Players: All NPCs in the Sect Are Moles

’First Senior Brother deliberately said the two words "Anhe City" just to make me go with him!’

’He gave me the seemingly important role of "Sect Guide," and then immediately said he was going to my hometown.’

’This isn’t a choice, it’s a test! A deadly test!’

’First Senior Brother wants to see for himself what kind of stance I, the so-called "Holy Daughter" he personally groomed, will take when faced with a past to which I am tied by blood.’

’But that doesn’t feel right either. What have I ever done to deserve such attention from First Senior Brother? So far, the one who explicitly wanted to kill me was our own Sect Leader...’

’And yet, First Senior Brother... ’ She recalled their desperate situation in the canyon. It was First Senior Brother who had descended like a divine warrior to save her and Wang Xiedi. He even handed over the "Sect Guide" position and the management of the sect to her so easily.

All of his actions were different from the bloodthirsty demonic cultivators she knew. First Senior Brother’s bloodlust seemed to be directed only at his fellow sect members. As for the undercover agents from the righteous path like herself, besides Dong Changsheng... First Senior Brother hadn’t really targeted any of the others.

’In fact, most of my peers didn’t die at the hands of the demonic sect, but at the hands of their own Sect Leader. What have I done to deserve this?’ ’I’m just a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment disciple. Why would this unfathomable First Senior Brother show me such "favor"?’

’Even though he saved my life... But... but this is the Guixi Sect!’

’This is a demonic sect where she has witnessed countless bloody scenes! First Senior Brother Lin Qingfeng is the leader of these Evil Cultivators! No matter how special he is, no matter how different, it doesn’t change the fundamental fact that he belongs to a "demonic sect"!’

Su Ling’er didn’t dare to gamble, nor could she afford to.

Especially when the stakes were her hometown, the very Anhe City that held all her childhood memories!

’Why would he say that city’s name in front of me?’

The thought of all those familiar faces, the thought that hundreds of thousands of innocent mortals in the city might become fuel for a blood sacrifice because of this demonic sect’s involvement, made Su Ling’er’s heart ache so much she could hardly breathe.

’If First Senior Brother is really going to make a move on Anhe City, what should I do? What *can* I do?’

’Resist? That would be like an ant trying to shake a tree.’

’Beg for mercy? That would be like trying to bargain with a tiger for its own hide.’

But she couldn’t just stand by and do nothing!

Su Ling’er bit her lower lip so hard that the taste of blood filled her mouth, barely suppressing the urge to scream and run away.

She had to go with him. Even if it was just to act as a lowly guide, even if it meant kneeling and kowtowing to beg for mercy at the critical moment, even if she had to trade the life that First Senior Brother had saved to ensure her family’s safety... she had to be there!

This was her only path.

Su Ling’er forced down the raging storm in her heart, squeezed a smile onto her face, and spoke with a trembling voice, "F-First Senior Brother... the sect needs you to hold down the fort right now. And... and my cultivation is shallow. There are still many Cultivation Techniques and Secret Techniques within the sect that I don’t understand. If a great, erudite Cultivator like you isn’t here and I encounter a bottleneck in my cultivation, what am I supposed to do..."

She paused, racking her brain for excuses. "Besides, I’m dull and ignorant. There’s so much I don’t know compared to you, First Senior Brother. If I make a mistake, I’m afraid it might cause a disturbance..."

Lin Qingfeng’s brow furrowed slightly as he listened.

’I finally reached Nascent Soul and opened up a new map, so why is this junior sister being so clingy? Didn’t I just hand all these matters over to you? Otherwise, what’s the point of making you the Sect Guide?’

He cleared his throat and said earnestly, "Miss Su, I understand your intentions. But you must understand, what is cultivation?"

"Cultivation is not about locking yourself away and reinventing the wheel, confined to a single corner. True experts must enter the world! Traveling ten thousand miles is better than reading ten thousand books. A towering tree cannot grow in a greenhouse. I, your senior brother, am creating an environment free of dependency precisely so you can all venture out on your own, face setbacks, and achieve enlightenment! This is the true path of cultivation! Understand?"

His speech left Su Ling’er speechless.

’The logic... seems sound, but why does it feel so wrong coming from First Senior Brother’s mouth?’

Seeing that her last sliver of hope had been shattered and she could no longer find any reason to stop First Senior Brother’s departure, the last trace of wishful thinking in Su Ling’er’s heart was completely extinguished.

She slowly lowered her head, hiding the sorrow in her eyes. In its place, a flame of grim determination ignited.

’Since I can’t stop him, I can only go with him.’

Even if First Senior Brother executed her for "deserting her post" upon her return, she would accept it. As long as she could confirm Anhe City’s safety, as long as she could delay him for even a single breath before he made his move... she would pay him back with this life he saved!

Lin Qingfeng watched the light return to Su Ling’er’s eyes and saw the expression on her face shift from confusion to determination. He nodded in satisfaction.

’Not bad, not bad at all.’

’This junior sister’s awareness is top-notch. After a little guidance, she immediately figured it out. Is she using her actions to show me that she’ll stand firm at her post, stay behind to guard the sect, and lighten my burdens?’

’Once I’ve led the other brothers to trick and coax those powerful NPCs we found on the new maps back here, she, the [Guide], can start her work immediately. She’ll register all the newcomers, one by one, and bring them into the sect. My Guixi Sect will be magnificent!’

Lin Qingfeng was deeply gratified by Su Ling’er’s "realization" and felt that his lecture had not been in vain.

...

As Mr. Huohua was sent flying, high above, the rushing air tore at his robes.

Mr. Huohua’s body became a black dot, plowing a long furrow through the clouds. His Daoist robes were reduced to tattered rags, and his disheveled hair whipped against his bruised, purple cheeks. The trickles of blood from his mouth froze into ice crystals in the cold wind.

He wasn’t flying under his own power now; he was being thrown. And this wretched figure, arcing across the sky, was seen by many Cultivators below.

...

「Celestial Sword Pavilion.」

An Inner Sect Disciple was practicing his Sword Technique on a mountain peak.

His sword light flickered, slicing through the passing clouds. With a flick of his wrist, his sword move came to a halt. He looked up, his eyes narrowing as a glimmer of Spiritual Power gathered in his pupils.

He clearly saw the figure in the clouds, the face he had once seen at a sect ceremony, and the unique flame emblem of the Celestial Furnace Sect on the tattered cloth.

The disciple’s jaw dropped, and the sword in his hand clattered onto the rocks. He spun around, tapped his toes, and his body blurred into an afterimage as he rushed toward the main hall on the summit. "Pavilion Master! I have urgent news to report!"

Inside the hall, the Pavilion Master of the Celestial Sword Pavilion opened his eyes.

"Mr. Huohua of the Celestial Furnace Sect! He was injured by someone and flew... no, was thrown over our sect’s gate from the southeast! I was already aware the moment he passed."

A crack appeared on the white jade armrest of the Pavilion Master’s seat. "Prepare gifts. Inform the elders. We are making a trip to the Celestial Furnace Sect."

...

「Ghost Spirit Sect.」

A soul banner fluttered in the ghastly wind as a disciple forced a newly deceased resentful soul into it.

He heard a sharp scream from the sky and looked up. A grin split his face, revealing a row of stark white teeth. He then patted a skull beneath him.

Two points of ethereal fire ignited in the skull’s empty eye sockets, casting their gaze toward the heavens. A moment later, the disciple retrieved the skull and let out a laugh like a night owl. Carrying the soul banner, he rushed into a cavern deep within the sect.

"Master! Wonderful news! That old dog from the Celestial Furnace Sect, the one called Huohua, had his bones broken and was thrown across the sky like a dead mutt! HAHAHAHA!"

A hoarse voice replied from within the cavern.

"JIE JIE JIE JIE JIE JIE~ I already reported this to the Sect Leader the moment I sensed it. Such amusing news is worthy of a full assembly."

"Send someone to prepare a ’sympathy gift.’ We should also pay a visit... to our former partners at the Celestial Furnace Sect."

...

「Cloud Fall Sect.」

On an Observatory Platform, the disciple on watch duty carved a line of text onto a jade slip.

"Time: Three quarters past the noon hour.

Vector: Entered from southeast, exited to northwest.

Spiritual Power Fluctuation: Nascent Soul, approaching mid-stage.

Status: Not self-propelled flight. Follows a projectile’s arc."

He presented the jade slip to an elder on duty. The elder took it, ran a fingertip over its surface, and closed his eyes to make deductions for a moment.

"This spiritual signature... It’s Huohua of the Celestial Furnace Sect."

"Elder, I fear something major has happened. Should we send someone to inquire?"

The elder opened his eyes and shook his head.

"No need. The Celestial Furnace Sect is a pillar of the righteous path. This matter likely involves both the righteous and demonic paths. If we go, we will only be met with swords. They probably won’t utter a single word."

He walked to the edge of the Observatory Platform, gazing in the direction Mr. Huohua had disappeared.

"However, mark his flight trajectory on a map.

Trace it backward. See which sects, which powers, and which... unknown entities lie along this straight line."

"A line carved out by a Nascent Soul Cultivator... along this line, there may be new variables at play."

"Report this discovery. For now, we will observe."

...

「Guixi Sect.」

Streaks of light shot up from the gates of the Guixi Sect, heading in all directions. Hundreds of disciples surged out of the mountain gates, rushing toward the newly unlocked eight-hundred-mile territory.

Su Ling’er stood frozen, somewhat at a loss as she watched the scene. She remembered when she first arrived, the sect was bustling with people, but they had never poured out with such urgency, rushing toward distant lands as they were now.

Not far away, the ancient sword [Hold On] materialized beneath First Senior Brother Lin Qingfeng’s feet. He stepped onto the blade and set off.

Su Ling’er hesitated no longer. She turned to Wang Xiedi behind her and, mimicking Lin Qingfeng’s earlier tone, said, "Junior Brother, you are the Sect Guide now. For the time being, I’m leaving the sect in your care."

"First Senior Brother has gone to Anhe City. My home is there. I have to go and see."

Wang Xiedi was completely stunned. ’Huh? What Sect Guide? What caring for the sect? How did it become me?’

Before he could even react, Su Ling’er had already summoned her Wooden Sword.

’First Senior Brother is going to Anhe City, and now Miss Su is going too. Anhe City is Miss Su’s home, so what are First Senior Brother’s intentions in going there?’

’And if Miss Su follows him, won’t she anger First Senior Brother?’

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but a streak of cyan light had already cut across the sky, and Su Ling’er’s figure vanished into the distance.

And Wang Xiedi’s outstretched hand was left hanging in mid-air...