26. The Standoff Between Two Great Guilds

The village chief’s position was located in the village entrance plaza, which also served as the spawn point for players. Once players spawned, they could accept a series of novice quests from the village chief. The rewards for these quests were mediocre, making them better suited for players who preferred not to engage in the tedious grind of monster hunting.

Because it was the spawn point and the plaza was quite spacious, it was always bustling with players gathering to boast, chat, loiter, and wander about. Looking at the lively scene before him, Su Yu was filled with complex emotions.

In his previous life, by the time he entered the game, the servers had already been live for half a year. By then, most people were already aware of the Skrull threat, so they entered the game with hurried steps and grim expressions, completely losing the joy of gaming and treating it purely as a means to improve themselves. Back then, there were dozens of times more players than now, yet the plaza had been desolate, lacking the vibrant energy he saw today.

Standing beside the village chief, Su Yu felt a bit bored; he had nothing to do for the next half hour. Suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration. "Since the plaza is so lively, why don't I call the members of the Zhantian Guild over to join the fun? Sharing the excitement with the masses is better than grinding monsters, right?"

Thinking of this, Su Yu opened his private chat interface.

Su Yu: "Are you there?"
Zhantian Sword: "What is it?"
Su Yu: "In about half an hour, a boss will spawn at the village entrance plaza of Novice Village No. 6."

Su Yu wasn't lying; the Star-Forging Dragon King was a genuine boss.

Zhantian Sword: "I’m in Novice Village No. 6. A boss? What kind of boss? A hidden easter egg boss? Or a monster siege?"

Zhantian Sword lived up to his reputation as a high-level player; even with Su Yu’s vague mention of a "boss," he immediately guessed two possibilities. It wasn't his fault, though; game operators in the past loved hosting such launch events to give players small perks.

Su Yu: "I'm not entirely sure, but according to rumors, it’s being summoned by the Emperor Blood Guild."
Zhantian Sword: "Emperor Blood!!! I’m on my way!"

In the Level 4 "Hillside Sheep" monster zone, Zhantian Sword lowered his sword and shield. He stopped pulling monsters and looked toward the novice village with a cold, sharp gaze.

"Boss Zhantian, what's wrong?" Bumblebee asked, stopping his bow and arrow.

"It’s like this..." Zhantian Sword repeated everything Su Yu had just told him.

Bumblebee’s eyes lit up. "Since it’s a boss summoned by Emperor Blood, we have to steal it! That will let off some steam for the brothers!"

"That’s what I was thinking," Zhantian Sword nodded. "Qingli, private message all members at the mid-level or above. Everyone who is online should gather at the No. 6 Village plaza!"

"Understood, Boss," Qingli replied.

...

Just as Zhantian Sword was leading his troops back to the village, Su Yu had also made contact with True Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

Su Yu: "Red-Eyes, the Zhantian Guild is going to summon a boss in our novice village plaza. Are you interested?"
True Red-Eyes Black Dragon: "(*•.•*)? A boss, what kind of boss?"
Su Yu: "According to rumors, it seems to be a boss rewarded for the final step of a quest chain. Plus, Zhantian Sword and his core team will be there; they are taking this boss very seriously."
True Red-Eyes Black Dragon: "Got it, let me ask our guild leader. (•̀へ•́╮)"
Su Yu: "Can you stop using emoticons? =.="
True Red-Eyes Black Dragon: "(；′⌒`) I'll try."

True Red-Eyes Black Dragon exited the chat with Su Yu, copied the content, and forwarded it to Emperor Blood Slaying Heaven.

After waiting about a minute, Emperor Blood Slaying Heaven replied: "Ling Feng and I will bring people over right now. True Red, we'll meet there. But remember, stealing the boss is the priority. Try to minimize conflicts with the Zhantian people. If we lose too many people over this, it won't be worth it."

True Red-Eyes Black Dragon: "Understood, Guild Leader! (*≧▽≦)"

With the leader’s approval, True Red-Eyes Black Dragon closed the chat and excitedly said to his three teammates: "Let's go! Call our people; we’re heading to Novice Village No. 6 immediately!"

The blonde beauty, Winged Dragon, tossed her hair. "Oh? Novice Village No. 6 again? Don't tell me you’re going to run off like a puppy just because that guy named Nemesis called you?"

True Red-Eyes Black Dragon: "..."

The red-haired little girl, Sky Dragon, looked dejected. "Uncle True Red, why does Nemesis-gege never accept my friend requests even though I’ve sent so many?"

"Maybe he doesn't like little girls," True Red-Eyes Black Dragon said dismissively. "Alright, let’s move. We’ll talk about the details on the way. This is an order from the guild leader; if we’re late, we’ll lose our bonuses for this month!"

"Understood," his three teammates replied listlessly, following him as they left the leveling area.

...

Under Su Yu’s instigation, the Nolan Village plaza became a place of undercurrents.

Zhantian Sword and his team arrived first and waited patiently. During this time, a large number of Zhantian Guild members arrived from all directions, gradually gathering four or five hundred people and occupying half of the plaza.

Emperor Blood Slaying Heaven and True Red-Eyes Black Dragon also arrived from other novice villages. In *Evolution*, switching villages was quite convenient; one only needed to talk to the NPC "Coachman" in the village, and there was no fee. This made it convenient for players to team up with friends in different villages and allowed people to move from crowded villages to less populated ones for leveling. As for "switching villages to steal hidden quests," there was no need to worry. Every hidden quest carried a "unique" attribute; once a player accepted a hidden quest, even if they left it undone, players in other villages—or even on international servers—could not trigger that quest again.

...

The people from the Emperor Blood Guild also arrived at the plaza where Su Yu was. Upon arrival, they surrounded Emperor Blood Slaying Heaven and True Red-Eyes Black Dragon in the center, occupying a quarter of the plaza.

Many players from the Zhantian Guild turned red with rage upon seeing the Emperor Blood members; after all, the "forum controversy" was still fresh in their minds. The Zhantian players were itching for a fight, wishing their leader would give the order to wipe out the other side.

Tyrannosaurus Rex suggested to Zhantian Sword: "Boss, should we make the first move and deflate their spirits?"

"No need," Zhantian Sword remained calm. "The initiative to summon the boss is in their hands. Let's find a way to snatch the boss first, and then we can wipe them out."

"Understood, Boss," Tyrannosaurus Rex replied, waving his green-tier two-handed sword at the opposing group in a show of force.

Emperor Blood Slaying Heaven ignored Tyrannosaurus Rex’s gesture. He knew his people were no match for the Zhantian Guild, so he strictly restrained his subordinates, preventing them from poking the Zhantian Guild’s sensitive nerves.

In the plaza, the two major guilds formed two distinct groups, leaving a clear dividing line between them. Neither side made a move, but they stood in a state of hostile confrontation.