Sword Among Us c1-1268
Page 365
Musical Note surveyed the elites in the room and spoke gently and slowly. "Join our attack against Mu Clan's branch. Destroying it is our secondary goal, however. The key is not letting any of Mu Clan's people leave, especially the higher-ups."
She had already received news that there was a large number of higher-ups from Mu Clan in Yangzhou City, and many of the branches had sent a part of their top one hundred. As long as they were killed, it would be the same as one of Mu Clan's arms being cut off!
"No problem!"
The middle-aged man nodded in agreement without hesitation. Then, his tone changed. "But we have a request as well. Your people must be the vanguard. After all, there are only a few of us, and we're only suited for assassination."
In truth, when he heard the news of the two top-class sects forming an alliance, he had predicted this moment.
Class One Hall took a fancy to the hidden trump cards of Towering Palace, while Towering Palace saw the determination of Class One Hall to fight Mu Clan, along with their abilities to be able to win. Both sides reached an agreement and quickly became partners.
"We have a deal."
A few minutes later, Towering Palace began mobilizing their forces in a frenzy and quickly occupied the entrances to many streets before they gathered at Mu Clan's branch like a tidal wave.
Yangzhou City was in a state of constant fear!
The middle-aged man standing on the stairs leading to Towering Palace's headquarters made a gesture, and the twenty-nine Dragon Sect men in black moved like the wind. They put on disguises and joined the crowd!
*****
While the elites from Towering Palace gathered to head to Mu Clan's branch, a mansion nearby suddenly opened up. A group of young men and women with three blood drops sewn on their c.h.e.s.ts walked behind Towering Palace's people with somber expressions.
The people from other sects who were on the streets s.u.c.k.e.d in sharp breaths!
"Class One Hall!"
"The people from Class One Hall also joined?!"
"This is bad. Mu Clan is about to be in big trouble!"
Many elites jumped to the roofs.
Streams of people moved to the streets that led to Mu Clan's branch.
Soon, the way to Mu Clan's branch was completely filled by a crowd that was as huge as a tidal wave.
Some Mu Clan members were on the streets too. When they saw the lineup of their enemies, some of the smarter ones quickly hid in nearby restaurants or inns to avoid the disaster, but those who were slightly slower on the uptake were suppressed and killed.
A faint hint of blood drifted in the air of Yangzhou City.
*****
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
There was a person riding a horse, and he was alone on a remote government-made road three hundred and ten miles away from Yangzhou. He looked as if he had become one with the wind, and he rode quickly, just like lightning. Never once did he stop.
The person on the horse was Happy, and his face was grim.
Once he learned the news of Class One Hall's Barren Murderer provoking them and the two top-class sects working together, he realized that the situation was bad. He no longer cared about exploring Sky Demon Secret Cave and jumped on his new Hoof Shadow to rush away while he sent letters to Silver Wolf and the others.
In truth, when he had accidentally let Xu Yao hear his commands yesterday, he had a vague feeling that something might happen, which was why he did not focus fully on Sky Demon Secret Cave. Instead, he constantly had people pay attention to all that transpired in the game.
And just as he expected, something happened.
He knew Dream Clouds too well.
If she could bring things to a satisfactory end, she would definitely not risk everything by putting all her eggs in one basket.
Since she spent so much time setting up her plan before she publicly announced that she wanted to make enemies with Mu Clan, she had to have a fool-proof plan.
The Mu Clan branch they set up in Yangzhou City was in danger.
If it were in the past, Happy could force them to retreat by attacking one of their branches, but now his Class One Hall and Towering Palace were working together, and Dream Clouds as well as Barren Murderer seemed to have reached another height in power.
Happy had to save the people in Yangzhou City.
Silver Wolf, Wind Chimes, and Little North had to be kept safe.
If he lost them, it would be the same as Mu Clan losing a pillar of support, and Mu Clan might collapse!
*****
Happy occasionally received messenger pigeons while he was on the horse.
They came from Mu Clan. Thunderous Battle, Phoenix Dances, Momo, Rampaging Dragon, and some other people all offered their services.
They understood from the messenger pigeons Happy had sent to them that Silver Wolf and the rest in Yangzhou City were in danger, and they declared that they had already mobilized their forces and were ready to head to Yangzhou City at any moment.
But Happy refused their offers.
Thunderous Battle and Momo could not leave because they were at Mu Clan's headquarters, and the elites of the headquarters could not be readily sent away. Otherwise, if something happened, Mu Clan's very foundation would be shaken.
Phoenix Dances was in West Region, which was too far from Yangzhou. The rain far away could not get rid of the fire nearby!
Rampaging Dragon's forces had been weakened. It would be enough for him to protect Sky Demon Branch, for even if he mobilized his forces, he would not be of much help.
Happy also received messenger pigeons from Chivalry Sect, Wind and Rain Alliance, and Wind Assault Tower.
Lin Xiao, Night Rain Follows Wind, and Phantom Shadow all stated that they would do all they could to provide help to Mu Clan.
But at that moment, Happy worried about more than just Mu Clan's safety. He also did not want Yangzhou to be completely ruined by the war between four top-class sects, which might throw the entire Chinese world of martial artists into chaos. Such an event would give the foreign organizations a chance to come in and develop their sects.
At that time, it would be difficult for Happy to absolve himself from the blame!
Hence, he tactfully refused their offers of help. He did not know the situation at Yangzhou fully nor if Mu Clan's branch would be able to last until he got there.
If he requested for back up while everything remained unknown to him, he would only give Class One Hall and Towering Palace more chances to destroy his forces, and Class One Hall might even find a chance to march their army south.
However, since things had already progressed so far, he left himself the option of using those people's forces at a later point in time.
If the people in Yangzhou City truly met with an accident… Happy would not mind descending into madness with them! He would make their enemies pay the price!
Chapter 738 - War Drums
Yangzhou was in trouble!
When flames lit up the area around Mu Clan's branch like stars, the people in the distance felt like they were seeing Mu Clan's branch burning in a sea of fire.
There was no cries for murder nor clashes of weapons.
Everything was eerily silent!
The people from Towering Palace filled every spot around Mu Clan's branch. There was only an empty circular spot that was less than 164 feet wide.
The light of torches illuminated the Towering Palace members' nervous but excited faces.
Over the past few days, the people from Mu Clan had pushed them to the point that they were nearly driven mad.
Or more accurately speaking, ever since Happy left Yangzhou, they had been suppressed by Mu Clan. Not only had they lost a few cities in the south of the coastal area, they had also suffered quite a loss. To many of the sects and foreign organizations in the coastal area, Towering Palace's name was no longer as brilliant and glorious as before.
All of it was because of Happy and Mu Clan.
Right now,
Mu Clan had even run into Yangzhou City in an arrogant fashion and set up their branch in the city with Towering Palace's headquarters. This enraged the people from Towering Palace even more.
They finally had the chance to vent their anger, so there was no way they would not be excited and worked up.
However, the moment their army arrived at Mu Clan's branch, quite a number of Towering Palace members felt hesitant and uneasy.
They knew very clearly just what it meant to fight against Mu Clan.
Yet Mu Clan was a giant who stood at the top of the Chinese server. They had multiple branches in the south, Changjiang River Basin, and West Region. The total surface area of the regions that belonged to them was much larger than of the others.
Besides, ever since Happy officially entered Moksha Realm and legitimately claimed the title of strongest on Dragon Rank, the title of strongest also enveloped Mu Clan.
If Towering Palace fought against Mu Clan, they had to be prepared for Mu Clan launching a fierce counterattack.
When the players thought about how Clear Music had been forced to step down and they lost a few of their resource points in the coastal area when they first offended Mu Clan, complicated emotions surged in their hearts.
Happy was like a mountain that suppressed people, and they could not break free of the shadow and pressure that he placed on their shoulders.
The torches burned and crackled.
As time passed, the atmosphere outside Mu Clan's branch became even more somber.
The gates of Mu Clan remained shut tight. However, those in the distance could see that the roofs were filled with Mu Clan archers.
The people who watched from the roofs nearby saw that the inside of Mu Clan was filled with people. Their equipment was of the best quality, and their formations were neat and orderly. They looked ready to use their full strength to protect the branch.
At that moment, the crowd suddenly split up.
Clear Music brought Grim Green, Vast Heaven, Shangguan Lian, Hai Dongqing, and a group of elders as well as branch masters in front of the crowd. The lineup she brought was splendid.
"Where are our friends from Class One Hall?"
Clear Music did not reduce the volume of her voice. She deliberately spoke in a way that everyone could hear her.
Once she finished speaking, a clear bark of laughter came from the other side, and it traveled into the ears of all those within a circular area of 328 feet.
"I, Blood Robes of Class One Hall, greet Palace Master Music."
It was only at that moment that many people from Towering Palace noticed that the large group over there belonged to Class One Hall.
The atmosphere instantly changed a little. Delighted expressions appeared on many faces. Fighting against Mu Clan alone and working with Class One Hall to fight against them were two completely different things!
The people watching the fight from the restaurants nearby all had solemn expressions.
"That woman sure is a person full of schemes…"
"Yeah."
Even though it was a simple conversation, it was clear that the atmosphere outside Mu Clan had changed a little, and the people became full of spirit and aggression.
Not only had Clear Music increased her own forces' morale, the appearance of Class One Hall's elites put a lot of pressure on Mu Clan. But that was not all, they soon delivered an even heavier blow.
Once Clear Music received Blood Robes' reply, she surveyed the area and nodded in satisfaction. She cast her gaze at Mu Clan's tightly shut gate.
"Mu Clan did not honor the code of chivalry in the world of martial artists and acted without care for anything. They invaded Towering Palace's territory, and now, I, Clear Music, represent Towering Palace to officially declare war on Mu Clan!
"Archers!"
She swung her arm, and the archers behind her drew their bows until they were the shape of full moons. They aimed at the sky above Mu Clan and waited, ready to attack.
"Fire!"
Whoosh!
Dark clouds shot toward the sky, but did not reach it. Halfway through the journey, they plunged into Mu Clan's headquarters.
"Charge!"
While the continuous sounds of metal clashing rose from within the branch, the people who surrounded Mu Clan surged over like a wave.
The people who watched from above s.u.c.k.e.d in sharp breaths when they saw that.
What did they see?
In the span of a breath, the distance of 168 feet was shortened by half.
The crowd was like a huge mouth which wanted to devour Mu Clan's branch!
But this would never work.
Towering Palace's Clear Music and Class One Hall's Blood Robes knew it very well.
Mu Clan had almost two hundred branches in the Chinese server.
Mu Clan's branch with the largest value was the one in Yangzhou City. This normal branch was four times the size of any other branch that was built by other sects. Their huge courtyard could contain thousands of people.
Due to the importance of Yangzhou's branch, the people inside were also Mu Clan's elites. They were all people who could fight multiple enemies alone. If such a group of defenders was devoured by a single charge, they could not call themselves Mu Clan.
Right when the people who were leading the charge jumped onto the wall, arrows struck their c.h.e.s.ts.
Their bodies shuddered, and their consciousness quickly faded away. The shrill and quick sounds of air being torn swiftly became softer.
The vanguards were all cannon fodder!
In the blink of an eye, one hundred corpses fell off the wall. They did not even have the chance to jump in before being pinned to the ground outside.
The formation at the back was slightly disrupted.
"Don't stop! While they're changing arrows, charge inside!
"Those who retreat will be punished through palace laws!" Clear Music had known that it would be a difficult battle, so there were a lot of higher-ups following behind the vanguard, and they continuously shouted orders and gave commands to their palace members. "Those who die will receive two hundred thousand contribution points! We'll compensate you with a piece of equipment too!"
Corpses continuously fell on the ground!
But even though many died, some people finally managed to break through Mu Clan's first line of defense.
However, the people who broke through saw something that terrified them.
Crouching in front of the well-equipped archers, which served as the first line of defense, were two rows of elites with grade one masterpieces that had three colors flowing on them!
What attracted their sights, however, were not the aggressive, flowing streams of light in their hands, but the person who stood in front of the two rows of people. He was less than thirteen feet away and was equipped in an entire set of fourth-echelon equipment, which put great pressure on the attackers. His breathing was long, and he stared at them with a cold as well as contemptuous gaze, like a cold wall that could not be passed.
Chapter 739 - Devour, Emergency Measure
The strong firepower and great equipment turned Mu Clan's branch into a steel fortress. The people who charged at its walls were continuously shot down and beaten back.
Blood Robes watched from above, and he could tell that the casualties on the other three sides were rather high. In less than half a minute, at least two hundred people had been thrown off the wall. There were nearly one thousand people who were injured to various degrees.
The frown on Blood Robes' face gradually grew deeper.
While Class One Hall had an equal number of injured, few people died on their side.
After all, those who rushed up the wall were all rather good players with shields. Once they deceived Mu Clan in firing at them, they turned back and left.
Hence, even though they suffered the same amount of firepower, they managed to maximize the number of people they managed to keep alive. Those people returned to the back and spread Jin
chuang Ointment over their wounds, meditated for a while, and recovered!
"That woman doesn't have any abilities in commanding her forces. If they continue dying like this, Towering Palace will be crippled." Blood Robes frowned, turned around, and whispered an order to a person beside him. "Send a reminder to Towering Palace."
Even though Towering Palace was Class One Hall's competitor, their greatest enemy right then was Mu Clan. Blood Robes was more concerned about whether they had the strength to completely destroy Mu Clan's branch even when they worked together.
Towering Palace was suffering too many casualties, but Clear Music had not noticed it.
Soon, a messenger brought Blood Robes' message to Towering Palace's camp!
In a few moments, they released a few orders one after another, and their offense paused for a moment. Then, a small change happened.
Clear Music fell silent after she gave the orders and noticed that her soldiers' morale had risen a little. Their sacrifices also decreased. Immediately, she cast a glance at Class One Hall's camp with an incredibly complicated gaze.
"This is bad, palace master!"
The clanging sounds signalling weapons cutting into people suddenly rose from across them. The noise rose and fell, but came in a continuous stream. The archers of Mu Clan seemed to have been stimulated, for their arrows suddenly came at Class One Hall and Towering Palace at a much fiercer pace than before.
The people who rushed to the wall froze for a moment when they heard zither sounds.
The sounds of bodies being pierced could be heard from a distance.
Right before everyone's eyes, arrows pierced the members of Towering Palace and Class One Hall. When they froze for a moment, their bodies were struck with numerous arrows!
Thud!
The people shot down from the high walls crashed into those behind them so fiercely that their offense stopped for a moment.
In just a short moment, a large group of people with great equipment was killed. In that round of attacks, the casualties surpassed the total of all the casualties the two sects had suffered previously!