Players: All NPCs in the Sect Are Moles

’I can’t tell if my junior sister is the idiot, or if the system managing her is.’

’Sigh. A regular pair of geniuses.’

’With the two of them on the job, how could the world possibly fail to fall to ruin?’

’Forget it! I’ll do it myself!’

"Ling’er! Stop this foolishness!"

Lin Qingfeng maintained his grief-stricken expression, his five fingers gripping the robe tightly as he reprimanded her in a stern voice.

"The people are suffering and fiends run rampant. This world..."

His voice trailed off, filled with endless desolation.

"How could the weight of this world be borne by a mere yellow robe?"

"I, Lin Qingfeng, only wish to guard this land and protect the people of this city. I have never had any ambition to rule the realm! This robe... It’s too heavy! It burns my hands! Take it away! Take it away!"

As he roared the final "Take it away," Lin Qingfeng’s arm jerked, yanking the yellow robe back toward himself.

"Sigh! What are you doing?!"

While pulling at the cloth, he had to maintain the sorrowful and compassionate air of a great master as he continued delivering his lines.

"The wind may be bone-chilling, but it is nothing compared to the chill in the hearts of the people! If I were to don this robe, how would I be any different from that incompetent, tyrannical dog of an emperor?!"

"Ling’er, don’t force my hand! My mind is made up. I have no need for such worldly possessions!"

"Let go! Quickly, let go! Don’t lead me down a path of infamy!"

Atop the city wall, Su Ling’er’s mind was reeling.

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Two hands, one belonging to her Senior Brother and one to herself, were gripping the same robe.

Their skin touched.

A warm sensation spread from the back of her hand, the heat carrying a strange current that shot through her entire body in an instant.

Su Ling’er’s mind went blank.

’Senior Brother... why is he doing this?’

’Why does he keep touching my skin like this?’

’Could it be...’

An absurd thought that made her heart race surfaced, and the temperature of her cheeks rose uncontrollably.

’If I can stand by Senior Brother’s side like this, what does it matter if I’m cursed for all eternity?’

’No!’

’That’s not right!’

Su Ling’er suddenly came to her senses.

’Are those Evil Cultivators outside the city even worthy of making me bear eternal infamy? They’re the ones who should go down in history as villains! What Senior Brother and I are doing is exterminating demons and bringing justice to the world—a righteous path!’

To the group of Confucian cultivators below, however, this scene painted a completely different, earth-shattering picture.

There was the loyal handmaiden, begging him desperately, and there was the lord who cared for all living things, desperately trying to suppress his own desire for power.

What noble character!

"Mr. Lin is truly righteous!"

The leading old Confucian cultivator could no longer contain his turbulent emotions. With tears streaming down his aged face, he prostrated himself toward the city wall.

As he knelt, the several hundred Confucian cultivators behind him all fell to their knees in unison, their voices thundering.

"Mr. Lin! If you do not don this robe, who will save the common people of this world?!"

"We implore you, Young Master, to ascend the great throne and secure the people’s destiny!"

The old Confucian cultivator lifted his head, his voice hoarse, every word spoken as if weeping blood.

"Vicious and shameless men hold power; fawning sycophants run the government! The imperial lands have long been rotten to the core, becoming a paradise for demons and a hell for the common folk!"

"And look at the so-called immortal masters! They are nothing but traitors to the state! They do nothing but plunder and pillage!"

Finally, the voices of all the Confucian cultivators merged into a single cry that shot to the heavens.

"Corrupt rulers and inept officials bring chaos from above, while demonic paths and Evil Cultivators poison the world from below! Only Mr. Lin is the eternal emperor in the eyes of us scholars, the one true successor to the way of humanity!"

"We humbly beseech Mr. Lin to ascend the throne! To bring order out of chaos!!!"

Carried by a wave of righteous qi and amplified by thirty-six sound-enhancing arrays, this shout spread for ten li in every direction.

Below the wall, within the ranks of the hundred-thousand-strong army, many soldiers exchanged confused glances, their grips on their weapons loosening.

They were stunned by what they heard.

’Are we here to suppress rebels? When did the empire change hands without us knowing? The more I listen, the more I feel like we’re the treacherous ones starting a rebellion.’

In mid-air, the faces of the few Sect Elders, who should have been looking down on all living beings, were twitching.

This was especially true for the leader, an old man with an ethereal, transcendent bearing. The look of compassion and detachment that had been on his face was long gone.

’Arrogant!’

’Absurd!’

’We are respected seniors of the Cultivation Realm, supported by the imperial family. We are used to hearing nothing but words of praise. Since when have we been subjected to such insults and belittlement from a group of mere mortals, right to our faces?’

’Traitors? Plunderers? Depraved scoundrels?’

’This is the most preposterous joke in the world!’

In his eyes, this Jinnan City, this Lin Mansion, was nothing but a nest of ants he could crush with a wave of his hand.

The only reason he hadn’t acted yet was to see what tricks this rumored "demon" had up his sleeve, and to take the opportunity to display the might of the righteous sects by going through the formality of "courtesy before combat."

’It seems I’ve given these mortals far too much face.’

’Since you are so determined to die, this old man shall grant your wish!’

He raised his right hand, spreading his fingers. In his palm, purple lightning crackled as Spiritual Power in the form of thunder rapidly converged.

’A speck of dust daring to shine?’

A bolt of lightning, like a python, tore across the sky.

On the city wall, Lin Qingfeng watched the roaring thunder approach. He smoothly draped the bright yellow cloak over his shoulders.

The wind rose, and the robe billowed.

That splash of bright yellow was the only point of light under the gloomy sky.

Lin Qingfeng looked up to the sky and let out a long sigh. His voice, amplified by both his Spiritual Power and the sound-enhancing arrays, reached the ears of every single person on the battlefield.

"Sigh..."

"You have all given me such a bitter burden."

This sigh was filled with endless sorrow and desolation.

It was as if he had not just donned a dragon robe symbolizing supreme power, but had willingly shouldered all the suffering of the world.

"I was but a commoner, tilling the fields in Jinnan, seeking only to preserve my life in these chaotic times, not to gain renown among the nobles."

"However, with wolves and jackals in power and wicked demons running rampant, this world no longer leaves even half an inch of ground for good people to stand on."

"Since this yellow robe is what all of you wish for in your hearts."

"Since this world needs one person to bear the infamy, to wield thunderous methods, and to sweep away all the dust."

"And since you rebels insist on pinning the crime of treason upon me, then it is you who should answer to me."

"If that is the case, then I shall grant your wish!"

The moment his voice fell, the bolt of purple lightning was right before his face!

A destructive aura washed over him, making his robes flutter wildly.

But Lin Qingfeng merely extended a single finger and tapped it forward gently.

The instant the lightning bolt touched his fingertip, it rapidly disintegrated.

The entire battlefield fell silent.

Whether it was the hundred-thousand-strong army below the city or the several hundred cultivators in mid-air, everyone stared at this scene, dumbfounded.

The Sect Elder who had attacked looked as if his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.

’He... How could he...’

’That was seventy percent of my power!’

’Isn’t this Lin Qingfeng supposed to be just some rich mortal boy?’

’Shouldn’t the one with Cultivation be that twisted-looking Evil Cultivator next to him?’

’Is... Is he an Evil Cultivator too? What kind of monster is he?!’

Lin Qingfeng scanned the battlefield, and as his voice faded, a ripple suddenly spread out from him as the center.

’Time to test out this new item I got! I’d rather not have any screw-ups when I need it for the Sword Testing Conference!’

Special Item: [Turn-Based Force Field]—Activate!