At that moment, for demonic figures concealed in the shadows materialized without a doubt, they were all of royal caliber.

Lynhun and Shir Yao's expression stiffened.

Their suspicions have been validated, confirming that their adversary indeed had a backup plan.

Simultaneously, they felt a sense of relief that their decision had not cost them their lives.

Chapter 280.

Alliance rankings and pursuit by you return to the palace from the dark forest, feeling somewhat bored.

The outskirts revealed nothing particularly remarkable.

They were indistinguishable from the usual forest.

The area had been severely eroded by the undead with vast expanses of trees felled, leaving the local races exceedingly rare, devoid of any semblance of a forbidden zone.

The secrets must be concealed deep within the dark forest.

Bayou murmured to herself.

Thus far, there had been no notable changes in the dark forest, suggesting that nothing significant had occurred.

This did not hinder her development, but merely obstructed her progress eastward.

For the time being, she decided to venture north instead, as it was perhaps best to avoid the depths.

For now, a king- level being was no longer merely cannon fodder.

Yet, in the presence of true powerhouses, she remained akin to an ant.

To be prudent, it would be wise to ascend to the emperor level before proceeding, though she hoped no unforeseen events would transpire beforehand.

Ah, yes, the rankings would refresh again this evening.

Bayou was rather invested in this.

Within a week of her development, she might not necessarily level up, but the ranking activities certainly could.

Aside from her own efforts, the system rewards were the swiftest means to enhance her strength.

Upon returning to the palace, Bayou first took a bath and changed into fresh attire.

Soon she emerged wrapped in a towel, her hair damp, casually sitting on a chair with her legs crossed, tending to her nails with a scythe.

Subsequently, she idly glanced at the World Channel chat.

After a few days away from the world chat, Bayou observed a notable decline in activity, indicating that many lords had perished during this time.

Or perhaps they had come to grasp the brutal reality of the magical continent, choosing silence instead.

The trading post, however, remained quite lively, albeit filled with inconsequential items.

With her development at the forefront among all lords, she found their materials utterly unworthy of her attention.

Time swiftly passed, and as the clock struck midnight, the systems numbers reset to signify the dawn of a new day.

Bayou was unsurprised when she received a mandatory notification from the system.

Esteemed Lords, the rankings have been refreshed.

Special announcement.

This ranking will no longer categorize into five tiers.

Instead, it will adopt an alliance format for precise rankings.

Lords without alliances will be ranked individually.

This ranking will encompass all lords, traitors, and free individuals.

The soul hunting entities of the magical continent have awakened.

They shall consume your souls.

Your presence has attracted the attention of a formidable and solitary species, countless in number and ubiquitous, favoring the consumption of exquisite souls.

You, the outsiders, shall be their prime targets.

All lords will be pursued by this species whose strength lies between king and emperor levels.

Defeating them will yield points, and the faction with the highest points, including all members, will receive exclusive rewards.

Note, should no one achieve a kill, rankings will be based on the overall strength of the factions.

Lords, go forth in battle, grow stronger through slaughter, and may fortune favor you.

In that fleeting moment, all the lords across the globe simultaneously received a system announcement.

The world chat fell into an eerie silence as everyone endeavored to absorb the significance of this message.

The lords who had survived until now were far from foolish.

The systems notifications were matters of utmost importance.

Bayou discerned the implications clearly.

The previous event had tasked the lords with hunting down traders, while this time an unknown creature from the enchanted continent was set to hunt all the lords.

Moreover, the rewards for the final rankings astonishingly included all members, which if not misinterpreted, suggested that vassels would also be encompassed within this scope.

Bayum amused aloud, contemplating that not only the members of the alliance would receive rewards.

But even the subordinate lords under the alliance's banner would benefit.

Such generosity from the system was indeed surprising, especially since prior rewards have been distributed on an individual basis.

Yet uncertainty lingered regarding the strength of the creature that would be hunting them.

The announcement had mentioned its power range from king level to emperor level, indicating that even the weakest among them would be at least king level.

Bayou dismissed these thoughts, noting that the ranking method for this leaderboard was different.

The system had clarified that in the absence of points, rankings would be determined by overall strength.

With no one currently able to accumulate points, it presented an opportunity to observe which alliances were currently formidable.

Bayou opened the leaderboard revealing a succinct page with straightforward rankings simp.

The first position was held by the light alliance followed by the Justice Alliance in second place and the Mithril Alliance in third.

To her surprise, she found herself in first place.

A casual scroll revealed that at the very least a thousand entries were all alliances with no solitary lord appearing in the rankings.

The absence of displayed points indicated that this ranking was unequivocally based on strength.

Bayou's trio alliance rightfully claimed the top position, confirming that she had indeed distanced herself from the other lords.

It seemed that Du Yang and Lee Lingi had no subordinates on their end.

Counting herself and her three companions, they totaled six individuals eligible for rewards.

Although all members of the faction could receive rewards, only the first place would benefit.

And conversely, the Justice Alliance in second place might still secure rewards if they amassed sufficient points.

The system remained as cunning as ever.

Meanwhile, within the Abyssal Castle in Bedell State.

Duang Chuklet, did you see that? You arrived just in time.

Only the first place receives this reward.

Lynhun and Shir Yao looked on in astonishment at the leaderboard standings.

Your rank is first place.

They had always believed Du Yang to be a lone wolf.

Yet, he had maintained an alliance with Bayou until now.

The collaboration of three top lords would likely render the future events devoid of competition from others.

Thus, it appeared that following Du Yang was indeed more advantageous than their arduous individual development.

Duang had not yet been overwhelmed by joy.

Instead, he pondered the formidable strength of this creature.

The transition from king level to emperor level prowess appeared to be a rarity among lords.

Otherwise, barring a few exceptional leaders.

All would surely meet their demise.

Should they unfortunate enough to encounter a high-ranking king or an emperor, even they would find it exceedingly challenging to cope.

Dang sent a message in the alliance group.

Duang, if difficulties arise, please inform one another for support.

I sense something unusual.

Bayou, are you worried about encountering an emperor level being? Du Yang stared at Bayou<unk>s message.

Feeling exasperated, was that not an obvious concern? Never mind.

A gentleman does not quarrel with a lady.

Leelynch, no problem.

This week, let us all pause our current endeavors to ensure we can provide timely assistance.

Encountering a highle king would indeed pose significant complications.

Chapter 281.

The monster is human.

To be honest, Bayu wasn't overly concerned about high tier king level threats.

As long as it wasn't a level 9 king or an emperor level being, she remained confident.

With her life link ability, death was practically impossible.

What was there to fear? Besides, if things turned dire, she could always flee.