Chapter 1 Dark Wings

The Darkwing Dragon crushed the dragon crystal and swallowed it. The aura emanating from its body actually diminished quite a bit, but he could sense that this aura was more condensed than before, giving off a heavy feeling of oppression.

Since Nie Yan had a certain spiritual connection with the Darkwing Dragon, he could feel that the Darkwing Dragon was slowly digesting the dragon crystal, and strands of pure power slowly permeated into the Darkwing Dragon's body.

Completely digesting this dragon crystal couldn't be done in a day or two.

Destiny River Valley, a rushing river passed through several high mountains, forming an alluvial plain at the foot of the mountains. This was one of the most unpredictable areas near Carol City.

Many types of monsters refreshed here, everywhere were elite creatures, and there were even many gold monsters that dropped good equipment. Moreover, Destiny River Valley was rich in resources, producing various herbs, and if you were lucky, you could encounter some good crystal mines. Players often formed teams to enter here, their main purpose was not to level up, but to seek adventure.

If everything went smoothly, the earnings from spending a day here would be quite astonishing. Just getting a few good things could ensure you wouldn't have to worry about money for the next few months. But if your luck was bad, it would be depressing. Encountering some high-level elites would mostly lead to having to flee for your life, and it was normal to die a few times. Even worse, you might encounter some powerful dragons, and before you even understood what was happening, the entire team would be wiped out.

Nie Yan rode the Darkwing Dragon and circled in the air for a long time, finally finding a suitable landing spot and slowly descending.

The Darkwing Dragon landed, and Nie Yan jumped off the Darkwing Dragon's back.

Soon, several thieves appeared in front of Nie Yan.

"Boss Nie Yan, you're here."

Nie Yan glanced at these people, they were from the Thief Guild, and their faces looked a bit familiar, but without checking their personal information, he couldn't call out their names at all. After all, the number of thieves in the Ni Ren (Amazing People) Tribe was too large.

These thieves looked quite excited when they saw Nie Yan.

"Take me over there," Nie Yan said.

"Okay, Boss Nie Yan, follow me," said a thief named Feng Dao.

Nie Yan followed behind them, heading forward. The nearby high mountains were towering, and the cliffs were steep, with large flying creatures flying over from time to time.

These thieves led the way in front, appearing quite cautious. This place was fraught with danger, and you could encounter danger if you weren't careful. They had already lost several people.

"Boss Nie Yan, flying creatures often appear around here," a thief said. Seeing Nie Yan's calm demeanor and gentle smile towards him, he suddenly felt that his reminder was superfluous.

At this time, in the jungle below a cliff in Destiny River Valley, there were probably more than a dozen thieves hidden, and they had been responsible for keeping an eye on the dragon nests on the cliff for a long time. From time to time, one or two dragons would fly up from the cliff and leave to forage for food.

Two thieves hid under a tree, looking up. Through the gaps in the leaves, they could clearly see the movements on the cliff.

"Boss, is this the eighth one?" a thief in his twenties with a somewhat immature appearance asked. His name was Su Yue. The other thief next to him was in his thirties, had a Fu Manchu mustache, and a dark complexion, appearing more steady. His name was Yinhui Zhi Ye (Night of Silver Radiance), and he was a squad leader in the Thief Guild.

"No, it's the seventh one. This one has already appeared just now," Yinhui Zhi Ye shook his head and said.

Su Yue glanced at Yinhui Zhi Ye in surprise and asked, "Boss, how did you recognize it? These dragons look pretty much the same."

Yinhui Zhi Ye smiled and said, "They're not the same. You'll know if you observe carefully. Try to remember the characteristics of each dragon."

Su Yue seemed to understand, but these dragons looked exactly the same. What characteristics could they have? It was a bit unbelievable that Yinhui Zhi Ye could remember the subtle characteristics of each dragon. Since joining the Thief Guild, he had been following behind Yinhui Zhi Ye. He admired Yinhui Zhi Ye very much, feeling that Yinhui Zhi Ye was a great person who knew everything.

"I heard Boss Nie Yan is coming?" Su Yue looked at Yinhui Zhi Ye and asked. He heard it from a teammate. Currently, everyone was still speculating. To maintain secrecy, only a few people knew that they came to Destiny River Valley on Nie Yan's orders.

"I'm not sure either," Yinhui Zhi Ye said. He still adhered to the principle of confidentiality.

"What kind of person is Boss Nie Yan?" Su Yue asked full of curiosity.

"What kind of person is Boss Nie Yan... Hehe, I can't say for sure either." Many memories surfaced in Yinhui Zhi Ye's mind. He was considered a very old member of the Ni Ren Tribe. He joined the Ni Ren Tribe not long after it was founded. At that time, the Ni Ren Tribe only had more than 20,000 people. At first, these people joined the Ni Ren Tribe just casually, but they didn't expect that the Ni Ren Tribe would experience one glorious victory after another in just two years, and now it had become the overlord of the Greenland Empire. Their status also rose accordingly. In the past, these people had garbage equipment and were looked down upon, but now, walking on the streets of Carol City, no matter who knew they were from the Ni Ren Tribe, they would give way. And all of this was because of one person, and that was Berserker Thief Nie Yan! Recalling the past two years in the Ni Ren Tribe, every glory and disgrace of the Ni Ren Tribe had affected their hearts. And Nie Yan, in their minds, was undoubtedly an incomparably lofty existence.

"Boss, have you met Boss Nie Yan?" Su Yue asked curiously.

"I've met him a few times," Yinhui Zhi Ye said with a chuckle.

"Boss, describe him. I've watched the videos, but the videos aren't real, and I can't see what Boss Nie Yan looks like at all," Su Yue said with great interest. A big factor in him joining the Ni Ren Tribe was because he admired Nie Yan. One person started from scratch and created today's dominance. His intuition told him that Nie Yan was a very heroic person.

"His appearance can only be considered average, and he's not a particularly arrogant person either. He's very amiable. I guess you'll be very disappointed. It's definitely different from what you imagined," Yinhui Zhi Ye said with a faint smile.

"Really?"

"Actually, appearance is secondary, isn't it? The times I was most impressed, two teammates and I encountered more than sixty people from the Victorious Empire. At that time, we thought we were dead for sure. Later, we found out that these more than sixty people were tracking Boss Nie Yan, and they didn't even bother with us."

"What happened then?" Su Yue's appetite was piqued.

"At that time, the level was still very low, and Boss Nie Yan didn't have a full set of legendary equipment like now. As far as equipment was concerned, although it was considered good, it wasn't so outrageously strong, but the result... the Victorious Empire lost more than thirty people, and the rest all ran away. They were no match at all." Yinhui Zhi Ye revealed a longing expression. "From that time on, I truly understood what a thief is."

One person killed more than thirty people. Su Yue opened his mouth. This kind of feat was not uncommon for Nie Yan, but in the early stages when the equipment advantage was not very obvious, it was indeed very difficult.

Yinhui suddenly smiled and said, "That was the most memorable time for me. From then on, my strength increased by leaps and bounds. I have to thank that realization. Kid, do you know what a real thief is?"

"What is a real thief?" Su Yue asked doubtfully. Isn't it just a profession? Does it have to be so profound?

"A thief, to be precise, is a kind of dao, the dao of the king. You may not understand it by saying that. Why is a thief called the king of the wild? It's not because his ability to fight head-on is so strong. He has two supreme abilities. The first is the ability to escape and hide. A skilled thief can keep himself in an invincible position in any dangerous situation. The second is sneak attacks. Under the protection of shadows, he kills people invisibly. This is my domain. Under my domain, if I let you die this moment, you won't be able to live to the next second. Everyone can only tremble under my dagger. Fear will make them lose their combat power. They are my prey. When you truly comprehend the kingly way of the thief and possess a resolute aura, you will be invincible." Yinhui Zhi Ye said meaningfully.

"The dao of the king?" Su Yue repeated to himself. This theory was still very unfamiliar to him.

"Kid, comprehend it well." Yinhui Zhi Ye patted Su Yue on the shoulder and said earnestly. He looked at the team chat, his expression changed, and a hint of surprise flashed across his face. "Boss Nie Yan is here."

They looked into the distance and saw several thieves running quickly. One of them was wearing a cloak and couldn't see his appearance clearly, but the eyes of more than a dozen people around were instantly focused on that person, and their breathing was slightly suffocated. Even through the cloak, they could still feel a calm, composed, and commanding aura.

That person was Boss Nie Yan! It was this person who created the amazing myth.

Nie Yan walked over, came under the shade of the tree, took off the cloak on his head, and swept his gaze across the faces of the crowd, finally landing on Yinhui Zhi Ye.

"Yinhui, have you investigated the terrain nearby?" Nie Yan asked.

"We've investigated it. Boss Nie Yan still remembers me." Yinhui Zhi Ye seemed a little excited. In his opinion, Nie Yan was actually able to remember him, which surprised him.

The people around looked at Yinhui enviously. Being remembered by Boss Nie Yan was such an honorable thing.

Nie Yan smiled and said, "Of course, you made a deep impression on me. You observe very carefully and are suitable for reconnaissance. I often hear the Executive President mention you."

In close contact with Nie Yan, Su Yue realized that Nie Yan's age was actually similar to his. Although young, he was very calm, dignified, and approachable, giving people an illusion that Nie Yan's true age was far more than what he looked like on the surface. A mysterious person!

~~Tragically, my computer was sent for repair, so I can only code in a noisy internet cafe.