A chorus of exclamations erupted from the crowd nearby as hundreds of warriors and thieves from various guilds charged toward the corpse of the Golden Earth Dragon, eager to snatch up the loot.

Whose hands would the Horn of the Golden Earth Dragon fall into?

More than a dozen guilds vied for the Horn of the Golden Earth Dragon, and the chaotic scene quickly spiraled out of control.

Several thieves, moving swiftly, darted forward to grab the equipment. However, a group of warriors suddenly surged from the side, using Charge and Intercept to block the thieves' path.

Simultaneously, several other warriors dashed towards the equipment at the center.

In the frenzy, allegiances blurred, as everyone sought to claim the prizes for themselves.

Roaring Flames!

From afar, a mage completed a spell. A massive cloud of red gathered in the sky, and a barrage of fireballs rained down, exploding with resounding *bangs* and scattering sparks across an area of about 20x20 yards. The powerful advanced magic instantly obliterated the surrounding players, turning them into streaks of white light.

Gazing forward, they could see the Horn of the Golden Earth Dragon gleaming brightly amidst the flames, along with a few other pieces of equipment.

The loot dropped by a demonized Lord would at least be Sub-Legendary grade. It wouldn't even be surprising if a Legendary item dropped.

These items were undoubtedly extremely tempting, but they needed to be alive to claim them!

The flames raged fiercely, deterring anyone from approaching the fiery central area. To enter would be suicide!

The players were tantalizingly close to the Horn of the Golden Earth Dragon and the other pieces of equipment, yet separated by a seemingly insurmountable chasm.

The battle for the Horn of the Golden Earth Dragon would continue for some time before a victor emerged. In the moment the Golden Earth Dragon fell, Ye Po Shengun's focus wavered slightly. Nie Yan seized this opportunity to activate Death Dance and pounce on Ye Po Shengun from behind.

Sensing the approaching dagger, Ye Po Shengun's heart leaped. He cast Banish and then layered himself with an Ice Armor, immediately surrounded by a protective layer of ice.

Nie Yan sidestepped, evading Ye Po Shengun's Banish.

Relying on his superior speed, Ye Po Shengun retreated, raising his hand to cast Ice Wall.

A wall of ice erupted from the ground, blocking the path between him and Nie Yan. He followed with a Glacial Spike that shot up from the earth.

Nie Yan somersaulted over the Ice Wall, rapidly closing the distance to Ye Po Shengun.

The surrounding Holy Knights activated Divine Sight and swarmed toward Nie Yan, only to lose track of him as he vanished before their eyes.

Ye Po Shengun waved his staff, preparing to launch an Ice Burst at Nie Yan.

Suddenly, Nie Yan's figure flickered and disappeared from his sight.

System: Target lost.

Ye Po Shengun was forced to interrupt his spell. A chilling glint flashed behind him, and his pupils abruptly contracted.

Nie Yan's speed was undeniable. Once a thief like Nie Yan got close, even a god-tier mage without crowd control abilities like Banish would be utterly helpless.

Ye Po Shengun turned to flee, but it was too late. Nie Yan appeared like a ghost behind Ye Po Shengun. His dagger stabbed into the back of Ye Po Shengun's head with a Muffle, and then the dagger materialized an inch from his neck in preparation for a Throat Slit.

Blood spurted.

-362!

A damage value floated above Ye Po Shengun's head.

A significant portion of Nie Yan's attack was absorbed by Ye Po Shengun's Ice Armor. If he wanted to instantly kill Ye Po Shengun, he would first have to break through the Ice Armor.

Normal Ice Shield spells didn't have strong defensive capabilities, but because Ye Po Shengun's Ice Shield had a 300% effect bonus, it was incredibly tough and absorbed damage much more effectively.

"Save Guild Leader!"

The surrounding priests and Holy Knights frantically cast heals on Ye Po Shengun, showering him with beams of white light.

Nie Yan followed up with a Backstab and Eviscerate, his precise attacks piercing Ye Po Shengun's back. Under his ferocious assault, Ye Po Shengun's Ice Shield shattered.

At that moment, the surrounding Holy Knights and warriors charged forward.

Mages unleashed a barrage of spells, exploding around Nie Yan, reducing his health by about 80%. He endured the dense barrage, downed a Intermediate Instant Health Potion, and then used the Zennarde's Edge to cast Assassinate, piercing through Ye Po Shengun's body with an explosion. With a *bang*, Ye Po Shengun was blasted away by a powerful force.

-221, -521.

Two consecutive damage values floated above Ye Po Shengun's head. Before the priests could react with healing, Ye Po Shengun collapsed and died.

Ye Po Shengun dropped a piece of equipment. As Nie Yan reached for it, a barrage of spells rained down, forcing him to dodge. The surrounding Holy Knights and warriors closed in.

Nie Yan used Shadow Dance and disappeared from their sight.

Several warriors felt a gust of wind pass them by. They tried to intercept, but the target was already gone. Nie Yan had circled behind them and quietly retreated.

When the players from Radiant Sacred Flame surrounded the area, they couldn't find Nie Yan. All that remained on the ground was Ye Po Shengun's corpse.

Seeing this scene, members of the dozen or so guilds in the distance were shocked. Ye Po Shengun had actually been killed?

Killing and taking his head was as easy as reaching into a bag!

They recalled Nie Yan's cruel smile on the tree branch earlier and felt a chill run down their necks.

As their gazes frantically searched for Nie Yan, they found he had already vanished without a trace. The vanished Nie Yan was like a guillotine hanging in the air, ready to fall at any moment. It was a sense of fear that came from the depths of their hearts.

Nie Yan's legend stood tall and unyielding. Upon hearing the news of Ye Po Shengun's demise, the players from Radiant Sacred Flame sighed inwardly. It seemed they couldn't compete with the Ni Ren Empire after all! Even their guild leader, Ye Po Shengun, was no match for Nie Yan. This was a major blow to their morale.

At that moment, the players from Radiant Sacred Flame and Triumph Empire split apart, and a group of players rushed in.

"Boss, we're here!"

The Ni Ren Empire's members arrived one after another, each with a glaring red name, shocking the dozen or so guilds present, who quickly cleared a path.

Undying Scoundrel, Xia Chong Yu Bing, Wu Feng, Hei Bai... Familiar figures from the Ni Ren Empire appeared in everyone's view. Each of them had a super red name. It was unknown how many people they had killed, making them look quite intimidating.

As soon as they arrived, they charged straight towards the Triumph Empire, causing chaos and destruction.

The surrounding dozen or so guilds couldn't help but feel shocked and frightened. The Ni Ren Empire's members were simply too fierce and overbearing.

"How many losses did we take?" Nie Yan asked Undying Scoundrel and the others.

"We lost over six hundred, but it was worth it. At least twenty thousand from Triumph Empire and Radiant Sacred Flame came to die."

Nie Yan looked behind him. Not a single one of them wasn't red, even some of the priests had red names, showing how many people they had killed.

Nie Yan looked at the corpse of the Golden Earth Dragon not far away.

The Horn of the Golden Earth Dragon and the other pieces of equipment in the center still hadn't fallen into anyone's hands. The bodies around the equipment were lying in piles, constantly being refreshed by the system. If one or two people dared to try and snatch the loot, they would either be bombarded to death or simply be hit by an area-of-effect spell.

As a result, the situation reached a stalemate.

None of the dozen or so guilds could claim the Horn of the Golden Earth Dragon and the remaining pieces of equipment.

"The Horn of the Golden Earth Dragon still hasn't been claimed. What should we do? There are at least five pieces of equipment over there, the Horn of the Golden Earth Dragon and four other items that are at least Sub-Legendary! Should we clear the area and take the loot?" Half Awake asked. Triumph Empire and Radiant Sacred Flame had already lost their chance to compete due to Nie Yan's actions. Of the remaining three, the Ni Ren Empire, the Sacred Roman Empire, and the Galan Divine Temple, if they were to completely clear the area, the remaining guilds wouldn't be able to resist. However, completely clearing the area would be too extreme, as there were over a dozen guilds present. If they were to offend them all, they would form a considerable force.

"Completely clearing the area is too costly, it's not worth it to offend all those guilds!" Nie Yan said. The Ni Ren Empire, the Sacred Roman Empire, and the Galan Divine Temple hadn't yet reached the point where they could completely disregard all the guilds in Carol City.

"Then what should we do?" Half Awake asked. Watching so much good equipment and not being able to take it was incredibly frustrating.

"If we get our hands on it, I want the Horn of the Golden Earth Dragon. As for the rest, if they're only Sub-Legendary items, you can split them. If there's a Legendary item, we can negotiate the price, how does that sound?" Nie Yan said. It wasn't like he didn't have a plan. He had the Angelic Tribunal, which could pass through the flames to retrieve the equipment. Although it was a bit wasteful, what did waiting another ten natural days for the cooldown matter compared to a Legendary item.

The Horn of the Golden Earth Dragon was a Legendary-grade item. Although he didn't know its attributes, it definitely wouldn't be bad! As for the other pieces of equipment, it was harder to say, but anything Sub-Legendary or above shouldn't be too bad.

"You have a way to get it?" Fa Lan was stunned. In this situation, with over a dozen guilds watching, wanting to take all the equipment without offending anyone else was extremely difficult!

"I do have a way."

"If you have a way to get all the equipment, I agree to that distribution plan," Half Awake said. Something was better than nothing.

"I agree too," Fa Lan said. It was an easy decision. Normally, whoever grabbed the equipment would keep it. Nie Yan was willing to share it because of their alliance. No one had any objections to Nie Yan taking the Horn of the Golden Earth Dragon.

If Nie Yan were to take all the equipment for himself, it would be too unreasonable. The Ni Ren Empire hadn't participated in fighting the Golden Earth Dragon, while the Galan Divine Temple and the Sacred Roman Empire had contributed the most and suffered many casualties. If he didn't give the Galan Divine Temple and the Sacred Roman Empire a share, it wouldn't be right and would cause a rift in the alliance.

Sometimes, you had to make sacrifices, giving up some things to gain more.