Players: All NPCs in the Sect Are Moles

This wasn’t a mere decree; it was a direct usurpation of the rules governing this ten-li radius, turning their control over their own bodies into a bizarre, rule-based nightmare.

Su Ling’er’s body went rigid.

That familiar, bizarre rhythm washed over her once more.

Her shoulders rose, her chest expanding as she drew in a breath. Then they fell as she exhaled.

INHALE—EXHALE—!

An inhale, an exhale.

A rise, a fall.

’Not again, First Senior Brother! Are we really doing this again?’

’Can we please stop messing around?!’

’We’re facing a powerful ene— oh, never mind.’

She instinctively darted her eyes around. As far as she could see, everyone was moving in perfect sync with her.

On the city walls, the Confucian cultivators, who just moments ago had been filled with righteous indignation, were now all bobbing in time with the rhythm.

Beyond the walls, the spears of the hundred-thousand-strong army were still pointed forward, their killing intent lingering, yet every soldier’s movement was enslaved to this bizarre, respiratory rhythm.

Even the several hundred cultivators floating in mid-air, all with the bearing of transcendent immortals, were now frozen, shrugging their shoulders on their respective Magical Artifacts to an invisible beat.

Across the entire battlefield, from the ground to the sky, any being who intended to fight was now bound by this singular rule!

It seemed to have replaced the very laws of this part of the world!

Su Ling’er was completely dumbfounded.

’What is going on now? This... this feels even stronger than before!’

’Can First Senior Brother really affect this many people? Has he reached the point where he can rewrite the laws of the world?’

’Cultivators at the Nascent Soul Stage shouldn’t be capable of rewriting the laws of the world, right? First Senior Brother... has he actually become this powerful?’

Even Lin Qingfeng’s own brow twitched.

His body, too, was trapped in this cycle of inhaling and exhaling.

Lin Qingfeng: "???"

’Holy shit.’

’This Turn-Based Force Field really is indiscriminate. It doesn’t even spare the caster?’

’Huh?’

’But... as a way to trap enemies, it’s exceptionally effective.’

He saw that the old man in mid-air, the one who had just attacked, had his arrogance completely wiped from his face, replaced by a terror as if he’d seen a ghost.

The old man’s lips trembled, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

He tried to break free from this invisible restraint, but his body couldn’t perform any action other than breathing.

It wasn’t just him; everyone had realized the gravity of the situation.

’Run!’

This was the only thought in their minds.

’Are you kidding me?’

’He neutralized a full-powered strike from our strongest Nascent Soul cultivator with a snap of his fingers. This is way beyond our league!’

’We were just here to go through the motions, to play along with the emperor’s "Slay the Demon" charade and skim a little profit on the side.’

’We called you a demon lord, but that was just an exaggeration! We just wanted an excuse to come here and clean you out! Besides, we were talking about that creepy-looking handmaiden next to you, not you, Mr. Plain-and-Unremarkable!’

’We were just saying it for show! How could you actually be the real deal?!’

’This is like trying to pull an insurance scam on some random guy, calling him a big-shot gangster, only for him to actually pull out two Cyan Dragon Arms from behind his back!’

’We’ve gone too far! We really picked the wrong person to mess with this time!’

’It’s obvious now: if we don’t run, we die!’

However, their intentions were grand, but reality was painfully harsh.

Their bodies refused to carry out the "flee" command issued by their brains.

Their minds were screaming, but their bodies’ only reply was: INHALE—EXHALE—!

Shoulders rise, inhale.

Shoulders fall, exhale.

Perfectly uniform, impossibly rhythmic.

He had cultivated for three hundred years and considered himself worldly and experienced. He had heard of all sorts of ancient forbidden arts and vile Secret Techniques.

But the scene before him surpassed everything he had ever learned, exceeding the very limits of his imagination.

’What kind of Daoist art is this?’

’To turn a hundred-thousand-strong army and several hundred Cultivators into marionettes that can only breathe to a beat?’

’Even a Daoist art should have some kind of Spiritual Qi fluctuation! I can’t feel a single thing!’

And yet, he couldn’t sense any fluctuation of Spiritual Power at all.

The man simply stood there, draped in an unfitting yellow robe, and just like that, the rules of this world seemed to be rewritten.

’This... do you have some kind of connection to the Celestial Dao itself?’

’I’m done for this time.’

’Did we just run into some reclusive, heretical master who’s using our hundred thousand-plus souls to forge some peerless demonic weapon?!’

They couldn’t even run away!

In truth, within this domain rewritten by the "turn-based" law, the action order of all units was being re-sequenced and loaded based on their agility stats.

And among everyone present, the one with the highest agility stat was, without a doubt, Lin Qingfeng.

Until his turn ended, no unit on the field attempting to engage in combat could perform any action besides breathing.

Complete control, a supreme domain, the ability to rewrite the rules of the world—it was indeed an incredibly domineering reward.

But!

But an entirely new problem, one concerning his "style," now presented itself to Lin Qingfeng.

’Because this force field doesn’t distinguish between friend and foe! Even my own gameplay has switched from a Souls-like to turn-based!’

’So, how am I supposed to fight? I could manifest my Dharma Body right now and swat that group of so-called immortal masters into meat paste one by one.’

’The problem is, under these turn-based rules, after I deliver the slap, the Dharma Body would have to retract, and I’d have to snap back to my original position on the wall, resuming that bobbing idle animation while waiting for my next turn. Even if my agility is high enough to let me go back and forth several times...’

’...but smacking them once, then snapping back.’

’Smacking them again, then snapping back again.’

’If I don’t get them all in one go, I’d have to repeat it several times until they’re all dead.’

’I could kill them all, sure, but... the visuals... no matter how I picture it, it’s just so lame.’

’Alternatively, I could use the "Green Lotus Sword Song" and scour the ground with Sword Qi.’

’But it’s the same problem. After unleashing the Sword Qi, I’d have to snap back to my original spot and continue the breathing exercise with everyone else! Then unleash more, snap back, and keep breathing!’

’That scene would be just as bad as the first one!’

’No! Absolutely not!’

’I am the great First Senior Brother of the Guixi Sect! I just pulled off the epic scene of "donning the yellow robe and ascending the throne." I’ve maxed out my persona to the level of a legendary sage-king, "forced to become emperor to save the common people."’

’How can I, at this crucial moment, perform such a moronic action?’

’Other people can act like dumbasses, poking once and snapping back, poking again and snapping back.’

’But I, Lin Qingfeng, cannot!’

’Especially when I think about potentially having to use this item at the Yunzhou Sword Testing Conference, under the watchful eyes of countless people. I absolutely cannot tolerate looking like this.’

’I’m supposed to be the one laughing at others, not the one being laughed at!’

Lin Qingfeng’s mind raced, weighing the optimal solution to perfectly maintain his stylish image.

How, with the Turn-Based Force Field active, could he maintain his profound and unfathomable image while still elegantly dispatching his enemies?

’I’ve got it!’

A world-shocking stroke of genius took shape in his mind.

’I can play a different role entirely. The kind of ultimate master who stands at the center of the storm, hands clasped behind his back, immovable no matter how many thousands of Divine Techniques are thrown his way.’

’I will weather all their attacks.’

’I will bear all the damage.’

’All I have to do is stand there and neutralize all the enemy’s attacks with the most casual demeanor. That doesn’t require any of that back-and-forth, repetitive action!’

’As for the dumbass actions of attacking and snapping back to the starting position...’

Lin Qingfeng’s gaze fell upon Su Ling’er, who was rhythmically shrugging her shoulders beside him.

’That kind of thing... is best left to my moronic little junior sister!’

’The dumbass work is for my junior sister.’

’The cool-posing work must be handled by me, her First Senior Brother, personally.’

’Good thing I tested this in a real battle. If I’d waited until the Sword Testing Conference, who knows what problems might have come up! It really is better to experiment with good stuff first! I’ll have to specifically train the disciples to unleash their ultimate moves on the first turn, and also train up their agility stats!’

’The Yunzhou Realm Sword Testing Conference might even be live-streamed by some people. If it’s an arena battle, I can defeat the enemy in one blow without worrying about missing anyone, which would cause that back-and-forth nonsense.’

’Unleash an ultimate move from the start, and our side will finish every opponent with a single strike! The enemy wants to dodge? Not enough evasion, not enough agility—they won’t even be able to run!’

’By the time their turn comes, they’ll already be on the ground. Wouldn’t that be an instant victory for us?’

’It seems the future training plan is set!!!’

HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!!

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, his turn arrived.

In the eyes of the hundred-thousand-strong army below and the hundreds of Cultivators in the air, the yellow-robed figure suddenly blurred.

In the next instant, Lin Qingfeng had already appeared at the very front of the battlefield, his back to the crowd, facing the enemy formation alone.

He shielded all of the Confucian cultivators and Su Ling’er behind him.

In the enemy ranks, countless pupils contracted.

’Is this great master about to make his move?!’

However.

One breath.

Two breaths.

The world-destroying attack they expected never came.

Lin Qingfeng just stood there quietly, his body still maintaining that bizarre, rhythmic breathing.

Thanks to his overwhelmingly superior agility, it was now Lin Qingfeng’s turn again.

He directly locked down the surrounding space to prevent anyone from trying to escape when their turn came. That would take care of any runners.

But the Nascent Soul elder in mid-air had his expression change drastically. He felt the space around him become thick and solid.

Then! It was Lin Qingfeng’s turn again!

He still didn’t attack.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the sword "Hold On" at his waist let out a soft cry and flew of its own accord into Su Ling’er’s hand.

’I’m mainly worried my Foundation Establishment junior sister won’t be able to break through their defenses. Better to let her use my sword to slowly poke them back and forth.’

The sensation of the sword hilt in her hand jolted Su Ling’er back to her senses.

’First Senior Brother... what is he doing?’

’Why... did he give his sword to me?’

Lin Qingfeng continued to maintain his detached posture, as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Fearing that those behind him wouldn’t understand and might mess things up, he spoke aloud: "This world is too foul. It is unworthy of being stained by My blade."

"These ants before you, I bestow upon you to sharpen your swords."

"Ling’er, go."

"That Nascent Soul Cultivator in the lead... I leave him to you to destroy!"

As his words fell, the world went silent.

Su Ling’er was dumbfounded.

’Huh?’

’Me?’

’A Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator like me is supposed to kill a Nascent Soul?’

The leading Nascent Soul Cultivator on the opposing side: "!!!"