Chapter 996 – Meeting Aqua Rose Again

“So many powers and players have come.” Phoenix Rain was taken aback when she saw the sea of players outside the Demon God Forest. “Guild Leader, is it fine for us to bring only 100 players?”

Every major power here had shown up with at least 1,000 experts. Some had even mobilized over 10,000 experts. In contrast, Zero Wing only came here with a 100-man team. With so few players, Zero Wing’s team might even be mistaken for one of the spectating independent teams.

“We’re here to raid a Taboo Boss, not to fight the Demon Gods in the Demon God Forest. There’s no point in bringing so many players,” Shi Feng said nonchalantly as he looked at the various powers’ teams.

The Twenty-Two Taboos were not your average Boss. Aside from sixth-floor experts, those under Level 240 would serve little purpose in a fight against one of the Twenty-Two Taboos. They might not even live long enough to face the Taboo Boss.

The Twenty-Two Taboos weren’t considered disasters just because of their frightening Basic Attributes but also because of the unique World Laws they had mastered. These unique World Laws prevented players from damaging the Twenty-Two Taboos unless their technique or overall strength had reached a certain standard. Not to mention, their opponent this time was the 14th-ranked Undying Mother.

The players Shi Feng brought were all Level 240-plus experts Zero Wing had recruited from the remnant primordial world. They were equipped with the Level 240 Taboo Fragmented Legendary Equipment Sets that Zero Wing had obtained from trading with Dragon’s Crown and enhanced using Intermediate Divine Strengthening Scrolls. They were also equipped with the Combat-ranked Behemoth Secret Treasure Set. In terms of Basic Attributes, they could rival the various apex and royal powers’ Level 240 elite experts.

However, he didn’t bring these experts to have them fight the Undying Mother. They were simply here to ward off the Demon Gods that might get in the way. After all, as the habitat of Demon Gods, the Demon God Forest was crawling with Demon Gods. The fight with the Undying Mother would likely attract many Demon Gods.

While these Demon Gods might prioritize attacking the Undying Mother, they definitely wouldn’t mind attacking any players in their way. To avoid such a distraction, it was necessary to have some players deal with these Demon Gods. Although having more players on guard duty would allow them to deal with more Demon Gods, this would also increase the likelihood of players accidentally getting killed by the Undying Mother’s attacks.

Any attack from the Twenty-Two Taboos could inflict Soul Annihilation on the average Tier 6 player. Even Level 240 players would suffer a similar fate if they weren’t fully equipped with Fragmented Divine Artifacts or possessed incredibly high combat standards. Unless Zero Wing could ensure all the members it mobilized at least had Basic Attributes rivaling those of players fully equipped with Fragmented Divine Artifacts, mobilizing any more members would only worsen the Guild’s losses. It would be much wiser to mobilize a small number of capable experts to distract and lure the attracted Demon Gods away.

Shortly after Shi Feng finished speaking, two 100-man teams of cloaked players approached Zero Wing’s team. They were none other than Dragon’s Crown’s and Silver Will’s teams, led by Purgatory Jade and Umbra Talon, respectively.

“Since everyone is here, let’s enter the forest,” Umbra Talon said quietly. “If we encounter the Undying Mother inside, the few of us will be responsible for attacking it, while everyone else should improvise based on the situation. Once one of us secures the Mutant’s Blood, everyone must cover their retreat!”

“No problem.”

Shi Feng and Purgatory Jade nodded.

After Shi Feng, Purgatory Jade, and Umbra Talon were done assigning tasks to their respective teams, they entered the Demon God Forest with the crowd in search of the Undying Mother.

…

The Demon God Forest was massive. It was much larger than any empire found outside. The Demon Gods scattered across the forest were also Level 220 or above. However, for teams that averaged Level 235 or higher, the Demon Gods residing in the forest’s outer area were not much of an obstruction.

After trekking for five hours, Shi Feng’s group arrived at the Demon God Forest’s inner area. From this point onward, they could occasionally see Level 235 player teams struggling against Level 230-plus Demon Gods.

“A team is fighting up ahead. Judging by the commotion, at least ten Demon Gods are involved,” Kowloon Demon said, looking at the sudden glow appearing in the distance. He heard faint explosions coming from the same direction when he focused his ears. “Those Demon Gods must have been attracted by a big fight for so many of them to be grouped up! The Undying Mother is likely engaged in battle in that direction!”

“There are indeed more than ten,” Umbra Talon said, looking in the direction where the bright glow originated. Then, in an expectant tone, he continued, “Let’s go and take a look.”

After saying so, Umbra Talon charged forward, with Purgatory Jade, Shi Feng, and everyone else following closely.

After advancing for five minutes, Shi Feng and the others arrived outside a massive crater where over a hundred 1,000-man teams fought against over 5,000 Level 235-plus, Tier 6 Demon Gods. When they arrived, the crater was already littered with the corpses of over a thousand Demon Gods and tens of thousands of players. Many weapons and equipment also littered the crater, but nobody could be bothered to loot them.

“Hold the line! Do not let any Demon Gods get near the center of the battlefield!”

“Another dozen Demon Gods have joined from the northeast! Teams with manpower to spare, intercept them! The Grand Elders already have their hands full fighting the Undying Mother! If any Demon God disrupts the fight, all our efforts will be wasted!”

Every player in the crater fought desperately against the Demon Gods before them. Nobody had time to rest, and there were players and Demon Gods dying in almost every moment. The battle was intense, almost as if it was a world war.

As Shi Feng scanned these teams, a small team fighting a Level 236 Demon God nearby caught his attention. More specifically, his attention was drawn toward a familiar figure in the team.

Why is she here? Shi Feng stared at the familiar figure in surprise.

The familiar figure was none other than Aqua Rose. Compared to when Shi Feng last saw her in Luminous Sky City, she was now Level 237 and fully equipped with Fragmented Divine Artifacts. The staff she wielded was even a bona fide Divine Artifact.

Aqua Rose handily cast threefold Tier 6 Spells one after another at the Level 236 Demon God. Moreover, her Spell Completion Rates were extraordinarily high, at least exceeding the 100% threshold. Compared to Heiser, a Half-step Mortal God, her overall strength would come out only slightly behind.

When Shi Feng spotted Aqua Rose, someone from her team also noticed his group’s arrival.

“Dammit! Are these people here to snatch our loot?!” A Level 239 Shield Warrior in Aqua Rose’s team panicked when he saw Shi Feng’s group emerging from the forest.

The Level 236 Demon God had barely any HP remaining. At most, it would be another ten minutes before the Demon God’s valuable loot would be theirs.

It was incredibly difficult for players to encounter a Level 236, Tier 6 Demon God outside the Demon God Forest. Only now that the various powers had joined forces to invade the Demon God Forest did they have an opportunity to kill a Level 236, Tier 6 Demon God. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t dare to enter the Demon God Forest’s inner area.

“Doesn’t that Swordsman look familiar? He looks like the Divine Glory List’s sixth-ranked Black Flame!” a Level 237, Tier 6 Swordsman in Aqua Rose’s team exclaimed. As Shi Feng didn’t hide his identity, the Level 237 Swordsman could quickly recognize him.

“Black Flame? Isn’t he being targeted by the Nebula Consortium?” The Level 237 Swordsman’s words stunned the Level 239 Shield Warrior. “I heard that the Nebula Consortium is very dissatisfied with him and has instructed the Eternal Chamber of Commerce and Demon’s Gate to eliminate him when given an opportunity. Eternal and Demon’s Gate have mobilized many experts and old monsters to raid the Undying Mother. How dare he show up here?”

…