Besides, when he heard the people behind him discussing it, their words made him notice the Nation Protecting Divine Sword Happy held in his hands.
There were three colors flowing around the sword, and it had an additional layer that shone with a magnificent and phantasmal color after it fused with the other three colors. It looked incredibly noble and mysterious. The sharpness of the longsword could be seen clearly, and it was even more dazzling than the Heavenly Sword Emei Sect's Mistress Annihilation had held.
Zhou Yu felt his heart tremble!
For the first time ever, a solemn expression appeared on his face. He scowled and uttered two words that were barely audible, "Fourth echelon."
There were two other people who managed to recognize the weapon in Happy's hands.
They were Dream Clouds and Blood Robes, who were on the six great system-allocated sects' side. Both of them had seen many third-echelon Nation Protecting Divine Swords, so they could naturally tell that while the sword Happy held was Nation Protecting Divine Sword, it was even more awe-inspiring and aggressive than third-echelon ones. It was like a divine weapon!
Their expressions turned pale.
Alarm and panic flashed for a brief moment in their eyes.
It had supreme grade materials that were worth more than one hundred million taels of silver fused into it during refinement, and all its attributes had been increased up to 300%, which meant that it had a total of 2,000 damage.
The increase in attack speed of Nation Protecting Divine Speed was not that obvious during the initial refinements, but during the later stages, the increase in attack speed by 300% made Happy's normal attacks look like secret techniques, and with that terrifying damage, he produced the effect that caught the two Ming Cult members off guard. It was enough to strike them down like they were twigs.
At that moment, Dream Clouds and Blood Robes were not the only ones who felt uneasy. Everyone in the area felt the threat that came from Happy.
He was like a sword that was still in its sheath, but already displayed his abilities as he approached them slowly.
For a brief moment, the chaotic battlefield paused.
Everyone's gazes were focused on Happy as he walked slowly to Zhang Wuji.
"Stop him!" Once he snapped out of his daze, Zhou Yu quickly gave an order to the man next to him.
Xiao Shan reacted quickly and left behind an afterimage in his place.
The flautist also placed the flute in front of his mouth in an agile motion for the first time ever and started playing.
Whoosh!
Almost at the same time, Xiao Shan appeared and cut at Happy.
Golden Bell Cocoon!
Xiao Shan's teamwork with the flautist was perfect. He could use the suddenness of his movements to kill people in one strike the moment the flautist controlled them with his Soul Capturing Flute Note.
But he did not think that Happy's reaction speed would be much faster!
Golden Bell Cocoon appeared around his body.
Xiao Shao's certain kill strike was one of the three great killing moves from Jing Wuming, and it contained astonishingly destructive abilities.
Unfortunately, its destructive properties were Xiao Shan's greatest reason for failure.
The rebound from the golden bell caused the purlicue in Xiao Shan's sword-wielding hand to tear. He froze for a moment, and a dazzling light that was not at all inferior to his fatal slash sliced past his vision!
Happy was still uninjured, but Xiao Shan paid with his life.
Thud!
When Xiao Shan fell to the ground, a barely audible gust of wind struck the center of the flautist's sternum quietly. He shuddered, and the notes instantly came to a stop. He staggered a few feet backward and coughed up blood all over the ground. His face turned as pale as a sheet.
Ancient Wind's eyes went wide. It was only at that moment that he realized that the cold but frail-looking girl in front of him was a rarely seen elite.
She had managed to injure the flautist with one finger, which was an ability that no normal person possessed.
One of the two elites by Zhang Wuji's right had died, and the other was injured. It happened in an instant, and it shocked as well as intimidated the Ming Cult players once more. The people nearby moved backward, and when they looked at Happy walking over slowly, it seemed like they were looking at some sort of terrifying beast.
When Zhou Yu saw that things had progressed to this state, he understood that it was impossible for him to block the enemy.
He could only watch as Happy, Momo, and Ancient Wind strike at Zhang Wuji.
Boom!
A powerful force rose and swept outwards!
In an instant, sand and stones rose into the air. Dust swirled in the area, and Momo as well as Ancient Wind were the first to be affected. They were forced back and sent flying away while coughing up blood nonstop. However, since Zhang Wuji was heavily injured, he did not have the ability to kill the trio instantaneously.
Happy remained in the dust.
At the moment Zhang Wuji's attack was about to touch him, he activated Golden Bell Cocoon and Petite Dragon to avoid the attack by a hair's breadth. He also became the only person to not be forced to retreat after Zhang Wuji's attack.
Dragon Capture! Stormy Shadowless Kick!
At the moment Happy shot forward, he seized Zhang Wuji's arm and pushed his palm against the man's c.h.e.s.t as quickly as lightning.
Bang!
The moment his palm touched Zhang Wuji's body, Happy could clearly feel an incredibly strange power circulating in Zhang Wuji's body.
Zhang Wuji's body flew out from the dust! He landed on the ground and coughed up blood.
As for Happy, he was forced more than thirty feet back because of the power of Nine Yang Divine Skill that was reflected by Zhang Wuji's body.
'As expected of Zhang Wuji.'
But Happy was not someone easy to deal with. Even though he knew that Zhang Wuji was incredibly tough because he had Nine Yang Divine Skill as well as Heaven and Earth Great Shift, which meant that he could shift the location of his vital accupressure points at any moment he d.e.s.i.r.ed to reduce the damage on his body, every single time he did that, the burden on his body became even greater.
At the moment Happy was sent flying, he patted his waist, and a Soaring Eagle Sword sliced through the air to chase after Zhang Wuji.
"Dream on!" Zhou Yu flew into a rage.
He had been helpless when Happy and his party fought against Zhang Wuji, but if he let Happy injure Zhang Wuji severely by himself, Zhou Yu's dignity would be crushed.
He flung his silver spear forward, and a piercing glare sliced through the air to block the Soaring Eagle Sword perfectly.
Unfortunately for him, it was not that easy to intercept Happy's Soaring Eagle Sword.
Thud!
The overlapping Soaring Eagle Sword split up beforehand.
In the end, Zhou Yu only managed to block one Soaring Eagle Sword. The other two continued toward Zhang Wuji.
When Happy's attack was about to be effective, someone descended from the sky!
His fingers were like metal when he seized the Soaring Eagle Swords that had arrived in front of Zhang Wuji. Then, the exquisite and sharp Soaring Eagle Swords were instantly reduced to scrap metal by the old but powerful hands.
"Enough!"
White-browed Eagle King was like a towering mountain while standing beside Zhang Wuji. When he looked at the teenager who was heavily injured but whose expression remained the same, for the first time ever, a gentle look that was rarely seen on him appeared on his stern face and eyes.
"Grandpa."
Zhang Wuji wore a pained smile, but it was his address that made the expression of White-browed Eagle King to change drastically, even though his countenance had not changed once while he faced the elites from the six great system-allocated sects!
Chapter 422 - End of Quest?
"Time's up!
"Effectively hi
t Ceng A'niu twice. Obtained the affection of the teachers from the six great sects! Increased reputation by 5,000 points. Lose 1,000 chivalry points. Obtained 1,000 points."
The stream of notifications caused Happy to release a breath of relief. 'Two times? Looks like Dragon Capture is considered an effective attack. I've earned big this time.'
He had obtained more than 1,300 points on the way, so at that moment, he had 2,300 points. There might not be anyone in the six great system-allocated sects who could compare to him right then.
"Wuji! You're my boy Wuji!"
White-browed Eagle King's excited voice rang through the valley.
Wudang Sect's Song Yuanqiao, the sixth hero, and the seventh hero rushed out of the six great system-allocated sects' camp and surrounded Zhang Wuji. There might have been a small change to the plot, but it quickly returned to the original track.
When the players saw that, they understood that the quest at Light Summit had almost ended. With Zhang Wuji's identity exposed, Wudang Sect would definitely be unable to continue attacking. They would retreat, and the teachers of the six great system-allocated sects who lost to Zhang Wuji would find themselves too embarrassed to continue staying at Light Summit, and they will leave with their people as well.
As expected, Mistress Annihilation turned around and cast Zhou Zhiruo a glance. "I see, so you knew a long time ago that he's Zhang Wuji… Hmph!"
Zhou Zhiruo was very afraid of Mistress Annihilation, and she lowered her head without a word.
When Happy returned to the Emei Sect disciples, he saw that Zhou Zhiruo was incredibly upset, and he sighed in his heart. 'I knew it was going to happen, and I didn't manage to avoid it. Zhou Zhiruo's attack caused her to fall even deeper into the throes of love, and she is filled with self-blame and worry. Those feelings will fill her heart, and she won't be able to extract herself from it.'
"Amitabha." The abbot of Shaolin Temple called out the name of Buddha. "Since our six sects have lost in the hands of this young patron, we are willing to admit defeat. Everyone, it is not convenient for Shaolin Temple to stay for long in this place. We will take our leave now!"
"This is…" Kunlun Sect's He Taichong might not have been very willing to admit defeat, but when he saw that Shaolin Temple and Wudang Sect had stopped attacking, he found that he no longer had a pillar of support, which was why he snorted, flung his sleeves, and left.
Immediately after, Mount Hua Sect and Emei Sect led their people down the mountain as well!
The sea of fire in the ravine behind the valley had been extinguished by then.
The members of Ming Cult and the six great system-allocated sects outside the ravine also received a notification from the system and had their real identities restored. They were released from the quest at Light Summit.
"That's all?"
"Damn it!"
"I only managed to make it to Mount Huangshan after rushing to this place for a few days and nights, but you're telling me that the quest at Light Summit has ended before I even saw the teachers and Zhang Wuji's shadow?"
"What the heck?!"
"This is a scam!"
Countless players gave up and cursed the heavens.
Even though the players who managed to survive the quest had some points, they could not get any benefits from the six great system-allocated sects or Ming Cult. It could be said that they had served as background characters for the quest, and it was easy to imagine just how great was their anger and grievance.
The people who were blocked by the sea of fire felt the most aggrieved!
They could tell that the six great system-allocated sects were about to engage in a furious battle in the valley, but they had been blocked outside. That was clearly something the system had intentionally cooked up to stop them and limit the number of players who could insert themselves into the plot.
"Bastards!"
"If I knew this, I wouldn't have come."
Many people complained to the high heavens, and after cursing up a storm, they went down the mountain. Some of them even came to a decision that they would never participate in this sort of quest if they ran into another one in the future.
It was a scam! It was so obviously a scam!
Most players only came to understand later that if they were too far away from a storyline quest, they did not need to participate in them at all, because they would waste a lot of time just to come over. Besides, such quests did not require a large number of people participating in them. If there were too many people around, the system would just increase the limits on who could remain till the end.
For example, the second half of the quest at Light Summit was only for half a day, so mobilizing one million men for it was a little too much.
However, it was the first time many people saw a quest adapted from an original Wuxia novel since the game had been launched. It was only natural then that they would be very passionate about it, and their enthusiasm swelled. Everyone wanted to participate, but coming over from far away was a bit of a waste of time.
This time, quite a lot of players who did not have high qi realms had managed to earn the chance to be among the top players in the game. The few days they took to travel back and forth had allowed them to have their qi increase to higher heights.
*****
When the mass of people descended from the hill, Happy and his party were mixed among the players in the valley. They were not immediately released from the quest at Light Summit.
Besides, Happy temporarily got rid of his plan to leave because of one sentence from Emei Sect's Mistress Annihilation: "Young Swordsman Happy, what do you think of my disciple?"
Happy, Momo, and Ancient Wind looked at Zhou Zhiruo, whom Mistress Annihilation had mentioned. Ancient Wind instantly nudged Happy's shoulder with a mischievous grin filled with ambiguous meanings on his face.
"Miss Zhou is very charming and enchanting. She has an ethereal presence, and she managed to injure Zhang Wuji with one slash. It's enough to tell that she has extraordinary attainments in sword skills and prove that your judgment is outstanding for taking her in as your disciple," Happy answered seriously.
His words caused Mistress Annihilation elderly face to turn red. She hid her blush with a smile, but Zhou Zhiruo glared at him in secret.
'Extraordinary attainments in sword skills?'
When Momo and Ancient Wind heard Happy's evaluation, they pursed their lips and looked elsewhere with stern expressions. They could not laugh in front of Mistress Annihilation.
"Young swordsman, you've praised my disciple wrongly," Mistress Annihilation said with a stern expression. "This lass cannot compare to you. You are young, but you managed to win against Zhang Wuji. I did not make a wrong judgment. Murong Clan's disciples are indeed extraordinary."
"Mistress, you praise me too much!" Happy was very humble.
"That Zhang Wuji is the boy from all those years ago. He is the son of the fifth hero of Wudang Sect. I didn't expect him to be so powerful now. Not even our mistress is his opponent."
Ding Minjun seemed to be unable to accept the fact that Zhou Zhiruo had just received favor from their mistress. She suddenly butted in, and Happy quirked his eyebrows. He immediately noticed that Mistress Annihilation's expression turned incredibly unpleasant, and in his mind, he thought, 'This woman might usually like to set up schemes, but she's still a simple-minded person. She doesn't know how to speak at all.'
But her reaction was incredibly quick!
"Junior sister, you seem to be very close to Zhang Wuji."
That one sentence pushed Zhou Zhiruo into the sight of Mistress Annihilation, who was fuming.
"Hmph! You traitorous disciple!"
Mistress Annihilation was someone who was straightforward and wore her heart on her sleeve. When she heard Ding Minjun mention the matter between Zhou Zhiruo and Zhang Wuji, her expression changed, and she snorted before she said, "I don't care how close you were to Zhang Wuji when you were children. Right now, Zhang Wuji is a m
ember of the evil cult, and they are enemies of Emei Sect. Next time, when you see him, you don't need to say anything. Just draw your sword and kill him!"
Zhou Zhiruo said nothing.
"Did you hear me?!"
Zhou Zhiruo shuddered and quickly nodded in agreement.
When Happy saw this, he felt a pang in his c.h.e.s.t. She was but a pitiful woman under Jin Yong's pen. It was already very difficult for her to remain so obedient when she was rebuked by such a mistress. It was no wonder then why she turned into an evil woman who targeted the entire world of martial artists later on.
"Mistress," Happy said. "Since the matter in Light Summit has been resolved, I should return to my clan and report this matter. That's why I will take my leave now."
He did not forget the fact that the mastermind behind the matter of the six great system-allocated sects surrounding and attacking Light Summit was Cheng Kun, but the people who carried out the plan was the imperial court—Princess Zhao Min of Ruyang Mansion.
Happy did not think that he could withstand the damage from Ten Fragrant Tendon Weakening Powder, which was an amazing poison in the world of martial artists.
"Wait." When Mistress Annihilation heard that Happy wanted to leave, she smiled and called out for him to stay. "You can't leave just yet. You've injured Zhang Wuji right in front of all martial artists during the battle at Light Summit. Emei Sect has also gained glory because of it! Besides, you've taken care of my disciples on the way.
"Emei Sect is considered a famous and huge sect, so it's still within my limits to provide instructions for a member of the younger generation such as you. Consider it as a way for me to return some of your favor."
'Instructions?'
Happy came to a stop.
Chapter 423 - The Request from Emei Sect’s Mistress
That was too great of a joke!
Sword Among Us c1-1268 Page 214