Chapter 1 The Beginning

The open space was roughly 300 by 300 yards, with an uneven surface. White tents were densely packed on both sides, and every one or two minutes, two or three squads of Bloodshadow Warriors passed by. Each squad consisted of about thirty to forty warriors. To traverse this space, Nie Yan had to evade these patrolling Bloodshadow Warriors. Additionally, he couldn't trigger the Bloodshadow Totems scattered across the area.

Nie Yan surveyed the tents surrounding the open space. In the distance, he could make out the vague figures of countless Bloodshadow Warriors. In some areas, campfires crackled, and the warriors seemed to be celebrating something around them.

Nie Yan circled the vicinity for a while. The only way to enter the heart of the Bloodshadow Legion's encampment was through this open space; he had no other choice.

Six Bloodshadow Totems were planted on the ground. He had to detonate them all before he could pass through.

He mused that it would be great if he could dismantle one or two of the Bloodshadow Totems. These totems could be disassembled, transforming into special items, like scrolls, usable only once. However, dismantling these totems was tricky; a single mistake could trigger them. In his past life, a method for dismantling Bloodshadow Totems had been posted on the official website. Many were amazed, and tried it, but very few succeeded in obtaining a Bloodshadow Totem. More than ninety-five percent of people were killed by the totems.

That method was indeed effective.

Nie Yan wasn't sure if he could successfully dismantle these Bloodshadow Totems. If he failed, they would explode. The totems were quite useful; if he could have a few in his bag, they could come in handy in special situations.

Regardless, he would try the method. Nie Yan slowly approached one of the Bloodshadow Totems.

He stopped about fifteen or sixteen yards away from the totem. Any closer, and it would detonate.

Nie Yan took out the Headless Horseman Doro's Riding Crossbow, loading it with an arrow. He didn't need a rapid-fire shot; a single arrow would suffice. Nie Yan aimed the crossbow at the distant totem, scrutinizing it. The totem pole was about a yard high, as thick as an arm. The upper half had a crossbar, forming a cross shape, with a small, vibrant red flag hanging from it. The wooden pole had some mechanisms, and a deep hole in the middle.

Nie Yan steadied the crossbow, aiming at the hole in the totem. Hitting a hole the size of a finger from fifteen or sixteen yards away was extremely difficult, a challenge for Nie Yan. But it was worth a try; at this distance, he was confident he could evade the explosion if the totem detonated.

Nie Yan aimed at the hole in the totem and pulled the trigger. With a whoosh, the arrow flew in a straight line through the air, and with a dull thud, the arrow pierced the hole, jamming the mechanism and preventing the totem from detonating.

Success!

Nie Yan walked up and picked up the totem. Since it hadn't detonated, he checked its stats.

Bloodshadow Totem: Special Item, Totem Object.

Item Description: Place this item on the ground, set the mechanism, and if a creature enters the detonation range, the item will automatically detonate, dealing corrosive and shadow damage.

Stats: Attack Damage 15,000, Attack Range 30-yard radius centered on the totem, ineffective against metal armor, can be dismantled, detonation range within a 15-yard radius of the totem. This item can only be used once, and is ineffective against the Bloodshadow Legion.

This Bloodshadow Totem was a very high-level totem, acquired in a Level 90 map, so it was of a high grade, and the damage was considerable. Generally, triggered items had very high attack damage because they could only be passively triggered, not actively used.

A Bloodshadow Totem, if used well, could be a powerful offensive weapon, like the Lightning Storm Totem in the Battle of Cripps Fortress.

Having successfully dismantled one, Nie Yan slowly approached the second totem. He continued to use the crossbow to aim at the hole in the distant totem. The target was a bit too small. Nie Yan's eyesight wasn't sharp enough to see that far, and his vision was a little blurry. He pulled the trigger, and the arrow flew out, striking the totem pole with a thud, but missing the hole.

The surrounding air suddenly became volatile. Almost the instant Nie Yan's arrow struck the totem, it exploded with a boom, and a wave of bloody light rushed towards him.

Realizing his mistake, Nie Yan quickly sprinted out of the totem's attack range. Just as the bloody light was about to sweep over him, he activated Gale Step, using the first three seconds of invincibility to block the explosion.

Nie Yan's figure flashed past, quickly rushing out.

Failure!

There were a total of six Bloodshadow Totem poles, and they only respawned every two days. Nie Yan wouldn't come here often to collect totems; each failure meant one less totem.

The detonation of the totem attracted three squads of Bloodshadow Warriors, who began to search in all directions from the totem.

Nie Yan went into stealth, carefully evading the warriors. With his concealment skills, it shouldn't be a problem to avoid their pursuit.

With so many skills at his disposal, Nie Yan was bold and skilled, and not afraid of these Level 90 Bloodshadow Warriors.

Six Bloodshadow Warriors passed by Nie Yan, only five or six yards away. Suddenly, two of them stopped. They looked around, but the place was empty, with no sign of anyone. The eyes of the two warriors suddenly underwent a strange change, their pupils turning a fiery red, like burning flames, emitting a bright red light.

Bloodshadow Sight!

As their gaze swept over him, Nie Yan's figure slowly became visible.

Damn, they had a Bloodshadow Sight skill!

Not all Bloodshadow Warriors had this skill; only a small number possessed it. Nie Yan's luck seemed to be running out.

The instant he was discovered, Nie Yan dashed away. The warriors pursued, hot on his heels. He used a high-grade Flash Dust produced by Starry Sky Groceries. With a bang, a blinding light exploded, and Nie Yan vanished, escaping the warriors' line of sight and hiding in the corner of a tent.

It took the warriors a long time to recover their vision. They searched the area for a while, but finding no trace of Nie Yan, they gave up and gradually dispersed.

Once the warriors were gone, Nie Yan dared to emerge from the corner and continue collecting the totems. Of the six totems, he failed three times, ending up with three. He put them in his bag to use later.

With no totems left on the open space, the path became much clearer. He moved forward in stealth. Because of the commotion he had caused, there were more Bloodshadow Warriors patrolling the area, and squads of them passed by frequently.

The Bloodshadow Warriors were too dense, making it much more difficult for Nie Yan to evade them.

Gradually, he was about to leave the open space when eight Bloodshadow Warriors approached, carefully searching, blocking his path.

Seeing them approaching, Nie Yan frowned. This time, there seemed to be no way to avoid them.

There were at least a hundred Bloodshadow Warriors nearby. If they discovered Nie Yan, they would undoubtedly surround him and hack him to pieces. Even a single Level 90 monster was difficult for Nie Yan to deal with, let alone so many gathered together!

They slowly approached within seven yards of Nie Yan. Suddenly, the group of warriors became alert. One of them activated Bloodshadow Sight, focusing his gaze on Nie Yan's location.

The warrior discovered Nie Yan and immediately let out a sharp cry. The piercing sound spread, and the hundred or so warriors in the area, hearing the cry, converged on Nie Yan's location, surrounding him completely, cutting off his escape.

Charge!

One of the warriors, wielding a greatsword, charged at Nie Yan. The hordes of warriors followed closely behind.

Now he was completely surrounded, with no chance of escape. Having come this far, Nie Yan wouldn't use a Random Teleportation Scroll unless absolutely necessary.

The nearest warrior was already upon him, swinging his greatsword down. Nie Yan glanced at his skill bar and quickly retreated, the warrior's greatsword slashing past him.

-2203!

Such high damage! Nie Yan was shocked. Facing this group of Bloodshadow Warriors, he dared not confront them head-on.

These warriors were Level 90 monsters, much higher level than Nie Yan. When their attacks hit his armor, the damage was extremely high.

The warriors' aggro was all focused on Nie Yan. They were about to swarm him and give him a beatdown. Just as they were about to charge, he quickly used the skill on the Amulet of False Death. His body fell backward, hitting the ground with a thud, and all signs of life vanished, as if he were a corpse.

Nie Yan's sudden death stunned the warriors. They circled him for a moment. The instant Nie Yan activated the False Death skill, the warriors' aggro disappeared.

After activating False Death, Nie Yan was extremely nervous. Bloodshadow Warriors were all around him. If they attacked, he would be in danger. He was ready to use a Random Teleportation Scroll to escape at any moment.

Several warriors sniffed around Nie Yan, chattering amongst themselves. The hundred or so warriors surrounding Nie Yan gradually dispersed.