150 - I’m Really Not an NPC

The intense pain from his severed wrist made the Yellow-Clothed Demon wish he could roll on the ground in agony, but he had to endure it silently, standing still as blood flowed and sweat poured down like rain. The two demon clans beside him had already turned into cold corpses, their faces frozen in terror and pain. An icy jade-white longsword pressed against his throat, and a cold voice echoed nearby, "What is the Bìshuǐ Immortal Assembly?" The girl's voice was cold but melodious, slightly alleviating his suffering. Until now, he hadn't been able to glimpse her appearance. But she must be beautiful, right? If it's a girl, she might show some mercy, right? Pitifully, he pleaded, “The Red-Clothed Patriarch invited various demon clans to attend the grand Immortal Assembly. I don't know what they intend to do. I only heard there will be a sacrificial ceremony. Oh, and the Patriarch expressed a particular desire for the Lord of Yellow Earth to attend.” With tears in his voice, he began, “Please let me…” Before he could finish, a cold sensation swept across his neck. Eyes widening in disbelief, he fell powerlessly. As he fell, he glimpsed the girl standing beside him. Such a beautiful girl, but why so merciless? Afterward, he knew nothing more. Yue Ling glanced indifferently at the three corpses, then cast a casual glance at the young demon watching her in fear and awe. Without lingering, she soared into the sky on her blade and vanished into the distance. The demon youth stared dazedly at the spot where she vanished for a long time before struggling to his feet, exclaiming with excitement, "What a beautiful lady! Could she be Yue Ling? Ah, she must be!" "Sister, I was saved by Yue Ling!" Meanwhile, in the dense forest. Yue Ling spoke with a heavy tone and serious expression, "Stupid stone, the Bìshuǐ Immortal Assembly is definitely a trap targeting you and me." “Spare me your words, do you think I need you to tell me?” the Lord of Yellow Earth retorted angrily, “Of course, I know it’s a trap! Silly woman.” Yue Ling wasn't offended and merely gave him a sidelong glance, “I've seen through this scheme of yours before.” The Lord of Yellow Earth stared at her for a while before sulking, “You should leave. I can't take you to your death.” Yue Ling shook her head with confidence, "I have a plan to infiltrate Hentianya and save the Lord of Bìshuǐ amidst the chaos." She laid out her plan succinctly. After hearing her, the Lord of Yellow Earth shook his head ruefully, “What kind of plan is this? Do you think I can't see through it? With your strength, even if you managed to infiltrate Hentianya, what could you do?” “The Red-Clothed Patriarch commands nine Great Demons, each over level 100 in power—how do you plan to resist them?” “That’s none of your concern.” Yue Ling shot him an annoyed glance, “Are you reluctant to part with the Yunling Pill, trying to wriggle out of it?” “Nonsense!” He glared at her for a long moment, then suddenly grinned and began to laugh uproariously. “Fine, we’ll go together! If we live through this, I’ll call you a true brother from then on,” he declared with a hearty laugh. “Alright.” Yue Ling gave a faint smile. Since her reincarnation, he was the only person she could treat equally. Although quick-tempered, his righteousness and straightforwardness made her reluctant to let him die here. The Lord of Yellow Earth, carefree in demeanor, said, “I’ll go ahead. Let’s stick to that shoddy plan of yours.” Yue Ling earnestly declared, “Don’t die.” “Don't worry, I’ll outlive you for sure!” With that, he transformed into a massive stone ball, rolling away into the distance. Yue Ling turned serious as she gazed at the empty forest, then grasped the Tianyi command token at her waist. Carefully, she pronounced, “Yue Ling of Tianyi Sect issuing a Purple Cloud Level Qingyun Order: Head to Hentianya and sabotage the Bìshuǐ Immortal Assembly. Mission reward set: Grade A.” [A-grade reward, Purple Cloud Points: -10. Current Purple Cloud Points: 0] A peculiar cyan light flashed across the token, as if a slender azure dragon leapt into the air and soared into the distance. Watching the azure dragon disappear towards the Celestial Illusion Kingdom, Yue Ling nodded slightly before vanishing. Celestial Illusion Kingdom While working on his Tianyi Sect entry mission, Ye Qing suddenly exclaimed, “Yue Ling issued a Qingyun Order mission!” Su Yu froze briefly, then immediately accessed her system panel and accepted the mission. Xiao Xiao’s eyes lit up as she accepted the mission too. However, soon displaying annoyance, she glared at Ye Qing, “Yue Ling just posted the mission, and you saw it right away. Were you constantly thinking about her?” “No, I wasn’t!” Ye Qing quickly shook his head in denial, “I just happened to see it.” Knowing she had been feeling low after being heartlessly abandoned by the Black Robe Man, a small part of him couldn’t help but feel a tad gleeful inside. He quietly suggested, “Xiao Xiao, I reckon that Black Robe Man most likely deceived you.” Xiao Xiao's eyes widened, and she angrily retorted, “Impossible, Lion Tiger is not like that!” Recalling that invincible figure who once stood protecting her, obliterating all adversaries, her heart brimmed with admiration and reverence. Feeling the blush of a fan girl creeping onto her cheeks and noticing Ye Qing’s forlorn expression, she teasingly asked, “Hey, Ye Qing, are you getting jealous?” “I’m not.” Ye Qing’s weak rebuttal was laced with sentiments that screamed: Yes, I'm incredibly jealous, and frustrated too! Xiao Xiao nudged closer, pulling at his pouty cheeks until he was forced into a contorted smile. “Don’t overthink it. My Lion Tiger is outstanding, so I dare not have any improper thoughts. Besides, he’s always hidden in that black robe, he might be very ugly beneath, and I’m quite superficial in that regard!” Seizing the chance, Ye Qing excitedly remarked, “So you’re saying I’m handsome!” “Yeah, a real hottie!” she teased with a playful grin. “Shall we move out, folks?” Su Yu’s voice was gentle yet laced with an undertone of melancholy, which the two detected. A quick exchange of glances—could Su Yu have also taken a fancy to the Black Robe Man? However, with the Qingyun Order mission looming, there was no time for idle speculation. They promptly shouted, “Let’s go!” At that moment, the Celestial Illusion Kingdom was filled with wails and complaints. “Ugh, so close! Just a moment too late, and I missed a spot in the mission!” “It’s a mission directly issued by Sister Yue Ling, and we missed it. Shame on you!” “With only 20 slots available, it’s far too few! I’m heartbroken!” “Which 20 shameless folks nabbed the slots? Show yourselves!” Indeed, Yue Ling wished she could rally hundreds to bring down the Red-Clothed Patriarch, but with only 10 Purple Cloud Points at her disposal, she was helpless. “Doesn’t matter, mission or not, I’m going!” “To have a chance to see Goddess Yue Ling and fight alongside her—even death is worthwhile!” All over the Celestial Illusion Kingdom, countless human players abandoned their half-completed missions, leaving bewildered NPCs at a loss, as they converged from all directions towards the teleportation array. Simultaneously, various demon factions invited by the Red-Clothed Patriarch made their way continuously from the Ten Thousand Great Mountains towards the Bìshuǐ Immortal Assembly. The flames of war between humans and demons were silently kindling!