Chu Tian's high-profile return this time left everyone present in a state of great agitation for a long time.
"De Shen is back, and his equipment is so awesome!"
"Quick, look at the person ranked first on the level leaderboard; they've also unhidden their character name."
"Holy crap, so the level 124 player has been De Shen all along. He never left, just disappeared from our sight."
"I really don't know where he's been honing his skills. Level 124… when will I ever reach that?"
These people watched in awe in the direction Chu Tian had long since vanished, filled with various emotions.
Even some members of the Reverse God Alliance were in the crowd. They had been wondering earlier:
When did such a powerful figure emerge in the guild?
Now, they were even more excited. Their leader had returned, and so high-profile and strong. They had a faint feeling that something big was about to happen.
The Reverse God Alliance had been accumulating strength in the Northern War Zone for a long time. Now that their guild leader was back, there would definitely be major moves. This was the thought on everyone's mind.
News of Chu Tian's return quickly spread throughout the entire Northern War Zone, reaching even the Slaughter Guild.
When everyone learned that Chu Tian was equipped with full God-Tier gear and that he was the level 124 player, Tianya Kuangdao, the leader of the Slaughter Guild, made a significant decision. Huang Xueyi even supported this idea.
The Slaughter Guild was now quite stable. The title of guild leader for Tianya Kuangdao had become deeply entrenched after so much development. The Huang Family Consortium was no longer the sole power. This was because, through whispers heard from somewhere, people learned that the leader of the Reverse God Alliance, De Shen, had an unusual enmity with the young master of the Huang Family Consortium.
Back then, the Huang Family Consortium had heavily invested in the world of Heavenly Dao, but subsequently, the entire Northern War Zone was blockaded by the Reverse God Alliance. The Reverse God Alliance also aggressively suppressed guilds invested in by the Huang Family Consortium. All the responsibility for these actions was placed upon the young master. Consequently, the Huang Family Consortium had cut off all funding, and Huang Xueyi could only operate with the funds previously invested. The relationship with the Slaughter Guild was no longer one of master and servant but a partnership, where they prospered or perished together.
Therefore, Tianya Kuangdao was no longer a puppet. He now carried significant weight in his words. He approached Huang Xueyi, planning to go to Shengjing City to negotiate peace with the Reverse God Alliance, and demanded that Huang Xueyi come bearing a symbol of his guilt to apologize to Chu Tian.
Initially, Tianya Kuangdao had prepared a long speech to persuade Huang Xueyi. However, to his surprise, the moment he found Huang Xueyi and explained the situation, the man readily agreed. Tianya Kuangdao pondered the meaning behind this. After some thought, he concluded that given their current predicament, Huang Xueyi's choice was understandable. He had intended to use the situation to his advantage; since Huang Xueyi could see the writing on the wall, it saved him a lot of effort.
While they were preparing to pay a visit, Chu Tian was busy tinkering with materials. He gave Mo Shi another sum of money to continue acquiring materials, instructing him to keep an eye on the auction houses of various fortresses. If anyone was seen bidding on high-tier materials, he was to intercept them directly, regardless of the type. Chu Tian knew that even materials auctioned now would appreciate in value later as more people upgraded their equipment, making them increasingly expensive.
After dealing with these matters, all the materials were transferred into his avatar's inventory. Then, Chu Tian directly called out to Gao Kai and the others.
I'm Not a Druid: "Brother Kai, gather everyone. Put down what you're doing, call Zhao Lei, Ma Deju, and the others. I have something to tell you all."
Heng Dao: "Now? We're in a dungeon, it might take some time."
I'm Not a Druid: "As soon as possible!"
Heng Dao: "Why don't you come join us in the dungeon? We have an open spot. We can help you improve your gear!" Heng Dao sent Chu Tian a message with a hint of laughter in his tone.
Chu Tian looked at the message and thought for a moment.
I'm Not a Druid: "Okay, finish up quickly. We have important business to attend to!"
Heng Dao: "Got it!" Gao Kai replied and then went silent.
Chu Tian stood there waiting. After a full three minutes, he sent another message.
I'm Not a Druid: "Invite me to the party, what are you thinking?"
After a few seconds, Heng Dao replied.
"Didn't you say to finish quickly?"
Chu Tian was taken aback and sent a message.
"Yes, I said… uh… invite me quickly!"
"Invite you? Won't that slow us down even more?"
After this exchange, Chu Tian was speechless. It seemed Gao Kai had mistaken him for a noob.
"Damn it, which dungeon are you guys in? Believe it or not, I'll plow through it myself!" Chu Tian's temper flared. He was now equipped with full God-Tier gear and was level 124. He figured Gao Kai and the others were likely in dungeons around level eighty or ninety, at most level a hundred. With his full God-Tier equipment and level advantage, even if he invited a bunch of people with trash gear, as long as they followed his commands and executed tasks that required numbers and class coordination, he could solo bosses in dungeons below level one hundred by himself. Now Gao Kai was looking down on him, which was an insult to his seven-colored equipment.
I'm Not a Druid: "INVITE MEEEEEE!!!!!" Chu Tian gritted his teeth.
Heng Dao: "Alright!" Gao Kai, feeling somewhat helpless, sent Chu Tian a party invitation.
"Welcome back, boss!"
"Our guild leader has returned!"
"Boss, you've finally come to this day!"
People in the party constantly sent congratulatory messages, some even with a hint of schadenfreude. Everyone in this party was someone Chu Tian knew; many had been carried by him before. In their minds, Chu Tian hadn't logged into the game for a long time, so his equipment and level must have been very poor. Finally, it was their turn to carry Chu Tian, and they felt incredibly excited.
However, the moment Chu Tian joined the party, before these people could even finish speaking, a sudden scream rang out.
"Oh my god, holy crap…"
"Ma Ju, what are you yelling about? You scared me!" Zhao Lei, carrying a large iron bar and a wine barrel on his back, was standing next to Ma Deju. He jumped when the latter let out a startled cry.
"Boss, you… you… so it was you who was level 124!"
The moment Ma Deju spoke, the previously lively party voice chat fell silent. After a moment, with a whoosh, dozens of people in the party began speaking simultaneously, creating a chaotic jumble of sounds that made it impossible to discern what anyone was saying. Chu Tian hadn't even entered the dungeon yet, but he was happily smiling to himself. This was the exact effect he wanted. Let them underestimate him.
"Warlock, what are you waiting for? Aren't you going to open the summon stone? Aren't you going to pull boss over?" Gao Kai's voice sounded somewhat helpless, yet excited. They had been stuck on this dungeon for too long. Seeing Chu Tian's level 124, even if his equipment wasn't top-tier, they could easily clear it by letting him tank the boss with his level advantage.
"Oh… oh…" The Warlock in the party, urged on, recovered from his stunned state. Chu Tian thought to himself, once they pull me over, I'll shock them again.