Guo Huai couldn’t help but wryly smile. Sure enough, there was never a day of peace with Nie Yan around, kicking up a storm the moment he reappeared. Nevertheless, he was filled with anticipation. Could Nie Yan really return to the apex and become the invincible Mad Rogue once more?

A three-year gap was fatal for ordinary players. However, Nie Yan always seemed to find a way to defy all logic and accomplish what others could not. Would he create another miracle?

Nie Yan had laid down a solid foundation for Asskickers United all those years ago. Even if Nie Yan couldn’t climb back to the peak, Guo Huai was determined to protect it! He issued some orders. Since Fallen Angel wanted to test Asskickers United, he would naturally give them a strong showing!

Over the next couple of days, Bladelight led a group of Masters from Asskickers United after Warlance and his cohorts. With the added pressure from the pursuit, Warlance was forced on the defensive. As for Smoke stub, Lei Su, and the others, they managed to raze two enemy strongholds to the ground, sending the players from Fallen Angel into a rage. Now, things were considered even. An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.

Proud Warlance issued a challenge on the forums.「Two days from now, Fallen Angel will send 10 representatives to Judgement Valley for a showdown. Asskickers United, do you dare to accept?」

The conflict between Asskickers United and Fallen Angel had long since become a hot topic of discussion among players. Everyone was wondering if these two superpowers would go to war. Proud Warlance’s challenge only served to further fuel this speculation. A fight between the peak experts of Asskickers United and Fallen Angel! How exciting!

A few sharp-eyed observers could tell Fallen Angel was simply probing Asskickers United. If the results were in their favour, they’d likely launch an all-out offensive and declare war on the Righteous Faction.

Asskickers United and Fallen Angel were the respective rulers of their factions. Asskickers United was a guild for experts since its early inception. After unifying the entire Righteous Faction, the number of experts under their flag naturally skyrocketed. Fallen Angel similarly was a gathering place for experts. They had more than 60,000 Silver Wings and 100 Gold Wings in their ranks. Since the Evil Faction had fewer players than the Righteous Faction, their innate skills were slightly better. This was a widely known fact. For ordinary players, such a small difference didn’t mean much in PvP. However, between experts, even the slightest advantage could determine victory or defeat.

Not longer after Proud Warlance issued the challenge, Bladelight replied as representative of Asskickers United that they would gladly accept the challenge.

This instantly triggered a huge uproar in the forums. Players excitedly discussed the upcoming fight. This was an unprecedented clash! With Asskickers United and Fallen Angel both sending 10 representatives, this would basically be a gathering of peak experts from both great factions!

This was the highest competition of skill in the entire server! How could anyone not be excited?

The forums were flooded with posts discussing this competition.

“Who do you think will win?”

“Difficult to say. Both sides are massive titans. I don’t think either side has a clear advantage.”

“I’m hedging my bets on Asskickers United. They’ve always been known for their experts. I refuse to believe Bladelight, Smoke Stub, Sun, King of the World, and them would lose to anyone!”

“I’m not so sure. Fanboying aside, I think Fallen Angel came prepared this time, or else they wouldn’t have issued the challenge. Didn’t you see the rules they set out for the competition? It’s a 10v10. Every player only gets one chance. The loser gets kicked off the stage, and the winner stays on. The first side to run out of representatives loses. They have Proud Warlance, Godking, and Plenty. Just those three alone will be incredibly difficult to beat. Especially Plenty, the Chairman of the Dark Council!”

A betting ring popped up online. You could bet on Asskickers United or Fallen Angel. The odds were already out. However, they were basically one to one.

Asskickers United’s guild chat was also filled with discussion about this upcoming competition.

「Bladelight, teach those Fallen Angel guys a lesson!」

「Sun, I believe in you!」

...

The 10 players participating in the competition were already decided. They were Bladelight, Smoke Stub, Mistaken Smile, Sun, King of the World, Black Hell, Lustboy, Dark Requiem, Sunny South, and Tang Yao.

All 10 of them were from the Viridian Empire. Several newer members from the Satreen Empire also expressed their interest to join. Guo Huai had tried finding a top elven Thief and orc Shaman among them but gave up in the end.

Nie Yan had had an enormous influence on Bladelight, Smoke Stub, and them. They were far more skilled than many of the other top experts. As a result, even though Asskickers United had recruited many experts from the Satreen Empire, they still couldn’t compare to these veterans.

There were no objections to the list of participants, mostly because Guo Huai said that anyone who defeated one of those on the list could take their place. In other words, this list wasn’t final.

Because of Fallen Angel’s challenge, the number of members from Asskickers United heading to Judgement Valley and the underworld increased by sixfold. They were too weak to participate in the showdown. So, they could only go elsewhere to scratch that itch.

Nie Yan occasionally checked the guild chat while grinding in Hell. The lively discussion brought a smile to his face. Even after three years, the passion of the members hadn’t waned one bit. They were still fighting for the sake of the guild! He felt gratified.

Fallen Angel’s challenge to Asskickers United was definitely premediatetd. On one side, they wanted to test Asskickers United’s strength. On the other side, they wanted to strike a blow at Asskickers United’s morale.

Nie Yan wondered how well Bladelight and the others would fare. It was a pity he couldn’t participate. With his current level and equipment, he would be one shot most likely. He couldn’t help but feel unresigned in his heart.

However, Bladelight and the others should be strong enough to deal with Fallen Angel. The only two that made Nie Yan worry were Godking and Plenty. Godking was the former guild leader of Pantheon. After surrendering to Fallen Angel, he ended up under Plenty. As someone capable of leading a guild, Godking wasn’t to be looked down on. Who knew how much he’d grown. As for Plenty, his title as Chairman of the Dark Council alone probably gave a ton of stat bonuses. Not to mention he kept almost everything about himself a secret. No one even knew what kind of equipment he had. Perhaps this was the most frightening thing.

If Asskickers United lost, it would be a heavy blow.

Over these past seven years, Nie Yan and his fellow guild members had paid untold amounts in blood and sweat to lead Asskickers United to where it was today. They pledged their lives for the guild’s glory!

Asskickers United was something Nie Yan built from the ground up. One could imagine how much emotion he invested into it! However, after his three-year hiatus, he no longer even had the qualifications to defend its glory!

Nie Yan felt a bit dejected. He hated the fact that he couldn’t instantly rush to Level 200, complete this quest and leave. However, there was no quick fix. In the end, he sent a message of encouragement to Bladelight and the others.

Replies quickly came back.

「Don’t worry, you can leave it to us! Just focus on raising your level. We’re all waiting for you!」

「Big Brother! I’ll do my best! I definitely won’t let you down!」

....

Nie Yan let out a deep sigh. Fallen Angel’s challenge caused him to feel a sense of urgency. The enemy had already set their sights on the Righteous Faction! His heart stirred restlessly, only a single thought in his mind. Level up! Level up! Level up! The desire to climb back to the peak grew all the more intense.

How silly of him. Nie Yan originally planned to return as an ordinary player and enjoy his days in leisure, free from the shackles of responsibility. However, when he logged back on and saw all those familiar names in the guild chat, he couldn’t resist to make a full return.

Nie Yan finally realized why he had the inexplicable urge to log back onto Conviction after three long years. It was because he couldn’t abandon his guild!

Asskickers United could not fall, or else World Bloc might be implicated too. In the worst case scenario, the Brutus Financial Group would do what he had done to the Century Financial Group, or what the Century Financial Group had done to him in his past life.

The Divine Eclipse Dragon appeared to have understood Nie Yan’s feelings. Its two heads started firing magic at an even faster pace, steamrolling through everything in its path.

Nie Yan checked the Divine Eclipse Dragon’s level. After grinding for such a long time, it had already reached Level 189 and was only a step away from Level 190. After stepping through the Gates of Hell, it became like a fish in water. Its ridiculous firepower was utilized to its fullest potential.