Heroes' Prison

Chapter 600 - 575 Listening to the Rain and Comprehending the Sword Sound

The tunnel was surprisingly long and tortuous, as though it had no end in sight. Many players around were muttering complaints as they walked. After trudging along for about half an hour, Huang Yi and his two companions were suddenly greeted by a vast underground palace ahead of them.

This underground palace seemed boundless, much like an entire subterranean world. Even when they looked as far as they could, they couldn’t see the end. Embedded in the ceiling were pearls of illumination, creating a scene akin to a vast starry sky when one looked up, with the dim yellow light revealing the scene ahead. The palace was bustling with people, easily thousands of them gathered there. And yet, despite the crowd, the grand space still appeared very spacious.

"Wow! Such a huge underground palace! How did they build it?" Ghost Shadow couldn’t help but marvel at the scene ahead, striding forward while looking around curiously.

Huang Yi too turned to survey the surroundings while following along toward the crowd.

Having walked for a while, the three of them finally reached the most densely packed area of the palace. Countless people stopped here, not daring to proceed further. Fortunately, with the palace being spacious enough, it didn’t feel too cramped despite the crowd.

Huang Yi glanced at the scene in front of the crowd and immediately grasped why they were hesitant to advance further.

Before them lay a red line that bisected the entire palace. Beyond that line, the area was empty except for a general wearing armor, tall and well-built, mounted on a towering skeleton horse. He held a long knife in his grip, its tip dripping with fresh blood as if he had just cut someone down.

He stood alone, but his presence was overwhelmingly powerful, facing thousands of players beyond the red line without a hint of fear, exuding a sense that he alone could hold against thousands.

Nearby the red line lay the corpses of dozens of players who had crossed the line only to be swiftly killed. Some priests were casting Resurrection Techniques from a distance, bringing them back to life. The rest of the thousands of players all obediently stayed on this side of the line, not daring to take a step beyond it.

It seemed the red line represented the aggro range, and stepping into it would provoke the general’s thunderous attack.

Huang Yi carefully observed the situation and noticed that among the tens of thousands of players, apart from the solo players, there were over a dozen large and small powers distinctly segmented. The most prominent group occupied the central area, with several thousand members. The riders on Black Unicorns that Huang Yi had encountered at the city’s gates were part of this group, each member carrying an air of condescension, as if they were above all others.

They formed a formation as if stars surrounded the moon, with the crowd enclosing a black-clad swordsman. This swordsman, standing with his back to Huang Yi, was tall with a sword slung over his back, his carefree long hair tied casually with a band, conveying an air of haughty pride.

Besides them, there were three other groups that stood out in terms of numbers and aura, each a bit stronger than the other powers present.

Ghost Speech was also sizing up the scenario, his tall stature giving him an advantageous view over the crowd. After looking for a while, he explained enthusiastically to Huang Yi, "Buddy, see that group in the middle? Don’t mess with them! They’re Sword Tide Guild from Warcraft City, so influential that even NPC city lords are polite to them. The man encircled by the crowd in the middle is their guild leader, Listening to the Rain and Comprehending the Sword Sound. He’s Warcraft City’s top master and the first player in the city to reach Holy Domain Rank."

Pointing at another group, Ghost Speech continued, "That group on the left, consisting entirely of male players, is Fierce Tiger Gang—the second major power in Warcraft City. Their leader, Soul Destroyer, is also a Holy Domain Warrior, a notable figure in the city. He was the first player to capture a Fifth Rank Mount in Warcraft City. See that blood-red tiger he’s riding? That’s his Fifth Rank Mount, Bloodthirsty Tiger. With our strength, we can’t even beat his mount, let alone him."

"Additionally, those two larger crowds on the right are sub-branches of Hero Guild and Guild of Famous Generals. The Helmsman of the Hero Guild sub-branch is named A Lifetime in a Day, who just reached Holy Domain yesterday and is a Senior Assassin Class. Guil of Famous Generals’ sub-branch’s Helmsman is Guo Jia, like me, he’s a Senior Mage Class, though far more powerful than me. As for those other powers, they look unfamiliar, probably advance forces from other city powers that have come over on short notice. They’re not the main forces, so their numbers are fewer."

Huang Yi nodded, glancing at the Hero Guild’s group, especially at the helmsman A Lifetime in a Day enclosed by the crowd. He had no recollection of this person. The Hero Guild was too vast, with sub-branches spread across various places, and there were too many helmsmen for him to remember them all. Now, with the number of Holy Domain players worldwide having surpassed one million, the Hero Guild alone had tens of thousands. Holy Domain had become relatively common; A Lifetime in a Day had only reached it yesterday and indeed was not very prominent within the Hero Guild.

"If you ask me, lingering here isn’t getting us anywhere! Right now, the War Axe Gang from Goldrock City, the Desire Kingdom sub-branch, Xuanyuan Clan sub-branch, and Sun sub-branch; the Styx Sect sub-branch, Immortal sub-branch, and Dragon Association from Xilin City—more than ten powers are sending their main forces this way, and they’re still on the road. Once they arrive, the situation will become even harder to control," said the leader of the Fierce Tiger Gang, Soul Destroyer, suddenly speaking up and shattering the silence between the major forces. His towering figure was clad in a beast skin vest, revealing a tuft of dark chest hair, and he wielded a broadaxe in his hand, giving off a fierce and brutal air.

He turned to glance at the cave behind him that was continuously filling with players and said, "How about the four of our forces join together to clear out the area first, eliminating all these bystanders, and then compete fairly afterwards?"

As soon as these words were voiced, the complexions of all the individual players in the room changed instantly, and they began to worry about their own safety. They were a disorganized bunch, and in terms of equipment and level, they were all far behind the members of those four forces; even with their larger numbers, they wouldn’t have the advantage if a fight broke out.

"If you want to do that, go ahead! Our Hero Guild won’t partake in such actions!" Yi Tian, the Helmsman of the Hero Guild sub-branch, turned to give Soul Destroyer a glance and spoke indifferently. He was a lean young man, around twenty years old, with a somewhat frail aura.

Heaving a sigh of relief upon hearing his words, the tension in the solo players dissipated, and they even began murmuring their thanks, clearly winning over the hearts of the people. Huang Yi also nodded to himself; this Helmsman had not disappointed him.

"Oh? Do you have a better idea?" Soul Destroyer frowned, asking rather displeasedly.

Yi Tian calmly looked at the few major forces and said, "In my opinion, it would be better if our four forces united. Right now, we have four Holy Domain Warriors, and I estimate there are also one or two Holy Domain Warriors among the crowd. If all of the Holy Domain joined forces, we could surely kill the Guardian. Afterward, we can go our separate ways and delve deeper, competing based on our own strength. Taking down the Guardian will definitely take less time than clearing out everyone, and it will also greatly reduce the number of casualties. We should not be wary of each other now. We need a quick battle to resolve this situation; if we keep at this stalemate, once the forces from the other cities arrive, we will lose control of the situation."

"Then that’s the plan!" At that moment, the always-silent Guild Master of the Sword Tide Guild, Listening to the Rain and Comprehending the Sword Sound, suddenly nodded his head in agreement with Yi Tian’s proposal. His tone sounded as if he had made the decision for everyone, brooking no opposition.

"Alright! Now, everyone show your level. All Holy Domain Warriors, come out and attack this Guardian with us. Anyone not cooperating should leave, or don’t blame us for joining forces to wipe you out!" Soul Destroyer nodded, mounted his Bloodthirsty Tiger, and bellowed a stern warning at the crowd behind him.

The crowd exchanged looks but showed no signs of panic. In fact, many players hadn’t even bothered to hide their information, which could easily be investigated by others. Most ordinary players didn’t really think of concealing their identity, as it would be inconvenient, especially when forming teams. When a team needs to recruit, they first check other players’ levels and classes, and if someone fits the requirements, they send an invitation. If such information were hidden, then nobody would take the initiative to team up with them.

Ghost Shadow and Ghost Speech hadn’t hidden their levels; they were both only Level 91, whereas Huang Yi had adjusted his down to Level 95, appearing completely unremarkable. Being below the required levels, even if they attacked, they could barely make a dent in the Guardian General’s defense.

Just then, two players emerged from the crowd; they were Holy Domain players. Under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands, there was no way to hide, and they had no choice but to step up and contribute.

"Hmm? That man seems to be... the Gentleman?" At that moment, some sharp-eyed people in the crowd spotted one of the Holy Domain players walking out and suddenly cried out in surprise.

Hearing the players’ discussions, Huang Yi and the other two were startled!

The Gentleman was a powerful master who had recently made a name for himself. During the last martial arts tournament, he could have easily advanced to the top 64, but in the final match, he gave up for no apparent reason, puzzling countless spectators.

After the tournament, he broke the world record in the Tower of Pantheons at the 90th Stage, setting by Huang Yi, once again dazzling countless people. Since Huang Yi set that record, including Heavenly Dao, the Pope, Thunder God, and many other super-first masters had tried and failed to break it, but the Gentleman had managed it. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, I welcome you to vote with Recommendation Tickets and Monthly Tickets at Starting Point (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)