Chapter 234 - 228: Yin Yuan Pavilion Was Wiped Out?
"What’s wrong? Are you not happy?"
Su Ling’er’s body trembled. She snapped her head up, quickly forcing what she believed to be her most sincere smile onto her face.
She forcefully suppressed all her negative emotions and began her performance.
"Not at all, not at all! I’m beyond happy!"
"Thank you for your generous gift, Eldest Brother! Your divine might is unparalleled, your foresight profound. You led us to this incredible opportunity, and I am eternally grateful! With this sword in hand, I will go through fire and water for the sect and never shrink from death!"
"Eldest Brother is brilliant! Long live Eldest Brother!"
A torrent of flattery poured from her lips, as if it cost her nothing.
Seeing her instantaneous change in attitude, Lin Qingfeng finally nodded, satisfied.
He muttered to himself, ’I guess there’s a delay on the emotional feedback for receiving rewards.’
’Sigh. The game is already this good, though, so I probably shouldn’t ask for too much.’
’No, that’s not the right way to think!’
’It’s because players like me don’t demand more that this crappy game is so full of bugs!’
’Looks like I’ll have to find some time to write a few more 800-word essays to complain to Ashen Heaven Company’s customer service!’
’And for an NPC with such rotten character to have this much luck... if there isn’t some ridiculously powerful backer involved, just watch. The moment I get out of here, I’ll complain until their servers crash!’
’And what about the player who raised Dong Changsheng to be like that? They’re just as corrupt and have committed countless evil deeds, but their accumulated infamy value still hasn’t landed them on the bounty list?’
’Then again, I’m only a Level 1 Sect right now. Only Level 3 Sects and above can take on bounty list missions in the current realm and hunt down red-named players. Level 2 Sects can accept some regional bounty missions, like in cities within 800 li of the sect. If a player with a bounty appears, you can hunt them down for a reward. Whatever, I’ll think about that later.’
He pulled his thoughts back to the present, his gaze falling upon the new path that had appeared when the secret realm collapsed.
"Let’s go. We’ll see where this path leads."
Once everyone had rested, they started down the deep, secluded path.
Just then, a game announcement suddenly popped up in the top-right corner of Lin Qingfeng’s field of view.
He didn’t pay it much mind at first. After all, it wasn’t unheard of for a player sect to get wiped out.
But the name of this particular sect made his pupils contract.
He recognized this one!
[World Announcement: The player sect "Yin Yuan Pavilion" has been wiped out. Its Sect Core has been destroyed, and the sect reconstruction process has been initiated!]
Lin Qingfeng froze when he saw the message.
’Yin Yuan Pavilion... wiped out?!’
He immediately thought of the information-trading deals he’d made with the Yin Yuan Pavilion’s leader.
’I still haven’t been paid the final balance for the latest batch of sect registration data!’
’They can’t just get wiped out and welsh on their debt!’
’Besides, how much time has even passed? What did they do? How did they get wiped out already?’
’And aren’t sects supposed to have a novice protection period before they hit Level 3? If you’re facing total annihilation, can’t you summon an invincible NPC Sect Leader to send the enemies flying? What happened with Yin Yuan Pavilion?’
His mind reeled with questions.
’Could it be... they sneakily reached Level 3 already?!’
’Holy crap!’
’We’re over here killing ourselves just to get from Level 1 to Level 2, and you bunch of matchmakers are already Level 3?’
’Damn it! Comparisons are just infuriating!’
’But then again,’ he thought, ’for a Level 3 Sect to get wiped out like that... one of their disciples must have stirred up some serious trouble and brought an enemy seeking revenge to their doorstep.’
’The Cultivation World outside is a scary place...’
The thought put Lin Qingfeng on high alert.
’I have to be careful, or one day I’ll be the one getting wiped out and having to go through the miserable process of rebuilding my sect.’
’From now on, when I’m out in the world—especially when I’m stirring up trouble—I’d better use someone else’s name!’
’Of course, when I’m doing good deeds, I’ll still use my own name!’
He really wanted to ask about Yin Yuan Pavilion’s situation right away.
But since Lin Qingfeng was inside a sect-promotion secret realm, he couldn’t open his friends list to send a private message. He could only suppress his million questions for now.
’As soon as I’m done with this instance, I have to find out what happened,’ Lin Qingfeng resolved.
...
「Meanwhile, in other parts of the Guixi Secret Realm.」
Team Two, led by Flame Wolf’s Most Handsome, was arduously trekking through a muddy swamp.
"Stay close! Watch out for poisonous vines underfoot and crocodiles in the mire!"
Flame Wolf’s Most Handsome commanded his burning Flame Wolf, incinerating a swamp crocodile.
"We can’t be far from the central area now! I can already see the silhouette of the divine hall in the distance!"
...
In another valley ablaze with ground-fire, Team Three, led by Sacrificial Spirit Sword’s Most Handsome, had also spotted the divine hall’s outline.
"Hurry! Push harder! We might be the first ones there!"
Sacrificial Spirit Sword’s Most Handsome shouted encouragement to his teammates as he dodged spurts of lava. "The first-clear reward is always the best!"
None of them knew how the other teams were faring, but a competitive fire burned in all their hearts. Each team was determined to get ahead of the others and be the first to trigger the next phase of the event.
...
Meanwhile, Lin Qingfeng and his party were walking along the path that had appeared when the secret realm collapsed.
The path was dark and deep. As they walked on, the stone walls on either side transformed into a kind of solidified, faintly glowing substance.
The ground beneath their feet seemed to dissolve into a void, offering no solid purchase. It was now a small path paved with motes of light, extending into the darkness.
They felt as if they were walking through a river of stars. Fragments occasionally drifted past, reflecting their distorted figures.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, they passed through a curtain woven from countless threads of light, and the scene before them opened up dramatically.
Immediately after, a game notification sounded in all of their minds at once:
[Congratulations! You have successfully reached the central area: Xiguang Divine Hall (Underground).]
[Phase Two Quest initiated: Xiguang Divine Hall (Puzzles and Purification).]
The next second, a grand announcement that echoed throughout the entire Guixi Secret Realm appeared in the vision of every Guixi Sect player!
[Secret Realm Announcement: The team led by "Lin Qingfeng" has been the first to reach the Xiguang Divine Hall, successfully initiating the Phase Two quest!]
[To commend their exceptional spirit of exploration, all team members will be awarded the special title: "Seeker of Xiguang"!]
[Title: Seeker of Xiguang]
Type: Secret Realm-Exclusive Title
Effects:
Willpower +5, Dao Heart +5
Spiritual Qi recovery speed +10%
In the [Guixi Secret Realm], damage dealt to all monsters +10%
In other Guixi Sect instances, damage dealt to all monsters +5%
Outside the Guixi Sect’s domain, damage dealt to all targets +1%
This announcement sent shockwaves through all the teams still struggling in the primeval jungle.