An incredibly hostile air filled Yangzhou City.
Mu Clan did not show any intention to retreat.
Instead, a continuous stream of elites rode on their horses into Yangzhou City from other cities. Not only did they not manage to calm everyone down, they even brought about a prewar atmosphere that foreshadowed a mighty storm that would soon reach Yangzhou City.
The people who ambushed Mu Clan never logged in.
But Mu Clan did not show any signs of treating it as nothing. They were out for blood, and Towering Palace, which always stuck to their fundamental principle to cope with ever changing circ.u.mstances,was finally unable to sit still and do nothing.
A few major events happened!
On the day the mysterious masked man in black attacked Mu Clan's branch and fought against Silver Wolf, he did not gain an upper hand in the short fight he had. Instead, his qi was continuously weakened, and he started showing signs of losing.
Once the branch was attacked and Silver Wolf resolutely left the battlefield, the mysterious masked man in black removed the mask on his face and left Yangzhou to build White Robe Sect.
Ever since then, there was no longer a mysterious masked man in black in the game, only Drifting Sword, the sect master of White Robe Sect.
Even though Drifting Sword's fight against Silver Wolf did not cause too much of a shock and did not have the advertising effect he wanted, he still uploaded the battle replay to the pay-to-view system along with the first person battle replay against Red Dust, which quickly got very popular.
On the first day White Robe Sect called out to the people, plenty of great martial artists gathered!
It was not only because of Drifting Sword's great strength, but because many people were curious about his status as a martial artist and hoped to learn something from him.
*****
When Mu Clan's branch flag was shot down, dozens of Mu Clan members had charged out with a whoosh and stared at the group of people outside the sect with hostile glares.
"Who are you, and how dare you cause trouble at Mu Clan?!"
The people at the entrance were dressed strangely. Aside from the person in the lead wearing a Bamboo Hat and dressed like a Chinese martial artist, the people behind him were dressed in flowery attire. They had scarves of different colors bound around their heads and did not look to be Chinese.
The group did not move.
The leader with the Bamboo Hat took a few steps forward calmly, and his tone when he spoke was very calm. "Haha… Mu Clan, you sure are very famous. When I was in Persia, your name was mentioned there as well. As expected, your fame spreads far and wide."
When he said that, his tone suddenly changed. "But you didn't recognize me? That's really saddening."
Clang! Clang!
Everyone was shocked. They immediately sensed that there was something off about this person, and they quickly drew their weapons.
The person had definitely come to cause trouble!
"Hurry up and notify the three branch masters!"
"Branch masters?" The man with the Bamboo Hat chuckled. "No need for that. I was just passing by and wanted to say hello to all of you as well as give you a reminder."
When he finished speaking, suspicion rose in the hearts of the Mu Clan members.
"You keep hiding yourself… Just who are you?!" Someone was finally unable to hold back his anger and shouted out his question.
"You're too loud."
No one could tell just how the man in the Bamboo Hat attacked, for they only heard a cold snort before things were over.
The man slowly and calmly extended his hand.
"Urk!"
The Mu Clan member had shock in his eyes. It was as if he had just delivered himself into his opponent's hands, and his neck was seized in a tight grip.
"Stop!"
"Save him!"
The Mu Clan members were furious. They drew their weapons and cut toward the arms and body of the man in the Bamboo Hat.
The shadows and glares from weapons could be seen everywhere!
The man with the Bamboo Hat retained his posture and was completely unbothered by the weapons. He exerted slight force in his arms, and the sound of bones being crushed could be heard from the Mu Clan disciples' throat.
At the same time, the weapons struck his body.
The man shuddered, and his Bamboo Hat and robes were torn.
The weapons from the Mu Clan members seemed to have struck an iron wall, and they were all sent bouncing back!
Their full-powered attacks were unable to deal even the slightest damage to the man in front of them.
The group was incredibly shocked.
Only a few people remembered something when they saw the bizarre black and white skin that was revealed before them when the man's robes and Bamboo Hat were torn.
They pointed at the man who was like the king of demons and stood uninjured while laughing coldly.
"Undying King of Abyss Art!"
"You're Barren Murderer! Class One Hall's Vice Hall Master!"
More and more Mu Clan members recognized Barren Murderer, and they s.u.c.k.e.d in sharp breaths as they retreated.
Barren Murderer seemed delighted. He flung his arm and laughed madly. "HAHAHA! Looks like Mu Clan still remembers me!"
"I knew it, it's you! Vice Hall Master Barren Murderer, today, you killed my friend! Do you intend to wage war against Mu Clan!" a Mu Clan member demanded with shock and rage.
When he finished speaking, a powerful force that he could not fight back suddenly s.u.c.k.e.d him forward. His throat tensed up, and he heard Barren Murderer's voice in his ears. It had been deliberately lowered, and it was bone chilling.
"Then we wage war! Why else do you think I came back to China from so far away?!"
Crack!
The Mu Clan member could not even activate his body fortification. His neck was broken by Barren Murderer's great Arm Strength, and his consciousness vanished.
In less than half a minute, corpses were strewn all over Mu Clan's branch.
Barren Murderer moved through the corpses without even turning his head around and returned to the group of players who were dressed strangely. He put on a cloak, cast one final glance at Mu Clan's plate, turned his head around, and left.
The martial artists who saw this were so excited by Barren Murderer's crazed actions that they spread the news instantly.
Barren Murderer had come back, and the first thing he did was to kill a few inconspicuous members who were tasked to defend Mu Clan's branch.
This action was different from Class One Hall's way of doing things over the past half a year. They had laid low and just endured everything that happened to them.
Many people began making speculations.
Was Barren Murderer's actions against Mu Clan out of his own free will or was he ordered by Class One Hall?
If it were the latter…
Many people s.u.c.k.e.d in sharp breaths.
If it were truly that person's orders, then perhaps the entire game was about to descend into chaos once more.
But they were incredibly curious. Right now, Class One Hall was clearly at a disadvantage. Why did they take the initiative to provoke Mu Clan, who was like the sun in the sky? What exactly was Class One Hall thinking of? Did they gain a new goal, or did they have a new piece to put on the chessboard?
The last question was answered after Barren Murderer used his skill, and it stirred up the players in the game.
After inheriting Undying King of Abyss' Art, Barren Murderer received a second ultimate technique, and it was a legendary, peerless technique known as Heaven and Earth Great Shift!
The world of martial artists was shocked!
Chapter 736 - Nine-Tailed Fox Killed
Barren Murderer showed up in a flashy manner and provoked Mu Clan.
This matter soon spread through the entire game. Previously, Yang Xiao, who only had average talent, had used his second realm Heaven and Earth Great
Shift to jump straight into the ranks of Inaction Realm martial artists. Zhang Wuji had also gained a steady footing among Myth Realm martial artists with this skill.
Barren Murderer's Undying King of Abyss Art was near Undying Body, and with Heaven and Earth Great Shift, it would be very difficult for anyone to defeat him if he stood in a crowd.
Just when the news of Barren Murderer provoking Mu Clan in a flashy manner spread out, Class One Hall announced that just a day ago, they had managed to kill the peerless beast who had once slaughtered all those it saw in its path and bathed cities in blood—Nine-tailed Fox!
Nine-tailed Fox was once assessed as being in Inaction Realm.
But in truth, she was already in Myth Realm!
Not only did it drop Yao Hua's Robe, which Yao Hua once wore, along with a high-grade divine weapon, Moonlight Saber, it also dropped an ultimate technique, which Dream Clouds took for herself.
This news was like an explosion that shocked the entire world of martial artists!
It was quite like that it was the first Myth Realm NPC to die in the game!
For a period of time, Class One Hall, which was basically unknown to the areas beyond the north, rose to the top of the game once more and became the topic of discussion!
Class One Hall's fame instantly increased by a large degree. Not only did they suppress Towering Palace and Chivalry Sect, they even showed intentions of using Nine-tailed Fox's fame to become equals with Mu Clan.
The storm in the game directly affected Mu Clan's branch in Yangzhou City.
Silver Wolf immediately noticed the possible scheme behind Class One Hall's bold provocation, and not daring to be careless or negligent, he gathered all the branch higher-ups in Yangzhou City for an emergency meeting.
"Those bastards from Class One Hall… they sure hid themselves very well. Why didn't we just gather a group of people and destroy them in the first place?"
Little North was part of the meeting. After he died, not only did he not show even a single sign of being pale and feeble, he actually had a healthy shade of red on his cheeks and looked very lively.
When Little North jumped about and cursed Class One Hall, quite a number of people sighed in relief.
Only Silver Wolf, Wind Chimes, and a few others rolled their eyes.
Once Little North died, he obtained quite a number of people's pity, but who would have expected that he would immediately receive a drop of Fire Qilin Blood from the headquarters, which not only released him from his severely injured status, but also increased his qi out of nowhere. He could be considered to have gained a blessing in disguise, which was why he did not treat his death as anything serious.
"They think they're great just because they killed that Nine-tailed Fox?! They actually dared to come to our doorstep and flaunt their prowess by killing our friends?! We have to teach them a lesson!"
"That's right! They can't even defeat that man in black! Does Barren Murderer think he can turn the heavens by himself?!"
The branch masters made a request to Silver Wolf indignantly.
"Big Brother Silver Wolf, what did those two say?"
"I say, why don't we just make a request to wage war?! I've long since found those Class One Hall bastards an eyesore!"
"That's right!"
"Let's get rid of them first before we say anything else."
Wind Chimes sat quietly in her spot and ignored everyone's thoughts. She only stared at Silver Wolf's side profile quietly and noticed that he seemed to be thinking about something. He was frowning harder with each passing moment, and she could not help but be curious.
"Big Brother Silver Wolf? What are you thinking about?"
Still with the frown on his face, Silver Wolf answered without turning his head to her. "I just find it strange. During the battle at Yangzhou Port, logically speaking, the people from Class One Hall should not have been that useless.
"If they can fight against Nine-tailed Fox, it means that they're very strong… The more I think about it, the more I believe that they intentionally pretended to be useless during the battle at Yangzhou Port."
Once he finished speaking, the people in the hall instantly fell silent.
"Why?" Little North was the first to look over with a puzzled expression.
Silver Wolf continued speaking with a frown. "It's simple. Yangzhou has never been Class One Hall's territory, and Happy has shown up in Yangzhou. They might have been worried that if they were too aggressive, they might bring trouble to themselves. Perhaps they're intentionally hiding something.
"Besides, with today's events, Class One Hall seems to have already made preparations to fight against Mu Clan, but I just don't understand it. Based on Dream Clouds' usual way of acting, isn't it better to suddenly attack our cities in Changjiang?
"By attacking us, she's showing that she wants to maintain the balance, but at the same time, she's also provoking us in an ostentatious manner. That's why I find it strange. It just doesn't make sense."
Silence fell in the hall. The people inside could not wrap their heads around what Silver Wolf said.
While they continued pondering over the real meaning behind Dream Clouds' actions, a messenger pigeon flew in from outside and landed on Silver Wolf's arm.
He took out the letter, read it, and his expression turned cold. He stood up quickly from his seat.
"What's wrong, Big Brother Silver Wolf?" Wind Chimes and the others quickly noticed that something major might have happened.
Silver Wolf's expression was dark. "Just now, Towering Palace publicly announced that they have formed an alliance with Class One Hall… I see, Class One Hall wasn't thinking about fighting against us, but did it to show Towering Palace their strength."
"Huh?"
Flap flap flap…
A second messenger pigeon flew into the hall.
Silver Wolf quickly took its letter and read it, and his expression turned even colder.
"The assassins are indeed hiding in Towering Palace!"
Boom!
All the higher-ups from Mu Clan in the hall instantly broke into a ruckus. The group made a clamor and demanded to immediately mobilize forces to strike Towering Palace. The person who made the loudest cries was Little North.
After he joined the game, it was the first time he had died, and he died in Towering Palace's hands, so was there any way that he would not be angry?
"Stay where you are!" Silver Wolf ordered and lowered the letter from the second messenger pigeon.
"This is a message from Happy. He guessed that once Class One Hall showed their strength and Towering Palace agreed to the alliance, they would definitely let the assassins come out without fear. If we attack Towering Palace now, it'll be very difficult for us to win with only this number of people. Besides, this is still Towering Palace's territory.
"Since Towering Palace took the initiative to contact Class One Hall and even brought those people out, it means that they have done their preparations. This fight will be very hard to win!"
When the group heard this, they instantly calmed down.
Once they thought about their situation in depth, they could sense the chilling intentions behind everyone's actions.
World of Martial Arts was unlike any other game!
Once they died and Guanlin Temple was surrounded, where could they go? It would be difficult for them to even move about for a few days.
Besides, the battles between the top-class sects in the Chinese server were extremely brutal. If higher-ups like them made a wrong decision, they would not be the only ones who died. Countless elites from Mu Clan's branch would also die.
Right now, most of the elites from Mu Clan had gathered around them. If something happened to them, no matter how great was Mu Clan's strength, they would not be able to live through that setback.
"What should we do?" Little North also became nervous. "Based on what you said, even if we don't fight, Towering Palace and Class One Hall will definitely attack us."
Silver Wolf spread open the letter and read it. Then, he released a series of orders quickly.
"Immediately summon all our friends inside and outside Yangzhou City. Call those who have already logged off to log in.
"Go outside immediately and tell our clan members to prepare for war. Mobilize our forces and secure the branch!"
The atmosphere in the room instantly became grave.
Chapter 737 - Things are About to Change?!
Just when Mu Clan's branch was enveloped by a somber atmosphere signalling the beginning of war, the people at Towering Palace's headquarters finally released a breath of relief.
The Music sisters were in high spirits.
They did not expect that Class One Hall would have a trick up their sleeves. Not only had they hidden their true strength, but they made a few consecutive moves that showed off their astonishing foundation and directed Mu Clan's attention away from Towering Palace.
Barren Murderer and Dream Clouds actions helped the Music sisters relax, and they agreed to the alliance without hesitation. They also fulfilled their promise to Dragon Sect that they would help their elites to return to the game.
"Boss Dragon, I've done all that I could. For the next part, I'll need your help with something." Musical Note paused for a moment before she spoke to the gentle looking middle-aged man in front of her once more. "Don't worry, I'll agree to the matter you asked of us. For the next three months from today onwards, one hundred craftsmen from Dragon Sect will receive our materials for free, and they will create medicinal pills and equipment for us. Then, we will protect your safety in China."
"With your promise, I will no longer be worried." The middle-aged man smiled.
Soon after he logged off, the Dragon Sect members who had previously ambushed Mu Clan's branch and fled walked in from outside. They were all built, sturdy, and very capable.
"Tell us what you need." The middle-aged man reappeared in front of Musical Note and smiled with a gentle look.
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