When Xuanyuan stepped into the study, the 18th Hall Master and Ha began conversing through voice transmission.

  [Hall Master, might that bastard notice something and try to flee? We didn’t search the interior of the house beforehand. I am worried.]

  Anxiety was evident in Ha’s voice.

  The 18th Hall Master snorted.

  [Hmph, do not worry. I have already marked him with Huajie’s tracking scent.]

  Huajie was the spirit butterfly beast treasured by the 18th Hall Master.

  It possessed abilities specialized in tracking and emitted a scent that was colorless, odorless, and undetectable even by spiritual power.

  [Ah, then there is nothing to worry about. Even if he runs, we can catch him at once. As expected, Hall Master, your foresight is extraordinary.]

  At the continued flattery, the 18th Hall Master revealed a sly smile.

  [Indeed. He may have some brains, but at best he is merely a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator. How could he possibly escape my grasp?]

  Ha looked at the 18th Hall Master with eyes full of admiration and affection.

  The 18th Hall Master did not dislike that gaze either.

  [There is one more concern. That man is a functionary of the Spiritual Agriculture Pavilion. The Pavilion Master’s temperament is well known. How should we deal with the aftermath?]

  The 18th Hall Master answered without hesitation.

  [There is nothing to worry about there either. We are currently recorded as having departed on a long journey to procure spiritual herbs. The brats under my command are creating traces as we speak. I have even prepared how to stage his death.]

  Even greater reverence filled Ha’s eyes.

  Feeling pleased at the sight, the 18th Hall Master glanced sideways at him.

  [By the way, brat. Even while using voice transmission, you will not call me Father?]

  At those words, Ha beamed in emotion.

  [A, Father!]

  That was right.

  They were a father-and-son band of robbers.

  When the son had first come seeking him with a token in hand, the 18th Hall Master had not intended to take him in.

  Thus, he had entrusted the child to a small pill shop that had ties to the Spirit Medicine Hall.

  Four Spiritual Roots belonging to the category of miscellaneous spiritual roots.

  A child without outstanding talent or special skill.

  With legitimate sons and illegitimate sons already overflowing in number, an illegitimate child who suddenly appeared was no different from filth to be swept away.

  He had believed that by doing that much, he had fulfilled his duty.

  Then.

  When the brat came seeking him with something in hand, everything changed.

  The child pleaded that he did not need acknowledgment, only permission to remain by his side.

  In those eyes burned endless ambition and greed.

  A heart that had been close to immovable stirred.

  He liked that personality, identical to his own.

  Thus began the father-and-son band of robbers, and it proved remarkably profitable.

  It was strange he had not thought of it sooner.

  Threatening powerless rogue cultivators or functionaries, seizing their secret arts, spiritual objects, and cultivation materials before killing them, was exceedingly easy.

  Needless to say, the title of 18th Hall Master of the Spirit Medicine Garden of the Heavenly Palace was of great help.

  As they gazed at one another with satisfied expressions—

  Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently.

  An earthquake?

  No, it differed from an earthquake.

  Ha, whose cultivation was shallow, lost his balance and screamed.

  “W-What is happening?”

  The 18th Hall Master’s face hardened.

  A Foundation Establishment cultivator was still a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

  His crisis response and strength could not be compared to his son’s.

  “Stay still. Do not act rashly.”

  His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings vigilantly.

  If the ground shook like this, a powerful attack would soon follow.

  Who in the world was it.

  Yet the attack began from an unexpected place.

  “Gweeek!”

  With an unsightly shriek, Ha was sucked into the suddenly collapsing ground.

  The 18th Hall Master immediately mounted his Flying Sword.

  First, he had to evade.

  After all, the most important thing was his own life.

  But something was strange.

  The Flying Sword trembled violently yet did not move.

  Thinking back, considerable pressure was pressing down upon his shoulders as well.

  As if crushed by an invisible force.

  Startled, he pulled out a talisman from his storage pouch.

  It was something he had purchased long ago at the cost of considerable spirit stones.

  He bit his index finger and sprayed out essence blood, whereupon the talisman burst into flames.

  A black aura emerged from it, wrapping around the 18th Hall Master and forming a protective barrier.

  “…Gravity Art?”

  If it was Gravity Art, then it was a high-grade Dao Art.

  He mobilized every method at his disposal to reinforce the barrier.

  Then he swept the surroundings with his divine sense.

  Yet no one was there.

  His teeth ground together.

  At first, he had thought someone had intervened and tried to flee.

  That was why he had even used a treasured talisman he had been saving.

  Now his thoughts changed.

  The bastard hiding in the study must have used a talisman.

  As if supporting his conclusion—the oppressive pressure on his shoulders had already dissipated.

  The 18th Hall Master gritted his teeth and shouted.

  “How dare you play such tricks! I will not spare you.”

  He regretted it immensely.

  He should have seized the storage pouch from the beginning.

  Talisman imbued with high-grade Dao Arts sold for high prices.

  To waste such a thing like this. Damn bastard.

  He cursed for a long time, lamenting both the talisman he had used and the one his enemy had used.

  He did not spare even a thought for the safety of his vanished son.

  ***

  After activating the prepared chained formation, I sat down cross-legged.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  The moment they sent me into the study, the game had ended. No— the moment they did not kill me upon seeing me, the game had ended.

  Because my house was a trap in itself.

  The newly improved Concealment Formation covered the entire house.

  Unless a cultivator above Core Formation came and carefully observed, it could never be detected.

  It was a masterpiece born from the collaboration between Senior Haoranzi, who had once dominated the world with Formation Art, and a modern security enthusiast armed with contemporary knowledge.

  After attacking the formation for some time, confusion began to surface on the 18th Hall Master’s face.

  The Gravity Formation had now transformed into a Fire Assault Formation.

  This was the true charm of a chained formation.

  I poured more mid-grade spirit stones into the formation beside me.

  This was another charm of Formation Art.

  For a formation master with many spirit stones, one was virtually invincible.

  ***

  The 18th Hall Master was greatly flustered.

  He had barely felt relieved at the disappearance of the gravity spell—when flames suddenly poured down upon him as he calmly prepared his counterattack.

  Water, lightning, plant vines spewing venom, and an endless rain of blades followed in succession.

  The heart that had lamented the waste of the protective talisman had long vanished.

  Without it, who knew what would have happened.

  The talisman that had protected him for some time finally fell powerless to the ground.

  The high-grade Dharma Treasures he carried were all corroded or shattered.

  Fortunately, the attacks ceased.

  But something even more terrifying occurred.

  Something began to drain his spiritual power.

  What kind of sorcery was this?

  He could not believe it.

  At that moment, a flash of realization struck his mind.

  Damn it. It was a formation.

  He clenched his teeth.

  To think that this bastard had set up such a formation in his house. No— there was no way the bastard had set it up.

  It was not a formation that a mere Qi Refinement cultivator could deploy.

  Then who?

  Had that Pavilion Master of the Spiritual Agriculture Pavilion dug this trap to screw him over?

  Unlikely.

  For a moment, panic drove his thoughts in every direction, but he soon steadied himself.

  He had to think calmly.

  If this was a formation, there must be a life gate.

  No matter what, he had to break it.

  Confidently beginning to decipher it, the 18th Hall Master soon fell into despair.

  The formation was continuously transforming.

  Was such a thing even possible?

  He could not understand it at all.

  Was there perhaps a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator backing this brat?

  No, judging by the profundity of the formation, he would believe it even if a Core Formation cultivator stood behind him.

  Had he provoked the wrong person?

  But if so, why would such a person act as a mere functionary here?

  Perhaps… through some fortuitous encounter, he had obtained a Formation Plate of a Core Formation cultivator?

  The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

  Considering the profundity of the formation, his conviction deepened.

  A smile curved his lips.

  If so, this harvest would truly be abundant.

  The secret of spiritual herb cultivation, and even a Core Formation cultivator’s Formation Plate.

  He only needed to escape quickly, beat that bastard to death, and seize the items.

  You brought this upon yourself, so do not resent me.

  The formation’s attack power gradually waned.

  Now was the chance.

  With vicious eyes, he took out a black flag embroidered with a skull from his storage pouch.

  ***

  Through the transparent Baizi positioned on the ceiling, I observed the 18th Hall Master.

  He was in complete tatters.

  Blood flowed from his ears and nose due to the gravity.

  Half his hair had been burned away by fire, leaving him half-bald.

  His clothes were soaked through, and the remaining half of his hair stood on end from lightning.

  His entire body was riddled with wounds from blades that had come from all directions.

  Corroded and shattered Dharma Treasures lay scattered everywhere.

  As for Ha, there was no need to mention him.

  After being struck by the initial gravity attack, he had fallen unconscious.

  In that state, he had dropped into the earthen pit and been buried with only his head exposed.

  A rat trapped in a jar.

  As I laughed at their miserable state—my eyes widened upon seeing the flag the 18th Hall Master had taken out.

  What in the world was this?

  A black skull flag on a red background???

  It was an extremely familiar flag.

  A Hall Master of the Spirit Medicine Garden of a righteous human sect, using that flag?

  I was not surprised because a righteous cultivator was using a demonic Dharma Treasure.

  Though they cultivated orthodox methods, their humanity was no different from demonic cultivators.

  Righteous cultivators also killed without blinking, refined people into pills, and used ghosts as Dharma Treasures.

  But—in the case of that flag, the story was somewhat different.

  That was the starting item of the demonic sect Ghost Music Pavilion.

  In the game “Fresh Immortal,” each starting location was assigned an initial item.

  If one started in Rogue Cultivator Village, one received an identity jade token with the effect of a protective talisman.

  If one started in a cultivation clan, one received a Clear Heart Jade that resisted mental attacks.

  If one started in a cultivation sect, one received Three Purities Incense that smoothed the flow of qi.

  Such starting items were extremely useful and could be obtained through simple quests.

  In the cultivation village, for example, it was granted upon completing the Village Head’s errand.

  I carefully observed the flag the 18th Hall Master waved.

  Certain. It was the Ghost Refining Banner, authenticated by one of the rare demonic players.

  An item that could only be created by raising ghosts from childhood and nurturing them within one’s own soul.

  A growth-type item that grew alongside its user’s increasing strength, something I had once envied.

  As a natal Dharma Treasure fused with the soul, it could not be used even if stolen or seized.

  To think the 18th Hall Master would take out such a vicious object.

  It felt as though my head had been struck hard.

  The 18th Hall Master was certainly connected to the demonic path.

  After taking a deep breath, I bit my index finger.

  Since his identity was suspicious, I had to be even more cautious.

  At the core of the formation, golden characters rotated endlessly.

  I sprayed essence blood upon them.

  It was my first time using blood in this manner.

  Fortunately, the effect was extremely good.

  ***

  Holding and waving the Ghost Refining Banner, the 18th Hall Master grew increasingly alarmed at the accelerating depletion of his spiritual power.

  The mid-grade spirit stones in his hand rapidly dimmed.

  To think he would suffer calamity in such a place.

  He fed essence blood into the Ghost Refining Banner once more.

  The skull engraved on the flag opened its mouth wide and madly absorbed the essence blood.

  Though it was a ghost that had been with him since childhood, he felt no affection for it whatsoever.

  Damn it. Once this is over, I will need to recuperate for a while.

  Though the process was somewhat taxing, he did not believe he would lose.

  At best, that bastard was only a Stage 6 Qi Refinement cultivator.

  Even if he had obtained a good Formation Plate through a fortuitous encounter, there must be limits to the spirit stones he possessed.

  A Formation Plate far beyond one’s ability was nothing but a spirit-stone-devouring monster.

  Sooner or later, he would collapse from exhaustion.

  He only needed to endure with spirit stones until then and walk out leisurely.

  With a confident expression, he sat down cross-legged.

  The Ghost Refining Banner guarded around him.

  The skull attacked the suction force emitted by the formation.

  Now, it was a contest of whose spirit stones would run out first.

  Using spirit stones, he once more replenished his spiritual power.

  Seeing the hundred or so mid-grade spirit stones in his storage pouch, he felt immensely reassured.

  Leisure filled the 18th Hall Master’s face.

  ***

  I could guess what he was thinking.

  With a snort, I glanced at the mountain of mid-grade spirit stones piled beside me.

  Fine.

  Let us try a battle of resources.

  Long live capitalism, you bastard.

  After quite some time had passed—the 18th Hall Master collapsed with a face full of disbelief.

  The spirit stones he had carried had long since crumbled into powder and vanished.

  All spiritual power had been exhausted.

  Just how had this happened?

  He did not even have the strength to move a single finger.

  Above him, a gift prepared in advance descended.

  An attack formation in the shape of a net, engraved upon the ceiling.

  The lightning net emitted electricity.

  The 18th Hall Master rolled back his eyes, his entire body trembling before he fainted.

  The sight filled me with immense satisfaction.

  Baixuan, within the Subspace Ring, would surely be pleased as well.

  ***

  Ha struggled to open his sealed eyes.

  He could not even remember how he had fallen asleep.

  He was certain he had been doing something extremely important.

  As memory returned, he hurriedly tried to turn his head.

  Or rather, he tried to.

  His entire body was tightly bound by something.

  Forcing his trembling eyelids open, he saw the cultivator he had oppressed standing there, grinning.

  “Y-You bastard. Release me at once!”

  Hmm. He barked orders out of habit.

  For a mad dog, only a beating worked.

  I sent just a little— truly just a little— electricity through the lightning net wrapped around him.

  Startled by the sudden electric shock, he howled as tears and snot streamed down his face.

  Beside him, the exhausted 18th Hall Master was likewise bound in the lightning net.

  Beneath the chair, a siphoning formation that absorbed spiritual power had been installed.

  As such, there was no fear of him recovering and attacking me.

  So then, what should I do now?

  A good idea surfaced.

  They seemed quite close…

  I should seat them facing one another so they could confirm each other’s life and death.

  Comradeship blossoming amidst hardship, how nice.

  Though how long that affection would last was another matter.

  The 18th Hall Master’s eyelids twitched.

  It was obvious he had already awakened but was pretending to be unconscious.

  I sent him a slight jolt of electricity as well.

  Startled, he immediately opened his eyes.

  This was why modern people could not live without electricity.

  To deal with them without arousing suspicion, I needed foundational information.

  I made them an offer.

  “Now then, whichever of you provides more valuable information will be released. Begin!”

  Why not simply kill them and strip their souls?

  I had my reasons.

  I fixed my gaze upon their hesitant faces.

  From now on, kill each other.