Sword Among Us c1-1268
Page 134
She did not think that even after all her effort, he would not even show up!
"Sister Phoenix Dances?"
Little Jade looked at Phoenix Dances with a frown.
Phoenix Dances sighed in resignation.
"Something might have come up. Later, when we go in, we have to be careful. We have to try not to be separated and not act rash no matter what we see. When you run into danger, try to protect yourself."
Although Phoenix Dances was just a normal girl, she had been leading and managing Beautiful Robes Sect for two months, and she had gradually become m.a.t.u.r.e and level-headed. She was no longer the girl who had publicly shouted at Happy that she would become his girlfriend.
"Alright." Little Jade felt helpless.
"Glutinous Rice?"
At that moment, a girl from Emei Sect suddenly stood out and pointed at another girl in Beautiful Robes Sect with a surprised look on her face.
"Glutinous Rice?"
The sect members from Emei Sect burst into commotion and looked over.
The people from Beautiful Robes Sect were also stunned. They cast their gazes on a teenager who had tried to shrink and hide in the crowd. When she saw that things had progressed beyond saving, she knew that she could no longer hide. She stuck out her tongue and reluctantly walked out from among the people from Beautiful Robes Sect.
"Hello, senior sister," she said.
"Young Glutinous Rice, why are you there?"
"Oh ho, no wonder you said you were busy when we invited you. Here we are, wondering what exactly was so important. So, you actually abandoned us to form another group! Are all of them your coursemates?"
The ladies from Emei Sect seemed to know Glutinous Rice. They surrounded her, and some of them even pinched her cheeks. Glutinous Rice looked as if she had been wronged, even though she was innocent, and she had a frown on her face, which made her look like a tomato.
"Senior sisters, my coursemates are here. Please allow me to save some dignity…"
Glutinous Rice smiled wanly. She looked so indignant that she wanted to cry, but could not.
When they heard Glutinous Rice's "tearful complaints", the girls from Emei Sect finally stopped teasing her. They cast their gazes on the group of students from Beautiful Robes Sect and smiled cordially at them.
"So, they're all your coursemates, right? You sure have a pretty good life. It's no wonder that you didn't want to join us. Oh well, we'll forgive you this time. But there are too few people in your group. You might be in danger when you go in. Why don't you join us in this operation? We can take care of each other. How does that sound?"
"How should we distribute the items then?"
A senior sister looked at Glutinous Rice with a reprimanding look. "Young Glutinous Rice, did you actually think that we as your senior sisters would treat your coursemates badly? Even if we move in together, it doesn't mean that we'll be killing monsters together. Whatever you manage to snatch will belong to you. It's just that when things are dangerous, we can take care of each other."
"Alright, then."
No matter what, Phoenix Dances was the spokesperson and master of Beautiful Robes Faction. When she saw that the senior sisters from Emei Sect seemed to be very fond of Glutinous Rice, and they had also made things very clear, she immediately agreed to their offer.
When they saw that a group of beautiful Emei Sect ladies had joined them, the spirits of the men of Beautiful Robes Sect rose. The disappointment brought by Happy breaking his promise was also mostly washed away.
Once the two groups gathered together, they were nearly one hundred people, and they had a mighty presence.
When Mount Hua Sect and Emei Sect entered the royal mausoleum with a great momentum, the area outside the royal mausoleum instantly became silent.
However, the silence did not last for long.
The bamboo forest swayed, and the bamboo leaves fell with rustling sounds.
Rapi footsteps could be heard in the air. Hundreds of people surged into the area outside the royal mausoleum from every direction.
The people in the lead were a group of men and women with hostile expressions. The person who was the most eye-catching among them had the picture of a tiger with a pair of wings tattooed on his bald head. He was half-n.a.k.e.d, and his tattoo was very garish. He stared at the entrance of the royal mausoleum with a dark gaze.
Whoosh!
One of the people left the group and rushed to the entrance. He moved around it like a headless fly before he ran back to stand beside the bald man with the tiger tattoo.
"Brother Tiger, we can't enter anymore!"
The latter's expression did not change. He spoke with a dark tone, which was the tone he usually used.
"It's only to be expected that we can't enter. This place is strange, and we have to have the items that calm our hearts to protect us. The people from the seven great system-allocated sects… Hmph, let them go. We don't know what sort of dangers exist in the royal mausoleum, but when they come out, we must take the items they get there. Brothers, surround the place, and let's wait for them to come out!"
With that order, hundreds of people moved to swiftly lock down a large area around the royal mausoleum.
In the depths of the bamboo forest, there were three people who stood at the top of some bamboos and were staring at the people down below swiftly mobilizing their forces and entering a formation. Their expressions were not very good.
"These people… I knew they were up to no good when they came up from behind us. I think they were summoned by that person from Kunlun Sect. What should we do now?"
Little North and Thunderous Battle looked at Happy, who bobbed up and down along with the bamboo leaf as it swayed.
Chapter 258 - Enter the Mausoleum
Happy scowled deeply when he saw the situation below him. He did not say anything for a long time.
The royal mausoleum was different from Fox Cave.
Based on what he remembered, the royal mausoleum was a few times bigger. Even if they used their lightness skills and traveled quickly, it would be very difficult for anyone to complete the first level within half an hour!
Besides, the lowest-leveled ninjas in the first level of the royal mausoleum had already reached the later level of Blessed Realm, and they had high-tier throwing knife techniques. Their damage was not lower than that of the people in Mystical Realm, and they were incredibly difficult to deal with! And if he remembered correctly, they would have to face the incredibly troublesome Ghost Face Wall in the first level!
"This isn't good!"
The memories regarding the royal mausoleum appeared clearly in Happy's head. He did not think much about it at the start, but when he remembered that he had already been in Life and Death Realm when he entered the royal mausoleum in his previous life, he could not help the tremble of his heart. He suddenly regretted his letter asking the Three Lonely Wolves to bring their people into the royal mausoleum.
"Little North! Big Brother Thunder!"
Happy's sudden solemn tone shocked the two, and they grew concerned.
"The situation has changed. The two of you might have to stay outside!"
"Huh? Why? Is it because of them? It'd be easy for us to get rid of that bunch of misfits," Little North said quickly in alarm.
Happy explained himself with a calm expression. "There is a time limit to the activation of the Living Door for the royal mausoleum's Eight Trigrams Bewitching Matrix. Once it is missed, there is not entering on that day again. You saw it as well. We won't be able to kill these people within a short while even if we attack together."
He paused for a moment, and faint killing intent showed up in his eyes.
"But if we just let them loose outside, who knows what will happen when we go outside later? A slaughter might happen! If all of us go in, we won't know what's going on outside, that's why I need the two of you outside. Keep an eye on them so that we can prevent anything happening outside."
After that
explanation, Little North and Thunderous Battle quickly let go of the thought of going inside.
There was no way anyone could know about the dangers in the royal mausoleum since it would be the first time they entered it. They also had no idea where they would come out from it. If they were ambushed when they came out, they would be caught off guard, and there was a high possibility that many of the players would die.
Once Little North and Thunder Battle thought of it, they nodded in agreement.
"Alright, be careful," Thunderous Battle said seriously.
Happy nodded and said, "Before I come out, I will send a messenger pigeon to you two. At that time, remember to attract their attention…"
"Don't worry."
The moment they finished speaking, Happy stopped hesitating. He was worried about the safety of his sect members. With one tap, the bamboo leaves swayed, and he charged to the entrance of the royal mausoleum like a bird. Under the scorching sun, he flew above the people from Soaring Tiger Sect like a ghost. He was so fast that normal people would just think that a gust of wind had blown over their heads; it would be very difficult for them to catch him.
"Who is it?!"
It was only when Happy approached the entrance of the mausoleum and entered the people's sight that someone finally noticed that something was wrong. That person cried out in surprise and exposed Happy's presence.
The expression of Soaring Tiger Sect's boss, who was the bald man with the tattoo of the soaring tiger, changed drastically! With a loud thud, he got up from the ground and instantly moved around thirteen to sixteen feet. Two throwing knives left his grip. His timing was impeccable, and his accuracy was astonishing. His knives went flying toward the blue-robed person at the entrance of the royal mausoleum!
Thud! Thud!
The blue-robed man dodged at an astonishing speed. His body twisted in a bizarre angle, and at an even faster speed, he rushed into the royal mausoleum. The two throwing knives sank deep into the side of the entrance.
The bald man's attacks missed.
He did not manage to kill him nor even obtain any information about the person. The boss of Soaring Tiger Sect snorted in great annoyance! This was especially so when he saw that the person had not lingered around the entrance like a normal person but had instead disappeared straightaway. He immediately knew that the person had to have an item that could allow him to calm his heart as well as a quest given by his sect. The bald man could not help but frown.
"Boss!"
The bald man raised one of his hands. "It's fine, he shouldn't be someone from the seven system-allocated sects. He actually came alone? He sure is gutsy!"
"But because of this, our whereabouts are exposed." Someone was slightly worried.
"Don't worry."
The sect master of Soaring Tiger Sect seemed to have been prepared for it since a long time ago. "Since he isn't someone from the seven system-allocated sects, we don't have to worry. He won't act together with them. Even if he really says it, no one will truly believe him. We'll just continue waiting here. By the way, send a few people into the forest and search through the area. Arrange a few of our brothers to monitor it. If anyone comes, report to me immediately!"
"Got it!"
The people left after they received their orders, and the sect master of Soaring Tiger Sect scowled again.
For some reason, he felt like he had seen that blue figure somewhere before. It was strangely familiar.
*****
In Hangzhou, a group of beggars dressed in rags walked out of Guanlin Temple while supporting each other. Soon, they attracted quite a number of people's attention.
The people of Beggar's sect would seldom gather together for an operation. Besides, they were mostly unfamiliar faces and not the local beggars of Hangzhou. Hence, it was only natural that their appearance attracted quite a few people's attention.
Besides, a group of people dressed in flashy clothes also appeared after them. Their faces were pale, and they looked severely weakened. They were cursing under their breaths. Sometimes, when a group of disciples from Soaring Tiger Sect came out from inside, they would glare at them and begin cursing them.
"How could you block my path?! Damn you!"
"Get lost! The situation just now was incredibly chaotic! There's no telling who was blocking whose path!"
The people from Soaring Tiger Sect were cursed by the people from Beggar's Sect, but they did not show any weakness either. They simply cursed back at them.
While they cursed, another group of people was revived in Guanlin Temple, and their expressions were unpleasant. Some of them were even Wudang Sect disciples dressed in black and white Daoist robes.
Within a short five minutes, more than one hundred people walked out of Guanlin Temple. The death rate terrified and shocked quite a lot of players who had also been revived. They began guessing that those people had to have run into something while they were carrying out the same quest.
"Brother, how did you die?"
"Ahem, I don't want to talk about it. If I knew just how dangerous it was, I wouldn't have gone there even if someone pointed a gun at my head. I just wasted my time and life… Damn it, it actually hid over there and threw those hidden weapons."
"There were so many high-tier hidden weapons waiting to hit us. Who exactly could get through it?"
"Ah…"
The few Wudang Sect members sighed nonstop as well. They did not hold much hope for their brothers who were still alive inside.
The players around became even more curious and began asking questions.
A high mortality usually meant that there were equally astonishing rewards. The players were certain that the place where those people had gone to for their adventure was a very hidden place, and it was also bound to be a very dangerous region.
Since they had become weaker after training, they felt disappointed. Hence, it was very easy for them to spill their hearts out. Besides, there were many sects involved in the quest, and they no longer felt that it was a secret, which was why when they were asked, a mysterious map for an area known as royal mausoleum soon spread through Hangzhou.
Chapter 259 - Splitting Throwing Knives, High-tier Throwing Knife Technique
The hall of the royal mausoleum was filled with dead corpses, and screams of pain could be heard nonstop.
More than one hundred people from the seven great system-allocated sects could be found dead. They lay quietly on the cold floor, and each of them had at least ten throwing knives stuck in their bodies. Fresh blood poured out from their bodies, and it spread through the ground and flowed out before it slowly formed mottled red streams that were terrifying to behold.
The entire hall looked like a river that had been dyed red with blood!
It was horrifying!
Cling cling, clang clang!
Countless black figures moved back and forth to dodge attacks in the hall that was less than one hundred and sixty-four feet tall and one hundred and thirty-one feet wide. They tried to avoid the countless throwing knives shooting out from the holes of Green Ghost Face Wall dozens of feet away from them.
Those throwing knives were different from the ones they usually saw. Each of them would split into three once they went out the door. Each of them went to where there were most people. Because of that, there would often be pained grunts, m.o.a.ns, and roars.
"Damn it!"
"Just what sort of trap is this?!"
Even if Shaolin Temple's thirteen staff-using monks activated their Vajra Body Defending Divine Skill, it was still difficult for them to withstand so many throwing knives' damage. The light of their body fortifications swiftly faded, and they lost a lot of their qi at a rapid pace.
Fortunately, they had very few people, and their overall strength made them rather outstanding among the seven great system-allocated sects. Hence, even up until that moment, none of them had died.
The disciples of Wudang Sect were slightly worse off. Once they entered the royal mausol
eum, a few of them were shot full of holes by Ghost Face Wall. Fortunately, the elites of Wudang Sect were very extraordinary, and once their people suffered a few losses from the ambush, they quickly hid themselves behind a pillar and temporarily avoided the disaster.
However, the other sects' losses were greater…
The people without body fortification techniques at high realms were instantly shot through, and they crashed on the floor with heavy injuries. They bled nonstop. Then, for some baffling reason, they felt pain blossom in their bodies and lost consciousness.
Most of those with body fortification techniques at high realms only had low-tier body fortification techniques. There were only a handful who had high-tier body fortification techniques, and among them, there were very few who had them at high realms.
In the face of the high-tier throwing knife technique, their bodies were not much sturdier than paper. No one could say how many knives their body fortifications could withstand before they collapsed.
Once the people in front died, Soaring Tiger Sect finally realized that the situation was off. They cried out for their companions to avoid the hidden weapons using the stone pillars so that they could prolong their stay in the hall.
However, hiding behind the stone pillars did not necessarily mean that they were safe.
When the players were killed by the throwing knives that suddenly split up when they grazed the stone pillars, the hall descended into chaos. Everyone moved without a direction to avoid the splitting throwing knives that filled the entire area.
Most people had pale faces and only hoped to leave the stupid place.
It was a pity that the royal mausoleum was clearly not a place that people could enter and leave at will.
The players who tried to leave in despair fled like headless flies and knocked into each other at the entrance. All of them without exception were killed by the throwing knives. The shooting range of high-tier throwing knives was far enough that it could reach every corner of the hall.