EXP. Now, however, this mechanic will help Feng achieve something else. 

After killing the Great Lord ranked Anubis's Gatekeeper and two Grand Lord ranked Moon Guardians, despite them being nine levels lower than him, they had still provided Feng and his party plenty of EXP, allowing Feng to bridge the remaining gap to Level 40. 

Since Feng knew that he'd end up surrounded and attacked by Overwhelming Smile's group now that the red names had saved him the trouble of getting Youlan's attention, he naturally couldn't let this opportunity slip past him. 

In order to collect a player's Immortal Soul, Feng could be, at maximum, five levels lower or higher. The current players were only around Level 22, while Feng was already Level 40, so he normally wouldn't be able to absorb their Immortal Souls due to the level gap; however, with Virtuous Cloud's party here, Feng could lower his level enough so to be in range of the Overwhelming Smile's members. 

After Virtuous Cloud recovered from her daze while walking together with Feng's group, she was no longer as relaxed as she had been, growing far more cautious.

Originally, she had intended to sell the remaining Warfire set piece to Feng as well. However, she now dismissed this idea.

Even a fool could tell that Feng was a powerful character. Moreover, she had heard the other members of his group refer to Black Flame as their Guild Leader. Compared to minor existences like themselves, he was in an entirely different world.

Not only had Feng saved their lives, but he had also purchased the Warfire Bracers they had for more than the market price. They already owed Feng a huge favor. If she tried to sell the second Warfire set piece to Feng at a high price, she would be ashamed herself.

Virtuous Cloud disliked owing other people favors. She was not comfortable until she repaid what she owed. Hence, she looked towards Feng and asked softly, "Guild Leader Black Flame... I have something I wish to seek your help with."

"Sure." Feng replied in a carefree manner, knowing what she was going to ask.

"Our party consists of only independent players, so it isn't easy for us to obtain equipment for ourselves. I still have another Warfire set piece with me. Would it be possible to trade it for six pieces of Level 20 Secret-Silver Equipment?" Virtuous Cloud asked, slightly embarrassed.

The market price for the Warfire set was eight Gold per piece. As for Level 20 Secret-Silver Equipment, a few days ago, each was worth roughly one or two Gold. However, as players' levels increased and teams successfully raided more Level 20 Team Dungeons, the value of Secret-Silver Equipment fell sharply. Currently, one piece of Level 20 Secret-Silver Equipment was only worth around 90 Silver; six pieces would cost around five Gold at most.

"No problem. However, I don't have that many Level 20 Secret-Silver Equipment on me, though there are plenty back in our Warehouse. I'm just about to head back to the city anyway. Will one of you follow me to pick out the equipment?" Feng tried not to be a hypocrite most of the time when it wasn't inconvenient. Since Virtuous Cloud wanted to avoid owing him a favor, he would not try to force her to accept his goodwill.

"I'll pass you the Warfire set piece first, then." Virtuous Cloud said as she happily traded a pair of Warfire Boots to Feng. When Feng agreed to her request, she felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

After they had concluded their trade, Feng and the others wandered down the main road, heading towards the exit of White Fog Canyon.

Players could not use Return Scrolls inside White Fog Canyon. Hence, Feng and the others needed to leave the canyon on foot before they could teleport back to the city. 

Just as Feng and the others were about to reach White Fog Canyon's exit, a group suddenly blocked their way. Virtuous Cloud and her team turned grim at the sight.

"There sure are a lot of people." Feng could not help but laugh as he surveyed the surrounding forests.

Several thousand players had hidden in the forest on either side of the road. With Feng's senses, he could naturally tell all of their exact locations with ease. 

"Guild Leader Black Flame," Youlan greeted as she slowly walked out of the forest, smiling faintly at Feng. "Since you've discovered us, I guess we don't need to hide anymore. Everyone, come out."

Following which, swarms of players emerged from the surrounding cover, their numbers exceeding 2,000. Every player was an elite of Overwhelming Smile.

These 2,000 elite players had blocked off the road leading out of White Fog Canyon, and they all emitted a cold killing intent as they glowered at Feng's group. Compared to the Red Names who had assaulted them previously, these elite players had far better equipment.

"I wonder what business Overwhelming Smile has with me today?" Feng pondered aloud as he observed his surroundings, having to count properly by hand the number of Overwhelming Smile players, feeling that his senses might be getting dull when he detected only 2,000 were present in this encirclement. 

However, even after quickly scrutinizing the group, Feng found that there were only a bit more than 2,000 players sending murderous gazes at him, and he couldn't help but inwardly frown, as he wondered whether this was all Youlan could hastily gather and more were currently on their way. 

"Guild Leader Black Flame must be joking," Youlan said as she watched her target carefully, finding the man truly interesting. Even against 2,000 Overwhelming Smile elites, his expression had not changed in the slightest. "Previously, you killed over a hundred of our Guild members. If word of that gets out, we'll be a laughingstock. I've specifically sought out Guild Leader Black Flame today to seek reparations."

Listening to Youlan's words, even a fool could tell that Overwhelming Smile had come to redeem their reputation.

"Miss Youlan, are you suggesting that we start an all-out war?" Feng blatantly asked, wondering what Youlan's real plan was.

"Guild Leader, Black Flame, why must you put it like that? I have only come to demand justice for our Guild's brethren. Why would I start an all-out war between our two Guilds?" Youlan said, chuckling. 

"What are your intentions, then?" Feng asked.

"As long as you let us kill you once, we will forget about this matter altogether. How about it?" Youlan said. "Neither of our Guilds stand to benefit from an all-out war. In fact, such a situation will only allow other Guilds to take advantage of us. I hope that you will consider your options carefully."

"Pfff! 

"She's can't be for real, right?"

Flying couldn't help but laugh upon hearing Youlan's words, feeling like the girl must have gone insane. Although he knew this was what she had done in the previous timeline as well and that she most likely couldn't tell the real difference in their strengths, he still couldn't help but find it ridiculous that Youlan seemed to actually think she stands any kind of chance against them. 

The three ladies standing to the side, however, didn't seem to find it funny in the least as Youlan talked about killing Feng, and their gazes only grew cold as they stared at Overwhelming Smile's group; already would have had rushed in there and started massacring all of them if not for knowing Feng needed to kill them for their Immortal Souls and Life Force. 

"Miss Youlan, you seem to have the wrong impression and think that Overwhelming Smile actually stands a chance against Zero Wing." Feng chuckled, finally understanding why Youlan had only brought 2,000 members with her. 

She actually thought that she could pose some kind of threat to him! 

Although ridiculous, that seemed to be the only explanation, and Feng couldn't help but be slightly stunned upon realizing this. 

"Since you insist on being stubborn, don't blame us for being rude!" Youlan's brows couldn't help but knit together as she frowned upon seeing the odd reactions of Feng's group after being encircled by so many elite players. Nevertheless, she immediately made a wave with her hand. "Kill them!"

Suddenly, the 2,000 elite players approached Feng and his allies slowly and orderly. Simultaneously, a gigantic black magic array emerged in the sky. Suddenly, the magic array released a black light that covered the sky before enveloping every player on the battlefield.

Everyone's vision suddenly turned black, unable to see anything at all. After a brief moment of darkness, however, the players regained their sight and felt no discomfort whatsoever.

This is the effect of the Tier 3 Magic Scroll, Dead Zone. Any lifeforms exposed to the black light are Silenced for five minutes. The scroll's effects also prohibit the usage of any tools.

Virtuous Cloud's party tensed when they noticed they had fallen in a Silenced state.

"Hahaha! Black Flame is dead for sure this time! Let's see if he can escape without skills or Scrolls!" Lone Tyrant rejoiced as he watched his Guildmates slowly surround Feng.

"What a pity. I had originally thought I would get a chance to solo that Black Flame. However, I never expected that you still had such a trump card hidden, Youlan. No wonder you are known as the female Zhuge. It seems that I won't have a chance to take him on." Summer Sunshine sighed as he shook his head.

"Big Brother Summer, Black Flame is not so simple. In a moment, we will still have to rely on you to get rid of him." Youlan said. She was not rash like Lone Tyrant. Before dealing with an enemy, she would always investigate them thoroughly and prepare for the worst possible scenarios.

Although the situation seemed in Overwhelming Smile's favor, melee combat experts such as Black Flame excelled in situations in which both sides were Silenced.

If not for the fact that Youlan had her own melee genius, Summer Sunshine, she wouldn't have been as certain of Feng's defeat.

"In that case, let me have a go at him."

Hearing Youlan's words, passion and excitement filled Summer Sunshine's gaze as he watched his opponent. Finished speaking, he took a step forward before dashing towards the battlefield.

'What shit is this guy on?' Feng couldn't help but grow slightly shocked upon hearing Lone Tyrant's words, looking at the man as if he were a retard. Could it be they all truly thought the only reason he could massacre them was because of his skills? 

But he only shook his head in the next moment while giving out an audible sigh of disappointment "It seems like you're not nearly as smart as I had thought." 

Saying so, Feng's entire person disappeared, as a sharp wind passed by the players on Yolan's left side. 

Seeing Feng suddenly disappear, Youlan immediately switched her gaze to her left where he seemed to have passed. However, Youlan's eyes widened in shock as she witnessed the hundreds of Overwhelming Smile members collapsing out of nowhere. 

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Before Youlan could react, numerous sounds of something falling echoed behind her, causing her to immediately turn around, only to be greeted by an even more terrifying sight of the Overwhelming Smile members' corpses, and it didn't look like any of the ones behind her were still alive. 

Another sharp wind passed Youlan now to her right, and she instantly felt a hand wrap around her neck and lift her in the air. 

"Did you seriously think you'd have any hope of beating me just because I was Silenced and there were a lot of you? Or, don't tell me you were planning to rely on this trash to fight me?" As she struggled to breath, Youlan heard Feng's cold voice as he spoke with glaring ridicule, lifting the head of a man to Youlan's eye level as he finished his sentence. 

Unfathomable shock appeared in Youlan's eyes as she identified that the head in Black Flame's hand belonged to Summer Sunshine, the person she had been hoping would be able to take on Zero Wing's Guild Leader. 

She hang there for a moment with her feet dangling, even forgetting to attempt to breath as her mind went blank, not knowing how to respond to this situation. 

Nothing she had experienced in the past could compare to the shock and fear she was currently feeling, causing her mind to grow stagnate. 

Noticing that, Feng lost interest in seeing how Youlan would react, tightening the grip on the beauty's neck and snapping it, instantly emptying her HP bar. 

Looking at the mountain of loot which had formed from the over two thousand Overwhelming Smile members, Feng had Aqua contact the Zero Wing members in White River City and White Fog Canyon to come and pick it up, before having her return to the city in order to prepare for war. 

Feng then activated Echoport, teleporting to Wolfstein Empire's Treasure Room, gazing at the second gate which still remained locked. 

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