### Chapter 4: The First Battle of War
==============================
In the Chaos Forest,
With Li Hanbo leading the advance, they were less than a kilometer from the defensive perimeter of Cold Wind City.
An epic clash was about to unfold!
Li Hanbo was desperate for victory. After all, this was the first official player-participatory epic war organized by the game. If he pulled off a stunning win, he might just find himself immortalized in game history!
He was determined to have the Heavenly Sword Sect come out on top, aiming to snatch victory right in front of players worldwide.
But Li Hanbo forgot one little detail.
The players of White Feather City weren’t just from the Heavenly Sword Sect; there were over three thousand others who were openly scoffing at his performance.
As they say, fighting among friends is a specialty.
They couldn’t just sit back and let that sneaky guy win so easily, right?
The remaining players of White Feather City seemed to have telepathically agreed to turn on their cameras and go live.
“The advance party of White Feather City is getting close to Cold Wind City’s defense line, with the Heavenly Sword Sect in the center and the Monster Race’s minions flanking on both sides. From my calculations, they’ll collide with the defense line in about five minutes!”
Several players stealthily following along reported this in real time.
The audience was having a blast!
An epic fantasy movie vibe filled the air!
Of course, it wasn’t just the onlookers tuning into the livestream—Cold Wind City’s defenders were also watching.
This defensive line, centered around a tower manned by a Wolf Demon, was surrounded by trenches and tunnels. Thanks to the live broadcast from White Feather City players, the defenders didn’t even have to show their faces to know exactly where the enemy’s advance was.
When Li Hanbo charged up to the defensive position of Cold Wind City, he was stunned.
If you could get an aerial view, you’d see that the trenches surrounding the tower looked like swirling mosquito coils.
These trenches were a whopping two meters high and wide—who knows how Cold Wind’s guys managed to dig them?
But this was hardly a problem for the level 30 and above players; all they had to do was use their lightness skills to hop right over those winding trenches.
If the enemy was planning any tricks, they were bound to be wasted effort.
Li Hanbo waved his hand.
He ordered the Monster Race minions to jump down into the trench and advance along the crooked path toward the enemy lines.
Meanwhile, the guild players were leaping over the trenches from above, diving straight into the core area of the enemy.
Both armies were on a head-on collision course.
The enemy’s arrows fell sporadically, barely scratching the surface of their defenses.
Li Hanbo raised his sword, full of enthusiasm, “Brothers, now’s our chance to build our reputation! Charge with me!”
Players waved their weapons,
Shouting and following Li Hanbo as they hopped over the wide trenches, their swords aimed straight at the lookout tower.
The feeling of charging forth was exhilarating, like they were in an ancient war blockbuster.
But before the players could fully savor the thrill of besieging and slashing through the bl**d, a sudden inferno erupted, racing along the trenches toward them.
The minions at the bottom of the trench were instantly engulfed in flames, crying out in agony as they tried to retreat, but the trench was too high for a quick escape—too high to jump and too slow to outrun the fire.
Clearly, there were fire traps down there!
In no time, the winding trenches turned into a raging sea of flames, and the unfortunate minions were reduced to smoldering black ash in an instant.
A thick smell of charred flesh filled the air,
As the lucky survivors huddled on the burning edges of the trench, their faces pale and shaking.
Some female players couldn’t hold back and doubled over to vomit.
Even Li Hanbo was drenched in cold sweat, feeling a wave of dread wash over him.
Thank goodness he hadn’t let the guild go into the trenches; even though they were decent at lightness skills, any single spark could have trapped them for good!
Now, while the enemy had taken an early lead, their fire traps just proved that they were lacking in manpower and had to resort to trickery to win.
If they could just hold on!
“Brothers, they’re out of tricks! Let’s attack! For the Heavenly Sword Sect!”
……
“d*mn it! Li Hanbo is really getting into character; those who shout the loudest usually d*e first. Let’s show them our power!”
With Strong Brother’s command, the Bird Demons took to the skies, teaming up with the archers for an aerial assault, showering arrows and feathers down on the enemy.
This move immediately threw Li Hanbo and his crew into chaos.
Flames in the trenches hadn’t even died down, and the space between the trenches wasn’t big enough for them to dodge the airstrike!
Before they knew it, several players fell into the fiery depths with shrieks, turning into smoke as they headed for the respawn point.
Now, the remaining players were furious.
They were ready to feast alongside Li Hanbo, and dying on the front lines meant losing a chance for a no-experience loss d*ath.
The battle had just begun, and they hadn’t even gotten a crumb of loot yet!
They were out—brothers joined the guild chasing after the glory of the Heavenly Sword Sect; now, seeing how things were going, Li Hanbo was great at making connections but fighting? Absolute rubbish!
Time to bail!
Li Hanbo was charging forward with a group of core followers when suddenly, the players behind began to turn tail and run, tearing the formation in two.
“These bastards, running away now…”
Fleeing from the frontlines was a huge no-no; fear is contagious, and once someone started running, the whole army would crumble!
That’s why ancient armies had units to execute any coward who fled the scene, to set an example.
But players? They didn’t care one bit!
“I just don’t wanna play anymore! What will you do about it? Bite me?”
Li Hanbo nearly spat bl**d.
After all that planning and even paying off a few female players to keep the Lion Demon company for his sake, all he wanted was to be the hero of the day!
And now, this is how the situation turned out? It was enough to make him explode!
At that exact moment,
A bright red flag emblazoned with “Cold Wind City” soared high on the battlefield.
The Extermination of Immortals Guild came crashing in like a fierce tiger, charging straight towards Li Hanbo and the rest.
One side well-prepared, the other exhausted,
It was a clear showdown.
Li Hanbo’s high level didn’t mean much when surrounded by a whole squad.
Strong Brother and Cold Little Rain didn’t care about any rules; they surrounded him and began punching him like there was no tomorrow, making him retreat just to save himself.
The other players in the Heavenly Sword Sect weren’t so lucky.
The little demons from Cold Wind City saw them as enemies, and they were determined to take their last breath defending their honor.
The scene quickly descended into utter chaos!
Just as the Heavenly Sword Sect was on the verge of complete collapse, the tides changed.
In the distance, the sounds of shouting and hooves could be heard—Lion Demon himself was leading a whole battalion to the rescue!
Seeing the armored, intimidating Monster Race army approaching, Strong Brother immediately abandoned the chase and withdrew.
He had a bad feeling—the real challenge was just beginning.
……
P.S. Is it the author’s update that has woken you all up?
