Sword Among Us

Netherworld’s heart trembled when he looked at the young man with fluttering robes and who was as elegant as an immortal who had transcended worldliness. He also had the Hundred-battle Saber which looked very aggressive.

Netherworld did not know whether it was because that person stood on a higher ground or because of his ability to send the monk flying with two slashes, but he could not bring out the relaxed and arrogant manner he had when he faced Heaven Descendants Sect. In fact, he was slightly affected by the other’s presence, and a faint sense of inferiority rose within his heart.

When he sensed the faint and subtle change in his heart, Netherworld’s expression darkened, and he sucked in a deep breath before he asked loudly, “Sir, are you willing to sell us the brocade box? Please give Class One Hall a clear answer.”

What he did not know was that at that moment, Happy’s emotions were incredibly complicated.

Class One Hall was a super organization that had a great impact on the game since it was launched. They created and gathered many top-class players within a short time in the VR world of martial artists. They also set up more than thirty sects to create a huge structure for their organization!

One of Happy’s friends whom he even called his brother in his past life was also a member of the higher-ranking management within it.

‘Brother…’

Happy smiled in a self-deprecating way with a slightly pale face.

That brother of his was not just famous for being kind, but also for being quite strong. He had managed to rank as one of the most powerful fighters in the Sword Among Us Tournament as well!

It was also that good brother whose abilities and character were both great that had driven Happy to drunkeness and bungling his matters on the eve of the Sword Among Us Tournament.

Happy sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes. He remembered that the person who should have been by his side to comfort him with gentle words while he was at his most dejected and dispirited state had left him without any hesitation to appear beside his “brother”. It made him so sad that his heart seemed to be breaking apart, piece by piece. It felt like the whole world had betrayed him.

When he sensed the change of emotion in the person across from him, Netherworld’s expression changed. He held his breath, and a hint of uneasiness flashed briefly in his eyes.

Soon, Happy relaxed and regained his indifferent mien.

He cast an aloof glance at Netherworld, who was surprised and bewildered, opened his mouth slowly, and said his first complete sentence since he came to Punishment Mount.

“I’m not selling it.”

Even though he appeared calm, his words sounded very stiff.

Netherworld wanted to say more, but when he saw Happy’s expression darken and his eyes shine with a fierce glare, for some reason, he swallowed the words that were already at the tip of his tongue.

While he was hesitating, he heard Happy speak again.

“Do you want me to send you away?”

The cold request for him to leave showed that the speaker had already lost his patience.

Even though Netherworld did not know why that person did not show any signs of respect or wariness when he heard Class One Hall’s name and found the anger and impatience he showed to be strange, the threat hidden within his sentence was something that Netherworld did not dare belittle.

“If that is the case, I will take my leave.”

He turned around resentfully.

When Happy saw Netherworld quickly retreat into the white fog, where he soon disappeared, he was finally unable to hold back the anger that surged in him and was on the verge of exploding.

He panted heavily and gasped for air. His chest heaved violently, and his expression was livid. When he looked in the direction in which Netherworld had disappeared, a pained look born from something in his memories shone in his eyes.

In his previous life, there was only one time during his twenty-five years of living that he had been injured that heavily, and he remembered that experience well!

If it had been a simple breakup or a conflict born out of differing interests, Happy would not have been angry.

But when he remembered how the three years of hard work and the effort he put into his relationship had been viciously stomped on the ground, trampled and destroyed, he could not help but find it exceedingly cruel!

And there was something that he came to understand only right before the matter happened.

That person should have planned it for a long time. He had intentionally lured him out on the eve of the Sword Among Us Tournament at Mount Hua, so he would get drunk and be unable to wake up on time.

When he returned to the game, his decision to come down from Shaoshi Mountain had been a spontaneous one. He had only notified him of it because he wanted to know just what had happened the previous night. But when he went to the mountainside, he was ambushed. There had been a large group of people waiting outside Guanlin Temple for him!

At that time, only that person knew the path Happy would take and at what time he would descend the mountain.

He had planned it for a long, long time.

But there was something Happy still did not understand.

There was no grudge between them, so why did he formulate all those plans? What was his real goal?

It was a question which troubled Happy, and something her had pondered over endlessly.

He wanted to know the entirety of what happened!

Hence, up to that moment, he did not take the initiative to go and look for that person. Instead, he slowly moved forward according to the fixed progression of events in his previous life. Since that person had such an evil heart, he wanted to see just what sort of motive and malice hid under his mask of kindness.

However, when Netherworld appeared in the name of Class One Hall, he still inevitably caused ripples in his calm heart.

The more anger was accumulated, the more it threatened to explode from within a person.

However, Happy understood that he needed to bear with it for the time being.

Of course, there was a possibility that because of the unexpected encounter, that person would enter his life even earlier than in the previous life.

When Happy thought of this, his expression grew cold, which was something rarely seen on him.

The mountain wind roared!

The blue-robed figure who stood near the cliff seemed to have caused the temperature at Punishment Mount to fall by several degrees.

*****

It was through great effort that Netherworld returned to the other cliff. By that time, he was already covered in a thin layer of cold sweat.

A part of it was because he needed to spend his qi during the process of the climb, and the other part was because of the oppressive force that came from the blue-robed young man across from him.

It was the first time he sensed a pressure that only his president could give him from someone in his age group. That person had not said much, but the presence he exuded made it hard for Netherworld to even think about going against him.

“No, I must notify the president immediately.”

Netherworld rested for a few seconds on the spot before he brought out a messenger pigeon and a piece of paper from his Universe Bag.

He described the matters on his side before he quickly folded the paper, rolled it, and stuffed it into the thin bamboo tube between the messenger pigeon’s legs. He then lifted it up with his hands and sent it flying into the air.

Flap, flap, flap!

*****

The fight outside Shaolin Temple had already ended. The scene of blood flowing in streams was gone as well.

The thousands of players slowly ceased fighting and left. Those who remained either sat or stood in dejection. They sighed at each other, and some of them left in groups of three or five.

The scene was desolate and lonely, just like how it always looked after a battle!

However, the ones who suffered the greatest number of casualties were the three great sects from Zhengzhou! To snatch the brocade box, they had gathered practically all their people, and after the back-to-back fight, they had nothing to show for it.

More than a hundred powerful players from Class One Hall swooped in with the force of someone who could easily break a twig. They killed most of the powerful players from the three great sects who had their combat abilities greatly diminished and effortlessly snatched the brocade box.

The hundred or so powerful players from Class One Hall had executed high-tier martial arts, and fought against two or three enemies by themselves. With only a few people, they won against many without any effort and eliminated all the people around the brocade box!

The medium-sized or small forces of power who watched by the side and were ready to profiteer by taking advantage of the situation were also shocked by the people who had suddenly extended their hands into the situation! They did not dare to act recklessly.

At that moment, a woman wearing a veil made of silver threads received a messenger pigeon at the foot of Shaoshi Mountain.

She unfolded the letter and looked at it. A light crease appeared between her heroic-looking eyebrows. She could not help but mumble under her breath.

“There’s someone who can bring a brocade box to Punishment Mount and has enough strength to rival a monk who had broken his Buddhist vows? Who could it be?”