Chapter 93
Chapter 93
“I see!”
Everyone understood.
Zhouyou Shijie’s Fire affinity had no upper limit, while red represented flame, and flame was closely associated with hope. His choice made perfect sense.
At the same time, a system chime rang in Zhou Ming’s ears.
“Ding!”
[Your power has been detected as meeting the necessary requirements. Establish the Hope Faction and announce it to the world? (Note: Upon establishment, Fame +1,000.)]
“Yes!”
Zhou Ming agreed without hesitation.
Clearly, when it came to establishing a faction, the system assumed he would announce it to the entire server. Keeping a low profile was not an option.
“Ding!”
[Server Announcement: Flame Venerable · Zhouyou Shijie has successfully established the new power Hope Faction. Anyone who meets its requirements may join and gain a brand-new affiliation!]
“Ding!”
[Server Announcement: Flame Venerable · Zhouyou Shijie has successfully established the new power Hope Faction. Anyone who meets its requirements may join and gain a brand-new affiliation!]
…
“Good lord, Zhouyou Shijie has already reached that point?”
“Look! His faction banner is actually red. The guy’s got guts!”
“Trying to get invited in for tea, huh?”
“Don’t get clever. Don’t try to be quirky. And don’t think we can’t find you! @Zhouyou Shijie”
…
The announcement played three times in succession, like a massive boulder crashing into a tranquil lake and whipping up towering waves.
Not only the adventurers, but even the natives were stunned.
“Ding!”
[Faction Panel unlocked!]
Faction Panel?
This was probably something most players would never encounter in their lives.
With a thought, Zhou Ming summoned a translucent red screen before him.
[Hope Faction]
Leader: Flame Venerable · Zhouyou Shijie
Officials: None (May be added)
Joining Restrictions: None (May be added)
Faction Benefits: None (No options currently available)
Total Members: 4
…
It looked a little desolate for now.
Still, there was a unique kind of pleasure in building something from nothing.
“This will do for the time being.”
With so few members, Zhou Ming had no intention of assigning official positions to Qianying or the Sword Saint yet.
Put plainly, they were nowhere near the point of dividing up the realm and granting titles.
“Ding!”
[Windcatcher · Tingfeng Xiyu wishes to join the Hope Faction. Accept?]
“Ding!”
[Black and White · No Money, All Work wishes to join the Hope Faction. Accept?]
…
Zhou Ming admitted Tingfeng Xiyu into the Hope Faction. Then, under Joining Restrictions, he selected “Reject all adventurer applications.” For natives, he set the minimum requirement at Demigod or higher.
He made the entry requirements so strict mainly because loosening them when the faction was newly established would almost certainly admit infiltrators who might rebel at any moment and coordinate with the two established factions from within.
Besides, the larger a group became, the harder it was to lead.
For now, he did not dare recruit indiscriminately.
“I’m going to level up.”
With everything settled, Zhou Ming left Juyan City.
“I’ll keep you safe!” Renee transformed into a small golden stone and hung from Zhou Ming’s waist like an ornament.
Qianying silently entered the God-Demon Orb and fell dormant.
“I’m coming too!”
Ye Zhibei followed behind Zhou Ming, guarding his flank.
“…”
Zhou Ming was so exasperated that he laughed. “I’m only going out to level.”
Having three god-tier experts escort him was truly overwhelming.
For some reason, he suddenly felt like a spoiled young villain, swaggering around only because powerful experts protected him.
“You have now left the territory of the Light Faction,” Ye Zhibei said solemnly. “The gods are constrained by the wager and cannot readily attack, but the Dark Faction is free to ambush you and take your life.”
In truth, Zhouyou Shijie’s real struggle had only begun after capturing Juyan City.
The city could not be besieged again for a month, but the moment he left its protection, the Demon Gods needed no excuse to attack. As long as they did not enter Light Faction territory, they were free to act.
Zhou Ming frowned. “Are you saying that once I step outside Juyan City, there would be nothing stopping all ten Demon Gods from coming after me?”
“That’s right!”
Qianying spoke in a grave tone. “A Demon God is already watching you from outside Juyan City. However, I placed a mark inside the city long ago. The moment danger comes, I’ll send you back.”
“It seems I truly underestimated how much attention the Demon Gods are paying me!”
Zhou Ming gazed into the empty sky beyond the city walls. He could see no sign of movement, but he knew Qianying would never exaggerate such a danger.
One careless step might leave him trapped with no hope of escape.
“Sword Saint, take me to the Hanfeng Mountains!” Zhou Ming said.
“All right!”
Ye Zhibei understood. The sword on his back flew from its sheath and settled near the ground, and he stepped onto the blade.
Zhou Ming stood behind him.
Swoosh!
They shot away on the flying sword, swift as a streak of light.
About five minutes later, Zhou Ming reached his destination. From the air, he could see the Hanfeng Mountains piercing the clouds. Thick snow already blanketed the slopes halfway up, while mist swirled around the peaks.
“Ding!”
[You have entered the map Hanfeng Mountains!]
A bone-chilling wind struck him head-on.
Zhou Ming leaped from the sword and landed in the snow. He cast Inspect on a tall, powerfully built snow ape in the distance.
[Snow Ape] (Elite Monster ★★)
Level: 90
HP: 350,000
Attack: 10,350-10,690
Defense: 6,500-6,780
Skills: [Heavy Strike] [Snowball Attack] [Advanced Agility] [Raging Roar]
Description: The weakest creature in the Hanfeng Mountains, restricted to the foot of the range. Of course, weakness is relative.
…
As a two-star Elite monster, the Snow Ape was tough enough to kill players in one hit. Before Zhou Ming, however, it still fell short.
Zhou Ming activated Dawnbringer. The Blazing Sun Greatsword crashed down on the centermost Snow Ape, and a wave of fire surged outward. Snow melted into water in an instant, while the surrounding monsters howled from the scalding heat.
-312,150! (Critical Damage)
-23,450!
-24,116!
…
The Snow Ape struck by the sword was reduced to critical HP in one blow.
“Raargh!”
Dozens of pained Snow Apes charged him. Zhou Ming remained utterly calm. Protected by Demonic Flame Armor, he began slaughtering them with overwhelming force.
“Ding!”
[Congratulations! You have killed a Snow Ape. Current-level EXP +6.48%!]
“Ding!”
[Congratulations! You have killed a Snow Ape. Current-level EXP +6.48%!]
…
Higher levels required more EXP, but hunting monsters a full twenty-five levels above him still sent his EXP bar climbing as if it had gone haywire.
In only five minutes, Zhou Ming gained a level.
“No matter how you look at it, this is absurd!” Ye Zhibei said with a helpless laugh.
With the Divine Ember Queen and Xuanniao accompanying him, Zhouyou Shijie’s combat power had completely surpassed anyone at the same level. Not even the emperor of an entire region enjoyed treatment like this.
If Ye Zhibei were his enemy, he would probably dream of eliminating such an enormous threat too.
…
Elsewhere…
While Zhou Ming was leveling at an unimaginable speed, gods from across the world had gathered in Divine Eagle City, the super capital of the America Region.
They were holding a council specifically to deal with Zhouyou Shijie.
The server-wide announcement of the Hope Faction was nothing less than a provocation!
How could they possibly sit back and ignore it?
…