Chapter 174: The Three Major Gangs

With the completion of the “Imperial Birthday” storyline mission, the once bustling martial world gradually returned to peace. Three days after *Martial World Secrets* revealed various mysteries within it, the robberies targeting the “many landowners” on the wealth list finally settled down.

However!
The true nature of the martial world began to unfold with this storyline mission. First, the arrest system for various sects was introduced. Any player who died at the hands of another would be recorded by their sect, and information about the killer would be listed on the arrest bulletin. Sect members could then take on missions to seek revenge. Those who succeeded in revenge not only received additional monetary rewards but also accumulated prestige for their sect—though most would invite familiar senior members to carry out the revenge, as reaching a certain level of prestige could unlock secret missions from higher-ups in their sect.

Thus, with the advent of the arrest system and revenge missions, a cycle of sect rivalry and vendettas gradually formed in the martial world!

Later, under the sect prestige system, more and more people claimed that reaching a certain level of prestige would unlock advanced martial arts mission systems, allowing them to become legendary figures like those on the Dragon List or Phoenix List—something within reach!

This news made the entire martial world even more chaotic and competitive.

…

Yet, there was a very small group of people who did not bother with the revenge mission system. These were mostly experts who already possessed at least one advanced martial art; at least in the current martial world, they could be considered top-tier fighters. They were the biggest beneficiaries of this storyline mission!

This group included professional players, guild members, and solo players who had developed well early on. Naturally, they wouldn’t waste their precious time and advantages on resources they already had, like ordinary players would. Instead, while their advantages were still significant, they aimed to explore and develop the uncharted areas in *Martial World*, seeking to gain more advantages—this was what they desired most urgently.

Among them, the most prominent were the First-Class Hall, Lingxiao Palace, and Xiyi Gate.

**First-Class Hall**
Its leader, Meng Yun, was said to have acquired an unnamed lower-tier divine weapon during this storyline mission, which he named “Yunmeng,” ranking it third on the Divine Weapons List! There was also a uniquely crafted armor piece, “Caihuang Nishang,” which ranked seventeenth on the Divine Weapons List.

Furthermore, it is rumored that the two deputy leaders under Mengyun also each obtained a divine weapon, both of which ranked high on the Divine Weapons List, making them among the three top figures of the Yipin Tang. Although the Lingxiao Palace is not as famous as the Yipin Tang, it is a sect formed by a group of experienced professional players. With its large number of members, strong strength, and presence in most cities in the Jiangnan region, its growing power has even made the Yipin Tang wary. As for the Xiyi Gate, it was built by a group of players with top-tier skills, positioning itself as a sect based on loyalty. With strong leadership and cohesion, it has clashed and fought bloody battles with many renowned gangs in the martial world. Its fierce fighting style and willingness to risk life and limb have enabled it to conquer numerous gangs along the coast. After the completion of the “Emperor’s Birthday” mission, these three major sects concentrated their resources to expand aggressively, constantly gathering information and secret mission resources from surrounding cities. Famous mission locations such as Fox Cave, Ancient Hall, Imperial Tombs, Five Poisons Valley, Bliss Cave, Infinite Sword Pool, and Chaotian Peak were all made available to all players through the internet. However… These places were revealed because even the three major sects could not conquer them. …Xianhu Village, at the entrance of Fox Cave. The full moon hung high, while the stars shone faintly. Countless players gathered at the back of this relatively small village, crowding together so densely that it was impossible to tell who belonged to which group. They packed tightly into this fairly flat and spacious forest, with even the nearby tree trunks filled with people standing or sitting. At the center of this massive crowd stood a huge stone in an open area free from tree branches, glowing with a strange and mysterious white light under the bright moonlight. As time passed, the huge white stone seemed to absorb the essence of heaven and earth, and its surface began to change slightly—strange patterns shifted from plain black to dark red… Was it a mechanical trap? Or a illusion? No one knew. But from the moment the huge white stone changed, the players surrounding it all showed signs of surprise and stood up simultaneously. “The moon is full.” “Let’s set off!” Yet behind this crowd, a player with three drops of blood embroidered on his chest wore an almost imperceptible smirk as he watched the excited players ahead. Fox Cave.

Although it has been confirmed that there are top-notch martial arts secrets inside, along with numerous materials for intermediate-grade equipment, Fox Cave is not as easy to enter as they imagined! Even the members of their First Rank Hall had to pay an extremely heavy price to reach the second layer of Fox Cave, only to return in defeat. How could these newcomers, drawn by the rumors, possibly know about the cruelty within Fox Cave? Especially when they saw many players in plain clothes among the crowd, their expressions grew even more scornful and mocking—what did they think this place was?
“…”
Among the crowd, some others remained indifferent, their expressions calm as they stared at the giant white stone, which kept changing. Their eyes held only seriousness and solemnity.
“Be careful, everyone.”
Someone in the crowd whispered as a warning, “Activate your protective barriers and internal energy levels before entering the cave. Once inside the hall, stay put…”
“…”
The group nodded silently.
Before the words faded, excited shouts like “It’s open!” and “Hurry in!!” quickly captured all the players’ attention.
The giant white stone at the center of the crowd had completely transformed into a terrifyingly hollowed-out sculpture—a skull of a ferocious beast, covered in blood-red patterns. Two eerie white lights glowed where its eyes should be, as if it had come to life. Its massive mouth was open, welcoming the players inside.
This was the entrance to Fox Cave!
As the players marveled at its horror, they rushed into the mouth of the monstrous beast, over two meters high, without hesitation, urged on by those behind them. Once inside, they seemed to be teleported away, disappearing without a trace. Streams of people vanished rapidly through the beast’s mouth!
More than half of the people around the entrance disappeared quickly. However, a few small teams remained motionless, simply watching as the majority of players entered Fox Cave. Only when the area became empty did they exchange glances:
Let’s go in!
Suddenly, hundreds of aura signatures at the Cultivation Realm level rose from those small teams, followed by the heavy breathing sounds of strengthening their bodies—their protective barriers had been activated.