Sword Among Us c1-1268

by Black Swordsman Online

  Whoosh!

  They did not dare to raise any protest and just did whatever the Sword Sect disciples told them to do.

  The logs in the six carriages were soon taken out and buried with the snow around them. The series of actions allowed Happy to understand certain things.

  The Sword Sect disciples most likely wanted to ride in the carriages and get closer to the mighty northern clan's sphere of influence.

  And just as he expected, once they finished with their tasks, the Sword Sect disciples who gave the order arrived in front of the trembling northern coachmen and, with a sharp gaze, looked over them. "Don't worry. As long as you listen to us, we won't kill you."

  At that moment, even the stupidest idiot would know that the Sword Sect disciples' sneaky actions meant that they were about to do something that would not warrant friendship with the mighty northern clan.

  But the coachmen's lives were in their hands, and they could only nod obediently to show their willingness to cooperate!

  "Get in the carriage!"

  The Sword Sect disciple nodded in satisfaction.

  When he finished speaking, the group of coachmen were shoved up onto their carriages. Then, the Sword Sect disciples got in—a few of them entering each carriage. The caravan then returned to how it originally looked.

  But there was a heavy weight in each person's heart…

  The logs in the carriages had turned into people from Sword Sect, and there was a sharp longsword directed at the back of each coachman. Anyone else in their position would find it hard to be relaxed.

  "Drive the horses. Pretend that nothing ever happened."

  Under the Sword Sect disciples' coercion, the coachmen flung their wh.i.p.s with pale faces. With cracking sounds in the air, the caravan began to move in a stiff and slow manner. They dragged out marks that were not too deep on the snow as it headed to the mighty clan in the north.

  *****

  The mighty northern clan had Heaven Shaker Fortress.

  As the biggest aristocratic family in the north, the mighty northern clan placed a high value on Heaven Shaker Fortress. Along the way to the fortress, quite a number of mighty northern clan disciples could be seen. When a person was within a circular area of dozens of miles away, they would see some huge men with built bodies who displayed their sturdy as well as red c.h.e.s.ts to the world walking on the road.

  Those people had sparkling eyes, and their qi was pretty extraordinary. Despite standing in the ice and snow, they could maintain an even breathing and a calm spirit. At first glance, they looked incredibly powerful!

  They were all swordsmiths of the mighty northern clan's Sword Crafting Hall. All of them had grown up in Sword Crafting Hall, and each of them had rather extraordinary qi realms.

  However, no matter how sincere the disciples were, if it had to happen every day, it was inevitable that some oversight would occur.

  Sword Crafting Hall required a large supply of wood and ores every day to make sure that the fire in the furnace did not die. Hence, there was a large number of carriages which headed into forests in different directions daily to collect materials before going back to Heaven Shaker Fortress.

  All carriages with the secret emblem of the mighty northern clan were driven by disciples from inside the fortress, and the sentries did not check them.

  The Sword Sect disciples caught that oversight by the mighty northern clan and had the coachmen bring them over Heaven Shaker Fortress' sentry line.

  Heaven Shaker Fortress was a huge snow-white fortress. It was incredibly large and majestic, and it was like paradise had decided to set itself in this place. Everyone longed to enter it.

  The carriages continued getting closer.

  Since they had already gotten through the first and second sentry lines, the Sword Crafting Hall disciples nearby also grew fewer. By the looks of it, they were about to get close to Heaven Shaker Fortress' gate.

  At that moment, Torn Army's voice reached Happy's ears again.

  "Happy, listen carefully. Don't make a sound." His voice was very faint, and his words sounded very vague. It was only thanks to Happy's high spiritual senses that he did not miss a word.

  "These Sword Sect members are definitely here for Heaven Crystal. They're thinking about serving as the force inside and coordinating with the ones who will definitely break in later.

  "We're heading to the back gate of Heaven Shaker Fortress now. There are few guards there, and it'll be very easy for Sword Sect disciples to control it. Once they succeed, we'll definitely be killed.

  "I've already spoken to Captain Stallion Glory. We can't let the Sword Sect disciples enter Heaven Shaker Fortress as they please."

  Happy scowled.

  That was not something easy. They had already entered the territory of Heaven Shaker Fortress.

  Torn Army did not stop yet.

  "Stallion Glory intends to break free. It'll be of no good for Sword Sect if he does that, but it's also not good for us. When Stallion Glory takes action later, I'll provide cover, so you can leave.

  "I've already given you a copy of a map with a trail leading to Sword Crafting Hall. Once you break free, be careful. You have to locate my three brothers. They'll tell you about your next move."

  Happy said nothing.

  The system notification came.

  "Ding!

  "Wait for the right timing. Once Torn Army and Stallion Glory take action, immediately break free and run away from the Sword Sect disciples' sight. Find a place to hide and not be found by Sword Sect disciples.

  "Don't be discovered by the mighty northern clansmen and do not run into the Nangong Clan. You are to find abandoned Sword Sect disciple Thousand Destruction within ten minutes."

  When the system notification ended, a bead of cold sweat rolled down Happy's forehead without him noticing.

  It was only at that moment that he understood why Torn Army gave him the map for Sword Crafting Hall from the beginning. The quest was not just hard, it was insanely hard!

  Happy was actually tasked to look for a chance to flee while the mighty northern clan and the Sword Sect disciples fought against each other, and he was to avoid being caught by the members of the three factions for ten minutes while searching for the second abandoned Sword Sect disciple, Thousand Destruction, in Heaven Shaker Fortress.

  If he was discovered, he would be surrounded by the people from the three factions immediately.

  The quest was just crazy!

  Chapter 660 - Torn Army’s Death

  The sleds the carriages used dragged out long trails on the snow ground while the people braced the dangers of the cold wind. The trails stretched out from the forest to a small gate at the back of Heaven Shaker Fortress.

  Since the defense of Heaven Shaker Fortress was tight and the mighty northern clan was famous in the area, they had never run into any accidents when they were ambushed by anyone. Hence, the defense at the back gate was much weaker.

  Two Sword Crafting Hall disciples stared at the caravan that returned to the fortress. Some of the other guards leaned closely to each other to avoid the cold wind in a lackadaisical fashion. They laughed and talked about things that only men would talk about.

  Whoosh!

  While the cold wind blew, the Sword Crafting Hall disciples did not notice that a small crack was formed between the curtain and the window frame of one of the carriages. They also did not notice that the familiar caravan charging toward them did not leave behind tracks that were deep in the snow behind it.

  A chilling cold light shot out like the speed of lightning from the first carriage like the snow dancing in the air.

  At the same time…

  "Go!"

  Torn Army's warning rose in the middle of the caravan and reached Happy's ears.

  The coachman who was curled up in the carriage and seemed to have been scared out of his wits suddenly shook. Like a spring released, he tapped against the carriage and instantly shot out with a thud!

 
He tapped repeatedly against the ground and moved like lightning. Happy's speed was something that even the Sword Crafting Hall disciples and Sword Sect disciples could not react to. They only saw a gray figure jump a few times above the carriages before he was already above the Sword Crafting Hall disciples' heads.

  Two Inaction Realm Sword Sect disciples had coincidentally arrived in front of the Sword Crafting Hall disciples at the same time. They moved quickly and ignored Happy, who had suddenly taken action. Their swords moved with an indomitable spirit, and their main goal was to kill the Sword Crafting Hall disciples instantly!

  However, the other Inaction Realm Sword Sect disciple in the first carriage did not just stand by and watch.

  Whoosh!

  Almost at the instant Happy jumped over the top of the carriage at the front of the caravan, that Inaction Realm Sword Sect disciple charged out.

  "Attack!"

  Torn Army and Stallion Glory shot out from their seats at the same time. Both moved from the left and right, and the whip swords by their waists were immediately straightened. They intersected with each other with chilling light and blocked the man.

  The gray figure shot to the entrance like lightning!

  Thud! Thud!

  Two heads flew into the air.

  Everything might have seemed to have happened over a long period of time, but it actually happened in a flash.

  As if they rehearsed it beforehand, the people from the three factions practically attacked at the same time. Happy, Torn Army, Stallion Glory, and the three other Inaction Realm Sword Sect disciples instantly crossed swords at the back gate of Heaven Shaker Fortress.

  Since the Sword Sect disciples had to kill the mighty northern clansmen before they sounded the alarm and alerted the others, their attacks were very fierce.

  Once they killed the guards at the back gate, they immediately set their sights on Happy and the coachmen.

  Thud! Thud!

  Even though he was faced with Inaction Realm martial artists, they were slightly weaker than the famous evil cult elders. Their strength should be at the beginning stages of Inaction Realm, so there were some flaws in their sword technique.

  At the moment Happy arrived above two people's heads, he ingeniously executed two Joined Fingers. Since the attacks were executed at close distance, the Sword Sect disciples looked as if they had been struck by lightning. They grunted and froze for a moment.

  The effect did not last long, but it was enough time for Happy to go over their heads. He jumped a few more times without hesitation and vanished into the snow.

  When the Sword Sect members noticed that the situation was bad, Happy had already taken a turn and entered Heaven Shaker Fortress. He was so fast that they felt embarrassed, but could not catch up to him.

  "This is bad! I didn't expect that there was an elite in the caravan. He managed to escape."

  One of the disciples had a dark expression, and his tone was grave.

  "We don't have time to worry about him." The other disciple caught up and stared in the direction in which the person in gray had vanished. "He shouldn't be a mighty northern clansman, or else, he would have sounded the alarm a long time ago to expose our tracks."

  The eyes of the first person lit up.

  "Senior brother, you're right!" He stopped talking for a moment before he said, "If that's the case, should we get rid of these people first?"

  Stallion Glory opened his mouth to release a long cry of alarm, but he was killed by a single slash from Torn Army, and his voice scattered in the wind!

  Then, Torn Army's c.h.e.s.t was pierced by a surprised Sword Sect disciple. He stared at him and the other disciples with resentment before falling to the snow with a sigh of relief on his lips.

  At the same time, the coachmen behind him were killed by the Sword Sect disciples in the carriages because they did not react in time. When they noticed that the people in front had already taken action, they were already killed.

  The Sword Sect members clearly had a well thought out plan. Once they killed everyone, they swiftly moved and hid all the corpses in the carriages. Then, they quickly moved the carriages into Heaven Shaker Fortress.

  They had two Sword Sect disciples change into the dead Heaven Shaker Fortress disciples' clothes and covered the blood on the ground before putting on caps to hide most of their faces. They went to stand at the spots that originally belonged to the Sword Crafting Hall disciples.

  Whoosh!

  The biting cold wind continued blowing nonstop, but the back gate had returned to calm once more.

  However, quite a few abnormal events were happening in the shadows within Heaven Shaker Fortress.

  *****

  Once he determined the safest route, he avoided quite a number of ears and eyes within Heaven Shaker Fortress without running into any danger. He moved based on the marks on the map, and with a few twists and turns, he entered a small yard that seemed to be the dwelling place of handymen.

  Happy found himself surrounded by people who were dressed like him. They were all handymen who wore normal quilts.

  Seven or eight handymen worked hard in the kitchen, while two others broke ice and extracted water in the face of the snow and wind. The entire area was busy with work.

  Happy watched from the shadows for a while before he found a man in gray who occasionally looked around him. His eyes sparkled, and he was different from the handymen around him. It was clear that he was a martial artist with extraordinary skills.

  'It's him! Thousand Destruction!'

  While hiding in the shadows, Happy met gazes with Thousand Destruction.

  The man's eyes lit up a little before he looked around in a wary fashion. When he noticed that no one paid any attention to him, he picked up the lunchbox that he seemed to have prepared a long time ago by his side and moved to the shadows where Happy was.

  "You're here." Thousand Destruction dragged Happy to a remote corner and frowned. "Where's my brother?"

  He finally noticed that the situation was off.

  Happy told him about how they were threatened by Sword Sect disciples while on their way inside, and Thousand Destruction's expression instantly turned incredibly angry and agitated. "Those bastards! I'll definitely take revenge for Torn Army!"

  "Sword Sect definitely came for Heaven Crystal. As long as we steal it, we can shift the blame to Sword Sect, and we'll have Sword Sect fight against the northern clan and the Nangong Clan as revenge for Brother Torn Army."

  "That's right." Thousand Destruction quickly turned his grief into his strength. He gritted his teeth and nodded before he opened the lunchbox in his hands to bring out some small items. "There's someone from Sword Crafting Hall who will receive you. Ten Thousand Swords will be waiting for you there. This is your new identity."

  When Happy touched a soft object, he was delighted.

  A human skin mask!

  Chapter 661 - Sword Crafting Hall!

  Aside from the soft human skin mask in Thousand Destruction's lunchbox, there was also a set of northern clansman's clothes. There was even the emblem of Sword Crafting Hall on them.

  Once Happy was dressed, Thousand Destruction smoothed out his clothing and brought out a bronze mirror from the lunchbox.

  "This is your current image. Mu Li is your identity in the mighty northern clan. You're a disciple who transports materials to Sword Crafting Hall. That should not be a problem for you with your arm strength.

  "But you'll have to be careful. The temperature in Sword Crafting Hall is incredibly high! You'll be using up a lot of your qi. Every Sword Crafting Hall disciple has a unique qi cultivation technique that can ensure that their qi is constantly circulating.

  "Sword Sect disciples and normal martial artists will not be able to get close to it, so you must be careful not to reveal your tracks."

  Thousand Destruction's reminder caused Happy to feel even more at ease.

  He had Nine Yang Divine Skill, so there was no way he would be afraid of the hea
t. Could that place possibly be worse than Sky Demon Secret Cave? Of course not.

  He nodded to show that he would keep it in mind, and Thousand Destruction marked down the specific location of Sword Crafting Hall on the map. "Go to this place and search for Ten Thousand Swords. He'll be able to tell you what you should do next."

  "Got it."

  Happy managed to easily complete the second segment of the quest! He bade farewell to Thousand Destruction, and with his new identity, he walked in an imposing manner through the halls to the mark on the map while leisurely admiring as well as observing the situation in Heaven Shaker Fortress.

  There were still no players who had managed to enter Heaven Shaker Fortress, and there were very few battle replays about the place.

  Happy would naturally not record anything. The fewer people who knew about Heaven Crystal, the better.

  He passed through a few courtyards while walking along a corridor and gained a general idea of Heaven Shaker Fortress. He was on a square-shaped corridor, and wherever he went, he could see a huge and majestic dome-shaped building standing tall inside Heaven Shaker Fortress. It was so majestic that it was like a temple of heaven, and it was incredibly stylish and glorious.

  The closer he got to it, the warmer it got.

  The cold from the snow and wind seemed to become much weaker.

  It was only at that moment that Happy understood why he was dressed in such thin clothes. Even though he was still far away from the dome, the temperature had already started changing. The world around him seemed to have entered spring, and by the looks of it, that place was the core of Heaven Shaker Fortress—Sword Crafting Hall!

  When Happy arrived at the foot of Sword Crafting Hall, he sensed just how tiny and insignificant humans were!

  Not a single speck of snow could be found in a circular area of 328 feet within Sword Crafting Hall. It evaporated because of the hot air before it could even get close to the place. In fact, even the small bit of vapor vanished without a trace.