Chapter 650: Declaration of War

Hearing that Happy wanted an excuse to invade the coastal region, Qin Qing finally couldn’t hold back and abruptly stood up from her seat. Her expression darkened, and her tone turned icy and severe:
“Youth Happy!”
Her voice rose sharply, and an invisible authority surged from her position high above, pressing down on Happy at the door. “Sir, do you really intend to disregard the rules of the Central Plains and disrupt the current situation just for such a trivial matter, by invading our coastal region? Our Lingxiao Palace is also one of the four top factions in the Central Plains—we certainly won’t allow such a thing to happen.”
“Oh.”
Happy stopped in his tracks upon hearing this, shifting his gaze.
“The Sanlong Club targets the Mu family, yet the Mu family can’t even act in the coastal region. With these words, Palace Master Qin seems to be protecting the Sanlong Club and the enemies of the Mu family. Is this…?”
At this point, turning his back to the Lingxiao Palace members, he stretched out his arms behind his back and prolonged his voice:
“…a declaration of war against the Mu family!”
Boom!!
At these words, the elders of Lingxiao Palace sensed an unprecedented pressure from Happy’s statement, and the atmosphere in the hall instantly became extremely tense.
Qin Yun looked anxious: “Youth Happy, please calm down…”
“Qin Yun!”
A stern reprimand interrupted her words. Turning around, she saw a man stepping forward from the elders’ seats—tall and muscular, around thirty years old, exuding an air of authority even without anger.
“Although the Mu family is powerful, we at Lingxiao Palace don’t want to provoke them. But since they’ve already pushed us to this point, if we compromise now, how can we lead the other factions or defend our territory in the future?” With that, he bowed to Happy. “I am Li Qing, the vice-palace master of Lingxiao Palace! If the Mu family insists on entering the coastal region and invading our territory, everyone in Lingxiao Palace will stand by our palace master and fight against them.”
“Stop spouting those fancy, hypocritical words to hinder our Mu family’s revenge. How shameless and pretentious! Is this really how Lingxiao Palace acts? To be honest, I’m very disappointed! I just want to hear Palace Master Qin’s final reply…”
At that moment, the ruthless swordsman Shangguan Lian rushed in from outside the main hall!
He had rushed back after receiving news that Happy had personally visited the Lingxiao Palace. Recently, Lingxiao Palace’s warlike attitude had reached an all-time high, especially since the vice-palace master Li Qing and others joined. The palace had abandoned its once conservative and cautious style and become much more aggressive. He was worried that Lingxiao Palace might engage in direct conflict with the Mu family at this critical moment…

As soon as he entered the main hall, he saw Happy standing at the entrance with a blank expression. His face darkened instantly as he realized the situation was serious.
“Palace Master!”
He rushed into the hall in two strides.
But then he heard Qin Qing’s cold and resolute voice coming from above:
“Although the Lingxiao Palace doesn’t have a master like Young Hero Happy, nor does it possess the strength of the Mu Family, it is not a gang that can be bullied at will. Once we detect the Mu Family’s forces entering the coastal area, Qin Qing will regard it as an open provocation by the Mu Family and will take action to defend the rights of the Lingxiao Palace.”
“Very good!”
Shangguan Lian trembled. Hearing Qin Qing’s words, she knew it was already too late. Her gaze instinctively turned to Happy, only to see a flash of light on his chest as he turned away:
“Since this person is standing in the main hall of the Lingxiao Palace, it seems he has seriously violated Palace Master Qin’s rights. Enough talk—act now! I want to see just how qualified the Lingxiao Palace is to stop heroes from entering the coastal area, and what kind of strength it has to stubbornly protect foreign forces.”
As he spoke, a golden character “Mu” appeared on his ordinary blue robe, seemingly out of nowhere!
Mu!!!
Inside the hall, the elders of the Lingxiao Palace, including Qin Qing and Li Qing, were shocked by this change.
It was well known that Happy, who had never joined any gang, had merely created an image of intimidation to maintain his status as the best among masters and to avoid interference. Many martial arts experts in the martial world followed his example. Even during multiple battles with the Yipin Hall, Happy never changed his stance or identity.
But this time…
Because of the matter related to the Heavenly Demon Cave, he personally came to the Lingxiao Palace and joined the Mu Family in front of its leaders…
Qin Yun’s eyes widened. The tense atmosphere made her feel as if something was blocking her chest, making it hard to breathe. Many words could no longer be spoken in front of Happy, under such circumstances.
But one thing was certain—Happy’s visit to the Lingxiao Palace this time was by no means impulsive or random. He had thought it through carefully and was determined to take action against the Lingxiao Palace…
Whoosh!
A stunning sword glow erupted from Happy’s hand.
Bang!!
A fiery red sword beam pierced through the roof beams of the Lingxiao Palace’s reception hall, visible to everyone within a mile.
Numerous players outside the main hall were drawn to this sight.
Then, a clear voice rang out from within the Lingxiao Palace’s main hall:

“As the second master of the Mu family, I officially declare war on the Lingxiao Palace!”
A solemn and resolute voice, like thunder in summer, shook the blood of players within a mile, causing countless of them to become excited in an instant.
Boom!!!
“Is the battle starting?”
“Weren’t things fine when we entered earlier?”
“Happy is in trouble now—alone in the main hall of the Lingxiao Palace.”
Amidst the chatter, the little girl who had previously playfully attacked Happy pulled at her grandfather’s sleeve, her face filled with worry: “Grandpa, you said he was smart and powerful. He didn’t even declare war after coming out. Look…”
“……”
The old man with white beard frowned deeply, looking at the impenetrable walls and strict defenses of the Lingxiao Palace. All he could do was sigh helplessly.
……
Whoosh! Countless black pigeons appeared in the sky above the Lingxiao Palace.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Outside the main hall of the Lingxiao Palace, almost all its disciples drew their swords at the same time.
Thud, thud, thud! Urgent footsteps echoed as numerous disciples guarding outside rushed back inside, filling the space with tension and readiness for battle!
The atmosphere throughout the Lingxiao Palace became extremely grave and solemn!
Soon after, a loud, cold snort came from inside the palace: “What a ‘Happy’!”
“Today, Li Qing really wants to ask—just how strong is this so-called ‘number one in the world’?”
“Hahaha…”
A clear laugh continued to come from inside the palace: “So it’s the heir of the ‘Nine Swords of Dugu’. No wonder the Master of the Qin Palace dared to look down on me. Good! In the past, Bai Fa Feng Qingyang wielded the Nine Swords with such mastery that even ghosts feared him! Linghu Chong only had six swords, yet he dominated the martial world! I wonder how many moves Vice Master Li has inherited. Happy, let’s see!”
His bold words, filled with an overwhelming momentum, rose from the Lingxiao Palace. Upon hearing them, martial artists inside and outside the main hall trembled with excitement:
Even if Happy died in the Lingxiao Palace, such heroic spirit would surely be remembered by countless martial masters.