Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Mobilizing the Players
[Ding! The Sect Master has issued a new task. Please head to the spawn point immediately to view it.]
[The Sect Master has issued a materials-selling task. Please head to the spawn point immediately to view it.]
[The Sect Master has issued a medicine-purchasing task. Please head to the spawn point immediately to view it.]
[The Sect Master has issued...]
The string of notifications startled the busy players.
Tasks were usually issued randomly, and the system wouldn’t send out alerts. Players typically had to go check the stone slab at the spawn point themselves to see if any new tasks had appeared.
The system’s sudden alerts this time made the players sense that something was different.
"Why did so many tasks suddenly appear?"
"I thought the system didn’t send alerts."
It was precisely because there were no alerts that players would run to the spawn point from time to time to check for new tasks.
After all, who would pass up on free points?
Now, hearing the announcement, the players scrambled to the stone slab at the spawn point. A dense, cascading list of new tasks left them completely stunned.
"Holy shit, so many Demon Beast Materials?"
"How much will all this sell for? Did the Sect Master go out grinding mobs?"
"...FUCK!!!"
One player with quick reflexes accepted a task to sell a demon beast corpse, but this time, Song Jiulai didn’t have time to dissect them one by one. She just teleported the entire carcasses over.
In an instant, the entire Sect erupted with wails of agony and the sound of dry heaves.
They had been staying on the mountain until now, and the only demon beasts they’d encountered were harmless ones. Even for those who had read through the demon beast compendium, words and pictures were nothing compared to the visceral shock of the real thing.
Each demon beast was disgusting in its own unique way. Some players, unable to stomach it, immediately began to gag and abandoned their tasks.
But there were also braver ones. Their tolerance was high since it was just a game, and besides, in an Immortal Cultivation Game, they knew they’d have to face this sort of thing sooner or later. They were already trying to figure out how to carve out the materials to take down and sell.
Zhou Xiao was a foodie and had butchered her fair share of chickens, ducks, and geese. But this... this still tested her physical limits. Suppressing her revulsion, she discussed it with Han Tian, who was also online. "These tasks were released in such a hurry. Do you think something happened to the Sect Master?"
Han Tian nodded. "I’d guess so."
He sized up the demon beast corpse before him, also fighting the churning in his stomach. "This is a perfect opportunity for me to document these demon beasts and upload the info to the website."
With this many Demon Beast Materials, it would take him quite a while to document everything.
Since the Sect Master’s tasks were urgent, Zhou Xiao immediately mobilized the other players to sell some of the Spirit Grass and Spirit Wood materials first.
These miscellaneous items were all just First-rank materials.
Zhou Xiao took a breath. "These demon beast corpses are too big for us to carry down. I’ll harvest the materials and have other players take them down to sell."
Han Tian gave Zhou Xiao a thumbs-up. "You’re a true warrior!"
’A true warrior dares to face disgusting demon beasts head-on.’
’Han Tian, for one, couldn’t stomach it.’
After a moment, someone else joined in to help Zhou Xiao.
It was Mu Qiu.
The player with the second-highest talent.
Mu Qiu looked remarkably calm and said directly to Zhou Xiao, "I’ll help you."
Seeing how composed she was, Zhou Xiao asked, "Girl, what do you do in real life? How are you so badass?"
Mu Qiu shook her head. "I’m just a normal office worker. I’m not scared of this stuff because I grew up watching zombie and ghost movies while I ate. This is nothing. Besides, it’s just a game, right?"
Zhou Xiao gave her a thumbs-up as well. "You’re one hell of a woman!"
While the players back in the Sect were buzzing with activity, accepting tasks and getting to work, Song Jiulai was still being hunted by the Demon Horned Snake.
’Goddammit! This thing is so disgusting!’
The Demon Horned Snake was fast. Even if Song Jiulai managed to delay it for a moment, it would quickly catch up.
Song Jiulai had no choice but to retreat deeper into the forest, using her Spiritual Energy to fell large trees in its path and occasionally launching a massive Fireball to slow the Demon Horned Snake’s pursuit.
The amount of Spiritual Energy consumed to control an object was based on its volume; the larger the object, the more Spiritual Energy was required.
Furthermore, this applied to inanimate objects. Controlling a living creature, for instance, would consume far more Spiritual Energy.
Unless one had an overwhelming advantage in cultivation level.
That was why it was impossible to directly control a demon beast.
Even so, at her current rate of Spiritual Energy consumption, she couldn’t keep this up for long.
The pus spat out by the Demon Horned Snake corroded the ground, instantly riddling the area with pits. Small snakes hatched from the pools of pus and slithered into the surrounding woods. The whole scene could only be described as disgusting.
The only comfort for Song Jiulai right now was that she had been quick enough to grab the Earth Spirit Mushroom and stuff it into her Jiezidai.
’After all this, I can’t just let myself lose out, can I?’
This was her first time fighting a Second-tier Demon Beast, and a peak one at that.
’It’s nothing like a First-rank Demon Beast.’
It had taken several of her massive Fireballs and acted as if nothing had happened, only letting out a "HISS HISS HISS." But now, it even managed to break that hiss into a sharp roar. It was clearly enraged.
BOOM—
As the Demon Horned Snake relentlessly crashed through the trees, felling one after another, Song Jiulai’s Spiritual Energy continued to drain away.
Even the system tried to talk her down. "Why push yourself? You already got the Earth Spirit Mushroom."
Song Jiulai shot back, "There’s no way in hell I’m taking this lying down!"
Even if it was reckless, she had to make that bastard pay. She would burn his memory into her very bones.
Song Jiulai fumed, "If he were in the Foundation Establishment Stage, I’d have let it go for now. But he’s just some Qi Refinement Realm punk, and he dared to screw *me* over! Well, today I’m going to put on a show and demonstrate how to kill someone beyond your rank!"
System: "...Fine, I admire your spirit! So, what’s your plan for the Demon Horned Snake right now?"
...
Song Jiulai had no time to answer.
SWOOSH!
The Demon Horned Snake suddenly lunged forward. Its massive head was inches away, its jaws gaping wide, about to clamp down on Song Jiulai’s own head.
A foul, nauseating stench washed over her, so close it felt like it grazed her scalp.
Song Jiulai’s scalp went numb.
In a last-ditch backhand motion, she hurled two massive Fireballs.
At the same time, more than half of the Spiritual Energy in her body was instantly depleted. She swayed, a sudden wave of dizziness washing over her.
’This is bad.’
HISS!
The Demon Horned Snake was hit. Blasted by the Fireballs, its hide finally showed scorched wounds.
This meant its defenses were finally being breached.
But this only enraged it further.
HISS-HISSSSSSSSSSS—
This time, the Demon Horned Snake launched a sonic attack. The ear-splitting noise was agonizing for Song Jiulai.
Fighting through the pain, she immediately consumed the Second-order Qi Replenishing Pill that Lin Qian had given her, one she had only just received.
The moment her Spiritual Energy began to recover, she heaved a heavy sigh of relief.
Spiritual Energy gradually remolds a Cultivator’s body, adapting the mortal vessel for its circulation and making it progressively more resilient. However, this also means the body must constantly absorb Spiritual Energy to sustain itself.
Therefore, if a Cultivator pushes themself to the limit and temporarily depletes their Spiritual Energy, their body—now far beyond the mortal norm—suffers an extremely unpleasant reaction without timely replenishment.
They will experience symptoms like dizziness and pain; in severe cases, they might even lose consciousness.
This was a massive disadvantage in a fight.
This made items like the Qi Replenishing Pill critically important.
Comments