Sword Among Us c1-1268

by Black Swordsman Online

  'In my previous life, once you activated Sky Demon Secret Cave, there would be many vicious fights…'

  Of course, Happy could not answer in this fashion.

  When he saw everyone's interest, he thought about it for a bit while rushing forward at a great speed. When he organized his words, he spoke without turning his head around.

  "I don't know the specifics either, but the evil cult stood up for Sky Demon Sect in this martial arts tournament, so many Inaction Realm martial artists appeared to fight us. Even Shi Zhixuan and Zhu Yuyan, who are in Myth Realm, showed up.

  "If we activate Sky Demon Secret Cave, we might run into some of the bosses from the evil cult, so we must be extremely careful!"

  "Myth Realm?"

  Little North hissed when he heard that, and his expression became incredibly unpleasant.

  Even though he could fight against Inaction Realm martial artists, there was only a fifty percent chance that he could win. If he ran into the slightly stronger ones, he still had to turn tail and run.

  That was why when he heard that they might run into Myth Realm elites during their trip to Sky Demon Sect, Little North's face went slightly pale!

  Momo, All-powerful Medicinal Stone, and Wind Chimes instantly became nervous.

  They were initially full of confidence, but now, they became much more serious and cautious!

  When Happy noticed the changes in everyone's expressions, he quickly explained himself. "Of course, the main goal of the quest is to save Song Yuanqiao. We won't be going up against Myth Realm elites. If we really run into them, I'll serve as rear guard while you all leave."

  When he said that, Little North immediately made a ruckus because of how restless he was. "What?! No! I'll be the rear guard!"

  "With your body, Shi Zhixuan will kill you with just one palm strike. Your zombies puppets would also all die…" Happy shook his head in resignation. "At that time, not only would you not be able to buy enough time for us, you would just die.

  "Don't worry. It's fine even if I'm the rearguard. We have Illusion Life and Death Pills now, so even if we die, it's nothing. Besides, it's not certain whether we'll really run into Myth Realm elites. Once we save Song Yuanqiao, we can explore the general situation of Sky Demon Secret Cave."

  Happy's words finally made everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

  A few minutes later, the six reached the front hall safely, but they noticed, to their surprise, that the people who arrived there ahead of them… were very familiar.

  Chapter 600 - Wind Assault Tower

  The front hall of Sky Demon Sect actually resembled a huge altar. It was a huge hall that was supported by twelve dragon-shaped pillars. There was a grand and mysterious altar at one end of the hall.

  At the center of the altar were the Dharma images of four deities who looked as if they were alive!

  They were the Dharma images of the four guards of Heavenly Palace!

  The Sky Demon Sect disciples and apostles in the front hall had all been killed. There was a small team of six people there which quietly surrounded the altar at one end of the front hall, and they carefully observed the Dharma images of the four deities…

  "There are four Dharma images here, and they correspond with four Sky Demon Orders. There should be no error in this, but how do we use it?"

  The group circled around the Dharma images in bafflement, but they did not find the correct spot to place the Sky Demon orders, so they could not activate the huge Recondite Steel Door of the front hall.

  One of the people in the group was Elder Wu Kuo of Wind Assault Tower, and he had some elites from his tower.

  Their leader was Phantasmal Shadow. She wore a white veil that hid her face and held a soft, coiled up metallic whip. She stood at the foot of the altar with extraordinary calm while holding a dark red flint in her free hand. Her gaze was on the brazier at the top of two stone pillars with dragon carvings on them. They were the pillars that were closest to her, but she said nothing while looking at them…

  "Tower master, brutes as we are, we really can't find where the mechanism is."

  "Lil' sis, why don't you come over here and help us? You're the most attentive among us…"

  The group had been wandering around the altar for a long time and tried every method possible, but they could not find the correct way to activate Sky Demon Secret Cave, which made them gloomy.

  "Sky Demon Secret Cave has been hidden for thirty years, and no one ever noticed it. There has to be a reason for that. If you could find the mechanism from just a few Dharma images, I'd start wondering whether the elites from the other sects fell on their heads when they were kids."

  "...Urk, are you saying that the mechanism isn't on the four Dharma images at all?" Wu Kuo understood the underlying meaning behind Phantasmal Shadow's words, and he could not help but be stunned.

  The others also thought that what Phantasmal Shadow said was reasonable.

  "Could it be somewhere else?"

  "That would be difficult. This place is huge. If we had to go through every nook and cranny, it'd take a lot of time." Wu Kuo's face fell because of how troubled he felt.

  Phantasmal Shadow did not say anything. She just cast a glance at the two stone pillars with dragon carvings with a contemplative expression on her face.

  "Don't worry, someone will soon come here to help us find the mechanism," she said in a calm voice.

  "Are you talking about the people from Mu Clan?" Wu Kuo's expression changed. "If they come here, will we even be able to get anything?"

  Someone in the party agreed with him swiftly. "He's right. The people from Snow Eagle Group and Towering Palace were all chased away by Mu Clan, so you can tell that Mu Clan isn't really that good.

  "They definitely are thinking of monopolizing Sky Demon Secret Cave. If we don't activate it first, are we going to wait for them here and beg them to let us have a share of the loot?"

  "Beg?" Phantasmal Shadow smiled faintly and said with great confidence, "That's not necessarily true. We'd just be working together. Wind Assault Tower might not be able to compare with the four top-class sects, but we are still powerful. We don't need to care about others when we do things, and Mu Clan isn't as domineering as you think they are."

  "They occupied the resources in West Region and Changjiang River Basin. They also have some of the resources in two major counties in the central plains as well as Jiangnan, and you're saying they're not domineering?"

  Wu Kuo rolled his eyes.

  Phantasmal Shadow's smile did not fade away. "But they did not occupy every single resource in all the lands you just mentioned. They only take half of it, and this already makes them much better than Class One Hall and Towering Palace."

  "That's because the situation is different, right?" Wu Kuo looked at his sister with a strange gaze. "It's impossible for them to completely control all the resource points, but Sky Demon Secret Cave is a secret spot for quests. No one knows what sort of secrets are hidden inside, so will Mu Clan be willing to share them with us?"

  When Phantasmal Shadow heard that, a hint of relief appeared on her face. "Big brother, you finally used your head."

  "...Ahem, can you let me preserve at least some of my dignity when we're in front of other people? What do you mean by finally? Your brother is still considered wise and heroic, you know?"

  "Alright, my wise and heroic brother, you underestimated Happy's ambitions and tolerance. Even though he isn't as openly domineering, fierce, and resolute as Dream Clouds, his placatory and tolerant methods helped him create an even stronger Mu Clan.

  "He cares a lot about maintaining Mu Clan's reputation, but from the methods he uses when he treats different sects, such as how he tries his best to be tolerant of large, middle, and small sects while being harsh on Class One Hall, you can tell that he is as ambitious as Dream Clouds.

  "But his methods are easier to accept than those of Dream Clouds. He doesn't give off the great hostility and d.e.s.i.r.e to control everything as sh
e does."

  "What do you mean?"

  Wu Kuo scratched the back of his head while feeling lost.

  Phantasmal Shadow placed her hand against her forehead in resignation and continued to explain. "Happy is trying to be as tolerant as possible to the other sects because he doesn't want to make too many enemies. That's one of the reasons behind it.

  "The other reason is that those people aren't strong enough to be of any threat to him. Besides, excavating from the resource points together will not affect Mu Clan getting stronger at all…

  "As for Class One Hall, it's because Happy can tell what threat Dream Clouds poses and how ambitious she is that he's harsh toward them. He doesn't want to give Dream Clouds and Class One Hall any space to receive nourishment and get stronger."

  At that moment, the other four elites who had not spoken looked at each other. One of the men with an axe could not help but ask, "But what does that have to do with our current situation?

  "Will Mu Clan be willing to share the resources in Sky Demon Secret Cave with us? Don't forget, Happy monopolized the resources in royal mausoleum by himself for a period of time."

  "But Happy does not take the initiative to kill…" Phantasmal Shadow's analysis and understanding of Happy was rather deep, and her expression was as calm as usual. "Even if they really want to occupy it, they will mention it tactfully. They will not do as Dream Clouds does, killing everyone before telling them their intentions."

  Phantasmal Shadow looked at ease.

  At that moment, the sounds of robes fluttering could be heard from the direction of the entrance.

  Wary looks appeared on everyone's faces, and they fixed their gazes on the entrance.

  Happy, Silver Wolf, Wind Chimes, Momo, All-powerful Medicinal Stone, and Little North shot into the empty front hall of Sky Demon Sect as quickly as lightning.

  They had two sets of fourth-echelon Golden Armor, one fourth-echelon Phantasmal Battle Armor, one Colorful Phoenix Dress. It was a lineup that made the group from Wind Assault Tower, which had been prepared to face them since a long time ago, be unable to help but suck in a sharp breath.

  "Hey, there's someone here!" a clear voice shouted out.

  Phantasmal Shadow's expression was the same as usual. She smiled and went up to Happy and his party. "I see, so it's the elites from Mu Clan. I am Phantasmal Shadow of Wind Assault Tower, a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to meet you."

  "Wind Assault Tower?"

  "Phantasmal Shadow?"

  Little North and the others exchanged a surprised glance. They did not expect that there would be a few elites already present. Phantasmal Shadow was one, and Wu Kuo was another. There was also a saying in the world that everyone in Wind Assault Tower was a great player and that their abilities did not lose to those of elites below Musical Note of Towering Palace.

  "Haha…" Happy's expression did not change. He just laughed and moved in front of Phantasmal Shadow.

  In his previous life, he rarely had the chance to meet One Emperor, the two empresses, and three kings. Yet in this life, he seemed to be running into these famous elites wherever he went, and he wondered whether it was because the world was too small, or whether he was clearing the regrets from his previous life.

  "Once we parted in Hero's Mountain Villa, we did not see each other again, Tower Master Phantasmal Shadow. I hope you are well."

  Happy's voice was steady, and his tone suggested that he was relaxed. He had the bearing and tone of those who stood supreme in the world of martial arts.

  Phantasmal Shadow's expression changed slightly...

  Chapter 601 - Mechanism

  The appearance of Happy's party caused the atmosphere in the front hall to instantly become tricky.

  Even though the atmosphere between the leaders of the two sides was rather harmonious, Little North, Wu Kuo, and the others were rather scheming people. They knew what was happening and how quite a number of sects had secretly targeted Sky Demon Secret Cave because of Mu Clan's actions.

  In fact, they even thought about coming over to get a portion of the pie. Little North did not intend to show a friendly attitude to Wind Assault Tower because of that. Black fog surrounded him while he stood by the side and sized up Phantasmal Shadow and her group. No one could tell what he was thinking about.

  The group from Wind Assault Tower might have been conversing in a relaxed manner earlier, but when they truly came face to face with six of the elites from Mu Clan, they could not help but feel a little nervous.

  Forget about Happy, who had obtained the title of strongest in the martial arts tournament, Silver Wolf and Wind Chimes were fiends in their own right.

  The group could not easily get rid of all six of them. Besides, there were even the hostile-looking Ten Thousand Poison Duke and Throw Spirit Duchess among them…

  "Thank you for keeping me in your mind. I am fine. While I was at Hero's Mountain Villa, I witnessed your elegant demeanor and impressive mannerisms as the strongest player in the world, and I remember it up to this date. Now that I have the chance of meeting you, I feel very gratified."

  "Haha."

  Happy carefully observed Phantasmal Shadow, who stood tall and straight in front of him. In his previous life, she was Shadow Empress whose fame was equal to that of Dream Clouds.

  He laughed heartily after remembering that and exchanged a few more pleasantries with her. He did not dare to be even the slightest bit inattentive to her.

  "I, too, admired your gracefulness a lot, Tower Master Phantasmal Shadow. By the way…" His tone changed, and he asked, "Tower master, did you come to Sky Demon Sect for Sky Demon Secret Cave as well?"

  "It seems like I made a fool of myself before you. I heard rumors that there seems to be a great secret contained in Sky Demon Sect, which got me incredibly curious, so I brought a few friends here with the thought of investigating it, but after searching around the area for a long time, we still didn't manage to find the way to activate Sky Demon Secret Cave…

  "After that, I heard from my friends outside that you're here, so I thought about joining you once you come." She stopped talking for a moment and looked at Happy with worry in her eyes. "We won't be causing you any trouble if we join you, right?"

  Happy smiled.

  There was no way he would believe that the mechanism to the entrance of Sky Demon Secret Cave would serve as an obstacle for Shadow Empress, who was famed for her wisdom.

  He smiled and said, "Once Sky Demon Secret Cave is activated, there might be plenty of unexpected situations. All we can do is to protect ourselves.

  "If you insist on delving deep into it, we will naturally have no opinions about it, but know that if our luck is bad,we may run into Myth Realm elites and there will be deaths in this trip."

  When Happy saw that Wu Kuo and the others' expressions turn unpleasant, he stopped talking for a moment before he continued at the same speed. "Also, we came here today to save Wudang Sect's Great Hero Song Yuanqiao. Our goal might be different from why you might have come to Sky Demon Secret Cave."

  Silence reigned.

  When Phantasmal Shadow heard Happy say words that were basically the same as him refusing to travel with them, her expression changed slightly, but she quickly recovered.

  "I see, but it's alright. If we follow behind you, it should be pretty safe for us. We can also provide two of the Sky Demon Orders that are required for the entrance."

  She was quite surprised that Happy had come for a rescue quest and that he would actually not mind revealing the details of the quest.

  "If that's the case, then I will adhere to your request, Tower Master Phantasmal Shadow."

  Happy did not try to persuade her any longer and gave new orders with a calm expression. "Big Brother Medicinal Stone, you know mechanisms pretty well. I'll have to trouble you. Please hurry up and search for the mechanism that will activate the entrance…"

  The moment he finished speaking, All-powerful Medicinal Stone, who had never sized up Phantasmal Shadow and her party
and spent all the time observing the hall, said in a lackadaisical tone, "The mechanism to the entrance should be the two stone pillars with dragon carvings located near the altar."

  That one sentence instantly attracted both parties' attention to the stone pillar near the altar.

  "Stone pillar?" Wu Kuo was stunned.

  He could not believe that All-powerful Medicinal Stone could find out where the mechanism was located right upon arrival, but he also knew that the man would not speak without reason. So, his gaze immediately wandered about the seemingly normal stone pillars.

  All-powerful Medicinal Stone continued explaining then. "Only the fires in the braziers of those two stone pillars with dragon carvings near the altar are burning slightly weaker, which makes the altar much darker.

  "Also, The Sky Demon Sect disciples always carry with them items such as flints, which is why I'm guessing that we need to put in flints into the braziers to activate the mechanism. Well, I mean, it should be able to help us locate the true mechanism."

  A hint of surprise flashed past Phantasmal Shadow's eyes. She sized up the middle-aged man who was dressed up in a rather unkempt manner, and her gaze moved to Happy, who looked calm.

  She frowned.

  "Go and take a look."

  The two people beside Wu Kuo had been searching for the mechanism for a long time, so when they heard All-powerful Medicinal Stone mentioning the secret of the mechanism after just taking a single look at the hall, they felt unable to accept that they lost, but only a little.

  They stood up, and like moles, they stepped on the stone pillars with dragon carvings. In the blink of an eye, they climbed more than sixty-five feet up. Then, they cast a flint they obtained from the evil cult disciples into the brazier.

  Whoosh!

  The flames instantly climbed several feet higher!

  The altar became much brighter, and the five elites were shocked. Subtle changes had occurred on the four Dharma images on the altar.

  When they were illuminated by the flames, a rather small pit appeared at the waist of the Dharma images. By the looks of it, a Sky Demon Order could be placed inside it.