Chapter Sixty-Three: Fleeing in Disarray

The sheer audacity of Heart Follows My Will left Zhang Shan utterly stunned. Fifty thousand gold coins for every kill? He knew full well that the Heaven and Earth Guild had over two hundred members—this was over ten million gold coins! There probably weren’t that many circulating coins in the entire game. Of course, it wasn’t as if Zhang Shan could really bring down every single member of Heaven and Earth. If things turned dire, they’d simply run, and with so few of them, Zhang Shan and his friends couldn’t possibly chase down more than a handful. Still, taking out half of them was quite feasible, especially after the seventy-odd they’d already felled—this alone amounted to several million gold coins. If Zhang Shan had enough patience, he could slowly hunt more and more, unless the Heaven and Earth Guild simply refused to leave the city.

“Hmph, Heart Follows My Will, don’t get cocky. Money isn’t everything in this game. Let’s chalk this up to a misunderstanding, both sides take a step back, and we’ll drop the matter. How about that?” Heaven Slayer Blade really believed that Zhang Shan and the others had come all this way just for money—a childish thought, indeed.

“In your dreams. This ends only if each of you lets me kill you once. Since you made me lose a level, every one of you will lose a level too. Then we’ll call it even.” Heart Follows My Will was relentless in his advantage, unwilling to let the matter rest.

But that was only natural. If Zhang Shan were in his shoes, he wouldn’t back down either. Not only had they killed him, they’d even paraded it on the world channel for all to see. And now, all it took was a single sentence about both sides backing off and forgetting the whole thing? That was absurd. If you had the chance to strike back and chose not to, you’d be a fool.

“So you’re saying this isn’t over?”

“My terms stand: let me take each of you down once, and the matter ends there.”

“Hmph, that’s impossible. Think carefully—Six-Barrel Bodhisattva and his lot are based in Dangyang City. They can’t stay in Yingtian City protecting you forever.” Heaven Slayer Blade was desperate to admit defeat, but Heart Follows My Will’s conditions were utterly unacceptable. If everyone had to be taken down once, the whole day would be wasted. More importantly, if he agreed to such terms, the Heaven and Earth Guild would fall into chaos and disarray. He’d rather lose the fight than accept those conditions.

“So what? As long as I take you down today, that’s enough. If things get tough, I’ll just move to Dangyang City instead of staying in Yingtian. Would you really dare come to Dangyang to cause trouble?” Heart Follows My Will was adamant, refusing to let them off unless he’d had his revenge—a sentiment that suited Zhang Shan perfectly. He’d actually been worried Heart Follows My Will might give up, which would have made it awkward for him to keep going after the Heaven and Earth Guild.

After all, with his legendary weapon and growing fame, Zhang Shan didn’t want to be seen as a bully. One had to be reasonable, even in a game; maintaining a good reputation was key to smooth progress. Otherwise, end up with a reputation as foul as the Heaven and Earth Guild’s, and you’d find yourself the target of everyone’s ire—no one could enjoy the game like that.

“Very well, let’s see how this plays out.” With a wave of his hand, Heaven Slayer Blade signaled his remaining members to scatter. They were taking advantage of the fact that Zhang Shan’s group was small—even if they were formidable, they couldn’t possibly chase down so many at once.

“Tch, backing off when they’re outmatched? That’s not like those idiots at all.”

“Wind Chime, help One Blade up. Let’s move—keep chasing!” Zhang Shan didn’t have time for banter. He hurried after their fleeing foes; every kill meant more money. With his red boots equipped, he was much faster than most players. He quickly caught up with one, took him down with a single shot, and didn’t even bother picking up the junk loot. As long as the Heaven and Earth Guild hadn’t fully scattered, he’d chase down as many as he could.

At that moment, Zhang Shan was like a fierce wolf chasing a flock of sheep, occasionally catching one and taking it out. Soon, there were no more Heaven and Earth Guild members in sight—he’d managed to get another dozen or so in that last chase. He wondered how his companions had fared.

“Anyone see any more of the Heaven and Earth Guild?” With no more targets in sight, Zhang Shan asked his team.

“Nope, they all teleported back to town after scattering. I only got a couple,” replied Wind and Cloud One Blade, clearly annoyed. He’d been cut down by a mob but was lucky enough to be revived by a support; otherwise, losing a level would have been a real setback.

“All their survivors retreated to town. Just check the regional chat and you’ll see,” someone chimed in. Zhang Shan agreed—after sending so many Heaven and Earth Guild members back to the city, the chat must be exploding.

Yingtian City regional chat:

“Haha, the Heaven and Earth Guild got butchered and ran back to town like whipped dogs!”

“Seriously? Who did it? Must’ve been a beast!”

“No idea. I just saw a bunch of their guys reviving at the spawn point, then the rest showed up not long after.”

“Haha, must have been a total rout for them.”

“I know who did it—just as I was about to join the Wind and Cloud Guild and go after those Heaven and Earth punks, I was a bit slow. By the time I arrived, the Wind and Cloud folks were already chasing them all over the map.”

“Dude, that’s awesome. Did you manage to get a kill in the chaos?”

“Haha, I actually did! Caught Heaven’s Lone Smoke channeling a return and slammed him with a critical hit. I’ll go claim my bounty from Heart Follows now.”

“Nice! If only I’d tried my luck—one kill’s worth ten thousand gold, after all.”

The regional chat was filled with ridicule for the Heaven and Earth Guild, with not a shred of sympathy. To be mocked this thoroughly in a game—what a failure.

The guild members were completely silent in chat—not a single word from any of them. The blow they’d suffered was simply too much. Over two hundred people, routed by a handful of Zhang Shan’s group—humiliation beyond words.

But Zhang Shan had no intention of letting them off so easily. As the great man once said, “Press the attack against a routed enemy; never study the ways of retreat.” Since they were already mortal enemies, he might as well make it count.

“Brother Heart, get some people to watch the four city gates. Let me know if any Heaven and Earth Guild members leave the city. I won’t even charge for the next round—I just want to keep cutting them down.”

“Six-Barrel, you’re insatiable,” said the ever-bloodthirsty Wind and Cloud One Blade in astonishment. “This guy’s ruthless—never picks fights, but when he does, it’s to the death. A real silent killer.”

“No problem, I’ll have people keep an eye out. If they leave the city, I’ll let you know.” Heart Follows My Will was quick to agree; with his vengeance satisfied, he felt immensely relieved. As a lone wolf in the New World, he had acquaintances but no close allies—everyone played their own game. When the Heaven and Earth Guild humiliated him, there was no one to help—until Zhang Shan’s group stepped in and avenged him. Even if it cost some money, it was worth it.

“For me, this is just pocket change,” Heart Follows My Will said. “Let’s just round it up to two hundred people—I'll pay you all ten million gold coins.”

“That’s too much. We probably only got about a hundred and fifty, if that,” Zhang Shan replied, a bit embarrassed by Heart’s generosity.

“Let’s keep it at that. I’ll swap the coins later and mail them to you, Six-Barrel. Might take a few transactions—should be done in three days.”

“No problem. You’re welcome in Dangyang anytime. It’s impossible to enjoy the game with the Heaven and Earth Guild around.”

Wind Chime even tried to recruit him. “Yeah, if things change, I might leave Yingtian behind,” Heart Follows My Will replied.

“Alright, we’re heading back to Dangyang for now—got to hunt some bosses and gather gear.”

“We’re off. Six-Barrel, have fun with the Heaven and Earth Guild. Call if you need backup.”

“You all go on. I’ll stay around Yingtian City and keep farming—wait for them to come out.” Zhang Shan waved them off, determined to keep up his vendetta. If they had any courage at all, let them step outside the city gates.