Battle 46: Agreement on Both Sides for the Duel

At this moment, Night Yu was still thinking of making a few teasing remarks, but suddenly a large group of people appeared, stepping into the entrance of the exclusive dungeon area of [Hero Town]. A rough estimate put their number at least fifty, and their levels all ranged between LV40 and LV50, with even several of the leaders reaching LV55.

Seeing this, Night Yu's expression gradually froze, and the others stopped their idle chatter as well. "Cup of Wine Traps Hero" and Old Hu naturally remained silent, gazing at the distant crowd.

Night Yu's expression was grave. Originally, the group had been chatting and laughing, but upon seeing that contingent of people, their expressions inevitably froze.

Moreover, that group unexpectedly and unhesitatingly cast their gazes directly at Night Yu and his companions, and with a tacit understanding, the crowd parted to the sides.

A figure slowly walked out from the center, resplendent attire exuding an air of nobility.

[First Influence], Three Years Difference.

Looking at that ID and faction name, "Cup of Wine Traps Hero" narrowed his eyes as he stared into the distance, his gaze carrying a lethal chill. He then turned to Night Yu and said, "Leaving aside myself and the guild itself, Third Brother, what exactly is your feud with that guy?"

Night Yu merely shook his head slightly and replied, "Those matters go back a bit. You could say it started when the [Mystic Heaven] server first launched, and such hatred runs quite deep. As for the reasons, I don't really feel like talking about it anymore. Incidentally, my fixed team was involved in all of that."

Old Hu crossed his arms and nodded slightly, straightening the armor on his arms. The expression on his face gradually turned icy as he spoke, "I can more or less guess. When your fame began to rise, I naturally heard a rumor or two about it, and I imagine the truth in them is quite high. I've always despised people like him anyway."

"That may be true, but the main force of [First Influence] right now should be these fifty people before us, and there are likely other groups as well. Furthermore, every single one of them holds at least one Holy-grade piece of equipment. If it comes to a clash, it will be quite disadvantageous for us."

Night Yu patted Old Hu on the shoulder, signaling him to calm down and keep his composure. "From the current situation, I'm only curious about what this guy wants to say. Aside from his fixed team, we are still fully capable of fighting the others with our current combat strength; it might just be a bit more arduous."

As for why "Three Years Difference" had appeared here, Night Yu was naturally well aware. Clearly, the whereabouts of Night Yu's group had always been something the high-ups of [First Influence] desperately wanted to know. Moreover, with the population of the [Mystic Heaven] server reaching its absolute limit, there were naturally players willing to inform the higher-ups of [First Influence] in exchange for handsome rewards.

Who was "Three Years Difference"? In the [Mystic Heaven] server, virtually everyone knew his name. He was the guild master of [First Influence] and a legendary whale-tier player. Such a person spent money like water, naturally offering heavy bounties for any information regarding Night Yu's group. For other players, this was simply a task where they spotted the targets, reported them, and received a generous reward. Night Yu wouldn't hold a grudge against those players, which naturally led to the scene unfolding before them.

While Night Yu's group possessed the highest levels in the [Mystic Heaven] server, facing a group of players where every single one wielded Holy-grade equipment was no small matter. Although it didn't seem entirely hopeless, if "Three Years Difference" and his followers intended to make a stand and block them here, the people he brought wouldn't just stand by and watch. Of course, even if these players could create a fleeting, split-second opportunity, "Three Years Difference" would never let it slip.

Night Yu knew that calling for reinforcements now would mean help wouldn't arrive until after the matter was already settled. Such an approach would only make things considerably more difficult. Therefore, Night Yu had already ruled out unnecessary actions—distant water cannot quench near thirst, a truth everyone understood.

However, Night Yu noticed that "Three Years Difference" did not intend to come in swinging right away. Thus, although Night Yu's face remained solemn, with a piercing chill lurking deep within his eyes, he clearly intended to listen to what "Three Years Difference" had to say.

At this moment, "Three Years Difference" stopped not far from Night Yu and slowly walked forward. The people following behind him naturally paced forward as well, closing in on Night Yu's group in a steady, unhurried manner.

Night Yu and his companions showed no major changes in their expressions. They watched everything calmly, waiting quietly.

"I've already figured out the ins and outs of certain matters. Since you chose to meddle in the affair concerning [Sentiment and Eternity], it's naturally impossible for me to continue intervening."

The expression of "Three Years Difference" turned slightly grave, and his brows slowly knitted together. With a cold glance at "Cup of Wine Traps Hero" standing behind Night Yu, he withdrew his gaze, looked back at Night Yu, and said with a hint of impatience, "As for this matter, I won't pursue who was right and who was wrong. But judging by the results, you all know very well how many people you killed together, so I must give them some closure. I've already compensated [Sentiment and Eternity], so you should know very well what comes next. Am I right?"

"Isn't it just about wanting a fight? If we're going to start now, do we really need to pick a time? One-on-one or a brawl?" Old Hu still had his arms crossed, his expression turning icy to the extreme. His eyes burned with boundless fighting spirit as he spoke without the slightest intention of backing down.

However, "Three Years Difference" merely let out a cold snort and burst into laughter, saying disdainfully, "I am well aware of what your [Purple Illusion Realm] is capable of. Although your numbers and quality are decent, compared to the actual situation, it's only because the higher-ups of [Purple Illusion Realm] happened to catch their eye. Do you really think you can match [First Influence] in a group battle? If you lose when the time comes, the reputation of [First Influence] will take a hit."

"Listen to me carefully: I am not short on money, and my guild doesn't take [Purple Illusion Realm] seriously at all. Do you have any idea how much profit [First Influence] generates?"

A short while ago, the [First Influence] guild had successfully occupied [Hero Town]. Because Night Yu's [Purple Illusion Realm] held occupation rights to the [Ancient Universe] map module, the officials had not permitted [Purple Illusion Realm] to participate in the first territory contention. Consequently, the battle for the occupation of [Hero Town] was undoubtedly destined to fall into the hands of [First Influence].

"Do you know how much money I have in real reality? I couldn't care less about in-game consumption. Most importantly, now that we've already seized [Hero Town], its resource revenue goes without saying. Compared to your [Purple Illusion Realm], my [First Influence] is only stronger, never weaker."

Hearing such grandiose words from "Three Years Difference," "Cup of Wine Traps Hero" let out a cold laugh.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Three Years Difference" glared coldly at "Cup of Wine Traps Hero." He was naturally well aware of this Witch King. The reason he had chosen to let an affiliated faction contend for the territory in the first place was precisely to test the capabilities of "Cup of Wine Traps Hero." And upon seeing the Witch King's prowess in action, "Three Years Difference" had been utterly astonished, never imagining that the Witch King's strength would be so overwhelmingly formidable.

"Do you think you're rich? If you're so rich, why do you bother collecting stall taxes from the players in [Hero Town]? On one hand, you collect taxes from players setting up stalls in the game, and on the other, you brag about how wealthy you are in real life. Do you have any shame? Don't you feel like you've completely lost face acting like this?"

The tone of "Cup of Wine Traps Hero" carried a distinctly sarcastic edge, yet everyone present heard his words with crystal clarity. A player behind "Three Years Difference" immediately snapped, "Who do you think you are, daring to speak to our boss like that?"

The next instant, a wave of black flames erupted from within the body of "Cup of Wine Traps Hero." Moving at a speed so extreme that even "Three Years Difference" failed to react in time, the outcome naturally exceeded all expectations.

Boom—

A fierce flame fist, condensed from black fire, sent that player flying with a single blow. Since [Hero Town] was no longer a neutral map and was currently occupied by [First Influence], the so-called safe zone naturally ceased to be effective.

Of course, this loss of protection was precisely triggered because players within the safe zone had initiated an attack against the members of [First Influence].

"Heh, you're right. Who in the [Mystic Heaven] server doesn't know of 'Three Years Difference' and his great reputation? Such a famous figure, yet he merely relies on his faction's overwhelming strength to bully top-ten guilds into becoming his subordinates, forcing them to obey his commands while making sure nobody realizes it's the work of [First Influence]."

At this point, Luo Feng spoke up casually, treating the earlier strike by "Cup of Wine Traps Hero" as if it had caused no stir at all, as trivial as dust.

In an instant, the expression of "Three Years Difference" twisted into something exceptionally hideous, as if he wanted to pounce forward and tear them to shreds. In the end, however, he managed to restrain himself. Pointing at Night Yu and his group, he said in a cold voice, "Listen up. I know you've all entered the arena. When the time comes, I'll settle things with you there fair and square, so everyone will be completely convinced. Under a fair and impartial mechanism, if you lose, you won't be able to claim I bullied you."

Hearing the words of "Three Years Difference," Old Hu couldn't help but chuckle. Then, his smile faded, replaced by a gradually sharpening, violent demeanor as he said in a deep voice, "Since Your Excellency 'Three Years Difference' has put it that way, aren't you afraid your formidable subordinates will end up being trampled beneath our feet and thoroughly humiliated? I'm afraid your subordinates won't be able to stomach that feeling and might just quit the game altogether. So, are you really sure you don't want to resort to some underhanded tricks? Is that a good idea?"

"Heh, do you really think the experts of my [First Influence] need underhanded tricks to deal with the likes of you? That has got to be the biggest joke I've ever heard."

"Three Years Difference" let out a scoff of derision, then shook his head as if looking at a group of doomed losers, continuing, "Still, matches like these are quite troublesome. Having the experts of my [First Influence] deal with a bunch of reckless fools like you almost makes me feel embarrassed."

However, the moment his words trailed off, his expression gradually twisted again. He cast a deep, hard look at Night Yu, Old Hu, and "Cup of Wine Traps Hero," and said coldly, "Heh, I'll make my ugly words clear right here and now. Anything can happen in the arena. Even with the existence of death-immunity effects, player deaths still occasionally occur. While the chance is low, it doesn't mean it never happens. If you lose experience points and gold coins, you'll have no one to blame but yourselves."

Hearing this, Night Yu merely smiled faintly, shrugged, and cupped his fists toward "Three Years Difference." "In that case, it's a deal, Your Excellency. When we meet in the Indomitable Silver ladder stage, we will decide both superiority and life or death!"

At this point, Night Yu's expression abruptly shifted. The piercing chill radiating from his eyes held not a shred of cowardice, only boundless, unyielding killing intent.

"Three Years Difference" smiled coldly, turned around with a flick of his sleeve, and left, tossing out one final sentence over his shoulder.

"I hope to see you in the grand finals of the ongoing tournament. If you can't even make it to the finals, then you truly aren't worthy of being opponents to my [First Influence]. Remember, if you, the strongest members of [Purple Illusion Realm], lose, what follows will far exceed your imagination. But I assume our Great God 'Cool Night' knows very well what I'm talking about, right?"

After "Three Years Difference" and his forces departed, Night Yu and his companions spoke almost simultaneously: "Leave this guy to me."

Unsurprisingly, even Luo Feng and Tan Cong, who played support roles, chimed in, "Leave this guy to me."

"When the time comes, we'll draw lots to decide who fights and enter in a randomized order," Old Hu said, frowning.

Night Yu retorted with a dry tone, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves and dream too big. After all, our opponent is currently recognized as the strongest RMB player in the [Mystic Heaven] server. His strength is naturally no joke, and his gear is terrifyingly powerful—he already possesses four Holy-grade equipment pieces."

Holy-grade equipment retained its effects and special traits even inside the arena, meaning absolute balance could never truly exist on that front.

However, since the matter was already decided, Night Yu and his team would naturally give it everything they had!