"ACK!"
Little North was so terrified by his words that he gripped the mouth of his Universe Bag tightly. He stared at All-powerful Medicinal Stone in a panic. "Mister, how did you know about this?"
He was still very wary of the successor of Marvelous-handed Sect. He looked afraid that All-powerful Medicinal Stone would extend his grabby hands inside and steal from him.
Thunderous Battle and Happy looked at each other and smiled.
"We're almost done here. There's no place for us to join the matter inside, anyway. Let's go." Happy's words made the people in the area stunned.
"We're leaving?"
Even though their main goal for the trip was to get rid of Fallen Feathers Sect and crush Class One Hall's second pair of claws, they could not just return empty-handed after they entered the treasure trove, right?
"If we head over recklessly when Class One Hall and Chivalry Sect are busy fighting against each other, forget the fact that we won't get anything good out of it, we might even end up offending both parties. Besides, we only have a few people on our side, and it'll be a complete joke if we try to fight against Yao Hua and his wife, or did you actually think that you will be able to seize the divine vessels?"
Happy's tone suggested they were completely out of their league. "We should stop once we've reaped our benefits. The people from Class One Hall aren't idiots, if we go over and fight against them now, we will completely destroy the final buffer that's maintaining the peaceful coexistence between us. Things will not end well for us then."
In truth, he was actually rather worried. If he continued staying in Fox Cave, there was a great possibility that a danger he could not predict would come for them!
If Class One Hall and Chivalry Sect managed to slaughter their way into the third level and heavily injure Yao Hua while his mind was not clear, they would get it see something really "fun". The tragedy of Nine-tailed Fox baptizing Immortal Fox Village and Wuhu with blood might be brought forward, and even the three of them would not be able to escape.
"Alright."
Even though All-powerful Medicinal felt rather regretful that he could not destroy Class One Hall's plans to fight over Yao Hua's divine vessels, Happy was right. It was still too early for them to officially go up against Class One Hall!
The four of them turned around and logged off in Fox Cave at the same time.
*****
The fight between the two women ranked in the second and first place of the Phoenix Rank had reached its climax in the second level of Fox Cave.
Wind Void relied on her small and exquisite Cold Steel Mandarin Duck Saber to move around Dream Clouds like a fluttering butterfly. She sliced upwards, horizontally, downwards, and delivered double slashes. All sorts of sword styles came raining down on Dream Clouds like an avalanche. Wind Void's attacks came nonstop, and her speed was so quick that she could threaten Dream Clouds from above, the middle, and the bottom.
Her speed and damage were clearly above Stormy Shadowless Kick, and many of the powerful elites from Class One Hall held their breaths as they watched. They stared at the battlefield and did not dare to let down their guard.
Sweat broke out on Dream Clouds' forehead. She never relaxed her guard.
She could tell at that moment that the Mystical Realm high-tier martial art Wind Void practiced was a speed-based martial art, and its grade was rather high as well. It was very difficult to handle her attacks. If Dream Clouds' body fortification technique had not been near Grandmaster Realm, she might have lost a long time ago.
However, the damage from the rapid attacks of a Mystical Realm high-tier martial art was very astonishing. After one round of attacks, the light from her body fortification quickly became dimmer. If her equipment had not been incredibly good and she had powerful medicinal pills replenishing her health and restoring the qi she used to maintain her body fortification in a nonstop stream, her body fortification would not have been able to last for too long.
Dream Clouds finally understood Wind Void's strength. There was actually someone who could control the rhythm of a battle while she was up against her alone, even though Dream Clouds should have been the one in control of the battle! Dead She-wolf had also been incapicitated by a blow that was not meant for her after she had drawn closer. She had then hid herself in the corner.
Dream Clouds could not allow the person before her to continue becoming stronger, or else, there was a high possibility that Chivalry Sect would become the biggest obstacle for Class One Hall to become the greatest!
Her gaze turned cold.
The heat of flames suddenly rose from Dream Clouds. A red flash shone, and a red heat wave suddenly gushed out from her sword. Her timing was ingenious, and it went charging straight at Wind Void who moved in to attack.
Chapter 248 - Merciless Saber, Loving Sword
Divine Flames Art!
It was the ultimate technique that West Region Demon, who resided in the desert, created on his own. It was said that there was a successor quest that all players could receive in a part of the city near West Region. It would allow them to become West Region Demon's successor, but they would need to go into the depths of the desert to finish it. Tens of thousands of players died either of the thirst or the venom of the insects, scorpions, and rattlesnakes during the course of the quest. The process was incredibly hard, and most players gave up halfway. They chose to treat the quest as a gargantuan monster they should not touch.
But Dream Clouds persevered and succeeded. Not only did she successfully find West Region Demon and learn Divine Flames Art, she had also trained up her heart, and because of it, her Affinity and Body Movement had increased by a large margin.
At the instant the heat wave gushed out at Wind Void, her expression changed. At the critical moment, she tensed her body and fell backwards to avoid the heat wave, and she swung her Mandarin Duck Saber in an arc that resembled a crescent moon.
Clang! Clang!
Two clear sounds of metal clashing against each other rose, and Wind Void nimbly blocked Dream Clouds' strike, who had been determined to kill her right then.
Wind Void moved like a Eurasian sparrowhawk and landed several feet away using the chance Dream Clouds was struck away. Her Mandarin Duck Saber spun on its own as if it was sentient and flew back into her hand. Wind Void's movements were clean and neat as well as pleasant to the eye.
On Chivalry Sect's side, Lin Xiao and Red Dust released sighs of relief!
"Sister Wind Void, you do have good skills. I can't believe you actually managed to dodge that."
Dream Clouds knew that the accidental damage effect of Divine Flames Act was not that useful against elites of great caliber once she missed. Wind Void's body synchronicity and her reflexes were incredibly great. It was probably impossible to kill Wind Void within a short time.
"Sister, you're not bad yourself, I was almost hit just now."
Wind Void had actually been keeping an eye out for something like that since the beginning, waiting for Dream Clouds' Divine Flames Art. As she expected, Swimming Dragon Dual Flying Swallow saved her life, and she had also noticed some of the effects of Divine Flames Art.
When the duo showed respect to each other, it eased up the tense atmosphere in the area. However, the two sides still had to settle the matter of who would have the rights to Dead She-wolf in the end, hence, everyone still paid a lot of attention to the fight.
At that moment, the crowd outside the chamber suddenly split in half, and a cold voice reached the two women' ears in a gentle manner.
"Hall Master Dream, Sect Master Void, I wonder if I, Musical Note, can speak on behalf of Towering Palace."
It was only at that moment that the two sides noticed Towering Palace's group having entered the chamber in an endless stream and mixing themselves in the crowd formed by Class One Hall and Chivalry Sect. Everyone's gazes then landed on the woman who had spoken. She was dressed in a plain white dress, and her skin was as white as snow. She had a purple swo
rd tassel and a cold looking face. All these elements made her look like an immortal who dwelled in the clouds.
Quite a number of male players grumbled in their hearts. 'What's going on with the world? Why is it that the masters of the three great sects are all women? I heard that Musical Note's older sister is Towering Palace's Palace Master.
'This is a huge game, and the three most famous sects' masters are all women, and there are grown-up men all over this chamber. Isn't this too great of a blow to our ego?'
"I see, so it's Vice Palace Master Musical. I, Dream Clouds, have been negligent."
A hint of astonishment flashed in Dream Clouds' eyes. She redirected her gaze and asked, "Sister Wind Void is a straightforward person. Vice Palace Master Musical, if you have anything you want to say, you can go ahead and say it."
She sounded like a noble person when she said those words, and even her enemies, Chivalry Sect, felt good when they heard it.
Musical Note nodded and strode forward. Her clear and pleasant voice traveled clearly into everyone's ears.
"Both of you are heroines, and you have extraordinary skills! I can also tell that you have been holding back while fighting. If that's the case, you might not be able to tell who is stronger than the other within a short period of time. Even if you fight until Fox Cave closes, you might still not be finished.
"I'm not trying to slander you. I just think that a mere Dead She-wolf is not worth two masters fighting to the death. So, allow me to make a bold suggestion. Why don't you allow me to buy the loot from Dead She-wolf, and you can split the money between Chivalry Sect and Class One Hall equally. You can talk about everything else once we enter the third level of Fox Cave."
'Enter the third level first?'
Musical Note's suggestion might have seemed to have appeared out of the blue, but it made quite a number of people in the chamber nod silently.
It was a good suggestion!
They had not even entered the third level to meet Yao Hua and his wife, and they were already fighting to the death. If they spent all their time in the second level, they would not have enough time to wander around the third level!
Musical Note's plan quickly gained quite a number of people's acknowledgment.
Chivalry Sect's Lin Xiao and Red Dust, and Class One Hall's Barren Murderer and the man with the handsome face nodded slightly.
"Sister Musical Note, you're right! Class One Hall is not lacking in these items, and our main goal is still the divine vessels in Yao Hua and his wife's hands. Sister Wind Void, at that time, let's fight when we enter the third level, all right?"
Dream Clouds spoke clearly before looking at Wind Void.
"Alright!" Wind Void answered in a very forthright manner.
"Then, I, Musical Note, will represent Towering Palace in thanking the two of you for having a good opinion of my plan!"
Musical Note wrapped her fist in her palm and thanked them before two people swiftly shot out from behind her. Without any hesitation, they charged toward Dead She-wolf, who had a cunning and avoidant look sparkling in her eyes.
Shing! Shiiiinng!
The glare from one person's sword was like an ice mountain, and the glare from the other person's saber was like the freezing moon!
The saber and sword users worked together perfectly, and in the blink of an eye, they left Dead She-wolf covered in bloody wounds. She fell to the ground without any power to fight back. The two people's strength was evident at first glance.
"Merciless Saber… Is he Shangguan Lian?"
"Loving Sword… It's Haidong Qing!"
While they fought, quite a number of people from the two great sects recognized the duo's identities.
"Are they very famous?" someone from Chivalry Sect asked in puzzlement.
"Merciless Saber Shangguan Lian has been famous for a long time because of his Azure Wolf Howls from the Moon Saber Technique. Even though he isn't in the Dragon Rank, he killed many elites during the battle in Shaolin Temple and retreated with every part of his body intact. Also, not long ago, he fought against thirty or so bandit chiefs alone. All of them were Mystical Realm or Life and Death Realm Bosses. I heard that he has also fought against Happy before, but managed to retreat with his life."
The person who had asked the question was stunned silent.
"What about Loving Sword?"
When some of the people who were more well-informed heard someone ask about the other person, they showed mischievous looks on their faces at the same time.
"That guy's a womanizer. I heard that he is head over heels for many of the famous beauties on the Phoenix Rank. When he runs into any of them, he sticks to them like glue. Unless he's defeated by those people on the Phoenix Rank, he does not leave until he manages to score with them.
"But in his view, there are apparently three women he does not dare to provoke in World of Martial Arts. One is Dream Clouds of Class One Hall. He said that she's too ambitious and is difficult to control. The other is our sect master, Wind Void. He said that she-er, well, I'm not really in a place to say it. But the last is Palace Master Clear Music from Towering Palace, because she's the first person who managed to defeat him within three moves."
"Then why did he choose to stay in Towering Palace?"
"What other reason do you think there could be? Look over there!" The speaker rolled his eyes and gestured with his chin toward the white person standing in front of him. "Since he can't manage to get the older sister, he set his sights on the younger sister. But Musical Note has also made her way to the top of the Phoenix Rank. Once that guy saw her, he could no longer leave. He joined Towering Palace, and now, he's just the same as Shangguan Lian. They've become Towering Palace's Dharma protectors."
"Dharma protectors?"
While the group of people were busy discussing the two men, Dead She-wolf died, and the door to the third level opened with a bang.
The atmosphere between the three great sects became tense again. All the people's gazes were gathered on Lin Xiao, who held the key to the third level.
Chapter 249 - Heroes Forced into a Corner
There was a table with an ancient lamp within a certain room. The table was made of black wood, and light flickered on its dark surface. The ancient lamp illuminated the back of a tall man who stood facing a wall. The mercilessness of time could be sensed from him in an intangible manner, along with loneliness.
There was a very thick medicinal scent in the room. It gave off a faint feeling that the man was a hero who had been driven into a corner.
When he heard the sound of footsteps that came one after another from the entrance, the tall man sighed and turned around to reveal an indifferent face belonging to someone who had experienced a lot in life.
"I knew this day would come…"
A desolate, somber, and hoarse voice broke the silence in the house. The man's gaze landed on Lin Xiao, who appeared to be the person leading the group. He swept his gaze over the group of martial artists and put on a faint smile that showed longing and nostalgia.
He mumbled under his breath, "I suffered a qi deviation in the past, and I knew that my enemies would definitely come to me one day. And her temper has become more and more violent… It's becoming harder for her to calm her emotions. Since you are here, I must get to know you, or else, if she sees that you are here, the evil in her heart will become greater, and she will completely fall into the path of evil."
The killing intent in the man's tone was very faint. Instead, there was some hints of tenderness in his voice. It gave off a very strange feeling.
"He's Yao Hua?"
Right when someone asked the question from within the crowd, they saw the mumbling man bring out a simple and strange weapon from the Universe Bag at his waist.
"Look at what he's holding!"
As someone cried out in surprise, all the people instantly fixed their gazes on Yao Hua's hands. They could see a dark blue hilt inlaid with gold threads. It seemed incredibly aristocratic as well a
s graceful and luxurious, as if it was something belonging to someone who stood above others. An invisible presence instantly swept through the room.
At that moment, Yao Hua's gaze focused, and he looked like a hunter who had fixed its eyes on a prey. His tender gaze gradually disappeared, replaced by a great chill and an invisible aura.
Since Lin Xiao stood across from Yao Hua, he became the first one to be affected.
Boom!
'Life and Death Realm? No… if he's just in Life and Death Realm, it'd be impossible for him to give me such terrifying pressure. Could it be as Red Dust predicted? Yao Hua is one of the higher ranking bosses at Moksha Realm?'
Lin Xiao did not dare to be inattentive. His focus shifted to Yao Hua's feet from the divine weapon in his hands. Drops of red blood were slowly dropping to the ground while Yao Hua continued to increase the power of his qi. However, he showed no signs of moving.
At that moment, grave cries of surprise rose from behind him. Wind Void, Dream Clouds, and the people from Towering Palace had also entered Yao Hua's chamber. While they faced Yao Hua as his qi continued to increase in power, their expressions became very unpleasant.
"Chivalry Sect, you've fought against Yao Hua once and have gotten to know him. What's the situation?"
Dream Clouds seemed to have noticed that they were in a hurry as well, because she could sense a powerful presence that was as great as that of her master, West Region Demon, from Yao Hua.
If that were the case, then even if they sacrificed all of their people in the small chamber, they might still be unable to harm Yao Hua!
"We lost one of our comrades. Then, we left."
Lin Xiao's answer made the people from the three great sects reveal solemn and puzzled expressions at the same time.
When he faced even more questioning gazes, Lin Xiao explained.
"I know what you're suspecting. Yao Hua is indeed too strong. We had one sect member who had a high-tier body fortification technique at the ninth realm and Seven Star Battle Armor that added three defense enter, but even he couldn't withstand even one blow from Yao Hua. Hence, I gave the order for all our people to retreat. But later on, I realized that Yao Hua cannot move. He should not have recovered from his injuries. It's either this, or there is some other reason behind why he doesn't move."
Sword Among Us c1-1268 Page 129
