At that moment, Su Ling'er was also completely dumbfounded.
'What... What is with this old Daoist?'
'Has he lost his mind? Why is he calling everyone he sees "mom"?'
'And... do I... do I really look that old? I'm still a pure, unmarried maiden!'
She stared blankly at the old Daoist, momentarily unsure how to respond.
The old Daoist dropped to his knees with a THUD, repeatedly shouting "Mama!" as he raised his hands and started crawling toward Su Ling'er. She, in turn, kept backing away, unable to avoid him fast enough.
'What is going on?'
'Can't this old Daoist see that I'm younger than him?'
'No, wait. You can't judge a Cultivator's age simply by their appearance...'
'But that's not right either. I haven't reached Foundation Establishment, nor have I taken any pills to preserve my youth. My lifespan is no different from a mortal's.'
'A head of fluffy, messy hair, eyes as swollen as fish bladders, and a mouth full of beard... How could I possibly have given birth to someone who looks like you!'
'Are the people in this sect all this terrifying? Claiming kinship with everyone they meet? This is horrible!'
Su Ling'er quickly replied, "Have you mistaken me for someone else? I really don't know you."
This only made the old Daoist more excited. "You answered me! I... URK—!"
Beside them, Lin Qingfeng's face had turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He sent the old man flying with a single kick.
His sense of accomplishment from finally tricking someone into joining was completely ruined by this weirdo who had popped out of nowhere!
'He's definitely here to ruin the show!'
'That's right, he must be a spy sent by the Dawa Sect next door! How could our Guixi Sect have such an outrageous person!'
"Who the hell are you? What group are you with? Trying to pull a scam on our Guixi Sect?"
After kicking the man, Lin Qingfeng stood in front of Su Ling'er.
"You're the one pulling a scam! This is my long-lost... URK!"
"Long-lost my ass! Why don't you take a good look at yourself in a mirror! Get lost!"
Before Su Ling'er could even react, Lin Qingfeng sent the old Daoist flying again with another kick.
Then, he instantly raised his right hand, his fingers swiping through the empty air.
"Don't worry, Junior Sister. I could tell at a glance he was a spy from the Dawa Sect. I'll take care of him right now!"
But in Su Ling'er's eyes, Eldest Brother hadn't used any Technique, formed any hand seals, or even generated a single ripple of Spiritual Power!
He had just kicked the mad old Daoist twice and swiped his fingers carelessly through the air a few times.
And just like that.
Before everyone's eyes, the old Daoist dissolved into motes of light and vanished into thin air, not even leaving ash behind!
Su Ling'er's breath caught in her throat.
'That old Daoist... is dead?'
'Dead just because he might have mistaken someone for his relative? He just called out to the wrong person!'
'What if... What if he really did know an elder of mine I've never met, and lost his composure because he saw my resemblance to them?'
'To just kill someone like that... isn't that far too rash?!'
Her lips trembled as she couldn't help but ask in a small voice, "Eldest Brother... that man just now... he's..."
Lin Qingfeng replied dismissively, "Oh, keeping people like him around is just asking for trouble. I was simply enforcing justice and cleaning house."
A chill ran through her heart as she looked at Lin Qingfeng.
The anger on his face hadn't fully subsided, but it was overshadowed by a look of indifference.
Recalling how casually he had killed his fellow sect members earlier, Su Ling'er's heart seized with fear.
'This truly is a demonic slaughterhouse where human life is treated as worthless!'
Lin Qingfeng noticed Su Ling'er's deathly pale face and her eyes, wide with terror. His heart sank.
'Crap, did that old Daoist really scare this NPC that badly? Don't tell me I've given her some kind of trauma.'
He quickly cleared his throat twice, trying to salvage the situation.
"Don't be afraid, Junior Sister. As I just said, that person was a spy from another sect sent to cause trouble. He was not a good person. Our Guixi Sect is upright and righteous, a prestigious and proper sect. We would never kill the innocent indiscriminately!"
"I just... uh, expelled him from the sect. Don't worry your head about it."
To Su Ling'er, every word of this explanation was the most venomous sarcasm.
'The man dissolved into motes of light, and you say you don't kill the innocent indiscriminately?'
'You turned two of your own sect members into a mist of blood earlier, and that's not indiscriminate killing?'
'And this talk of a "spy"...'
'This isn't an explanation. It's a blatant threat!'
'He's warning me! He's using that old Daoist's fate to tell me:'
'If you are a spy, this will be your end!'
Fear instantly overwhelmed her.
Just then, the hushed discussions of the other players around them clearly reached her ears, carried by her own lingering Spiritual Power.
"Eldest Brother is so badass! He knew it was one of the 'Dawa guys' at a glance!"
"Exactly! That bunch of assholes loves pulling this kind of stuff!"
"Looked to me like an idea from 'Go Xuezhang's' sect. That move by 'Go Xuezhang' is way too dirty."
"Dirty!"
"So dirty!"
'Dawa? Dog's Blood?'
'What are these names? Are they some kind of code, or... are they the names of those Evil Cultivator sects?'
'So, the Guixi Sect has more than one enemy!'
'This Cultivation World is crawling with more than one monstrous beast, all coveting and infiltrating one another.'
'An evil sect named "Dawa," and another that sounded ominous, "Dog's Blood"... A terrifying blueprint of demonic sects slowly unfolded in her mind.'
Seeing the color drain further from Su Ling'er's face, Lin Qingfeng could only brace himself and continue to soothe her.
"In short, Junior Sister, don't overthink it. Our sect is very normal. We don't have any of that messy business."
"Just remember to be loyal to our sect, and we will not treat you unfairly!"
The moment he finished speaking, the unexpected happened.
From the crowd, a player suddenly took on a solemn expression, shot his hands above his head, and bellowed:
"ELDEST BROTHER IS OUR SUN!!!"
This gesture, this slogan, was like a signal.
Instantly, all the Guixi Sect disciples in the square copied the gesture, their voices roaring like a tsunami, deafeningly loud.
"ELDEST BROTHER IS OUR SUN!!!"
"ELDEST BROTHER IS OUR SUN!!!"
"LOYALTY!!!"
"LOYALTY!!!"
"LOYALTY!!!"
Su Ling'er trembled, startled by the sudden spectacle.
'Is this... some kind of bizarre ritual?'
She looked at the fanatical faces around her, at their hands raised to the sky, and she was now absolutely certain she had fallen into a place a hundred times more terrifying than any demonic sect described in storybooks.
'Here, even the slightest display of individuality could get you killed.'
On the surface, she could only pretend to be naive, mimicking them by raising her hands and forcing out the word.
"Loy... Loyalty..."
Seeing Su Ling'er catch on so quickly, Lin Qingfeng breathed a sigh of relief.
'You catch on fast!'
'Seems there are benefits to a moronic NPC. She's got a one-track mind, makes her pretty easy to fool!'
He rejoiced inwardly and, ignoring the bunch of goofball members still "giving thanks" behind him, continued leading Su Ling'er toward the registration office deeper in the sect.
'He was about to complete his sect's first official quest!'
The two of them, one in front of the other, crossed the square and set foot on a quiet, tree-lined path.
Just as a simple, ancient hall came into view in the distance and the heart that had been lodged in Su Ling'er's throat began to settle, her steps halted once more.
Under a large tree not far ahead, she saw several disciples in Guixi Sect robes standing completely still.
They just stood there, each in a different pose.
Some stared up at the sky, others down at the ground. Their eyes were vacant, their expressions dazed, their faces completely devoid of any sign of life.
That wasn't the most terrifying part.
The most terrifying part was the poisonous spirit insects, their backs covered in dark green spots, that were crawling out of the grass, up their ankles. The insects opened their tiny mandibles and began gnawing relentlessly at their flesh and blood.
And yet, the disciples had no reaction whatsoever.
'They couldn't feel pain. They weren't aware of the danger. Maybe they didn't even... know they were still alive?'
A word that made her soul tremble surfaced in her mind.
'These people... could their souls have been drained and their Divine Sense refined away, leaving only their physical bodies standing here vacant...?'
'Could they be...'
'The living dead?!'