Sword Among Us

Bang! Boom!

Happy and Evil Emperor’s fight turned fiercer with every passing moment.

The field outside Class One Hall’s headquarters looked as if it had been ploughed. Not a single inch of undamaged earth could be found anymore.

As time passed, discussions among the onlookers gradually popped up as they grew restless. Most of them were centered around how astonished they were because Happy had been able to last for such a long time under such a fierce offense.

It had to be known that in the past, One Emperor had only lasted for one hundred moves before he soon lost in Evil Emperor’s hands. Now, Happy had exchanged more than one hundred moves with Evil Emperor during their fight.

“How many moves has it been?”

“Only crazy bastards will be able to count clearly, you know?”

“That’s right. Their fight is so quick.”

“Even if we make a safe estimation, they would have at least exchanged two hundred to three hundred moves.”

Quite a number of people had turned from wanting to watch to see how long Happy could last to wanting to see Happy last even longer in the fight and even counterattack Evil Emperor.

“Happy’s defense is seriously good. It has never been broken.”

“As expected of Tendon Changing Classic, the matchless classic of Shaolin Temple. We finally have a person in the Chinese server who can fight on equal grounds against Evil Emperor!”

“Yeah!”

A number of people discussed with each other excitedly, and at the same time, they did not forget to cast a glance at the largely damaged ground. All that happened in front of them was the best proof.

Many people from different factions of power in the crowd also looked at each other and whispered.

“I didn’t expect that Happy would be so strong that he can even hold back Evil Emperor!”

“Heh. Dream Clouds is going to be in trouble this time.”

When he heard the assessment from the people beside him, a man with a rather mature look nodded slowly. “Dream Clouds’ greatest pillar of strength is Evil Emperor, and she can use him to suppress One Emperor and many of the heroes in the Chinese server, but once this leverage is no longer around, no matter how overbearing Class One Hall’s people are, it’s only a matter of time before they’re gradually destroyed.”

“That’s right.”

“No matter how strong Class One Hall is, they can’t compare to the entire Chinese server.”

When they said this, the group looked away from the fight and watched each other.

“When Class One Hall worked with Wild Wolves, they were powerful, and no one could stand against them. You had worries in your hearts, and you did not dare send anyone from your sects to fight. Now, someone can stand against Evil Emperor, and the situation is different.”

“That’s right.”

“If I do nothing, not only will I be regarded in scorn by my friends in the Chinese server, even I will spit at my own self.”

“Alright! Since everyone has come to a decision, I will send messenger pigeons.”

The group was filled with fighting spirit. At that moment, they seemed to no longer be afraid of Class One Hall.

Just when the group brought out their messenger pigeons, a man standing at an inconspicuous corner and who had never spoken since the start suddenly spoke, “Everyone, it’s best if we’re not too hasty. It’s still not time for us to make a decision.”

“Sect Master Ji, what advice do you have?”

The group had naturally recognized the speaker. He was Ji Feng, a person who was crowned “Hero of Wisdom” one and a half years ago. Unfortunately, he kept on failing in a few major operations because of his own problems, and in the end, he gradually lost his fame and ended up creating a normal sect with himself as a sect master. Right now, he was one of the leaders of the four sects that were not allied to Class One Hall.

Ji Feng was less high-spirited and aggressive as he previously was. Instead, he was much more level-headed, and he also kept a low profile. He said calmly, “I wouldn’t say I have any advice, but everyone, do you think that the best time to fight against Class One Hall has arrived?”

“Do you think otherwise, Sect Master Ji?”

The people beside Ji Feng were not unknown people in Beijing. All of them could tell that there was an underlying meaning in Ji Feng’s words, and they stopped whatever they were doing.

“Class One Hall’s greatest leverage is Evil Emperor. This is fact. With Evil Emperor serving as their garrison, they can suppress One Emperor, Wind Chimes, and other Chinese players. He can also help Class One Hall smoothly gain control over the Chinese server, but all of you seem to have forgotten that Class One Hall is not fighting alone right now.”

He stopped talking for a while to survey his surroundings. “Let’s not talk about Blood Alliance, which is a powerful, evil alliance that can be considered the third strongest sect in the Chinese server. They also have the mysterious and great Assassin Hall as well as Five Venoms, which has fallen into decline but still possess top-tier power. Right now, they have twelve sects in Beijing working with them. Class One Hall has also recruited plenty of top-class elites. Even if we work together with multiple small sects to attack them, we won’t be able to get any advantage.”

“You’re right. If we want to take down Class One Hall, we’ll have to pay a pretty great price, but it’s impossible for us to not have any sacrifices in this fight.” Someone reminded the people.

Ji Feng smiled. “It’s not that I’m afraid of death. I just don’t want to be the egg being smashed against a stone. Trust me, it’s not the best moment right now.

“Right now, Wind Assault Tower’s power in Beijing is over. All tens of thousands of their people are killed in the headquarters, and they can’t help us. If we rely on ourselves to fight in this battle, we can’t win against Dream Clouds.”

“Are you saying…?”

“We look for Phantasmal Shadow and Wandering Know-it-all. We’ll have them contact the necessary people and One Emperor. Then, we wait for the best moment before we strike!”

Ji Feng’s words allowed them to come to a realization.

*****

Guanlin Temple was currently the place where the largest number of Wind Assault Tower members were gathered. Tens of thousands of people appeared in this place after they entered the cycle of reincarnation and were revived. They listened to Phantasmal Shadow placating them and sending them to other places.

Someone was specially tasked to send information about Happy, Wu Kuo, and the others’ situation at Class One Hall’s headquarters. Naturally, Phantasmal Shadow knew that Evil Emperor and Happy were fighting fiercely. As of right now, it was impossible for them to decide who would be the victor between them.

“This is great!”

Every time she received news from Wu Kuo, Phantasmal Shadow would be incredibly excited.

The longer the fight went, the greater it would prove that Happy could hold back Evil Emperor! Because of it, when they counterattacked, it would be impossible for Evil Emperor to appear on the frontlines of the battle.

Flap flap flap.

A messenger pigeon descended from the sky.

Phantasmal Shadow cast a glance at it before she handed the letter to a trusted friend. “The sect master of Anyang’s Wind Spirit Sect sent a letter over.”

The friend said nothing, just took the letter over in one familiar motion.

Over this period of time, as news of Evil Emperor’s arrival appeared, more sects reacted to the news and stated that their people were rushing over to Beijing.

There were a lot of sects who sent letters over, and Phantasmal Shadow was too full occupied, to the point that she could spare time to reply to them. Hence, she handed the task of writing replies to her best friends.

At that moment, a sword will that charged into the sky from the horizon pressed close to Guanlin Temple and attracted Phantasmal Shadow and many people’s attention.

“He’s finally here!”

The Wind Assault Tower members in Guanlin Temple stood up, and they had surprise and delight appear on their faces.

“One Emperor is finally here!”

Only Phantasmal Shadow had a complicated gaze as she watched the figure rush to her. She could not help but sigh softly in her heart.

Whoosh!

The sound of his sleeves fluttering were like that of a sword cutting through air.

One Emperor charged as quickly as lightning, and he landed in front of Phantasmal Shadow like the tip of a sword cutting into the ground. His face was covered in dust, and his expression solemn. He originally wanted to say something, but he saw the dejected look on Phantasmal Shadow’s face, and he subconsciously swallowed the words at the tip of his tongue. He frowned a little and turned around and survey the area. The dense wave of people standing in Guanlin Temple caused his gaze and his heart to become even graver.

“I was too late.”

“It’s not your fault.” Phantasmal Shadow knew that One Emperor was blaming himself for not returning sooner. She smiled bitterly and said, “I was too careless. Class One Hall was already attacking Wind Assault Tower, and I should be more careful. I should have even notified you to come back sooner, but I was caring too much about the details.”

One Emperor sucked in a deep breath and changed the topic. “What’s going on in the headquarters now?”

The people next to Phantasmal Shadow could not hold back from answering now. With just a few words, he told One Emperor what was going on in Beijing.

“Happy’s strength has indeed improved by a large margin. If I had returned in time, perhaps Wind Assault Tower would not have been destroyed.”

One Emperor might have heard some news when he was coming over, but most of the time, he only heard about the general progression of events. He did not think that Happy would be able to hold back Evil Emperor and even kill a large group of top-class elites.

“Let’s not talk about that anymore. We’ve already given up on Wind Assault Tower’s headquarters, because even if we go there now, we can’t turn the tides. Class One Hall has already locked down the area, and if we go in, we’ll be engaged in a chaotic fight. Our people are also injured,” Phantasmal Shadow explained.

One Emperor scowled and nodded. Then, he asked, “Where is Happy?”

“Class One Hall’s headquarters. He’s fighting against Evil Emperor.”

“He’s fighting against him alone?” One Emperor tensed up. He was not quite able to stand still right then, and his sword will started growing stronger.

“Yeah, they’ve been fighting for nearly ten minutes now.” A trusted friend beside Phantasmal Shadow interrupted.

One Emperor was shocked once again. The sword will around his body shrank a little.

Phantasmal Shadow naturally knew why he was so shocked, but time was valuable right now, and she could not afford to waste anymore of it. She went straight to the topic and said, “Right now, the factions of power near Beijing have gathered in the city. There are fifty-six sect masters who have stated that they are willing to listen to my orders! At that time, they’ll work with us to counterattack and fight against Class One Hall!”

“That’s good.”

“But the number of people from each sect varies, and their overall quality of strength is below Class One Hall. Besides, we don’t have a lot of people on our side, and it’s not enough for us to launch a full-frontal assault. That’s why I’ve already notified them to head to the headquarters of the twelve sects. Evil Emperor is at Class One Hall’s headquarters, and Happy can hold him back. We don’t have to go there and cause a scene. I intend to take down the twelve Beijing sects’ headquarters first and we’ll clip off Dream Clouds’ wings one by one!”

“That’s a good plan.” One Emperor’s eyes lit up. “No matter how good Dream Clouds is, it’s impossible for her to protect the twelve Beijing sects at the same time. Phantasmal Shadow, tell me, where do you want me to go? Should I work together with Happy to fight against Evil Emperor or help you fight against Dream Clouds?”

His original goal was to fight against Evil Emperor, but right now, Wind Assault Tower’s headquarters was about to be destroyed, and in his guilt and shame, he wanted to contribute to the fight so that he could mend his mistake. He would act according to the overall situation.

“Evil Emperor is strong, and it’s difficult for anyone to win against him, but he’s prideful. Right now, he’ll definitely be feeling embarrassed that he can’t win against Happy even after fighting against him for so long. If I send you to fight with Happy against him, we will be giving Evil Emperor an excuse. By then, it’s hard for us to guarantee whether Dream Clouds won’t send people over to interfere, and we’ll just be ruining Happy’s chance,” Phantasmal Shadow thought about it and explained.

“We’ll forget about Evil Emperor for now and focus on fighting against the twelve Beijing sects. We’ll wait for more reinforcements to enter Beijing, and we’ll encircle Class One Hall!”

“Alright!”

Right when they finished speaking, another messenger pigeon landed on Phantasmal Shadow’s shoulder. She took it down and read it. Then, she was first delighted before she smiled coldly. “Those cowards have finally decided to take action.”

When they noticed One Emperor and her trusted friends’ curious gazes, Phantasmal Shadow raised four fair fingers, and they instantly understood.

The four Beijing sects.

“They’re prepared to act now? We have another strong force joining us, then?”

“That’s true, but their actions at the start of the war are too disappointing. They refused to take action at all, and now, when they see that the situation is turning good, they came out. They’re too shameless.”

“Forget it. No matter what, they’re local sects in Beijing. Their headquarters might be suppressed by Class One Hall at any moment. It’s already good that they’re willing to take action. Young Cloud, write a letter and tell them to fight against Heavenly Heroes Sect.”

Right when her voice faded away, all the Wind Assault Tower members in Beijing simultaneously received a system notification that caused their hearts to tremble.

“Wind Assault Tower’s branch in Beijing has been destroyed!”