The ten or so people who had thought themselves smarter than others were killed by a wave of hidden weapons and arrows.
"People like you are not allowed to disrespect Happy and One Emperor's items!"
"Whoever dares to take their items must die!"
Angry voices rose and fell in the crowd.
Many of the slightly smarter players wanted someone else to attack and grab the items first, so the situation would descend into chaos, but they did not expect that many of the great players in the crowd would remove their Bamboo Hats at that moment to reveal their faces.
"Thirty-seventh on Dragon Rank, Abstruse Heaven. Eighteenth on Dragon Rank, Luo Qi."
"Lake Tai's Three Heroes!"
"Orochimaru, the top ranked on One Hundred Demon Influence Rank is also here."
"I think I recall those girls from Phoenix Rank… Damn it… Wind Void, Musical Note…"
When they saw the great players, some of whom were on the ranking boards, appear one after another, quite a number of players who had evil thoughts in their minds felt their hearts tremble. The crowd returned calm once more.
They went back to their spectator seats in the distance.
Happy and One Emperor remained standing tall in the distance.
Chapter 681 - Eighth Slash
At the Guanlin Temple in a small city in Shandong located at the foot of Mount Tai were a few players with low qi realms. They had pale and sickly faces while sitting with gloomy expressions.
"This is bad."
"Our abilities will be reduced by 20% for the next month. Our speed when we train will also be decreased. By the looks of it, we can only go and kill mountain bandits at low-end forts."
"Boss, didn't you say that you wanted to become the strongest player in the world?"
One of the players looked at the man gritting his teeth with a derisive expression. "I heard that the two strongest players in the current game are fighting at Mount Tai, and they have never died like us."
"Shut up!"
The man glared at him fiercely, and his expression was filled with a contemptuous expression. "Hmph! What would you know? Do you know that there is an ancient saying that goes if you want to become successful, you must undergo mental trials and physical hardsh.i.p.s. Our chance has come. For the next month, let's fight hard to earn money. Let's switch to grade two masterpieces. At that time, we'll become second rate players in the game!"
"Grade two masterpieces cost a lot of money, you know? Besides, everyone carries refined masterpieces with them nowadays. And you claim that we can become second-rate players?
"If I have anything to say about it, then I'll say that no matter how hard we try, we can never become great players. Young Cave, remember that even though you won against us last time in rock paper scissors, we will only serve as your lackeys for a month. If we can't become famous after one month, it'll be my turn to become the leader."
The man who spoke smiled in a calm and composed manner.
"Go die! I'm still around! In one month, I promise that I can make all of you rusty pieces of metal shine as bright as silver. At that time, you'll definitely be able to drink and eat the best food. Perhaps we can even bring Happy and One Emperor down from their thrones."
"Haha, with the likes of you?"
The group of youngsters who were in a slump laughed and joked together.
At that moment, the door to the Guanlin Temple opened with a creak and attracted their attention.
"Haha, who's so unlucky to accompany us during this moment?" The boy named Young Cave was in a rather good mood. He died once in the game but still managed to find joy in his misery.
The people who walked out of Guanlin Temple were Happy and One Emperor. They had sat inside the temple for a time and circulated their qi circulate to recover.
No one could find any traces of the weakness and paleness that other players had after they died. Instead, they looked very energetic as they walked down the stairs in a majestic gait.
"I owe you two favors now. How am I going to repay you?"
One of the two people who walked out was dressed in a neat and noble looking brocade robe with black borders. There was a cold expression on his handsome face, but there was also an incredibly relaxed smile on his lips. When both elements were mixed together, it was incredibly harmonious, and there was an invisible, mighty pressure naturally formed about him.
"One… One Emperor…"
Young Cave and the others subconsciously hid in a corner and tried to widen the distance between them and One Emperor as they watched the top on Dragon Rank. Young Cave had declared that he wanted to drag this legendary player down his throne just now, and he s.u.c.k.e.d in multiple breaths.
The others were terrified. They stared at the man who stood beside One Emperor. He was dressed in Golden Armor, and there were countless sword gashes criss-crossing on it. There was also a distinct sword hole at the spot where his heart was.
His face was familiar to the group from numerous battle replays.
He was praised as the strongest player, and he had occupied the top spot on Famous People Rank for a long period of time. He was Happy, the second clan master of the strongest clan in the game, Mu Clan.
How did these two people walk out together from Guanlin Temple?
The group's thoughts were a little frozen.
"I'll have to thank you for your gift as well. That is the best weapon on Divine Weapon Rank. Seventh Sword… Heh heh, the seventh sword from Fatal Thirteen Swords is so powerful that it will make even ghosts and gods avoid it. If we have a chance in the future, I'll have to see the eighth slash that you just understood, along with the other sword slashes."
Happy laughed heartily.
The duo was chatting and laughing together in the temple. Not only had they used Fire Qilin Blood to cure their internal injuries, their qi had also increased by twenty points.
One of the two favors One Emperor mentioned was Fire Qilin Blood, and the other was that with Happy's help, he managed to regain clarity of mind at the final moment and see the vague shadow of the eighth slash after the seventh slash.
Happy also felt incredibly proud and excited.
Killing One Emperor and being killed by him in a fight was already an incredibly great result.
In his previous life, no one could fight against One Emperor.
In this life, he only used one year to reach One Emperor's height.
Even though One Emperor had improved because of him, and his speed also increased, Happy was still very happy and satisfied.
At that moment, Happy had already forgotten about Heaven Crystal, which he had left at the summit of Mount Tai, along with everything else.
It was the same for One Emperor.
"It's just a vague technique. Right now, I can't even control the seventh slash properly. I'll need a few months before I can master the eighth slash." He stopped for a while before he added, "But with the increase of these twenty qi points, I should have an easier time mastering it…"
"That's good. Let's spar again some time in the future."
One Emperor instantly laughed. "Forget it. You're already in Moksha Realm, and your strength has increased by leaps and bounds! I'm only at 530 qi points right now, so with my current speed, even if I give up on understanding Fatal Thirteen Swords to enter Moksha Realm, I'll still need half a year to do so. At the very least, within one year, I won't be able to easily win against you, but don't you go thinking that you can win against me either."
Happy laughed. He knew that One Emperor was just joking.
Even though he had successfully reached Moksha Realm, practicing Moksha Realm martial arts was much harder than Life and Death Realm martial arts. If he truly wanted to use them, he would need a few months before he could do so.
And both of them also knew that their martial arts did not rely on their qi realms to improve. Instead, they relied on the killing moves they understood from various encounters.
If they sparred a
gain, they would just end up with the same result.
*****
While Young Cave and the others held their breaths to watch, the duo slowly left Guanlin Temple and walked out of the city.
*****
"There's something that I still can't help but ask."
"You want me to join Mu Clan?"
"Alright, I believe I already know the answer."
Happy smiled wanly. Just as Silver Wolf mentioned, someone like One Emperor would not be bound to any organization, even if it was just an organization in a virtual world.
One Emperor smiled. Then, he suddenly put on a serious expression. "Actually, there's a piece of news that you might already know, but soon, there may be a huge change in the game."
"What change?"
"All sorts of…" One Emperor looked at the horizon and released a long sigh. "There have been some people attracted to the game because of people like us."
"Huh?" Happy looked at him in puzzlement
One Emperor did not explain in detail and just said faintly, "You'll know in the future. The great benefits hidden in the game will make the game even more complicated and brutal. You have to be prepared for it."
"Brutal, huh?"
When Happy heard One Emperor's reminder, he suddenly fell into a daze.
Chapter 682 - Giving A Gift
[The duel at the summit of Mount Tai!]
[Top ranked on Famous People Rank and top on Dragon Rank, who will win?]
[The fight for the title of strongest ends with both dying]
[A top-class duel between sword qi and sword will. Who said that Happy is invincible only in close-quarters combat? Even when he faced One Emperor, he was not in any disadvantage!]
[One Emperor used his strength to share the title of strongest in the world!]
[Their unyielding will allowed them to stand firm, and even the God of Death could not make them move their feet!]
On the day Happy and One Emperor's duel ended, the world of martial artist was shaken, and the internet was shocked. Almost all topics circulated around their duel.
They were both in Life and Death Realm, but it was a fight that was similar to the fights between Inaction Realm martial artists. Every person who was personally at the site of the battle would retain a memory of a top-class duel they would never be able to forget.
The countless players on the internet did not expect that the battle between players could reach such a stage. While they were shocked, they also watched various battle replays to such a frenzied degree that there was no way any other battle replay could hope to top it.
The top-class duel lived up to its name!
Many forum commenters jumped out and started sharing their opinions in a frenzy.
The two men used their wills, their passion, and their lives to tell others what it meant to be at the top.
[Do you want to become matchless players like Happy and One Emperor?
[Very well! You must possess the heart of a powerful person, the will of the mighty!]
The storm continued brewing and spreading.
*****
A dark horse of a battle replay was pushed to the front of the official website's pay-to-view system!
It was not the duel at the top of Mount Tai, but focused on the entrance of a Guanlin Temple in a city at the foot of Mount Tai. It was of Happy and One Emperor smiling while they walked down the stairs. Both of them looked calm and relaxed.
Did they smile at each other because the emotions they held for each other were incredibly complicated after their fight, or was this the support and admiration the top heroes had for each other?
Young Cave used that battle replay to successfully become the youngest gamer with the lowest qi realm to earn big money even though he did nothing.
His net worth increased to ten million!
*****
The other matter that was sung with praise by all gamers was that after Happy and One Emperor died, the elites from various sects and the powerful players on the ranking boards persisted in defending Heaven Crystal and Seventh Sword so that no one could get close enough to even touch them.
They stayed there until Happy heard about it and returned to Mount Tai. Then, under the gazes of the crowd and admiring eyes of countless great players, he took the sword casket with Heaven Crystal and the third-echelon high-grade divine weapon. It was only then that the crowded summit gradually became less crowded.
*****
The news of the battle at the summit of Mount Tai reached everyone's ears. Then, after a long time had passed, the news of Happy replacing One Emperor at the top of Dragon Rank was noticed.
Hence, a fierce mass fervor spread out like a tidal wave.
The players who originally thought that Happy and One Emperor now shared the title of strongest in the world became unsure of their assumptions.
On that day, Happy had not only occupied the position at the top of Famous People Rank, Dragon Rank, and Divine Weapon Rank, he had also officially pushed Mu Clan to become the strongest player sect in the Chinese server.
All the streets in Baokang County Town were decorated in large celebratory red lamps, and they had the word "Mu".
Even though there was no official declaration about it, but over the past few days, many of the sect leaders in the south brought great gifts to Baokang, as if they were attending a gathering.
Some of them came to congratulate the second clan master of Mu Clan for being the first to enter Moksha Realm.
There were also some who came to congratulate Mu Clan for officially becoming the strongest player sect.
There were some who followed the tide and came over to congratulate Mu Clan. They were so enthusiastic that Mu Clan smiled nonstop and reserved a few restaurants to serve their guests.
*****
"Hahahaha…"
"Big Brother Thunder, I'm here too."
"Sect Master Bear of Great Spirit Sect, it's you! Hurry up and come in. You came from afar, but I didn't manage to serve you properly. Please go in."
While Thunderous Battle smiled and greeted the guests who came to the door, he did not forget to give orders to his clan members so that they could serve the sect masters who had already taken their seats.
"Haha! Here's a monetary gift."
"Make a record."
"Sect Master Bear of Great Spirit Sect. Monetary gift, three unakites! Three Vajra Stones! Thirty thousand taels of gold!"
Once the clan member at the entrance received the monetary gift, he quickly reported it to the others.
Sect Master Bear walked inside with his c.h.e.s.t puffed out, and he greeted the other sect masters with whom he was familiar. "Hey, you're all here. I'm late, hehe."
"Drink a cup as punishment!"
"That's right!"
"I thought that we'd be the only ones here. I didn't expect that all of them would arrive."
"There're lamps all over the town. They sure threw in a lot of money for this."
The sect masters who sat down talked and laughed with each other. They were constantly shocked by the continuous stream of sect masters who came over that they thought of themselves as fortunate.
There were far too many people who respected Mu Clan.
Not only did the sect masters near Baokang rush over, some of the sects further south also came over in groups. There were also some sect masters from the north and the coastal area. Perhaps the only ones who did not come were from the West Region.
The sect masters gasped in surprise secretly, but Thunderous Battle and the elites of Mu Clan who were in charge of receiving the guests were also shocked. They did not expect that their private celebration would draw over an endless stream of sect masters who came over without being invited and turned this private celebration into an extravagant official celebration. And by the looks of it, there were still more coming.
Fortunately, Baokang was where Mu Clan's headquarters were situated, and they always had a lot of people there, along with a large number of elit
es. Even though there was an increasing number of people who came over to congratulate them, they could still set up guards all over the city and bring out Mu Clan's style within a short period of time. At the end of the day, they did not make any mistakes as hosts.
However, on that day, Thunderous Battle and his clan members in Baokang were destined to go through their busiest day ever!
"Chivalry Sect's Vice Sect Master Red Dust leads Branch Master Huang, Branch Master Li, and Branch Master Gui over for the celebration! His gift is ten Phantasmal Crystals, one thousand-year ginseng, two Moksha Realm martial arts manuals, and fifty thousand taels of gold!"
"Red Dust, my friend, you sure are generous with your gift!"
"Haha! This is a joyous occasion, so it's only natural that we do things accordingly. This is just a simple gift, so I hope that you won't think it's too little. Also, my sect master is on her way. She'll be here soon."
"Sect Master Void has to deal with a lot of duties, so there's no need for her to come over here for something so trivial."
Thunderous Battle beamed with joy. Ten Phantasmal Crystals was a great gift, and he could sense just how great it was by how abruptly the area inside fell silent.
"Of course she has to come." Red Dust placed his fist in his palm, smiled, and said, "Big Brother Thunder, do continue with your work, don't bother to serve us. We're all friends here.
"Come, let's go in and drink."
He raised his foot, and just when Thunderous Battle was prepared to say something, he suddenly heard a loud voice from outside.
"Towering Palace Elder Shangguan Lian brought three palace members over for the celebration, and they have come with a monetary gift!"
Including Red Dust, everyone paused in their movements and turned their heads around to look.
"Towering Palace offers their gift of ten Phantasmal Crystals, ten Vajra Stones, two low-grade divine weapons, two Moksha Realm martial art manuals, and one million taels of gold!"
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