Nie Yan finally noticed the commotion on the forums. He didn’t expect to find a video of himself. Apparently, that feeling earlier wasn’t him imagining things. A Thief had indeed approached him. Checking his surroundings once more, he discovered nothing out of the ordinary. The other side had hid themselves fairly well. However, he couldn’t be bothered to investigate any further.

As long as the enemy wasn’t a Thief at the level of Sun, King of the World, and the others, they were nothing to Nie Yan.

Nie Yan was confident in the might of Jotunheim’s Descent. If anyone dared approach him within 30 meters, in stealth or not, they would be frozen to death!

BANG! BANG! BANG! The heavy sound of ice rupturing rang out through the air like the sound of gongs being struck.

Another Umbra Demon King let out a mournful cry and collapsed to the ground.

Ding dong! A crisp jingle rang out as a white light fell over Nie Yan. A level up!

Nie Yan was elated. He’d finally reached Level 200!

It hadn’t even been four months since his return to the game. Nie Yan never expected his levelling speed would be so quick. Thinking about it, be it the quest related to Hell or the Divine Eclipse Dragon, they were all part of the foundation he’d built up before his hiatus. If it weren’t for them, he certainly wouldn’t have these achievements today.

Nie Yan picked up the loot that the Umbra Demon King dropped. It was another fragment of the Death God’s Bone. As he held the item in his hand, he detected something unfamiliar in the air. His face turned cold.

Hiding behind a pile of bones, Imperial Sword had the urge to jump out and snatch the loot the Umbra Demon King dropped. However, sensing the temperature in the surroundings plummeting, he couldn’t help but bitterly smile. The person before him was insanely strong. Trying to steal from him was the same as snatching food from a tiger’s den. Even though a Level 210 Demonified Lord was certain to drop amazing things, he needed to be alive to get them! So, he didn’t dare to try his luck in the end.

Eye of Truth!

Nie Yan snorted, his eyes flashing with a profound light.

Sensing Nie Yan’s gaze locking right onto him, Imperial Sword’s heart trembled. He hurriedly said in voice chat,「Crimson, let’s get out of here!」

Imperial Sword and Crimson Note both crushed the Unknown Transfer Scrolls in their hands. With a flash of light, the two disappeared.

“Looks like they know what’s good for them.” Nie Yan withdrew his gaze. If those two Thieves stuck around any longer, he would’ve definitely taken action and killed them. Them voluntarily leaving saved him the hassle.

Nie Yan returned to his grind. The experience the Umbra Demon Kings gave was far more ample than he expected. Likely, he would be at least Level 202 by the time he cleared them all out!

Nie Yan still had another two and a half months before his five-month deadline was up!

At the appointed time, Nie Yan would head to the underworld and challenge Plenty. However, he knew he wouldn’t be facing Plenty alone. Moreover, Plenty definitely had killer aces up his sleeve. So, he wanted to be absolutely confident he could win, and level played an important factor in this.

For Asskickers United’s glory, Nie Yan couldn’t allow any mishaps!

Since those two Thieves from earlier had discovered this place, more people would likely start arriving. Nie Yan decided to pick up the pace. Thankfully, the players from the Evil Faction couldn’t enter Hell. If Plenty found out about a Righteous Faction player solo grinding Level 210 Demonified Lords, he would definitely send his subordinates to obstruct them. It didn’t matter if that person was Nie Yan or not.

Nie Yan wasn’t afraid of them, but it would impact his levelling speed.

...

The Gates of Hell. An elven Elementalist donning the Azeran Void Robes and wielding the Soranda Void Staff arrived. Instead of looking for a team, he directly entered Hell.

The players in the surroundings were stunned.

“I-isn’t that Howling Wind?”

“It is! I recognize him! Why is he here all alone?”

...

Even though Howling Wind was all by himself, no one dared to look down on him. He was a Magister who stood on the same footing as Young Sparrow Hawk!

Howling Wind ignored these players, though their whispers reached his ears. He set out with consecutive blinks. Before long, he was more than 600 meters away, leaving the gossipers far behind. The players back near the entrance couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. What astonishing speed!

Howling Wind treated the monsters in Hell like they were nothing as he began searching for Nie Yan.

Five hours later, Howling Wind spotted a group of gigantic skeletal creatures in the far distance. They were the Umbra Demon Kings from the video!

“Found you!” Howling Wind muttered. After which he sank into deep thought. With his current strength, soloing a Level 210 Demonified Lord was possible, but it would be a struggle. Nie Yan was indeed strong. However, that was precisely why he wanted to challenge him! If his opponent were only roughly on par with him, he’d have no interest in fighting!

Howling Wind was an eccentric person. The stronger the opponent and more outmatched he was, the more astonishing power he’d display!

Only by challenging the strong could he grow more powerful!

Ever since he became the number one Mage in the Satreen Empire, Howling Wind hadn’t found a worthy opponent. It was rather lonely at the top.

Perhaps the only worthy opponent was Nie Yan. However, he’d never found the right opportunity. This was his only regret. After Nie Yan disappeared three years ago, his heart became empty, as if he had lost something important. When he learned of Nie Yan’s return, his desire for battle reignited. He knew the Mad Rogue of that time would eventually return, and an expert like Nie Yan definitely would not be content living quietly in mediocrity. Some people were destined to break the heavens and earth. Nie Yan was such a person! It was just that he never expected Nie Yan to come back with such ferocity. Within a short few months, he’d already gained such astonishing strength!

Howling Wind executed several consecutive blinks. As he looked around, he heard a mournful cry in the distance.

“There you are!” Howling Wind raised an eyebrow, teleporting towards the source of the sound.

...

Nie Yan had just killed an Umbra Demon King. As he started focusing on another one, he sensed something in the air. Looking into the distance, he spotted a silhouette rapidly coming in his direction.

Shortly after returning to the game, Nie Yan had watched many videos on the Dark Demonic Space and researched PvP techniques. Howling Wind was in some of them. So, he was somewhat familiar with Howling Wind’s appearance. However, since the distance was too great, Nie Yan didn’t immediately recognize him.

“A Mage huh,” Nie Yan remarked, his expression turning dark. If the other side tried to interfere with his grinding, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill them!

Howling Wind stopped at about 200 meters away from Nie Yan. He showed no signs of raising his staff to attack, instead patiently waiting. This place was the territory of the Umbra Demon Kings; ordinary undead didn’t dare to approach here. The surroundings were completely barren.

After seeing that Howling Wind came with no ill intent, Nie Yan concentrated on his battle. The Umbra Demon King held strong for some 15 minutes before collapsing to the ground.

Seeing the battle end, Howling Wind approached Nie Yan.

Nie Yan raised an eyebrow in surprise as he finally recognized Howling Wind. Why did he come all the way here?

“Hi, I’m Howling Wind.” Howling Wind could sense the cold aura emanating from Nie Yan, threatening to turn him into an icicle. He stopped at about 50 meters away from Nie Yan.

Nie Yan nodded. “I’ve heard of you.”

“I know you’re Nirvana Flame. I want to challenge you. Right here, right now,” Howling Wind said, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit. No doubt, the person before him was Nirvana Flame!

“Not interested,” Nie Yan replied curtly. It turned out Howling Wind had only come here for a duel. If it were a week or two ago, he might’ve been interested. Now, however, he was already a Legend with a full set of Sacred-grade void equipment. The difference in strength was too great.

Howling Wind froze. He never imagined Nie Yan would reply in such a way, his heart quickly filling with indignation. So what if you’re Nirvana Flame? There is no reason to look down on me like that!

“If you don’t kill me, don’t even think about grinding here in peace!” Howling Wind said. This was his only way to force Nie Yan to go all out!

“You’re not my match. Come back when you’ve become a Legend.” Nie Yan shook his head. Even though Howling Wind was the number one Mage in the Satreen Empire, the gap between a Master and a Legend was like that of the heaven and earth. If Howling Wind were to fight him now, it would be a one-sided beatdown.

Howling Wind sucked in a breath of cold air. Nie Yan had already become a Legend? He stared at Nie Yan in disbelief. How was that possible? He’d only returned to the game a few months ago. How did he become a Legend before all of them?

Nie Yan really did live up to his reputation as the Mad Rogue. He wasn’t undefeated for no reason. Howling Wind felt dejected. Was a Legend really that strong? Did he really not even have a sliver of hope of winning?

Staring at Nie Yan, Howling Wind’s eyes flashed with determination. He pointed his staff at Nie Yan and said, “I didn’t expect you to become a Legend so quickly. Even though I know you’re extremely powerful and I have no hope of winning, no matter what, I still want to try. So, please humour me. This has been my only wish for these past three years.”

Nie Yan’s heart trembled. No wonder Howling Wind could become the number one Mage in the Satreen Empire. This resoluteness couldn’t be found anywhere.

“Fine, come at me,” Nie Yan replied in an insipid tone.

Howling Wind’s eyes lit up with joy. He raised his staff and cast Elemental Judgement.

Six tornadoes formed around Howling Wind and swept out toward Nie Yan. Such a powerful AoE magic was an instant cast!