Isn't This a Game? Why Are You All Cultivating for Real!

Chapter 135: Chapter 135: A Fractured Style

When Zhu Xiangchen heard what Zhou Xiao said, his face fell as well: "...Where did those demon beasts come from?"

First Mountain was the frontline on the border of Demon Cave Valley.

But all demon beasts came from Demon Cave Valley.

There had to be plenty of disciples training near First Mountain.

So why hadn’t any other Feique Sect disciples rushed back yet?

’Unless these demon beasts didn’t gather at First Mountain!’

Zhou Xiao remembered the recent attack on the Spirit Fox Sect, and his face went pale with horror. "Fuck, don’t tell me that Cultivator from the Spirit Fox Sect incident is targeting us now?"

When Zhu Xiangchen thought about the attack on the Spirit Fox Sect, he too began to panic. "This is bad! I have to go inform my senior brothers and sisters!"

The system also reported the matter to Song Jiulai. "This is definitely not normal. The demon beasts are coming from the Demon Cave Valley border. An army this large—it’s impossible for the Cultivators at the border not to have noticed."

Song Jiulai immediately sensed a conspiracy. "Meaning the demon beasts came from somewhere else? Was it that business with the Spirit Fox Sect? You jinx, don’t tell me you were right. Has he targeted our Wang’an County?"

"But that makes no sense," the system said, equally puzzled. "What kind of blood feud could he have with your Wang’an County?"

Almost everyone in the Spirit Fox Sect was wiped out, but to this day, no news had spread about what their conflict with that Demon Cultivator had been.

Song Jiulai thought for a moment. ’Don’t we have players over at the Taohua Sect? Should we ask for aid? Would the Taohua Sect come and help?’

But the system suddenly said, in a meaningful tone, "You can try."

Song Jiulai retorted, "Why are you being so cryptic? Just give it to me straight."

System: "It means it’s impossible."

Song Jiulai was genuinely stunned for a moment. "Why?"

System: "You can either spend Spirit Stones to hire the Taohua Sect, or you can bear this burden alone. If you don’t believe me, have Han Tian’s people try asking the Taohua Sect for aid."

In fact, Song Jiulai didn’t even need to suggest it. Someone on Han Tian’s end had already tried.

The two players stationed at the Taohua Sect, upon thinking of the demon beast invasion, had begun frantically buying up Elixir Pills from the sect’s Medicine Workshop.

Such a large purchase of Elixir Pills made the Taohua Sect disciples curious, and they naturally asked for the reason. The players told them plainly that Wang’an County was being invaded by demon beasts, and they were buying the pills to go back and support their Sect.

The players’ intentions were good; they even asked the junior disciple if the Taohua Sect would offer aid if something were to happen to the Feique Sect.

But the junior disciple just gave them a strange look and said, "That sort of thing has nothing to do with us."

The player buying the pills, Ye Xuan, was stunned. "Huh?"

The junior disciple glanced around before speaking again. "You’re all the way out here. How did you get news that the Feique Sect was being invaded by demon beasts?"

Ye Xuan stammered for a second. "Our Sect has a special Sound Transmission Treasure. We get messages when there’s an emergency."

The junior disciple didn’t seem to doubt him. Instead, in an earnest tone, he told him, "If you’re here to buy medicine, then just buy medicine. Don’t go telling anyone else about the Feique Sect being invaded, and don’t ask for aid. You have to understand, on our Sect’s territory, it’s not just Taohua Sect disciples. There are also Loose Cultivators and people from other sects."

"Let me tell you one more thing: the Fierce Eagle Sect and the Feique Sect are enemies. I saw some of their disciples here yesterday. You just might not have recognized them."

After saying this, the disciple added, "If you’re going back, you should leave now."

Ye Xuan was truly dumbfounded.

He didn’t understand why. After he relayed the news to his system, it not only informed the other players, but also notified Song Jiulai.

Song Jiulai quickly put the pieces together.

’Dammit, and here I thought that since we all live under the same Major Sect, we’d be like friendly neighbors!’

She was only realizing now how naive she’d been.

How could she have forgotten? This was the dog-eat-dog Cultivation World, where the law of the jungle reigned supreme.

The friendliness of the Feique Sect had given her and the players a persistent, false impression.

The Taohua Sect’s declaration that "it has nothing to do with us" was a rude awakening for Song Jiulai.

’That’s right. The Feique Sect was being invaded by demon beasts, so what did that have to do with them?’

’Worst case, the Feique Sect still had a Sect Token.’

’Sects barely interacted with one another to begin with. Why would they travel from so far away just to help you fend off a demon beast invasion?’

’After all, this was a life-and-death struggle. Losing disciples meant losing the Sect’s power.’

’Whether your Sect managed to survive was irrelevant.’

’That junior disciple had actually been kind. He’d even warned the players about the sect that held a grudge against the Feique Sect. If Loose Cultivators learned that a sect was being invaded, they would definitely come to fish in troubled waters. After all, that many demon beasts represented a trove of prime materials.’

Song Jiulai’s thoughts turned to the common people of Wang’an County.

A chill she couldn’t quite put her finger on crept over her.

’If the Sect was gone, did the mortals matter?’

’Mortals mattered even less.’

’Even Cultivators didn’t matter.’

’The players wanted to provide a good life for the mortals. In a world like this, that idea was pure heresy.’

Song Jiulai finally understood completely. If she wanted to grow her power, she couldn’t follow the path of a sect like the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect.

The Ten Thousand Immortals Sect protected them, yes, but it couldn’t protect everyone.

’I really do have to build those roads!’

She had to build ties with the surrounding sects. Otherwise, even if she took them over, their attitude of "everyone for themselves" meant she couldn’t count on them in a crisis.

"Use the players’ PoV to tell me the exact location where the demon beasts are appearing. You organize the players to buy medicine. I’m going to find the source of the invasion."

Rushing back now would be too late for the first few waves. With her level of combat power, the correct course of action was to find the source of the demon beasts and cut it off.

As for the players, they would have to rely on her remote commands and their own ability to pull through.

This was the first time Song Jiulai realized that she truly held the lives of so many people in her hands.

But she’d never done anything like this before, and she couldn’t help but feel uncertain.

She had brought those players from the Otherworld. But if the players were just players, then the common folk... they were real, living people.

She’d had decades of modern moral education. She didn’t know if, in the future, she would become a callous, apathetic Cultivator who didn’t value human life. But at this moment, at least, she couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

"Don’t put too much pressure on yourself." The system, seeming to sense Song Jiulai’s anxiety, tried to comfort her with a joke. "At the very least, Wang’an County is currently the Feique Sect’s responsibility."

To put it bluntly, it was the Feique Sect’s responsibility. Song Jiulai didn’t need to worry; the Feique Sect would surely find a way to recall all its disciples to deal with the demon beast invasion.

"No, that won’t do!" Song Jiulai cried indignantly. "Is this the Feique Sect’s problem? Wang’an County is full of my assets right now! Those Spirit Fields, they’re all mine!"

’Besides, she had long considered the Feique Sect to be in the bag. The people, the property—it was all hers!’

"Do we have any players in Demon Cave Valley right now? Have them notify the Feique Sect immediately! Tell them there’s trouble in Wang’an County!"

The system replied, "They’ve already been notified, but the earliest the Feique Sect’s disciples can get back is dawn in Wang’an County. This wave of demon beasts hasn’t made a move yet—a truly ominous sign."

No movement meant that something was definitely commanding them.

As Song Jiulai was fretting, the new players began to log on one after another.

They were still exclaiming with naive innocence.

"Holy shit, this game is so realistic!"