Players: All NPCs in the Sect Are Moles

Past the main gate was a tall wall.

Still guarding the gate was the same Mr. Qian.

He didn’t understand. Why build another wall inside the Beast Taming House pavilion?

’Did they reinforce the defenses because the Jade-faced Mantis escaped last time?’

But he didn’t dwell on it, simply taking out his disciple token and flashing it.

Mr. Qian merely shot him an indifferent glance before looking away and continuing to stand guard before the main gate.

Wang Xiedi climbed to the top of the wall and looked down at the strange spirit beasts below.

They were emitting faint sparks of electricity, seemingly engaged in some kind of special task.

He didn’t understand the principles behind it, but he felt they were doing something important.

He spotted an opening, vaulted over, and landed nimbly on a walkway.

Unexpectedly, his foot landed in a puddle.

BZZT—

Not far away, a working Thunder Beast happened to release a powerful electric current!

It seemed there was a leak in its work area; the current followed the water and spread right to Wang Xiedi’s feet!

BOOM!

An arc of electricity exploded in front of him.

Immediately after, a current shot through his entire body!

The current wasn’t strong, but it still made his hair stand on end and caused him to see stars.

However, most of the current was converted by the *Myriad Aspects of the Mundane World* technique into a warm stream that nourished his Dantian.

"Hey! I think there’s a leak over by the Thunder Beasts!"

A few disciples noticed the abnormality and hurried over to check.

Wang Xiedi, meanwhile, quickly hid and continued furtively deeper inside.

Behind him, a few disciples were discussing the matter in hushed, fearful tones.

"What is Wang Xiedi doing here?! What is he up to?"

"I don’t know... Maybe he accepted a quest from the Beast Taming House?"

"Could be."

"But he looks so shifty. You don’t think he’s planning on doing something to these Thunder Beasts, do you?"

"No way... It’s not gonna be one of *those* situations, is it? Like he’s trying to steal the Thunder Beasts’ territory? Or some other depraved meme where we find out one of them is pregnant later?!"

"Should we report this to the guild leader?"

"The guild leader and the others are still running the Yin Spirit Institute dungeon. We can tell them after they’re out."

"Stop! I can’t even begin to imagine it!"

"Well, they’re just Thunder Beasts. As long as he doesn’t set his sights on us, we’re fine."

"Yeah, exactly! God forbid we become the subject of one of his memes. That would be terrifying!"

"Let’s go, let’s go! We can’t let Wang Xiedi see us!"

...

「Meanwhile, at Qingxu Temple.」

His gaze seemed to pierce the stone walls, falling upon the hundreds of outer disciples listening to Dong Changsheng lecture on how to strive for success.

And should they face setbacks, Li Chunfeng would be there to explain how it was all for the best.

Then, his eyes fell on Wang Xiedi’s life tablet.

’Outer disciples... are expendable in the end.’

’If you fail... I can no longer afford to send just one or two...’

If Wang Xiedi failed, he would have to select more "expendables" and use their lives to gamble for Qingxu Temple’s slim chance of survival...

...

「At the same time, the player disciples at the Yin Spirit Institute were looking at a massive dungeon light screen.」

[Sect Building: Yin Spirit Institute]

[This Week’s Dungeon: Clash of Red and White Processions · Yellow Springs Road]

[This Week’s Entry Condition: Party must be in the "Undertaking a Funeral" state.]

[Guixi Sect has achieved the "Undertaking a Funeral" state.]

[Recommended Cultivation: Foundation Establishment or higher]

[Captured Yin Spirits will unlock entries in the Yin Spirit Atlas, which can be viewed in the Codex.]

[All items obtained in this dungeon can be kept. Upon completion, in addition to a basic cultivation boost, players may receive a mysterious reward (e.g., rare treasures, special powers accompanying cultivation boosts, basic stat points, and other random rewards).]

[Death Penalty]

(Individual) Upon death, the individual will forfeit all items obtained in the dungeon and lose 20% of their current cultivation stage’s experience. They will then be teleported to the entrance of the Yin Spirit Institute.

(Team) If the entire party is wiped out, the team will forfeit all items obtained in the dungeon and all members will lose 50% of their current cultivation stage’s experience. They will then be teleported to the entrance of the Yin Spirit Institute.

The party channel was already exploding with messages.

[Shi Gandang: This new building’s dungeon mode is pretty interesting!]

[Yan Buliu: Now this is what I call an immersive experience! This week’s dungeon is the "Clash of Red and White Processions," and I guess we’re playing the part of the "white" procession!]

[Zhan: My blade is thirsty for a fight!!!]

[Shen Nong: Our little junior sister should be fine, right? If she dies and gets kicked out, she’ll lose 20% of her current stage’s cultivation XP.]

[Lin Qingfeng: She’s only in the Early-stage Foundation Establishment anyway, how much could she possibly lose? Besides, don’t underestimate my jade coffin!!!]

[Name] Yin Yang Warm Jade Coffin

[Type]: Rare Treasure

[Tombstone Inscription: Rest in Peace]

From age-old Warm Jade, this vessel is wrought, to shield a lone soul betwixt yin and yang.

The living rest, far from the world’s loud strife; while ghouls are barred from this secluded life.

In ancient times, a lovelorn emperor wished to be reunited with his deceased beloved in the afterlife. He exhausted the imperial treasury to find a block of ten-thousand-year Warm Jade and commanded the most skilled artisans in the land to carve this very coffin for her.

Warm Jade has the ability to nourish a spirit, preventing the soul from dissipating.

The emperor also summoned occult masters to inscribe the coffin’s walls with the Senluo Ghost Mask and the figures of Black and White Impermanence, intending to intimidate all spirits and prevent them from disturbing his beloved’s eternal slumber.

However, these inscriptions also acted as an invisible shackle.

While protecting the one within, it could also forcibly suppress any wandering yin spirits or resentful souls that trespassed, trapping them and preventing their escape.

It is both a cradle of peaceful rest and a cage from which there is no escape.

But, after an unknown amount of time, the jade coffin was seized by a group of cultivators. It was said they intended to use it to suppress some vicious beast.

[Lin Qingfeng: Time to clear the new sect building!!!]

[Shi Gandang: +1]

[Yan Buliu: +1]

[Lu Wu: +1]

[Shen Nong: +1]

[Ji: Ahem. You can all thank me, the professional in this matter.]

[Ji: If it weren’t for me and my funeral business expertise, would we have met the "Undertaking a Funeral" requirement so quickly?]

[Ji: I’m the real key to entering this dungeon! And did you see how professional my crying was? So much emotion!]

[Lu Wu: Screw you! Listening to you wail like that, my heart was in my throat! I almost thought our little junior sister was really dead!]

Lin Qingfeng walked at the head of the party, dressed in mourning clothes. He looked at the open gates of the institute, his heart filled with a touch of excitement.

’We can finally go in!’

’This is the new building we unlocked by defeating that Heaven-Devouring Frost Flame Wolf!’

He put on a solemn expression, turned to the others who wore equally tragic looks, and declared in a deep voice:

"We are here to lay our sister to rest, to send her toward rebirth! We wish her nirvana! We wish her clarity to see through all illusion! We wish for her to attain her true self!"

He pointed at the gaping, pitch-black gates of the institute, his voice rising.

"This is the gate of ghosts, but it is also her gate to rebirth!"

His speech left everyone utterly bewildered, but the players didn’t care what their senior brother was babbling about. All they knew was that nodding and clapping was the right response.

But Su Ling’er, lying inside the jade coffin, almost died of pure rage listening to him.

’You guys really picked a great spot for me, didn’t you!’

’Rebirth?’

’Nirvana?’

’You’re just itching for me to be alive right now, aren’t you?!’

She looked out at the gloomy surroundings and felt a chill run down her spine.

’This Yin Spirit Institute... one look is all it takes to know it’s filled with countless vengeful spirits and malevolent ghosts!’

’Just how many people must have died unjustly at the hands of the Guixi Sect!’

’And they’re sending me to my "rebirth"...’

’Don’t tell me the entry requirement is a living sacrifice... like me?’

’It couldn’t be, right?’