Chapter 430 - 411: Eldest Senior Brother! I Did It!!

Chapter 430: Chapter 411: Eldest Senior Brother! I Did It!!

A step forward was a demon’s den, a step back was hell itself.

’Since they were both traps, he might as well take things as they came. At least this trap seemed more lucrative.’

Only by staying alive would he have a chance to go home.

These were Lu Ping’s true thoughts.

But to Su Ling’er’s ears, these words took on a completely different meaning.

’So... he still can’t bear to part with this demonic sect’s so-called "immortal destiny," can he?’

The last shred of hope in her heart was extinguished, leaving only gray defeat and disappointment.

She had thought that someone who could reach the eightieth step, someone who could face their own Heart Demon head-on, would at least be able to see the truth of the matter and choose to walk away.

But in the end, he was just another poor soul blinded by power.

’So be it...’

’A person with such a resolute Dao heart... if he could be put to use by Senior Brother, perhaps... he could serve a greater purpose in this den of demons.’

"Suit yourself."

Su Ling’er tossed out the two words and, without another glance at him, turned her attention back to the sky-piercing ladder.

...

By now, the Asking Dao Ladder was a scene of wailing and shrieking.

The newcomers who had previously swarmed up the ladder, their minds clouded by greed, were now acting out a vivid tableau of the Night Parade of Hundred Demons.

One man had barely set foot on the second step before his face filled with rapture. He danced for joy, muttering to himself as if he had already become emperor, ruling over a vast domain.

Another, upon reaching the fifth step, suddenly clutched his head and scrambled away, tears and snot streaming down his face. He kowtowed frantically to the empty steps, screaming, "Don’t eat me!" and "I was wrong!"

The farthest anyone got was the thirty-second step, where they could go no further. A dopey smile hung on their face. "Gold... It’s all mine... The beauties... they’re mine too... Hehehe..."

The entire Asking Dao Ladder, from bottom to top, was strewn with bodies lying every which way.

Weeping, laughing, raving, mad—it was a gallery of grotesques.

Compared to the mortals who had yet to shed their worldly ties, the undercover agents fared slightly better. With mental fortitude and willpower far beyond that of ordinary people, most managed to climb past the twentieth step. But the higher they went, the greater the pressure of confronting the deepest fears and desires of their hearts, and eventually, they too could only struggle to endure within the illusion.

"HUMMM—"

The white jade ladder emitted a soft hum.

Pillars of soft light descended from the sky, enveloping the newcomers who had collapsed in the illusion and infusing them with a negligible amount of Spiritual Qi.

Then, their figures on the ladder grew faint. An instant later, they were sent down by an unseen force, landing on the platform with a series of THUDS.

Most of them kept their eyes shut, wanting to remain lost in the Heart Demon Illusion Realm. Only a few with stronger wills slowly came to their senses.

Those who awoke were dazed at first, but they soon felt a faint yet tangible warm current within them—a change wrought by the Spiritual Qi from the Asking Dao Ladder tempering their physical bodies.

Though negligible, for a mortal, it was a complete rebirth.

Gradually, the others also broke free from the illusion’s hold. As much as they wanted to sink back into it, they couldn’t.

Fear and greed waged a fierce war in their hearts.

Just then, Su Ling’er’s voice washed over them. "Awake now?"

’She glanced around at the people sprawled across the ground, wondering how she could provoke them into scrambling back down the mountain.’

’I’ve got it!’

Her hand swept over the failures on the ground, who were still drooling and muttering nonsense. Then, she pointed to Lu Ping, standing silently to the side.

"Look at the pathetic state you’re in!"

"Now, look at him!"

"You all climbed the same ladder. He was able to face his true self, and even when he finally succumbed to his Heart Demon, it wasn’t until the eightieth step! And he achieved Foundation Establishment in a single stroke! And what about you?!"

Su Ling’er’s voice suddenly sharpened, every word a hammer blow to their hearts.

"Wine and women! Wealth and fame! Splendor and riches! Brothers turning on each other! Families torn apart!"

"Your Heart Demons are nothing more than the petty filth and obsessions of the mortal world! With such pathetic aspirations, you dare to dream of defying heaven, changing your fate, and seeking eternal life?!"

"What a pipe dream!"

She strode into the center of the crowd, looking down on their terrified and ashamed faces.

"I’m telling you, if you want to stay here, you’d better think long and hard about whether you can make it to the very end!"

"Or will you become cultivation fodder for others along the way? Will you become next season’s fertilizer for the sect’s grounds? A vengeful soul bound to the Magical Artifacts of your senior brothers and sisters? A piece of meat in the jaws of some exotic beast!"

"Ask yourselves, do you dare to face all of this?! Are you prepared to struggle against heaven and fight against your fellow man?!"

Her words were vicious, scathing, and yet undeniably true.

They had faced the desires they’d craved their entire lives within their Heart Demons. Now, they recalled the head rolling across the training grounds and the glaring bloodstains outside the Artifact Refining Pavilion.

The greed that had sprouted from the small benefits they’d received was utterly consumed by boundless fear.

Some of the newcomers’ faces turned ashen, and their bodies began to tremble.

’Immortal destiny? To hell with immortal destiny!’

’Those treasures of gold and silver and those beautiful women from my Heart Demon are much more my style! What was I thinking, wanting to pursue Cultivation?’

’Aren’t beautiful women more appealing? Or do I have too much money and nowhere to spend it? With my level of aptitude, after spending my whole family fortune just to seek immortality, how far could I really get? I’d be better off spending that money on what matters. At least then I could live this life in comfort.’

As for the others—especially those who had seen themselves crowned kings and emperors in the illusion—though they too were afraid, the temptation of soaring to the heavens in a single step still gnawed at their hearts.

They looked at Lu Ping, then back at themselves, their eyes filled with resentment and wishful thinking.

’He did it, so why can’t I? Maybe someone else will be the one to get into trouble, and I’ll be able to slip by? At least I’d get a little further, right? After all, a chance to join a hidden grand sect like this doesn’t come along every day!’

Su Ling’er took in everyone’s reactions and sneered inwardly.

"If you want to get the hell down this mountain right now, get to my left!"

"If you want to stay and continue your little daydream, then stay right where you are and don’t move a muscle!"

The moment she finished speaking.

"WHOOSH—"

The crowd erupted into motion.

More than two hundred people scrambled and crawled toward Su Ling’er’s left. That way lay the beautiful scenery of the mortal world; staying put meant a mountain of blades and a sea of fire.

They squeezed together in a heap. Some even fell in their haste, only to be trampled mercilessly by those behind them.

In the space of a few breaths, the platform was clearly divided.

On the left were over two hundred shell-shocked newcomers.

On the right were the remaining hundred or so people. Among them were the various undercover agents, forced to stay due to their own restrictions, as well as the gamblers, their eyes clouded by greed and wishful thinking.

Su Ling’er looked at the flock of "saved" lambs on her left, her heart swelling with a sense of accomplishment.

’Senior Brother! I did it!!!’

’All by myself, I snatched over two hundred lives right out of this den of demons!’

’Even though my Spirit Stones... aaaahhh! But... being able to complete the task Senior Brother gave me... what are a few measly Spirit Stones in comparison?!’

’For Senior Brother! For saving innocent lives! Spending these Spirit Stones... I’m willing!!!’