Chapter 1 Glory and Pain

Glory and pain, splendor and regret, intertwined in everyone's hearts, filling them with mixed emotions.

No one expected that so many brothers remained.

A long-lost emotion surged from their hearts.

Everyone watched as Hei Se Di Yu slowly walked towards the center of the plaza, tears blurring their vision. Brothers, what a familiar title, still remembered by everyone after so long. At this moment, Hei Se Di Yu was no longer Hei Se Di Yu, but the Du Bu Tian Xia of yesteryear.

All races were present on the plaza—humans, elves, orcs, giants, gnomes—all gathered together, for one person alone.

Looking at these eager people, Nie Yan wondered, if one day he disappeared, how many brothers could he gather after a few years? Could he be like Hei Se Di Yu?

Nie Yan didn't know, but to be remembered by so many people, Hei Se Di Yu—no, Du Bu Tian Xia—naturally had his unique qualities.

Even more people poured in from all directions. From various sources, Nie Yan roughly estimated that there were more than three hundred thousand people. If such a group were organized, what a powerful force it would be, capable of independently establishing a guild no less than Zhu Shen Zhi Jian or Shen Sheng Shou Hu. If Hei Se Di Yu were determined to dominate the world, he would become the Niu Ren Tribe's greatest enemy.

But Nie Yan didn't think Hei Se Di Yu would become his enemy. It was a kind of intuition.

Hei Se Di Yu, Hei Se Tian Tang, and Nie Yan walked to the center of the plaza.

"Brothers, long time no see." Hei Se Di Yu's heart was heavy, his voice a little hoarse.

"Is that you, Leader Du Bu?"

"Leader Du Bu changed his ID."

"Leader Du Bu, it's so good you're back."

The surrounding players were in an uproar.

The twenty-odd people in the center of the plaza all gathered around.

"Leader Du Bu, I'm Bei Ge." Dark Bei Ge suppressed the urge to cry, but his voice was already trembling.

Everyone here was about the same. During the time Du Bu had disappeared, they had never given up searching for him. Outsiders couldn't understand this kind of feeling.

"Leader, I'm Mo Jiu." An elven elemental mage choked out. He was the only Archmage present.

"Big Brother Du Bu, I'm You Nan."

"Leader Du Bu, I'm Ka Nong."

...

Hei Se Di Yu looked at everyone present. Although their appearances had changed, he still recognized them. This title was familiar and intimate, carrying a heart-wrenching pain that went straight to Hei Se Di Yu's heart.

Hei Se Di Yu looked at each of them, as if trying to imprint everyone's figure into his mind, and asked, "Are you all doing well?"

"So-so, just muddling through," Dark Bei Ge said, the easy words unable to hide the bitterness in his heart.

"Why didn't Huo Long come? And Tian Shi, is that guy still swindling people all day long?" Hei Se Di Yu noticed that some people seemed to be missing.

The people present fell silent.

"What's wrong?" Hei Se Di Yu noticed that the atmosphere was a little strange.

"The last time we received news from Huo Long was three months ago. We weren't able to see him off," Dark Bei Ge said, already sobbing.

Hei Se Di Yu was stunned for a moment. A figure slowly surfaced in his mind. Huo Long was a carefree guy, always cheerful, always teasing the little girls in the guild. When they went to dungeons together, he always charged up with his shield before the mages in the back were ready, but this guy's skills were pretty good, especially durable, and his luck was extraordinary, always having narrow escapes.

"What about Tian Shi?"

"Tian Shi didn't enter Faith. We haven't been in contact since Faith launched."

"Huo Long was still thinking about you until the very end. He said that one day, we would rebuild the Dark Rangers."

Those brothers who had once fought alongside him to conquer the world were scattered all over, never to be found again. Some were already separated by death, some had changed their names and couldn't be contacted. Only twenty or thirty percent could still be found. Because of his momentary willfulness, he hadn't even been able to see Huo Long's last moments. Hei Se Di Yu's heart was filled with guilt.

"Leader, let's rebuild the Dark Rangers."

"Yeah, Leader Du Bu, let's rebuild the Dark Rangers."

"Leader Du Bu, rebuild the Dark Rangers!"

Many people shouted excitedly. The voices of more than one hundred thousand people were like an earth-shattering roar, shaking the entire Carol City.

"If you want to rebuild the Dark Rangers, we're willing to let you leave," Nie Yan said. Hearing this deafening sound, he understood how powerful such a group gathered together would be. Even if the Dark Rangers eventually became enemies with the Niu Ren Tribe, fighting against such an opponent would not have been a wasted trip in Faith.

Hei Se Di Yu looked at Nie Yan. He felt that Nie Yan was sincere. He shook his head and said dejectedly, "The Dark Rangers have already been destroyed. The current Hei Se Di Yu is a member of the Niu Ren Tribe."

Nie Yan vaguely understood Hei Se Di Yu's mood at this moment.

The Dark Rangers were already a regrettable part of history. Let it be forever buried in history.

Hei Se Di Yu raised his hand and pressed down.

The voices of more than one hundred thousand people stopped abruptly. Everyone looked at Hei Se Di Yu expectantly, the burning light in their eyes making it impossible to refuse.

"The Dark Rangers have been destroyed. I'm the one who destroyed them. It's no longer the original Dark Rangers, and Du Bu Tian Xia is no longer the original Du Bu Tian Xia." Hei Se Di Yu's words made the entire plaza quiet. Everyone's eyes were filled with disappointment.

Hei Se Di Yu looked around the plaza and said, "But if you're willing, you can still call me Du Bu. The current Du Bu Tian Xia is a member of the Niu Ren Tribe. Tian Tang is here, and so am I. If you're still willing to follow me, I'll say it again: as long as I, Du Bu, am here, I will never let any brother suffer the slightest bit."

A long silence.

Many people, after experiencing painful mental struggles, were still willing to follow Hei Se Di Yu, simply because he was Du Bu Tian Xia.

Du Bu Tian Xia was not just a guild leader to them. This was also the reason why the Dark Rangers immediately disintegrated when Du Bu Tian Xia left. Du Bu Tian Xia was Du Bu Tian Xia wherever he was. Without Du Bu Tian Xia, the Dark Rangers were no longer the original Dark Rangers.

However, many people still had an idea: to follow Hei Se Di Yu first, and then persuade Hei Se Di Yu to rebuild the Dark Rangers later.

The commotion in the central plaza of Carol City surprised the guild leaders of the major guilds. They still knew about Du Bu Tian Xia, the once-undisputed king, but he had disappeared later. They didn't expect that when he reappeared, it would be in such a shocking way. As soon as Du Bu Tian Xia returned, nearly three hundred thousand people flocked to him. If he was given a little time, what would happen! But hearing that Du Bu Tian Xia didn't plan to rebuild the Dark Rangers, but instead decided to join the Niu Ren Tribe, made everyone's jaws drop. They couldn't help but envy Nie Yan for recruiting someone like Du Bu Tian Xia. It was truly a lucky thing.

Nie Yan built a branch in the Niu Ren Tribe, filled with people from the Dark Rangers. He didn't dare to integrate so many people into the Niu Ren Tribe all at once, fearing some unpredictable impact on the Niu Ren Tribe. These people were naturally managed by Hei Se Di Yu and Hei Se Tian Tang. No one else could control them.

The Niu Ren Tribe had a large population base, so the people from the Dark Rangers could slowly integrate later.

With the addition of this group, the Niu Ren Tribe's legion expanded to a million strong. The number of top-tier classes also increased from the original thirteen to fifteen.

Under Hei Se Di Yu's arrangement, these original Dark Ranger players quickly entered the major fortresses of the Niu Ren Tribe, assisting the Niu Ren Tribe in defense.

Soon, the forums were filled with posts about Du Bu Tian Xia's return.

Nie Yan opened the forum and browsed through it. Many posts, such as "Leader Du Bu's triumphant return, summoning the brothers of the original Dark Rangers!" and "Strong alliance, Du Bu Tian Xia joins the Niu Ren Tribe!" were being pushed to the top. In the future, more people would see the news on the forum, and the Dark Ranger people scattered everywhere would see it.

The addition of nearly three hundred thousand people greatly boosted the morale of the Niu Ren Tribe, and everyone was even more confident in defeating the Monet Financial Group.

Qin Han's skeleton army was like a tidal wave, pushing all the way over, swallowing three fortresses along the way, and gradually approaching the Kripes Fortress.

Nie Yan looked at the videos sent back from various places. The Zhu Shen Zhi Jian's catapults numbered more than one hundred, which was quite a combat force. A round of bombardment by more than one hundred catapults would allow the skeleton army to drive straight in.

"Guo Huai, how many catapults do we have in the guild?" Nie Yan asked. The construction of the Niu Ren Tribe's catapults had never stopped during this time.

"The latest figures: nine hundred and thirty-two Ironclad Catapults, six hundred and twenty-seven Ballistic Catapults, of which more than one hundred are in the Kripes Fortress, and the other catapults are ready," Guo Huai said. Everything was proceeding according to Nie Yan's plan.

"What about the area-of-effect magic bombs?"

"We've made a total of more than eight hundred thousand, and they've all been distributed to the most trusted members."

"Good. When Qin Han's skeleton army comes over, give them a harsh move," Nie Yan said confidently.

"Is everything ready on your side?" Guo Huai asked with some concern.

"It's been ready for a long time. As long as I click confirm, I can move the guild headquarters to Oklon City at any time."

What Qin Han didn't know was that before his skeleton army arrived at the Kripes Fortress, Nie Yan had already set a trap in the Kripes Fortress to welcome them.

Time passed little by little. The eyes of all the players in the entire server were focused on the Kripes Fortress. This battle would determine the future of the Green Land Empire!