On the border of the desert after we walked into the forest, the scenery gradually became more green. The soft sand also gradually became more firm and moist. As we continued forward, we still didnât meet a single player. This map was on the frontier of Moon City. It was at least an hour away from the main city. Most players wouldnât walk so far to grind levels. Besides, the level of the monsters here werenât low, which made it more dangerous to grind levels here. Only middle to high level players would come to such a distant map to grind.
â¦â¦
Our twenty horses charged forward for some more time. The greenery around us become thicker and more dense. An enormous valley appeared ahead of us. It was the first map that we had come upon since entering Moon City, Moon Valley. The valley itself was very lengthy. It guarded the borders of the city and was very close to the desert. This map was the only way we could reach Moon City from Tian Ling City. Furthermore, it was immense; similar to Ba Huang Cityâs Fire Stone Canyon with layer upon layer of smaller maps. It was as though it was a never ending map. Furthermore, there was a diverse group of monsters and was a main grinding map for players.
âMoon Valley?â Matcha furrowed her elegant brows and continued to study the system map, âGuildmaster, are we just going to walk straight in? If we go any further, we may end up meeting several Moon City players.â
I gripped my reins and smiled, âLetâs go and maintain a low profile. Even if we do see any Moon City players, weâll do all we can to avoid them. Letâs take this chance and walk around the map. We didnât come here this time to kill people but rather to get a better understanding of Moon City. That way at least weâll have more preparation. At least we wonât be caught too off guard during the country battles.â
Matcha nodded.
My Flying Scythe War Horse lowly whinnied and stepped down into the valley. Hooves clattered against the rocky slope. Behind me, Matcha, Li Mu, Wang Jian, Meng Yao and the others followed close behind. Now that we had entered a Moon City map, we already assumed a battle stance. Everyone had already pulled out their swords and cautiously glanced around. After all, this was enemy territory and we were the outsiders.
âGrrâ¦â
Right in front of us, a couple of tigers roared. They were Level 137 Titan Tier monsters. No wonder there werenât many people grinding levels here. The monsters were terrifyingly strong. Even we would feel some pressure if we grinded here. As usual, I let my Ancient Heavenly Tiger God charged forward to clear the path. Titan Tier monsters had a ten hour spawn rate, which meant itâs been awhile since someoneâs been here. That was good too, at least we were somewhat safer here.
As I dashed forward, I raised my Dragon Reservoir Sword and âKa ka kaâ I threw out three slashes. Li Mu and Wang Jian each used a [Blade Rush] and cut down the tigers. Our group swept past, and left behind the three tiger bodies. They didnât drop much so we didnât bother to stay.
I lowered my voice, âLetâs draft out a map so that we can take note of the details about Moon City. If Tian Ling City ever decides to launch an attack on Moon City, then Smile and the rest will definitely work the geography to their advantage. If we donât take the time to understand these maps, then weâll definitely be at a disadvantage.â
Li Mu shuddered and smiled, âHaha, youâre really thorough.â
As we continued forward, the path became more precipitous. Even the Steel Blade Horsesâ speed was being affected. However, Matcha was drawing out the maps very well. She noted everything from the topography to the structure of the ground and the lakes that lie within the valley. This Moon Valley was actually split into five different smaller maps, each with a different terrain. If we hadnât walked in, we wouldâve never been able to tell.
â¦â¦
As we continued, Wan Er suddenly narrowed her eyes and said, âCareful, thereâs people ahead!â
âOk!â
I leaned over and hid in the brush. We were completely covered in the bushes and I activated [Camouflage]. There were around twenty people ahead of us in the forest. They wore the Moon City insignia on their shoulders. Furthermore, there hung a three colored French Flag beside the playersâ names. They were like us. The moment that we entered Moon City, everyoneâs ID had a Chinese flag right beside. This was a way to tell the difference between players.
Old K walked his horse over and gripped his battle axe. He excitedly whispered, âTheyâre French players, and are all around level 117-120. They arenât too high, should we go over and cut them down?â
Li Mu grunted, âGuildmaster, what do you think?â
I glanced around and said, âLetâs not fight and go around them. Itâd be best if we donât exchange blows with them. Once we fight with them, then the French forums will immediately blow up with our location. That would only lure thousands of armies after us and weâll never be able to complete our scouting mission.â
Li Mu nodded, âOK!â
I gripped my Dragon Reservoir Sword and tugged on my reins. My Flying Scythe War Horse slowly backed away and went around the group. The nineteen horses behind us also followed behind me without a sound. These were all [Zhan Long]âs core players and so naturally they wouldnât botch up things. Even Old K, that bad tempered kid, quietly went around with me. The discipline of a guild was extremely important.
Before we had walked very far, âSou!â a [Fierce Ice Arrow] suddenly shot above my head. I quickly halted my horse and heard a âPA!â as Wan Er opened up her Iron Umbrella to block the arrow. I looked around, only to see a blonde Level 121 archer sitting among the tree branches. He shouted, âEveryone be careful, a group of Chinese players are here!â
At that moment, another voice sounded out, âGather around and surround these Chinese players!â
Hooves pounded the ground and the entire forest shook. Several dozen Moon City French Cavalry players charged over. My heart panicked for a second. Now that we were found, thereâs no way we can avoid this battle. I immediately swung my blade and roared, âBlitzkrieg them!â
Wan Er quickly slid from my lap and picked up her dagger, and entered into [Stealth] mode. Li Mu, Wang Jian, and Matcha all turned around and charged at the first group of people they saw. In total there were around 30-40 French players, and none of their levels were very low.
âKill!â
At the very front, a French player with a red beard raised his battle axe. He charged his battle horse towards us with a roar. Fury lit his eyes as he roared, âThese Chinese players donât take us Moon City players seriously at all! Did you think that Moon City was your backyard, somewhere you can carelessly come in and out of?â
Without another word, I dashed forward to meet his attack. I threw my Brilliant Flame Emperor. âPu Chi!â it pierced through the chest of that Level 122 Berserker, and drew out a spurt of blood and dealt fourteen thousand damage. I then flicked my wrist again and the moment that I got close, I suddenly grabbed my sword from the air, and threw a few simultaneous slash. I scliced right through the berserkerâs chest!
â13221!â
â15873!â
With a wretched roar, the berserker fell off his horse. He couldnât even defend against one round of attacks. I didnât hesitate for a second and raised my Dragon Reservoir Sword, and threw a Seven Star Fragment Slash into the crowd. Right after that, I activated my [Sword Tempest]. Hooves thudded across the ground and an icy whirlwind swept through. Everyone around me was sealed in [Ice Domain].
Li Mu and Wang Jian then pushed forward and swept out their swords. [Combo], [Skyshaker Slash], and [Covering Sword Slash] danced through the crowd, and killed another group of people. Wan Er, Qing Qian, and Wolf would appear behind the enemy mages and archers. A bloody light flashed and they were all killed. Wan Erâs attacks were especially strong. She didnât even need to break through their [Mana Shield], as she relied solely on her Defense Break stats to kill the mages. She was practically the bane of all mages.
Dancing Forest and Dong Cheng lead the ranged attacks, and focused their firepower on each player one by one and killed them off. Magic wreaked havoc in the forest. Xing Lie raised his musket and âPeng peng peng!â fired off his shots. Almost every hit dealt over ten thousand damage. He really deserved his reputation as [Zhan Long]âs number one musketeer. His shots were both accurate and timely. Of course, Foxâs ability to manage was far better than Xing Lieâs. Each had their own special skills.
â¦â¦
We struck hard and fast. Within three minutes, we had finished the battle. After counting the bodies, there was a total of forty four bodies from the French players. As for whether or not there were any assassins that had escaped, we werenât sure. If an assassin wanted to run, you couldnât catch one no matter what you tried to do.
âLetâs go, our locationâs been revealed!â I commanded.
Matcha and the rest nodded and quickly cleared the battlefield before we dashed towards the north.
Ten minutes after we left, we had reached the northern end of Moon Valley. In the distance, we could see the white snowy ranges of Ice Ridge mountain. It was the same Ice Ridge Mountain that ran through Tian Ling City and Ba Huang City. This mountain spread across thousands of leagues, and completely separated the South from the Hybrid Demon Territory. Thanks to this natural defense, the Hybrid Demon Kings have yet to invade the Southern Territories.
The Steel Blade Horses moved incredibly fast, even if our position was revealed, that didnât necessarily mean that we would get caught. After all, there were few mounts that had the same speed as the Steel Blade Horses, especially if they wanted to chase after us and go in for the kill. First they would have to consider their own strength. The players of Moon City werenât idiots, they wouldnât sacrifice themselves for nothing.
â¦â¦
When we left Moon Valley, we made it to a grass plains. It was the Breezy Plains just east of Moon City and was just as vast as the Moon Valley map. A light breeze brushed against my face, fluttered my cape behind me. Li Mu and Wang Jian were chuckling as they admired the scenery. The setting sun over the west gave off a warm light.
Matcha widened her eyes and said, âBreeze Plains is extremely open. If we do end up fighting here, this map will likely be dyed red. After all, this is the most suitable place for the Steel Blade Horsemen to fight. The guilds of Moon City and Tian Ling City wonât let this map slip by. I can already just imagine what itâll look like when it's torn by warâ¦â
Matcha was one of [Zhan Long]âs most important commanders. Her understanding of topography and her sensitivity to its effects on battle were not much inferior to my own. There was no way we could ignore her words.
â¦â¦
Right at that moment, Dong Cheng narrowed her eyes and shouted, âI have some bad news!â