Chapter 609: 609
Li Yao looked at the distant battlefield with indifference, paying no heed to the encroaching tendrils of darkness.
He was well aware that this altar was not to be trifled with, and that attempting to attack the Dark Touch before the Priest was defeated would be tantamount to suicide.
But Li Yao also knew that other players might not be as clear-headed. Despite their talk of righteousness, each guild had, in reality, already dispatched members to surreptitiously approach the altar.
Even with the Nightmare God and two Demons constantly slaying these encroachers, the player count gradually overcame the onslaught.
Eventually, someone did manage to get close to the altar.
“Damnit, aren’t we supposed to kill the boss before divvying up the loot?”
“Fiery Guild, you’ll pay for this.”
“Hahaha, I think it’s ‘finders, keepers’. Our guild has managed to reach the altar first. Naturally, we’re quite pleased.” The Vice Guildmaster of the Fiery Guild was thrilled, cheering on his members from their command post.
“This is dishonest!”
The leaders from other guilds all started hurling abuses.
“Enough with the pointless talk. Don’t think I don’t know that each of your guilds also attempted to sneak up on the boss. We just happened to act successfully.” The Vice Guildmaster of the Fiery Guild retorted with a smirk.
The leaders of other guilds, although cursing, began to mobilize their forces to intercept the Fiery Guild, and the situation quickly threatened to boil over into chaos.
Before it went further, several of the Fiery Guild players who climbed atop the altar were engulfed and incinerated by countless tentacles. As the light of player deaths flicked and faded, a dozen members from the Fiery Guild quickly perished.
The Vice Guildmaster of the Fiery Guild’s jubilant laughter abruptly ended.
“Hahaha, serves you right.”
“I told you, you can’t claim the loot without killing the boss first.”
“They’ve brought this misery upon themselves.”
The crowd erupted in laughter, revoking their previous orders to snatch away the loot.
“To think that you insects dare to lay claim to my treasures. Truly, you do not know the gravity of your actions.”
Albeit living denial, the Nightmare God wasn’t faring well. As the battle raged on, the two Demons it had summoned were killed.
The players wouldn’t give it a chance to summon again. It could only angrily roar, harvesting swathes of players as it went. However, the Ogre was just too weak. It could barely tap into a fraction of its power.
If it could harness even just a thousandth of its power, it would have been able to obliterate these weaklings with a single skill. But alas, this was all hypothetical.
Li Yao disrupted its plan to absorb souls, thereby disrupting the sacrificial ritual.
The ogre retreated. But, the Nightmare God couldn’t stand by and watch its nearly-acquired treasures fall into the hands of others. Thus it was compelled to transfer a trickle of its divine intent onto the High Priest through the array.
As a result, it could only muster the power of the High Priest. The boost to its power was minuscule, and this body didn’t possess even a sliver of divine power, rendering its original skills useless.
In such a predicament, despite its intense frustration, the Nightmare God was eventually beaten by the relentless onslaught of players.
The battlefield hosted countless players who, after hours of intense combat, found their equipment in shambles and levels drop to twenty.
Had it not been for the level cap at twenty, many players likely would have vacated the battlefield by now.
Now, the players were in an awkward predicament. Thousands of players were present, fully aware that only one among them would claim the treasure. Yet, everyone clung to a slim hope that they could be the one.
Possessions of such magnitude aren’t so easily obtained, not to mention they were completely unaware of the treasure’s attributes. Even if they somehow managed to obtain it, whether they could use it or even take it away was an unanswerable question.
Yet, they have been blinded by the allure of the so-called treasure. Given their precarious situation, even though they knew they were being led into a trap, they could do nothing but follow Li Yao’s script.
After all, if they gave up now, they would have nothing. As long as they persisted, there remained a glimmer of hope.
“You think by killing me, you will be able to lay your hands on my treasures? Such naivety. I will be back in a day,” the Nightmare God announced before collapsing onto the altar.
Countless tendrils entwined the High Priest, whose body instantly shriveled as the Dark Touch became more formidable than ever, thriving on innumerable life forces.
Now, the Dark Touch was barely visible, taking the form of a gigantic shadow sitting atop the altar. Engulfing all creatures that approached, it promised only one fate for them.
Clink, clang…
With the High Priest’s death, the players could clearly see two gold objects and three gold-colored items fall to the ground.
“F*ck, golden gear! And three pieces!”
The players’ eyes turned red with greed. They frenziedly charged towards the altar, but as they neared, the Dark Touch entrapped them. The players stood no chance; they were instantly drained of their life force and fell to the ground.
The assault continued for a few more minutes, resulting in numerous player fatalities. It was then that the players began to calm down.
“Ranged attackers, strike it down!”
Nobody sussed who issued the order, but soon a barrage of attacks enveloped the Dark Touch.
“How laughable! You seriously intend to penetrate something associated with an Ancient God with your puny attacks? Plus, this object has been nurtured by the blood of countless lives tonight. It’s so formidable now that even world bosses may struggle to dominate it.” Li Yao watched the chaos from the top of a building, remarking with a sneer. “It’s time to harvest the fruits of victory.”
The onslaught lasted for about ten minutes. However, once the attacks ceased, the Dark Touch remained unscathed.
No visible damage was shown as a result of their attacks, indicating their efforts had been in vain. The players were stunned. The boss was now within their reach, but they were unable to claim it. Even the High Priest’s body was unattainable.
The sight nearly moved the players to tears. They had fought and died countless times throughout the night just for this moment, only to encounter such a situation.
“We can’t keep going like this. I’ve received news that many guilds are gathering and heading this way. If we delay any longer, we won’t be able to control the situation,” the guildmaster of the Fiery Guild said with a bitter smile.
“We’ve lost too many elite members in this battle. We cannot let other guilds reap the rewards of our efforts.” The Vice Guildmaster of the Giant Guild also expressed concern.
“What does the head of Qionghua Guild think?” The Vice Guildmaster of the Dream Cloud Guild chimed in. Dream Cloud Guild and Qionghua Guild were the only two Chinese guilds present, with the others hailing from different regions.
The leader from Qionghua Guild, who had turned up at the scene, commented with a frown, “We originally came here for a mission and had not expected that we would encounter such an event. Now, it’s clear to everyone present that obtaining this object will require more than just good fortune.”
The leaders of other guilds present fell silent, recalling the Nightmare God’s final words of warning, casting a pall over their hearts.
“Let me ask you all one more time, do you still intend to claim the loot? If not, I’m prepared to act.” Li Yao emerged from the shadows and spoke out loud.
All eyes were instantly on him.
“Prairie Fire.”
“It’s actually him.”
As soon realizes who he was, their expressions shifted into something less pleasant…