Han Te and Liu Li were apparently intimidated by Xin Xiaoqi. Liu Li shyly said, “Sister Xiaoqi…”
“Cut it. Who’s your sister?” Xin Xiaoqi snorted. “You have yourself to blame for your misfortune. It’s nobody else’s fault. If the three monsters go on a killing spree, don’t count on me to rescue you, and I won’t be capable of rescuing you. Do you understand?”
Han Te and Liu Li looked at each other in bewilderment and gulped at the same time. Then they looked at Li Yao.
“Why are you looking at this thing? Are you hoping that the garbage can will save you?” Xin Xiaoqi was very dissatisfied with their distraction. Knocking Li Yao’s head several times, she said, “This is just a spiritual puppet that will be torn into pieces any minute. All in all, keep your mouths shut. Whatever I say and whatever they ask you to do, do it. That is the only way to save you sorry lives. Do you hear me?”
Xin Xiaoqi crawled out of the shuttle, yelling. She then stood on top of the shuttle, took off her protective suit, and waved into the distance.
Li Yao observed in silence. It seemed that this Xin Xiaoqi was a thief and an intelligence dealer in the Land of Sins. Such people were not rare, but how exactly did she reach out to the Immortal Cultivators?
The mental devil, on the other hand, steered Neltharion to approach the three Immortal Cultivators, trying to collect more intelligence.
The three Immortal Cultivators could never have foreseen the existence of Neltharion even in their dreams. Under the illusion that everybody nearby had been killed, they chatted with each other, chuckling.
The muscular man who was tall, strong, and had caramel skin grinned at the broken limbs on the ground. “Is this the legendary, mysterious, much-expected ‘Extreme Survival Challenge’? It is just so-so in my eyes. Those guys are too weak. They are not worthy enough even as a pastime.”
“Why are you so hasty? We have only just landed. This place is only a ‘novice village’ at best. It is meant for us to grow familiar with the air, environment, and gravity of the place.”
The shorty with six crystal cameras on his face smiled and warmed his arms up. Then he took a deep breath and licked his lips with a bloodthirsty expression. “I kind of like this place. The air here has the most intense stench of blood, which is truly intoxicating. I can’t wait to go on a killing spree.”
“You two must pull yourselves together. Do not think that this place is a playground where you can do anything,” the woman who had a viper tattoo on her face and looked more senior said coldly. “This is different from all the trials and the training sessions you had in the Grand Illusionary Land. There is no guidance, no directions, no game rules, and no operational logic in this place! The behavior of all the monsters and natives is unpredictable and uncontrollable. They may attack you at any time for no good reason. It is impossible for you to sign any effective pact with them.
“There are also a lot of wild creatures whose level far exceeds yours, including ‘Fist King’ Lei Zonglie and Xiahou Wuxin, the leader of Liberty City, whom we are going to meet this time. They are two toughest bosses here, and either of them can beat you to death easily!
“Remember, if you die here, you will stay dead. Even the odds of you being revived as a spectral Cultivator are little to none. This is what a perfectly simulated Extreme Survival Challenge is. No. This is not a simulation but the most authentic battlefield!
“If you are caught in extreme danger because of your own foolishness, nobody will come to help you. The other ‘players’ will only take advantage of you! In the meantime, if your stupidity affects my operation, I will kill you without any hesitation. Is that clear?”
The viper-tattooed woman’s voice was not loud, but the graveness in her words made the muscular man and the six-eyed shorty both shudder in fear. They hurried to nod and said, “Absolutely. We will listen to the captain on everything!”
“That’s good.” The viper-tattooed woman nodded in satisfaction. Then she reassured them. “Be patient. The Battle of Liberty City is a ‘golden quest’ that is rarely open. Other than the main quests to fight on the side of the Fist King and the side of the leader of Liberty City, there are also a lot of silver, bronze, and iron secondary quests. As long as it does not hinder us from accomplishing the most important mission, it won’t hurt if we spare some time playing for a while.”
“I am not very interested in the secondary quests.” The muscular man’s smile gradually became creepy. “This time, six of the most distinguished people among the younger generation of the Wu family of Anyang have been projected to this place for the trial. Whoever gains the highest score in the Battle of Liberty City quest will become the first-in-line heir of the Wu family of Anyang and given training resources and unparalleled arts ten times more abundant than before. Hehehe. However, I feel that it is too ungratifying to accomplish quests and accumulate scores in the trial obediently.
“If I can find the other five guys and kill all of them, who will ever compete for the position of heir with me?”
“Fair point!” The six-eyed shorty grinned. “I thought exactly the same. Wu Xiong, there are no conflicts of interests between us. We are classmates who are reasonably close after all. As it happens, I also have four competitors in the mission. So, let’s help each other and find an opportunity to kill all of them!”
The muscular man and the six-eyed short grinned at the same time.
“Don’t presume that you are the only smart guys to think of that,” the viper-tattooed woman said coldly. “Whenever a golden quest like the Battle of Liberty City is opened, it becomes the bloodiest season for the major families and academies to screen the heirs and true disciples. Almost everybody has the same plan as you and wants to make use of the complicated battle to kill their enemies or competitors.
“Hehe. Why else do you think the death rate of the trials here is so high? As strong as the bosses such as ‘Fist King’ Lei Zonglie and the leader of Liberty City might be, how many players can they kill? Most players are actually killed by other players.
“I do not object to your ideal of killing your competitors, but as I said, you must not hamstring me from accomplishing the main quest. You all know what it means to me. Whoever stands in my way should be prepared to die!”
The muscular man and the six-eyed shorty shuddered again. Looking at each other, they said respectfully, “Of course. You have participated in nine extreme trials and survived all of them. You are a seasoned player here. We will certainly listen to your command!”
The viper-tattooed woman snorted and then shifted her attention toward Li Yao’s direction. She said casually, “The woman there must be our guide. She will show us the way to the camp of ‘Fist King’ Lei Zonglie. Remember your identity right now. You are the special assassins born and raised here.”
The three Immortal Cultivators—or angels, or players—tightened their goggles and capes as they walked toward Li Yao and the rest of them unhurriedly.
The mental devil murmured, “Extreme trial? Golden quest? Players? Strong bosses? What are they talking about?”
“It seems that the planet has not only been transformed into a large laboratory to test cutting-edge magical equipment and techniques but also turned into a life-and-death arena to test and screen out the talents of the noble families in the Imperium of True Human Beings,” Li Yao said coldly.
“It does make sense,” the mental devil said. “Serious radiation and pollution, with mutated beasts and sinners who are more violent than them everywhere. Gruesome, lawless, and bloody. Can there be a better test field?”
After pondering for a moment, Li Yao said, “Therefore, ‘Fist King’ Lei Zonglie’s plan to attack Liberty City has always been on the radar of the Immortal Cultivators. It was probably secretly directed by the Immortal Cultivators and turned into a very authentic large ‘trial quest’.”
The mental devil added, “Those Immortal Cultivators land from the sky without alarming anyone as ‘players’ and will join the sides of the Fist King or the leader of Liberty City respectively. For them, this is both training, a game, and a way to filter talents. As for the result of the competition between the Fist King and the leader of Liberty City, or the life and death of the sinners, they can’t care less about it!”
Li Yao’s voice grew colder and colder. “Through a large battle to attack the city, not only will the new magical equipment and techniques be tested to discover their advantages and disadvantages, but the next generation of Immortal Cultivators will also be tested to decide who’s strong and who’s weak. This is a stone that kills two birds. Who exactly came up with such a remarkable idea? I really would like to pay them a visit!”
“What a shame.” The mental devil cackled. “They have wrongly estimated the level of the sinners. In the golden level quest of the Battle of Liberty City, the most powerful creep is neither ‘Fist King’ Lei Zonglie nor Xiahou Wuxin!
“I really want to see their faces when they have taken down the Fist King and the leader of Liberty City and think that they have completed the quest perfectly only to discover that a third entity that is even more powerful has spawned. Hehe! Hehehe!”
“We are analyzing the enemy’s situation very righteously and thinking about how to save the world,” Li Yao said. “Can you laugh in a less creepy way?”
“What’s the big deal?” the mental devil asked. “If we consider the entire Land of Sins as a map in a game, we are definitely the strongest boss on the map. Of course we should show the demeanor of a boss!”
While the two of them were talking, the three ignorant ‘players’ had approached their shuttle. Their malicious eyes stared at the three people and the clumsy, unattractive spiritual puppet on the shuttle from behind their goggles.
Xin Xiaoqi was so scared that she did not even dare to breathe loudly. Making more than ten gestures quickly, she stammered, “Please don’t attack. You must be from… ‘that place’, right? I’m here to welcome you!”