Days Gone By

The card fell, and a mass of light condensed before him.

As the light faded, a creature appeared with pointed horns atop its head, thick black hair cascading down its back, bronze skin exposed all over its body, sharply defined muscles bulging one after another, and razor claws extending from its limbs.

Roar!

Gazelle let out a low growl, and an aura surpassing that of a level 15 Lord-class BOSS immediately radiated from his body.

Even a three-star Kuriboh, enhanced by the Gust Fan, only had 4,800 attack and 3,000 defense. Even so, it could hold its own against the Earth Python Lord.

This time, however, Xiao Wen had summoned a four-star monster with a total attack power of 6,000 and defense of 4,800, far stronger than Kuriboh. It was more than enough to deal with these two.

"Holy shit! This is a summon?"

In the distance, the Flame Emperor's mouth twitched, and he was speechless for a long while.

The pressure from this summon was far greater than that of the level 7 Lord-class BOSS he had killed before!

The Wind Emperor slashed with his sword, striking Gazelle and instantly landing a critical hit.

Critical Hit!

HP -1.

Seeing the damage number, the Wind Emperor's mouth twitched as he called it painful to look at.

"I'm done, I'm done! This is no fun. Misty Young Master, isn't this a little too unfair? If we're competing, then let's compete properly. What's the point of bringing out such an overpowered summon? No wonder you could kill a level 15 Lord-class BOSS. If I had something this strong, I could kill even a King-class—no, an Emperor-class BOSS!"

Feng Luoqing said irritably, with no intention of continuing the fight.

The two of them had long since guessed Xiao Wen's identity.

Anyone capable of making Zhao Shengquan, one of the Gemini who had stayed out of worldly affairs for years, step forward to block the Flame Dragon Guild could not possibly be an ordinary person.

What was more, the martial skill Xiao Wen had used to counter the Flame Emperor's fireball just now was the very one that person had developed during his battle with Zhao Shengquan back then.

The Flame Emperor beside them opened his mouth but said nothing.

Originally, when he and Feng Luoqing had made their move to ambush Xiao Wen, there had indeed been an intent to test him.

But more than testing him, they had wanted retaliation.

After all, the two of them had been thoroughly suppressed by Xiao Wen back then.

Still, although those days of being crushed had been difficult for them, they had not been entirely bad. At the very least, there had always been someone holding up the sky over Jiuzhou.

From beginning to end, he had only played the role of a mysterious figure. He had never appeared before the public, and most people had only ever seen that unfamiliar name on the rankings.

Yet five years were enough to wash away many things.

After Xiao Wen disappeared, the burden of the entire Jiuzhou gaming world fell upon people like them. Before that godlike existence, they had felt as though they were staring up at a towering mountain, unable to even glimpse his back.

In recent years, all that pressure had come crashing down on them, leaving them barely able to breathe.

It was impossible to say they held no resentment. That was why he and Feng Luoqing had discussed launching a surprise attack from the start, hoping to test the waters.

The two had originally intended to compete with him properly, but after seeing Xiao Wen casually summon Phantom Beast King Gazelle, they instantly lost all desire to keep fighting.

Fight?

Fight his ass!

With a wave of his hand, he could summon something even stronger than a Lord-class BOSS. How were they supposed to fight that?

"Come on. After all these years, Flame Emperor, you've only gotten more flamboyant. Other than you, no one would dare use the name Tianyan Jiulong."

Xiao Wen laughed, waved his hand to dismiss Gazelle, and walked toward the Flame Emperor.

However, having learned from the first encounter, Xiao Wen did not step forward for a hug. Instead, he pressed his fist against the other man's.

"Feng, you too. Five years without seeing each other, and your swordsmanship has only grown sharper. It's either a critical hit or armor break. Looks like your understanding of the sword has reached another level."

Xiao Wen turned back to Feng Luoqing with a smile.

Feng Luoqing remained silent for a long time, merely staring at Xiao Wen. Tears faintly shimmered in the corners of his eyes.

How many years had it been? That boy, once comparable to a god, had finally returned!

"You brat, you left without even leaving your brothers a message back then. And now you came back without saying a word."

Feng Luoqing patted Xiao Wen on the shoulder and scolded him with a smile.

The bond between men ran as deep as an abyss, as vast as water, yet it needed no words. All of it was hidden in their hearts, and a single glance was enough to reveal everything.

Xiao Wen replied with a smile. The three gathered together and talked about many things, quite a few of them concerning the previous game.

In the previous game, Jiuzhou had defended its own territory, but it had still suffered a miserable defeat. At the very least, it had fallen far behind that server.

The reason was that, in the previous battle, they had lacked anyone capable of contending with that godlike existence.

Even the Wind Emperor, now hailed as one of the Four Emperors, could at most withstand fifty moves against that person when their equipment levels were equal.

That was how it had been in the final chapter of the previous game. The Jiuzhou server had already gained an overwhelming advantage in the overall war. As long as they maintained that momentum, the Jiuzhou server would have become the undisputed number one!

But at that very moment, that person made his move. Like a god descending from the heavens, even Feng Luoqing, the foremost of the Four Emperors, could only hold out for fifty moves.

After fifty moves, his health bar was emptied and his life was extinguished.

It was precisely because of that person that Jiuzhou's top-tier forces were slaughtered clean. The advantage they had spent several days building collapsed in an instant, and they ultimately lost!

"I watched the recording of that battle. That person is stronger than before. As I am now, I'm still far from being his match," Xiao Wen answered quietly.

Although he had been unable to enter the game for five years, that had not stopped him from following everything.

Following these old brothers of his.

"He is stronger. But you're still young. As long as you're given time to grow, you'll definitely become someone capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with him! That's what most of us believe, and it's why the Flame Emperor and I came to find you!"

The Wind Emperor spoke solemnly.

"Jiuzhou is no longer the Jiuzhou it once was. In this game, 'Phantom God,' besides old faces like us, some new faces have unexpectedly emerged. These people are not weak. Quite a few possess strength comparable to King-class players, and several have even stepped onto the threshold of the Emperor class."

As he spoke, the Wind Emperor glanced at the Flame Emperor, who wore a proud expression.

Xiao Wen understood at once, and a sharp gleam flashed through his eyes.

"King-class players, and even several who have stepped onto the threshold of the Emperor class... Looks like those people above Jiuzhou are getting anxious this time. They've even brought out the people they secretly cultivated. Flame Emperor, you've fought them before. What do you think of them?"