Chapter 1 The Tense Stone Forest City

Stone Forest City, in the Cold Spring Grand Forest.

The news of the Dark Great World's portal had spread throughout the Cold Spring Grand Forest, causing Stone Forest City to become tense. Many players were leaving to develop in other areas, making the once-lively city desolate.

Even the main street, usually teeming with players, had lost most of its merchant players. Only Zero Wing's newly opened Free Inn managed to maintain some activity, but these players were mostly experts from various powers, with very few free adventurer teams.

In the Free Inn's lobby, a group of players in black cloaks entered, causing a stir among the players.

Among the nearly one hundred players who entered the Free Inn, besides those in black cloaks, the leaders were actually a group of experts from Tianji Pavilion. The leader was Yuan Tiexin, well-known within Tianji Pavilion, along with a middle-aged half-elf man.

"Amazing! Who are these people? To be personally led by an elder of Tianji Pavilion."

"Those people are probably big shots who don't want to reveal their identities. I remember Tianji Pavilion has shares in Stone Forest City. Now that players from the Dark Great World have entered the Cold Spring Grand Forest, the situation in Stone Forest City is not optimistic. Maybe they are reinforcements brought in by Tianji Pavilion."

"Reinforcements? It's futile. That's a great world, a power that no single super force or even a coalition of super forces can contend with."

...

The experts from various powers present were curious and discussed the players in black cloaks.

Stone Forest City was now a sacred training ground, especially with the Free Inn, making it a place all expert players yearned for.

The guild cities in other places didn't have the same rich mana as Stone Forest City, and the Free Inn greatly increased the speed of storing double experience points. It was even rumored that the top-floor rooms of the Free Inn could greatly accelerate the expulsion of alien energy and improve combat techniques.

In God's Domain, where combat techniques were becoming increasingly common, this was a fatal attraction for expert players.

If experts from a certain force could develop in such a place for a long time, the speed of that force's improvement would be unimaginable. As a shareholder of Stone Forest City, Tianji Pavilion would naturally not give up easily.

However, with the gate to the Dark Great World now open, it was hard for everyone present to imagine any force that could stop the players from the Dark Great World.

"Please wait a moment, everyone. I'll go rent a high-level meeting room," Yuan Tiexin said to the players in black cloaks.

Yuan Tiexin then took out a Free Inn gold membership card to rent a high-level meeting room for everyone to discuss, which made the high-level members of various forces nearby envious.

A gold membership!

Due to the Free Inn's effects, various forces wanted to become members, especially silver members or higher. But it was too difficult. Currently, the various forces could only get bronze memberships. To upgrade to a silver membership, a large number of Free Inn points were needed, and these points could only be obtained through exchanging rare materials and completing tasks. Moreover, this membership was only for individual players, and the daily exchange amount was limited.

But a gold membership could rent the top-floor rooms of the Free Inn.

While Yuan Tiexin was completing the rental procedures, the players in black cloaks were carefully examining the Free Inn.

"Is this Zero Wing's Free Inn? Impressive!" A young man in a black cloak, radiating a dense dark energy, felt the Free Inn's rich mana and effects and couldn't help but exclaim, "No wonder they dared to provoke our Heart of the Demons."

"So what if they dared? In the end, they'll still lose to our Vice Guild Leader Yan Guang, right?" A level 109 Elementalist, also exuding a dense dark energy, said disdainfully.

Tianji Pavilion had taken the initiative to arrange a secret alliance with the various super forces, and even invited their Heart of the Demons. It was clear how unfavorable Zero Wing's situation was, or rather, they were aware of the consequences of facing a Dark Great World.

But unfortunately, even with Tianji Pavilion's intervention, the end result wouldn't change much, because the various super forces present were determined to obtain Stone Forest City.

While the two experts from Heart of the Demons were quietly chatting, Huan Yu, also wearing a black cloak, frowned slightly.

"Huan Yu, it seems Stone Forest City is in grave danger this time. So many super forces have come for one Stone Forest City. Even Tianji Pavilion probably didn't expect this," the fierce man next to her said with emotion.

Tianji Pavilion had secretly invited all the super forces that had entered Stone Forest City to discuss the situation. Originally, Crimson Emperor Guild had estimated that six or seven super forces would be a lot, but now the number of super forces that had come exceeded ten. Even War Wolf Guild, which hated Heart of the Demons to the core, had arrived.

A rough estimate put the number of Tier 3 experts from these super forces at over four thousand, and their combat skills were very high. If they joined forces with the Dark Great World and cooperated from the inside and outside, Stone Forest City would have no chance.

Of course, he could understand the reason why the various super forces were doing this. After all, the advantages brought by Stone Forest City, especially the benefits of this Free Inn, were something no super force would be uninterested in.

Moreover, Zero Wing had taken the initiative to seek death at the Dark Great World's portal. Now, even if Tianji Pavilion came forward to mediate, it would probably be useless, even if the five super guilds united.

At this moment, not only Huan Yu of the Crimson Emperor Guild, but even Yuan Tiexin, who had invited the various super forces to infiltrate Stone Forest City, was surprised.

More than ten super forces had come. In addition to Heart of the Demons and Star Ring, who hated Zero Wing to the core, there was also Demon Emperor Palace of the Ten Saint Empire, Shadowless Empire of the Dark Shadow World, and even War Wolf Guild and Pantheon, two major super guilds.

Not to mention Illusory Myth, one of the five super guilds hidden in the shadows.

It could be said that the mere gathering of these super forces was enough to shake the entire eastern continent of God's Domain, let alone the fact that these super forces were all very interested in Stone Forest City...

Even Yuan Tiexin himself was shaken. Would this mediation really work?

"Hahaha, Zero Wing is dead this time!" Zhu Tianluanshi, who had come with Yan Guang, couldn't help but be excited at this scene. "So many super forces have gathered here, even a super guild won't be able to stop this!"

Shi Feng's public killing of him in Demon God City had not only greatly reduced his strength but had also caused him to lose face in the Dark Cave.

He thought he wouldn't have a chance to cause trouble for Zero Wing again, but he didn't expect the opportunity to come so quickly.

"Everyone, the meeting room is ready. Please follow me," Yuan Tiexin said slowly, looking at the people hiding their identities.

As Yuan Tiexin finished speaking and prepared to lead everyone to the top-floor meeting room of the Free Inn, a figure suddenly stood in front of Yuan Tiexin and the others, which stunned everyone in the lobby.

The group invited by Tianji Pavilion might have hidden their identity information, but the aura they exuded hadn't been hidden at all. It could be said that each of them was an absolute top expert. Anyone who dared to block their path wouldn't have enough lives to lose.

But someone dared to do so, and this person was a woman wearing the Zero Wing emblem, with a pitiful level of just over one hundred...

"Miss Youyu Weixiao, may I ask what's the matter?" Yuan Tiexin recognized the woman immediately and asked in surprise.

This woman was none other than Youyu Weixiao, the director of Candlelight Trading Firm, and one of the daily managers of the Free Inn.

He hadn't deliberately concealed the matter of inviting the various super forces. In his opinion, Zero Wing shouldn't stop it, after all, Tianji Pavilion was also a shareholder of Stone Forest City, and doing so could reduce Zero Wing's enemies to some extent.

But what was the situation with Youyu Weixiao suddenly blocking their path?

"It's nothing." Youyu Weixiao shook her head and said, "I'm just here to deliver a message to these people on behalf of the guild leader."

"Deliver a message? Could it be that they know they can't win and want to hand over their shares of Stone Forest City?" Zhu Tianluanshi immediately teased.

The experts from the various super forces present also laughed.

Wasn't it too late now?

"Our guild leader said that if you all want to develop peacefully in Stone Forest City, Zero Wing welcomes you. But if you want to interfere, you better go back where you came from and don't cause trouble for yourselves!" Youyu Weixiao glanced at everyone and said indifferently.