Mu Clan was also continuously spreading its influence and increasing its strength so that they could have the title of strongest player sect in World of Martial Arts in their grasp. No player sect in the game could hear their warning as nothing.
Clear Music's eyes shone for a while before she said in slight resignation, "Let's go back."
The elders behind her looked at each other at a loss, but no one refuted her.
The people from Class One Hall also gave the order to stop moving.
Even though no one knew who led Class One Hall's group, the people still saw that once they heard Happy's warning, the person walking in front of the group came to a swift halt. He stopped moving for a while before he cast a glance at Towering Palace. Then, the whole group turned around and left the boat.
The two top-class sects were the group's that had the highest chance to obtain something in the quest, so many observant people paid attention to them.
This was especially so for the people from groups that were rather powerful or were from sect alliances!
When they noticed that the groups from the two factions of power left their boats, they were all shocked.
They thought about the warning from the river depth, and many of them instantly broke out in cold sweat.
At that moment, as if they were suffering from the domino effect, many people stopped moving, and quite a number of boats that had set sail stopped not too far away from the riverbank and watched the progression of events quietly.
The remaining dozen or so boats carried evil cultists and the people from various factions as well as martial artists that rushed to the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e boat at the center.
But they were not the first batch to visit the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e boat…
*****
Once they entered a certain portion of the plot, the players who appeared as substitutes of the characters in the plot were not betrayed by the system. It would not reveal their true identities to anyone regardless of who they fought.
Once Happy accepted Xu Zhiling's quest, he became Xu Zhiling who guarded the boat.
In less than ten minutes, through the Nine Yang Divine Skill he spread out, he sensed a few people underwater who seemed to be pretty good quietly approaching the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e boat.
They were dressed in black wetsuits, and they had practically become one with the water.
Based on the lines of their bodies, they were three men and one woman.
Once they quietly approached the boat, they used a body movement that resembled a gecko moving on a wall. They stuck themselves on the boat and did not make a single sound when they climbed up. They were incredibly careful.
Aside from sailors and maidservants, there were around ten Twin Dragons Sect disciples on the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e boat. They were all in Moksha Realm, and they stood on the boat as scouts. It was completely impossible for any outsider to get on the boat without alerting anyone.
"Who is it?!"
When one of the men got on the boat, the dripping of water finally alerted a Twin Dragons Sect member. He shouted, and all the people on the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e boat moved.
Whoosh!
When the swimmers saw that they were exposed, three figures shot onto the deck and drew bright longswords. They decided to openly attack the Twin Dragons Sect member and fight against them.
Happy got up and was ready to move to the deck when he suddenly stopped and turned to the other side of the boat.
The four were a little interesting.
The three men attracted the guards' attention on the deck, while the woman swam to the other side where Shi Qingxuan's bedroom was, and judging by the looks of it, she was pretty good.
Happy did not intend to let anyone bother Shi Qingxuan. He tapped against the ground and turned into a ghost-like black shadow that drift out the window. Then, he jumped to a high spot on the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e boat.
When he looked down, the black shadow that acted like a gecko immediately became wary. The woman attached herself to the side of the boat, and even her breathing as well as presence vanished.
"Huh?"
When Happy noticed the change in her presence, a hint of surprise flashed past his eyes, and he gasped softly. "Nine Great Abyss Arts?"
When he said those words, the black shadow who hid on the side of the boat shuddered slightly.
Whoosh!
The woman gave up on keeping herself hidden, grabbed the side of the boat, and turned in the air with her curvaceous and charming body. She rose dozens of feet before she landed in front of Happy with one knee against the floor.
Happy frowned and asked softly, "Who are you, how did you learn of Fu Juncuo's Nine Great Abyss Arts?"
"I am Snow Spirit, and I come from Goryeo's Bright Sword Sect. Sir, are you Young Swordsman Xu Zhiling?"
"Goryeo's Bright Sword Sect?"
Happy's thought processes instantly came alive.
Some of the memories from his previous came surging forward like a tidal wave.
Goryeo had produced quite a few extraordinary elites, and all of them came under the tutelage of Bright Sword Sect's Fu Cailin. One of them, a woman by the name of Snow Spirit, was pretty good. She seemed to have completed a quest in the Chinese server and received a few lessons from Fu Juncao in sword techniques.
Could it be her?
Happy said nothing.
At the same time he recalled all the information about her, he also remembered some of the methods she employed while she was out carrying quests in the Chinese server, and his expression instantly turned darker, but since he had a human skin mask, not a single bit of his emotion could be detected.
Snow Spirit might have looked like an elegant and gentle woman, but she was basically Goryeo's Dream Clouds. She brought more than ten of her subordinates into the Chinese server, and for the sake of her quest, she continuously sacrificed them while she remained hidden at the back, just like what she did right now. She only appeared in an imposing manner when she was certain that she could kill all of her enemies.
There were a few elites in the Chinese server who were set up and assassinated by her.
If Happy had focused on the people on the deck, he might have already allowed Snow Spirit to complete her quest and leave without a sound.
Chapter 697 - Xu Zhiling, Pass the Fake as the Real Deal
After all, Snow Spirit came for Xu Zhiling. Even though Happy did not like her, Shi Qingxuan was in the boat, and if he ignored Snow Spirit, it would not be appropriate. His image would be impacted in a negative light in Shi Qingxuan and Xu Zhiling's minds.
Hence, he could not kill her because of his memories from his previous life. He had to be careful.
"Right now, all the people in Yangzhou City know that I, Xu Zhiling, am on this p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e boat. Since you are from Bright Sword Sect, that must mean that you came to Yangzhou from far away. What has brought you here?"
"I am Snow Spirit of Bright Sword Sect, and I am also Fu Junxian's disciple. Fu Junchuo is my martial-uncle."
"Oh," Happy replied faintly. He tried as much as he could to make his Xu Zhiling persona act as coldly as possible.
"I came here on orders to bring my martial-uncle's relics back to Bright Sword Sect!"
While Snow Spirit spoke, the people on the deck stopped fighting. The three men in night-traveling clothes shot the top of the boat and stood behind Snow Spirit.
The disciples from Twin Dragons Club received orders and returned to their posts.
While Happy was thinking about how he should construct his next sentence, a voice that was as thin as a thread reached his ears. "Young Swordsman Happy, if Xu Zhiling learned that the people from Bright Sword Sect came to search for Fu Junchuo, he would definitely be very happy. You can tell them where Fu Junchuo's sword tomb is."
Even though it was the first time Happy heard that voice, he could immediately tell that it belonged to Shi Qingxuan, and warmth bloomed in his heart.
Snow Spirit and the others watched Xu Zhiling's back quietly. Even though Xu Z
hiling said nothing, none of them found it strange. They only thought that Xu Zhiling was reminiscing about their martial-uncle.
Happy said nothing for the time being. Once he finished listening to what Shi Qingxuan said, he pondered it for a moment. He did not act based on what Shi Qingxuan told him to. Instead, he said coldly, "Do you have the authenticating token from your sect?"
"The authenticating token?"
Snow Spirit was instantly stunned. She did not have her sect's authenticating token, but no matter what, she was from Goryeo and a disciple from Bright Sword Sect.
"Come and spar against me." Happy knew that if he could not bring the meeting to a successful conclusion, there would be problems, so he immediately said to Snow Spirit. "We will fight using Bright Sword Sect's techniques."
"I understand."
Even though Snow Spirit did not receive any system notification, she did not suspect anything. She stood up as if it was only logical and drew her sword.
Bright Sword Sect prioritized assassinations. Their sword techniques were light and silent, but quick and fierce. They also executed each attack once they had already predicted the enemy's preemptive strike.
Before their enemies could attack, they would attack their actions. The sword techniques were very profound, and they were brilliant even among Life and Death Realm martial arts.
However, Happy had some understanding of Bright Sword Technique. When he saw the sword glare charging at him, he did not even activate his body movement or Petite Dragon. He only made judgments with Nine Yang Divine Skill's spiritual senses and used his astonishing movement abilities to avoid the attack with his eyes closed.
Sword glares shone brightly at the top of the boat. Snow Spirit had extraordinary sword skills, but she could not even tear apart Happy's sleeves. He was like a willow that moved among the sword glares that seemed slow but were actually very fast.
Snow Spirit originally thought that Xu Zhiling would provide her guidance, which was why she used her full strength from the start, but she did not expect that Xu Zhiling would only avoid her attacks instead of attacking her. He seemed to have a great understanding of her sword techniques, for each of her slashes and thrusts missed their target. They were completely useless, and her expression grew incredibly solemn and serious.
"Come here tomorrow."
"I understand."
Sword Spirit's sword technique did not manage to get Xu Zhiling to attack her, and she was incredibly depressed. She did not doubt Xu Zhiling's status or orders at all. She just nodded, turned around, and left with the three men.
Shi Qingxuan did not stop them either. She seemed to approve of Happy's words and did not say anything to him.
When Happy saw the four put on their wetsuits and leave through the water again, he looked as if he had done something very difficult. He heaved a long sigh and stared at the bright moon in the sky.
Moonlight shone on the river, and he could vaguely see flickering shadows on the distant p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e boats and the riverbank.
The real trouble had just arrived.
*****
Once Happy gave the warning, he received the first batch of people who attempted to get on the boat.
The trio stepped on the water in the distance and rushed over. Before they reached the boat, they saw Xu Zhiling standing at the top of the boat. They were first stunned before they showed a cold expression.
"He got himself a substitute?"
With their previous expression, it was clear that they would not fall for the same trick. They jumped on the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e boat in one single breath.
Happy watched the three evil cult elders quickly rush to him from the river while at the top of the boat. His gaze focused a little. Then, he turned to look at the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e boat behind him. There was slight conflict in his eyes.
There were a lot more people trying to get on the boat compared to what he imagined.
If another group of players appeared, it would not be easy for him to rely on just True Nine Words Seals to stop everyone and not reveal his identity.
Just when Happy showed a slightly solemn expression, he saw the people from Twin Dragons Sect prop up powerful bows on the deck of the boat. They drew their bows, nocked their arrows, and showed that they were about to shoot.
Happy's eyes immediately lit up.
Anyone who wanted to jump over from the riverbank needed to use a lot of qi. If they were attacked in the middle, they would need to spontaneously change their breaths and avoid the arrows, and the pressure on them would become much greater.
'This is a good chance!'
Joy appeared on Happy's face. He did not remain idle and moved like lightning to the deck. Right when the disciples fired their arrows, he shot to the trio on the river.
Whileairborne, Happy quickly formed a few complicated seals with his hands.
An astonishing aura swiftly rose from his body. It was filled with awe-inspiring might and an explosive power. At the moment Happy completed the seals, a deafening tiger roar shot into the air.
The eyes of the three evil cult elders widened.
"True Nine Words Seals!"
"It's Xu Zhiling!"
"Duo[1]!"
When Happy made that sound, a circle of fierce power that was very difficult to block violently flew out of his hands and crashed into the three evil cult elders' c.h.e.s.ts.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
When the rain of arrows fell upon them, they were in an even more pathetic state.
Happy was a little delighted. He did not think that even though he had not used a lot of strength, he still managed to make the trio fall back. He wanted to chase after them while he still had the upper hand and land a heavy blow to kill them so that he could establish his might, but when he thought about Xu Zhiling's temperament, the killing intent in his heart instantly diminished by a large margin.
He executed two palm strikes consecutively and sent the trio into the river. Then, he lightly landed on the boat.
Thud!
The people from Twin Dragons Sect did not seem to realize that the Xu Zhiling before them was an imposter. When they saw their sect master show his might, they were incredibly excited.
A p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e boat stopped 328 feet away from Happy's boat.
In a flurry of motion, a few people grabbed the elders who were injured and had drank quite a lot of water from the river. After a while, the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e boat stopped on the river and did not dare take a step forward.
Instead, the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e boat a few players had rented slowly approached the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e boat at the center.
Chapter 698 - One Person Doing the Work of Two
Xu Zhiling's appearance got rid of the doubt in the hearts of those from the evil cult, but they were wary of Shi Qingxuan on the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e boat, which was why they stopped on the river. They did not get on the boat, but they did not leave either. They just stayed to monitor the situation.
But the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e boats the players boarded were clearly rushing over recklessly. They intended to take a look at the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e boat. In fact, they treated the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e boat as a rare harvesting ground for quests.
But before they could get closer, Xu Zhiling returned to the front hall, and another person walked out.
He was dressed in a faint blue long robe and had a hero's bandana around his head that fluttered with the wind. His gaze was slightly cold. At the moment he appeared on the deck, the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e boat that was the closest suddenly swayed a few times in succession and sank abruptly.
"This is bad! Water is coming in!"
"We have a leak! Turn back!"
The boatman was the first to react. He was so shocked that he cried nonstop and quickly gave the order to turn back.
The martial artists on the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e boat became irritated.
"Don't turn around!"
"Forget it! We can just fly over. It's not far away anyway."
Even though they saw that there was someone on
the deck, they could not recognize the person because of the dark. They thought that it was Xu Zhiling standing over there.
The players tapped against the boat and rose into the air one after another! They then tapped against the air repeatedly and used all sorts of divine abilities to jump to the large p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e boat.
The players that chased after the first group of people were anxious. A few of them also relied on the fact that they had good body movements to jump over ahead of the others.
For a period of time, there were more than one hundred people executing lightness skills on the river, and it was an incredibly grand sight under the moonlight! The sounds of air being pushed away and people stepping on waves rose, and it added to the tense atmosphere that could only be found in the murderous world of martial artists on a silent night.
"Hmph!"
A grave and cold snort came from the large p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e boat. It was like a muffled clap of thunder. It stunned the people on the river. They were already using up a lot of qi, and the new burden was too great on their bodies. They suddenly felt as if they had sunk into a swamp and could no longer move.
Sky Demon Voice!
A few players could not recover their qi and fell into the river. They were followed by a good number of others, and the splash of water could be heard repeatedly.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
Those sounds did not stop at all.
The tense atmosphere of the murderous world was instantly destroyed, and became ridiculous instead. It was as if a group of people had jumped into the water, and it was even a group who did not know how to swim.
"Ack!"
Water entered the mouths of many people the moment they fell into water, and they cried out in panic.
But before they could do anything about it, they heard the continuous sounds of bowstrings trembling above them.
All those who landed in the river found themselves in danger. They did their best to dive deeper or jump out of the water to run into the distance. They were all afraid that they would become the next unfortunate soul.
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