Chapter 433 - 414: Demon-Locking Tower: Team Mission
As her words faded, Su Ling’er gestured with a slender hand, and the giant Wooden Sword that had ferried people down the mountain now hovered in the air once more.
With a light tap of her toes, she drifted gracefully onto the front of the sword.
On the platform, the remaining hundred or so new disciples exchanged uncertain glances.
’A good place?’
’Merits?’
𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
’Coming from this temperamental senior sister, those two words sounded incredibly suspicious.’
But as it stood, they had no other choice.
The group of gamblers, who had endured the Heart Demon trial yet were still driven by greed, made the first move. They leaped directly onto the body of the sword.
The various undercover agents, mixed in with the crowd, followed discreetly, their minds racing with their own calculations.
Lu Ping opened his eyes. Sensing the Spiritual Power of his newly stabilized Foundation Establishment Stage within him, he let out a soft sigh.
He dusted off his robes and leisurely hopped onto the tail of the sword.
’Since I’m here, I might as well see it through.’
’Survive first, worry about the rest later.’
HUMMM—
The Wooden Sword let out a soft hum and shot up from the ground. It carried the group of less than a hundred people, each with their own agenda, toward the Demon-Locking Tower.
In their direction of travel, clouds and mist swirled. The faint outline of a tall tower was visible, its body pitch-black, radiating a malevolent aura that pierced the heavens.
However, just as the Wooden Sword was about to reach the Demon-Locking Tower, Su Ling’er faltered.
’Something’s wrong!’
’I think I missed a step!’
’I forgot to take them to the Transmission Hall to accept the Demon-Locking Tower mission first...’
’Senior Brother’s grand undertaking to purify the sect really requires meticulous planning!’
At this thought, Su Ling’er no longer hesitated. She formed a hand seal for a Technique, and the Wooden Sword beneath her feet made a sharp ninety-degree turn in mid-air, accelerating in another direction!
"Ahhh!"
"What’s going on!"
The sudden change of direction sent cries of alarm ringing out from the new disciples on the sword.
’What trick is this demoness playing now! Is she toying with us again?! Is she trying to torture our minds this way? Dammit!’
The few agents from the demonic sects, however, quickly regained their composure after a moment of shock.
’Miss Su’s action must have a deeper meaning! She’s definitely trying to intimidate us again, warning us not to make any rash moves. A reminder that our lives are in her hands. Truly worthy of being the number one senior sister of a demonic sect!’
...
A few moments later, the Wooden Sword descended before a magnificent hall.
Transmission Hall.
Su Ling’er recalled the Wooden Sword and, without a word, walked straight into the hall.
Everyone followed close behind. The moment they stepped through the entrance, they were stunned by the sight before them.
The great hall was not empty or solemn as they had imagined. Instead, quite a few people were standing inside.
At least a dozen disciples in Guixi Sect robes were standing stiffly in the various corners of the hall.
Some of these disciples faced the walls, endlessly repeating the stiff motion of raising and lowering their arms.
Others appeared to be accepting missions, but they were vacant-eyed and expressionless, like walking corpses whose souls had been torn away.
"This... This is..."
An undercover agent from a righteous sect clamped a hand over his mouth in horror, his body trembling uncontrollably.
’Could it be the Puppetry Technique!’
’No, this is even more sinister than the Puppetry Technique!’
’These people still have the aura of the living, but they seem to have no will of their own. They’re being controlled!’
’Is this the fate that awaits even official disciples of the Guixi Sect? If one isn’t careful with their Cultivation, could they become a living dead puppet like this, with no will of their own?’
Fear washed over him.
Beside him, the reaction of an agent from a demonic sect was the complete opposite.
His breathing grew slightly ragged.
’What a powerful Mind Control Skill!’
’To be able to refine so many living people into such obedient "servants," making them tirelessly execute missions for the sect and generate value!’
’This is what a demonic sect should be like! Of course, it’s far better to be the one doing the controlling than the one being controlled!’
’Compared to a method like this, the blood sacrifice rituals of my own sect are mere child’s play!’
’There’s far more to this sect than I imagined.’
The gamblers also sensed that something was wrong, and they all fell silent, too scared to speak.
Su Ling’er took in everyone’s reactions.
She was long past being surprised by such a state.
’This must be the work of the supreme Demon Venerable behind the sect. He’s using this method to slowly consume the disciples, treating them as resources to be harvested at any moment!’
’In the Guixi Sect, those without value don’t even qualify as cannon fodder. Their minds are simply erased, and they become "living tools" to keep the sect running.’
’Even Senior Brother occasionally falls into a similar daze. He must be secretly resisting the Demon Venerable’s influence!’
’As the guide personally appointed by Senior Brother, if there’s any way to save them, I absolutely will not let this group of new disciples end up in such a wretched state!’
’Even if it means being misunderstood and resented.’
’I have to pull them back from the edge of the abyss!’
Her conviction grew stronger, and she paid no more mind to the group behind her.
She then walked up to the eternally unchanging Mr. Qian, turned to the side, and pointed at the new disciples behind her.
"Elder."
"They are here to serve the sect."
Mr. Qian’s hollow gaze finally settled on the hundred or so new disciples behind Su Ling’er.
The next moment, a dim jade slip materialized on the stone table before him.
Mr. Qian lifted his stiff arm and pushed the jade slip toward Su Ling’er.
Su Ling’er accepted the jade slip and sent her consciousness inside.
Lines of text appeared in her mind.
Demon-Locking Tower Daily Mission: Culling
Mission Objective: Kill three hundred Shadow Bone Rats, demon beasts on the second floor of the Demon-Locking Tower.
Number of Participants: Ninety-seven.
Mission Guide: Su Ling’er (May intervene in a crisis).
Mission Reward: To be settled based on completion and contribution.
’The second floor of the Demon-Locking Tower! Shadow Bone Rats! Three hundred of them!’
’Making this group of mortals, who can’t even draw Qi into their bodies, face three hundred of them?’
’Can you handle that? Let’s see you fools, blinded by greed, try to keep dreaming when you’re staring death in the face!’
’Once you experience the carnage firsthand, once you’ve been through it, you’ll understand just how scalding hot the "immortal fate" offered by this demonic sect truly is!’
Su Ling’er suppressed her indignation. She turned around, her face a mask, and held the jade slip up for the crowd to see.
"The mission is accepted."
"Second floor of the Demon-Locking Tower. Three hundred Shadow Bone Rats."
"We leave now."
Her words caused an uproar among those who had yet to even begin their Cultivation.
’What the hell?’
’Some even thought they must have misheard.’
’Demon-Locking Tower? Is... is that the pitch-black tower we just passed?’
’F-fight demon beasts? Three hundred of them?!’
’Are you kidding me? I don’t even know how to draw in Qi, and you want me to fight demon beasts? Am I supposed to bite them to death?!’
’Miss Su! Look at me! Forget fighting a demon beast, I probably couldn’t even outrun a chicken!’
’Aren’t you supposed to teach us breathing exercises first, then Magic, and then we go fight monsters—I mean, exterminate demons? Why are we skipping all the steps and going straight into the dungeon—I mean, straight into live combat?!’
’Three hundred... There are less than a hundred of us. Even if we were all Cultivators, that would be three or four each! But the problem is, we’re not! We’re still mortals! Is this some kind of sick joke?’
’I... I regret this! Is it too late to go back down the mountain? I have hundreds of acres of land and dozens of concubines waiting for me...’
Some of the gamblers, who had been driven by wishful thinking, were finally facing reality. Their faces turned ashen, and their legs began to tremble.
Meanwhile, the various undercover agents hidden in the crowd felt a chill run down their spines.
’They had heard of Shadow Bone Rats.’
’Individually, they weren’t strong, roughly equivalent to a Cultivator at the first or second layer of Qi Refining.’
’But their most terrifying trait was that they moved in swarms, were incredibly fast, and their claws and fangs carried a corpse toxin!’
’Three hundred...’
’There were only about twenty Cultivators among them in total.’
’To make twenty-something people, burdened with dozens of liabilities, face a Demon Rat Swarm three hundred strong and fearless of death?’
’The mission wasn’t entirely hopeless, but it was certainly going to be difficult.’
Lu Ping stood at the very back of the crowd, watching the farce unfold. He then looked toward the solitary, aloof figure of the woman in white ahead of him.
In the flickering candlelight, her silhouette exuded a sense of detachment.
’What is she really trying to do?’
’Is it really just to send most of us to our deaths? Simply for the sake of killing?’
’But if she really wanted to kill us, she’s had countless simpler opportunities.’
’Why go through all this trouble?’
Su Ling’er observed the expressions of those behind her and nodded slightly.
’Yes! This is exactly the effect I wanted!’
’Scared now? Full of regret? Now you know that the benefits of a demonic sect don’t come easy, do you?’
’Although three hundred Shadow Bone Rats might be a hell-level difficulty for these rookies, and they might even get injured and bleed...’
’...but shedding some blood is better than losing their lives!’
Her gaze swept over each face, some filled with terror, others with grim resolve.
"Have you made up your minds?"
"If you want to continue, keep up."
"However, let me give you a piece of advice..."
She paused, a smile spreading across her face.
"Anyone who wanders freely within the sect, outside of designated mission areas, will have to bear the consequences."
’As for the consequences, you can just use your imagination. If you’re unlucky, you could get caught in the crossfire between senior brothers and die. And I’m also worried you’ll fall into the clutches of some other senior disciple and meet a grisly end!’
Everyone: "!!!"
At her words, everyone gasped.
’What does that mean? Do the "consequences" mean being killed on sight? She’s... she’s cut off all our escape routes!’
’Either we follow her into the Demon-Locking Tower and face almost certain death...’
’...or we wander off on our own and face absolutely certain death!’
"Let’s go."
Su Ling’er gave them no more time to hesitate. She turned and strode out of the hall, and the others followed, some quickly, some slowly.
...
「Before the Demon-Locking Tower.」
A giant tower, pitch-black from top to bottom, was entwined with countless Rune Chains.
Su Ling’er stopped before the tower’s gate.
She turned back to look at the crestfallen new disciples behind her, mentally confirming her plan one last time.
’Good. Their morale has hit rock bottom.’
’As soon as we enter the Demon-Locking Tower, I’ll let them witness the ferocity of the demon beasts firsthand. Then, after the mission is done, I’ll confiscate all the Spirit Stones they’ve earned. This rabble will completely break down.’
’By then, having gained nothing, they’ll be crying and begging me to lead them away from here.’
’Senior Brother, for the sake of purifying the sect, for our shared ideal... I, your junior sister, have no choice but to resort to this desperate plan!’
No longer hesitating, she took the first step through the pitch-black tower gate.