Chapter 255 - 245: Hold on—!!
[Wang Xian]: +1... So... do we have one or not...?
[Shi Gandang]: Nope! Leader, you of all people should know. That Heart Demon Illusion Realm is way too much fun. I got stuck and couldn’t get out, so I didn’t advance!
[Shen Nong]: How about one of us advances right here, right now?
[Lin Qingfeng]: Are you crazy? It’d be a miracle if he didn’t interrupt the process immediately! Besides, that old geezer is just a hair’s breadth from the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm. Someone who just entered the Nascent Soul realm isn’t guaranteed a win in a one-on-one fight.
[Wang Xian]: This is such a pain... Let’s just activate newbie protection... We can have the invincible Mr. Qian show up and send them all flying...
[Lin Qingfeng]: What the hell good would it do for the Sect Leader to show up and send him flying with a single slap? We’re near the sect right now, so newbie protection should reach this far. But just sending him flying is pointless. It’d be one thing if we could strike while he’s down and finish him off, but to prevent exploits, newbie protection knocks enemies outside the explorable range. That would be infuriating! The Celestial Furnace Sect is probably hundreds of miles away; we wouldn’t even be able to reach them for revenge! Wouldn’t that be frustrating as hell?
[Ji]: Exactly. Once we hit level three and lose our newbie protection, what if that old geezer’s sect sends a Divinity Transformation expert, or someone from an even higher realm, after us? Wouldn’t we just end up like the Yin Yuan Pavilion?
Everyone chimed in, but for the moment, no one could think of a foolproof plan.
...
Inside the coffin, Su Ling’er quietly listened to everything happening outside.
’The Celestial Furnace Sect... Qingxu Temple’s superior sect...’
’So, they’re just as vile after all.’
The noble, righteous immortal sects she had read about in stories—the ones that fought evil for the sake of the people—were being torn to shreds before the harsh truth of reality.
’Is this what the so-called righteous path is supposed to be?... It shouldn’t be like this!’
’The righteous path... A sword to chill the fourteen provinces! To establish a heart for Heaven and Earth, to secure a destiny for the people!’
’The righteous path should mean staying true to oneself, punishing evil and promoting good, never bowing one’s head, even in the face of overwhelming power!’
’The righteous path should be a quest not only for long life, but also for a clear conscience!’
But... everything she was witnessing was a cruel mockery of her naivety.
At that moment, she even felt that these so-called "righteous" figures were just another form of Evil Cultivator.
’She felt that now... she was starting to see everyone as an Evil Cultivator...’
’If this world has no true righteous path...’
’If all the beacons of light have been corrupted...’
’Then she would, in her own way, light her own candle in the endless darkness!’
’Even if its light was faint...’
’Even if it could be extinguished by the raging wind...’
’Even if... it meant relying on this sect that she saw as demonic...’
...
Outside, Lin Qingfeng did not release his grip on Xuanyuan.
Seeing this, a hint of displeasure crossed Mr. Huohua’s face. He then chuckled and played his trump card. "Young friend, why be so stubborn? Do you have any idea which side this Holy Daughter you’re protecting is really on?"
He glanced meaningfully at Xuanyuan on the ground. "For a worthless disciple from his sect to become the Holy Daughter of your Guixi Sect... there must be quite a story behind that, hmm?"
As soon as he said this, everyone’s gaze fell upon the Ten Thousand Years Warm Jade Coffin.
Mr. Huohua continued, "Do me a favor. Let this matter drop, and the Celestial Furnace Sect will help you cover this up. How about it?"
Lin Qingfeng turned back, glanced at the coffin, and asked in a clear voice, "Junior Sister, are you his spy?"
Inside the coffin, Su Ling’er’s heart skipped a beat. ’I used to be... but now... I’m not anymore...’
"I’m not!" Only then did Lin Qingfeng turn back around, spreading his hands toward Mr. Huohua.
"See? The Holy Daughter of my sect, my junior sister, has said she is not. What else is there to say?" Mr. Huohua stared at the utterly childish scene, completely stunned.
’That’s it? That’s how you confirm it?! You just ask, she says no, and that’s the end of it?! Isn’t the decision-making process in your sect a bit too careless?!’
Just as Lin Qingfeng turned back, he caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye of a disheveled figure. It was the one who had been dragged by the reins, sent flying and crashing along the way, and had now finally managed to stumble and crawl over.
Dong Changsheng had arrived.
At the sight of him... a plan instantly formed in Lin Qingfeng’s mind.
He immediately issued a series of new commands in the sect channel.
[Lin Qingfeng]: We don’t have a Nascent Soul right now, but don’t panic.
[Shi Gandang]: Leader, what do you have up your sleeve?
[Lin Qingfeng]: We have an anti-fortress weapon, an anti-world weapon, even an anti-civilization weapon—Dong Changsheng! Hmmm... As long as his ’Overwhelming Luck’ trait isn’t used up, he should remain useful! Anyway, NPCs aren’t restricted by range. Let’s deploy Dong Changsheng. Let’s see if he can’t ’thank’ them to death!
[Ji]: As long as we can make Dong Changsheng feel grateful toward the Celestial Furnace Sect, I don’t see how they can possibly survive! The only question is how to make him feel grateful.
[Lu Wu]: There’s another problem: we don’t know where the Celestial Furnace Sect is!
[Lin Qingfeng]: Which is why everyone needs to listen to my command! In a moment, you will all provide cover for Ji and Yan Buliu! Ji, you will place a death mark on him so we can locate the Celestial Furnace Sect through the fog of war on the map! Yan Buliu, you’re responsible for seeing what you can steal!
[Yan Buliu]: Huh? Leader, you have a job for me? I thought I was basically invisible...
[Lin Qingfeng]: How is that possible! You even managed to steal Mr. Qian’s socks! In a minute, we’ll see what you can pilfer from this old Nascent Soul monster! Anyway, this shitty sect picked a fight with us. We can’t let them off this easily!
...
Meanwhile, Dong Changsheng, who had just arrived, was completely bewildered as he stared at the bizarre scene before him.
’The Sect Leader... why is he kneeling before the First Senior Brother? And that old man in the sky who looks even more incredible... who is he? What in the world is going on?’
With the strategy set, Lin Qingfeng cast aside all his reservations and prepared to go all out.