Dream Clouds smiled faintly in the meeting room in the headquarters.
"Even though Mu Clan's prestige has increased and turned them into the strongest sect in China in all its literal sense, Happy can be considered to have planted a hidden problem for Mu Clan. He actually didn't seize the chance to completely occupy Towering Palace's coastal cities in the south."
"Heh." Blood Robes also had a hint of a cold smile on his face. "Happy is a very troublesome opponent, but when it comes to handling women, he's not ruthless enough. Ahem, what I mean is, Towering Palace will be filled with hatred for Mu Clan now. Clear Music will definitely be filled with hate as well, and in the future, when the time is ripe, they might become a very troublesome enemy for Mu Clan."
Dream Clouds said nothing. Her expression turned slightly calmer, and she nodded. "Perhaps the battle at the summit of Mount Tai will turn into a turning point for Mu Clan."
She stopped talking for a moment before narrowing her eyes slightly and saying, "If Happy wins, Mu Clan's reputation will become even greater. No one will be able to touch Mu Clan's position as the strongest for at least half a year. But if he loses to One Emperor… Hmph! How's your progress?"
When she reached the latter half of her sentence, her tone suddenly changed.
"Everything is going smoothly." Blood Robes smiled. "It's a real coincidence. The woman who is taking care of Happy right now shares the same surname as that girl, and they're calling each other sisters. Their relationship is incredibly good, and she's often invited to Happy's place."
"Oh." A hint of surprise appeared in Dream Clouds' eyes.
"Is the woman taking care of Happy really pretty?"
"She should be pretty good looking."
"Is there any way for Happy to take the initiative to chase away the woman taking care of him and switching to someone by your side?"
"This will be a little difficult. I heard that the woman taking care of him right now is one of the veterans of South China Martial Arts Ranking Board, and she's a work partner with Happy. I heard that there's romantic tension between them as well."
"Didn't you say that the person on your side looks pretty good?" Dream Clouds stared at Blood Robes with a strange gaze.
Blood Robes could only smile wanly and explain. "It's not that I don't want to use her. I heard from her that there was a conflict between them in the past, and things were not pleasant. Happy has some prejudice against her, and there's a barrier between them. Even if it were not because of that woman, it'd be impossible for her to get close to Happy. So it's unlikely to happen..."
"A pity," Dream Clouds said. She frowned a little and did not say anything else.
"By the way, Dream, we didn't receive any news about Barren Murderer over this period of time. Where did he go?"
"Persia," Dream Clouds said without hiding anything, "Did you forget? While we were at Ming Cult, we received a quest item from that side, but the trigger point for that quest was too far away, and I didn't have any thoughts about it, but Zhou Yu gave me a reminder later on saying that while Persia is a barbaric place, it's still the birth place of Ming Cult.
"There are countless elites over there, and if Barren Murderer manages to get Heaven and Earth Great Shift or items such as Ming Cult's Holy Fire Order while he's there, his strength would increase by a lot."
"Persia…"
A hint of joy appeared on Blood Robes' face.
He still remembered how the Holy Fire Order messengers from Persia had trapped Zhang Wuji and Xie Xun for a long period of time, which was enough to prove that there were some very powerful people outside the country.
Besides, a few sword users with dazzling skills had appeared in Goryeo recently. It was said that they were from Bright Sword Sect and had already entered the Chinese server through the plot of Twin of Brothers.
Along with the people who were skilled at fleeing arts and had long since entered the Chinese server, as well as Abu and the others, who were boxing masters from the southwestern countries, the multitude of great players in the Chinese server gradually began to regard the foreign players with higher value.
*****
The readjustment in Wind and Rain Alliance, the changing of palace masters in Towering Palace, along with the abnormal calm as well as well-behaved attitude from Class One Hall allowed all martial artists to tell that Mu Clan and Happy's actions had had an effect. Not only had they placated the instability in the south, Towering Palace had also chosen to compromise to the largest extent!
This sort of thing caused Mu Clan and Happy's prestige to increase by another degree! The Chinese martial artists as well as foreign experts also gained more of an insight toward them.
The world of martial artists returned to peace once more.
But storms still brewed under the surface!
One Emperor, who had gained an epiphany of his sixth sword at the arena during the martial arts tournament in Hero's Mountain Villa, had vanished without a trace once he obtained second place in the tournament. He did not show up again in the world of martial artists.
But there were countless martial artists who made guesses and said that he was perturbed by the fact that he did not obtain the title of strongest in the world during the tournament because he did not manage to win against Ling Huchong at Dragon Tiger Arena and disappeared to pour his heart and soul into understanding his seventh slash. There were even rumors that he was practicing an even more powerful martial art to prepare for the fight at the summit of Mount Tai.
However, even if One Emperor's strength did not grow, the last dazzling sword slash he delivered at Dragon Tiger Arena had heavily injured Ling Huchong, which was enough to make countless martial artists look forward to the day he would reappear!
The fight at the summit of Mount Tai would show just who was truly the strongest in the Chinese server and the world!
As time passed, everyone began to look forward to Happy and One Emperor's eventual duel at the summit of Mount Tai. In fact, there were many people who came to wait beforehand at Mount Tai. They sacrificed their time to practice in order to witness the duel between the two strongest players in the Chinese server!
When there were only three more days left before the final fight, the restaurant at the foot of Mount Tai was filled with people. The cities and sects nearby were also full of martial artists. Only a sea of people could be seen in the area.
*****
But the people did not know that while they were waiting in the area, Happy had been attracted by an unexpected system notification to the mighty clan in the north dozens of miles away.
It was one of the eight aristocratic families! They were a mighty clan that relied on crafting excellent weapons to intimidate the world of martial artists, and they were the best at it! They were rich, had plenty of elites, and connections all over the world. Money and power were in their hands, and it was, frankly, astonishing to behold.
Unfortunately for Happy, while he was giving his all in preparing for the fight at Mount Tai, he received a messenger pigeon from the four abandoned disciples of Sword Sect saying that the repairs for Heaven Crystal were near the end!
Even though the Nangong Clan was determined to retrieve their previous clan master's sword and seize Heaven Crystal to rebuild Nangong Clan's prestige, the sect master of Sword Sect had also gone through a lot of trouble to secure Heaven Crystal. He personally served as a garrison with a group of elders at the mighty clan in the north to monitor the Sword Creation Lake used to repair Heaven Crystal, and he never let down his guard for even a second.
The strangest thing about this was that during the process of repairing Heaven Crystal, most of the elites of the mighty clan in the north were relocated to the area nearby, as if they sensed the quality and strength from the profound mysteries contained within Heaven Crystal and had grown to d.e.s.i.r.e it.
The three factions of power held their breaths and acc.u.mulated their strength while they harbored their own thoughts and waited for the final m
oment when Heaven Crystal would be completely repaired!
Chapter 658 - Caravan Attacked
The mighty clan in the north was basically an ancient heavy industry. They were not built in a normal city, because it occupied a lot of space. Due to the necessity to protect their skills of sword crafting, it was a very dangerous thing to build forges in cities full of people.
Many years ago, the previous clan masters of the mighty northern clan had their Sword Crafting Hall and also the entire industry move to a snow mountain. They set a heavily fortified fortress built with a hill behind it overlooking a lake. The name of the fortress was Heaven Shaking Fortress, and it was built at the foot of a snow mountain. The area around it was very wide, and it was very popular in the game.
But since it was built outside the city, the mighty northern clan was the local lord within a circular area of thirty-one miles. The rules in that place were much more unique compared to a normal city.
No martial artists were allowed a third of a mile to Heaven Shaker Fortress, or else, they would be considered to be infringing upon the name of the mighty northern clan and bring upon themselves the attacks and even pursuit of the elites from the clan!
Even the people who were taken as disciples of the mighty northern clan could only move around in a certain area outside Heaven Shaker Fortress. They could not enter the core of the mighty northern clan's Sword Crafting Hall. Only the outstanding disciples who had been acknowledged by the mighty northern clan had the right to enter.
Hence, the outside world was incredibly curious toward the inner structure of the mighty clan in the north, including their Sword Crafting Hall which was rumored to have produced many divine weapons.
With the help from the abandoned disciples of Sword Sect, Happy obtained a set of clothes for the northern clan disciples. He disguised himself, followed a carriage that went out to pick logs, and entered Heaven Shaker Fortress.
Whoosh!
A biting cold wind swept through the caravan moving over the snow ground. The coachmen hunched their shoulders, tugged their sleeves, and breathed into their hands.
"This weather is going to freeze someone to their deaths."
The coachmen sat together and chatted. Sometimes, they whipped their horses. Fortunately, the wheels of the carriages were actually sleds, and the horses did not need to use much strength to move.
"When we go back, I'm definitely going to drink a few pots of wine to warm up my body."
"Old Wang, your nephew looks pretty weak, are you sure he'll be fine?" One of the coachmen turned his head around to look at a young man behind them who had his face covered tightly. He laughed loudly. "Them southerners can't stand the cold on our side."
"The young'un will be fine. I brought him here this time to train." The one who replied with a silly grin was one of the abandoned disciples of Sword Sect, Torn Army. He followed the caravan and sat together with the person he bribed.
The "young'un" they mentioned was naturally Happy.
He was dressed in a very exaggerated fashion. He had a few quilt jackets on him and even a huge hat made of pelts. While the howling wind blew at him, he sat on the carriage frame.
The snow land around him might be cold, but Happy was actually boiling over.
His Nine Yang Divine Skill circulated on its own, and while he appeared no different compared to a normal person and did not have any basis in martial arts, he remained warm in the cold. Dressing up heavily just made him feel burdened and heavy. In fact, it was so hot that he felt horrible.
But it was necessary for him to put on a disguise when he went with the caravan.
Happy sat hunched in a ball in the carriage while he sensed the changes of the world within 328 feet around him. He also thought about how he should complete the quest.
The request from the abandoned disciples of Sword Sect was very simple. All they wanted was simple revenge. As long as Happy could steal Heaven Crystal while Sword Sect, the mighty northern clan, and the Nangong Clan watched over it, he would be considered to have completed the quest perfectly.
The quest might be risky, and he might have a bounty placed on his head by the three famous clans and sect once he failed, but Happy felt that it was still worth it to take the risk for a divine weapon, Heaven Crystal.
He could refine Dragon Saber, but as of then, he still had not obtained any suitable saber technique for it. Hence, Happy thought about setting aside Dragon Saber for the time being, obtaining Heaven Crystal first, and refining it to the fourth echelon. Once he completed the quest, the damage of his Flying Dragon Sword Technique would become inconceivable!
He did not think about how he would fare against One Emperor with a fourth-echelon Heaven Crystal for now, but when he faced Myth Realm elites, he would not be completely helpless.
At that time, perhaps the intelligent beast Fire Qilin in Sky Demon Secret Cave would run away when it saw him!
Just as Happy's thoughts ran wild, an incredibly faint sound reached his ears from a distance. It was as if a small twig had fallen into the snow, and the sound was so weak that it was difficult for anyone to notice.
Happy frowned. He subconsciously straightened his body while sitting in the carriage. He calmly unfurled his body, which he had pretended to curl up previously, and entered a guarded state!
They were still a distance away from Heaven Shaker Fortress. Even though they were within the mighty northern clan's sphere of influence, there was still a possibility that they would run into bandits.
There was a lot of noise suddenly.
The sounds of robes fluttering and the faint crunch of snow did not catch any of the caravan NPCs' attention, but Happy could hear it clearly, since he had powerful spiritual senses.
He frowned.
'This quest is indeed not an easy one.' Happy g.r.o.a.n.e.d in his heart.
It was a quest related to a top-grade divine weapon, so every small segment would contain countless dangers and difficulties. The caravan had attracted no fewer than three Inaction Realm martial artists and more than twenty Moksha Realm elites.
'They're either from Sword Sect or the Nangong Clan!'
"Who is it?!"
The caravan came to a swift halt!
The people in the caravan also seemed to have some degree of skill. When their enemies were 164 feet away from them, they finally noticed that the area around them was no longer calm and shouted in anger.
"This is the caravan of the mighty northern clan. My brothers on the road, do pay attention and see that we are not your enemies."
The mighty northern clansmen had clearly noticed that the people who approached the caravan had extraordinary skill. The speaker's tone became grave, and he stated his identity before they could approach them. At the same time, he was also giving a reminder to his own people.
Right when he finished speaking, cold wind blew. The three Inaction Realm martial artists landed lightly in front of the caravan and blocked it in the shape of a triangle. Their white and noble-looking clothes, longswords that were as clear as autumn water, and their young as well as arrogant faces showed their statuses very clearly!
They were people from Sword Sect!
"Haha!"
The young man in the lead walked toward the caravan and said, "Don't be afraid. We're from Sword Sect, our friends from the mighty northern clan. We came here in the hopes that we can ride with you and become guests in your clan."
There was only one Moksha Realm martial artist in the caravan. The others were all in Life and Death Realm. There was also only one abandoned Sword Sect disciple who could not show his strength, and Happy instantly found himself in a troublesome situation.
When he saw that the mighty northern clansmen were in danger, Happy found it hard to say anything about the situation. He continued to sit in the carriage while "shivering" and watching the events unfold.
"It's the people from Sword Sect. I can't attack. Don't do anything rash either. We'll watch the situation. If they decide to kill us to
keep us quiet, we'll run," Torn Army said from one of the carriages ahead in a way that only Happy could hear.
He relaxed after hearing that.
Chapter 659 - Oriole at the Back
The caravan had stopped in the forest sparse with trees. More than twenty Sword Sect disciples dressed in white stood on the snow and surrounded it. Each of them had an amazing presence, or at the very least, they were all powerful existences against whom the coachmen of the mighty northern clan could not hope to fight against.
When Stallion Glory, the only Moksha Realm martial artist in the caravan, noticed the strength of the Sword Sect disciples, he forced himself to squeeze out an obsequious smile.
"I see, so it's our brothers from Sword Sect. I've heard of your name for a long time."
"Enough with the nonsense," the Sword Sect disciples in the lead ordered impatiently. "Move now! Bring out all the logs in the carriage!"
"Huh?"
The mighty northern coachmen were stunned. They did not understand the meaning behind Sword Sect's actions.
"Why are you still daydreaming?! Hurry up and act! Or else, don't blame me for not showing mercy!"
With a loud clang, the disciple in the lead drew his longsword, which shone with a cold glare. In an instant, it caused the temperature around them, which was already very cold to begin with, to go down by a lot.
The other Sword Sect disciples drew their swords as well, and killing intent shone in their eyes.
When the coachmen sensed how serious were the Sword Sect disciples about killing them, they were so terrified that their faces turned pale. They did not dare to be idle and quickly got down from their carriages in a flurry of motion.
"You, and you, why are you still dawdling about?"
A person pointed a sword at Happy. He had to lower his hat and force down the cold light shining in his eyes. He got off the carriage with fake alarm on his face and began to bring out the logs in the carriages.
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