Time was short, and the crowd was shrinking toward the center, like cattle being herded, while the pressure of the Soul Formation cultivators weighed on everyone like an invisible mountain.
Receiving the pressure of a powerful cultivator was a horrible sensation. Vision blurred, the heart raced in a frantic rhythm, the head felt on the verge of exploding, the knees weakened, and the whole body gave the impression of carrying an immense weight.
The greater the intensity and malice in the aura, the harsher the symptoms. Some powerful cultivators could even kill the weaker ones with their pressure alone. It was a death by mental collapse, since the pressure caused no physical damage — unless it was mixed with spiritual energy, turning into a real attack.
But among nearly a million people who sweated and ground their teeth in terror, there were 11 exceptional figures who seemed not to be targets of that pressure at all.
They were the 10 avatars and Lei Yun.
The latter observed the 10 elders with curiosity and admiration.
'Strange… even if they belong to a great power, they shouldn't be indifferent to such overwhelming pressure. Even I feel difficulty, since my cultivation realm is weak now. If not for my Mahayana mentality, I wouldn't be able to remain this calm… so how do they manage it?'
Doubt flashed in Lei Yun's eyes as he stared at the mysterious men who had offered to recruit him.
'It can't be that these ten also perished in their attempt to ascend to immortality and were reincarnated like me, right?' Questions hovered in his mind, but he soon shook his head discreetly, imagining he was overthinking.
Meanwhile, Aotian was also impressed by the boy, though suspicious.
'What's with this guy? I can handle the pressure because I share it among hundreds of minds, with seven at Void Refinement. But what about him? It can't be that I've run into another reincarnator with a system, right? Ugh… I hope not. I've always hated that kind of story — and in real life, it's even worse.'
He thought with some repulsion and caution, but didn't believe it much. He quickly discarded the idea, though he kept the boy under observation.
In a way, both were right, but also wrong. The two were indeed reincarnators, but Aotian was of the more powerful kind… a xianxia reader with a system, while the other was merely a native.
As the two — or rather, the 11 — evaluated each other, the pressure increased and Aotian noticed that the slave seals were about to be implanted.
Some people, in desperation, tried to flee, but were cruelly crushed into paste by the cultivators of the 12 powers without mercy. It was the classic act of killing the chicken to scare the monkey.
Soon, the implantation of seals began.
The crowd was funneled forward, where enemies handed out talismans and forced people to activate them.
As soon as the cultivator's own energy activated the talisman, instead of manifesting an external technique, it fired a spell inside the body. Since it was fueled by the victim's own energy, the spell passed through without resistance.
This spell created a micro-bomb of compressed, unstable energy inside the Dantian. All it took was a specific frequency — the activation password — to make it explode, shattering the Dantian to pieces. Any attempt to directly manipulate the bomb also detonated it, making harmless dismantling nearly impossible.
The worst part was that the talisman was always adjusted to cultivation stages above that of the bearer, sometimes even a whole realm higher. This made it impossible for the cultivator to resist with their own weaker energy. Since the bomb was created inside the Dantian itself, the chances of preventing its explosion were practically zero.
This was the lowest quality slave seal Aotian had ever heard of from Rihai. It was easy to lose control and kill the victim, and even cultivation breakthroughs could trigger detonation due to abrupt changes in the Dantian. Still, it was the most practical method for crowds, since it only required a crude talisman to quickly apply the seal.
Aotian, with his superb control over spiritual energy, could even collapse or disarm the bomb before it was fully formed. But whoever held the activation frequency of the bombs could also sense them. If the bomb didn't form, the enemy wouldn't sense it — and he would be exposed.
The result wasn't much different from what he had expected:
[Mission: Disarm the Bomb
…
Danger Level: Fatal]
Thus, the process continued, and those who had bombs created inside their bodies moved aside, resigned. Their only chance to regain freedom, advance their cultivation again one day, or simply live out their current lifespan, was to obey the orders of those who now controlled their fates.
As the front cleared when the seals were implanted, the pressure the enemy cultivators placed on the rear increased, forcing everyone forward.
Aotian's face grew dark at the scene.
'They are really treating everyone like cattle,' he thought, feeling anger grow in his gaze, but soon restrained himself.
Fortunately, he was using the face of Bao Wuji, who was rushing at full speed through space rifts, to show the reactions in his heart, avoiding his main body from displaying them.
The 10 avatars and Lei Yun, who were farther back, walked slowly forward, following the flow. But up to that point, Aotian didn't see how he would avoid receiving the bomb and enter the mountain calmly through his interaction with Lei Yun, as the mission had said.
When they were about to reach the front of the crowd and receive the seals, anxiety began to creep into Aotian. However, upon noticing Lei Yun's calmness, he could only wait.
What he didn't know was that Lei Yun had only one method to escape the seal: to do exactly what Aotian intended. Disarm the bomb before it reached the Dantian and then simulate the emitted frequency so it wouldn't be detected that the bomb had never been created.
He relied only on his experience and knowledge of such seals, but he was at most 60% confident. His plan depended on the chaos of the crowd and the lack of detailed inspection in order to fake it without being noticed.
Aotian, on the other hand, had never had contact with such seals, which didn't exist in the desert continents, and not even in the treasure pavilion of the Beiyan continent he had previously visited were any found. He had only heard of them from Rihai, when they talked about the emissary sects.
Unfortunately, she didn't know any of these seals nor had she had direct contact with them, since she was very young when she arrived in the desert. Moreover, if she really had known any, he would already have acquired that knowledge through the system's feedback.
Perhaps, even without an example to draw from, he could decipher the seal on the spot using his solid foundation and his numerous minds, but that would put 10 avatars at risk simultaneously if he failed. And he wasn't willing to gamble that high.
The mission also made it very clear what the chances were, since it continued to mark it as fatal. Perhaps there was a chance it could work, but it was extremely low.
Seeing the people ahead receiving the seal, the space opening up, and the gazes of the enemy cultivators falling on them, Aotian's mouth, in his main body, twitched, and he began to doubt the mission.
Lei Yun also wore a grim look.
But just as they were about to take a step forward, resigned, a hooded figure suddenly appeared, moving in front of them and placing herself ahead, shielding the 11 behind her.
'No… this person is protecting Lei Yun, and we just happen to be nearby. Could it be…' Aotian's eyes, in his main body, shone faintly with a certain possibility.
Doubt filled the gazes of those nearby at the scene, confused as to why someone would seem so eager to be enslaved, even cutting in line to go first.
But the next words, spoken in a firm female voice from beneath the hood, without any hesitation or lowering of tone, truly shocked all who heard them.
"You of the 12 clans really have no shame in breaking the treaty?"
The young master in white who had started the day's chaos, Fang Shaotian, fanned himself calmly with his fan while savoring the helplessness, the hidden rage, and the fear in the crowd's eyes. However, upon hearing those words, his eyes widened and he flew into a fury.
"Audacious, how dare a mangy dog like you—" he cursed, turning toward the source of the voice.
At that very moment, the owner of the voice pulled back the black hood covering her head, revealing long green hair and a stunning beauty.
Her deep, cold green gaze locked onto Fang Shaotian, who immediately choked on his words upon recognizing her.
"Mu Luyin?!" he gasped, stumbling back a step.
The other young masters also looked at her with a certain fear, but, feeling the aura of their ancestors, regained their composure.
Feng Tianfei, the red-clad girl who had mocked Fang Shaotian earlier despite being on the same side, stepped forward with a solemn expression as she stared at the green-haired young woman.
"Mu Luyin, what are you doing here? The Mu family refused to join our alliance, foolishly clinging to the past. You are not welcome here." Her voice was heavy and laced with dissatisfaction, and her gaze betrayed hidden hatred toward the young woman, even as she declared with dominance, lifting her chin proudly.
The green-haired young woman looked at her with disinterest and even disdain in her striking eyes of the same color.
"Since when could the affairs of my Mu family be discussed by any random cat or dog? Feng Tianfei, you'd best watch your words. Your clans together may be strong, but the Mu family is not something any of you should dare treat lightly. Today, I, Mu Luyin, wish to enter the Shadowfallen Burial Mountain, and I want to see who dares stop me." Her voice carried domination, and in her cold eyes there was neither fear nor doubt.
Feng Tianfei gnashed her teeth at the cruel mockery, about to shout, but her expression suddenly shifted, as if receiving a message. Her face grew cold again, but in her now-calm red eyes an intense malice surfaced.
She stepped aside and smiled disdainfully.
"In that case, you may pass, princess. How could we ever place a slave seal on the noble young lady of the Mu family or block her path?" Her voice dripped with falseness and venom as she moved back, opening the way.
Mu Luyin cast her a frosty glance and then turned to Lei Yun with a small smile.
"Brother Yun, let's go, no one will dare cause trouble with me here." She winked at him, and the cold temperament from before seemed to vanish like an illusion.
Lei Yun looked at the young woman with a complicated expression before sighing and nodding.
"Luyin, they're with me. Will that be a problem?" He pointed at the 10 men beside him, who were watching everything with curiosity, as though it were just a spectacle and not an issue capable of igniting the flames of war across the entire continent.
She cast a curious glance at the men, questioning inwardly what they might have that could draw the attention of her powerful Brother Yun, but she didn't dwell on the thought and simply nodded.
Aotian, far from that continent, sighed quietly in relief at seeing the immediate great problem resolved.
But at the same time, he felt that matters within the Shadowfallen Burial Mountain had just become much more complicated.