A cacophony of thundering hooves rang out amid the crimson fog. Rain fell at the edge of Soul Suppressing Ruins, drenching the rotting grass on the ground. The grass shook and trembled as the distant rumbling of horse’s hooves drew nearer and nearer.

I activated Dark Pupils and the map instantly became clear as day to me. A group of crimson dots were coming at us at an extremely fast pace. If the opponents did not have anyone with a skill like Dark Pupils, they would not have seen us yet. Due to the dense fog, the map would not reveal other players or monsters which were too far away.

Beiming Xue stood on a withered pine tree and squinted her eyes. Her eyes glowed a pale red, fully revealing her dark archer’s sensing abilities. She looked into the distance and whispered, "There’re about two hundred players approaching us, who are high-level and have good equipment. It’s Chariot City, I think! It's the Behemoth Army we fought at Sunset Swamp. Yes, I’m sure of it! It's the Behemoth Cavalry!"

"Two hundred players?" Li Chengfeng laughed before asking, "What shall we do?"

I raised my Cyan Netherworld Sword and chuckled, "Well that’s simple. We kill them all! Look, the forest in front serves as a perfect cover. Little Gui, Eighteen Steeds of You and Yun, take 400 Dragonlight Cavalrymen with you. Activate Flying General and hide yourselves inside that forest. You guys will cut off their retreat routes while Eve, Chengfeng and I will charge in from the front with the rest of the Dragonlight Cavalry. Beiming Xue will lead the archers and mages and attack from the flank. Let’s end the fight in five minutes!"

"Yessir!"

Gui Guzi raised his spear and laughed. "My party members, come with me! You and Yun, lead the way!"

"Alright!"

Eighteen Steeds of You and Yun took over as party leader and swiftly activated Flying General. Instantly, a pair of glowing red wings appeared at the sides of the Dragonlight Armored Horses. They headed for the forest at lightning speed as their movement speed was buffed by 400%.

Soon after, Gui Guzi sent me a message: "Boss Broken Halberd, give me the signal and we’ll engage!"

"Mn."

I raised my Cyan Netherworld Sword and urged my horse forward. "Come with me. We need to hide ourselves first. These 200 Behemoth Cavalrymen could very well be German scouts. We must eliminate them as quickly as we can and not give away too much information about ourselves. More importantly, we must not let the Germans know how many players we have! They will not dare to make any rash moves as long as they do not have enough intel on us!"

"Let’s go!"

He Yi, Li Chengfeng, Chaos Moon and the rest followed me as we traveled toward the right side of the thicket. We quietly positioned ourselves in a shallow ditch and awaited patiently for our opponents. Crimson fog surrounded the area densely, our killing intent further adding to the eerie atmosphere as we lay in wait to ambush our enemies.

……

Bang, bang, bang...

The rumbling of hooves continued to get louder and louder. Dark Pupils could detect the opponent’s exact location on the map. They were now two hundred yards away from us. If I was right, they would also be able to see us on their map.

Clang!

I unsheathed my Cyan Netherworld Sword and growled in a low voice, "Attack!"

I urged my horse forward and sent a message to Gui Guzi, "Begin!"

Immediately, battlecries rang out from the forest in the distance. Gui Guzi and his 400 Dragonlight Cavalrymen who were buffed with Flying General charged out. Meanwhile, He Yi, Li Chengfeng and I led 1600 men and did likewise. We charged out of the fog and came face to face with a bunch of startled, wide-eyed Behemoth Cavalrymen. Even though all of their IDs were red, none of them was a Heroic Bannerman. This proved to us that they were truly scouts!

I dashed forward at lightning speed, locked on to a target and used Charge!

Swhoosh!

My target’s mechanical skills were rather good. He quickly retreated when he saw me charging at him as a big "MISS" word floated above his head. However, my aim was not to stun him. I wanted him to move to a specific location and he did just that. Right after I activated Charge, a roar resounded from Cyan Netherworld Sword as Thousand Ice Slash + Burning Blade Slash were shot into a group of enemies, piercing into the bodies of the Behemoth Cavalrymen!

Boom, boom, boom!

Burning Blade Slash was especially deadly as each wave dealt almost 100000 damage each. This was something that a normal mounted player could not withstand. Even elites such as Dragonlight Cavalrymen only had max HP of 120000 when fully buffed.

"Ahhhh…"

Cries rang out as a group of Behemoth Cavalrymen collapsed, littering the ground with various potions and equipment. It seemed like my attack power had increased dramatically when I got the Sea Suppressing Poleyn!

"We’re being ambushed! Retreat, immediately!" a player carrying a broadsword shouted.

Unfortunately for him, He Yi turned to him and unleashed Barrier Break that pierced through his armor. Right after, Chaos Moon and Xu Yang charged at him and also unleashed their Barrier Breaks. The hapless rider was flung off his horse and killed instantly.

Boom, boom, boom!

Mere moments later, Purgatory of Ice and Magma, Rock Crush, Mountain Stagger Slash exploded amid the remnants of our enemies. Anguished cries rang out as the entire group of Behemoths collapsed instantly. At this moment, High Fighting Spirits charged into a group of players and brandished his Dragonlight Shatter. An image of a green ferocious beast hovered over his warhammer as he unleashed Xiezhi Howl. The group of Germans were almost frightened to death as a cyclone of energy surrounded him and slaughtered them instantly.

Gui Guzi, Eighteen Steeds of You and Yun, Heaven’s Rain and the rest also unleashed their skills. Beiming Xue and the other ranged players surrounded the Behemoth Cavalrymen and baptized them with their arrows and spells. It was a one-sided bloodbath! In less than five minutes, we had eliminated 200 Behemoth Cavalrymen. None survived!

……

The Behemoth Cavalrymen wore good equipment and so the items they dropped were ones of good quality. Thus, the Dragonlight Cavalrymen swept the battlefield enthusiastically in hopes of attaining good equipment. Even though we had great equipment as well, there were no guarantees that some of the equipment they dropped weren’t better than ours. Furthermore, constantly upgrading one’s equipment was integral to one’s strength as a player, so we definitely couldn’t neglect any items that a powerful enemy dropped.

He Yi glanced into the distance and spoke gently, "I didn’t expect the Northern Alliance to catch up so quickly. Were the Scavenger Imps too easy for them?"

I shook my head and replied, "No, the Scavenger Imps would have prevented 90% of the Northern Alliance players from advancing. However, these Behemoth Cavalrymen were too powerful and managed to charge their way in. Now that we’ve killed their scouts, Chariot City will surely make their next move."

He Yi replied confidently, "Contact our allies, especially those who are closer in location. We will be able to help each other quickly when attacked."

"Mn." I nodded my head and laughed. "Everyone should continue to clear the field. We need to reach Nine Tigers Soul Suppressing Tower as soon as possible. Let’s not waste time and linger around for too long."

"Got it!"

I quickly contacted Lin Yixin, Stranger of Three Lifetimes, Ling Xueshang and the rest and found out that we were near each other. Lin Yixin was only ten minutes away from us while Stranger of Three Lifetimes, Ling Xueshang and Come See The Snow Tonight were twenty minutes away. We were ready to come to each other’s aid at any point in time. We would be able to go head to head with Hero City’s elite Bloodthirsty Beast Cavalry as long as our guilds worked together!

……

In the meantime, we continued to grind the Soul Suppressing Guards and earn ourselves some EXP.

Fortunately, we did a great job in ambushing and killing the earlier 200 Behemoths. The Chariot City players were probably thrown into confusion and did not dare to act recklessly, leaving us to grind in peace. About two hours in, our players managed to tear into the defense line of the Soul Suppressing Guards. Thousands of Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls players quickly took advantage and charged through that opening.

Swhoosh!

My Ice Qilin Horse charged out of the crimson fog and my view turned clear instantly. The bright moon illuminated the sky, causing the armor of the Dragonlight Cavalrymen to shine brilliantly from its reflection. In the distance, under the moonlight stood a giant tall tower. It was a massive sealed grinding map! It was without doubt, where the greatest treasures of Land of Soul Suppression lay. This Nine Tigers Soul Suppressing Tower was the very essence of this giant map!

He Yi’s face turned grim as she ran alongside me and said, "I checked the official website and found out that Nine Tigers Soul Suppressing Tower seems to be linked to the main storyline. If we are able to clear it, we may even get a quest from the main storyline. If so, we will have truly struck gold…"

I laughed and replied, "Mn, let’s be the first to enter Nine Tigers Soul Suppressing Tower then!"

"Alright!"

"Full speed ahead!"

At my command, the Cyan Tiger Cavalry and Dragonlight Cavalry started to increase their speed and charge forward. At the back, Beiming Xue and the other players travelling by foot would catch up with us gradually. It was only wise for the riders to rush forward and occupy Nine Tigers Soul Suppressing Tower first. We would be on the losing end if we allowed our enemies to get ahead of us and step foot into the tower before us!

……

"Quick, look! It’s the Northern Alliance cavalry!"

Chaos Moon pointed a finger at the distance. Sure enough, a large group of crimson figures could be seen on the other side of Nine Tigers Soul Suppressing Tower. They were Northern Alliance players of the Titan City, riding on their Fire Rhinoceroses. The armors of the 2000-strong cavalry shone in the dark and their swords glistened under the moonlight.

Li Chengfeng’s gaze grew stern as he shouted, "Goddammit!"

I stared at the large group of enemies and cursed. Goddammit, it's the Titan City’s Fire Rhinoceros Cavalry! The player at the forefront had a crimson flag on his back signifying that he was a Heroic Bannerman. Two words floated above his head—Titan God!

I instantly understood Li Chengfeng’s burning anger. It was this Titan God who had commanded the army which had decimated Li Chengfeng’s forces in Breeze Canyon. However, Li Chengfeng had managed to destroy his army as well, so there was no love lost between the two of them.

……

"What are we gonna do, Boss Broken Halberd?" Gui Guzi pointed a finger into the distance and asked, "Many are coming! That’s Titan God’s guild, Olympus! They have archers and mages following behind as well! There must be almost 100000 players!"

I unsheathed my Cyan Netherworld Sword and growled in a loud voice, "The battle is won by the brave. Prepare to attack!"

Clang, clang, clang!

Dragonlight Cavalry and Cyan Tiger Cavalry unsheathed their swords at my command and Li Chengfeng’s gaze grew hardened. Anger and hatred stirred in his heart at the thought of meeting the enemy soon!

……

Ding!

At this moment, Beauty Lin sent me a message: "Hehe, wait for us Little Cheat! Snowy Cathaya’s 50000 troops are in the forest just next to you. We’ll attack from both sides in five minutes and slaughter Olympus!"

"Great!"

My spirits were lifted instantly! It was Olympus’ honor to die by the combined efforts of Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls and Snowy Cathaya!