Time was money.
Everyone rushed into the tunnel at their fastest speed!
*****
When they went inside, they became even more alarmed by what they saw.
The ninjas' corpses were pressed closely to each other. Whoever had killed them had clearly not wasted a lot of time on them. He easily killed them with just a few slashes.
Everyone was shocked by Happy's strength, and the mood gradually sank. The more certain they became that Happy had quickly killed the ninjas, the higher the possibility that he was already very far ahead of them became. The probability of meeting any ninjas along the way also dropped.
The decrease in resources meant that their chances of getting anything became very low!
Aside from increasing their speed and charging ahead at full power, they could do nothing about it.
When they saw the brocade boxes that had not been touched in the side halls, they could not help themselves and put their hands on them.
The value of the items in the brocade box might not be high, but the ninjas who appeared after they triggered the mechanisms had a certain chance of having some rewards.
Of course, there were still some people whose attention was not diverted by the items along the way. They just charged forward without stopping deeper into the tunnel.
*****
"Damn it!"
"Life and Death Circuit is cleared as well."
"Continue chasing after him! He should be nearby!"
As they hastily ventured deeper, they found that the number of ninjas' corpses in the tunnel had increased.
Among them were Cloning Ninjas, Shadow Warriors, and Shadow Ninjas. By the looks of it, even Life and Death Realm ninjas could not stop Happy from moving forward or even slow him down.
"Damn it."
"Almost half of the ninjas in the first level died in his hands."
The group that led the charge did not just have outstanding lightness skills, but were also elites on the Dragon Rank. At that moment, their expressions were incredibly unpleasant.
"There were at least two hundred corpses on our way here. Even if we worked together, we would not have been able to reach this place within such a short amount of time. Just what sort of monster is he?"
One of them did not say anything.
There was one man with Golden Gloves in the team, and he instructed his companions with a solemn expression. "No matter what, if we run into him later, don't provoke him, and don't kill-steal him. Otherwise, if something happens, don't blame me for abandoning you."
All he got for his kindness was a mass wave of eyerolls.
"Duh. Do you even need to say it?"
"Who would have the time and energy to provoke him? Only retards like Lu Mingyue will do such a thing. I'd like to know how that guy will react when he learns that Happy fought all the way to this place alone."
"We'll know if we just stop and wait for him here." Someone cackled coldly.
"Ah, quiet, you."
They did not slow down while they spoke. They passed by another two groups of ninjas' corpses before they finally saw Happy at the latter half of the first level of the royal mausoleum.
When the sound of fighting reached their ears, their eyes lit up, and their expressions became those of pleasant surprise.
"We caught up!"
"Damn it, it sure took us a lot of effort, but at least he didn't manage to charge through the first level entirely on his own."
As they spoke, they took a turn and saw Happy fighting fiercely against Ninja King's clone, who was dressed in Golden Armor. Their gazes froze upon catching sight of that.
Happy was dressed in silver armor, and his image was completely different from the one in the battle replay. Some of his elegant, scholarly air had disappeared, and he now looked a little mightier and more heroic.
When fighting against Ninja King's clone, he had the upper hand and overwhelming advantage.
The group was stunned silent upon seeing that. They stopped moving and looked at each other at a loss.
"He even managed to find Ninja King's clone. What should we do now?"
"Ignore him."
The man with Golden Gloves s.u.c.k.e.d in a deep breath and activated his body fortification. "Don't stop here. If we continue to dilly-dally in this place, we'll run out of things to loot in the first level. Let's go!"
Once he finished speaking, he wrapped his fist in his palm and saluted Happy.
"Pardon me! Passing through!"
"Sure thing."
Happy did not even turn his head around. While he answered, he violently executed two slashes on Ninja King's clone, delivering such a great shock to Ninja King's clone that it staggered backwards repeatedly. Then, he chased after it like a shadow. Noble Sword shone with layers of light and attacked like a never-ending stream. It struck armor on Ninja King's clone with the force of a tidal wave.
The group carefully moved past Happy and Ninja King's clone, but before they could venture far, they suddenly heard a dull thud behind them. Then, everything became silent. They were curious, and they turned their heads around to look, only to find Happy picking up an exquisite Universe Bag from the body of Ninja King's clone.
'So fast…'
Before they could react, Happy shot past them without stopping. He completely ignored their shocked gazes and swiftly moved past them like a silver light.
He left behind the group whose members smiled in anguish and resignation.
They could understand why Happy had decided to not give them any resources, because they had chosen to treat him as competition from the moment they entered the royal mausoleum.
It was all a bitter taste of karma when Happy chose to treat them as competition as well.
Even though there was still the second level of the royal mausoleum, with the abilities Happy displayed right then, he might not leave behind a lot of resources in the second level for them as well.
*****
Their assumptions were correct.
Once Happy got rid of Ninja King's clone, he charged straight to the second level's entrance and killed Shadow Ninjas, since they had a relatively higher chance of dropping masterpieces. Then, he shot into the second level of the royal mausoleum without hesitation.
He charged past the Soldier Puppets in the second level of the royal mausoleum. When the soldiers completely woke up, Happy had already taken a turn and entered another tunnel.
He treated all the Soldier Puppets he passed by the same way.
They either lost their target the moment they woke up, or they were forced a few steps back by Happy's Golden Bell Cocoon and then lost sight of him.
Happy's target was very clear: the tomb with Nation Protecting Divine Sword!
With his defense right then, he could withstand the attacks from the eight General Puppets.
Happy would only have the courage to refine his sword to gain the first echelon after he gained his second Nation Protecting Divine Sword!
Chapter 363 - Meeting Ninja King Again
The tombs with Nation Protecting Divine Sword and the heirloom seal had one grade one masterpiece and one quest item respectively. It was a secret that everyone knew.
Many people went for those two items when they challenged the royal mausoleum.
Out of the two of them, however, Nation Protecting Divine Sword's tomb was easier to clear. While the eight General Puppets were very difficult to handle, it was basically impossible for them to instantly kill a powerful player on the Dragon Rank or Phoenix Rank.
Hence, there were already a few people in the game who had obtained imperfect versions of Nation Protecting Divine Sword. The price for it reached up to 3,600,000 taels of silver, and it was worth a few masterpieces at once.
There were fewer people who had cast their eyes on the heirloom seal!
After all, Old Swordsman guarded it, and with one slash, not only could he cut through defenses and instantly destroy a Mystical Realm player's high-tier body fortific
ation, he could even crush the players' organs. His battle prowess was even greater than that of Ninja King.
The tomb might be small and the heirloom seal might be close to the players, but that distance was similar to the distance between heaven and hell.
Once Old Swordsman instantly killed dozens of Mystical Realm players, all martial artists who entered the royal mausoleum consciously took a turn and walked around his tomb from then on.
The second fearsome entity in the royal mausoleum was Ninja King. He usually lingered around the tomb with Nation Protecting Divine Sword while hiding himself with ninja arts. As long as the players did not get close to the tomb with Nation Protecting Divine Sword, he would usually not appear.
Many of the martial artists who challenged the royal mausoleum already had a certain amount of experience. Once they charged through the first level—which left them in great disappointment—they entered the second level and rushed to the tomb with Nation Protecting Divine Sword without stopping.
But when they reached it, they were just in time to see Happy rushing out of the royal tomb like a swimming dragon while chased by the eight General Puppets. The box in the tomb had already been opened.
"Damn it!"
"He already snatched everything in the royal mausoleum."
Right when the group released all sorts of sighs with various emotions, a golden figure suddenly appeared in front of Happy, and without hesitation, it threw a palm strike that brought with it wind that could tear through dimensions at Happy's face.
"Ninja King!"
The group in the tunnel became excited.
Ninja King, who had suddenly appeared, was just in time to form an encirclement with the eight General Puppet. Together, they trapped Happy in a lineup that would leave anyone injured or even killed.
But unfortunately for the onlookers, the scene that happened next exceeded everyone's expectations.
Clang!
A simple but graceful golden bell that brought with it a forceful air that could faintly intimidate someone appeared around Happy's body an instant before the attack landed and caught Ninja King's palm.
A loud bang rose up into the air. The golden bell was not damaged, but to Happy's satisfaction, Ninja King was affected by a huge rebound that came from the golden bell. He staggered two steps backwards, unable to maintain his balance. It left him full of openings.
Whoosh!
"Damn it!"
"Run!"
A few smart people in the group moved away quietly and waited until the group behind them cried out in surprise and cursed when they saw Ninja King and the General Puppets charge at them quickly and murderously.
However, Ninja King's speed made it so that not everyone could shake him off.
Disaster struck the slower players.
"Go there! Don't lure him here…"
"Damn it!"
"Curse you!"
The screams of pain and curses in the tunnel behind Happy did not affect his footsteps. Once he obtained Nation Protecting Divine Sword, he headed to the hall in the second level of the royal mausoleum that had more than one hundred ninjas gathered in it.
A hint of burning enthusiasm appeared in Happy's eyes.
While tightly holding his Noble Sword, he summoned his Golden Bell Cocoon. With a momentum of moving forward with an indomitable spirit, he charged forward like a swimming silver dragon. His abilities were on full display while he received the splitting throwing knives that filled the air.
Without any care, he charged to the densest mass of ninjas in the hall.
The elites who followed behind him were both dumbfounded and speechless.
Not long ago, someone had rushed into the hall to kill the ninjas because he had a Mystical Realm high-tier body fortification technique and outstanding equipment, but he had faced a tragic fate.
Once he rushed into the crowd, dozens of splitting throwing knives and Shadow Warriors' fast attacks landed on him like a storm. They were so strong that he could not even hold his weapon properly. He was a sturdy target that kept on eating Dew Pills in the hall, but he still did not manage to last for even half a minute. In the end, he could not escape the fate of being dismembered.
The man had indeed had great defenses, but when he faced such a dense wave of attacks, recovery and evasion become two attributes that were extremely important. If he could not recover, he could not execute his attacks, and if he could not dodge, what difference was he from a shooting target?
Happy, on the other hand, showed the elites what was known as an extremely powerful body fortification technique, an ability to recover one's posture, and moving about with ease like a fish in water while in a group battle.
He did not pay attention to the splitting throwing knives when they came at him in twos or threes, and when the number increased, he activated Phantasm Body Movement Skill without hesitation so that most of the attacks would miss.
More people arrived at the tunnel across the hall.
When they saw what was happening, they found themselves falling into instant silence.
All ninjas in the hall moved. They surrounded Happy while he shifted around like a silver dragon. At that moment, even if someone wanted to join the fight, they would have to think carefully… about whether that silver dragon would bring its endless abilities and appear in front of them too.
Everyone wisely chose to stay where they were.
"What's that equipment?"
"I think it's a set. During the battle at Common Reed Bank, that imperial court general seemed to have that armor equipped."
"Golden Bell Cocoon actually has the effect of maintaining a person's posture?"
"Phantasm Body Movement Skill, Golden Bell Cocoon, set equipment, and Mystical Realm high-tier martial arts at Grandmaster Realm…"
The eyes of quite a few people sparkled.
As time passed, all one hundred or so ninjas in the hall died!
Happy completely ignored the elites from the two tunnels to the left and right. He methodically gathered up the spoils on the ground and frowned slightly as he thought about how he should shake off everyone to fight against Ninja King.
Even though his main goal was to obtain masterpieces to complete his trade with the mysterious Kind Tycoon, he still wanted to fight Ninja King.
Even though Silver Aquatic Dragon Set was pretty good, equipment with echelons was already so common that many of the sect masters and vice sect masters of large-sized sects had them. It meant that soon, the advantage of set equipment would be completely gone.
When that time came, Silver Aquatic Dragon Set would provide little to no help to him!
Happy's main goal was Golden Armor Set…
Right then, he had two parts of the set in his hands. As long as he could get the full Golden Armor Set, his attributes would receive a large increase. Even if he faced someone with a full set of equipment that had reached the first echelon, he would still have a pretty good advantage over them.
More importantly, Golden Armor Set from the royal mausoleum was not something that was one of its kind. He would have a chance to get it every day, and once he acc.u.mulated enough parts, he could make them reach the first echelon.
Just when Happy was thinking about how he was going to find a chance to kill Ninja King alone, a commotion suddenly broke out in the tunnel to the right.
"Ninja King!"
"Lu Mingyue, you bastard!"
Chapter 364 - Admit His Superiority
Lu Mingyue had been gloomy during his entire trip through the royal mausoleum.
He had seen quite a lot of people rolling their eyes at him while he wandered about. Based on such a reaction from the other martial artists, he was able to tell a lot of information that made him uneasy and displeased.
It seemed like Happy had beaten him at his game and obtained most of the treasures in the royal mausoleum. He entered the depths of the royal mausoleum alone, leaving the people who challenged the royal mausoleum with very few rewards. Some of
them did not receive anything at all.
That was the opposite of what Lu Mingyue wanted!
When he thought that he had just helped Happy gain a large amount of wealth, Lu Mingyue's eyes grew even darker. He wanted to immediately find Happy and rip him to shreds to vent his hatred.
After entering the second level, Lu Mingyue ran into Ninja King, who had been chasing after a few martial artists.
At the sight of it, a sinister thought appeared in Lu Mingyue's head.
The tunnels in the second level of the royal mausoleum were not as long as in the first level. There was a bend once every dozen feet, and he could finally put his Needle Tide to use. With this marvelous and unparalleled ability, Lu Mingyue easily lured Ninja King to himself.
On his way, he learned of Happy's general direction from a grateful martial artist and ran off with Ninja King.
"Move!"
The tunnel ahead of Lu Mingyue suddenly became rather packed. It frustrated him, and he quickly shouted out a loud warning.
But Ninja King was rather far behind him, so when the players in front saw that it was just Lu Mingyue, no one bothered to care about him.
Soon though, Ninja King appeared from the tunnel like a phantom, coming up right behind the group, everyone instantly burst into a commotion. All sorts of curses and surprised screams arose.
Lu Mingyue snorted coldly. His flying needles shot into the wall across from him, and with his qi to guide him, he flew over nearly one hundred people's heads like a phantom to appear at the entrance of the hall.
The scene he saw caused Lu Mingyue's blood to boil.
Happy was standing among more than one hundred corpses of different ninjas while retrieving his spoils leisurely. When he looked up, the mocking and teasing smile on his face was incredibly obvious.
"Palace Master Lu, you're late."
"Really?" Lu Mingyue's expression was incredibly dark and sour. "Our fight hasn't ended yet."
A group of Mystical Realm players screamed and cursed behind him. They continuously shot past him to run into the hall.
The people in the tunnel across from them were also afraid that they would invite trouble. When they saw Ninja King come from the tunnel on the other side, they did not dare to be negligent. They ran into the hall, broke Ghost Face Wall, and left the royal mausoleum via the exit.
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