Chapter 1 Nie Yan's Provocation

Nie Yan and Xie Yao walked into the Christine Pharmacy. Looking towards the distance, Kuang Fa also looked over in their direction.

Standing next to Kuang Fa were over a dozen people, all elites from the Mage Union.

Their eyes met. The atmosphere in the Christine Pharmacy suddenly became tense, filled with the heavy scent of gunpowder.

There were also dozens of casual players inside the Christine Pharmacy. Seeing that the atmosphere was a little off, they retreated to the side.

"Isn't that person Mad Rogue Nie Yan?"

"Seems like it. The one opposite him is Kuang Fa, the leader of the Mage Union."

"I heard that the Mage Union and the Niu Ren Tribe have always been at odds."

"Yeah, two mortal enemies have met. I wonder what kind of trouble will break out. I heard they just had a fight."

They whispered, carefully sizing them up. They couldn't afford to offend either side.

Just as they were discussing, an old NPC dressed in a gray cloth robe hurried over. He was thin, wore a gorgeous cloth robe, had white hair and a white beard, and looked quite dignified.

The players were puzzled. Why was he coming out?

This old NPC was called Christine. He was the owner of this pharmacy, and he was responsible for supplying all the medicine used by the NPCs in the Hilton Fortress. He was a very well-known figure in the entire Hilton Fortress, and his status was not low—a nobleman with the title of Earl. He usually didn't appear in the store. If you encountered him, you could buy some very rare and precious potions if you were lucky. His potions were generally only sold to players with status and position.

It was said that once, several players pestered Christine to buy potions from him, and one of them even managed to become a Baron. Christine, in a fit of anger, summoned the guards and dragged those players into the prison, locking them up for a few days. Those guys became well-behaved. So the players had an impression that in Hilton Fortress, Christine was definitely a character you couldn't mess with.

Finally encountering Christine, they definitely couldn't miss the opportunity. Several players with titles or ranks straightened their clothes, preparing to go up and talk, hoping to get their hands on a few potions. But they saw Christine walk straight towards Nie Yan.

"Honorable Great Scholar, Guardian Nie Yan, greetings." Christine gave a noble etiquette, looking respectful.

Christine's words were shocking. The players looked at Nie Yan in shock, including Kuang Fa, who was also greatly shaken.

Great Scholar, Guardian… What kind of titles were those?

They had never heard of such titles. Just from the literal meaning, the levels of these two titles were definitely beyond their imagination. Christine, who was an Earl, was giving Nie Yan such a humble courtesy. What kind of existence was Nie Yan in Hilton Fortress?

Kuang Fa clenched his fists, a heavy pressure in his heart. Earlier in the administrative hall, he had guessed that Mad Rogue Nie Yan had a very high status in Hilton Fortress. As the leader of a top-level guild in the Greenland Empire, he was far inferior to Nie Yan.

No guild leader could be like Nie Yan, becoming the true spiritual leader of a guild. It was because of Nie Yan's extraordinary existence that the undefeatable myth of the Niu Ren Tribe was created.

Had the Niu Ren Tribe been defeated in the previous ambush? The Mage Union and Sacred Guardians had suffered five times the casualties to kill just over a thousand members of the Niu Ren Tribe. Such a result could not be considered a victory at all.

"Hello, Lord Christine," Nie Yan nodded, responding calmly.

Nie Yan's indifferent attitude once again surprised the players around him. Nie Yan would actually speak to an NPC in such a manner! What an awesome guy!

Christine respectfully said a few words, then stood two or three yards away from Nie Yan, his attitude extremely humble.

Nie Yan looked at Kuang Fa.

Everyone around held their breath, listening to what Nie Yan wanted to say. They realized that if Nie Yan's words were posted on the forums, it would definitely be a blockbuster.

"A decisive battle in the Karul Death Realm, Kuang Fa, do you dare to come?" Nie Yan looked at Kuang Fa across from him with cold eyes. That's right, this was a provocation.

As soon as the words "Karul Death Realm" came out, everyone gasped. The Karul Death Realm was not unfamiliar to many players. The official website had a detailed introduction of the Karul Death Realm. In Hilton Fortress, there was a wandering space mage who could use space magic to create a magical otherworld. When players needed to settle a matter of life and death in a certain way, they could find him.

The Death Realm had its own rules. Players were randomly teleported to a certain point on the map and began to face harsh environments, fighting each other. If they died inside, they would lose five levels and three pieces of equipment, then be kicked out. If it was a group battle with more than a thousand people, there would be ten points on the map. If they could grab all the points and defend them for an hour, one side would be considered victorious. So the battle would unfold near these ten points. Moreover, in team battles, the commander's on-the-spot adaptability, commanding ability, and grasp of the terrain were all very important.

Losing five levels and three pieces of equipment was an extremely terrifying punishment for a player. Unless they were mortal enemies, they would generally not be willing to go to such a place.

Everyone looked at Kuang Fa, guessing whether Kuang Fa would accept the challenge.

Hearing Nie Yan's words, Kuang Fa's heart skipped a beat. If he accepted Nie Yan's challenge, with a thousand people against a thousand people, the Mage Union would undoubtedly lose. The Niu Ren Tribe's dueling ability was too strong. The Mage Union had too few top-level players and was simply no match for the Niu Ren Tribe. If he retreated in the face of battle, with so many people watching, the video would soon be uploaded to the internet, and he, Kuang Fa, would become everyone's laughingstock.

"You state the rules," Kuang Fa said, pretending to be calm, while sending a message to Cao Xu. Kuang Fa was a smart man. The Century Financial Group was his backer. At this time, he could only push all the problems to the Century Financial Group.

Lost City, this was a small city in the Satreen Empire. In a church in the center of the city, Cao Xu looked at the video sent by Kuang Fa, lost in thought. He had wanted to acquire the Niu Ren Tribe before because he saw the huge development potential of the Niu Ren Tribe, but he was rejected. If the acquisition failed, if the Niu Ren Tribe grew up one day, it would be a huge threat to him. He used the conflicts between the Triumph Empire, the Radiant Sacred Flame, and the Niu Ren Tribe, and used small tricks to drag the Niu Ren Tribe into the melee, but he didn't expect that the Niu Ren Tribe would become stronger and stronger, and finally occupy Caroll City. He had no choice but to withdraw his funds from Caroll City.

The development of the Niu Ren Tribe was extremely alarming, driving the rapid expansion of the Longyue Financial Group and the Tianxia Group in the virtual industry. The position of these two forces in the virtual industry was becoming more and more important, squeezing the Century Financial Group's living space. The disbandment of Warblade Bloodthirst and the Longyue Financial Group's increased investment in the virtual industry had already caused the Century Financial Group's stock to fall by 1% of its market value. If the Niu Ren Tribe continued to grow and swallowed the Mage Union and Sacred Guardians, he couldn't imagine what the result would be.

The coverage rate of Faith was getting wider and wider. This was a piece of fat that no one could give up. Cao Xu would not be willing to hand over this piece of fat. The forces under his command and the Niu Ren Tribe were destined to either die or I die!

Hearing that Mad Rogue Nie Yan had launched a challenge to the Mage Union, Cao Xu paused with the teacup in his hand, pondered for a moment, and took a sip. Mad Rogue Nie Yan's move was indeed ruthless enough, putting the battlefield in the Death Realm, so the number of people on both sides must be the same. With the same number of people, the Mage Union was simply not the Niu Ren Tribe's opponent and would have to be slaughtered clean. If Kuang Fa refused, then if it spread out, what face would the people of the Mage Union have to see anyone?

Hearing Kuang Fa's answer, Nie Yan sneered in his heart. Under normal circumstances, the Mage Union would definitely not dare to accept, because the rules of the Death Realm stipulated that the number of people on both sides must be the same. But I'm making it clear that I'm going to bully you, so what?

"The Niu Ren Tribe and the Mage Union will each send three thousand people to fight in the Death Realm. We will not invite any outside help. If the Mage Union feels that their strength is not enough, they can find outside help to back them up. As for the bet, the winner can choose any five fortresses other than the main fortress in the other side's city and must not attack them within a month. How about it? Mage Union scum, do you dare to come?" Nie Yan said, his tone not very polite, full of provocation.

The dozen or so elites of the Mage Union next to Kuang Fa were so angry that they even wanted to come up and fight Nie Yan.

Kuang Fa was still hesitating. If the Mage Union accepted, the consequences would be disastrous. He was waiting for Cao Xu's answer.

All the players looked at Kuang Fa, waiting for Kuang Fa's answer.

"The Mage Union is probably scared, right?"

"I think so. With the same number of people, the Mage Union is simply no match for the Niu Ren Tribe. If I were Kuang Fa, I would have to admit defeat."

The players in the distance whispered.

"Boss, we're just waiting for your word. If you agree, the brothers of the Mage Union will fight them fiercely, even if they know they will lose. If you shrink back, we won't have any face to stay in the Mage Union. We might as well just disband." A priest next to him said solemnly. He was the number one priest of the Mage Union, Xiaoyao Fengtian, and he was definitely a heavyweight figure in the Mage Union.

"Yeah, boss, we would rather die than be humiliated!" Someone next to him immediately agreed. They were all elites of the Mage Union, and they had their own dignity.

There was no answer from Cao Xu for a long time. Kuang Fa was under great pressure. If they agreed, they would undoubtedly lose without the support of the Century Financial Group. If they didn't agree, the pressure from Xiaoyao Fengtian and others would also be great. If they retreated, the entire Mage Union would disband.

Either way, they would die. Kuang Fa clenched the staff in his hand.