Sword Among Us

The thirteen staff-using monks belonged to Shaolin Temple!

In Happy’s memories from his past life, their abilities were much better than those of the thirteen swordsmen who followed North Placating Duke, who came from the imperial court of the desert.

The thirteen staff-using Shaolin Monks had astonishing combat abilities, and they also practiced Demon Slaying Staff Formation. They understood the essence of making someone fight continuously against a greater number until they destroyed them. As the monks took over each other’s places in the formation, even if they had to face an attack by dozens of Blessed Realm players at the same time, they could easily receive the attacks and destroy them. They gained a name for themselves during the quest for the emperor’s birthday.

Speaking of which, those thirteen people were Happy’s senior brothers in his previous life. However, his abilities had been low at that time, so he had been nothing in their eyes.

“In my past life, you lost your tribute during the final leg of the quest, and all your work came to a waste. This time, I will clean up the mess for you.”

When he heard the violent sounds of battle that came from the government-made road ahead of him, the blue-robed young man slowly stood up from his seat. Obviously, he was Happy, who had hurried over day and night until he reached the foot of Mount Song.

He changed into tight-fitting black clothes. With them, Happy’s calm and indifferent face became even more mysterious and extraordinary. He brought out a black piece of cloth and tied it around his head tightly to cover his face before he jumped out of the pavilion.

*****

The battle happened at the crossroads up ahead.

The carriage that had been battered and damaged now had one of its wheels split in half. The three brocade boxes rolled on the floor, and there was a horse that lay in a puddle of its own blood not too far in the distance. It did not move, making it clear that it had died some time ago.

Clang! Clang…

The thirteen staff-using monks guarded the brocade boxes with angry faces. They did not leave their spot and fought fiercely against the thirty or so players around them. There were around ten strong archers at both sides of the government-made road not too far in the distance. Their gazes sparkled, and their arrows targeted one monk while they worked together with the people who surrounded them to bring chaos to their staff formation.

With just one glance, it was clear that these people had prepared their attack after meticulous planning and preparation. They had to have been eyeing the thirteen staff users for a long time.

The monks might have advantage in group battle, but the Blessed Realms who ambushed them were not mediocre players. They did not linger in battle and only attacked at the right time by using the archers in the distance, forcing the monks to multi-task.

They could not abandon their carriage, which meant trouble surrounded them soon. Three monks were injured, and once they were shot, their fighting abilities were greatly reduced. It became difficult for them to maintain their staff formation.

However, their opponents continued to move around them and did not attack. They played a game of cat and mouse with them while occasionally launching a powerful in hand with the archers. The thirteen staff-using monks were furious and incredibly indignant.

“You shameless scum! If you have the ability, don’t hide and attack us head on!”

“Hahahaha… If we’re scum, so be it! No matter what, the tribute in your hands is now ours! Along with your lives!”

The ambushers were completely unbothered by the curses of the monks. They chuckled coldly and continued to use their strategy to whittle down the thirteen staff-using monks’ stamina. They worked to gradually destroy Demon Slaying Staff Formation.

“If you have the guts, come! Metal Wall!”

As the monk who served as the leader roared, the thirteen Shaolin Monks changed their tactic. They began spinning the iron staffs in their hands madly, making them look like spinning discs. They changed places, and for a period of time, the shadows of the staffs flickered about. The volleys of arrows could not stop their movements. Even the players who wanted to attack were dazzled. They were caught in a situation where it was difficult for them to advance and retreat, and a number of them were injured.

The thirteen staff-using monks took advantage of long weapons being able to completely cover their user!

“Child’s play.”

A person rushed out of the group of attackers. He was well-built and dressed entirely in black. His gaze was fierce and sharp, and he spread his arms wide, like a machine. He jumped forward, and like an eagle, he dove down on the nearest Shaolin Monk.

“Get lost!”

The thirteen staff-using monks reacted extremely quickly. Three formed a neat row and went forth in small but swift footsteps. Various shadows could be seen from their Gold Melding Staffs as they moved, and they struck the person who came forth with the momentum of lightning.

Boom!

The person’s waist, thighs, and chest were injured at the same time. He cried out in pain before he leapt away.

However, when they struck the person, a lot of damage was reflected back at them. The three Shaolin Monks felt their qi surge in them. They took a step back, and an abnormal red flush colored their faces.

The archers in the distance immediately captured the weakness in Metal Wall. The trio were shot with arrows at the same time. A gap instantly appeared in their staff formation, and it marked its end.

The monks only narrowly avoided the nightmare of being destroyed when those behind them swung their staffs.

However, arms of the first three monks were shot by arrows. Their actions were no longer as agile as before. It was impossible for them to continue maintaining the staff formation.

The gaze of the leader of the monk turned fierce, and he glared at the person who had attacked them just then.

“Iron Shirt!”

The monks then noticed that the person who had been struck by their three companions had managed to regain his footing after only taking a few steps back. His facial color was the same as before, and his voice was very loud. He did not seem to have been injured at all.

Even with a body fortification technique at Grandmaster Realm, no one should not have such a terrifying defensive, right?!

“You’re just a frog in the well!”

A cold snort reached their ears. The person from before jumped up and pounced on them again.

“Go back to where you came from!”

The monks turned around on high alert. This time, they used all their strength to push the man back.

If a normal player was struck in this manner, no matter how good they were, they would have sustained severe internal injuries.

However, the man had managed to neutralize all the force after taking three steps back. He looked up slowly to reveal a smug and savage expression.

The thirteen staff-using monks’ expressions changed drastically.

“A high-tier body fortification technique.”

“You have some intelligence at least.” The person smiled coldly before his smile fell away. In its place was a grim an unhesitant look. “Attack!”

The archers shot their arrows at the same time.

The thirty or so Blessed Realm players attacked as well.

The monks’ combat abilities had been drastically reduced. They had lost the protection of the staff formation, and they could no longer withstand the encirclement from three or more players in the same realm as them. Besides, there were also professional archers who launched sneak attacks at them from the side.

In less than ten moves, the thirteen staff-using monks were killed one by one. Their blood dyed the carriage and tribute they had protected for days.

“The people from Shaolin Temple should be here soon. Get the tribute box and go!”

The group moved incredibly quickly. Once they got rid of the thirteen staff-using monks, they quickly gathered the items and left a mess on the ground. Soon, they disappeared without a trace.

Right after the group left, the unkempt middle-aged man from the pavilion appeared next to the corpses of the thirteen staff-using monks. He surveyed the area with a scowl and shook his head while sighing nonstop.

“Darn it all, if I knew that these monks were so useless, I would have gotten rid of the archers for them!”

Once he finished speaking, he cast a glance in the direction in which the group had left. He hesitated over whether he should chase after them or not.

They had around fifty Blessed Realm players. Their operation showed uniformity and planning, which meant that they should be men from some clan or assault group. It would be very difficult for him to snatch the tributes from a proper organization.

While the unkempt man pondered over his choices, his expression suddenly changed. With a tap on the ground, he vanished from his spot at the speed of lightning.

The sound of horse hooves thundered!

“Giddy up!”

“Surround them!”

The group who had just received the tributes rushed back. Dust flew behind them. A group of men with an astonishing presence who looked like bandits chased after them on horseback, and there were many of them.

The well-built man with the black attire ran at the front, as if there was wind under his feet. He did not even dare to look back. There was fear and anger on his face.

‘Darn it all! I wouldn’t have said anything if we ran into bandits from Forest Union right after we got the tribute… but why is there a Mystical Realm NPC among them?!’