At the same time, the two zombie puppets jumped out from behind Little North and landed on the ground without a sound. Their aura had become even thicker, and their durability had also improved. They wore hoods to cover up their frightening faces, and they looked like two silent messengers of death while standing beside Little North quietly.
Little North had begun making his puppets wear those hoods after Lu Mingyue controlled them and made them nearly "kiss" him. It seemed that he had been quite disgusted by them at that time.
In just a few seconds, the mysterious black figures who had been wandering about the depths of the bamboo forest finally revealed themselves.
Strange and hurried orders rose, and a dozen or so black figures shot out from all directions. They held tsurugis with reverse grips in both their hands while dressed in black garments belonging to ninjas and black masks hiding their heads. They moved in short, swift, and steady footsteps while closing in on the trio at an astonishing speed.
"What the heck?!"
"Ninjas?!"
Little North and Thunderous Battle's expressions changed slightly, and they cried out in surprise. Thunderous Battle resolutely put away his Hoof Shadow and activated his body fortification and qi realm. He then spread out his arms like a large bird to go jump on the ninjas ahead of him from high above.
Little North patted his zombie puppets' heads. With a foul stench, they rushed toward the ninjas with an indomitable spirit.
"These damn Japanese…"
Little North spat and charged after the zombie puppets. His fingers were dark and shiny, like a pair of phantom claws. He struck a ninja on the back and tore through the person's black uniform. He even left a few dark bloody marks on the ninja's back.
Thunderous Battle's side was even more exciting!
He activated his body fortification and withstood eight ninja's sword attacks without the slightest injury. He did not move half a step backwards either. He executed his Infinite Sword Technique, and the six ninjas in front of him looked as if they had been struck by lightning. They staggered backward to reveal terrifying wounds on their c.h.e.s.ts. As it turned out, Thunderous Battle had also learned Wind Spirit Spin.
One person attacked the ninjas in the front, and the other attacked the ninjas at the back. The two people and two zombies attracted all the attention.
Happy did not feel any sort of pressure. He continued to sit on his Hoof Shadow while he watched the two groups fighting in front and behind him. Not a single hint of emotion could be detected on his face.
Yan Dynasty's royal mausoleum might be a normal emperor's tomb in history, but to the poor Japanese who were lagging behind in terms of technology, the riches, culture, and weapons inside were all treasures. Once they successfully opened the tomb and stole all the treasures back to their island, the significance of it would be incredibly great!
Murong Clan had by chance discovered large groups of foreigners trying to sneak in while fully equipped. They had even entered the royal mausoleum.
Murong Clan was enraged by it!
If it were not because the imperial court had been keeping a close eye on them and had even promoted eight aristocratic families to suppress them, Murong Clan could have easily sent a powerful martial artist to completely erase the reckless and foolish ants.
However, for the sake of the clan's foundation, its elites would not take action easily. They could not let the imperial court discover Yan Dynasty's royal mausoleum. If Six Doors, Eastern Depot, or Western Depot discovered them, Murong Clan might face the horrible fate of having nine generations of their family killed.
Recently, he had built a reputation for himself in the world of martial artists, but it was still not great enough to enter the sights of the elites in the imperial court, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, or the other organizations. Hence, the Murong Clan Lady ]ordered Happy to immediately head to the royal mausoleum and get rid of all the Japanese who were coveting the riches in their royal mausoleum!
Happy never had received a similar order in his previous life. Hence, it was only par for the course that he did not know that it was the main clan quest of Murong Clan. Usually, the Murong Clan disciples would follow the people from Shaolin Temple to surround and kill the Japanese. It was only at that moment that he knew that there was actually another secret going on behind the scenes.
He thought about it for a while and suddenly gained an even deeper understanding toward the quest.
It seemed that Murong Clan had only given it to him. If that were the case, then it should be Murong Clan's hidden quest!
If his guess was correct, he could understand why there had been no one who had announced the details of Yan Dynasty's royal mausoleum in his previous life.
When he thought about it, Happy felt comforted in his heart. Aside from the rewards in the royal mausoleum, it would seem that he had to return to Murong Clan after the quest was over.
Once he came to this conclusion, Happy cast his eyes on the two groups of ninjas again.
Within a short period of time, nearly half of the sixteen ninjas had died. Those people were not even in Blessed Realm. They had the lowest qi realm among the ninjas and were nobodies who were placed outside to keep a lookout on the area.
The real battlefield was inside the royal mausoleum!
Chapter 256 - Seven Great Sects
Yan Dynasty's royal mausoleum was created by the third successor of Ghost Valley, who was known for being very skilled in creating things. The most crucial point was the door. It was an Eight Trigrams Bewitching Matrix. All those who wanted to enter before the Living Door was opened could not do so. They could only wait until the light was at its brightest during the day and the bewitching effects of the matrix were at their weakest before they could enter the royal mausoleum with the help of items that could help them calm their minds.
When Happy and his party rushed to the area near the royal mausoleum, it was the period of time when the sun was at its brightest!
However, it was clear that there were a few groups of people who were even more anxious than them. They had been waiting for a long time and were divided into clear groups. They occupied a space outside the entrance of the royal mausoleum with solemn presences.
The thirteen staff-using monks were one of the groups. Even though they were secular disciples, they dressed as monks and were very eye-catching, for they looked like fierce warrior attendants. After they had died at the foot of Mount Song, not only had their debuffs worn off, their cultivation had also increased. The weapons they held had also changed to the specialty of Punishment Mount—Silver-spiked Staff. They were one with their staffs, and they looked like tall and steady mountains. Even though they were not numerous, they gave off a very powerful pressure.
Across the people from Shaolin Temple were a group of Wudang Sect disciples who held shortswords and were dressed in black and white Daoist robes. If the Shaolin Temple disciples gave off a presence that made them feel like steel and mountains, the Wudang Sect disciples were pine trees that stood at the summit of the mountain. Their presence was vague, and fifty or so people stood in the face of wind. Their robes fluttered, and they gave off a uniquely delicate air. They instantly caught quite a lot of female gamers' attention.
There was another group that was pleasant to look at, and their presence did not lose out that of Shaolin Temple or Wudang Sect.
Emei Sect!
They were women with beautiful faces who looked like a flock of swallows gathered together. They were mostly in their twenties, and they gave off a dignified and magnanimous air. Their plain white Daoist robes gave them an ethereal air, especially when they did not have any makeup on. However, the swords in their hands did not lose to the boys', and their gazes spoke of great character. It made quite a lot of people not dare to look down on them.
It was clear that the harmony between the members of Shaolin Temple, Wudang Sect, and Emei Sect was great at first glance, and anyone could tell that the relationship between the se
ct members ran very deep. Among the disciples in the area, only those three sects had their disciples belonging only to their sect. They dressed up for their sect, and they stood as a united front separated from the others. They were unlike the other four sects, whose equipment varied and whose presence was all over the place. Because of it, they lost a little in terms of charisma.
The first among the remaining four sects was Kunlun Sect. About one hundred and eighty people had come from it, and they were the most numerous among the seven sects. They had the picture of a fierce tiger with wings sewn above their c.h.e.s.ts, and by the looks of it, the group came from a sect created by players. They had all sorts of people with all sorts of moral codes among them. Most of them stared in the direction of Emei Sect while gesturing at the women. Sometimes, they would let out barks of laughter that only men would understand.
Their crude and roguish behavior made even Shaolin Temple and Wudang Sect frown, and it was even more so the case for the disciples of Emei Sect. They glared at Kunlun Sect coldly with scowls on their faces, but it only added more charm to them. If it were not because the royal mausoleum was about to be opened, the women looked like they would rush over to kill the rogues.
They had quite a lot of people. There were around eighty of them, and by the looks of it, some of them were good players who had achieved some degree of success in their cultivation. They were also a sect that gave Shaolin Temple, Wudang Sect, and Emei Sect a lot of pressure.
There were two more sects.
One of them was Beggar's Sect, whose people were dressed in either rags or in a very flashy manner. There were more than seventy of them.
The final group was a student group whose players did not seem to be over twenty. They did not have many people, only around thirty of them, and although the ones who stood in the lead had powerful presences, the group behind them could be said to vary in terms of strength. It was especially the case for a number of fatties who seemed to need to be weighed in tonnes instead of pounds. They chatted and laughed with their ridiculously large bellies, and no matter how anyone looked at it, it was an incredibly hilarious sight.
'Mount Hua Sect?'
Everyone took in the situation of the other sects and ranked their power in their hearts.
Right then, the group with the least number of people was Shaolin Temple, followed by the group of students from Mount Hua. Many people knew the fame of the thirteen staff-using monks. When they were still in Blessed Realm, they could already fight against bandit leaders at Mystical Realm and not be at a disadvantage. They escorted the brocade boxes to the foot of Mount Song for hundreds of miles, and that power naturally made many people not dare to look down on them.
Then, it was Mount Hua Sect, who had few people on its side.
The leaders seemed to be two girls, and they had an otherworldly beauty, which could be compared to that of the outstandingly beautiful girls from Emei Sect. However, it was clear that the other sects did not look too highly on the sect's strength. Even though they, too, had a uniform sect emblem, they were just too young and few in number. Naturally, no one would place them high enough to threaten them.
Once they made the comparison, Wudang Sect and Kunlun Sect, who had the greatest number of people, along with Hidden Soul Guild, who was summoned by Kongtong Mountain Sect, were ranked among the top three. Mount Hua Sect, Beggar's Sect, Emei Sect, and Shaolin Temple, who had the fewest people, appeared to be rather weak compared to them.
Naturally, this was just a simple estimation of strength among the sects.
When the royal mausoleum was activated and the sects truly came into conflict with each other, they might actually end up to be equals in strength.
The number of people could be ignored.
The thirteen staff-using monks did not show a single hint of wavering in their resolve even when they came face to face with the numerical advantage the other six sects held over them. From this alone, it was clear that they had absolute confidence in their own strength.
And while Beautiful Robes Sect, which had been drawn because of Mount Hua, might not have great fame in World of Martial Arts, in truth, they already controlled five middle-sized and small cities. They were also on their way to become a large sect that could monopolize those areas.
Their luxurious storage and unique as well as perfect contribution point exchange system had also become the target of imitation of many other sects in their region. It was a pity for the other sects that they had scarce resources, and the distribution of power among the higher-ups was unfair, which was why they were incapable of forming an effective cycle.
*****
"The royal mausoleum is about to open, why isn't he here yet?"
Some of the internal members of Beautiful Robes Sect had begun to chat among themselves. They would occasionally cast a glance at the bamboo forest behind them in hopes to find the blue-robed figure they once saw in the martial arts tournament, but as time passed, they gradually became antsy.
Even though Beautiful Robes Faction was quite strong on its own, and those who had already reached Mystical Realm had all been mobilized by the higher-ups, the other six sects did not seem to be easy to deal with…
It might be very difficult for them to monopolize the royal mausoleum.
If Happy did not arrive on time and entered the royal mausoleum with them using the effects of the jade pendant Little Jade had gained from her sect, they might be in even more trouble.
Aside from Emei Sect, the other six sects did not seem like kind people. If anything happened, the hard work and successes Beautiful Robes Sect enjoyed in the months before might all end up in smoke.
Flap, flap, flap…
A snow-white messenger pigeon rushed into the sky from Beautiful Robes Faction. It swiftly disappeared into the horizon.
The six sects ignored this.
There were less than two minutes until the royal mausoleum opened. The people from the seven sects should have all gathered, so what use was there for them to send any sort of information at such a moment?
As expected, two minutes passed, but no new faces showed up in the bamboo forest.
The sun shone brightly above everyone's heads. Seven people who stood close to the entrance of the royal mausoleum had white incense that could calm hearts with them.
The time to enter the royal mausoleum had come!
The expressions of the people from Beautiful Robes Faction changed.
Happy had not managed to come…
Little Jade stared at the bamboo forest behind her, unable to hide the disappointment on her face.
Chapter 257 - The World of Martial Artists Was Not Calm
"Enter!"
The moment the calming effects started, everyone's eyes lit up with delight. Aside from Little Jade, the other six people rushed to their camps to send their signals.
Fortunately, the entrance to the royal mausoleum was rather big, and there was no problem in them sending ten people in one go, or else, if the people from the seven sects surged in at the same time, some conflict might happen.
However, Emei Sect and Mount Hua Sect did not act immediately. It was as if they were waiting for something.
The reason behind why the girls from Emei Sect wanted to wait could be seen from their disgusted expressions when they looked at the people from Kunlun Sect and Beggar's Sect. They were a little averse to the idea of squeezing into the royal mausoleum with those people.
As for Beautiful Robes Sect, it was because Happy had yet to appear. The group was somewhat disappointed, and their morale fell a little. Many of them had summoned up their courage and joined the quest because they heard that Happy would appear, or else, who would waste half a day to rush to this place?
"Should we wait for a little while longer?"
Little Jade cast a tentative glance at the people.
Everyone shifted their gazes to the Three Lonely Wolves.
Young Lonely White instinctively tried pushing at something on the bridge
of his nose, but he did not have his glasses. He lowered his hand in embarrassment before he mumbled, "It's fine if we wait a little longer. Let them go in and scout out the path for us first. Yup, this is a quest that has all seven great system-allocated sects gathered together, so it should be very dangerous inside. It's good to be a little more careful."
No one knew whether he was trying to comfort himself or whether he was trying to comfort everyone else. However, the effect was very good.
Everyone nodded and stayed where they were.
However, based on how frequently they looked behind them, anyone could tell that they hoped to see Happy appear before the royal mausoleum's calming effect disappeared and the Living Door was closed. After all, that legendary student's experiences and actions always affected the students' minds, and he also provided a lot of help to them. His identity was a mystery in their hearts.
Flap, flap, flap…
A snow-white messenger pigeon flew back, and a few girls' eyes lit up in the crowd. They looked at Bai Lang while he took the letter and surrounded him.
The reply in the letter was very simple.
[Enter with haste!]
Young Lonely White, Young Lonely Black, and Young Lonely Seven looked at each other. Then, they spoke without hesitation.
"Enter!"
"What?"
Once they heard their command, the students were very disappointed.
It was especially so for Little Jade. She had gone through a lot of trouble to obtain the quest, which could be considered an indirect way to get close to Happy. After all, he did not spend much time outside the game, and he was also rather indifferent toward her, which made it hard for her to get closer to him.
With the quest's help, she had thought that she could attract Happy's attention. Then, she could place an emphasis on getting closer to him in the game and get to understand him.
Sword Among Us c1-1268 Page 133
