Nie Yan entered the meeting room and found Guo Huai and the others were already gathered.

“What happened?” Nie Yan asked.

“A player from Angel Corps called Evil Monarch recently obtained a territory to the southwest of the Satreen Empire. It’s a bit smaller than the Abernathy Great Grasslands.” Guo Huai pulled open the map and pointed. “This is the region.”

Nie Yan looked at the map. The region Guo Huai pointed at was in a remote area, far away from the Abernathy Great Grasslands. It was a very safe location for Angel Corps, surrounded by high mountains which made it difficult for large siege weapons to reach.

“Their progress is worryingly fast. They’ve already developed their main city to Intermediate-rank and erected five strongholds,” Guo Huai said. If they didn’t put a stop to this quickly, Angel Corps would find themselves with a new and improved main territory. It’d be even more difficult to deal with them than it already was.

Evil Monarch? Nie Yan recalled bits and pieces of this player from the previous timeline. He was an orc Warrior Sword Saint who rarely showed himself in public. Even though everyone knew of him, almost no one knew him. Most of the players in Angel Corps had never even seen him. Finding any information on him was next to impossible. In the previous timeline, he had only appeared once, and that was in the war against Victorious Return. He single-handedly defeated three enemy Masters, which was why Nie Yan knew of him. After that, he vanished without a trace, never stepping in the limelight again.

Nie Yan recalled another rumour he’d heard around that time. Soaring Angel was the heir to some big family in Europe, his status extremely illustrious. Evil Monarch was a top assassin who had sworn loyalty to him. Apparently, he was even stronger than Soaring Angel!

If Evil Monarch hadn’t appeared today, Nie Yan would’ve completely forgotten about him. They would have to take special precautions against him.

Angel Corps also had their own territory now, and it was located in a mountainous region. This made things a bit troublesome. As it was, this war could already go both ways. Now it would become even more difficult for Asskickers United to win, especially if Angel Corps moved their guild headquarters to this new region. They sorely lacked siege weapons to fight them there.

Nie Yan frowned. Should they invade Angel Corps’ new territory while it was still in its infancy? That simply wasn’t realistic. They’d have to traverse half the Satreen Empire. However, if they waited, that would allow Angel Corps to lay down their roots there.

“What do we do? Have you thought of any good ideas?” Guo Huai asked.

“I’ve thought of two methods. The first is I bring our elites over there and attack their territory. We’ll make sure they can’t develop in peace. The second is we wait until the Violet Eye Dragon is tamed, then send it to harass them. That’s at least better than sacrificing the lives of our core members,” Nie Yan said.

“The first method is too risky. The second will take too long. The longer we wait, the more likely bad turns to worse. It’ll only become harder to keep control. Who knows what the situation will be like in six months.” Guo Huai knitted his brows. Even though Asskickers United had accumulated many advantages under Nie Yan’s leadership, if they didn’t continue acting proactively, Angel Corps would eventually catch up to them. Angel Corps obtaining a territory had caused him to feel a sense of danger. It was already approaching three years since the release of the game. During this time, Angel Corps and the Century Financial Groups, uninterrupted in their growth, definitely hadn’t been sitting around doing nothing!

Nie Yan thought for a moment. “I’ll go make a trip to their territory and investigate the situation there. I’ll see how their territory is developing. If I get the chance, I’ll try destroying it.”

“Just you alone?” Guo Huai’s eyes widened in surprise. He pondered for a moment. “Hmm... I guess you going alone is much safer than bringing a team.”

Too many players would only make them an easy target. If they were surrounded, casualties would be inevitable. If it were just Nie Yan alone, there was nothing Angel Corps could do to him. He could waltz around their territory as he pleased. He was their worst nightmare.

Nie Yan thought for a moment. With his pets, summons, and flying mounts, he could summon up to a total of nine units right now. If he obtained two more dragon pets, that would increase to 11. Even if he were surrounded by Angel Corps’ forces, it would at least be an even fight; perhaps he might even hold a slight advantage. Not to mention if he wanted to leave, there was no one that could stop him.

“I can only leave this up to you. Our troops are fighting the enemy on all fronts. We’re under a lot of pressure. The only thing giving me some peace of mind is that we haven’t had any problems yet,” Guo Huai said. “One other thing. A Golden One Horned Wyrm appeared in the City of Sin. It’s a Level 180 golden monster. It’s already killed more than 30 of our guild members. Players from all guilds are rushing towards it.”

A Level 180 golden monster was weaker than a Demonified Lord, but it would still give top quality drops, just like how he obtained Lil’ Gold’s egg back when the Golden Dragon was slain.

“Are Bladelight and his team there?” Nie Yan asked.

“Yeah, they’re all over there. I heard Soaring Angel and the other experts from Angel Corps and the Century Financial Group went over there too. Other guilds have also joined in on the action. Pretty much all the famous names in the Righteous Faction are gathered there right now,” Guo Huai said.

Nie Yan thought for a moment. “I’ll go take a look over there first.”

Since there was a lively gathering of experts in the City of Sin, how could he miss out? He had no idea what this Golden One Horned Wyrm was, but he definitely couldn’t allow it to fall in the hands of Angel Corps.

“It would put my mind at ease if you go,” Guo Huai said. He’d been afraid Bladelight and the others would suffer losses. But if Nie Yan was there too, there was nothing to worry about.

“Beast Tamer Hall has started taming the Violet Eye Dragon. Make sure no one disturbs him. If he needs anything, do your best to accommodate him,” Nie Yan said. This matter was of the utmost importance. Still not feeling assured, he added, “Given how long we’ve been staying in the Fate River, there’s no way Angel Corps doesn’t know about our movements. They’re probably trying to find out what we’ve been doing there. Do your best to keep everything under wraps. Don’t allow anyone to approach the conference hall, including your most trusted subordinates. No exceptions! Anyone that tries will be exiled from the guild!”

“Got it. You can leave it to me.” Guo Huai nodded.

After making some preparations, Nie Yan summoned the Darkwing Dragon and set off.

World’s Edge, a grand fortress floating in the sky. Only players with flying mounts could enter this place.

Since World’s Edge hadn’t yet been released in the previous timeline, Nie Yan had no knowledge of it. All he knew was what the guild reported back to him.

The players still knew only very little of World’s Edge. Even now, they’d only explored barely 20% of the map.

City of Sin, a shared common area, was a speck of dust compared to the vastness of World’s Edge. PvP was allowed here, and NPCs from various factions could be traded with. They sold many different trinkets and baubles. If you were lucky, you could get your hands on rare gems and crystals.

With the appearance of a Level 180 Golden One Horned Wyrm in the city, countless high level players from different guilds were rushing over. However, instead of obtaining wealth and riches, they paid with their lives. All who approached this monster died, no exceptions so far. This didn’t stop players from flocking over, though.

Nie Yan spotted numerous flying mounts on his way to the City of Sin. They were all players looking to get in on the action.

...

A group of 60 flying mounts flew through the sky, going straight ahead without a care in the world. When ordinary players saw this group, they immediately backed away.

Most of the flying mounts in this group were Rank 6, with some even being Rank 7. Such a line-up was terrifying to these ordinary players who would be considered lucky to have Rank 4 or 5 flying mounts. They didn’t dare to provoke this group.

“Who are they?”

“Are you blind!? That’s Angel Corps! The one up front there is Soaring Angel himself!”

“The group that came in before was from the Century Financial Group. All the big shots have arrived. It looks like we’ll have a good show to watch.”

They quietly chatted and watched as Angel Corps’ forces flew far away.

The 60 flying mounts from Angel Corps quickly approached the entrance to World’s Edge. A Warrior moved his flying mount closer to Soaring Angel and said, “Boss, Nirvana Flame is coming as well.”

“Is he already in the City of Sin?” Soaring Angel asked, narrowing his eyes. It appeared enemies really did walk on a narrow path.

“No idea. The reports say he was spotted flying in this direction some time ago. I’ve got no clue how far he is by now.”

“He’s probably here for the Golden One Horned Wyrm too. Let him come. I’ve been itching to have a rematch with him.” Soaring Angel caressed his bow. Though his expression was calm, his heart was filled with a storm of emotions. He had employed all sorts of methods to collect powerful equipment, skills, and other items that would be useful to him. He was no longer the same as before. Plus, he also received guidance from Cao Xu. Even though the man himself didn’t play the game, his knowledge of it was vast beyond compare. He pointed out all of Nie Yan’s movements, habits, weaknesses, and so on. Soaring Angel felt extremely confident in himself. Today, he would finally get his revenge and wipe away his shame!

The 60 flying mounts arrived outside of World Edge’s entrance. Soaring Angel raised his head and looked up. The towering structures looked like mighty giants. They were grand and magnificent. The wind eroded walls and partially collapsed sections was proof of its long and ancient history.

“Let’s go inside.” Soaring Angel waved his hand. The 60 players recalled their flying mounts and entered World’s Edge.