Chapter 1 A Close Call

The dark priest had barely finished speaking when the magic swordsman suddenly shimmered, appearing about five yards away from Nie Yan. With a flick of his left hand, a ball of red flame ignited in his palm. The longsword in his right hand transformed into a blazing blade, which he brought down in a cleaving strike.

"Die!" The magic swordsman roared. Although he couldn't see Nie Yan's name, he could see his level. "A level 156 piece of trash dares to come to the Doomsday Canyon!"

So fast!

Three years ago, Nie Yan had never witnessed such a swift attack. It was even faster than he had been at his peak.

The raging flame blade slashed down.

Nie Yan quickly had the Fallen Angel Kallenna cast several buffing spells on him. The moment the flame blade fell, he used Gale Step.

With a flash of light and shadow, Nie Yan used the invincibility effect of Gale Step to instantly fly a long distance away.

"Quite fast. You even have a guardian angel, such nice things. But escaping from my clutches, Mo Yin? Not so easy!" The magic swordsman used Flash again, slamming the flame in his left palm into the ground.

With a bang, the ground within a ten-yard radius cracked, and flames soared into the sky.

Just as he was about to be engulfed in the scorching flames, Nie Yan used Shadow Dance again, barely managing to escape.

It was a close call. If it weren't for the instincts and awareness he had cultivated over the years, he wouldn't have been able to dodge that attack. It wasn't just fast, it was beyond imagination. For the first time, Nie Yan felt a genuine threat.

So this was how powerful magic swordsmen were!

The invincibility effect of Nie Yan's Shadow Dance hadn't worn off yet when the necromancer summoned over thirty skeletons to block his path. The spellcaster had buffed all the skeletons. He tossed a few curses at Nie Yan, but when he discovered they were ineffective, he immediately switched to magic attacks.

"We're all working together to kill a level 156 nobody, Mo Yin, are you still asleep?" the necromancer cursed.

Mo Yin missed his attack and was filled with frustration. He was even more annoyed when he heard the spellcaster's taunt.

"This thief has some tricks! My curses don't work on him!" the spellcaster shouted from the side.

Just as the spellcaster was attacking Nie Yan with magic, the dual swordsman rushed towards Nie Yan like a meteor. Agile dual swordsmen were the deadliest assassins, even more terrifying than thieves.

The invincibility effect of Nie Yan's Shadow Dance had just ended when he saw a tidal wave of attacks rushing towards him. He was instantly startled. Noticing a large pile of skeletons blocking his path, he moved his right hand, switching his weapon to the Zennarde's Sword, and roared.

Annihilation Slash!

Ten sword energies slashed down from the sky, exploding with a deafening boom.

Over twenty skeletons were instantly killed by Nie Yan.

The necromancer standing in front saw a massive sword light cleaving down on him. His eyes turned cold, and he waved his staff. A huge bone shield appeared in front of him. With a crash, the bone shield was shattered. He took a hit, and a damage number of over 13,000 floated above his head.

Although the necromancer had over 30,000 health, the attack still scared him. If he hadn't used the Bone Shield skill, he would have been instantly killed! Wasn't this guy only level 156?

"Damn, this guy's attack is so strong, is he really a level 156 thief?" the necromancer roared in anger.

"It's Crazy Thief Nie Yan! That's definitely the Zennarde's Sword!" the spellcaster shouted in terror from the side.

"Damn, it's Crazy Thief Nie Yan, it has to be him!" The dual swordsman pounced at Nie Yan's side, only to have his attack parried by Nie Yan's dagger. He couldn't imagine that a level 156 thief could block his attack. If it was Crazy Thief Nie Yan, it would make sense.

Three years ago, that name struck fear into the hearts of many. Was he back today? Everyone felt a tremor in their hearts.

"What are you doing, stop spacing out! Kill him! What are you afraid of? He's just a level 156 thief, his equipment isn't that great. So what if he's Crazy Thief Nie Yan? He's just a washed-up expert, a level 156 piece of trash, and there are five of us!" the dark priest cursed. The average level of their group of five was over 183, and they were actually scared by a level 156 thief. If word got out, they'd be laughed to death!

The dark priest's reminder jolted the other four awake. Although the person in front of them was Crazy Thief Nie Yan, he was just a level 156 thief. Furthermore, he hadn't played the game in so long. His skills might not be as good as before.

"We must kill him today, then post the video on the forums, so everyone can see that Crazy Thief Nie Yan is nothing but trash now!" The dual swordsman's eyes lit up, and he said viciously, his dual swords transforming into shooting stars, ten sword energies slashing towards Nie Yan.

Washed-up expert, trash? Nie Yan raised an eyebrow, rage surging within him. Even if he hadn't been online for three years, his dignity would not be challenged! If you want to kill me, it won't be that easy!

Nie Yan understood that it was impossible to kill these five people today. His strength wasn't enough. These five were clearly experienced in PK, and their coordination was excellent. Plus, their levels were much higher than his. Even Annihilation Slash could only deal over 10,000 damage to their necromancer, let alone other skills.

A few glints of cold light suddenly flashed in Nie Yan's eyes. He burned these people's faces into his memory. Crazy Thief Nie Yan would definitely avenge today's humiliation!

His escape skills were all used up, and these guys were still chasing relentlessly. If he fought again, he would be completely passive and die here.

How difficult it was to escape the pursuit of these people! Five experts over level 180. Nie Yan had never seen many of their skills, and their power was astonishing. The fact that he had lasted until now was already his limit. If others knew that Nie Yan, a level 156 player, had actually held out for nearly two minutes under the siege of five experts over level 180, they would probably be dumbstruck.

How to escape? Their attacks were too fierce! No matter how he ran, these people were like maggots on a bone, clinging to him tightly. Moreover, his escape speed was no match for these players.

Nie Yan dodged the necromancer's magic attack, having the guardian angel Kallenna cast a shield on him. He saw a sword light cleaving down, and before Nie Yan could dodge, with a pfft, the newly cast shield shattered into pieces. A damage number of over 17,000 floated above his head.

He had an idea. A flash of inspiration struck Nie Yan's mind!

Three magic spells shot towards Nie Yan from various directions, and the magic swordsman and dual swordsman also charged over from the sides.

Nie Yan used the Shadow Assassin skill, his body splitting into two, flying towards both sides.

"It's Shadow Assassin!"

"Which one is the real body?"

"I don't know! Quick, chase!"

Nie Yan's unexpected move caught these players off guard, and they didn't know which one to chase.

"I'll chase that one!" The magic swordsman shimmered and cast Crescent Slash, a crescent-shaped sword light slashing down from the sky.

Seeing the magic swordsman chase one of them, the dual swordsman immediately waved his dual swords and chased after the other.

A few more magic spells shot over. Nie Yan used Divine Descent, and with a series of bangs, he was hit by several magic spells, but these spells didn't cause him any damage.

However, at the moment he was hit by the magic, Nie Yan turned his back to the players and used a Grandmaster-level Ethereal Potion, and with a bang, his body turned ethereal.

The dual swordsman's two longswords slashed down, hitting Nie Yan's body, pfft pfft, as if they were hitting cotton. Nie Yan's body dissipated like smoke.

The dual swordsman was slightly stunned, then realized, "That's a clone, that one is the real body!"

He immediately turned around and rushed in the opposite direction.

The other three magic-type players also focused their attention in the opposite direction.

The Grandmaster-level Ethereal Potion could turn a player's body ethereal, lasting for about three minutes, but movement was very slow. In three minutes, they could only run three or four hundred yards. If you were in combat, and the enemy discovered you were using the Ethereal Potion, as long as they stayed nearby and intensified their search, your ethereal state would naturally disappear after a few minutes. Moreover, after using the Ethereal Potion, there would be a weakness period of about thirty seconds, during which your attributes would be greatly reduced, and you would almost be instantly killed by players of the same level.

Therefore, the Ethereal Potion couldn't be used carelessly in many situations.

After Nie Yan used the Ethereal Potion, those who had pursued the Fallen Angel went after Nie Yan's Shadow Assassin. Nie Yan had the Shadow Assassin use all the speed-boosting skills, and its speed was still considerable. He saw the Shadow Assassin jump, flying twenty or thirty yards, and with a stretch of his left hand, he suddenly shot out a spider silk, soaring forward another ten yards.

The five players were hot on the Shadow Assassin's heels, quickly surrounding him and engaging in a fierce battle.

Seeing the players getting further and further away, Nie Yan struggled to move outwards, finding a hidden place to hide.

He saw the magic swordsman gather a ball of scorching flame in his left hand, fiercely blasting it into the Shadow Assassin's abdomen. With an explosive bang, the Shadow Assassin was sent flying, a damage number of over 16,000 floating above his head.

The Shadow Assassin staggered to his feet, trying to fly outwards, but bang, bang, bang, three magic spells bombarded the Shadow Assassin's back.

With a bang, the Shadow Assassin transformed into a phantom, disappearing before their eyes.

"What's going on?" The magic swordsman Mo Yin wore a bewildered expression.

"Both of them are fake? Then where's the real body?" The dual swordsman was stunned for a moment, asking, how could such a thing happen?

Nie Yan's illusion created by the Ethereal Potion had deceived all of them, leaving them disoriented for a moment.

"Crazy Thief Nie Yan ran away?" They were slightly stunned.