NOVEL NEXT Chapter 78: Li Ling's Test
When Luo Roumei came to, she found that she was lying on a rather average jade bed made for cultivation. It was a special creation that most sect disciples used to enhance their cultivation practice when outside of their normal cultivation chambers, and she herself had a few in her void ring.
However, she only spent a few seconds thinking like this before her groggy mind snapped into attention, remembering the horror that she witnessed before losing consciousness. Almost instinctively, she raised a hand to her forehead and felt nothing there physically, but she could almost feel her hand being burned by the slave seal.
Indeed, she looked into her sea of consciousness and saw a giant 'M' symbol hovering above it, covering everything below and suppressing all her thoughts, memories and power. If she even thought about hurting Li Ling or harming his interests, the 'automated' program in the giant 'M' would smash down and cause her intense pain to deter her.
This realization made her purse her pale pink lips, but she still managed to push herself up into a seated position after acknowledging that she was not injured or really harmed, whatever aftereffects of the forced enslavement having worn off.
That made her wonder the next obvious thing, which was how much time had elapsed since she had gone unconscious? And on top of that, where exactly had she been brought to?
Her current environ was the interior of a simple courtyard with basic features and very minimalist design, easily recognizable to her as a Portable Courtyard from a grade 2 talisman. This likely meant that she was in a place that was either an outpost or temporary camp for some force that was on an expedition.
Thinking fast, Luo Roumei could easily put two and two together, but the more she thought about it, the more she found it unbelievable. Not only had she been kidnapped and enslaved, but her slave master brought her into an active warzone or place of conflict!
Like Cai Dong before her and like Bai Ruyi almost constantly, Luo Roumei wondered just what kind of thought process Li Ling had and why it was so different from the average person?
With pursed lips, she got up and opened the door, coming into the courtyard to see Li Ling seated at a table with another Six Paths Demon Sect disciple who had laid out a big map before her captor, the two of them casually discussing the details on it.
When both men raised their heads to look at her, their eyes lit up for different reasons. Li Ling's guest, who was a young man with fairly average features and a slightly overweight build, saw Luo Roumei's exotic disposition and slim build, his eyes displaying desire unabashedly.
Meanwhile, Li Ling seemed less interested in her body but in something else. Frankly, she felt more disgusted and fearful from Li Ling's look than what that other demonic sect disciple gave her.
"Wow, Junior Brother Li, I did not know you had such an exotic slave! You must be living it up good!" The other fellow remarked with a greedy look.
Li Ling chuckled. "Senior Brother Pang, I just captured her to liven up my life during the off time. If you want one like her, head to the Qing Shan sect region, her entire clan is hidden there and you might be able to snag one for yourself."
Luo Roumei felt alarm at Li Ling's words, but luckily Pang Wen shook his head rapidly. "Tsk, no way! We are mere Path Walkers while the Qing Shan Sect has Nascent Soul elders and above. Trying to steal such a protected group from under their noses would be courting death!"
Li Ling laughed slightly. "That's exactly what is interesting about it!"
Pang Wen glanced at Li Ling askance with disdain. "Typical of you crazy Asura Blood fellows!"
Li Ling did not comment, simply smiling casually. In the end, Pang Wen only offered a few more words before taking his leave, granting Li Ling and Luo Roumei time alone in this assigned courtyard.
Immediately, Luo Roumei asked what was on her mind. "Why did you capture me?"
Li Ling remained seated without even looking at her. "That's none of your business. Just sit there and wait for me to return, then you will know what I have in mind for you."
Luo Roumei was not satisfied with this. Her mind was still playing the scene of her fellow apprentice brothers and sister being killed like cattle to the slaughter, and no matter how she tried to parse it logically, she simply couldn't understand why Li Ling would do such a thing.
"Then why kill the others? If you want to seize me for whatever purpose, not only would they have to agree given your superior strength, but the sect might also acquiesce to it in order to smoothen relations with you." Luo Roumei argued with a frown.
Li Ling forked a finger over at her. "Come over here and look at this."
Despite being ignored, she was not stupid enough to rebel at this time to give Li Ling a chance to punish her to make an example, so she obediently walked over and looked at the map spread out on the table.
It was the geographical map of the nearby Black Heaven Region, which was occupied by the peak low rank Black Heaven Sect which had cultivators up to the Core Formation stage - which was their ancestor - along with one mortal empire, three mortal kingdoms and five smaller sects that barely had Foundation Establishment realm leaders at the head.
Luo Roumei noted that the size of the entire mini region would not even match one-tenth of the Qing Shan sect's controlled region, much less the parts of it still under the control of the wild. She had no knowledge of this Black Heaven Sect or their crime, but looking at it and remembering what the Six Paths Demon Sect did, she immediately understood the overall situation.
'Another group about to be slaughtered… those poor mortals…' She thought grimly.
A War of Annihilation did not care about casus belli, logic, innocence, neutral parties or whatever mitigating factor. This was a war to turn everything in the marked area into blood and ash, becoming nutrients for the demonic sect disciples to grow and to establish the fearsome reputation of the sect itself on its vassals.
Li Ling pointed at the map and gestured over it. "The war has just started. Based on your speculations, where would the most intense fighting start from and where would be the place to farm easy kills, and why?"
Luo Roumei frowned, but under the pressure of the slave seal, she did not dare remain silent nor did she dare to lie. "The heaviest fighting always begins where the most precious resource areas are. No sect can ensure that its spirit stone mines and medicine gardens stay within its core borders because there will always be new treasure lands discovered around."
"The Black Heaven Sect understands that it cannot negotiate with the Six Paths Demon Sect for leniency, it can only struggle as much as it can and find a path of survival amidst the chaos, which means that a prolonged siege is necessary. To that end, they will dispatch the fiercest defenses to these resource areas as they will be needed to keep them on their feet and able to fight back."
Luo Roumei then pointed to the smaller sects. "Whereas the easiest points of breakthrough are the smaller sects. Most of these are founded by rogue cultivators with some realm looking to settle down and start a legacy, hoping it can grow in the future. Some are also expelled disciples from the outer sect of larger sects who establish smaller branch forces that may or may not be recognized by the larger sect."
"Their cultivation methods are inferior, the daoist arts are inferior, their artifacts, talismans, pills and everything else are far inferior to sect disciples of the Black Heaven Sect, much less of your Six Paths Demon Sect. They are basically prime targets for those seeking merits." Luo Roumei concluded with a sigh.
Yet, Li Ling didn't seem impressed, rather glancing over at her with a strange smile. "Oh? And what about the mortal territories?"
Luo Roumei froze slightly, unable to easily square her expression like before. "The mortal territories are not as valuable since they are not regarded as threats, but as resources. Most of the weaker Path Walkers among your group would opt for them in order to gather resources at the lower end for a quick growth, but a Path Walker of your caliber would be better off seeking merits from cultivator kills."
Luo Roumei knew it was futile since it was inevitable that all those mortals would be brutally killed and harvested, she did not want to be a contributor to it, so she only mentioned the cultivators since - regardless of whether they were innocent or not - they were at least combatants who could put up a fight.
But it was clear Li Ling had seen through her.
Li Ling laughed mockingly. "Haha, such a soft heart. In fact, let's do something interesting. If you come along with me and slaughter an entire mortal kingdom with your full power, I will not only let you go, but I will also come back with you to your sect for trial."
He then looked her in the eyes. "Do you dare to accept?"
"Yes! I accept!" Luo Roumei answered without hesitation, her expression firm.
For the first time, Li Ling's smile faltered. With a cold frown and raised eyebrows, he naturally pointed out the flaw. "I thought you were of the righteous faction? Also, you are Spirit Human, one whose nature is to be benevolent to the weak as you are in harmony with nature. Can you really stomach the act of killing innocents?"
Luo Roumei remained staunch even as she spoke. "Righteous does not mean naive. No matter how kind my heart is, can it encompass the whole world? If I were to kneel before your sect and before the mortals to be spared, would anyone heed me?"
"As such, since their fate is to suffer injustice, I might as well be the executioner because I at least will let their souls rest in peace after death. Not to mention, through it, I will regain my own freedom, where I can continue to perpetuate benevolent acts across the realm, on top of being able to bring you, a great demon in the making, to justice before you can become a terror upon all sentient beings!"
Her words were so powerful that even Li Ling almost felt moved. However, the part he took away from it was that indeed, cultivators were the most selfish creatures. It was a pipe dream to truly find a righteous sect disciple who was like an American superhero that wanted to save everyone regardless of the danger.
This was the cultivation world!
In trying to save others, you might even be harmed by those that you helped, dying an unjust death filled with resentment and hatred.
Li Ling sighed deeply and rolled up the map, placing it in his void ring. "Your cultivation is unsealed, but pretend like it has been sealed. You should know suppression and sealing techniques yourself. Your job is to wear the sexiest and most alluring piece of garments you own and walk around the outpost as if I have sent you on an errand, attracting as many covetous eyes on you as possible."
"If anyone inevitably tries to assault you, repel those you can't beat and capture those you can. When I come back, the number of captives you have accumulated will decide how lenient I will be with you when it's time to get started." Li Ling stated ominously before seemingly disappearing from Luo Roumei's field of view, having left.
As for Luo Roumei, she pursed her lips once again and complained under her breath.
"But… I don't have any sexy garments…"