Players: All NPCs in the Sect Are Moles

Following behind were several pig-like spiritual beasts.

They used their tusks to carry several enormous wreaths, which were adorned with white chrysanthemums and yellow Soul-Binding Flowers.

These were all offerings for a funeral.

A chill went down Wang Xiedi’s spine.

’A coffin?’

’Wreaths?’

’Who died?’

Seeing the procession of spiritual beasts approaching his hiding spot, Wang Xiedi held his breath, planning to act only after they had passed.

However, the disciple from the Beast Taming House at the head of the procession seemed to catch a glimpse of him from a distance, and his face instantly turned pale.

Without a second thought, the disciple whipped the spiritual ox beside him.

"Turn! Quickly! Everyone, left! Go!"

The procession of spiritual beasts, which had been moving at a leisurely pace, immediately changed direction upon hearing the command. They detoured down another path, carrying the coffin and wreaths with them.

In the bushes, Wang Xiedi straightened up in astonishment.

’What’s going on?’

’Could it be...?’

"Could it be..."

He murmured to himself as a storm of emotion raged in his heart.

"My Stealth Skill has actually reached the realm of ’subduing the enemy without fighting’?!

As long as I’m in stealth, anyone who might discover my presence will automatically make way for me!"

Instead of finding it strange, he attributed it all to his own power, his confidence swelling in an instant.

Meanwhile, in the hastily fleeing procession, the disciples of the Beast Taming House were talking amongst themselves, still shaken.

"That scared me to death! That was Wang Xiedi in the bushes just now, right?"

"Definitely him! The glare from that Heart-Protecting Mirror nearly blinded me!"

"Good thing we got away fast! If he’d gotten any closer, who knows what he would’ve done to these spiritual oxen, or even to the coffin! After all, you see all those weird Indian memes and animal memes online!"

"I don’t want our oxen defiled by him. And if the coffin we prepared for our junior sister ends up with a few big holes in it, we don’t want some ’Neo Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong Cannon’ situation on our hands!"

"You’re telling me! It’s horrifying!"

"Sigh, surely Wang Xiedi can’t be a walking meme-pocalypse, right?!"

"Who cares if he is or not? Let’s just go!!!"

...

Wang Xiedi, meanwhile, remained where he was, analyzing who the coffin could possibly be for.

’Did someone in the sect die?’

’But according to my senior sister, anyone who dies here is either refined into a puppet or thrown into a furnace as materials. Not even ashes are left.’

’So how... how could someone actually get the special treatment of a custom-made coffin?’

’Could it be... a high-ranking member of the demonic sect died?’

’How come I don’t know anything about this?’

He then gave a self-deprecating smile.

’I’m just a low-level disciple who just joined and has terrible innate talent. It’s normal that I wouldn’t know the secrets of the sect’s upper echelons.’

’Still... if a high-ranking member of a demonic sect has died, that’s fantastic news for the righteous path!’

If Feng from the outer sect of Qingxu Temple heard about this, he would definitely go on and on about what a great thing it was!

Meanwhile, inside the bamboo house.

Watching the group of "experts" leave, Su Ling’er wanted to cry but had no tears left.

’It’s over. It’s all over. They’re even starting to prepare my funeral arrangements.’

’Was this operation a success or a failure?’ She couldn’t tell anymore.

’From the perspective of attracting attention, it was undoubtedly a success.’

’The gazes of all the sect’s core figures were now firmly fixed on her.’

’But from a survival standpoint, it was an epic failure!’

’Because their unanimous conclusion was—this girl is a lost cause, prepare for the funeral.’

’Seriously? You’re not even going to try to treat me?!’

But to create an opportunity for Wang Xiedi’s infiltration, she had no choice but to keep up the act.

’After Wang Xiedi succeeds, I’ll just have to find some opportunity to "miraculously recover."’

’No matter what, I have to stop this farcical funeral procession for myself!’

’I really don’t want my ashes to be scattered!!!’

"Junior Sister."

Lin Qingfeng’s voice pulled her back from her thoughts.

He was standing by the window, hands clasped behind his back. The light falling on him gave off a bleak feeling... like he was preparing to see someone off on their final journey.

"An ailment of the Dao heart cannot be cured by ordinary medicine."

"It seems conventional treatments are already useless for you."

"You may go in peace."

Su Ling’er: "??!"

"You are the Holy Daughter of our Guixi Sect. Your passing must be a grand ceremony, one that will shake the very foundations of our sect.

We will let everyone see how much the sect values you, how... reluctant we are to let you go."

He paused, a complex smile on his face—a mixture of regret, relief, and anticipation—as if to say, ’Junior Sister, have a safe journey.’

"Rest assured, Junior Sister,"

"I have personally selected the finest ten-thousand-year Warm Jade and had a coffin custom-made for you."

"I guarantee you’ll lie comfortably inside and pass on peacefully."

Hearing this, Su Ling’er’s vision went black, and she fainted.

...

After being unconscious for an unknown amount of time, Su Ling’er opened her eyes again to the sight of a jade ceiling emitting a soft halo of light.

The coffin lid wasn’t completely sealed. There was an opening at the top like a skylight, and many holes had been carved into the sides, allowing her to observe the outside world.

She shifted her body and found herself lying in an extremely spacious and comfortable space.

Beneath her was a layer of smooth, warm jade that radiated a gentle heat. This must be the "ten-thousand-year Warm Jade" her senior brother had mentioned.

Su Ling’er wanted to cry but had no tears left.

’Seriously, if you had ten-thousand-year Warm Jade to give me, you could have just given it to me directly!’

’Why did you have to wait until I "died" to bury it along with me? What’s the point?’

’What a waste!’

’Can we please not give good things to "dead people"?’

’Although... it is really comfortable in this coffin, couldn’t you have given it to me while I was alive?!’

’Wait, I’m not dead yet!’

’This is infuriating!’

She examined the coffin’s interior decorations. The four walls were engraved with intricate patterns: Senluo Ghost Masks, Black and White Impermanence...

All of them were "auspicious" patterns meant to see the dead on their way.

She took a deep breath and peered out through the holes in the coffin.

She saw that she... was in the middle of a vast and grand funeral procession.

Su Ling’er was completely bewildered.

She could see several powerful, ape-like spiritual beasts carrying her magnificent jade coffin, starting from her small bamboo house.

They then proceeded onward in some unknown direction.

Along the way, more and more disciples of the Guixi Sect joined the funeral procession.

Each of them wore solemn expressions of grief, and many disciples were secretly wiping away tears.

Of course, there were also those with over-the-top acting skills, desperately trying to hide the upturned corners of their mouths while viciously pinching their own thighs or arms to force out a few tears.

’Wait... why do some of you look happy?!’

’Are you that eager for me to die?!’

’How fickle people are!’

Su Ling’er lamented internally, while also consoling herself:

’Oh well. To ensure Wang Xiedi can successfully break into the Imperial Sale House, I suppose I’ve given it my all.’

...

「Real World」

「News Archives」

The International Data Watch Organization released a report indicating that the Ashen Heaven Group has been frantically expanding its server clusters worldwide in recent years. Its total computing power now far exceeds what is required to maintain the operations of the game "Ashen Heaven."

The report speculates that this "redundant computing power" may be being used for a secret scientific research project of unprecedented scale.

The Ashen Heaven Group offered no comment on the matter.