Chapter 562 - 552: Faction War

Chapter 562: Chapter 552: Faction War

Clusters of red Fire Flame spread out around his body, a soft glow flowing within them. Nodding in satisfaction, Mu Chen picked up the jet-black mask covered in red Runes from the tabletop and gently placed it on his face. It was a perfect fit, covering his entire face.

He opened his eyes. A pair of pinkish-blue Ice Extreme Demon Pupils gazed at the world outside through the mask’s eyeholes. The icy pupils spun, emanating a soul-stealing Charm Power! Looking back at the tabletop, he saw that the white set of clothes had vanished, just as the phantom had said.

Glancing at the door across from the square table, Mu Chen strode toward it. Just as he made his choice, a woman in a dark space suddenly sighed and said helplessly, "Another newcomer without a mentor’s guidance. He chose the Black Camp without a second thought."

Of course, there was no way Mu Chen could have heard her. As he pulled open the door, a blinding light shot into his eyes, making even his Spirit waver for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, a massive space appeared before him.

This huge space wasn’t an open-air structure; it was more like a sealed fortress. It was enormous, spanning a full thousand meters. The place was like a circular coliseum, but in this vast hall, Mu Chen couldn’t see a single fighting ring.

Black and white tables and chairs were clearly divided on two sides of the great hall. Already, more than half of them were occupied by figures dressed almost identically to Mu Chen.

Directly opposite these tables and chairs, a huge, concave Spiritual Screen flickered with a soft glow. This screen was arc-shaped, covering two-thirds of the hall’s wall. The display was split into three main sections, each of which was further divided into twelve smaller areas, with every area showing a different scene. There were mountains and rivers, forests, sand dunes, grasslands, oceans, skies, and countless other environments. Within each of these settings, two individuals were unleashing various Combat Skills and Body Techniques in spectacular battles.

On either side of the screen, facing the areas with the black and white tables, was a shimmering, distorted space. These oval-shaped portals, one black and one white, looked like Mirror Screens, but they were actually some kind of Teleportation Gate.

Mu Chen gazed at the black Teleportation Gate. Just then, a student dressed like him stepped into it. His figure distorted for a moment before vanishing inside.

"Pretty amazing, isn’t it?"

As Mu Chen watched, captivated, a figure in black walked up to his side. Emerald green eyes gazed through a black mask in the direction Mu Chen was looking, and the person spoke with a hint of a smile.

Unsurprised, Mu Chen nodded. "It is amazing. For a Spiritual Screen this massive, forget the materials needed to build it; just the Spiritual Power required to keep it running constantly is more than any ordinary person could bear. Holy Tomb Mountain truly has every kind of talent. Jun Wu, you must have participated in the arena before, right?"

Jun Wu smiled sweetly. "Of course. But because of Mo’Er, if my opponent was male, he’d forfeit in less than three seconds. So, for the sake of fairness, I stopped participating a long time ago."

"I see." Mu Chen pursed his lips, not asking about Mo’Er. He understood, however, that with that Fallen Nether Puppet, Mu Junwu was practically invincible.

"But, Mu Chen, why did you choose the black Concealing Garment? I seem to recall you hating the color black," Chu Aoqing said, walking out of her room just then, having changed her clothes. The three had spent so much time together that they were intimately familiar with each other’s auras, allowing them to recognize one another at a glance even while wearing the Concealing Garments.

Hearing this, Mu Chen looked down at himself, then at the other two, and couldn’t help but chuckle. "Why are you two also in black? So these strange clothes are called Concealing Garments, huh? A fitting name indeed. As for why I chose black... I suppose it’s because it gives off a more steady and composed feeling."

Chu Aoqing laughed softly and said with a hint of resignation, "The black and white isn’t just a color difference. It also divides us into camps."

Mu Chen froze. "Camps? What camps?"

Mu Junwu and Chu Aoqing exchanged a smile. Just as they were about to speak, a tall, thin figure in a white Concealing Garment appeared before them. "Looks like the Black Camp just got another free kill," he said, gloating.

It was a man’s voice, but it had a strange, snide tone that made Mu Chen raise an eyebrow. ’People who jump into other people’s conversations without permission,’ he thought, recalling a past sentiment, ’are either close acquaintances or just plain rude.’

Before Mu Chen could respond, the man spoke again, his tone just as mocking. "The arena isn’t just a venue for one-on-one duels. There’s also a monthly faction war. And these ’factions’ are your Black Camp and our White Camp."

’Black Camp? White Camp?’ Mu Chen was puzzled. If he recalled correctly, the phantom who had briefed him said the black and white Concealing Garments had no special meaning. So how had factions suddenly appeared?

"Oh? And what does that have to do with me?" Mu Chen asked indifferently.

The man evidently ignored Mu Chen’s tone and continued, "Of course it has to do with you. Just look at the number of people at the black and white tables down there."

He didn’t need to look. By simply extending and retracting his Spiritual Power, Mu Chen was stunned to discover the discrepancy. The number of people in white was a full ten times greater than those in black. In the vast hall, the white tables were nearly seventy percent occupied, while the black tables were less than thirty percent full—and that didn’t even account for people taking up an entire table by themselves.

"See that?" The man chuckled. He was about to continue when another man in white, emerging from a different door, called out to him. Hearing the call, the man waved a dismissive hand at Mu Chen. "Oh, well. That’s all this senior can tell you. This is the arena. Even if we’re seniors and juniors back at the academy, in here, we’re enemies. See you on the field."

The man left Mu Chen completely bewildered, so he turned a questioning gaze to Chu Aoqing and Mu Junwu. Chu Aoqing sighed. "Don’t look at me, I’m in the Black Camp too."

Mu Chen rolled his eyes. "I’m asking about the faction war and the deal with the Black Camp."

Chu Aoqing explained, "The faction war is a battle held once a month where all the students in black Concealing Garments and all the members in white ones fight to the finish in a shared combat environment. But as you can see, the Black Camp has significantly fewer students than the White Camp. Once the fighting starts, our side has no chance of winning."

"How can that be?" Mu Chen said. "Aren’t you two in the Black Camp? If Jun Wu participated, I’m sure she could turn the tide all by herself."

Mu Junwu sighed. "You think we don’t want to? But Venerable Realm Martial Artists are forbidden from participating in the faction war. The rewards are too great, and Venerable Realm Martial Artists can sway the outcome of a battle too easily. If the Black Camp had just two more Venerable Realm Martial Artists than the White Camp, there would be no point in fighting at all."

Mu Chen froze for a moment, then gave a wry smile. "I guess that makes sense. I think you mentioned the rewards are great? What are they?"

Chu Aoqing explained, "The reward isn’t fixed. When you register for the battle, the registrar gives you a black crystal, which serves as your proof of participation. The White Camp gets white crystals, of course. Once both sides are on the battlefield, you can use any tactic you like—ambushes, sneak attacks, lures, sieges, ganging up—it’s all fair game. The goal is to collect these crystals. The battle lasts for one day. When time’s up, your reward depends on how many crystals you have. I’m not clear on the exact distribution, but the person with the most crystals will get a full month’s worth of time-based Cultivation Resources."

"A month of Cultivation Resources?!"

Mu Chen couldn’t help but be shocked. He had looked at the missions that awarded time-based Cultivation Resources before. The most difficult one only offered a single day’s worth, while the smallest rewards were measured in minutes. Moreover, those missions were never quick; even the simplest one took half a day to complete. But for this faction war, the first-place winner could receive a full month of Cultivation Resources. That was an absurdly terrifying prize!

Mu Junwu smiled helplessly. "However, that reward will never go to the Black Camp. Just look at the number of participants. The Black Camp will have no more than a hundred people, but the White Camp already has a thousand. Strength disparities aside, the Black Camp has no chance of victory against those numbers alone. What’s more, anyone who loses their crystal is penalized with the loss of one day’s worth of Cultivation Resources."

A thought struck Mu Chen, and he asked grumpily, "Then can’t I just choose not to participate?"

Chu Aoqing answered, "You can. But if you don’t participate in the faction war, you’ll be permanently banned from the arena. In other words, you’ll never be able to use it again. It’s one or the other. Which do you choose?"

"..."

Seeing Mu Chen’s silence, Mu Junwu smiled. "Actually, this is a form of training that Holy Tomb Mountain provides its students. While it’s true you’ll lose a day of Cultivation Resources if you lose your crystal, if you manage to hold onto it, you won’t be penalized at all—even if you don’t obtain a single one from the other camp. In fact, you’ll be rewarded with a day’s worth of Cultivation Resources. That’s why people still participate despite the Black Camp’s disadvantage. The battlefield is enormous; you could just find a place to hide. If you can survive for twelve hours, it’s well worth it."

As she spoke, a calculating look flashed in Mu Junwu’s eyes. "If I remember correctly," she added, "the Black Camp hasn’t won a single time in four years, has it?"

Chu Aoqing nodded. "Ever since Shan Tianyu and I reached the Venerable Realm, the Black Camp hasn’t won. Afterward, the number of people in the Black Camp kept shrinking while the White Camp’s numbers grew, which is what ultimately led to the current situation."

"However!"

The two of them suddenly exclaimed in unison, then looked at Mu Chen with meaningful smiles. Mu Chen, however, was still lost in thought about the system of rewards and punishments, completely oblivious to the change in their expressions...

But now, it seemed the goddess of victory was about to deliver the spark of hope to the Black Camp’s side...