Chapter 2480 - Starlight Fortress Unsealed
"What did you say? The Hell Legion agreed?" "Impossible! The Hell Legion has 300 Tier 3 experts, and every one of them is a lunatic!" When the various superpowers received news of the Hell Legion’s decision, they found it hard to believe.
They had assumed the Starlight Fortress was doomed once the Hell Legion had gotten involved.
Even if they didn’t capture the fortress, they were sure to leave it in ruins.
They were all familiar with what kind of team the Hell Legion was.
It was a team of madmen.
The Starlight Fortress might be impressive for its Dragon guard, but after all was said and done, it only had one Dragon.
One Dragon wasn’t nearly enough to keep all 300 Hell Legion members in check.
They weren’t ordinary Tier 3 experts, and as long as they had a chance of victory, they’d repeatedly resurrect their members and assault the Starlight Fortress until only one side remained.
This was why the various superpowers were so afraid of the Hell Legion.
And yet, the situation had developed in such an unexpected way.
The Hell Legion hadn’t even started a decent battle, much less taken the fortress.
The legion had actually allied with the ruling power after a short discussion.
Moreover, the Hell Legion had agreed to a partnership that didn’t include shares of the fortress.
The various superpowers’ upper echelons even wondered if the reports were about the Hell Legion they knew so well.
While the news spread, the various superpowers, who had been preparing to assault the Starlight Fortress, hesitated.
They had only dared to target the Starlight Fortress because Netherworld Empire had expressed interest in capturing it, but now that the Super Guild had joined the fortress’s ruling power, the situation had become disastrous for the various superpowers.
These superpowers weren’t afraid of Divine Tribe.
The Guild only had a few more Tier 3 experts than the rest of them.
If they joined forces, however, they could easily outnumber Divine Tribe, and since the Starlight Fortress only provided players partial authority, capturing it would be child’s play.
But now that Netherworld Empire had allied with Divine Tribe, causing a scene in the fortress would be difficult and dangerous.
Aside from the legion members’ individual strength, the Hell Legion had enough Tier 3 players that it could rival the total number in several superpowers.
Including the Dragon, how were the various superpowers supposed to cause enough chaos to take the fortress from Divine Tribe? Of course, these superpowers weren’t willing to give up just yet.
Although they knew that securing a share of the Starlight Fortress’s profits was no longer possible, they still sent a large number of experts to investigate the situation within.
The fortress’ benefits were related to too many of their interests, and they would jump at any opportunity to gain a fraction of what the Starlight Fortress had to offer.
...
Meanwhile, in the Azure Chamber of Commerce’s distant Demonic Silver mine...
"Even the Hell Legion has failed?" Yan Xiaoqian muttered, stunned after reading her subordinate’s report.
She had already been astonished to learn that Shi Feng and Divine Tribe had cooperated to capture the Starlight Fortress.
Then, she had heard about the fortress’s draconic resident.
And now, even the fearsome Hell Legion had compromised.
If she hadn’t known anything about Shi Feng’s group, she would’ve assumed they belonged to some hidden superpower that developed in the western continent’s shadows.
However, she knew more than a little about that group of players.
Shi Feng had arrived on the western continent with 9 companions, all members of Zero Wing.
When they had arrived, Zero Wing hadn’t had a single ally in the west.
Yet, not only had Shi Feng’s group established a foothold in the west after only a few days, but they had even gained two powerful allies.
The Azure Chamber of Commerce had spent over a month establishing itself in the east.
The Chamber had only made a place for itself in the Dark Hills, outside of the Fire Dragon Empire’s border, after investing tons of resources and manpower in the endeavor.
Moreover, the Azure had only accomplished its goal because it had gathered players and secured connections on the eastern continent early in the game.
If it hadn’t, securing a foothold in the east would’ve taken much longer.
Shi Feng, however, had secured the Starlight Fortress in less than four days, driving the western continent’s various superpowers crazy.
"Young Miss, we don’t have much time left before the competition between families.
The family has already ensured that you’ll have use of the trial grounds.
They hope you will cherish the opportunity and restore the reputation the family lost during the prior competition.
Please don’t let other matters distract you," an amiable old man advised, sitting next to Yan Xiaoqian in one of the mine’s lounges.
"I understand.
Zero Wing merely has a foothold in the west and access to more resources now.
It still isn’t nearly powerful enough to help Silent Wonder win the families’ annual competition," Yan Xiaoqian said, nodding.
Once she had calmed her flustered heart, her confidence returned.
Zero Wing might now have a place on the western continent, but whether or not it could develop in the west was a different matter entirely.
The Guild’s greatest enemy wasn’t the western continent’s various superpowers, but the Demonic Creature armies.
As a forbidden land, no kingdom or empire protected Star Valley.
In other words, the Starlight Fortress would face the full brunt of the Demonic Creature armies without NPC help.
It was easy to imagine how much danger the fortress was in.
Even if Divine Tribe and Netherworld Empire cooperated, they couldn’t necessarily protect the fortress from the Demonic Creatures’ invasion.
Even if Zero Wing defended its hold on the Starlight Fortress, that had nothing to do with helping Silent Wonder.
The Guild’s foundation in the west was new-born, and the western continent’s training grounds were superior to those in the east.
"In that case, Young Miss, we should go," the old man insisted.
She nodded in response, but she couldn’t help but gaze toward Star Valley.
Just you wait! I will not let Silent Wonder defeat me in this competition! Yan Xiaoqian inwardly swore, recalling Shi Feng’s utter disregard for her and Azure before leaving the Demonic Silver mine.
Her family had paid a huge price to get her access to the trial grounds.
This was an opportunity that few in God’s Domain could enjoy.
As long as she could complete the trial, she could even defeat Shi Feng, let alone Silent Wonder.
… While Yan Xiaoqian left the Demonic Silver mine atop her Flying Mount, Shi Feng led the Hell Legion to Star Valley’s inner region.
Even Tier 3 players could lose their lives in the Star Valley’s outer region, to say nothing of the Level 100-plus forbidden land’s inner area.
The lowest-leveled monsters in the inner region were Level 110, and they generally moved in groups with Grand Lord leaders.
Each of these groups consisted of over a thousand monsters, with some of the larger groups having two or three thousand.
They were practically roaming armies.
If a 100-man Tier 3 team encountered these monsters, the slightest mistake could lead to a team-wipe.
Fortunately, the Hell Legion’s members were extraordinarily strong, and there were 300 of them.
They could venture through the inner region in relative safety, although their progress was incredibly slow.
After more than 10 hours of travel, Shi Feng and his team reached the inner region’s boundary.
They could see a gigantic mountain not far from their position on the inner region’s border.
The mountain’s aura felt boundless, and those who approached could feel their bodies grow heavier.
The closer one got to the base of the mountain, the stronger the sensation became.
This was none other than Star Valley’s God Mode Regional Dungeon, the Star Tomb! "Consider this carefully, Guild Leader Black Flame.
Do you really want to go in there? Once we’re inside, leaving will be a challenge, and if players die, they won’t resurrect outside of the Dungeon," Hell Rush warned Shi Feng as he stared at the mountain before them.
The Star Tomb was a very special location.
When players normally died, they’d resurrect in the nearest NPC town or city, but that wasn’t the case in the Star Tomb.
No matter how many times players died, they’d only return to life within the Dungeon.
"I understand.
Let’s head in." Shi Feng was quite familiar with the Star Tomb’s peculiarities, yet he walked into the Regional Dungeon with no hesitation.
Hell Legion’s members only glanced at each other before helplessly following the Swordsman.
Shortly after Shi Feng and his team entered the Star Tomb, the Starlight Fortress in Star Valley’s outer region lit with a bright glow as the seal was finally removed.
The Starlight Fortress had opened to the public.