Sword Among Us c1-1268

by Black Swordsman Online

"What an arrogant person!"

  Soon though, someone said, "But he has the capital to be arrogant…"

  "By the looks of it, no one can prevent Five Venoms' destruction."

  "That's not necessarily true."

  "The people from Fallen Feathers Sect are here, and Situ Luoyu is right there. I heard that he has a grudge against Happy. If he forces his way into the battle, Happy might not be able to retreat with all parts of his body intact."

  "Oh?"

  The crowd discussed the events among itself.

  The subtle gazes cast on Situ Luoyu from everywhere made him feel tense. He lowered his voice and said to the two men with the extraordinary presences behind him, "My dear bosses, what should we do now? If we continue waiting, Proud over All Life will die. Five Venoms will also be destroyed."

  After all, Situ Luoyu and Proud over All Life were from the same guild, and their relationship offline was pretty good. Situ Luoyu absolutely did not want to see his friend be forced into a corner and might even need to delete his character and train again.

  The two people by his side were high-level guild members. They just needed to say one word, and even if there were one hundred Happys in the area, they could only dream about destroying Five Venoms!

  However, one of them said with a solemn expression, "Proud over All Life will not perish… but Five Venoms is over."

  That person's eyes were slightly evil, and his face gave off a feeling that he stood supreme to all. His firm tone also made it clear that he would not attack to help Five Venoms escape from the disaster.

  Situ Luoyu was rendered speechless. His heart tensed, and he asked tentatively, "Do the two of you think that the current Happy is impossible to deal with as well?"

  "Nonsense."

  The person with the evil look in his eyes glared at him, displeased. "How many people can hope to be our opponents in the game now? Happy can somewhat be considered to be one of them, but he's not at the point where we can't handle him. At most, he is just an opponent. We might not be able to kill him, but it's impossible for him to win against any of us as well."

  "Then why—"

  Situ Luoyu did not want to give up on the hope to save Proud over All Life.

  Right after he finished speaking, the young man who had a gentle expression and who had not spoken yet sighed. "Situ… I know that you have a good relationship with All Life, but you must know that it isn't because we don't want to save him, but that we can't.

  "Barren Murderer is right. With our current abilities, while neither of us could kill Happy, holding him back would not be a problem for us. At that time, Happy would naturally retreat because of impossible odds. But you must also know of our main goal for coming to Wuhu! If we take the initiative to show ourselves, with the friendship Chivalry Sect shares with Happy, there is no way they will just sit by and watch."

  Situ Luoyu found himself unable to say anything to that.

  He was a smart man, and he naturally understood what was meant by that sentence.

  Happy had attacked Five Venoms alone because he had the thought of taking revenge for All-powerful Medicinal Stone. Him facing Five Venoms by himself was already an unfair fight. If they still interfered, then the people from Chivalry Sect would naturally appear, and there was a possibility that the war in Fox Cave would erupt beforehand!

  But that was still not the worst case scenario.

  It was something that Class One Hall absolutely did not want to happen.

  Chapter 242 - Destroy the Sect

  While Wuhu was in commotion, the University of South China also burst into an uproar.

  Happy's name held an extraordinary meaning to them. He represented the top player on the Power Ranking Board of South China Martial Arts Ranking Board. Even though he did not participate in the conflict and competition in the university, the Three Lonely Wolves had made an exception and allowed his name to forever be fixed on the top of the Power Ranking Board. He was the spiritual pillar of support for the University of South China and Beautiful Robes Faction!

  Everyone had thought that after Happy had gone silent for more than half a month, they had more or less caught up to him a little, but they did not expect that the first thing he did once he came out of isolated training would be to destroy Five Venoms.

  It was a sect that was rather powerful and famous in World of Martial Arts. Yet within less than an hour, Happy had pulled out their flag, destroyed their plate, killed off all their elites, and immobilized Sect Master Proud over All Life, who had one arm severed. He had to watch his sect's foundation being destroyed and then could only disappear from World of Martial Arts without a sound! However, before he retreated, he announced that when he came back, he would definitely return all the humiliation Five Venoms had suffered on that day and settle the grudge with Happy in full!

  As the loud sound of the sect shattering was heard, Proud over All Life disappeared from World of Martial Arts.

  All the sect members of Five Members were no longer affiliated to any sects. They became lost.

  Five Venoms completely disappeared from the game.

  The person who had destroyed Five Venoms alone looked as if he had done something incredibly insignificant. He did not even care to pick up the loot on the ground. He just jumped on his horse and left through the path that the crowd had automatically opened for him. Countless players followed him with admiring, respectful, envious, and complicated gazes.

  "What the heck?!"

  "That was too beautiful! When can we do something so insane and surprise the entire game like this as well?! No wonder Phoenix Dances is attracted to Boss Happy! This bearing is so… I'm so jealous!"

  Because of the transmission of information in the University of South China's South China Martial Arts Ranking Board, the students got to know the news at the very first moment, and the topic about Happy became instantly trending.

  The higher ups of Beautiful Robes Faction were in high spirits, because the stronger Happy was, the more space they would have to further develop, and their speed in developing their faction would also increase.

  The only person who might not have been happy in the University of South China was Li Ning.

  Before World of Martial Arts was launched, many students would come to him, since he was an assistant tutor in the Computer Engineering Department. Many of his juniors would surround him with respectful and admiring gazes, but now, everyone talked about Happy as well as everything that happened within World of Martial Arts. It made him feel a sense of loss.

  What made him even more displeased was that the girl he had been paying attention to quietly had disappeared without a trace ever since she had asked him for a favor. She was also constantly in the game.

  "Why are you lot so addicted to a VR world? This is just a world made up by 1s and 0s. It's just a bunch of boring code… Why am I being so childish?!" Li Ning mumbled under his breath while he sat in his dorm.

  There was a brand new package before him. He tore open the exquisite packaging, and within it was a VR helmet that had made him hesitate for a long time.

  However, the battle replay that had been uploaded online recently had deeply attracted him to the game. There was no boy who did not have the thoughts of wandering around the lands and living according to their hearts' d.e.s.i.r.es.

  So what if he was a hacker, he was still a man…

  *****

  "Boss, why did you..! Why did you run off alone for something so exciting and show off on your own?! You didn't even bring me along with you…"

  When Happy returned to White Tiger Forest, Little North rushed over from another place when he heard about it. He grumbled up a storm, and his "resentful" gaze was fixed on the perpetrator.

  Happy had long since become used to Little North's sporadic bad tastes. He continued to train while he diverted the topic.

  "Where's Big Brother Thunder?"

  "Him?" Little North might have been a bit of a chatterbox, but when it came to serious matters, he wou
ld not chatter on about nothing. "Once he mastered his lightness skill, Big Brother Thunder has been farming in Fox Cave.

  "Didn't you say that Beautiful Robes Faction or whatever you call it is still lacking in high-tier martial art manuals? He said that since he's free, he will go and kill the bandits on the islands at the center of Wuhu, and during the night, he would go to Fox Cave. I heard that he already got himself around ten Heaven's Illusory Claw manuals. He's now stinking rich."

  Right after he finished speaking, Thunderous Battle's familiar and boisterous laughter rang out from the treetop behind Little North.

  "Who's stinking rich now?"

  "Who else?" Little North rolled his eyes without even turning his head around.

  "Big Brother Thunder, you're awful. You actually left me behind to farm money. And Boss Happy, you're even worse, you're a promise breaker. You went to show off on your own, and in the end, I didn't get anything at all over the past few days. Ah… Hurry up and give me some loot! Or else I'll hold a grudge against you for the rest of my life!"

  Whoosh…

  The soft sound of air moving around rose, and Thunderous Battle flew down gently. He landed without a sound. Clearly, he had already reached some mastery with his Fox Monster's Phantasmal Shadow.

  "Enough with it," Thunderous Battle said. He was vexed.

  "Kid, you got some good stuff in the ancient tomb over the past few days, right? One single Phantasm Body Movement Skill of yours is worth ten of my Heaven's Illusory Claws. And how much is your Hoof Shadow Horse Plate worth? I haven't even asked you for a Hoof Shadow Horse Plate, so don't go trying to argue with me."

  "Ah…" Little North opened his mouth, but he found himself tongue-tied, and he could say nothing about it. He did not think that his secret would have been discovered. Big Brother Thunder was indeed a s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e and attentive man, even though he looked like a brute.

  Happy smiled while listening to the two argue and continuing to practice his sword technique.

  What truly happened was that after Thunderous Battle mastered his lightness skill, he left on his own for a while.

  Over the past half a month, he had actually managed to get four Hoof Shadow Horse Plates and four Phantasm Body Movement Skill manuals. Thunderous Battle's loot was really nothing compared to Little North's.

  After all, a normal high-tier martial art manual was worth at most two hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver, but a Hoof Shadow Horse Plate had been jacked up to one million and five hundred thousand taels of silver crumbs for each plate. Phantasm Body Movement Sill manuals had even shot up to two million taels of silver, and the price was still rising. If he sold all of them in exchange for in-game money, Little North would be the real millionaire among them right then!

  "Alright, alright." Little North looked as if he had accepted his fate. "After all, you're my big brothers. Each of you will get one Horse Plate. Don't go around saying I'm stingy now." He brought out two Horse Plates and tossed one to Thunderous Battle and another to Happy.

  Thunderous Battle accepted it with a grin.

  This was what was meant by oppressing local tyrants.

  Happy also accepted it. No matter what, his purplish red horse would always be a few classes inferior to a Hoof Shadow.

  However, Little North soon traded two Phantasm Body Movement Skill manuals over, and Happy could not help but be stunned.

  "What's this for?"

  "Boss, keep it. I only got my Hoof Shadows because of your information. Besides, I also got my technique from you. Did you actually think that I would have been able to get my Hoof Shadows alone?" Little North said very seriously.

  "If I don't have money, I'll ask for some from you. What's the point of you giving me two manuals? Take it back."

  Happy might have been a little tempted, but not enough to accept Little North blindly dividing his spoils with him for nothing. He canceled the trade and said, "If you want to give it to me, you can. I can help you put it in Beautiful Robes Faction's store so you earn some contribution points."

  "Are you saying we can join Beautiful Robes Faction?"

  Little North's eyes lit up. He had been interested in the mysterious faction supporting Happy for some time, and even Thunderous Battle's expression grew attentive.

  "If you don't join now, when I eventually become part of the faction, how will you be supposed to get your contribution points?" Happy said with a smile.

  "Beautiful Robes Faction has already formed an independent system offline. When the time is right, we can enter it. You can think about it. Now, we should discuss the matter regarding Fox Cave."

  Little North and Thunderous Battle looked at each other. They knew that Happy's words meant that he had officially extended an invitation for them to join Beautiful Robes Faction on behalf of the faction.

  Chapter 243 - Grand Momentum

  Five Venoms was stationed in Wuhu when Fallen Feathers Sect went up against Chivalry Sect. They could be considered to be a backup piece for Class One Hall to control Chivalry Sect. Unfortunately for them, Happy had taken off and rudely tossed away this piece that no one knew about out of the game.

  The disassemblement of Five Members and Proud over All Life's act of deleting his character to leave World of Martial Arts was the same as destroying one of Class One Hall's arms! No one could swiftly gather up such a force and make them into a tight group within a short amount of time.

  If Class One Hall wanted to invade Fox Cave right then, they could only work together with Fallen Feathers Sect.

  Because of it, Happy had reduced the threat on Chivalry Sect.

  Chivalry Sect did not know about it, but Happy did not have any intention to reveal the secret. When he found Little North and Thunderous Battle, he suggested to enter Fox Cave. Their excursion then would be different from before. If there was a necessity, they might need to head to the third level, and so, he decided to ask for their opinion on the matter.

  "The third level? Yao Hua and his wife!"

  The duo's expressions changed to surprise and delight.

  "I'm going! Of course I'm going! I've been waiting for this day for a long time!"

  Thunderous Battle had been lurking around Fox Cave for more than a couple days. It was only partially because had heard of the rumors about Yao Hua's divine vessels. He also knew that the greatest group operation the game had ever seen would happen that night. His gaze focused, and he slapped his palms together to show his stance on the matter.

  Little North would naturally not miss out on such a grand banquet. He rubbed his palms together and nodded. Then, he asked, "If we're going to Fox Cave, should we tell Chivalry Sect's Lin Xiao and Red Dust?"

  "Don't need." Happy shook his head. "If we work together with Chivalry Sect, things will change between us. If both of our goals are Yao Hua's divine vessels, then who will the divine vessels belong to once we get them? Also, the signs of us going up against Class One Hall will be too obvious."

  "But if we work together, we might still not be able to go up against Class One Hall. Besides, Fallen Feathers Sect is also helping them. This trip might not be as smooth as last time…" Thunderous Battle voiced his thoughts, which was something that he rarely did.

  By the looks of it, he also understood that even though they had stomped Perpetual Joy Sect, Fallen Feathers Sect, and even Five Venoms, those sects were nothing compared to Class One Hall. He was worried that Happy would recklessly decide to fight against Class One Hall, and in the end, destroy his own advantages for nothing.

  After all, there were quite a few very powerful people in Class One Hall.

  "I know, that's why I don't intend to enter Fox Cave ahead of the others," Happy said mysteriously. "Fallen Feathers Sect hasn't recovered yet. They will definitely not dare to appear in front of Chivalry Sect to face them in a head-on challenge. Right now, with Five Venoms out of the picture, they will not have the courage, unless Class One Hall wants to give up on Fallen Feathers Sect as well!"

  "Yes, that's
right."

  Little North nodded in agreement.

  Five Venom's destruction had caused Class One Hall to experience quite a huge blow. If they lost Fallen Feathers Sect as well, it would mean that all the investments they had poured into the two sects in the beginning would end up in smoke. This was something that the hall master of Class One Hall should be unable to accept.

  "Then do you mean that…"

  Happy nodded quietly.

  "Once the people from Class One Hall and Chivalry Sect enter, we will come in. Medicinal Stone will give us an accurate time for when to do that. Anyway, if Fallen Feathers Sect wants to enter Fox Cave, they will have to get past us! As for the third level, we can let the great sects fight to their hearts' content over it. We will only care about finishing off what they left. Since Towering Palace has already joined the fray, Class One Hall will not dare to fight against Chivalry Sect at full force."

  "Amazing!"

  "Heh, then Fallen Feathers Sect is about to go up in flames… Class One Hall too. If they want to get Yao Hua's divine vessels, they will have to fight a bloody battle against the other two great sects. Heh, I like this plan." Little North smiled in a very sleazy manner.

  *****

  "Remember the lesson Proud over All Life's failure brought us. I've already reported the resources he wasted, and I will request for a deduction of his bonus for the next years to compensate for the losses!"

  Many people outside Five Venoms were still shocked by the moment their sect was destroyed. Situ Luoyu, the two people from the higher-level management of Class One Hall, and a group of people sat in a private room in a restaurant while forming a conclusion of the lesson they had learned from what had happened.

  "This is especially important for you, Situ Luoyu."

  The man named Barren Murderer was the one with the evil look in his eyes. He stared at Situ Luoyu fixedly, and his tone grew sterner as he spoke.

  "I heard that you and Proud over All Life were the ones who planned the operation to pursue and kill All-powerful Medicinal Stone. Even though there were not many people involved, it's better if you were careful for the time being. Tell your subordinates not to trigger Happy. Five Venoms has already been destroyed. I do not wish that the next to be destroyed… would be Fallen Feathers Sect."