However, once the dragon-shaped tornado vanished, what appeared before everyone's eyes caused Grim Green's smile to freeze, and Musical Note as well as the other people's faces turned stark pale!
Whoosh!
A grim and cold breeze blew across Towering Palace's headquarters.
Happy and Clear Music stood facing each other while there were more than one hundred corpses surrounding them. They did not say a single word to each other.
As the heavy sounds of breathing could be heard, the countless martial artists outside the headquarters could clearly see that Happy had seized Clear Music's thin neck in his hand!
Happy's expression was calm, and he was holding Clear Music's pale neck as if he was c.a.r.e.s.sing a lover. There was a faint smile on his face. "Palace Master Music, Qimen Dunjia is, no matter what, an unorthodox fighting style. It's unappealing to those of refined tastes…"
His next words were extremely quiet, so no one could overhear them. It seemed like he had said something specifically to Clear Music.
Her face was pale. She shuddered while staring into Happy's eyes and lips in disbelief with a wide open mouth.
"Make your decision."
Happy smiled faintly.
The Towering Palace elders who were prepared to go up and help Clear Music saw her make a motion to not take any action.
Chapter 653 - The Setting Sun Shines on Abyss Tower
Xie Yi and the others were at Abyss Tower's headquarters in Yangzhou. They waited at the entrance while listening to the information their tower members reported back to them. Aside from gradually becoming numb to the news, they also gathered an increasing amount of puzzlement and unease in their hearts.
Chivalry Sect had mobilized tens of thousands of disciples, so they were definitely not there just to view the scenery!
But more than an hour had passed, and they still had not taken any action. The people in the city could not help but feel that it was strange as well as a cause for suspicion, and the uneasiness in their hearts grew stronger.
*****
"It's about time." Lin Xiao checked the time after he sent a few messenger pigeons outside the city, and his gaze grew sharp. "Move."
Whoosh!
A huge flag was raised in the face of the wind. A violent gust made it flutter and reveal the word "Chivalry" written in large letters.
Whoosh!
The word "Sect" was also swiftly lifted on another flag on the other side.
Once the two flags were raised, tens of thousands of Chivalry Sect members stood up simultaneously. They drew their weapons, and an astonishingly grim presence rose into the sky!
"Go and take a look at what's going on!"
"They're coming!"
Shrill screams charged over from the distance! It made the hearts of all members of Wind and Rain Alliance tense.
"Very good. We've been waiting for this for a long time." At that moment, Xie Yi naturally did not want to destroy his own prestige. He drew his longsword and pointed it at the sky. "Brothers, it's time for us to stand at the top of the world! If we destroy Chivalry Sect, we'll become the largest alliance in the Chinese server!"
"Kill them!"
The people pointed their weapons skyward while shouting with their necks flushed red. Their voices shook through Yangzhou.
Clang…
A sudden string of zither notes rose at that moment. Xie Yi and all the members of Wind and Rain Alliance could hear it. The zither notes were loud and sharp, and they were incredibly clear and piercing to the ears when they rang out in the middle of shouting people.
Every single person in the area felt as if someone was playing for their hearts. They subconsciously looked around them for the source of the zither notes.
"Who's causing trouble?!"
When Xie Yi noticed that the atmosphere was off, anger appeared on his face. He jumped onto Abyss Tower's gate and looked at the area from above, but he found no signs of the person who played the zither.
At that moment, another string of zither notes entered his ears, as if they came from the heavens themselves.
Xie Yi said nothing.
This time, he finally found his target.
When he turned around to look, he saw a girl in a dress as white as snow. She sat in a dignified fashion in front of the most important object in Abyss Tower—its foundation. Her fingers moved like orchids, and she swiftly plucked the six-stringed zither.
Clanging zither notes spilled out like flowing water. The Abyss Tower members nearby were the first to be affected by them. A terrifying bit of red appeared on their c.h.e.s.ts, and it came out of the blue. Then, it swiftly spread out.
"Demonic zither!"
The expressions of Xie Yi and a few of the sect masters of Wind and Rain Alliance changed to shock at the same time. They recognized the woman!
Wind Chimes' appearance made chills crawl down the backs of the sect masters and members of Wind and Rain Alliance.
'Is Mu Clan working together with Chivalry Sect to fight against Wind and Rain Alliance?!'
"Xie Yi, you sure are ambitious. Your methods are pretty good, considering the fact that you managed to draw in so many large sects to help you fight against Chivalry Sect. Unfortunately for you, you chose the wrong opponent."
A sonorous voice rose from behind Wind Chimes. Silver Wolf, dressed in dazzling Golden Armor, walked out, which was a huge blow to the c.h.e.s.t for Xie Yi and the rest. Their faces turned pale, and their uneasiness swiftly grew more prominent.
"Chivalry Sect is Mu Clan's ally. Just like how Wind and Rain Alliance will call for the members of their alliance to help when one of your sects are in trouble, Mu Clan will naturally not stand aloof when Chivalry Sect is in trouble."
"Silver Wolf!" Xie Yi's face was pale, but he suddenly flew into a rage. "How did you get in here?!
"I know, it must be Night Rain Follows Wind. He's destroying all of my plans!"
When he reached the second half of his sentence, his tone subconsciously turned sharp from exasperation, and his facial features twisted.
"Plans?" Silver Wolf laughed coldly while walking beside Wind Chimes. "You might have dozens of sects in your alliance," he said with derision, "but Chivalry Sect doesn't need to be afraid of you. Your Alliance Master, Night Rain, just doesn't want the alliance he created through blood, sweat, and tears to be used by a despicable sc.u.m as a tool for him to fulfill his own ambitions, which is why he decided to work with us to eliminate Abyss Tower."
"Eliminate?" Xie Yi shuddered when he heard that, and he gritted his teeth while he chuckled coldly. "Forget about whether Chivalry Sect will be able to get here within a short time. Do you think that the both of you will actually be able to stay in Abyss Tower's headquarters safely?"
Xie Yi s.u.c.k.e.d in a resolute breath and gave a firm order, "Kill them!"
Silver Wolf said nothing.
When dozens of members in the headquarters drew their weapons, they heard the clanging and piercing zither notes suddenly grow louder. They came at the members like huge pairs of scissors!
The sharp sound blades instantly cut through the people's bodies!
Bang bang bang bang…
Dozens of corpses stood still for a few seconds before they fell to the ground one after another.
Wind Chimes' expression remained the same as if all that had transpired had nothing to do with her. She plucked the strings leisurely with her face turned slightly to the side, as if she was immersed in the melody she created.
However, at the instant Wind Chimes released her murderous notes, it was as if a strange power had frozen everyone. All of Abyss Tower members outside the damage zone turned pale, and there was a look of fear they could not hide on their faces when they looked at Wind Chimes' side profile.
"Why are you afraid?! Attack! She's alone! There's no way she can attack continuously! Attack!"
Xie Yi's shouts might have managed to spur on some of the people, but it was clear that his charisma did not have the
same effect as before. Most of the people were still immersed in their wariness toward Wind Chimes and Silver Wolf as well as their respect for Mu Clan.
The small number of people who moved were instantly targeted. The zither notes grew intense, and soon a violent gust of wind swept through the players. The fierce sound blades filled the whole area before crashing straight into them!
At that moment, black messenger pigeons flew all over the sky above Abyss Tower's headquarters.
The members of the other sects watched the sight with unpleasant expressions. They felt an indescribable pressure descend on them from above.
It was only at that moment that they noticed that even though Wind and Rain Alliance had grown strong, they did not possess the strength to fight against Chivalry Sect, much less Mu Clan.
With just two elites, many of their people were already intimidated.
A clamor promising murder rose outside the city!
The sect masters who had been recruited into Wind and Rain Alliance by Xie Yi looked at the dreary and hopeless situation in Abyss Tower, and their eyes sparkled. No one knew what they were thinking about.
At that moment, Silver Wolf's voice came from the stairs leading to the tower's foundation.
"This time, Mu Clan's target is just Abyss Tower. We are only here to destroy Abyss Tower, and we will not interfere with your war against Chivalry Sect, but next time, we cannot tell whether we might visit your headquarters."
When he finished speaking, Wind Chimes' zither notes suddenly changed. Excited notes rose and filled the air, and their area of effect increased exponentially!
The Abyss Tower members could not react in time, and in an instant, nearly one hundred of them were dead. The others cried out in alarm and quickly retreated. They ignored Xie Yi's hysterical shouts and cries. Everyone escaped Abyss Tower's headquarters to get away from the attack zone of the sound blades.
When the sect masters saw that Silver Wolf and Wind Chimes were the only ones left within Abyss Tower, their hearts sink.
Abyss Tower… was over.
Chapter 654 - Violent!
The headquarters of Towering Palace was completely silent.
Even though Happy could not slaughter dozens of people by himself like Silver Wolf and Wind Chimes, Clear Music was in his grasp, so no one in Towering Palace would dare to do anything reckless.
"Have you made your decision?"
Happy stared at Clear Music while speaking in a calm tone. He did not show any signs of being affected by her unbelievably cold beauty. He just retracted his arm from her neck to not continue upsetting the people from Towering Palace.
Clear Music raised her hand and stopped the people from getting close to her while she stared into Happy's eyes without blinking.
After taking in a deep breath, she said with a myriad of emotions, "You've achieved your goal of ruining Towering Palace's reputation. Three Dragons Guild and all other foreign organizations also witnessed Mu Clan's might. What else do you want?"
Even though she was very shocked by Happy's ability to transmit his voice privately, she soon calmed down.
Towering Palace lost, and they lost to Happy.
They made a wrong estimation of his strength, and they had also grossly overestimated themselves.
Clear Music knew what sort of situation she would have to face after the day was over, but since things had already progressed to this point, she could only do her best to redeem her palace's reputation.
After hearing her, Happy knew that his plans were thwarted again.
He had sent her a private message to ask her to take the initiative in handing over the people from Three Dragons Guild and promise to get rid of the ban she previously placed. Doing so would damage Towering Palace's profit, but it was much better than being completely destroyed and their resources being snatched away.
But Clear Music decided to put on a show…
'Looks like some women find it hard to give up on power when they've had a taste of what it feels like once they stand at the peak. It's very hard for them to get through it because of their ego.
'Dream Clouds is better than her in this respect. She will give up when it's time to give up…'
"Since you're not willing to accept my conditions, Mu Clan will personally come to the coastal area and search for the people from Three Dragons Guild. At that time, I hope that you'll be able to bear the consequences."
Clear Music had made a wrong estimation of Happy's determination!
When he fought against Class One Hall, he had chosen to give Dream Clouds a path of survival so that they could recuperate, even though Dream Clouds had previously destroyed Beautiful Robes Faction. Clear Music had thought that Happy decided to show Dream Clouds a petty kindness. He might be smart, but he was not ruthless enough against women and cared about maintaining his reputation.
Compared to that time, the assassination attempt in their palace was very insignificant.
At the very least, compared to Dream Clouds' situation, Clear Music did nothing to destroy Mu Clan's might, and it had instead allowed Happy to show off his power as well as his influence.
Happy should be satisfied with how things ended!
Clear Music thought she had seized Happy's weakness. Hence, when he mentioned his conditions, she decided to put on a hurt expression and pretend to be pitiful to gain his sympathy. She circ.u.mnavigated the conditions Happy previously mentioned, and if she succeeded, Towering Palace would still have a chance!
Happy had the title of the strongest in the game attached to him, so Towering Palace's loss against him would not have a huge negative effect. However, Clear Music did not expect that Happy would refuse to follow the script and would resolutely decide to enter the coastal area with his entire army.
A hint of panic and anger appeared on Clear Music's face. She could no longer hide her emotions. "You! Don't you dare go overboard!"
"Go overboard?" Happy smiled faintly. "There's no point in talking too much. Palace Master Music, since you've made your decision, then we'll just pretend that I'm going overboard, all right? Today, I'll let you keep your headquarters.
"Grim Green, before my fight at Mount Tai, I do not wish for any eyesores to appear and affect my emotions, regardless of whether they are Three Dragons Guild or Wind and Rain Alliance…"
While speaking, he cast a glance at Clear Music, Grim Green, and the others. "And the same goes to you, Towering Palace, and also Class One Hall! During this period of time, I want a peaceful environment!"
His words made it clear that he was listing the four organizations that were his targets.
Clear Music's expression changed.
Her final trump card was her friendship with Wind and Rain Alliance as well as Class One Hall in the fight against Mu Clan and Chivalry Sect, but Happy's words allowed her to understand that she had made a mistake.
Happy did not care about them working together! In fact, he had the intention of attacking them beforehand!
Musical Note, Shangguan Lian, and the others also understood it at the same time.
Once Happy conveyed his thoughts, he spoke again in a leisurely manner.
"Before the battle at Mount Tai, if Three Dragons Guild decides to do something stupid, I'll make sure that Three Dragons Guild can never stay in China. If Wind and Rain Alliance opens fire, I'll extinguish all flames of life in Wind and Rain Alliance.
"If Towering Palace is interested in joining in the fun, I'll come and keep you company. If Class One Hall wants to liven things up too, I won't mind going to Beijing to meet with them before my fight with One Emperor.
"I'm not being conceited here. It's just that you… are all too ambitious! You can't accept anyone else, and all you think about is causing trouble. If that's the case, why should I show any courtesy to you?
"That's all I have to say, Palace Master Music. Think about it on your own."
Once Happy finished speaking, he tapped against the ground and jumped dozens of feet high. Then, like a
bird, he quickly went over countless Towering Palace members' heads and threw himself into the crowd in the street far away.
With a few more jumps, he vanished, leaving behind Clear Music and the others. They were speechless as they watched the hundreds of corpses inside the headquarters.
Happy had not just displayed Mu Clan's might with his arrival. He had also squashed Towering Palace's prestige in the coastal area.
Every person had a lost look on their face.
Mu Clan was about to march into the coastal area!
Was the time when Towering Palace dominated over the coastal area about to be over?
Many people could only wear anguished smiles when they remembered how much Clear Music had refused to yield.
It was all because she wanted to do business with the foreign organizations and protect them…
And now, things were just wonderful.
For one Three Dragons Guild, Clear Music had not just destroyed their prestige in the eyes of the foreign organizations, which would make them lose trust, she had also allowed Mu Clan to enter the coastal area.
"Palace master!" Grim Green stood in the crowd with a regretful look on his face.
Clear Music pretended to not have heard him.
Towering Palace's best fighter, Vast Heaven, did not show up, but in the eyes of Clear Music, Grim Green, who had Nine Solitary Swords, was comparable to the successor of Six Pulses Divine Sword.
Unfortunately, Happy had used only two moves to utterly destroy Clear Music's hopes.
Grim Green attacked twice, and both times, he was sent flying with crisp and clean attacks from Happy. It was as if they were players of two completely different levels!
He was never at a disadvantage when he used his Nine Solitary Swords. He could mow down all resistances and stood as equals with Vast Heaven when they sparred together. Yet the fight had been in Happy's control, which he found hard to accept
It was not that his understanding toward Nine Solitary Swords was too low, but that every single attack he delivered seemed to coincidentally crash into Happy's hands, and he did not have room to change his attack trajectory.
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