"I am the Captain of the 'Quantum Battleship'."
"Chief Consultant of the 'Penacony Anti-Fraud Center'."
"And Ordainer of the 'Lordly Trashcan', Lin Qingyue."
When this long string of unintelligible yet oddly worded titles, each word seeming to embody some strange law, was uttered word by word from Lin Qingyue's mysterious smiling lips.
Yun Che, an elite disciple of the "Ena Immortal Alliance" who prided himself on his clear Dao heart and extensive knowledge of the Heavens, completely froze, his handsome face turning rigid.
The knuckles of the hand gripping his sword hilt tightened unconsciously, then slowly relaxed.
His mind was a complete blank.
Quantum Battleship? What kind of flying dharma boat that traverses the void? It is named "Quantum", could it perhaps travel through time and space, ignoring spatial barriers?
Penacony Anti-Fraud Center? It sounds... like a cultivation sect specializing in scams like illusions, heart demons, and heavenly demon temptations?
"Anti-fraud" does indeed share some similarities with their mission to slay demons and exorcise devils.
As for the "Lordly Trashcan"...
Yun Che's Dao Heart truly wavered.
He scoured his mind for every title of ancient deities, otherworldly gods, and Chaos monstrosities recorded in his sect's scriptures, but couldn't find a single being related to a "trashcan."
Even more fatally, under the invisible constraint of this world's [Truth] rule, he could clearly sense that when the pink-haired woman before him spoke those words, her thoughts were pure, and her Dao charm was naturally formed!
There wasn't the slightest hint of falsehood or deception!
She... was serious!
These titles, which sounded utterly absurd, were actually real!
"Sis, did you update your titles again?"
Lin Xiyue muttered beside her, her voice lowered, her eyes filled with the helplessness of "my sister's acting up again."
"How come I remember last time you were still the top Proxy of 'New Eridu' and the Honorary Conductor of the 'Astral Express'?"
Lin Qingyue didn't even turn her head, merely deepening her smile at Yun Che and the others who were already mired in self-doubt, fully exuding the demeanor of a grand master.
"Ahem."
Yun Che forced down the thousands of "whys" churning in his heart, allowing himself to regain the composure and elegance of a cultivator.
He solemnly performed the Jishou Salutation again, his voice still clear, attempting to pull this completely derailed exchange back onto a track he could understand.
"So it is Fellow Daoist Lin. This humble one has been disrespectful."
He was completely unable to connect Lin Qingyue's narrative with the title "Fellow Daoist," but at this moment, there seemed to be no more appropriate way to address her.
"These few are my junior brothers and sisters, Yun Ting, Yun Shang, Yun Xi, and Yun Luo."
The male Lightning Cultivator and the three female cultivators behind him also followed suit in saluting, but their gazes had completely changed.
It was the kind of gaze a mortal uses to look up at a Cultivator.
It was just that they were the Cultivators, and the other party...
The other party was like an immortal who shouldered a Gatling gun and then told you this was "Sword Kinesis: Custom."
"The Ena Immortal Alliance adheres to the principles of 'Order,' traveling through the myriad heavens with the mission of maintaining the stability of world foundations and slaying Void demons."
Yun Che briefly introduced his origins.
When the word "Order" left his mouth, a light flashed in Lin Qingyue's pink eyes.
The Moon-Howling Werewolf Modu, who had pointed at her disguised as Jingliu and roared "lackey of Order," had finally found the right person.
"We have been hunting this 'Mother of Rebirth' across several worlds."
Yun Che's expression darkened, and a hint of deep-seated hatred even flickered in his eyes.
"In our scriptures, this demon is called the 'Otherworldly Lust Demon.' It is most adept at manipulating human hearts, feeding on the most primal and chaotic desires of living beings. Wherever it goes, civilizations fall and worlds wither."
"Originally, under the leadership of our elders, we had already driven this Lust Demon into a corner. Unexpectedly, when we pursued it to this world, this realm was forcibly torn from the Main World by an unknown great power, transforming into the Dungeon it is today. At the same time, three unheard-of heavenly rules emerged."
He glanced at the surrounding environment, his voice tinged with a bit of bitterness: "Especially that [Echo of the Heart's Abyss], which amplifies the desires of all living beings in this world. It's practically a supreme domain tailored for that Lust Demon."
"As a result of this shift in balance, we not only lost contact with our elders but also had over seventy percent of our Daoist arts and supernatural powers suppressed. The hunters, conversely, became the prey."
"And then there were those strange creations that appeared later, which I call 'Steel Golems'..."
Yun Che glanced at the parts scattered all over the ground, his heart still pounding with lingering fear, "If you fellow Daoists hadn't acted in time, we would have likely fallen here today, our bodies destroyed and our Dao extinguished."
His words were clear and logically structured.
Lin Xiyue's eyes sparkled as she listened, and she whispered to Su Wan, "Did you hear that? Traveling through the heavens! Slaying demons and eliminating evil! Isn't this way cooler than us grinding for levels in Dungeons every day?"
Su Wan, on the other hand, analyzed calmly, "A cultivation organization that interferes with civilizations across worlds, with 'Order' as its core philosophy. Their energy system is suppressed by the rules of this place, while our Professional system doesn't seem to be heavily affected. This indicates that the underlying logic of a Professional's power might be superior to the rules of this Dungeon."
Looking at this group of "Fellow Daoists" who radiated righteousness and possessed considerable strength, yet now wore expressions of "ill fate," Lin Qingyue's troublemaking DNA began to throb violently again.
Ah, such high-quality labor delivered right to my doorstep...
No, they are like-minded allies!
"So that's how it is. We understand now."
Lin Qingyue's expression turned solemn. She gave Yun Che and his group a slight nod, her face filled with shared indignation.
"To tell you the truth, we have come on this journey to wipe out this evil cult as well."
Meeting Yun Che's bewildered gaze, she continued righteously, every word appearing utterly sincere under the [Truth] rule:
"That 'Mother of Rebirth' bewitches minds and poisons living beings. Her 'Prophet' goes even further, perverting the natural order and plotting to turn this place into a slaughterhouse. Our goal is to penetrate the heartland, awaken the brainwashed believers, pierce through the illusion, make them realize their folly, and dismantle the Evil God's foundation of rule from within!"
These words contained not a single lie.
It was just that she didn't say the method of "awakening" might be a one-click format in "Sage Mode."
The thing that would make the believers "realize their folly" might be the boundless hatred they'd feel for the evil cult after going bankrupt.
But in the ears of Yun Che and the others, these words were as profound as the morning bell and evening drum!
In an instant, they had found their purpose, and their direction!
"Awaken the believers? Make them realize their folly?"
Yun Che's eyes suddenly lit up, as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun. "This... this perfectly aligns with our Daoist Sect's philosophy of 'Saving All Living Beings'!"
Behind him, the male Lightning Cultivator, Yun Ting, also slapped his own thigh in excitement, a sudden realization striking him: "That's right! We were so focused on slaying demons and monsters that we forgot these deluded believers are innocent too! My Ena Immortal Alliance's 'Qingxin Universal Compassion Incantation' is the perfect counter for exactly this kind of evil!"
Watching this group of "Fellow Daoists" who had been instantly roused to action, Lin Qingyue knew the fish had taken the bait.
She roared with laughter inwardly but maintained her outward appearance as a compassionate expert.
"Exactly!"
Lin Qingyue struck while the iron was hot, her tone earnest: "Fellow Daoists, you are the Orthodox Mysterious Gate. You are surely far more professional at 'saving others' than we 'unorthodox paths.'"
She pointed toward Winred City in the distance, and then toward the vast countryside even further out.
"That 'Prophet' is incredibly cunning with numerous followers. With only a few of us, we're spread too thin. How about we split up and take action separately?"
"We will continue to infiltrate Winred City, strike directly at the heart, and draw the 'Prophet's' attention. Meanwhile, you Fellow Daoists can head to the towns controlled by the cult in the outer areas, spread the True Dharma, and 'deliver' the believers. In this way, by pulling the fuel from under the pot, we will surely set the 'Prophet's' backyard on fire, forcing him to fight on two fronts at once!"
The confusion in Yun Che's eyes vanished, replaced by a sharp glint.
He actually clapped his hands in admiration: "Fellow Daoist Lin's plan is truly superb! Using a known strategy to outmaneuver a hidden plot perfectly aligns with our Daoist principle of non-action! Brilliant, simply brilliant!"
He felt that this Captain Lin of the "Quantum Battleship," though her words and deeds were strange and her title astonishing, possessed a grand strategic vision and tactical acumen that made her practically the strategic genius their "Ena Immortal Alliance" had been missing for ages!
Just like that, a joint force consisting of "Purifiers" and "Cultivators," the "Penacony Anti-Fraud Center Unnamed Dungeon Branch and Ena Immortal Alliance Joint Law Enforcement Squad," was hastily formed under Lin Qingyue's leadership.
The two parties then parted ways.
Watching Yun Che and the other four transform into five streaks of light, flying toward the nearest town with a high sense of mission to "save all living beings" and ready to begin their great "proselytizing" career, Lin Xiyue finally couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing.
"Sis, you're really too much. You've tricked another ally into helping us weaken the BOSS."
"What are you talking about!" Lin Qingyue stretched, limbering up her limbs and speaking with righteous conviction, "This is called resource integration and leveraging complementary strengths."
She winked mischievously.
"Let's go, our 'anti-fraud colleagues' have already gone to help us tear down the signal towers on the outskirts."
"We, as their 'Chief Consultants,' should also go meet that mastermind and give him a lesson."
The four of them readjusted their gear and merged back into the night.
This time, their target was clear, and there were no more obstacles.
The City of Corruption, Winred, shrouded in a pink-purple mist, was now within reach.