Sword Among Us c1-1268
Page 139
At the same time, Shaolin Temple's thirteen staff-using monks and Wudang Sect's members showed that they walked down the path of righteousness through their actions. If they moved together with the three sects, Beautiful Robes Faction would only need to worry about the ninjas in the royal mausoleum.
When he thought of this, Happy's eyes sparkled for a while. Finally, he stood up from the corner. He shifted like a flash of lightning and appeared thirty-two feet away. His robes fluttered, and he appeared in front of the tunnel as if he was taking a stroll.
His actions instantly attracted quite a lot of people's attention!
The extraordinary lightness skill made him the center of attention.
However, there were still many people who did not know which group this mysterious blue-robed young man followed into the royal mausoleum. No one saw him talk to anyone since the beginning.
While the others were puzzled, the mysterious blue-robed young turned his back to them and said, "I'll move ahead first. Please be careful. If anything happens, do notify me."
His voice echoed in the main hall.
The people from the seven sects swiftly looked around at the others!
Hidden Soul Guild's boss had a confused look, so it was only natural that the blue-robed young man did not belong to them.
The people from Soaring Tiger Sect carefully sized up everyone's reaction.
Shaolin Temple and Emei Sect were directly eliminated from the range of possibilities. Wudang Sect's Ouyang Qing went ahead to look at the three other sects before he finally shifted his gaze to Beautiful Robes Faction's Phoenix Dances. But he only saw her look around a bit with curiosity.
Ouyang Qing could not help but be stunned. Who had the boy been talking to?
Those people concealed themselves too well! They were all Academy-award winning actors!
The people who received such praise were the Three Lonely Wolves hidden in the middle of Beautiful Robes Sect. They had lowered their heads and rolled their eyes while they cursed in their hearts.
'The brat actually left the group and appeared in front of everyone! Thank goodness he still has some semblance of reason. At the very least, he didn't completely ignore us. When he left, he still greeted us. But speaking of which, his abilities are getting more and more unfathomable!'
The moment the Shinobi had appeared and ambushed him, they honestly thought that Happy would die.
Of course, the Three Lonely Wolves were not the only ones who noticed that something was off. Little Jade was rather conscious of the blue-robed young man's back. She had been paying a lot of attention to Happy's battle replays, which was why when he talked with his back turned towards them, she managed to link it to the person in the replays!
'It's him!'
Little Jade had been lacking in interest in the quest, but her eyes lit up with a dazzling light at that moment.
'He still came!'
"Heh, I wonder who he is and which sect he belongs to…"
While Ouyang Qing opened his mouth to speak, the afterimage Happy left behind disappeared. He moved like a phantom, and with a few jumps, he appeared dozens of feet into the depths of the tunnel. When Ouyang Qing finished speaking, Happy had long since disappeared.
'Urk!'
Ouyang Qing felt incredibly awkward. He had been practicing Cloud-ascending Ladder for a while, and a hint of shock and admiration appeared in his eyes toward the high-tier lightness skill Happy displayed. 'How fast! I think I'll only be able to catch up to him with Grandmaster Realm Cloud-ascending Ladder.'
He turned his head around and looked at the people in the main hall.
No one made a sound.
The masters of the other six sects shook their heads to show that they did not know him.
Ouyang Qing swept his gaze across the area, and in the end, he pointed at himself and said while not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "None of you know him? Did you actually think that he belongs to Wudang Sect?"
Chapter 268 - Life and Death Circuit
The Shadow Ninja had disappeared!
When Happy entered the tunnel, he moved down, but he did not see even a single ninja. He did not sense the chilling aura that made his hair rise from the shadows of the cave. Ever since the Shadow Ninja retreated from the main hall, it was as if she had vanished into thin air. The abnormal situation made him feel a hint of uneasiness.
Usually, a situation like that would mean that the Shadow Ninja had become certain that she could not complete her task on her own and had returned into the depths of the royal mausoleum in search for helpers. She was prepared to rely on the other ninjas to attract her target's attention while she attacked from the dark.
That was something that Happy did not want to see.
If he were his previous self, who had entered the royal mausoleum when he was already in Life and Death Realm, forget a Shadow Ninja, even if he ran into a Ninja King, who was dressed in gold armor, he would not be the slightest bit afraid.
However, right then, his strength was still not enough for him to sweep through the entire royal mausoleum. Not only did he not have All-direction Agility, he did not have a high-tier throwing knife technique either. He also did not have four-echelon equipment nor a suitable martial art.
He only had Seven Stars Sword Style, which he had barely mastered. It was not even in Grandmaster Realm. He could perhaps go up against a Shadow Ninja, but if he had to fight against more ninjas, he would not have an easy time. He would not be able to be very attentive and cover every aspect while he fought.
However, this did not stop him from entering deep into the royal mausoleum.
During the early stages of World of Martial Arts, some of the normal ninjas, such as Knife-throwing Ninjas, Japanese Ninjas, and Cloning Ninjas, could drop high-grade masterpieces that could make many large sects go mad with greed over them. The drop rate for them was not low either.
The rare Shadow Warriors moving about in the royal mausoleum were all in Life and Death Realm, and they had a 100% drop rate for high-grade masterpieces. If anyone ran into supreme grade Shadow Warriors, they might even have the chance to get two pieces from them. Besides, there were also three to five Shadow Ninjas in one level. They could drop supreme grade masterpieces and some unique items.
In one round of the royal mausoleum, the number of masterpieces a person could obtain was extremely high!
If Beautiful Robes Faction could obtain such wealth, their overall strength and financial ability would increase by more than a level!
However, if Beautiful Robes Faction acted together with the other sects, there was a possibility that the resources would be divided. Hence, Happy charged forward first and ignored a few side halls and forks on the map. He set his sights on the path leading to the depths of the royal mausoleum.
Happy did not even look at them.
He knew that each of those boxes contained an item that was worth thousands of gold. It could be considered to be a small fortune. However, Happy knew that there were a few ninjas hidden near each box, and once he opened them, he would trigger traps. If he ran into Japanese Ninjas, they would be easy to deal with, but if he ran into Knife-throwing Ninjas or Cloning Ninjas, it would be very troublesome.
Knife-throwing Ninjas never fought against players in close-quarter combat, and their movements were brilliant. He would need to chase after them for a long time before he could kill them, and the throwing knives they threw repeatedly were not to be underestimated. They were a real handful.
Cloning Ninjas were even more bothersome. They could create an illusory copy of themselves that looked exactly the same as their real selves and even had half of their combat ability. As long as the real ninja did not die, the clone would not die as well.
Being surrounded by three ninjas who did not fear death was no easier than chasing down and killing a Knife-throwing Ninja.
Hence, Happy would rather not take those brocade boxes. He moved past them and headed into the depths of the royal mausoleum!
His Phantas
m Body Movement Skill was much faster than Cloud Treading Steps. After a few minutes, a huge pile of stones appeared in front of him. The paths to his left and right connected together and formed a tunnel that was made of two squares with one contained by the other.
The tunnel was rather large, and it resembled the main hall. However, the inside was very quiet, and not a single sound could be heard.
Happy frowned slightly and came to a stop.
He brought out a map from his Universe Bag which had the royal mausoleum's topography. The red dot that symbolized him was right in front of the entrance to a huge hall made by tunnels that formed two squares with one contained by the other. The sides of the hall had rather conspicuous small halls that were formed by concaves on the wall of the main hall. In truth, he could see some of the corners in the small halls as well as that there were tables that seemed to be made of gold and wood inside.
Happy's gaze gradually darkened.
'I'm here!'
Life and Death Circuit: the second danger zone after Ghost Face Wall, which was the first danger zone in the royal mausoleum.
"I won't be able to run from this battle, huh?"
Happy laughed bitterly and put away his map.
In truth, there was a reason behind why he left the group and went off alone. It was because he understood the traps and mechanisms in the royal mausoleum, and there were plenty of things that he could not explain clearly to the others.
Based on his previous life's memories, the second level, Life and Death Circuit, could be considered a trap that would set off a chain of reactions. Not only could it catch people by surprise, but once it was activated, they would be forced into a corner.
If a group of Mystical Realm players recklessly activated the trap while they were clueless of the situation, they would have a very slim chance of survival!
Even Happy was no exception.
But he could not do so.
He knew that if the people behind him came there and discovered that all the traps were in perfect condition, they would definitely destroy the brocade boxes and take the items inside.
After that, there was a high possibility that Beautiful Robes Faction would be dragged into the mess and die because of it.
Hence, he believed that the battle was unavoidable!
He slowly walked into the huge square-shaped hall with the huge pile of stones. From there, he could see the situation within the two small halls clearly.
To the left was a black box made of sandalwood placed on top of the table that looked like it was made of wood and gold. It was very precious and special. The hall to the right was empty but for a flashy carpet with a pattern of flowers on it. There was a rectangular box that seemed to be used to hold a weapons on it.
Happy's eyes lit up when his gaze landed on the sandalwood box.
Every single time the royal mausoleum was activated, the items inside would change at random, but there were generally only five types.
One of them was the aristocratic brocade box which was bound to have gold, jades, or other items.
One of them was a weapon box.
There were two other types. One of them were normal book boxes that contained martial art manuals. The last were the sandalwood boxes, and they contained the most unique items. Most of them were medicinal pills, hidden weapons, or other small items.
Sandalwood boxes might have the smallest value, but at certain times, they could bring out unusual effects. They were also the surprise that Happy wanted the most right then, since he did not need any equipment or weapon that were masterpieces.
Thud… thud…
Happy walked slowly under the illumination of the longevity lamps on the wall toward the small hall to the left, where the sandalwood box was placed. The faint golden light from his true qi forming his body fortification swiftly enveloped his entire body, and he also equipped his gear.
With each step he took, his aura increased slightly!
When Happy stood in front of the sandalwood box in the small hall, his Yellow Dragon Archer Gear fluttered.
The air in the small hall surged!
Happy had already increased his aura to the peak of Mystical Realm. His Golden Bell Cocoon nearly reached Grandmaster Realm, and it formed an air wall half a foot away from him that was so solid that it looked as if it had physical form. It looked as powerful as a bell and indestructible!
Even so, Happy's expression remained cautious and grave. He held his Silver Wolf Emperor Breaker Sword in a reverse grip when he shifted tentatively to the sandalwood box.
Slap!
With a clear sound, Happy opened the sandalwood box and revealed a black medicinal pill.
Smoke appeared abruptly to the left of him, and around a dozen chilling presences rose from within it.
'They're here!'
Chapter 269 - Resolution
The group of ninjas from Japan were under the orders of a man named Ninja King, but the rich valuables that were great in variety in the royal mausoleum dazzled them, and they could not take all of them away in one go.
Ninja King was worried that if they transported the treasure multiple times, the martial artists of China would catch wind of it and surround them, which was why they decided to stay in the royal mausoleum. In the meantime, he ordered a few scouts to sail across the seas and bring reinforcements. He wanted to sweep away the treasures of Yan Dynasty's royal mausoleum in one go and transfer all of them back to Japan.
However, they never touched the boxes, because they wanted to open them once their reinforcements arrived, and so they were perfectly preserved.
To prevent the tomb robbers from China stealing them, Ninja King stationed a few ninjas near each treasure and had them protect the treasures in secret. What concerned some of the more valuable ones, aside from stationing ninjas around them, he even set up meticulous traps. Ninja King himself was in the depths of the royal mausoleum. He was at the emperor's resting place while he toyed with the heirloom seal of the previous generation.
The players in Happy's previous life had coined the name Life and Death Circuit for the hall, because it had one of the rather valuable treasures in the royal mausoleum and Ninja King had stationed quite a lot of ninjas there.
The ninjas who hid their tracks and presences in the small hall to the left had stared at Happy's actions in secret. When the sandalwood box was opened and his attention was attracted by the black medicinal pill inside, they appeared at the same time.
Bang!
The smoke bomb exploded, and smoke filled the narrow hall.
The originally rather empty small hall was full to the brim with around a dozen ninjas when the smoke vanished.
Three of them were Knife-throwing Ninjas with a row of throwing knives hanging by their waists. Four of them were Japanese Ninjas who held katanas in reverse grip. There were also four Cloning Ninjas who wore bamboo hats. All of them surrounded Happy and the table, sealing off all exits from the middle of the small hall.
The ninjas who were the closest to Happy attacked at the same time!
They struck with the resolution and ruthlessness of someone who wanted to behead their enemy once they swung their weapons!
Their ambush failed!
The eyes filled with savagery and killing intent were directed at a corner of the small hall. It was the only place in the small hall where a person could stand.
A young man dressed in dark yellow archer gear and with a blue hero's bandana tied around his head was indeed there. There were hints of solemnity on his face, along with some degree of coldness. The only thing they did not expect was that there was a ninja with a bamboo hat and dressed in strange clothes in his hands. The bloodied Silver Wolf Emperor Breaker's Sword was slowly dragged down the ninja's neck.
At the same time, three other ninjas with the same attire in the small hall froze in their movements. They seized their own throats with great force, but fresh blood gushed out from between their fingers.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Happy ignored all of that.
Cloning Ninjas were one of the more difficult ninjas to deal with.
Because of that, he was the first one Happy targeted to kill. Since the small hall was very narrow, once the Cloning Ninja made clones of himself, he did not have any space to move or dodge!
The greatest trouble had been dealt with.
"Whew."
But Ninjas did not have fear, especially the ninjas in the game.
Even though Happy displayed strength that normal people did not possess, when the ninjas relocated him, the three Knife-throwing Ninjas and four Japanese Ninjas attacked at the same time.
Katanas cut through the air!
Throwing knives split the air!
Both types of weapons charged at Happy, who was in the corner.
Happy just smiled coldly.
The corpse he captured could finally be used.
Thud! Thud!
The sound of flesh being struck rose nonstop, and countless throwing knives stabbed into the corpse.
Immediately after, the Cloning Ninja's corpse was shredded to pieces by the four Japanese Ninjas who did not pause in their attack. Their fierce offense not only sealed off Happy's only direction of escape, their attacks also landed on Happy's body with whatever remained of their momentum. Their damage was not low. They did not show any signs of hesitation or compassion while they attacked their companions' corpse.
However, what happened next was very different from what they imagined.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The four Japanese Ninja's gazes changed swiftly. Their attacks seemed to have struck a bronze wall. Not only had they not managed to cut Happy, the force that was reflected back to their weapons nearly tore their purlicues and they were nearly unable to hold their weapons.
They staggered backwards while raising their swords high above their heads…