Once the people from Shaolin Temple and Wudang Sect left, Emei Sect and Beautiful Robes Faction became the two sects that lagged behind the others.
"The people from the other five sects are gone now."
"Glutinous Rice, what are your coursemates thinking of doing? Now, Beautiful Robes Faction is the strongest among the seven system-allocated sects. Do you intend to let them take all the resources in the royal mausoleum?"
A beautiful and coquettish mistress grinned while looking at Glutinous Rice as well as the group of boys and girls around her.
In truth, the strength that the students had displayed previously had shocked them. Regardless of whether it was their qi realm, equipment, or high-tier martial arts, all of them had stunned Emei Sect! One Circle was especially eye-catching. He had robbed the spotlight from many people and was right then being held by a group of people while they scoffed at him.
What surprised Emei Sect the most was that the students who had outstanding abilities were extraordinarily calm and did not rush to the forefront with excitement and passion just because of how outstanding they were!
When Phoenix Dances, who was the faction master, heard the question, she smiled and said, "The outstanding ones will always bear the brunt of attacks, this is something we learned from textbooks. Besides, the royal mausoleum is very big. It's fine even if we give them some of the resources.
"This place is very dangerous and we already lost more than two hundred people in the first level. From this, we can tell that this isn't an easy place to explore. It's better for us if they test the waters first. Sisters, aren't you thinking about the same thing as well?"
Right after she finished speaking, the beautiful mistresses from Emei Sect instantly spoke their minds like chirping birds.
"That's right! You're exactly right. We should just let those stupid men die.
"We're of the same mind… Sister, what's your name? Which sect do you belong to? Why don't you just join Emei Sect?"
"That's right. Sister, you looked really cool just now when you wielded that Silver-spiked Staff. I like it!"
The group of boys and girls around Phoenix Dances immediately felt as if they were about to suffer a mental breakdown.
Glutinous Rice had a very awkward expression. She did not know what to do with herself.
Her senior sisters actually wanted to poach her leader to their side.
However, there were plenty of people who were great orators in Beautiful Robes Faction. The disciplinary committee's Great Beauty Little Jade had kept silent all this while, but when she heard that, she instinctively said, "Our faction master also has a master. If you truly like her, why don't you join Beautiful Robes Faction? Then, you can be with our Big Sis Phoenix Dances every day."
"That's right!"
"She's right! Come on, join Beautiful Robes Faction!"
When they heard Xu Yao's suggestion, the eyes of the men instantly sparkled, and they released the pitiful One Circle to nod repeatedly.
Anyone could tell that Glutinous Rice's senior sisters from Emei Sect were rather powerful. But the most striking thing about them was still their rather beautiful physical characteristics. If they joined Beautiful Robes Faction en masse, even if they could not shock the world of martial artists, they would still be a faction that would make countless men fall head over heels for them.
The mistresses from Emei Sect rolled their eyes.
"You brats. If you want our sisters to join your faction, you won't be able to do it with just that bit of power."
The beautiful mistress in the lead smiled like a flower.
"Each of my sisters here has already been sent plenty of invitations from many large sects, but they never accepted anyone's invitation. Among those who came were Chivalry Sect and Towering Palace…"
When the girls and boys from Beautiful Robes Faction heard the names of the two sects, they instantly s.u.c.k.e.d in deep breaths. They were incredibly shocked!
They had naturally heard of the names of the two great sects before!
Everyone cast their eyes on Glutinous Rice.
She nodded demurely and said with a serious face, "This is true. My senior sisters are stronger than I am, but they can't let go of their sects. I heard that they're ready to build a sect that solely belongs to Emei Sect." When she said the final sentence, she cast an inquiring glance at her senior sisters.
"That's right, but we're lacking some resources right now. If we're successful in this mission, we will build our own sect once we leave, and the name of our sect will be Moon Reflection Temple."
When she said this, the sounds in the tunnel suddenly became chaotic!
They heard disorderly footsteps, as if there were countless people running toward them.
Everyone's expressions changed!
'Looks like something happened inside…'
Chapter 264 - Shadow Warriors
"Hurry! Retreat to the hall!"
Phoenix Dances reacted very quickly. When she saw that the people who were leading the fleeing group were the disciples from Wudang Sect and the thirteen staff-using monks, her expression changed. She gave a fierce order, and at the same time, she tapped against the ground and retreated.
It was very difficult to bring forth the advantage of numbers in the tunnel. If the ninjas who were chasing them had domineering power, it was very difficult for only a few people to go up against them. If there were Knife-throwing Ninjas behind as well, the situation would be even more dangerous.
Hence, when Phoenix Dances gave her order, Emei Sect also reacted in the same way. The seventy or so people turned around and ran without turning back. They fled madly out of the tunnel to return to the main hall of the blood-soaked royal mausoleum.
"Guard the place!"
Beautiful Robes Faction and Emei Sect quickly occupied a beneficial position and stood behind the stone pillar engraved with the picture of a dragon entwined around it. They drew their bows and nocked their arrows, and activated their qi realms as well as their body fortifications in preparation for battle.
The dense and chaotic footsteps became clearer, and they were followed by screams of pain that occasionally rang in the air. They reached the group's ears from a distance and made everyone nervous. They felt fear for the unknown.
Whoosh!
A group of Wudang Sect disciples rushed out of the tunnel like the wind before the eyes of the two sects. Then, they were followed by Shaolin Temple's thirteen staff-using monks. There was some degree of embarrassment on their faces.
They were back again!
"What's going on?"
Tea Words seized the time and asked a Wudang Sect disciple who was close to him.
He had a nervous and grave expression. When he looked at the people from the other three sects in the tunnel, he saw in disorder and panic.
"They seem to have run into even more powerful ninjas inside. Quite a number of people from the three sects have died. They were not those ninjas' opponents at all. We saw that the situation was off from the distance, so we ran out."
Beautiful Robes Faction and Emei Sect were stunned.
By the looks of it, the people from Wudang Sect and Shaolin Temple had not even crossed swords with the ninjas in the tunnel. They had just retreated.
'This is just… What the heck is going on?'
The people from Wudang Sect seemed to have noticed the strange gazes from the people around them. Their faces turned red, and they quickly explained themselves.
"It's true that we didn't fight against them, but the ninjas inside are very powerful. Some of them were flying around on the ceiling with great agility. Hidden Soul Guild's boss was blocked from behind, and with three slashes, his body fortification was destroyed. He was nearly killed."
Hidden Soul Guild's boss was a middle-aged man. Even though he kept a rather low profile, he had pretty good strength. He should be someone who did not lose to the thirteen staff-using monks and Ouyang Qing among those in the royal mausoleum, and his body f
ortification was not weak either.
If the ninjas managed to break his body fortification with three slashes, then their damage should be equal to high-tier hidden weapons and they should be using Mystical Realm high-tier martial artists!
"Were there Knife-throwing Ninjas inside?" the mistress that Glutinous Rice respected a lot asked Ouyang Qing.
The latter stared at the entrance of the tunnel closely while he shook his head.
"I didn't see. But aside from those Mystical Realm ninjas who moved on the walls, I also saw some ninjas in black wielding katanas. The ninjas we faced earlier cannot hope to compare to their damage. In a moment, we might have to face a terrible battle!"
As he spoke, the other people from the three sects finally rushed out of the tunnel.
A few ninjas dressed in tight-fitting black clothes, wearing red masks on their faces, and holding Tsurugis with yellow tassels attached to them shifted into the hall along with them like beautiful butterflies.
When they drew their swords and attacked, they were ruthless and swift.
The swords flashed, and two members of Hidden Soul Guild grunted. They staggered and were sent flying before they landed in a puddle of blood.
The ninjas' eyes were brutal and cold. Once they killed a person, they fixed their gazes on the next person near them without any hesitation. In the blink of an eye, four ninjas with astonishing speed killed more than ten people. They attacked so quickly and ruthlessly that the faces of the people from Beautiful Robes Faction turned pale.
"Be careful of the Shadow Warriors! Their sword techniques are very good!" Hidden Soul Guild's middle-aged boss shouted out loudly.
It was at that moment that most people noticed that Hidden Soul Guild's master had lost an arm. He was covering his wound with a pale face. Under the protection of several Hidden Soul Guild members, he retreated into a corner of the hall.
'Is Shadow Warrior the name of those ninjas who are moving really quickly?'
Thud, thud, thud, thud…
When most of the disciples retreated from the tunnel completely, more than twenty ninjas holding katanas in reverse surged into the hall like the wind. Their steps were short and swift.
The tunnel became empty!
The sects' enemies were four Shadow Warriors with extraordinary skills and twenty-four ninjas!
The ninjas were clearly not as strong as the Shadow Warriors. They only had the average strength of those in the middle stage of Mystical Realm, and they were not difficult to deal with.
Once Phoenix Dances swiftly analyzed the ninjas' strength, she shouted out a loud command. "Everyone! Gather your firepower to deal with one Shadow Warrior respectively! The other three sects should get rid of the ninjas!"
"Alright!"
Shaolin Temple was the first to respond to her call. When the thirteen staff-using monks spoke, they took the initiative to move into their Demon Slaying Staff Formation. They surrounded a Shadow Warrior who had charged deep into the hall. If they deployed the strategy of continuous fights, it should not be a problem for them to deal with a Shadow Warrior at Life and Death Realm.
When Phoenix Dances spoke, Beautiful Robes Sect sent One Circle to use his body, which had to be weighed in tonnes, to Provoke and lure a Shadow Warrior over.
His high-tier body fortification in Grandmaster Realm was much stronger than that of Hidden Soul Guild's master, who was a half-baked tanker. Even when he withstood a few slashes, it looked as if the Shadow Warrior was just helping him scratch an itch. One Circle did not feel any sort of pressure. He bared his teeth and grinned before swinging his Arhat Axe like a wheel; he managed to hold back a Shadow Warrior on his own.
Wudang Sect was not willing to admit that they were weaker, so they grabbed one Shadow Warrior as well.
The last one was led away by a group of mistresses from Emei Sect, who had been hiding their strength till then.
Once the Shadow Warriors who were the greatest threat had been led away, Soaring Tiger Sect, Beggar's Sect, and Hidden Soul Guild, who had suffered great losses, lit up in fury. They instantly vented all their grievances on the twenty-four Mystical Realm Japanese ninjas.
They quickly managed to control the situation!
However, during the intense and chaotic fight, a black shadow shot out of the tunnel without a sound.
Once it entered the hall, the man stopped for a moment and swiftly appeared near the people encircling the twenty-four ninjas.
At that moment, the solid black shadow gained physical form.
Everyone could vaguely see that the person had a curvaceous and s.e.xy body. They were also dressed in a female warrior's attire, which had a Japanese charm to it.
"Ah!"
"Ack!"
"Urk!"
There were three Beggar's Sect disciples who were completely focused on attacking the ninjas. They suddenly screamed at the same time, and they were sent sprawling on the ground by a great force. A terrifying wound was on their backs.
The matter happened too suddenly. No sword glare was noticed, and the ambusher could not even be seen. No one caught sight of anything…
They did not even know how the trio died.
While the players were in shock, another ambush happened!
Three more people were killed in one slash! This time, someone finally saw the female ninja's figure, which had instantly vanished into thin air!
"It's a ninja art! Everyone, be careful!"
At the moment a clear voice rose, the ears of the Three Lonely Wolves, who stood among a group of people who were rather free in Beautiful Robes Faction, twitched. They craned their necks and exchanged a strange but delighted gaze.
'That brat managed to get in?!'
Chapter 265 - Life and Death Realm, Shadow Ninja
'That brat!'
'He sure hid himself well!'
When they heard Happy's familiar voice, Young Lonely Black, Young Lonely White, and Young Lonely Seven gritted their teeth and cursed in their hearts.
*****
When it came to lying in wait, none of the people from the seven great system-allocated sects who entered the royal mausoleum, regardless of whether it was Soaring Tiger Sect, Hidden Soul Guild, or the beautiful mistresses from Emei Sect, could match up to Happy.
His blue robes were very inconspicuous when he mixed into the sects whose members were dressed in various clothes. He had also wiped his face with the blood from the battles just then and ruined his handsome face for no reason. It made him no different from a Beggar's Sect disciple. However, he had not taken any action since the start. He wore an Iron Ring, and anyone in the group had much better equipment than him.
Happy did not want to meet up with the people from Beautiful Robes Faction just then.
One of the reasons was Xu Yao. He had yet to make the decision on whether he should appear before them with his real face and give her the chance to openly approach him. The other reason was because of the Soaring Tiger Sect members who were gathered outside the royal mausoleum.
The hundreds of Soaring Tiger Sect members made him smell a scheme from the quest given to the seven great system-allocated sects. It was why he had not appeared and just chose to watch from the sidelines.
The people from Soaring Tiger Sect had suffered great losses. Beggar's Sect and Hidden Soul Guild were the same too. But that had nothing to do with him, so he just happily watched as it happened. Only when Ghost Face Wall was broken and Beautiful Robes Faction was threatened was he unable to help himself and give them a reminder.
At that time, since the situation was too chaotic and dangerous, even the Three Lonely Wolves had not managed to identify his voice. Thus, he continued to lay low!
When Happy entered the tunnel with the people from the other five sects, he naturally experienced a rather horrifying encounter while in the crowd.
He saw twenty or so ninjas work together with the Shadow Martial Artists who moved with great agility and possessed astonishing damage. They made the disciples from th
e five sects who wanted to steal all the treasure c.h.e.s.ts that served as burial goods in the royal mausoleum suffer devastating losses.
Happy moved like fish in the water in the crowd. He had Golden Bell Cocoon and also Phantasm Body Movement Skill, so he was completely free from danger!
However, he still managed to catch a flash of black which followed behind the ninjas with a keen eye!
The Shadow Ninja!
They were Life and Death Realm mini Bosses who were skilled in ninja arts and whose abilities were above Shadow Martial Artists in the royal mausoleum.
Once he returned to the main hall in the royal mausoleum, Happy hid himself among the players who circulated their qi and treated their wounds while looking at the shadow quietly.
However, it was very difficult to notice the Shadow Ninja with a n.a.k.e.d eye.
Happy did not want to stir up too many people's attention either in such a situation. Only when he saw that two groups of people from Beggar's Sect die under the Shadow Ninja's hands, he finally let out a word of warning.
However, his warning seemed to be a little unnecessary at that moment.
When the first group of people died in a baffling manner, many people had already put up their guard and paid attention over there. Once the Shadow Ninja showed her face for the second time, she was immediately discovered.
Yet even so, when they were targeted by the Shadow Ninja, who posed a great threat to them, the Beggar's Sect members felt their hearts chill. They quickly retreated at full speed and did not even bother about the ninjas they surrounded. They just fled for their lives.
But that was not surprising at all. There had been only around thirty Beggar's Sect members alive in the main hall of the royal mausoleum. When six of them died in one breath, the remaining twenty-seven people would probably not even be able to trap the ninjas. If they could not do that, then how could they have the ability to fight against the Shadow Ninja as well?
Sword Among Us c1-1268 Page 137
