Chapter 30: The Origins Of The Demonic Sect (2)

The two of them arrived at the White Cloud Temple’s Radiant Dawn Hall as they chatted.

Most of the players received their Demonic Sect quests from their sect elders. After looking around the hall that was packed with people, Shen Jingbin dragged her brother towards Song Yuqing’s residence with incomparable joy.

As a Celestial cultivator sect, White Cloud Temple had an otherworldly feel about it. With his position as the Sect Leader, Song Yuqing had an even more sagely look about him.

Sitting upright upon a reed cushion, he wore green daoist robes with his hair tied up into a high bun, preventing any strands from obstructing his face. His eyes were cast downwards, a serene look on his face.

Shen Jingbin held a great of respect for people like him, so she very cleverly gave a bow towards him.

“You’ve come, my disciple.” Song Yuqing gave a very satisfied nod of his head after Shen Jingbin finished her bow and said, “Is this person a disciple of the Swordmaster Pavilion?”

Sensing Song Yuqing’s gaze land on him, Shen Jingchen hurriedly imitated Shen Jingbin and gave him a bow. It was said major NPCs were very intelligent, and from the looks of it, that really seemed to be the case.

“I heard that you were the one who discovered the remnants of the Shinra Sect. Is this true?”

News truly traveled quickly.

Shen Jingbin silently cursed in her heart, but wore the same expression as she respectfully replied, “Yes.”

Song Yuqing gracefully stood up from the reed cushion, then straightened his robes. After which, he gave Shen Jingbin a meaningful look and said, “I noticed your peculiar attributes from the first time I met you. Since then, I've felt that you’d definitely be able to gain some achievements in the future.”

Shen Jingbin was amazed by Song Yuqing’s eyes that were filled with emotion!

How’d he manage to pull off such a complicated expression?

Song Yuqing continued without any concern for how she was feeling, “In the past, Humans, Celestials, and Demons used to live together harmoniously. Hostilities amongst our three races wouldn’t have progressed to such a stage if it weren’t for the Shinra Sect.”

The two of them nodded their heads.

The great war between the Celestials and the Demons was the initial starting point for the game. However, when the game was released, the administrators only explained the structure of the world and the state of the battle, while its cause was only mentioned in passing. Previously, players who played for the story brought up this issue, but were provided with the same short and cruel reply as always: “Please investigate the cause of the great battle for yourselves.” A short while later, this answer caused a storm of criticism amongst the questing population of the player base.

However, the number of serious explorers and questers within the game weren’t many. Knowing the reason behind the great war wasn’t essential to enjoy the meat of the game either, so even after two years of service, the number of players who investigated it were few.

But from the looks of things, it seemed as if the great war was going to be the highlight of the story once again. It’s no wonder the administrators wanted players to investigate it for themselves.

Upon seeing the bewildered looks on their faces, Song Yuqing paused for a moment before saying, “There are numerous phenomena in this vast world. In the past, the Humans, Celestials, and Demons walked their own separate paths and coexisted in harmony. However, desire is a truly terrifying thing. At some point, delusions arose from the three races and gave rise to a vain attempt to unify heaven and earth. These individuals founded the Shinra Sect and named themselves the emissaries of the heavens. They claimed that they were here to carry out heaven's will, and would eliminate any evil. They feasted on the flesh of young children, drank the blood of virgins, and pillaged and slaughtered all who opposed them.”

When he heard that, Shen Jingchen couldn’t help but ask, “Is the Shinra Sect really that terrifying? Didn’t the six great sects ever think of banding together to fight against them?”

“It’s embarrassing to admit, but even though the six great sects coexist peacefully together, our relations with one another are merely average. At the start, we weren’t concerned when the Shinra Sect made its first appearance. We felt that they were just some small-time troublemakers. Afterwards, the situation slowly turned grave. However, no one wanted to be the first to speak under these circumstances, for fear of giving the impression that they were the ones asking for help. Doing so would forfeit their chance to obtain leadership of the coalition, and would land them in a subordinate position amongst the other sects. As time went by, the six great sects were forced into an extremely sorry state. In the end, they had no choice but to join hands and seal the entire sect.”

Shen Jingbin gave a stab as she quietly added, “Your problems will come back to bite you if you don’t nip them in the bud.”

Song Yuqing choked and said, “Don’t you think we’ve been trying to do that? But the Shinra Sect pulled out some strange martial arts from god knows where, preventing us from wiping them out.”

Bullshit. You’re all NPCs, neither of you can get rid of one another.

“But what does this have to do with the great war between Celestials and Demons?”

“After the war with the Shinra Sect was over, the Sect Leaders from Dragonkin Tower and Nymph Abode found out that the Leader of the Shinra Sect was actually someone from Mara Hall. And, although everyone got a share of the spoils from Shinra Sect, Mara Hall obtained the most benefits. During the war, Dragonkin Tower and Nymph Abode lost no small amount of outstanding disciples. Overcome with rage and humiliation, the two sects started a dispute with Mara Hall and Lich Palace. Demons were always an irascible bunch, they can't stand being criticized for no reason. This ultimately led to both sides lashing out, giving rise to the great war between Celestials and Demons. Nowhere was safe from the ravages of the war. How could our White Cloud Temple and the Swordmaster Pavilion not be affected once war broke out? And thus, we entered the fray as well.”

“The great war between Celestials and Demons has been at a standstill for many years. Now, with the reappearance of the Shinra Sect, the six greats have joined hands once again. We can’t let a repeat of the tragedy from a hundred years ago happen another time.”

“My disciple Nutjob, listen carefully. We sealed the Shinra Sect in the Extreme Abyss. It is a place rich in negative qi and grudges. As evil practitioners, their violence grows in proportion with the concentration of negative emotions. Their eventual reappearance in this world will definitely lead to a huge calamity. As the Lead Disciple of our White Cloud Temple, you ought to represent our sect and carry out heaven’s will.”

Once he said that, a notification from the system popped up.

“Quest: ‘Investigate The Demonic Sect’ — Clear The Demonic Sect’s Dungeons (0/3). Will you accept this quest? Yes/No.”

Once Shen Jingbin accepted the quest, Song Yuqing settled himself back onto the reed cushion and shut his eyes, then said, “Old fogeys like us have been living for far too long. Our era has passed, it’s time for the younger generation to replace us. Be on your way.”

Shen Jingbin clasped her hands towards him and left.

The moment they stepped out of White Cloud Temple, Shen Jingchen asked, “What quest did you get? A quest given by the Sect Leader should be special, right?”

“It’s nothing special. It’s the same unlocking quest that you guys received.” Shen Jingbin waved her hand as she said, “Be mindful of the time, it’s almost time for us to return.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll store some stuff in the bank and log off.” Shen Jingchen hopped onto his mount and shot her a coquettish glance before he said, “Don’t forget to raise your levels after the competition is over, your big bro will accompany you on a dungeon run. Muack~”

Shen Jingbin’s body trembled as she felt goosebumps appear due to his behaviour.

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