Sword Among Us

As the matrix placed outside Hundred Flowers Enchanting Matrix was broken, a group of Mu Clan members stood in an orderly manner in front of Class One Hall’s members. The fourteen people from Class One Hall had their expressions change, and they gathered together.

“How did you get in?” a Class One Hall female member cried out in surprise and in disbelief.

“You’re pretty interesting. Didn’t you see how we walked in?”

Mu Clan might have fewer people, but at first glance, anyone can tell that they had an advantage in terms of their superior equipment. Each of them had, at the very least, a full fourth-echelon set of grade one masterpieces. They had imposing presences, and when they faced so many enemies, they remained very relaxed. When they spoke, there was a teasing tone in their voices.

Silence.

The Class One Hall members were instantly rendered speechless.

The other party did not answer their question, but they could more or less understand what was going on.

There was a high chance that the parties outside had already been killed, just like what this group of Mu Clan members said.

Class One Hall’s party leader seemed like a very level-headed and reliable man, but at that moment, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Among the nine people from Mu Clan, the one who seemed to be the leader was a young man who gave off the impression that he was a lazy person with no killing intent or threat. He was dressed like a refined scholar, but the jade green flute hanging diagonally by his waist revealed his identity.

He was the second strongest in the Mu Clan branch right next to Class One Hall’s branch, the successor of Eastern Heretic Huang Yaoshi, and the players called him Eastern Heretic Junior.

Next to him were eight people, and they were made up of men and women. They had relaxed expressions on their faces, but gave off extraordinary presences, which meant that they should all be elites within the top one hundred in the branch.

They now stood as enemies against this group of people in Hundred Flowers Palace, and Class One Hall’s party leader can even predict how all fourteen of them will die.

However, everyone will try to think of ways to solve situations when they faced danger.

“How did you get in here? This is Class One Hall’s territory. Are you intending to wage war?” the level-headed man shouted fiercely.

By his side was the female party member who noticed the Mu Clan members. She shook her head slightly.

‘It’s completely useless saying these words now. They’ve already conveyed their meaning clearly based on the words they stated a moment ago.’

Before they entered Hundred Flowers Palace, they already killed the other parties outside the forest. If they really wanted to fight, they might have already caused the dispute necessary for war.

Besides, right now, Mu Clan and Class One Hall were clearly in a state of war.

Just as she expected, when her party leader finished speaking, the people across them looked at each other before they started laughing loudly.

“Alright, since someone among you is actually skilled in matrices, I’ll waste some time with you. After all, I believe that your boss, and by that, I mean Hall Master Dream Clouds, has already received news that this place is under fire. That’s why this matter is no longer considered a secret.

“We might as well let you die knowing the truth, you know?”

When he said those words, the fourteen people from Class One Hall held their breaths and were rendered speechless.

Eastern Heretic Junior smiled and said, “This time, Mu Clan mobilized tens of thousands of people for the attack. Right now, aside from Xuancheng, all the other branches Class One Hall has at the frontlines have already been heavily injured. This means that it’s not that we want to wage war, but our higher ups have already waged war.”

Silence.

When he finished speaking, the group of Class One Hall members had their faces turn pale.

The female player who had been calm and composed also put on a shocked and disbelieving expression. She could not help but blurt out. “Are you saying that the ambush you launched in the north is not just to create a chance for your main forces to break out of our encirclement, but was actually part of a scheme you made a long time ago?”

“Correct.” Eastern Heretic Junior grinned.

The Mu Clan members beside him also put on similar grins.

“Class One Hall should be finished by now…

“Alright, it’s time for us to send them on their way.”

All nine Mu Clan members spread out in the shape of a fan and pounced on Class One Hall.

A fight broke out.

*****

All fourteen people who died in Hundred Flowers Palace were soon revived. Their faces were pale while they toddled out of Guanlin Temple.

At the moment they walked out of the entrance of Guanlin Temple, more people staggered out in a continuous stream, and most of them were Class One Hall members.

There was a black mass of people on the empty ground outside Guanlin Temple. They were packed densely together, and they all sat down on the ground with their knees crossed to meditate as well as to recover their strength.

Curses in all sorts of tones continuously entered the players’ ears.

“Those bastards from Mu Clan… they actually ambushed me while I was training!”

“What are the people outside doing? Don’t they know to send messenger pigeons to give us a warning even after they died?”

“Damn it! I just recovered, you know?! And I died again!”

Some people said nothing.

When they saw that there were plenty of people who were in the same situation as them, their hearts completely sank.

Of course, there were quite a number of people in the crowd who calmly sent messenger pigeons nonstop. There were also people who swallowed medicinal pills while they left Guanlin Temple and went to the city gate.

These people were mostly Mu Clan members.

When they fought against Class One Hall, they ran into rather powerful Class One Hall elites, and they were accidentally killed.

There was a group of people trailing behind those Mu Clan members. They staggered forward, and their gazes were incredibly fierce.

“Bastard! If you have the guts, go outside the city and fight me!”

“That’s right! We’ll fight one on one!”

The Mu Clan members did not agree to their provocation, but they did not refuse the challenge either. They just continued moving outside the city without slowing down.

When they saw this, the Class One Hall members felt indignant, but also incredibly pleased. They thought that Mu Clan had really agreed to their challenge, and they formed quite a long trail behind them.

When they arrived at the city gate, the Mu Clan members walked out, unperturbed.

Then, they saw that the Class One Hall members did not want to walk forward because they were hesitant. They turned their heads around and smiled coldly.

“Weren’t you making a ruckus just now? Come on! Come out! I’m here right now! Come outside the city, and if you’re really skilled, make me die again.”

Silence.

“We’ll fight one against one, and I’ll fight against whoever comes out.”

Silence.

The Mu Clan members shouted a few times, but no one among the Class One Hall members in the city responded.

In the end, the group of people angrily looked at the area outside the city and spat out gracelessly.

“Bastard.”

“Stop pretending to be cool, you’ll get struck by lightning if you do.”

“Only idiots will go out of the city!”

Indeed, if Class One Hall went out of the city right now, they will truly be idiots.

Because standing behind those injured Mu Clan members were more than two thousand Mu Clan elites, and they stood there in a neat line.

They moved about on the boundless open field. Many small parties were also gathering nonstop at the entrance.

This sight alone was enough to make many Class One Hall elites not dare to head outside the gate. These people had already died once, there was no way they will dare to go outside and die again.

They can only watch these Mu Clan members swagger off to Mu Clan’s ranks, and this group of Class One Hall members looked as if they had toads stuck in their throats, and they were filled with discomfort all over their bodies.

An even larger number of people watched Mu Clan’s massive group of people outside Mu Clan with pale faces. They can vaguely understand what was about to happen.

The entire Xuancheng was already enveloped in the calm before a storm!

*****

Mu Clan’s branch masters met with the people in charge of the operation this time from Chivalry Sect in Mu Clan’s camp.

“Brother Heretic, you do live up to your name as Eastern Heretic Junior. In just a while, you defeated all the Class One Hall branches in the south. I’m filled with admiration toward you.”

“Haha, Brother Martial, you’re too polite. Chivalry Sect’s members are pretty good as well. At the very least, you managed to kill thousands of people, right?”

“Eh, our results are lackluster. We weren’t as cool as you were. You managed to defeat all of them with just two thousand or so people—”

“Two thousand people is not enough to mow down Class One Hall.”

“Huh?” Branch Master Martial was stunned. “Mow down?”

Eastern Heretic Junior looked surprised when he heard his gasp of surprise. “Hmm? Brother Martial, didn’t you know about it? This time, our leaders have already waged war against Class One Hall in their territory during our cooperation this time. We already mobilized our forces, and if it’s not to mow down Class One Hall, what else could it be for?”

“Ah, I am truly regretful. I really didn’t receive this news…”

“I reckon you usually don’t pay much attention to anything else aside from training, right?’ Eastern Heretic Junior smiled cordially.

Branch Master Martial nodded with his face flushed red.

“I thought so. I already heard that aside from mobilizing forces from the cities serving as the defense line, Chivalry Sect also mobilized no fewer than eighty thousand people from Jiangnan and the coastal area later on. They’re currently heading north on the government-made road. Mu Clan has also mobilized at least fifty thousand to sixty thousand people. Hmm… we’ve also mobilized more than ten thousand people from West Region. Along with the people in the north, we should have an army of nearly two hundred thousand.”

Branch Master Martial was instantly stunned when he heard this astonishing number. He quickly lowered his voice. “Do our higher ups really intend to kill Class One Hall as soon as possible?”

“Based on their attitude, I don’t think it’s fake. The people they mobilized is enough to overturn the entire north. The only thing that puzzles me is why Wind Assault Tower as well as Wind and Rain Alliance didn’t join this,” Eastern Heretic Junior mumbled under his breath.

As for Branch Master Martial, he listened to Eastern Heretic Junior as if he just received a lecture.

While they made small talk, some people occasionally came back to tell them that certain executive officers or chiefs had completed their missions and returned.

After some time, the people on the open field gradually scattered. Then, Eastern Heretic Junior saw that it was almost time.

“Class One Hall’s members should be finished by now. Let’s start.”

“Alright!” Branch Master Martial was in high spirits.

*****

Most of the people from Class One Hall in Xuancheng had already retreated to the branch.

However, since Chivalry Sect and Mu Clan attacked at the same time, they got rid of too many Class One Hall members with their lightning fast attack. There were originally five thousand people in Xuancheng, and now, half of them were injured and could not fight. They can only stay in the city to watch how the situation unfolded.

Only around two thousand normal elites were around to protect the headquarters. They were in a perilous situation when they had to face Mu Clan and Chivalry Sect’s elites.

“Branch master!”

A group of people surrounded their branch master in the branch, and their faces were filled with anxiety.

“Hurry up and think of a way. Mu Clan and Chivalry Sect sent too many people in their operation this time, and they’re all elites. We won’t be able to defend our branch with just this number of people.”

“Darn it… Mu Clan is prepared to play big this time…”

“Isn’t he worried that he won’t have an easy time wrapping things up later?”

“Don’t speak so much. Just think about how we can get through this, that’s the main thing we have to do right now, or else, once Mu Clan occupies our area, what should we do?”

The branch master was also in a terrible fix, and he felt as if there was a stone pressing down against his heart. He said angrily, “Do you think that I haven’t actually thought about anything at all?! Don’t worry! Our reinforcements are already on their way.”

It was only then that the group felt at ease.

But they did not know that soon after the messenger pigeons flew to the branches in the cities near Xuancheng, the branch master in Xuancheng received his replies, but those were not responses to his letters. Instead, they were letters from the other branches urgently asking for reinforcements. Many of the nearby branches had been attacked swiftly and suddenly by Mu Clan and Chivalry Sect at the same time. Right now, their enemy forces had also arrived right under their cities.

Only one branch responded saying that they can provide reinforcements, but they only had a few people they can send.

If they fought this war, he did not even know whether he can protect Xuancheng’s branch from being raided, but he knew with certainty that the remaining two thousand people will definitely all die.

But the orders from the headquarters was to fight to their last person to defend the branch, and he can only say what he said.

Boom!

All of Xuancheng went into an uproar.

Under countless players’ gazes, thousands of Mu Clan and Chivalry Sect members rode in with a mighty momentum, and they officially stepped into the city for the first time since they entered the game.