Sword Among Us c1-1268

by Black Swordsman Online

  The situation at the mining areas was not too great either.

  The major factions had already decided on their territories!

  Each sect occupied either one or a few mining halls. Thunderous Battle and the others might not have encountered any fights on their way, but as soon as they stood in an empty spot, they understood the meaning of being the target of scorn, and soon someone came to cause trouble for them.

  The sects with slightly less power and influence could not get a spot at the metal mines. Those places were the heaven for the larger sects, and no one could enter them.

  The situation around the crystal mines was slightly better!

  Still, Thunderous Battle and the high-ranking members of Beautiful Robes Faction investigated it multiple times before they decided to make the crystal mine the spot where they would engage in their first fight to spread their fame and establish their might!

  *****

  "You're asking for death!"

  When the players saw that their companion had been sent flying away by one slap, they flew into a rage. Without another word, they drew their weapons!

  'Truly, this is like someone stuffing a pillow under my head when I'm tired.'

  Thunderous Battle had wondered how he was going to fight and establish his might, but the people before him had simply decided to come at him fearlessly! He didn't even have to do anything.

  He did not bother to activate his qi realm. He just activated his body fortification technique and went up against the group boldly.

  Little North cackled and rushed out from behind him. He sent his two zombies, which were covered in black siamese cloaks, charging forward. After being nourished for a period of time, their bodies were black and shiny, and they looked like they were made of metal.

  Three people screamed in pain and were sent tumbling away once they were hit. There were purplish black claw marks on their c.h.e.s.ts!

  Thunderous Battle and his group easily destroyed the six people. They moved into the chamber with the mechanism and placed the berthierite they bought from the market into the groove on the wall.

  Bang!

  The chamber with the mechanism shut down.

  Then, the front door opened, and a crystalline glow shone on the everyone's faces.

  "Wow!"

  "Whoa… is this the real crystal mine?!"

  The group stared at the mining cave that had completely crystallized in shock and let out gasps of astonishment.

  The first level of the crystal mine had the players dig out crystals from normal stones and earth, while the second level was filled with normal crystals everywhere. They could extract any piece they liked, and they would definitely get a crystal. It was no wonder then that the drop rate for top-grade crystals was so high there. Some sects would even spend tens of thousands of taels of silver to buy berthierite to enter the second level and control the crystals in there.

  "Who are you?!"

  "Who let you in?!"

  The activation of the mechanism in the chamber had shocked the people that were originally inside. The ten or so miners inside stopped working and turned around to glare and shout at them in anger.

  The miners inside were all full-timer miners who focused solely on mining, so Thunderous Battle did not even bother to talk to them!

  He cast a glance at the only thing that did not seem to fit into the mining cave—the ferocious and awe-inspiring Stone King. It chased after a Mystical Realm player who ran around in circles around the second level of the mining cave.

  "Kill!" Thunderous Battle ordered resolutely.

  When they saw the newcomers move over with murder in their eyes, the miners instantly panicked.

  "Stay where you are!"

  "Do you know who were are?!"

  "We're from Blood River Sect! We're one of the top sects in Baokang County Town. If you attack us, you won't be able to stay in Baokang anymore!"

  The person in charge of attracting Stone King's attention was also extremely angry.

  "Ah!"

  A scream of pain served as the prelude to the slaughter.

  There was no other response at all!

  Thunderous Battle stood where he was quietly and watched the final miner from Blood River Sect die. Since the start to the end, there was no expression on his face!

  "So poor."

  When One Circle picked up the loot, he found nothing, and he cursed himself for being unlucky in a gloomy tone. Since the miners' qi realm was low, it was very easy for them to be robbed, and they usually did not bring a lot of money with them. Aside from two unlucky bastards who dropped a few crystal ores that were not really that great, One Circle obtained no loot whatsoever.

  The group then redirected their gazes and looked at the player who was still running away from Stone King.

  The player had long since been enraged by Thunderous Battle and his group's actions, but he did not dare to be negligent, since his duty was to lure Stone King away and continue fleeing so his brothers could safely extract high-quality crystals.

  Even though the miners died, he still did not dare to stop, because once he stopped, he would definitely be killed by Stone King, who was already at Life and Death Realm!

  Once the player thought about his qi realm dropping once he died, he held in his anger and refused to die with the miners.

  "What should we do? Should we kill that guy as well?"

  "Kill him! Having someone from an enemy sect working for us will leave a slight bad taste in my mouth." Thunderous Battle issued the order to kill without hesitation. He then said, "Little North, get your zombies ready to lure Stone King away. The people from Blood River Sect should already be on the way. We'll guard the entrance, so be prepared for it to open up at any moment."

  "Alright!"

  An arrow fired from the distance pinned down the disciple from Blood River Sect. Stone King immediately closed the distance between them and punched its target.

  Boom!

  The player coughed up blood after crashing into the wall, then was stomped to death by Stone King, which had caught up to him.

  Once it got rid of its target, Stone King redirected its gaze and stomped toward Thunderous Battle in ferocious and savage strides.

  Whoosh!

  A zombie went up against Stone king, and imitating Blood River Sect's player caught Stone King's attention. Then, it lured it away and began running around the mining cave.

  "Get to work!" Thunderous Battle said to the group.

  Even though the people who came were all high-ranking members of Beautiful Robes Faction, they knew that Thunderous Battle and Little North were Happy's party members, and they were very strong. Hence, they listened to Thunderous Battle's commands and quickly brought out their pickaxes from their Universe Bag before heading into different directions.

  Ding!

  Cling clang, cling clang…

  The group began striking the crystals one after another. Since it was a high-grade crystal mine, they might be able to get something good from it.

  Chapter 320 - Astonishingly High Price

  Blood River Sect was a local player sect that was among the top three sects in Baokang. The reason they had managed to get one of the crystal mines from the various powerful sects was because they had given up on the herbal resources in Shennongjia and surrendered the rights to the rare and valuable metal mines. That was how they managed to get the rights to the second level of a crystal mine that was situated in a remote corner of the area.

  It was supposed to be a period of time that will be beneficial for Blood River Sect's development, and it was also supposed to be a great, fortuitous chance that would allow it to rise to the ranks of the large sects in World of Martial Arts.

  However, since berthierite was very rare and valuable during the early stages of the game, Blood River Sect did not dare to spend all their resources like that. They only wanted to occupy that valuable resource point and slowly become stronger.

  Unfortunately for them, reali
ty was different from what they expected.

  A few days after they secured the location and could finally earn back what they spent, they heard that their people in the second level of the crystal mine had been killed. Blood Rivers in Nine Heavens, the sect master of Blood River Sect, said nothing but gathered a large group of people who were training nearby to rush to the crystal mine. However, a tragedy happened there!

  Even though the hundreds of people who rushed to the crystal mine showed the strength of Blood River Sect, and they even blocked the crystal mine until no one could get through, they could only stare and sigh at the entrance of the chamber with the mechanism.

  If they wanted to enter the second level, they needed eight berthierite!

  Also, there was a strict limit as to how many people could enter in one go, because the space in the chamber with the mechanism was very small and could at most accommodate thirteen to fourteen people. This was also why Blood River Sect could not place a lot of guards to protect the second level of the crystal mine…

  "Damn it!"

  Blood Rivers in Nine Heavens stood outside the chamber and stared at the five grooves that were empty. He was unable to contain his anger.

  "We've only managed to get seven bertheirites after two days! Go and buy more!"

  "Boss, I don't have money."

  "I don't know who jacked up the price for berthierites by several fold today. Right now, one berthierite costs five hundred thousand taels of silver, so for the price of five, we could buy a few decent high-grade masterpieces…"

  "Are you an idiot?! Masterpieces?! Are masterpieces more important than the second level of the crystal mine?!"

  Blood Rivers in Nine Heaves became angrier the more he listened. Why did berthierite become more expensive? Because the importance of the second level had been discovered by more people. If they did not snatch it back quickly, Blood River Sect would be driven into an even more defensive position…

  "Hurry up and gather money! Buy berthierite from the first level. Set the price as five hundred thousand taels of silver per piece, and immediately buy it using cash!"

  At least Blood Rivers in Nine Heavens did not go through the old-fashioned way of asking his people to slowly gather the materials.

  But it seemed like the news had leaked…

  Blood River Sect's urgent need for berthierite excited the miners in the caves within the first level, and they increased their price. A handful of them had a few berthierites with them, but they set down their own price firmly and refused to sell the berthierites if Blood River Sect did not offer them sixty thousand taels of silver!

  Blood River Sect could not convince them regardless of whether they used gentle persuasion or force, and they could only compromise.

  But even if they compromised, they did not manage to get the berthierites easily.

  The miners were all veterans in the mining cave. They repeatedly stated that trading in the mining cave was not safe and that they had to return to the city to perform the trade, making the people from Blood River Sect so angry that they nearly suffered a stroke. However, they had no way of refuting it, since if anyone killed the weak miners, they would get half of their money, which was something that most people would rather not risk.

  In less than five minutes, the people from Blood River Sect returned as agitated as people whose ancestors' graves were dug up. Their faces were flushed red as they rushed out of the second level and roared at the chamber once the mechanism had been activated again.

  The miners in the mining hall next to theirs knew full well that it meant that Blood Rivers in Nine Heavens had not killed all the people inside, but had instead lost his own people. It was the reason why the people from Blood River Sect were so angry and worked up.

  But the miners did not dare discuss or mock them, and they just continued to lower their heads and mine the cave!

  The group blocking the entrance of the chamber in the first level left after their shouts and bellows resulted in nothing after more than an hour. They only left behind a small group to stand guard at the nearest tunnel.

  *****

  Baokang County Town's third largest sect, Blood River Sect, was provoked by famous players. Around a dozen Mystical Realm players and a dozen miners had died by Thunderous Battle and Little North's hands. The news of it swiftly spread through Baokang County Town and Shennongjia!

  The players who loved chaos naturally rushed ahead of each other to tell everyone they met about it. There were even people who narrated the event as if they had seen it personally. They said that there were only two people who fought in the fight since the start to the end of the battle.

  While that was happening, the people who had followed Thunderous Battle into the second level of the crystal mine just concentrated on digging. When Blood River Sect split up to attack them, they could handle the situation, which revealed that the miners had outstanding skills too.

  Soon, all sorts of rumors and players' assumptions filled the streets.

  "Thunderous Battle came here prepared."

  "He has around ten Mystical Realm players with him. Snatching resources cannot be done in just one or two days. By the looks of it, Blood River Sect has lost this time. Their resource point has been taken away, and Thunderous Battle as well as his people will definitely not leave soon."

  "...I wonder if Happy is inside."

  "Hmm… those three have always been inseparable."

  "I bet Blood River Sect wouldn't dare to attack Happy even if they have a gun pointed at their heads…"

  Many of the sects in Baokang County Town felt danger looming over their heads.

  Ever since they verified that the people who occupied the second level of the crystal mine were indeed Thunderous Battle and Little North from Blood River Sect's master and that the other people with them also had extraordinary qi realms, they sensed a powerful undercurrent swirling around the news!

  "Since they acted in such a flashy manner, they might be thinking about gaining a footing in Baokang…"

  "If it's those two, they won't be easy to deal with. After all, they're Happy's friends. Last time, he destroyed Five Venoms for All-powerful Medicinal Stone, and they're not even that close. Who will even have the courage to attack Thunderous Battle and Little North?"

  "Ech..."

  "You can consider Blood Rivers in Nine Heavens to be unlucky. He became the stepping for them to establish their might."

  Even though the local sects had formed an alliance with each other to work together to fight against all the powerful people who wanted to enter Baokang County Town and gain a footing there, such as Class One Hall, Towering Palace, and Chivalry Sect, they felt helpless and completely resigned against Happy, who had the ability and the courage to fight against a sect alone, destroy it, and still live completely without worry.

  "Bastards!" Blood Rivers in Nine Heavens threw a tantrum in his headquarters after he received no help even when he had requested for reinforcements.

  "Those bastards… They sure spewed some pretty words and said we'd fight together in the beginning, but when something happened to me, all of them became cowardly dogs and are just content with me making a fool of myself… Hmph! I'd like to see how long you can be free and at ease. Do you actually think that one crystal mine can satisfy their appetite?"

  Blood Rivers in Nine Heavens had actually gathered quite a lot of information.

  There were quite a lot of Beautiful Robes Faction members who joined Thunderous Battle to enter Baokang. After coming, they often went to the herbal grounds and other mines. What shocked him even more was that they were all elites with high-tier martial arts. They were either in Mystical Realm or Blessed Realm, and all of them had masterpieces with them. Beautiful Robes Faction could be considered to be a huge sect which had sent all of its elites out.

  The people in Baokang County Town had yet to become agitated because the people from Beautiful Robes Faction as well as Thunderous Battle and Little North had yet to encroach upon
their benefits, but once they took action, their force would be so great that even Jade Fox Palace, the strongest sect in the area, would not be able to stop them!

  Chapter 321 - Four Great Factions of Power, Cold Moon Palace

  "Baokang…"

  "Happy…"

  A few people held a secret meeting with the curtains down in one restaurant within Baokang County Town. Occasionally, they would say a few words that all of them found familiar.

  The people at the table all had extraordinary presences. There was a monk with thick eyebrows and big eyes, a middle-aged man with a cold and callous face, a young man with lively eyes and a green foxtail in his mouth, as well as a girl with a fiery red robe and a golden whip at her waist.

  "The situation in Baokang has changed, so I think that we'll need to change our plans a little too."

  The person who spoke was the girl with the fiery red robe, and she swept her gaze over the others.

  When the monk heard that, he quirked his thick eyebrows before chuckling coldly.

  "Change what? I've mentioned a long time ago that we don't need to bring Cold Moon Palace into this meeting. You don't have the right to sit together with Class One Hall, Chivalry Sect, and Towering Palace just yet. You're making a ruckus when something so minor happened, and you just keep complaining nonstop…"

  By the time he finished speaking, the girl with the fiery red robe nearly placed a foot on the table. She pointed at Monk with Thick Eyebrows in a domineering manner.

  "You stupid baldy! What are you saying?! Don't you dare disregard Cold Moon Palace just because you have Class One Hall supporting you! Once my palace master arrives, I'll have him sew your mouth shut!"

  Even though Cold Moon Palace's fame was not great, the attitude of the girl was clear. She looked as if she was about to call her boss over at any moment to kill the monk in front of her.

  Monk with Thick Eyebrows opened his mouth, but he could not think of a way to retort to the girl when she behaved in such a manner.