Chapter 1 The Taut Nerves of the Niuren Tribe

The hearts of everyone in the Niuren Tribe were pounding. Nie Yan was escorting the black gunpowder with two thousand members. Such important items required extreme vigilance; they couldn't afford any mistakes. The intelligence network under Guo Huai's command was running at full speed, and they immediately reported any unusual movements from the hostile guilds.

The Kalan Temple and the Holy Roman Empire were staring intently at the Triumph Empire. Occasionally, people from the Kalan Temple or the Holy Roman Empire would appear near the Triumph Empire's fortress, and some minor skirmishes occurred.

With Po Tian's personality, he would never willingly be manipulated, and he occasionally sent small groups of players out of the city to attack the people of the Kalan Temple and the Holy Roman Empire.

Being closely watched by the Kalan Temple and the Holy Roman Empire, the Triumph Empire simply couldn't free up the manpower to intercept the Niuren Tribe's convoy of black gunpowder.

Guo Huai and the others had made preparations for the entire Niuren Tribe. If the convoy of black gunpowder was attacked, they would immediately summon their brothers to rescue Nie Yan. Of course, it would be best if everything went smoothly.

With more than two thousand people, there shouldn't be any problems, Guo Huai thought.

At this moment, six shamans, all above level 50 and equipped with excellent gear, appeared in a hilly area, threading through the forest. They were all First Advancement Shaman Priests.

The shaman was the most mysterious and troublesome class in the Orc Empire.

The main class of the Human Empire was the mage, the main class of the Undead Empire was the undead warlock, and for the Orc Empire, it was undoubtedly these shamans.

Shamans were divided into two types: witch doctor shamans and elemental shamans. Learning witch doctor shaman skills meant choosing healing, while learning elemental shaman skills meant possessing powerful elemental powers. These shamans had lightning symbols embroidered on their collars, indicating their chosen path: elemental shaman! Elemental shamans were proficient in elemental magic, while their healing abilities were relatively weak.

In addition to healing power and elemental power, shamans often learned some more mysterious spells, such as totem magic and shadow magic. Elemental shamans who had studied at the Priest Temple were usually very formidable, as the Priest Temple often had some unexpected magic.

Ahead, dozens of level 50 pythons were gathered. An elemental shaman waved his staff, and a totem pole appeared on the ground beside him, about a yard high, with two gray banners hanging from it, fluttering in the wind. Powerful currents of electricity crackled across it.

After purchasing totem banners from the NPC shop, shaman priests could imbue the totem banners with totem magic and stick them in the ground to achieve a strong buffing effect, increasing the stats of all nearby teammates.

Several heavy syllables were uttered from the mouths of these elemental shamans, and with a wave of their staffs, beams of electricity shot out. These beams of electricity struck a python, crackling, and then jumped to the next python, and then jumped again.

Each beam of electricity jumped at least several times, and every python was hit by the electricity.

This was the elemental shaman's chain lightning, not a group attack spell, but better than a group attack spell, capable of continuously attacking more than ten units.

After being struck by six consecutive chain lightnings, all the pythons fell to the ground, their bodies charred.

"I wonder how Qing An is doing in Karol City," a thin elemental shaman said. His name was Yong Zhou, and he ranked third among all the shamans in Angel Corps. This group of elemental shamans had all successfully completed their advancement together, a total of six people.

There were only six of them, making it very easy to bypass the Niuren Tribe's scouts in such a large map.

"Qing An and the others are in Karol City, which is perfect for attracting the Niuren Tribe's attention. I really don't understand why Angel Corps is going after the Niuren Tribe when they're so far apart and there's no conflict of interest," Xue Lang said, somewhat puzzled. He was always very concerned about the guild's affairs.

"Angel must have his own reasons. But the Niuren Tribe's development is indeed a bit too fast. Zhan Dao Shi Xue was forced into a corner, wasn't he?" Yong Zhou said. They, as subordinates, had no right to know about these things.

"For this operation, people from Zhan Dao Shi Xue, the Mage Alliance, and the Sacred Guardians are all here. They're all top players, so everyone be careful. This mission must succeed, no failure allowed!" Xue Lang said solemnly. This was related to the reputation of Angel Corps.

"We understand all this."

"How long until the Niuren Tribe people arrive?"

"About ten more minutes."

"Everyone, get ready, let's begin! There might be Niuren Tribe thieves coming, so let's find a more hidden spot!"

The six elemental shamans found a flat area in the dense forest and stood in a hexagonal formation. They chanted incantations, and paths of light formed on the ground, transforming into a magnificent hexagram array. The surrounding magical elements vibrated violently, and gusts of wind howled past.

In the center of the hexagram array, a black portal appeared. After a while, the surrounding magical elements stabilized, and players emerged from the black portal one after another.

The first to emerge from the portal was none other than the leader of Zhan Dao Shi Xue, Shi Xue Kuang Dao. He wore a set of Dark Gold-grade Black Silver armor, which reflected a dark luster under the sunlight.

Then, one player after another walked out, all human players, and all had at least completed their first advancement. They were all elite experts from Zhan Dao Shi Xue, the Mage Alliance, and the Sacred Guardians, a total of fifty-three. Adding the six elemental shamans, there were a total of fifty-nine advanced class players.

The Mage Alliance and the Sacred Guardians had been developing steadily, and the number of advanced players they had far exceeded the Niuren Tribe. This was only a portion of them. Currently, the entire Niuren Tribe only had a dozen or so advanced players.

After a while, the dark portal trembled and disappeared into the air. The six elemental shamans began to sit on the ground to recover their health and mana.

Shi Xue Kuang Dao had a solemn expression on his face as he looked at an elemental mage next to him and said, "Check the number of people. Did everyone come?"

The elemental mage glanced at them and said, "A total of fifty-nine people, divided into three small teams. 12 from our side, 25 from the Mage Alliance, and 16 from the Sacred Guardians. Everyone's here."

"Boss, we received news from below that most of the top players from the Niuren Tribe are doing advancement quests. There aren't many experts coming, maybe five or six including Nie Yan," a holy priest next to him said.

"Thank you to the brothers from the Mage Alliance and the Sacred Guardians for helping out this time," Shi Xue Kuang Dao said, looking at the players from the Mage Alliance and the Sacred Guardians next to him.

"You're too kind, Kuang Dao."

"Yeah, the Niuren Tribe is too arrogant, we've long been displeased with them. Our boss instructed us to listen to you, Kuang Dao. Just tell us if you need anything."

The players from the Mage Alliance and the Sacred Guardians chimed in.

"I won't stand on ceremony with you all. There are almost 2,000 Niuren Tribe players coming this way, escorting a batch of black gunpowder. Our mission today is to slaughter these people, as many as we can, but we must destroy the black gunpowder. The Niuren Tribe will definitely send people to support them, so we only have fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes, no matter how the battle is going, we'll retreat immediately!" Shi Xue Kuang Dao said, looking around. These players were all top-notch in terms of skill and equipment. Even without his command, they would do a great job.

"They have more people, so we should try to coordinate and bombard them with group attack magic. It's no big deal. The six of us once directly subdued a guild of five thousand people," an elemental mage said proudly.

"Today's operation is just the beginning. In the future, there will be many places where we need everyone's help. In a few days, we'll start attacking the Niuren Tribe's fortress, eating away at it until nothing's left. Let's see how they can gain a foothold in Karol City!" Shi Xue Kuang Dao said sinisterly. Zhan Dao Shi Xue had been under a lot of pressure recently, and their numbers had decreased sharply. Since the Niuren Tribe had declared an endless war, they had no choice but to fight. As for the Kalan Temple and the Holy Roman Empire, he could contact the Triumph Empire and the Radiant Sacred Flame to at least offset some of the pressure.

Under Shi Xue Kuang Dao's arrangement, the players split into three groups and ambushed themselves in the nearby forests.

Nie Yan led the Niuren Tribe's players through a hilly area, looking around. The terrain here was complex, with dense forests stretching up and down, and lush foliage, perfect for hiding.

Traveling through the plains earlier was relatively safe, but once they entered the forest area, the risk factor increased exponentially.

Nie Yan was very worried about the black gunpowder being transported in the back. If it was hit by fire magic, the consequences would be very serious, so he had arranged for most of the warriors and paladins to be near the black gunpowder. He and several stronger team members were also nearby, ready to deal with any unexpected situations.

"Paladins, pay attention to using protection magic on the black gunpowder! Nothing must happen to this black gunpowder!" Nie Yan turned to the paladins and said. This black gunpowder was too important to the Niuren Tribe.

"Nie Yan, should we send some thieves ahead to scout the way?" Knight's Elegy asked. That would be safer.

"Send two hundred thieves over there for a carpet search! If you encounter any suspicious people, advise them to leave. If they refuse to leave, you can use force!" Nie Yan said. The Niuren Tribe also had to show the aura of the number one guild in Karol City.

In his previous life, the Triumph Empire ran rampant in Karol City, and some players resented them, but they were still as strong as ever. As long as the guild was strong enough, they wouldn't have to worry about people not joining. Offending some players was inevitable when doing things.

As soon as Nie Yan gave the order, Knight's Elegy carried it out, selecting more than two hundred thieves who were good at scouting and stealth. The thieves entered the forest one by one, disappearing from their sight.