Nie Yan recalled a certain quest he failed to complete in his past life halfway through. He’d been too weak. Now, he could finish it with ease.

Failing this quest was one of Nie Yan’s lifelong regrets. Especially after learning of another Thief who did complete it, and received a dragon egg as the final reward. However, that time wasn’t all darkness. Those few rays of light were impossible to forget.

Nie Yan felt a sense of warmth in his heart. If it weren’t for the things that came to light in this life, he would’ve never known how much Xie Yao had done for him in his past life.

“Let’s go.” Nie Yan turned to Xie Yao.

“Okay.” Xie Yao nodded.

After bidding Collinson farewell, the two left the pet shop.

They headed through Calore’s transfer gate and teleported back to Okoron.

After the revival of the Darkwing Dragon, the voices doubting Nie Yan on the forums were silenced. They were shocked to find the Darkwing Dragon back at the top of the flying mount rankings. Now, Asskickers United had two Rank 8 flying mounts.

The discussion shifted to items like Wish Crystals and Resurrection Crystals, items that could revive a dead flying mount. As the guild leader of Asskickers United, Nie Yan would have a relatively easy time obtaining one of them compared to others.

A little farther down the list of flying mounts was another new arrival. A Spectre Dragon. Though not Rank 8, at Rank 6 it was still better than most. No one knew who this flying mount belonged to. Their collective curiosity was piqued.

The Darkwing Dragon and Spectre Dragon were the hot topic of conversation.

The war in the sky was just as important as the war on the ground. Many people originally believed Angel Corps had the superior aerial force after the first exchange. But perhaps they were wrong. Not only had they failed to kill the Darkwing Dragon, the very reason people considered them to be superior in the skies, they’d also aided the enemy by being the catalyst for the Immortal Phoenix to break through to Rank 8.

Soaring Angel received word about the revival of the Darkwing Dragon. He slammed his fist on his armrest and shot up to his feet. Fumes seemed to be coming from his ears, a dark expression on his face. They had given the bride away on top of losing the army. Not even mentioning the fact that they had sacrificed so many flying mounts without killing the Darkwing Dragon, they had also helped Asskickers United obtain another Rank 8 flying mount! This really was like pouring salt on an open wound.

Angel Corps had dispatched most of their aerial forces to Okoron. Though they enjoyed the numerical advantage, they still took loss after loss, failing to get any real victory. Especially their low rank flying mounts took a heavy hit. Soaring Angel feld endlessly vexed.

The battle in Okoron temporarily settled down. Even though Angel Corps’ army didn’t withdraw, they wouldn’t attack any time soon either. As for the Satreen Empire, Asskickers United had occupied nine strongholds. They used them as a foothold, from which they built up their line of defense. It took time to set this up, so the situation entered a brief lull as both sides took the time to rest and reorganize. The war wouldn’t end anytime soon. So, neither side was anxious about losing a city or territory. Rather, they focused on the long term, slowly raising up their strength.

While the Darkwing Dragon still had to recover, the Immortal Phoenix needed to mature to full strength of a Rank 8 flying mount. In other words, neither would be seen fighting anytime soon.

Nothing big would happen in Okoron for the time being. Even if something did happen, with Guo Huai and the 200 other members of the brain unit providing assistance, as well as the fact that Nie Yan could be reached at any time, there would be no issue.

Nie Yan decided this was a good opportunity to help Xie Yao get the last piece of her Legendary set. The importance of a Holy Magister to the guild didn’t need to be mentioned. If she also wore a powerful Legendary set, it would definitely be Angel Corps’ worst nightmare!

“Xie Yao, tell me about your quest. We’ll go get that last piece together,” Nie Yan said.

“Alright. I’ve already completed most of the quest. It’s only the final part that I’m stuck on. It’s way too hard! About an hour is all I need to get all the beforehand parts of the quest done. But when I get to the last part, I can’t figure out how to progress,” Xie Yao said. Hearing Nie Yan was going to help her with the quest, she became excited. It had been far, far too long since they last quested together. However, she also understood that Nie Yan’s class was more suited for going solo. She and him questing together all the time would only drag him down. So, she usually tried not to bother him.

“Just let me handle the last part of the quest,” Nie Yan said. After completing so many high difficulty quests, he was fairly confident in himself.

The two exited Okoron and entered the wilderness. After finding a secluded spot, they summoned their flying mounts and flew off toward the northern mountain range of the Abernathy Great Grasslands.

Many different quests led players to the Abernathy Great Grasslands. This was one of the reasons why Okoron was so bustling. Still, Nie Yan had never ventured this far north, mainly because the northern mountain range was a famous danger zone. To most it was just a scary story, but the few who had visited could attest to how frightening it really was.

The Spectre Dragon and Immortal Phoenix flew through the sky. They were as fast as lightning as the wind howled past them.

Nie Yan sat down on the Spectre Dragon’s back. He looked down at the vast mountain range covered in mist. The landscape looked quite enigmatic.

At this moment, Nie Yan spotted black dots blotting out the sky off in the distance, quickly increasing in size. They were heading straight for them! There were tens of thousands!

Nie Yan’s heart trembled. No matter what kind of creature was flying over, with so many, they would definitely be swarmed to death!

As the black dots drew closer and closer, Nie Yan could make out their appearances. They were giant birds.

“Shadow Vultures! Nie Yan, order your Spectre Dragon not to attack and release its dragon might. No matter how close they get to you, do not attack!” Xie Yao said. This wasn’t her first time encountering these Shadow Vultures. Once, she had made the mistake of attacking them and nearly died as thousands swarmed her. She quickly learned her lesson, never again daring to act so recklessly.

Nie Yan had the Spectre Dragon release its dragon aura.

Tens of thousands of Shadow Vultures came flying past as the sky darkened.

They were all Rank 6!

One Shadow Vulture after another flew past the Spectre Dragon. Some lingered around and stared at Nie Yan, looking like they were about to attack.

Under normal circumstances, being surrounded by so many Shadow Vultures, Nie Yan would definitely try to attack first rather than be forced into the passive. However, after hearing Xie Yao’s warning, he controlled himself. The Spectre Dragon let out aggressive roars, but it didn’t attack.

After a while, the Shadow Vultures realized the Spectre Dragon wasn’t to be trifled with and backed away.

Nie Yan glanced over at Xie Yao. She and her Rank 8 Immortal Phoenix had also scared off the Shadow Vultures.

A fierce battle didn’t break out like he expected.

Xie Yao explained, “These Shadow Vultures are scavengers. They generally won’t attack any creatures capable of fighting back, but they also have a flock mentality. If you attack one of them, they’ll all swarm on you.”

This sort of information couldn’t be found online. It had to be learned through multiple life-and-death and experiences. One could imagine how much danger Xie Yao faced trying to do this quest.

The Spectre Dragon followed behind the Immortal Phoenix, out of the flock of Shadow Vultures. Looking back, they were like a black cloud going farther and farther away.

Nie Yan breathed a sigh of relief. If he had taken action against them, the consequences would’ve been disastrous.

Xie Yao stared at the mountains below. After spotting something sometime later, she turned to Nie Yan. “We’re here. Let’s go down.”

The Immortal Phoenix and Spectre Dragon gradually made a descend, diving into the sea of clouds, before landing in an open area.

The two jumped down and recalled their flying mounts before entering a forest.

The trees had many branches at eye length, and the ground was covered in brambles.

For the sake of moving around easier, Xie Yao took off her cloak as her hair trailed down her shoulders.

The white robes she wore gave off a holy aura, enhancing her already divine figure.

Seeing Xie Yao’s fair face and alluring lips, Nie Yan’s heart skipped a beat. Even after all this time, it was still the same as when he first saw her. His feelings hadn’t waned in the slightest. Rather, they only grew stronger every day.

Xie Yao felt like the happiest girl in the world with Nie Yan accompanying her on a quest. She chatted with him about the things she experienced while doing it.

The dangers in the game could allow a person’s heart to become more steady. Even if they encountered danger, they could still maintain a calm mind. Nie Yan could distinctly tell that Xie Yao had changed since their time in high school, but he couldn’t quite put it into words.

After a patch of forest, they encountered several tribal villages. There were many human silhouettes moving around.

“Watch your step, the area around here is filled with traps,” Xie Yao said. She still had lingering fears from her previous experiences. Only the path she was taking Nie Yan through was safe. Everywhere else was filled with danger.

“When we came here just now, I noticed at least 10 high level traps. How did you find this path?” Nie Yan asked.

“I observed from far away for a long time. I noticed the paths the people in the village would take when they go out to hunt., That’s how I found it,” Xie Yao explained with a smile.