The next day, Liu Weian logged in an hour early. He crafted 56 more talisman arrows, ensuring he wouldn't run out even with an exceptional performance. Just as he reached the city gates, he saw Lu Yan log in as well. Together, they headed for the graveyard, only to find the usually quiet area now teeming with people.
Hundreds of players had gathered in groups of three to five. Liu Weian squinted and relaxed slightly—these weren't from a single faction. If they had been another large force like the Pegasus Caravan, things could've gotten messy.
"Halt! Who goes there?"Two players blocked their path.
"May I ask what this is about?" Liu Weian stopped. Lu Yan remained silent behind him.
"This area now belongs to the Celestial Mercenary Group. If you want to hunt, go somewhere else," one of them barked, eyes filled with menace.
Liu Weian glanced around. Many players who were killing zombies had turned to watch, clearly enjoying the drama. Despite the graveyard not being huge, it could easily hold three to five thousand players. The Pegasus Caravan had occupied it for days, and now these Celestial Mercenaries—barely fifty strong—were claiming the entire zone? Ridiculous.
"Fine, we'll head over there."Liu Weian pointed to an empty area dozens of meters away.
"There too. Our territory," the player sneered.
"Alright, how about over there?" Liu Weian tried another spot.
"Also ours."
Lu Yan's face flushed red with anger, but Liu Weian remained calm. "Seems like first come, first served, huh? Fair enough."
"If you know what's good for you, get lost." The player's triangular eyes gleamed with malice.
Before the words had even finished echoing, a dazzling flash of sword light stunned them. The onlookers saw blood erupt like a geyser. Two heads flew into the air, spinning before crashing down—expressions frozen in death.
Gasps erupted from the crowd. No one expected the first strike to come from the petite young woman. Her delicate face now brimmed with lethal intent. Liu Weian, who had just begun to unsling his bow, gave a helpless shrug. This girl... really doesn't hold back.
"You're courting death!"The Celestial Mercenaries behind them roared. Over a dozen had been watching idly before the situation flipped. Enraged, they charged, weapons drawn.
Thwip!A bowman dropped, an arrow embedded between his brows, the tip protruding from the back of his skull—powerful and precise. A second archer had just begun to draw when, distracted by the first death, he hesitated. That hesitation cost him his life—another arrow pierced his forehead.
The arrow he loosed in panic struck one of his own, who screamed like a slaughtered pig.
The Celestial Mercenaries were a ragtag bunch. They had five archers total—three off battling zombies, one now dead, and another on break. How they organized their team was anyone's guess. Liu Weian never worried about stamina—thanks to consuming a corpse pill, he was immune to the graveyard's corrosive aura. He'd taken for granted how much stronger he was compared to others.
Thirteen charged in total. The three Hunters in front were fastest—and died the quickest. Not even three steps in, arrows dropped them one by one. Liu Weian's top-tier Takwood Bow was too fast; they never even saw the arrows coming.
Six Warriors followed, blades drawn. Only one wielded a decent black iron sword; the rest had cheap gear. Compared to the Pegasus Caravan elites, they were sluggish—turtle-like in Liu Weian's eyes.
Thwip!
The lone warrior with quality gear saw a flash and swung—but missed. Before he could comprehend what happened, pain bloomed in his throat. An arrow had pierced his neck clean through.
"So fast…"That was his final thought.
One by one, the Warriors fell. Within thirty meters, they couldn't even react before death took them. Their pain always arrived before they registered the arrow.
Then came the spearmen. Pathetic really—two of them wielded makeshift wooden spears, only two had actual metal tips. Spearmen were supposed to be the damage dealers behind the front line, but weak in defense. Liu Weian picked them off with surgical precision. Four arrows, four corpses. Lu Yan, short blade in hand, had just rushed forward only to stop—her targets already dead.
"Well, well... murdering my brothers so openly? That's a bit much, don't you think?"A new voice cut through the tension.
Thirty-some players strode out from the group that had been killing zombies earlier. At their head stood a young man, boots gleaming with black light, round shield in one hand, longsword in the other, face grim.
"That's Zhang Xiaofeng, founder of the Celestial Mercenaries. A legit Black Iron-tier expert. Those two are done for."
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
Black Iron-tier?Liu Weian's lips curled in disdain. He'd already shot down a dozen of those. Calmly, he drew his bow and aimed at Zhang Xiaofeng. Shock spread through the spectators.
"Is he crazy? He's aiming at Zhang Xiaofeng?"
"Must think his archery is unbeatable."
"Young fool. Hits the wall before turning around—but this time, he's gonna be dead before he gets the chance."
Ssshhh—
An arrow, fully charged, screamed through the air like lightning. The 40-meter distance may as well have been four.
A sinister smile twisted Zhang Xiaofeng's face. Cold cruelty shimmered in his eyes. He lashed out—a flash of sword light split the arrow in two.
But just as he moved to charge, he froze. His eyes widened. His shield flew up just in time—sparks exploded as a second arrow scraped along its edge.
Too little, too late.
Originally aimed at the neck, the arrow now altered course slightly—plunging into his mouth and bursting out the back of his skull. The force ripped away a chunk of cranium. Blood and brain matter splattered the ground.
Zhang Xiaofeng fell, eyes full of disbelief.
Dead silence.
The remaining Celestial Mercenaries froze mid-stride, stunned. Some even rubbed their eyes in disbelief. When the screams of the dying resumed, reality crashed in. But instead of attacking, they fled.
TWANG—
The resonant sound of bowstring echoed through the air, shaking hearts. A flurry of arrows followed—faster than lightning, frighteningly accurate.
Lu Yan transformed into a raging leopard, tearing into the retreating players. Her blade flashed, heads flew. Ruthless and swift.
In mere minutes, the battle was over. Over forty Celestial Mercenaries lay dead. After this, the group would likely disband—revival in thirty days meant too much could change by then. Before the stunned crowd, Liu Weian looted the bodies with practiced ease. What shocked them even more—Lu Yan joined in.
A beautiful girl, looting corpses like a pro? That image burned itself into their memories.
The Celestial Mercenaries were poor—less than 5 gold in cash. Of the five Black Iron-tier items, Zhang Xiaofeng had three: Blacklight Boots, Falling Star Sword, and Crowshield Buckler. The others included a broadsword and a helmet—apparently for a knight, but oddly worn by a spearman.
All told, the loot—along with some basic gear—would fetch around 35 gold. Add the cash, and they'd already pocketed 40 gold before even getting to work. Not a bad start.
When Liu Weian looked up, the surrounding players quickly averted their eyes. What they thought were two easy targets had turned out to be two ravenous wolves. Those who'd been harboring thoughts now kept their distance.
With the Celestial Mercenaries gone, Liu Weian and Lu Yan naturally claimed the vacant spot. No one dared object.
Then they began to kill.
In less than an hour, over thirty zombies lay dead—more than what hundreds of players managed together. Liu Weian's archery was godlike. What took others half a day per zombie, he killed with a single shot.
Gradually, the surrounding factions edged away, giving them a wide berth.