Imperial Sword and Crimson Note found a safe vantage point and secretly recorded Nie Yan’s battle.

Since the duo was relatively far away, Nie Yan didn’t discover them. Like a well-oiled machine, he killed the Umbra Demon King in front of him, then lured over three more Umbra Demon Kings. Them befell the same fate as the ones before them, their health chipped away until it bottomed out.

“Look! He has several pets over there!”

“One of them looks like a Golden Dragon. Why does this guy have so many pets?”

“How can he control three pets?” Imperial Sword gasped. This completely overturned his common sense. A player was only supposed to have on pet! The enormous Divine Eclipse Dragon was especially eye-catching. He was taken aback by the fact that its two heads could seemingly cast magic independently.

Who knew how shocked Imperial Sword and Crimson Note would be if the Divine Eclipse Dragon had used Doppelganger!

The two didn’t link Lil’ Gold back to Nie Yan. Many people had Golden Dragons these days, at least several tens of thousands in the entire Righteous Faction. Besides, most players wouldn’t even consider it possible for this to be Nie Yan. He’d returned to the game after a three-year hiatus only a few months ago. No matter how astonishing his achievements in the past, they figured it would still take him a year or two to climb back to the peak. There was no way he could’ve progressed this much so quickly.

It was hard to imagine the Righteous Faction had someone who could solo Level 210 Demonified Lords. Likely not even Sun, King of the World, and them were this strong. Could he be some kind of hidden expert?

Imperial Sword and Crimson Note gradually drew closer in an attempt to get a better look.

As Nie Yan concentrated on dealing with the three Umbra Demon Kings, he suddenly sensed an unfamiliar presence. He gazed into the distance, but couldn’t find it.

“Am I hallucinating? It felt like someone was approaching me... Nah, it’ll still be a while before anyone reaches here,” Nie Yan muttered.

Even if there was someone, they couldn’t scare Nie Yan. He continued dealing with the Umbra Demon Kings while paying close attention to his surroundings. If he confirmed someone had really come to ambush him, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill them.

About 100 meters away, Imperial Sword felt a cold gaze sweep over him. His heart trembled, fearing he’d already been discovered. He froze in place and held his breath. Only after confirming Nie Yan was still fighting the Umbra Demon Kings did he dare to breathe out again. However, he didn’t dare to get any closer. Even though he was only a hundred meters away, he could still feel bone piercing chill in the air.

Even the Umbra Demon Kings were greatly affected by Nie Yan’s domain. He couldn’t imagine what would happen if a person were to enter its range.

Before long, two videos were posted on the forums. One was of Gloom being killed while trying to scout out the Umbra Demon Kings. Gloom had at least a bit of fame among players. Seeing this Shadow Dancer getting one shot, the players could imagine how powerful the Umbra Demon Kings were. Judging from the background in the video, this event likely took place in Hell.

When the playerbase learned there were a hundred-plus Level 210 Demonified Lords in Hell, their interest for this new zone soared even higher.

As for the second video, it caused an even greater uproar. Everyone already knew how powerful the Umbra Demon Kings were from the first video. Yet here was a guy soloing not one, not two, but three of them at once! They could hardly contain their shock. Even though the video was shot from over a hundred meters away, they could still see everything clearly, just that the player was simply too fast. He only appeared as a blur. You couldn’t even see what equipment he was wearing, nor what weapons he was using. That monstrous damage, devilish dodging speed, and powerful domain left players intensely curious. Who was this mysterious expert?

Nie Yan became the hot topic of discussion in the forums.

Monstrous strength!

This display of strength even surpassed Plenty, who everyone previous recognized as the number one expert in the game. Sure enough, there was always a higher mountain!

Some people guessed the mysterious expert was Nie Yan, but they were quickly drowned out by criticism. What a joke! He’d only returned to the game how long ago? Even if he were riding a rocket, he wouldn’t be this quick!

However, there were always those who thought different. Maybe it really was Nie Yan. After all, a player that could solo Level 210 Demonified Lords would naturally rocket up in levels! This levelling speed was even several times faster than that of the top player on the level leaderboards, Young Sparrow Hawk!

Apart from this, there was also those three pets. Especially the Divine Eclipse Dragon was too eye-catching. A two-headed dragon, each head capable of functioning independently. What’s more, both heads were far stronger than an ordinary dragon. This was definitely a first. A Level 200 dragon that was more powerful than any other dragon pet they’d seen before, this matter was simply inconceivable!

The two videos attracted the attention of many people.

On a nameless hillside in Sword of the War God, a team of several dozen players were advancing through the desolate plains. It was Tang Yao, Bladelight, and company.

“Did you guys see that video being passed around on the forums?” Tang Yao asked.

“I saw. That Thief is crazy, soloing multiple Level 210 Demonified Lords, and it looks like he isn’t even breaking a sweat! That dude’s a monster!” Undying Scoundrel remarked.

“Where?”

“Lemme take a look.”

Everyone checked the forums.

“What do you guys think?” Bladelight asked.

“That has to be the boss!”

“It’s Nie Yan. I’m sure of it.” Tang Yao nodded. Even though he couldn’t make out the equipment, that was his gut feeling.

“Smoke Stub, what do you think?” Bladelight asked. He also believed the person in the video was Nie Yan. He was just surprised Nie Yan could already solo Level 210 Demonified Lords. He’d only returned to the game some three months ago at Level 156!

“What else is there to say? I have no doubt that that is Nie Yan,” Smoke Stub replied. “Do you remember that egg we got from the tamed Violet Eye Dragons breeding? Well, it has disappeared from the guild treasury a couple of months back. That must have been Nie Yan. Needless to say, that Golden Dragon is Lil’ Gold. As for the two headed dragon, do you remember that black and white dragon egg Nie Yan obtained after defeating Fallen Angel Brufut? Plus, don’t forget one of the supplementary skills of Zennarde’s Sword, Dragon King’s Divine Might. It allows him to own up to two dragon flying mounts and three dragon pets at once.”

Smoke Stub’s explanation convinced them all.

“Nie Yan, that punk! He can already take on Level 210 Demonified Lords! How long has he been back in the game? Does he want to let others live?” Tang Yao rolled his eyes. He already had five pieces of Sacred-grade void equipment. However, he still didn’t dare to imitate Nie Yan and solo Level 210 Demonified Lords. The Sword of the War God dungeon had many bosses at that level, which they had fought as a team. But trying to solo them? He felt his heart go numb.

“We helped Nie Yan collect six Dark Void Iron Ingots. All he needs is six pieces of Legendary equipment to craft six pieces of Sacred void equipment. He probably has already upgraded his Tyrant Abak Set and Zennarde’s Sword. Just by taking a look at how he’s dealing with that Umbra Demon King, you can tell his equipment has risen to a whole new plane. Combined with those three powerful pets, his levelling speed definitely won’t lose out to any Mage. With his skills on top of that, soloing a Level 210 Demonified Lord should be no issue for him. Remember his clear time in the Dark Demonic Space, and then the release of Hell, it all adds up,” Bladelight said.

After hearing Bladelight’s conjecture, they no longer lingered on Nie Yan’s rapid progress. No, what they were the most excited and moved about was the return of the Mad Rogue. Wherever he pointed Zennarde’s Sword, everything in his path would be swept away. Three years, an entire three years, Nirvana Flame was finally retaking his throne of glory!

Even though Smoke Stub, Bladelight, and the others knew the person in the video was Nie Yan, they didn’t reveal it. The players on the forums were still guessing the identity of that person.

Elsewhere in Sword of the War God, another team was steadily advancing through the barren. Their leader was the number one player in the Satreen Empire, Howling Wind.

Howling Wind had never PvPed with Tang Yao before. So, no one could tell who was the number one Mage in the Righteous Faction. Nevertheless, his status as the number one Mage in the Satreen Empire was unquestioned. He led a team of 50 people, all of whom were top experts.

Howling Wind watched the video on the forums with a pensive look on his face.

“Do you know who that is?” an orc Warrior beside him asked. He was also deeply shocked by the video.

“I don’t,” Howling Wind replied. He already had a certain person in his mind. He just wasn’t willing to voice it out.

As the number one Mage in the Satreen Empire, he always strived to improve himself, honing his skills by pitting himself against the strongest opponents. The title of number one Mage in the Righteous Faction was never settled. Tang Yao’s fame always surpassed him. Yet he never once tried to challenge Tang Yao. One could take that as an act of submission, but he simply wasn’t interested. True, Tang Yao was strong, but at best they were evenly matched. Ever since he entered the game, he’d only admired one person, and that was Nirvana Flame. There were many times he wanted to challenge Nie Yan, but something would always come in between. When Nie Yan disappeared three years ago, all he felt was a deep sense of regret. So, since Nie Yan’s return, he’d patiently waited for him to climb back to the peak. He knew for a person like Nie Yan, it wasn’t a question of if but when. It’s just that he didn’t expect the day to come so soon. Seeing the silhouette in the video, his blood boiled with anticipation.

“Let’s clear this section in 30 minutes. Then we’re returning to Orc King City!” Howling Wind announced.

“W-what? Why are we returning so soon? We prepared enough potions for three days! Wasn’t that supposed to be the original plan?” the orc Warrior asked doubtfully.

“I have something important to do. You guys can stay here and grind for a few more hours if you want,” Howling Wind said, his eyes flickering with a peculiar light. Over these past three years, he’d never been as excited as he was today.