Sword Among Us c1-1268
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When he thought about how this person had lost to him some time ago but now had transformed into someone new, so much so that he was suppressed by the person who lost to him, the anguish born by this large disparity filled his body and mind! It was especially frustrating since he did not have the chance to bring out even half of his power before the fight was settled.
When Tiger on the Road's back was struck heavily, he finally coughed up a mouthful of blood that had been acc.u.mulating in his c.h.e.s.t.
His eyes turned black, and his feet lost contact with the ground. He was sent flying dozens of feet away.
Bang!
His body crashed violently on the ground.
When Tiger on the Road lost, the hearts of Abu and his group fell into a pit.
They had come to China to gain fame and wealth from defeating Mu Clan, but who would have expected that they would lose all three battles, and they lost in a way that they could say nothing about it!
The first time they fought against Mu Clan's members, seven people died because of an archer!
In the second battle, Abu's eldest disciple was killed by a single slash from a nameless member of the clan!
Now, the second best fighter in his team, Tiger on the Road, had been defeated to the point that he could not fight back, and his opponent was someone whom Tiger on the Road had defeated before!
Since the start, the truly strong elites from Mu Clan had never even showed their faces.
It was a taunt!
To Abu, this was the greatest taunt the Chinese martial artists ever gave him.
Chapter 638 - Return in Disappointment
It was a game with Chinese martial arts at its core, and the setting was that of the ancient martial artist community in China!
If someone could defeat the best Chinese martial artist with this kind of condition around, Abu knew just what sort of glory and wealth they would receive. But even if he lost, he would not suffer any loss, but he did not expect that Mu Clan would not give them any chance. In fact, they did not even manage to meet Happy and his group of best elites. The small branch master had used the most brutal way to make them understand the distance between them.
Mu Clan was the best player sect in the Chinese server, and Abu had never been able to understand the strength of the great players or the top-class sect!
A branch master like Rampaging Dragon already possessed the strength to stand completely on his own, even though he only led a normal branch. He could stop the violent wave from southwest, and it made Abu finally understand the acc.u.mulated strength of Mu Clan.
"As expected of the best clan in China. I am willing to admit defeat…"
When Abu saw that Rampaging Dragon had defeated Tiger on the Road, he quickly went forward to make his announcement. His voice was sonorous and powerful when he said it.
"The Chinese world of martial artists does have a lot of hidden gems. It seems like I have been rude." He stopped talking for a moment before his tone changed. "But I will come again. I hope that at that time, I will be able to see your clan master with my own eyes!"
Once he finished speaking, under the Mu Clan members' delighted and proud gazes, Abu had Tiger on the Road's disciples pick him up, and the group turned around to leave Mu Clan's branch.
This time, not only had he wiped away the humiliation he suffered previously by making Abu and his group of elites return in disappointment, he had also gained a huge boost in ego. It was enough. There was no need for them to kill the others down to the last man.
"I won't be sending you off." Rampaging Dragon wrapped his fist in his palm without hesitation.
The group watched Abu and his people vanish in the horizon, and the Mu Clan members returned to their posts while their bodies were still brimming from excitement.
"Branch master, you're awesome!"
"Where did you get that equipment from? It's too cool!"
"Go back to your posts, man." Rampaging Dragon smiled and moved away from the members who came up to him to chat. He walked to a corner of the branch. "Boss Happy, Big Brother Silver Wolf."
Both of them smiled and nodded.
"You did great."
"It's all thanks to your equipment, or else, I wouldn't have been able to suppress Tiger on the Road. Just now, he didn't even dare to use his long-distance fist-generated wind.... It feels great!"
As he spoke, Rampaging Dragon removed his equipment and extended it over.
Happy waved his hand. "From now on, it's yours."
"Huh?"
For the first time, Rampaging Dragon's expression changed, and he looked shocked. He could not even hide it. His hands quivered, and he stared into Happy's eyes in disbelief. "This item is too valuable and expensive. My current contribution points…"
He knew just how much the set was worth. It was an expensive equipment that was worth tens of billions of taels of silver, and it was a luxurious item that many top-tier elites would find hard to come by!
He did not expect that he would truly obtain it one day.
"Take it. Right now, you're the branch master of Sky Demon Branch. If you don't have a set of good equipment, how could you spread the mighty name of Mu Clan?"
Happy's smile did not fade away as he watched Rampaging Dragon's face fill with excitement and delight. "But you mustn't be negligent. You still need to pay with contribution points. I'll deduct it out of the loot and quests you do every day from now on, and I'll continue deducting it until I think it's sufficient. What do you say?"
"Alright!"
Rampaging Dragon felt on cloud nine. He nodded quickly and carressed the equipment. He was at the peak of his excitement. "Don't worry, boss, I definitely won't disappoint you!"
No one else in his place would be able to refuse such an offer as well!
Being able to get an entire set of fourth-echelon Purple Scale Armor as well as a fourth-echelon Sky Breaker Sound before contribution points allowed it helped his strength increase by leaps and bounds. It moved him infinitesimally close to the ranks of the top-class elites, even though he was previously only among the first-class players.
There was no one who could refuse to become stronger.
"Once you become powerful, your responsibilities will become greater. You have to understand the meaning behind me giving you this set of equipment…"
Happy stared into Rampaging Dragon's eyes while speaking in a calm voice.
Rampaging Dragon did not disappoint him. He soon became calm again, and he put on a contemplative expression before he nodded vigorously. "I understand! I'll definitely protect this set of equipment and not let anyone invade Sky Demon Branch!"
"It's good that you understand this."
Happy nodded in gratification.
"Eleventh Crane will serve as your right hand man from now on. He will be your vice branch master. You will also have Young Fallen Rain supporting you. Silver and I, along with a few other people, will stay here for a period of time. Remember to follow us when we go into Sky Demon Secret Cave. When we leave, I hope that you will be able to lead your men and completely control this region."
If Happy, Silver Wolf, and other top-class elites were willing to stay for a period of time as well as set up a Sky Demon Branch outside the city, it was enough to prove just how important Sky Demon Secret Cave was. He quickly understood the meaning behind Happy's words and nodded vigorously.
"I'll try my best to control Sky Demon Orders and Sky Demon Secret Cave."
"There are plenty of ways for you to control it. You don't need to monopolize it. You just need to make sure that every time Sky Demon Secret Cave is activated, our people are found inside, and that'll be enough. Try not to turn Sky Demon Secret Cave into a place filled with trouble," Happy said.
He did not want to make the Chinese martial artists hate Mu Clan and become hostile toward them just because of Sky Demon Secret Cave. Even though Mu Clan was already strong enough that they could lock down and monopolize Sky Demon Secret Cave, Happy's goal was not
to become the second Dream Clouds.
"I'll definitely do things in moderation."
"I believe that you'll be able to do well."
Once Rampaging Dragon left, Silver Wolf looked away and said to Happy, "This is the second set of fourth-echelon equipment you gave out. With Phoenix Dances and Rampaging Dragon serving as garrisons, the two regions should be fine, and we'll be able to gain a stable footing in them.
"We have Thunderous Battle at Changjiang River Basin, and there's no need to even mention his equipment! Besides, right now, he has powerful martial artists training with him every day, and his skills are somewhat among the ranks of top-class fighters. The only region we need to worry about is Jiangnan."
"Yeah." Happy frowned slightly.
It seemed like the main reason for it was because Chivalry Sect made some mistakes while taking in some members. A few of their members were lacking in character, and they frequently argued as well as fought against others, thus worsening the relationship between the local sects and Chivalry Sect.
Even though Lin Xiao and Red Dust tried to mediate the situation, they were surrounded by trouble. Compared to Momo, Lin Xiao and Red Dust's gentle policies caused certain negative opinions to stir up within the sect itself.
As more of their own died, Chivalry Sect started calling out for the sect to suppress the local sects and steal their resource points!
Happy suspected that it might be because of Towering Palace's d.e.s.i.r.e to expand their territory in Jiangnan's coastal area. Class One Hall might also have a hand in it.
But there were too many things linked to that place, and too many sects were involved. It was not suitable for Mu Clan to show up. Happy had to make sure that no one would attack Mu Clan at such a time.
Chapter 639 - Unrest, Worry
"What a bunch of useless people."
Towering Palace's Vice Palace Master Vast Heaven stood not too far away from Sky Demon Branch and stared at Abu leaving with his group in an incredibly pathetic manner. His gaze was cold, and his expression was unpleasant.
During the trip to Sky Demon Secret Cave, he had fled in an incredibly dishonorable manner. He wasted an entire day in there, but gained nothing and even lost a group of great players from Towering Palace.
It was also because of that operation that the cries of people in the game declaring that he was not as great as Happy and One Emperor grew louder. In fact, there were even people who said that he could not compare to Silver Wolf and others like him.
Vast Heaven was troubled and angered by it for a long time. His first thought was to regain his honor in Sky Demon Secret Cave, but the Sky Demon Orders in the market became increasingly harder to buy, and even if there were any, he would not dare to enter Sky Demon Secret Cave recklessly.
The establishment of Sky Demon Branch by Mu Clan caused his thoughts of wiping away his disgrace by reentering Sky Demon Secret Cave to be a dream far away from him.
Towering Palace's Clear Music had even given the order to temporarily suspend all operations to Sky Demon Secret Cave and told him to return to the coastal area.
From this, it was clear just how wary Towering Palace was of Mu Clan and Happy.
What enraged Vast Heaven even more was that during the martial arts tournament, Clear Music had been incredibly polite to him, but for some reason, the palace had suddenly promoted a few unfamiliar faces as hall chiefs.
All of them were newcomers!
But those people had shot to the ranks of higher ups at rocket speed, and one of them even became a vice palace master, sharing the same position as Vast Heaven.
This made Vast Heaven, who had become very arrogant after he inherited Six Pulses Divine Sword, to feel horrible for a long time.
But he could not refute Clear Music's arrangements. In fact, he could not show any sort of anger. He could only stay around for a few days while stewing in his anger.
In that time, he had made preparations to intercept the southwestern elites after they challenged Mu Clan and Happy. He wanted to give those southwestern elites a "pleasant" surprise once they won against Happy or the elites from Mu Clan and were on their way back.
What Vast Heaven did not expect, however, was that Abu and his men would leave in a pathetic manner after coming with an aggressive momentum. They lost and were forced to go back to their country without even being able to force out a real elite from Mu Clan.
In such a situation, it was not appropriate for Vast Heaven to attack...
He could only watch Abu and his group leave into the distance. Once they were gone, he looked away and stared at Sky Demon Branch for a long time before snorting coldly and leaving as well.
*****
Groups of people moved about outside Sky Demon Sect.
Happy and Silver Wolf appeared at the periphery in an unexpectedly flashy manner. Along with them were two hundred Mu Clan members, as well as All-powerful Medicinal Stone, Momo, Wind Chimes, and Little North.
Even though the group never cleared out the place or showed any intention of controlling the resources, once many sects recognized the lineup, they sensibly chose to move away.
The Mu Clan members were used to it.
Right then, Mu Clan was the best clan in China in terms of West Region and Jiangnan. Class One Hall had been publicly slapped in the face when Happy went to Beijing. Then, they were forced dozens of miles away by Happy with just three moves when they met each other at the foot of Mount Song. They even gave up a large region at that time.
Those and other events made the gamers firmly believe that Mu Clan was the strongest player sect in the game.
Mu Clan was also the only party to never return empty-handed from the treasure island that was Sky Demon Secret Cave.
Hence, many people thought that it was completely reasonable that Mu Clan would come.
At such a time, no one would try to compete with Mu Clan in terms of resources or strength to enter Sky Demon Secret Cave.
*****
Happy sat down for a while outside Sky Demon Sect. Momo, who had been watching him quietly from the side spoke up at that moment. "Do you have something on your mind?"
"Hmm?" Happy opened his eyes and cast Momo a puzzled gaze.
She frowned. "You can't lie to me. You'd never slack off like this in the past. You'd seize every single second you have to train or do quests instead of daydreaming."
Happy said nothing and just smiled wanly.
"What are you thinking about?" Momo looked at him curiously. "Right now, Mu Clan is enjoying smooth operations, and it's developing very quickly.
"I also heard that you've signed an agreement in the real world with the official developers of World of Martial Arts to serve as a spokesperson for their clothing line. This is something great, so why do you still look like you're very troubled? Are you worried about your match against One Emperor?"
"They weren't lying when they said that women are very s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e." Happy smiled wanly, sighed, and answered her. "I don't know whether it's because I obtained too many things, but when I feel like I'm about to lose it, and it makes me anxious…"
"You're scared?"
"Yeah." Happy nodded without bothering to hide it.
"Why?" Momo could not understand, and she lowered her voice. "You have four ultimate techniques now, and you're publicly acknowledged as the best in the game. Your equipment won't lose to One Emperor's either. There's no reason for you to be afraid of losing to him…"
"I'm not afraid of losing to One Emperor."
Momo said nothing for a moment. Then, a thought appeared in her mind. "I think so too. Last time, when we thought that One Emperor was incredibly powerful, you weren't this hesitant."
She s.u.c.k.e.d in a deep breath and asked, "Then, are you worried that there will be changes in Mu Clan after you lose?"
Once she said those words, Momo shuddered and suddenly looked at Rampaging Dragon, who was in the distance, and realization appeared on her face.
"I see, it's no won
der why you brought out four sets of fourth-echelon equipment in one go and created four top-class elites for Mu Clan."
Aside from Rampaging Dragon and Phoenix Dances, there were two other people who also obtained the incredibly valuable fourth-echelon equipment. One of them was B.u.t.t Shaker, and the other was One Circle. They were both veterans of Beautiful Robes Faction.
Happy said nothing.
Momo quickly linked everything together, and the worry in her eyes became more obvious.
The establishment of Sky Demon Branch, the subtle adjustment among the higher-ups in various areas, along with the generous distribution of fourth-echelon equipment made it seem like Happy was making preparations for an upcoming storm.
When he heard it, Happy smiled faintly.
"It's not four sets, but eight."
'What?!'
Momo was so shocked that she was dumbfounded.
A single set of fourth-echelon equipment was already worth cities, which was more than forty billion taels of silver.
Just how much did Mu Clan earn?
Happy did not notice Momo's shocked and surprised expression. "If a large sect allows too many people to see their depths, it will not be far away from crumbling! That's why I intend to cultivate a few people whom you are unfamiliar with as future secret weapons of Mu Clan. They'll be considered as an extra security measure for the unknown future after my battle ends with One Emperor."
Momo said nothing.
Silver Wolf had his back turned to them. His body trembled a little, but he did not turn his head around.
Momo stared at Happy with a complicated gaze.
"Is One Emperor really that good?"
"I can't say." Happy stopped for a moment, then explained his words in a calm voice. "I only hope that if I fail, I will not deal too much of a blow to Mu Clan and it will still be like a bedrock. I don't want a repeat of what happened to Beautiful Robes Faction, when our enemies took the opportunity to take advantage of us."