Chapter 16: Shut Up and Listen
Following Xiao Nanfeng's urging, the other recruits all tried to leave the illusory realm—only to discover that they couldn't.
"Why can't we leave?"
"I can't get out, either."
"Damn it, isn't this supposed to be an illusion?"
The recruits continued trying to leave the illusion to no avail. The original zombie-like monsters slowly faded from sight in a puff of mist, leaving only the skeleton behind. It stood still and watched the recruits from a distance.
Frowning, Xiao Nanfeng stepped back. The others also tried to flee, but the skeleton seemed to have the ability to teleport within this realm. Within moments, it appeared by another recruit's side.
No one saw it move.
The recruit's eyes grew wide. He slammed his palms into the skeleton, causing it to tremble slightly, but not enough to stop its sharp claws from piercing through his chest.
"No, no! I don't want to die!" the unfortunate recruit cried out, vomiting blood, before falling to the ground paralyzed.
Had another person died?
His body turned into a faint mist, which the skeleton slowly absorbed.
The recruits hurriedly fled from the skeleton, frightened by its actions.
By now, there was a faint black aura hanging around the skeleton. It was expressionless and mute, but far more frightening than the zombies and evil monsters from before—the possibility of death seemed to loom over all the recruits.
"Did they really die?" one recruit asked, his face a mask of terror.
"Perhaps so, but isn't it more likely that they've left the illusion? This is the second round of the Taiqing sect's disciple recruitment process—how could anyone die?" Another recruit seemed to be desperately trying to convince himself of such a reality.
Those around him relaxed as well. That was true—what if this was just part of the trials?
"Would you bet on it?" Xiao Nanfeng called out coldly.
Everyone looked toward him.
"I don't know whether this is part of the trials myself, but I did watch them all die—and very painfully, at that. Furthermore, we're no longer able to leave the trial. Your hypothesis might be right, but what if these recruits really are dead? Would you bet on it?" Xiao Nanfeng repeated.
After having been imprisoned for a decade, Xiao Nanfeng didn't intend to leave his fate in anyone else's hands. Whether these deaths were real or fake, he had no intention of suffering through one.
The recruits who heard him swallowed a gulp of saliva. That was true—were they willing to bet on it? That they would be alright even if they were killed by the skeleton? What a joke!
The recruits shook their heads and looked warily at the skeleton.
"Let's work together and smash it apart!" someone cried out.
"Alright, together as one!" the others yelled back.
Dozens of recruits rushed the skeleton. No one had a weapon; they could only attack with their bare hands.
As a dozen punches and kicks struck the skeleton, it began to shake—but it was too strong for the unarmed recruits to contend with. Two more recruits were struck down within moments. They collapsed in a pool of blood.
"We can't let the skeleton keep killing us one by one! Everyone, keep fighting!" another recruit called out.
Before he could say more, however, the skeleton had pierced through his chest, causing him to collapse. It sucked up their ghostly remains as their bodies fell to the ground.
"No, we can't take it down! It's too strong! Run!" Several of the weaker-willed recruits were so scared that they tried to flee.
"No, don't!" Xiao Nanfeng countermanded. "You won't be able to outrun it."
After the skeleton finished sucking up the three dead recruits' remains, it flashed and appeared right by Xiao Nanfeng's side.
"Damn it!" Xiao Nanfeng cursed.
The skeleton's claws swiped at his chest.
In a moment of panic, Xiao Nanfeng willed his body to defend itself, invoking his spiritual power and manifesting a shield around his body as the claws struck him.
Instead of piercing his chest, the skeleton's claws struck the impenetrable barrier and flung him back with the momentum of the attack. Xiao Nanfeng fell to the ground, sweat drenching his back, shocked that he had survived the ordeal. When the skeleton had teleported to his side, he had thought himself about to die.
I can use spiritual power in this illusion?! That does make sense—my body here is just part of my consciousness! So I can control spiritual power with just my consciousness alone, and even use it to defend against what would be physical blows here? Xiao Nanfeng intuitively understood the basics of his abilities.
From rather close by, another scream rang out. The skeleton, stymied by Xiao Nanfeng, had flashed over to another target and killed him.
By then, the remaining recruits were in full-blown panic. Everyone tried to run, but the skeleton simply wasn't an opponent that could be escaped. It slaughtered one recruit after another.
At the same time, back in the real world, more and more disciples had gathered around Elder Ku.
"Another three have dead!"
"Another one over here, Elder Ku! What do we do? We can't let these talented recruits die here!"
"Quiet, all of you!" Zhao Yuanjiao, who had rushed into the square, shouted at the disciples.
Zhao Yuanjiao was only here to keep an eye out for Xiao Nanfeng, the 'demonic spy', not expecting that there would be such a big ruckus.
"All Taiqing disciples, guard the perimeter. Don't let anyone in or out of the vicinity!" Zhao Yuanjiao commanded.
"Understood!"
After everyone quieted down, Zhao Yuanjiao turned back to Elder Ku and waited for him to explain the situation.
"I can't deal with the illusion at the moment. Their mental worlds should all be connected by now. They must have encountered—-no, no! These recruits don't even have any spiritual power. How they fare will be entirely up to their luck." Elder Ku seemed about to continue, but he stopped short and sighed instead.
"An-Another death!" a voice shouted from afar.
Within the illusion, more and more recruits were dying no matter how they ran. Terror overwhelmed them all—what were they to do? Eight of them had already perished!
"Everyone, gather by my side!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.
Xiao Nanfeng's command was like a life preserver that had been thrown toward them as they drowned. Some listened to him without any hesitation, but others frowned. Xiao Nanfeng was a recruit just like them—why would they listen to him?
"If you don't want to die, get over here now! I can help you live!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.
Xiao Nanfeng didn't explain anything. He understood that everyone's minds were fatigued and near collapse—they wouldn't be able to take in an explanation. All he needed to do was issue forceful commands to get their attention.
Xiao Nanfeng wasn't confident that he would be able to rescue everyone, but he knew he had to give off that impression for others to believe him.
Finally, upon hearing his second command, the remaining holdouts all charged toward Xiao Nanfeng.
While they did so, another recruit died to the skeleton, but they all still ran toward him, hoping that he really did have a solution.
Xiao Nanfeng himself had had no choice but to make such a move—the skeleton seemed to be growing stronger with every recruit it killed, and it would eventually target him again. His spiritual power was limited and wouldn't allow him to defend against the skeleton for long. Before everyone perished, he had to get them to work together to combat the threat.
"Do you really have a plan?"
"You're not lying to us, are you?"
"What do you need us to do?"
Everyone looked toward Xiao Nanfeng.
"Listen up!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.
His attitude had to be firm and incontrovertible, or everyone would end up mired in an argument.
As expected, given his attitude, everyone shut up and looked toward him with hope.
"I don't know how to get out, but if we want to live, we have to work together and take down that skeleton," Xiao Nanfeng began.
Everyone blanched. They had tried it once, but it was fruitless. They were about to dissent when Xiao Nanfeng shouted again, "Silence! That skeleton is clearly not invincible. When we attacked it just now, its body shook. All of you will focus on holding its limbs in place while I attack its body and take it apart!"
"But—" Others still seemed to harbor doubts.
"If you don't want to die, obey my commands!" Xiao Nanfeng interrupted, without giving them the chance to finish.
Once again, Xiao Nanfeng's steadfast and domineering attitude forced everyone to calm down. He sounded confident in himself, far more than the others did—could this plan really succeed?
The skeleton suddenly flashed before them.
"Strike!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.
"Even if I have to die, I'll drag this monster down with me!"
"I don't want to die! I'll fight for my life!"
"Damn it, I haven't even started my journey of cultivation! I can't die just yet!"
Resolved, the group of recruits pounced toward the skeleton.
The skeleton's sharp claws pierced through one recruit's chest, but no one shrank back.
Everyone grabbed ahold of the skeleton's limbs and head and held on with a deathly grip, even the recruit whose chest had been pierced. Despite the blood dripping from his mouth, he held on tightly and refused to let go.
The twenty remaining recruits also held onto it with their lives, allowing Xiao Nanfeng to rush forward and punch its collarbone. Strong though he was, Xiao Nanfeng wasn't able to do any damage to it. He squeezed the skeleton's neck with both hands, but to no avail.
The skeleton began struggling more and more violently.
"I-I can't hold on much longer! This skeleton is monstrously strong!"
Xiao Nanfeng began infusing spiritual power into his palms. No one noticed that Xiao Nanfeng's palms were brimming with blue light.
"Break!" Xiao Nanfeng's palms flared as all his spiritual power surged out through his palms.
With a huge crack, everyone saw the skeleton's neck break.
The recruit holding onto the skeleton's head fell to the ground with a thump.
"What? It really broke?!" she yelled out excitedly.
"We succeeded!" everyone shouted, cheering.
As the rest of the skeleton's body fell to the ground, so did they—in case it were to return to life.
Suddenly, the skeleton transformed into a wisp of black smoke that slowly dissipated through the air.
Everyone sensed the illusory realm breaking down. The next thing they knew, they were blinking their eyes. They had returned to reality.
They fell to the ground, paralyzed.
"We really escaped, we really did!" the recruits cheered.
"Elder Ku, they've all awoken!" one Taiqing disciple called out.
"Have we really?" Xiao Nanfeng collapsed to the ground, his limbs weak and his face pale.
Was what they had experienced truly real?
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