Chapter 1 An Overture

Hell Howl's question stunned the members of the Hell Legion within the mana barrier. Each of them stared intently at Shi Feng on the Holy Dragon's back, their eyes filled with disbelief.

"Is he really human?"

Although they had received intelligence indicating the Holy Dragon was connected to Shi Feng, they never imagined Shi Feng could not only control a dragon, but also wield the power to suppress the mana barrier.

In God's Domain, possessing either a Holy Dragon or a domain-type treasure would drive any super-guild wild with joy, as both would be invaluable assets for guarding a fortress, rendering them impervious to other super-guilds. Only the Underworld Empire had some means of dealing with such things.

Yet, Shi Feng possessed both simultaneously.

It was simply outrageous!

"That's right, I am Black Flame," Shi Feng affirmed, standing atop the Holy Dragon's back and addressing Hell Howl.

"I truly didn't expect you to hide so deeply. While the super-guilds are racking their brains over the appearance of the dragons, your trump card isn't just the dragons themselves, but such a formidable domain-type treasure," Hell Howl remarked, a wry smile on his face. "This time, our Hell Legion concedes."

Although the mana barrier was still in place and they possessed several more, they were trapped inside. The mana barrier's energy was finite, and with the Holy Dragon Aierbaker relentlessly attacking, its destruction was only a matter of time.

Once the mana barrier shattered, they wouldn't even have a chance to escape, given Aierbaker's strength.

Resisting was futile. The Holy Dragon Aierbaker's draconic pressure made even movement difficult, let alone combat.

Their lives were now entirely in Shi Feng's hands.

Rather than waste time, he might as well be straightforward.

Just as Hell Howl finished speaking, a crisp, gentle voice suddenly reached their ears.

"Guild Leader Howl, you misunderstand. I invited you here on Guild Leader Black Flame's orders. As esteemed guests of Starshine Fortress, Guild Leader Black Flame came personally to welcome you. There are no other intentions."

Another figure appeared on the Holy Dragon's back: Fitt Harria, the commander of the Divine Tribe's ace legion.

"Welcome us?" Hell Howl rolled his eyes.

Who welcomes guests with a dragon?

And not just a dragon, but a domain-type treasure too! What kind of welcome was that?

The members of the Hell Legion also cast scornful glances at Fitt Harria.

She clearly wanted to intimidate them but claimed there were no such intentions. It was like being near a giant beast, with the hungry creature circling around them while declaring it had no intention of eating them…

Who would believe such a thing?

However, with the situation unfavorable, they had no choice but to endure.

Without the Holy Dragon Aierbaker and the domain-type treasure, they would have made sure Shi Feng and Fitt Harria understood just how vulnerable Starshine Fortress was to the Hell Legion.

"Guild Leader Howl, this isn't the place to talk. Let's discuss this in detail at the City Lord's Mansion," Shi Feng said, not caring whether Hell Howl and the others believed him. He jumped down from the Holy Dragon's back, deactivated the Ring of Gospel's domain, and led Hell Howl and his group toward the City Lord's Mansion.

The Hell Legion's vice commanders looked at Hell Howl, seeking his opinion.

"Now that we're here, we might as well talk," Hell Howl said, completely unsure of Shi Feng's intentions, but with their lives out of their control, they had no choice but to press on.

Hell Howl began walking toward the City Lord's Mansion, followed by his vice commanders, who signaled the rest of the legion to remain behind and rest.

As they approached the central City Lord's Mansion, the more startled they became.

The closer they got, the denser the mana became. Even halfway there, the mana density was already two or three times higher than before.

Although the difference was only two or three times, it could increase the effectiveness of their combat techniques and magic skills training by at least fifty percent. Especially for training advanced combat techniques and Bronze-rank skills, it was likely more effective than the mana-rich secret realms controlled by the Underworld Empire.

"Hm, what's that place?" While sensing the surrounding mana, Hell Howl's gaze turned toward an ancient tower not far from the City Lord's Mansion.

Although the ancient tower wasn't tall, with only five stories, the mana it condensed was second only to the City Lord's Mansion. In the mana-rich Starshine Fortress, it stood out like a beacon, impossible to ignore.

"That's the fortress prison," Fitt Harria explained. "It's specially used to detain players, with the same functions as the prisons in NPC cities."

"The same as the prisons in NPC cities?" Hell Howl's expression immediately turned serious.

Not only did Hell Howl's face darken, but the expressions of the vice commanders also became fearful as they stared in disbelief at the five-story ancient tower.

They couldn't help but be afraid.

Being killed simply meant losing a level and a piece of equipment, which they could quickly recover with their abilities.

But being imprisoned after being killed was something they absolutely did not want to happen, even more unacceptable than being killed three or four times in a row.

In God's Domain, especially for first-rate experts like them, time truly was money, as the goblins said.

It was even more important than money, because opportunities waited for no one. Only by staying on the front lines could they have the greatest chance of encountering opportunities that would significantly improve their strength or even change their destiny.

If they were imprisoned for several days, even just five or six, they would likely fall behind the main group. Catching up would be extremely difficult, since at their level, the guild reserved resources for them. Missing even one day could mean missing many opportunities to improve their strength.

"Was what she said earlier true?"

Looking at the fortress prison, Hell Howl and the others suddenly understood.

Dragons!

Domain-type treasures!

Compared to the fortress prison, everything else seemed insignificant.

Perhaps dragons and domain-type treasures could easily kill them, even wipe them out, but in three or four days, they would be good as new, even stronger than before.

But if they were imprisoned for several days, they would be ruined, and it would likely take one or two months to catch up with the first-rate experts.

It could be said that Starshine Fortress, with just the fortress prison, could make any force give up unless they were crazy and planned to drag the entire guild's top experts down with them.

While Hell Howl and the others were secretly contemplating the fortress prison, they unknowingly entered the City Lord's Mansion.

The City Lord's Mansion had been completely rebuilt, resembling a mythical castle filled with ancient and mysterious auras. The dense mana inside was intoxicating, incomparable to the mana outside. Hell Howl and the others even felt an urge to stay there forever.

"Guild Leader Black Flame, what exactly do you want from us? If there's something you want to say, please be direct. I don't like beating around the bush," Hell Howl said to Shi Feng, very seriously.

He felt he completely understood the situation of Starshine Fortress.

Occupying it or causing trouble inside was impossible. Even for their Underworld Empire, there was no need to specifically call them over.

"You've seen the situation of Starshine Fortress. I think you must be very interested in it. So, I want to discuss a collaboration with you. Although you can't get a temporary residence in the fortress, I can give all members of the Underworld Empire a 40% discount on basic consumption in Starshine Fortress," Shi Feng said, smiling at Hell Howl.

"A 40% discount? Is that true?" Hell Howl was immediately tempted.

Star Valley was a forbidden zone of life, quite far from the surrounding kingdoms and empires, making travel inconvenient. That's why they needed a temporary residence in the fortress, so they could teleport directly there, saving guild members a lot of travel time.

Without a temporary residence, it was indeed inconvenient, but a 40% discount on basic consumption in Starshine Fortress would greatly reduce the Underworld Empire's training costs.

Basic consumption included not only the various facilities in the fortress, but also the entrance fee, which had to be paid every time they entered. It would be fine with just a few hundred people, but if tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people were involved, it would be a huge sum of money.

"Of course," Shi Feng nodded.

"Then what do you want us to do?" Hell Howl asked.

Starshine Fortress now had the fortress prison, making it impregnable. Logically speaking, they didn't need the Underworld Empire's help.

"I just want to borrow the entire Hell Legion of the Underworld Empire!" Shi Feng said.

"Borrow the Hell Legion?" Hell Howl looked at Shi Feng, puzzled. "What do you want us to do?"

The Divine Tribe was now cooperating with Zero Wing, and the Divine Tribe was not inferior to those super-guilds. It could be said that the Divine Tribe could easily resolve many issues on the Western Continent, so there was no need to borrow the Hell Legion's power.

"Nothing much, just want to enter the God-ranked regional副本 (fùběn, instance dungeon) of Star Valley to retrieve an item," Shi Feng said casually.