"Sword Sect and the Nangong Clan brought Heaven Crystal to our clan, and it has caught the attention of quite a lot of warriors in China. Aside from some of the old coots in the Nangong Clan, there are also elites from Xicheng Clan and Dongfang Clan who are paying attention to this, even though they're all people who are about to die.
"Hmph! When they heard news about Heaven Crystal, all of them decided to cast aside their dignity and come over to observe. What do they think Heaven Shaker Fortress is?!"
He stopped talking for a moment before he gave a few instructions to the people beside him.
"But those old coots are no simple characters. They'll definitely be thinking about getting involved in the mess! Fortunately, the day Heaven Crystal will be repaired has been brought forward. Chin up, do not let anyone seize the opportunity to enter."
"Yes, clan elder!"
"Clan elder, are we really handing over Heaven Crystal to Sword Sect and the Nangong Clan?"
The clan elder sighed long and hard before he answered unthinkingly. "Hmph, of course we are! In the past, the Nangong Clan raised to the top by relying on Heaven Crystal. They managed to reach the peak of the world of martial artists within a short amount of time, but what happened to them in the end?
"If it weren't because of the legendary evil cult disciples fighting them to the point that their family was ruined, the Nangong Clan would not have fallen to their current state. Even though Heaven Crystal is an ancient divine weapon that stands above all other weapons, it's also a disaster. It brings endless catastrophes to all around it, and having it is not a blessing!"
Happy heard this clearly while he was below, and he was stunned.
'What he said is true! That clan elder is quite knowledgeable!'
The clan elder stopped talking for a moment before he continued. "Heaven Shaker Fortress has seen all kinds of divine weapons over the centuries since it was built. There is no one whose understanding toward divine weapons surpasses that of the mighty northern clan! True divine weapons can only be obtained by matchless warriors who are kind, just, and magnanimous.
"As of now, we do not have such a person in our clan. That's why it's not worth it to destroy the rules we've upheld for generations, ruin our legacy, and bring about the disaster of having our fortress destroyed for Heaven Crystal!"
The clan elder's last sentence was filled with the regret of a missed opportunity.
When Happy heard him, he frowned.
'If that's the case, is the northern clan not actually thinking about fighting for Heaven Crystal?
'What's going on?!
'What the heck?
'Did the four abandoned disciples lie to me, or did a change occur in the quest?'
Happy had a lot of experience from his previous life, and he swiftly noticed the variables. He also quickly seized the existence of two possible ones.
The four abandoned disciples did not have the trust of their sect, and it was not impossible for them to lie, but while he traveled with them on the road, Happy came to understand that the four had a deep-seated hate for Sword Sect, so they should not have lied to him. Besides, Torn Army sacrificed himself to protect him.
If he got rid of this possibility, there was only one other variable.
A change happened in the quest!
Happy quickly remembered some of the words the people had spoken in their conversation, and a faint hint of unease instantly rose in his heart.
It seemed like he had spent too much time in Sword Crafting Hall!
Chapter 664 - Tit for Tat
When Happy noticed that he had an oversight and should leave, but when he thought about how long he had been doing it already, he knew that it would not help matters at all even if he left now. It was the truth that the quest difficulty had increased, and he should not try to make any smart moves that would result in him missing the time Heaven Crystal was fully repaired.
Happy gritted his teeth and chose to continue staying in Sword Crafting Hall.
After some time passed, he suddenly noticed with his keen senses that the heat at the core of Sword Crafting Hall had increased by a large degree!
"It's so hot!"
"I can't stand this anymore. Have someone take my place."
Quite a number of Sword Crafting Hall disciples who were transporting charcoal at the core of Sword Crafting Hall and some forgemasters were drenched in sweat. They panted like people who had just gone through vigorous exercise. It was clear that it had become very hard for them to move, and their rhythm was not as smooth as before.
"Look over there! What's going on?!"
Right when a few forgemasters got down from their positions, they noticed that the clothes of the group of Inaction Realm martial artists standing at the entrance to the underground sword crafting room had caught on fire. The men cried out in surprise and activated their body fortification to extinguish the fire in a flurry of movements. They also moved backward, leaving the entrance.
At the same time, a red light that was nearly blinding to the eyes rose from the secret chamber of the forgemasters underground!
An astonishingly high heat swiftly spread out…
The mighty northern clansmen who had a great understanding of flames immediately saw the danger. The high heat could instantly kill an Inaction Realm martial artist, and no one was an exception to it!
"All northern clansmen, hear me! Leave Sword Crafting Hall immediately!"
An urgent cry came from the top of the stairs in Sword Crafting Hall. The awe-inspiring shout instantly drowned out the endless stream of hammers striking metal in Sword Crafting Hall and reached everyone's ears.
"Clan elder—"
"Leave!"
The Sword Crafting Hall disciples in the area shuddered. They noticed the abnormality at the core, and without another word, they quickly cast aside the things they were doing and fled outside.
Happy also put down the wooden bucket in his hands while the crowd panicked. He retreated slowly while excitedly staring at the red light that was swiftly spreading outward!
Even though the others could not sense it, he could clearly hear the sound of a door in the underground secret chamber shattering. There was a rhythmic and heavy breathing coming from that direction.
Inhale!
Exhale!
The breathing did not stop.
The flames seemed to be inhaled and exhaled by something to create the rapid increase of temperature in Sword Crafting Hall.
But if Happy knew what was going on, there were many people who knew it too.
The scorching heat waves began visibly pressing toward everyone.
Multiple forgemasters and weapons crafting apprentices moved past Happy.
But Happy just observed the area around him calmly. The high heat could not cause him any harm, but Happy was curious as to how the mighty northern clansmen repairing Heaven Crystal in the underground chamber managed to not take even a step backwards even though they were at the core of the hall.
Could it be that the mighty northern clansmen had Myth Realm elites?!
Happy s.u.c.k.e.d in a sharp breath.
If there were Myth Realm elites guarding the place, the possibility of him stealing Heaven Crystal was basically zero.
"Ten Thousand Swords."
Happy finally saw Ten Thousand Swords. He was at the core at the time of the accident, and he was also among the group that retreated the latest. Most of his robes had already burnt, but his eyes were filled with the seriousness and fierceness of someone prepared to die together with his enemy.
"Heaven Crystal is repaired," Happy mumbled.
"I know, but the situation seems to be different. Aside from Myth Realm elites, no one can stand this sort of high heat…" Ten Thousand Swords suddenly turned his head around, and words tumbled out of his mouth subconsciously. "Damn it, Sword Sect's master, the clan master of the northern clan, and the old monsters from the Nangong Clan are all here!"
"What?!"
Happy turn
ed his head around and looked, and he was just in time to see a few people walk over. One of them was a middle-aged man in white robes who looked incredibly elegant. He carried a simple longsword with a sheath made out of shark skin on his back. He walked over with a smile along with an angry-looking old man.
What surprised Happy was that there seemed to be an invisible barrier around the duo that isolated all the heat waves from their bodies. Their feet did not touch the floor, and they easily moved above the group of fleeing Sword Crafting Hall disciples.
"Old Nangong, I heard that you still can't give up on that matchless divine weapon, but you seem to have forgotten that your clan master died even though he was a man of remarkable abilities. The Nangong Clan fell to the pits because of it, so it's best if you don't repeat his mistakes…"
Those gentle words came out from the middle-aged man's mouth. An invisible might gently swept through the area, and it caused the temperature around him to go down.
The old Nangong snorted coldly.
"You don't need to be worried about this, Sword Sect Master. I am nearly seventy, and I've lived long enough. I will be considered to have fulfilled my wish if I can see the lost treasure of my clan. As for you, aren't you afraid that your sect will be razed to the ground by other martial artists?"
The two continued to attack each other verbally while ignored the people behind them.
"Hahahaha!" The Sword Sect Master's crazed laughter rang through Sword Crafting Hall like a bolt of thunder. "I have ten thousand disciples with me. I can welcome those martial artists at any time!"
The angry old Nangong Clan Leader snorted angrily, refusing to back down.
"You have ten thousand Sword Sect disciples, but do you think that we have few people in my clan?! Since Sword Sect has decided to return Heaven Crystal to us, we will take it. If you decide to go back on your decision though… Hah!"
The snort from a Myth Realm martial artist caused Happy to feel as if he had been struck in the c.h.e.s.t by lightning.
His Nine Yang Divine Skill circulated on its own to protect his heart and meridian system.
By his side, Ten Thousand Swords and many Sword Crafting Hall disciples shuddered. They were nearly injured by the shock.
Happy cursed in his heart.
Even though the old Nangong Clan Leader was not as arrogant as the Sword Sect Master, he was not any kinder. He was also a ruthless person.
"Are you done fighting? There's still one more step left until Heaven Crystal is completed, and both of you are already arguing nonstop. Do you want to fight in Heaven Shaker Fortress?!"
At that moment, an even more domineering and powerful voice joined the conversation. There was undisguised anger and condemnation in that voice.
"If that's the case, Heaven Shaker Fortress does not welcome either of you! I do not mind smelting Heaven Crystal into its original form, and you can bring THAT back! The northern clan will not take even a single silver from you!"
"Hahahaha!" The Sword Sect Master stopped at the entrance, threw his head back, and laughed. "Heaven Shaker Fortress is the fortress with the greatest defense in the world. Who would dare act preposterously here? My brother of the north, you're so amusing.
"I was just joking with Old Nangong here. I didn't expect that he would still have such a fiery temper at his old age. You can ignore us and continue repairing the sword. We won't bother you anymore!"
The old Nangong Clan Leader was mocked by the Sword Sect Master. He wanted to mock him back, but when he thought about how he was already at the entrance to the underground secret chamber, he could only suppress his burning rage.
"Hmph!"
The voice of the leader of the northern clan had only appeared briefly, but the temperature in the area was still reduced within a short amount of time.
Happy, Ten Thousand Swords, and the rest withdrew outside Sword Crafting Hall in their shock.
This was no joke!
There were three Myth Realm elites guarding Sword Crafting Hall. At this moment, even if Happy was given one hundred injections of courage, he would not stand inside like an idiot...
Chapter 665 - Great Saber Breaker Art!
Whoosh!
The extreme heat waves that spread out from the secret chamber in Sword Crafting Hall were instantly gone. The temperature around the hundreds of sword pools in Sword Crafting Hall and the forges also seemed to have been largely reduced.
While Happy, Ten Thousand Swords, and more than one thousand mighty northern clansmen stood outside Sword Crafting Hall, they were surprised when they sensed the temperature around them rapidly reduce. When the cold touched their faces, they cried out in shock! The mighty northern clansmen discovered to their amazement that snow, which had not fallen above Sword Crafting Hall for hundreds of years, had begun to fall heavily.
Thin crystalline snowflakes fell around the Sword Crafting Hall disciples and on their shoulders.
Their faces were filled with shock, and they did not quite know what to do.
The sounds of robes fluttering came from behind the crowd.
When they turned their heads around to look, they saw a group of old northern clansmen with their hair tied in a top knot. They hurried over quickly, and when they noticed the scene of snowflakes everywhere above Sword Crafting Hall, they were so astonished that their faces turned pale, and they repeated the same two sentences over and over.
"Unless the fire in Sword Crafting Hall extinguishes, snow will not fall from above."
"Unless the fire in Sword Crafting Hall extinguishes, snow will not fall from above!"
The mighty northern clansmen around them said nothing. They felt baffled, but they did not dare to be inattentive to the two old men who were dressed in silver robes and stood in the lead. They spoke in an incredibly respectful manner.
"Great Dharma Protector!"
"Second Dharma Protector!"
Regardless of whether it was the Sword Crafting Hall disciples or the clan elders, when they saw the two old men, all of them had earnest, respectful expressions on their faces, and it was enough to show their status in the mighty northern clan.
"Dharma protectors, why are you here?" An elder who was in the early stage of Inaction Realm hurried to their side with an obsequious smile.
"Who's inside?" The speaker was incredibly urgent.
"Only the clan master, the master of Sword Sect, and that person from the Nangong Clan…" the mighty northern clan elder quickly answered.
The hasty actions from the group of old men caused quite a number of Sword Sect and Nangong Clan disciples to frown in the crowd. Some of them instinctively blocked the entrance of Sword Crafting Hall. It seemed like they did not quite want too many people to enter inside it.
"Stay where you are!"
"The divine weapon is about to be repaired. Our sect master has already given orders that no one is to bother the clan master."
"Our clan master has given his orders."
More than ten Inaction Realm martial artists stood out to stop them. They drew their weapons while speaking.
"Hmph!"
They still did not slow down. The two old silver-robed Dharma protectors slapped their waists simultaneously, and two dazzling cold glares shone in front of that group of people.
More than ten weapons fell to the ground with loud clinging sounds, and all of them were broken into two.
The Sword Sect and Nangong Clan disciples held broken weapons in their hands. They s.u.c.k.e.d in sharp breaths and looked at each other at a loss. They were wary of the two old men who were like monsters.
However, the two old men were still blocked, and their expressions were slightly unhappy.
"You're pretty daring. Forget Heaven Shaker Fortress, there aren't many people who would dare point their weapons at us in the world of martial artists. You're thinking about using those rusty steel bars of yours to intercept the two of us? Hmph! You overestimate yourself!"
Happy said nothing. He just watched everything from
the crowd.
The people from Sword Sect and the Nangong Clan mostly used swords, and they should all be swords made by famous swordsmiths. They were definitely not "rusty steel bars" the two old men mentioned.
However, the old men attacked at an incredibly astonishing speed, and the whip swords at their waists were no ordinary items. They became straight right when they flicked them, and their sharp sword glare contained a chill that made his skin crawl.
All of their actions were completed in one breath, and the swords from more than ten Inaction Realm elites were broken. Such skills were something that even normal Myth Realm martial artists did not have.
'Where did those monsters come from?' Happy grumbled in his heart.
The Sword Sect and Nangong Clan disciples were clearly shocked by the two old men's astonishing skills. Their faces were pale, and they did not dare act recklessly.
The Sword Sect Master's loud and arrogant voice came from within Sword Crafting Hall.
"Those two old men are the seniors of the leader of the northern clan. They are also our seniors. Do not be rude to them."
"Move aside. The two old men's Great Saber Breaker Art was famous throughout the world of martial artists decades ago. All weapons which aren't divine weapons will be broken with one attack. It's the ultimate technique of the mighty northern clan. How dare you point your weapons at them when you are so young…
"Heh, but our Nangong Clan has only a small business. We might have to take a few weapons from the northern clan before we leave."
When the two elders finished speaking, cold sweat poured down the backs of the Sword Sect and Nangong Clan disciples outside Sword Crafting Hall.
All weapons that were not divine would be broken? Wasn't that skill a little too insane if that were the case?
The group of people quickly left. They did not dare to continue to block the two old men from entering Sword Crafting Hall.
"Hmph!"
Happy seized the chance to turn his head around and looked at Ten Thousand Swords, but all he saw was an anguished smile on his lips, along with an incredibly resigned as well as surprised expression. He sent a private message over.
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