Divine Sword Manor

Clip-clop, clip-clop. Five days later, along a smooth, winding official road, a yellowish-brown steed galloped with flying hooves, kicking up a trail of dust. On horseback, a fair-skinned, alluring woman with flirtatious eyes held the reins tight and squeezed the horse's flanks with her legs, flicking her whip as she rose and fell in rhythm with the steed's strides. "Whoa!" She pulled to a stop by the edge of the road, staring blankly into the empty air before her as her pupils lost focus. Within Yi Chuanmei's vision hovered a 3D projection-like map depicting mountains, dense forests, villages, and official roads. Marked in red was a single location: Divine Sword Manor! The manor's coordinates were an authority unlocked by the Spirit Realm after she completed her side quest. "The route lies to the left. Cut through that forest, and it's half an hour ahead..." Sitting in the saddle, Yi Chuanmei peered toward the left. A stretch of woods lay at the edge of her vision, but the path leading toward it was pitted and overgrown with swaying weeds, without any tamped-dirt road fit for horse riding. A road had once existed here, but Divine Sword Manor had been exterminated three years ago and completely abandoned ever since; the original path had long fallen into ruin. Yi Chuanmei pondered for a moment, dismounted, and lightly tapped the horse's forehead. The chestnut horse neighed in fright, its hooves clattering as it bolted off the main road toward the woods. Yi Chuanmei ran nimbly across the weed-choked wasteland, giving close chase. As it neared the forest, the galloping horse suddenly tumbled headlong to the ground, frothing at the mouth as its limbs convulsed. Yi Chuanmei cautiously approached and saw colorful venomous snakes slithering beneath the grass, their scales glistening in the sunlight. Clamped onto the horse's neck was a slender, iridescent-scaled serpent. Evidently, a Spirit Medium had reached Divine Sword Manor ahead of time and set traps along the way. Yi Chuanmei clicked her tongue and knitted her brows. What she despised most were traps, for Illusionists possessed neither formidable defense nor agile physicality, let alone terrifying self-healing capabilities. One wrong move, and she could easily capsize in a ditch, dying to a trap laid by an ally or an enemy. She backed up a few paces, sprinted, leaped clear over the snake-infested area, and pressed onward. After another few minutes of walking, a charred, massive crater appeared ahead, surrounded by several mangled corpses strewn across the ground. "Planting 'landmines'... looks like a Fire Master with brains. No, a Fire Demon," Yi Chuanmei muttered under her breath. The orthodox classes had arrived at Divine Sword Manor too. The Yellow Banner Escort Agency had been delayed at the inn for two days, halted their journey due to the torrential storm, rested at the mortuary for a night, and then she had spent another night hiding to recover her breath after fleeing the mortuary. By that calculation, if the other escort convoys had traveled at full speed, they should have arrived at Divine Sword Manor two days ahead of her. The orthodox and free factions might have already been clashing at Divine Sword Manor for two whole days. I wonder what the situation at Divine Sword Manor is like... At this thought, Yi Chuanmei felt a stir of urgency. She pulled out a cloak woven from feathers and draped it over her back. This item was called "Eagle's Feather," a Beast King quality item whose function was to transform the user into an eagle for five minutes. An eagle's form lacked offensive power, so its quality was mediocre, but five minutes of flight was a supplementary ability that Saints could only dream of. In an instant, the feathered cloak melted into her skin, turning into individual plumage. Her dress shredded as her shapely legs twisted and narrowed, transforming into eagle talons. Her arms spread out, turning into three-meter-long wings. Her alluring face morphed rapidly, sprouting down and flight feathers. Her pupils narrowed into golden vertical slits, and her lush lips hardened into a sharp beak. With an eagle's cry, she transformed into a massive bird of prey. Spreading her wings, she took flight, gliding over the forest and soaring across mountain ridges toward Divine Sword Manor. Soon, an expansive complex of buildings came into Yi Chuanmei's view. It was a magnificent ancient manor spanning a vast area, yet it had been abandoned for years. Overgrown foliage partially concealed its pavilions, terraces, and towers, and wild weeds sprouted between the cracks of the bluestone pavers. The courtyard pools had run dry, the eaves of the towers were laden with fallen leaves, and an air of complete desolation hung over the place. Yi Chuanmei circled from a distance. The eagle form granted her superb vision as she surveyed the scene inside the manor. Suddenly, her raptor eyes narrowed. She spotted over a dozen corpses strewn haphazardly across the manor's main thoroughfare. Just as she had anticipated, the other convoys had arrived ahead of time and clashed. *** West courtyard of the manor, Sword Pavilion. From the outside, the Sword Pavilion resembled a three-story pagoda, constructed from a mix of bluestone bricks and timber, with pointed eaves sweeping upward in grand magnificence. Inside, there were no tables, chairs, or furniture. Across a circular arena fifty meters in diameter, countless swords were planted densely into the floor. By material, they ranged across bronze swords, brass swords, stone swords, iron swords, and refined steel swords; by design, they spanned Han eight-sided swords, Tang sabers, greatswords, short swords, and mandarin duck paired swords. A red-haired young man stood proudly at the pavilion entrance, warily watching the movements outside. He wore the tight-fitting uniform of the Scarlet Flame Escort Agency, fiery-red fingerless combat gloves on his hands. He was handsome, but his brow radiated irascibility, as though he might erupt into violence at the slightest provocation. A few meters behind him sat another young man cross-legged in black attire, white waves embroidered on his chest. His features were gloomy and his complexion pale—the sort of moody, sullen individual who was difficult to get along with. Not far from the two, six or seven heavily injured escort guards sat cross-legged, circulating their breath to recover. All were dressed in black uniforms—men of the Far Ocean Escort Agency. "Trash!" The gloomy young man lifted his eyes to glare at the red-haired youth at the entrance, his voice ice-cold. "Useless, all of you! You too, Jiang Ju—utter trash. How did I end up matched with scumbags like you?" His chilling tone simmered with fury and agitation. The orthodox faction's situation was dire in the extreme. Out of the five convoys, only Far Ocean Escort Agency and Scarlet Flame Escort Agency had reached Divine Sword Manor. Among the remaining three, Spirit Ape Escort Agency and Three Swords Escort Agency had been wiped out en route. Their orthodox walkers had returned to the Spirit Realm, while the evil classes who had infiltrated those teams successfully completed their side quests and arrived at Divine Sword Manor with the coffins. And while Young Master Fire Jiang Ju of Scarlet Flame Escort Agency had reached the manor, he had been chased out by his own agency. En route, he had been plotted against by the free class member in his escort team; the werewolf had infected him and turned him into a werewolf, turning the entire escort agency against him. Left with no choice, he had fought his way through the siege and rushed ahead to Divine Sword Manor. As of now, the only one who had completed the side quest was the Far Ocean Escort Agency. However, at Divine Sword Manor, Far Ocean Escort Agency and Young Master Fire had been besieged by four evil class members and the escort guards of the Scarlet Flame Escort Agency. Outnumbered and overwhelmed, they had lost the coffin they were escorting. They had fought a retreating battle into the Sword Pavilion, relying on the sword array here to fend off the enemies and cling to survival. "Shut the fuck up!" Jiang Ju snapped, barely restraining his explosive temper. "I hate multiplayer instances the most. A chaotic, baffling mess... The Fire Masters in the Scarlet Flame Escort Agency are brainless idiots who believe whatever anyone tells them. Still, the Yellow Banner Escort Agency hasn't arrived yet. We haven't necessarily lost." It was two against four; their side had zero chance in open combat and could only hole up inside the Sword Pavilion. The Yellow Banner Escort Agency had become the orthodox faction's only turning point for revival. The gloomy youth said coldly, "Never pin your hopes on others. What if Yellow Banner lost too...?" He trailed off, then turned toward Jiang Ju. "If Yellow Banner by some miracle reaches Divine Sword Manor, Jiang Ju, you're the one going out to back them up. You should know they're our last hope." "Cai Longshen, you want to use me as cannon fodder!" Jiang Ju raised an eyebrow. Leaving aside when Yellow Banner might arrive, if he ventured out alone to rendezvous with them against four enemy evil classes, the odds of him making it back alive were slim. A ruthless glint flashed in Cai Longshen's eyes. "I don't harbor freeloaders. If you refuse, I won't control the sword array to back you up the next time they breach the perimeter." Veins bulged on Jiang Ju's forehead. After glaring at him for a few seconds, he grinned ferociously. "Once we're out of this dungeon, I'm going to beat you to death!" Cai Longshen sneered. "Any time!" Right then, both men heard a high-pitched eagle cry. *** Outside the Sword Pavilion, a white-haired elder sat cross-legged atop a black coffin, a four-foot-long crimson blade planted into the ground before him. He was burly and robust, his white hair tied in a ponytail. His brows were thick, his eyes piercing, and a bewitchment rune was tattooed across his forehead. Though an old man, he clearly looked like the type who could uproot a weeping willow with his bare hands. The old man tilted his head back and called out in a resonant voice, "Whoever is up there, if you're a friend, land on the roof of the pavilion behind me. If you're a foe, land on the roof of the Sword Pavilion before me!" His voice rolled like thunder, reverberating across the sky. The giant eagle circling overhead let out a cry, swooped downward, and landed on the roof of the pavilion behind the old man. Then, with a shimmer of light, the giant eagle transformed into a beautiful woman draped in a feathered cloak. She looked down at the burly old man with a smile. "Long time no see, Greed Divine General. Why, revealing your true face, are you?" "Yi Chuanmei..." The old man with the white ponytail let his gaze linger on the feathered cloak, eyes gleaming with greedy longing, before letting that same greed wash over Yi Chuanmei's tall, graceful figure. He chuckled. "In my eyes, you're an irresistible treasure trove. Items that grant flight aren't common. Put it away, or my broadsword will grow too thirsty." Yi Chuanmei touched her cheek in realization. "Once you reach the manor, your disguise disappears?" She promptly tossed the detail aside and giggled. "I'd prefer your other blade to be thirsty." With that, she slipped off the cloak and stowed it into her inventory. High-ranking figures of the Soldier Master sect all possessed terrifying character flaws that could overpower their reason. There was no point in wearing an item just to tempt him; internal strife was the last thing she needed. Yi Chuanmei glanced toward the distant Sword Pavilion, then surveyed her surroundings and said with a smile, "Looks like I arrived just in time. No need to hide—I can sense your mental fluctuations. Come on out." As soon as she finished speaking, the roof ridge beneath her trembled slightly. Tiles shattered with a crash, and a giant serpent as thick as a water bucket surged up. It had the upper body of a human and the tail of a serpent. Blackish-brown scales gleamed with metallic luster under the sun, its muscles rippling powerfully as it coiled. The upper half was a voluptuous woman with pale-gold vertical pupils, exquisite colored scales flanking the corners of her eyes, curved brows, and bright red lips—an arresting yet hair-raising beauty. A high-tier Saint of the Spirit Society's West District Branch: Snake Woman! Snake Woman wore exceedingly skimpy attire, clad only in a black tube top that tightly bound her full, heavy bust. Her skin possessed a porcelain-like pale gleam, her waist was supple, and her navel was alluring. Two more figures burst out of the hole Snake Woman had punched open. One was a burly man whose face was covered in tattoos, with fierce, bellicose eyes. He held a combat knife and wore white martial attire, three small swords embroidered over his chest. The other was a shapely Bee Woman, banded black-and-yellow patterns covering her body. Her eyes were pitch-black like polished gems, her features delicate and monstrously exotic, with two curved antennae sprouting from her forehead. She possessed a humanoid torso and limbs along with a plump, shapely bee abdomen, tipped with a sharp, black stinger. Yi Chuanmei discreetly stepped back, smiling. "Don't get so close to me, or I won't be able to resist pulling you into a dream." She turned to the tattooed burly man and the Bee Woman, asking, "Who are you two?" The tattooed brute chuckled. "Leader of the Broadsword Alliance, Spirit Realm ID Bai Ren Zhan, Level 5 Bewitching Demon. It's only natural Deacon Yi Chuanmei doesn't recognize me; I usually operate in the Northwest." Greed Divine General added, "This is his Level 5 to 6 advancement dungeon." Peak Level 5, a Bewitching Demon from the Northwest... an affiliated force of the Soldier Master sect? Yi Chuanmei nodded slightly and looked toward the Bee Queen. The Bee Queen looked stunningly cold and aloof, saying flatly, "Rogue cultivator, Level 5 to 6. You have no need to know my Spirit Realm ID." Yi Chuanmei narrowed her eyes and smiled. "I like your arrogance! Hmm, where's the other one?" "Dead!" Snake Woman flicked her tongue between her crimson lips, her voice sultry. "That guy failed the quest and couldn't escape. Must've been a Dream Master. Since you arrived here alone, does that mean your quest failed too? Who was the enemy at Yellow Banner Escort Agency?" Yi Chuanmei hesitated for a moment. "The side quest was completed, but it also failed... I don't even know if it counts as completed." "A bug?" Snake Woman arched an eyebrow. "What happened?" The evil classes all looked over. Instead of answering, Yi Chuanmei asked with a sweet smile, "How are things in the manor? Who's trapped in the Sword Pavilion? What is your main quest? Have you figured out the plot behind Divine Sword Manor?" When she completed her side quest, the Spirit Realm had issued her main quest: [Please proceed to Divine Sword Manor and awaken the sealed devil.] It was not difficult to deduce that the coffins escorted by the five agencies sealed away parts of this devil. The free classes' quest was to break the coffins' seals and release the monstrosities within—the first step toward awakening the devil. Yet beyond the main quest, she knew nothing of the storyline behind Divine Sword Manor. In high-level dungeons, the unknown spelled hidden peril. The group had surrounded the Sword Pavilion without attacking, clearly locked in a stalemate. As a newcomer, she had to guard against her teammates sacrificing her to test the waters, using her life to step on traps and break the deadlock. Such occurrences were commonplace in multiplayer dungeons; free class members possessed virtually no bottom line. Coiling her serpentine tail, Snake Woman raised her porcelain-white torso high, directing her gaze toward the Sword Pavilion. "Among the five escort convoys, Three Swords Escort Agency and Spirit Ape Escort Agency were wiped out—Greed Divine General and I destroyed them. As for Scarlet Flame Escort Agency, the initiative fell into her hands." Snake Woman glanced back at Xiao Yuan. Yi Chuanmei scrutinized the Bee Woman, surprised. "You actually managed to suppress Jiang Ju?" Xiao Yuan remained aloof and proud, paying her no mind. Snake Woman continued, "The ones holed up inside the Sword Pavilion are Cai Longshen of Far Ocean Escort Agency and Jiang Ju of Scarlet Flame Escort Agency." "Cai Longshen..." Yi Chuanmei's spirits lifted at once, and she giggled. "This dungeon is getting really interesting—stuffed with official faction scions. Why haven't you stormed in?" Jiang Ju was the son of the Scarlet Fire Gang's leader, while Cai Longshen was the grandson of Elder Cai of the Water God Palace. Elder Cai was one of the Ten Elders at headquarters, among the most powerful figures in the official faction. "Cai Longshen completed his side quest and gained control over the Sword Pavilion. That array is extremely formidable; a frontal assault might make us capsize in a ditch. So we settled into a stalemate to see how things turned out with the Yellow Banner Escort Agency," Greed Divine General said. "You've come at the perfect time. A sword array cannot ward off dreams. Yi Chuanmei, breaking this deadlock is up to you."