Chapter 866 - Rank 8 Phoenix! (1/2)

The Immortal Phoenix was already at the peak of Rank 7 for over a month. In the hopes of helping it advance, Nie Yan had Guo Huai acquire all the Fire Life Cores he could. But despite it gobbling up the Life Cores like beans, it showed no signs of breaking through.

Nie Yan had learned from his own Darkwing Dragon that Life Cores alone weren’t enough for a Rank 7 flying mount to break through to Rank 8. Luck and the right opportunity mattered too.

It would be a great boon to the guild if Xie Yao’s phoenix became Rank 8. But with his efforts not giving the desired outcome, Nie Yan could only leave it up to fate.

Perhaps luck and opportunity had already come alongside each other, hidden behind an ambush and death. The phoenix had undergone a complete transformation after rebirthing from its ashes. It was far bigger than before, putting it in the same size category as the Darkwing Dragon. Its feathers were more vivid coloured too, and the white flames surrounding its body blazed with an even more dazzling radiance.

“SCREEH! SCREEH!” The phoenix flapped its wings and puffed up its chest. A truly majestic bird!

“Did your phoenix break through?” Nie Yan asked in surprise.

“Mhm! It advanced to Rank 8. But after going through rebirth, it still only has the strength of a Rank 7 right now. It will take about a month for it to mature to its full strength,” Xie Yao said.

In only a short month, Asskickers United would have another Rank 8 flying mount! This was news worth celebrating.

Nie Yan glanced at his pet space. The Darkwing Dragon’s corpse was resting inside there. Angel Corps believed it was dead, but he had a Resurrection Crystal that could bring it back to life.

Even though the revived Darkwing Dragon would be greatly weakened and unable to participate in battle until it recovered, when it did regain its full strength, it would retake the skies!

“What’s the cooldown on that Rebirth skill?” Nie Yan asked. This skill pretty much served as a second life for the phoenix. Phoenixes were generally considered to be weaker than dragons, but it was this skill that levelled the playing field.

“It’s 60 days,” Xie Yao replied.

“That’s not too bad,” Nie Yan said, mentally prepared. It would be strange for such a powerful skill not to have a long cooldown.

“Nie Yan, your Darkwing Dragon…” Xie Yao said with a sad look.

Nie Yan chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. The Darkwing Dragon isn’t gone.”

“Not gone? How do you mean. I saw...” Xie Yao said doubtfully.

“I have a Resurrection Crystal,” Nie Yan explained.

“No wonder you retrieved its corpse!” Xie Yao blurted in realization. Her mood immediately cleared up.

Nie Yan had taken a great risk to retrieve the Darkwing Dragon’s corpse. After all, in a perilous situation, even a second could mean the difference between life and death.

The process of reviving the Darkwing Dragon wasn’t as easy as shoving the Resurrection Crystal down its throat. Nie Yan would have to travel to Calore to consult a Beastmaster. With the battle going on in Okoron, there was no time to do that now. So, he could only push it aside for another time.

Angel Corps intensified their siege on Okoron. They used some sort of spell to summon more than 60 hulking giants onto the battlefield. They were five meters tall and covered in bulging muscles. Shielding the players from Angel Corps below, they assaulted the city’s walls.

「They’re climbing up the walls again!」

「Ready the catapults!」

「Ready the siege crossbows!」

Even though the situation on the wall appeared hectic, everyone was carrying out their respective roles in an orderly fashion.

Shells whizzed through the sky. Some crashed into the walls, sending players flying down the side.

「We have six corpses here. Have someone carry them down!」

Before long, the corpses on the walls were cleared away. Everything continued on as normal.

「The boss is here!」

Seeing Nie Yan and Xie Yao arrive, the players on the walls immediately erupted into cheering and shouting. Nie Yan’s presence alone was a huge boost to morale.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The ground violently shook.

Nie Yan gazed down at the plains below and saw the giants charging towards the walls. They were carrying small trees in their hands, serving as battering rams.

A volley of shells rained down on these giants. They tried to dodge, but some were still hit and knocked back by the blasts.

Tens of thousands of players surged toward the walls like a raging tide.

Before long, the two sides clashed on the edge of the walls. Spells exploded in the sky like dazzling fireworks. A frightening number of players died every second, but neither side was willing to give an inch.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The giants began ramming their battering rams into the city gates as it trembled and groaned.

「Boss! Angel Corps opened up a hole in our south wall!」

「Send our Warriors to plug it up! Don’t let the enemy inside the city!」Nie Yan shouted. Looking back, Xie Yao was chanting Forbidden Magic as the holy light around her grew brighter and brighter until she was as dazzling as the sun itself.