Foggy Ghost Plains, a neutral map outside of the Black Dragon Empire-
Darkness enveloped the pains throughout the year. Level 70 to 80 Undead Creatures with high physical resistance roamed the plains, making the area very dangerous for current players. If players weren't careful here, they could easily lose their lives. Thus, very few visited this place.
However, a 20-man team currently fought more than a hundred Level 70-plus Undead Earthworms. These Undead Earthworms ranked between Special Elite and Lord, and a deathly aura surrounded their bodies. If players approached, they felt a chill seep into them, affecting their movements. In addition, the Undead Earthworms had extremely high Defense, and their attacks had a corrosive effect.
However, the players who faced these Undead Earthworms defeated one after another.
The team's leader, an a.s.sa.s.sin, toyed with roughly 80 Undead Earthworms by himself. Like a graceful b.u.t.terfly, the a.s.sa.s.sin skillfully dodged the corrosive attacks.
While the a.s.sa.s.sin attracted the Undead Earthworms' attacks, a willowy woman bombarded the monsters with one Spell after another, each dealing over -20,000 damage. Moreover, the woman timed her Spells accurately to strike the Undead Earthworms as they launched an attack, diverting the trajectories and reducing the pressure on the a.s.sa.s.sin.
After around 30 minutes, the 20-man team finally slew the last of these monsters, their bodies littering the ground alongside materials and items.
"The commander and vice commander sure are amazing. Without those two, these Undead Earthworms would've likely worn us down until we died."
"That's right! The Stamina consumption here is ridiculous. I lost more than a quarter of my Stamina in that fight alone. It's no wonder why the other adventurer teams refused to grind here."
"I wish I were as capable as the commander and vice commander. I'd be able to walk through the Black Dragon Empire unhindered."
"With their fame and strength, they could establish a large Guild in the empire. Even superpowers have tried to recruit our adventurer team. It's a pity that the commander rejected all those offers without hesitation."
When the resting members FFF adventurer team members looked at Yan Tianxing and Yi Luofei, their gazes held respect and admiration, especially the players that had recently joined the team.
Not only did the Undead Earthworms have incredible Defense, but their death aura also weakened players' combat power. Including the corrosive effect of the monsters' attacks, not even MTs in top-tier equipment would dare to aggro too many at once. At most, a strong MT could handle five or six Undead Earthworms at a time. However, these monsters traveled in groups of 100 or more. Even a 50-man team would struggle against such a large band of monsters, not to mention a 20-man team.
However, thanks to Yan Tianxing aggroing most of the worms and Yi Luofei's timely attacks, the team was able to defeat the 100-plus Undead Earthworms without much trouble.
The only benefit to the Foggy Ghost Plains was the high EXP its monsters granted. The leveling speed here was unmatched. After defeating a single wave of monsters, the FFF adventurer team's members had gained a visible chunk to their experience bars. It was a rare phenomenon at their levels.
Suddenly, a woman in dark-gray leather armor appeared before Yan Tianxing and Yi Luofei. She had a magnificent body, looking like a fairy, and her chilling aura felt like the moon in the night sky.
Upon close inspection, one would discover that this woman was actually Level 67. She could undoubtedly rank at the very top of the Black Dragon Empire's Ranking List. Meanwhile, Yan Tianxing and Yi Luofei had failed to detect this woman's presence before she had appeared.
The FFF members grew nervous due to her abrupt arrival.
They were all experts, and their ability to sense others' auras was first-rate, yet they hadn't noticed this woman's approach. To make matters worse, they had never felt such a frightening aura before. They all felt as if they stood in a silent h.e.l.l as this woman's aura washed over them.
"Why are you here, Lotus?" Yan Tianxing calmly asked the peerless beauty before him.
The other FFF members' jaws dropped when they heard the woman's name.
Everyone in the Black Dragon Empire knew the name 'Lotus.' It was, after all, the name of the number one player on the empire's a.s.sa.s.sin Ranking List. She was a legend in the empire, and even the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion feared her.
Moreover, Lotus was particularly mysterious. The public knew almost nothing about her other than her name.
The reason Lotus was known as a legend in the Black Dragon Empire and even the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion feared her so greatly was her success in killing Martial Dragon, one of the Pavilion's monster-level experts. Nine Dragons Emperor had been furious about Martial Dragon's defeat, but despite ordering a hunt for Lotus, he had accomplished nothing. In the end, Nine Dragons Emperor had been forced to abandon the hunt.
The FFF adventurer team's members had certainly never expected to meet the real deal here. Moreover, their commander seemed to know this woman.
"Have you considered the matter?" Lotus asked in a cold, mechanical tone.
"I've already told you that I'm not interested in joining Dark Soul," Yan Tianxing said.
"The alliance has more resources than you can imagine. I'm sure you believe that you can continue down this path and grow stronger without relying on a superpower. I thought the same in the past, but you haven't reached that point yet. You haven't experienced what it truly feels like to reach the point where there is no road ahead.
"If you continue to be stubborn, the gap between us will only grow. I know that you're interested in Zero Wing, and I admit that the Guild is impressive to secure White River City's Auction House despite facing multiple superpowers in the compet.i.tion," Lotus said, her voice deepening. "However, everyone knows what future awaits Zero Wing. After provoking so many superpowers, it is destined to perish. Furthermore, Zero Wing has almost no training resources. You'd be better off joining me in Dark Soul. Dark Soul's resources will help you improve. Do you really need to waste time on a Guild that is on the verge of destruction?"
"I've made up my mind," Yan Tianxing replied without hesitation. "Zero Wing's death isn't certain yet. As long as it returns to the Secret Chamber of Commerce, Starlink won't find the Guild easy to eliminate."
"So what if it returns? Do you really think a Guild with no background and resources can overturn the heavens?" Lotus asked with a hint of disdain.
But as soon as Lotus finished speaking, Yi Luofei gasped from beside Yan Tianxing.
"Commander, something... Something has happened!" Yi Luofei shouted after reading the message from the Flower of Seven Sins.
"What is it?" Yan Tianxing asked, giving his vice commander an odd look.
"Starlink... Starlink's advanced members.h.i.+p has been revoked!" Yi Luofei said, shuddering.
She even wondered if this message was a fake, but since it bore the Flower of Seven Sins' name, it couldn't be.
"How is that possible?!" Yan Tianxing was stunned. "Has the Secret Pavilion lost its mind? What in the world has happened?"
Members.h.i.+p in the Secret Chamber of Commerce was extraordinary. Revoking a basic member's status demanded an extremely high price, not to mention a power's advanced members.h.i.+p.
The news even surprised Lotus.
Becoming an advanced member in Secret required an astronomical price. By demoting one if its advanced members, the Chamber would lose significant profits. Why would the Secret Chamber of Commerce willingly revoke Starlink's advanced rank?
"The information isn't very accurate, but based on what we currently know, I'm 90% sure that Zero Wing has something to do with it. The moment Secret reinstated Zero Wing's basic members.h.i.+p, it demoted Starlink..." Yi Luofei replied hesitantly.
