“I, Huang Fang, shall claim my victory!” the outlier from earlier declared boldly, his voice brimming with overconfidence. The air seemed to freeze as the others turned to look at him, most with expressions of thinly veiled confusion or disdain.
“Imbecile,” muttered another shadow, crossing its arms in disdain, utterly unconcerned that Huang Fang might overhear the insult.
The brief exchange was abruptly silenced as the blazing red shadow on the stage cast its gaze upon them, snuffing out any thoughts of further bickering. The tension in the courtyard thickened as the figure began to speak.
“As some of you may have deduced, this assembly is composed entirely of demonic cultivators.”
While a few shadows reacted with surprise, most remained impassive; they had suspected as much during their earlier conversations.
“If you have attachments to your previous world,” the red shadow continued, its voice devoid of empathy, “you may as well forget them now.”
The figure descended fully onto the stage, its tone cold and matter-of-fact. “I’m sure many of you are familiar with the process of creating Gu poison.”
The method was notorious: the most venomous creatures were sealed together in a confined space, where they fought and poisoned each other until only one remained. This survivor, the Gu, was considered the most lethal poison of all.
“In this case,” the red shadow intoned, “the goal of this assembly is to produce a Gu Demon.”
The proclamation sent a ripple through the gathered shadows. One, however, refused to accept it. “YOU DARE? MY FATHER IS A DAO LORD H—”
Before the protest could be completed, the shadow was crushed into nothingness at a speed that even Feng Zhiming’s sharp senses couldn’t follow. In its place, another shadow appeared almost instantly, as if nothing had happened.
The courtyard fell into a stunned silence, a few shadows instinctively retreating from the scene of the obliteration.
“This being... is beyond the Dao Lord Realm,” Feng Zhiming thought, a cold sweat forming on his brow. He had never encountered a Dao Lord before, but today, he had witnessed an existence that surpassed even that legendary peak, one that didn’t hesitate to annihilate a threat to its authority.
“Speaking out of turn means death,” the red shadow stated calmly, as if commenting on the weather. “My apologies for not specifying. The worlds you hail from are but marbles in the hands of the truly powerful. Curb your arrogance.”
The figure clasped its hands behind its back, surveying the crowd. “An existence beyond your comprehension has orchestrated this event. All of you were handpicked for different reasons to join the Assembly of Absolution.”
With a wave of its hand, a list of rules materialized in the air before them.
RULES OF THE ASSEMBLY OF ABSOLUTION:
1. Speaking of the assembly to anyone or anything not a member of the assembly will result in death.
2. Disrespect to the administrator will result in death.
3. Conspiracy against the assembly will result in death.
4. Dao Lords directly attacking others below their level will result in death (unless only two people remain).
5. Attempting to flee the testing ground will result in death.
6. Forcing a member of the assembly to expose the assembly will result in death.
7. If a member of the assembly within the testing ground is found to be idle for too long, it will result in death.
8. The test will continue until only one member of the assembly remains. There is no time limit.
9. Shaking the hand of another while neither party exhibits killing intent will allow you to discern if they are a participant in this game.
10. Ignorance of any future rules does not exempt you from death.
“Now that you’ve read the rules, you may ask questions,” the red shadow announced.
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Feng Zhiming raised his hand, his mind sharp and calculating. “Rule number four implies there is a range of cultivation levels here. Why not limit it to just the Dao Lords?”
“The purpose of this assembly is not to find the strongest cultivator, as some of you might think,” the red shadow replied. “The entity behind this seeks to create the Gu Demon—nothing more.”
Murmurs of discussion spread among the shadows.
“Do they seriously think anyone other than a Dao Lord can emerge victorious?”
“Isn’t it just a matter of time until we’re all killed?”
The administrator raised a hand, silencing the voices instantly. “There are exactly four Dao Lords here. It is entirely possible they might kill each other.”
The administrator’s voice took on a tone of disappointment as he added, “Demonic cultivators are supposed to be resilient, to find a way out of any situation. The rules protect you—so show some backbone.”
The Serpentess raised her hand next. “What does the death of all other participants mean exactly? Must their souls be destroyed, or is it enough to kill their physical bodies? Could someone use necromancy or mental enslavement to bring them back?”
“Death means the destruction of both the physical body and the soul, specifically the soul that emerges within the Spiritual Awakening realm,” the red shadow clarified. “The methods you mentioned are forbidden. The cultivators participating in this test range from the Ethereal Core realm to the Dao Lord realm.”
Feng Zhiming sighed inwardly, realizing he was at the lower end of the cultivation hierarchy. It had been a long time since he felt so insignificant—almost like when he was still a mortal. A brief wave of nostalgia washed over him.
“Perhaps it will be an interesting challenge,” he muttered to himself.
“It’s unlike a cultivator not to fear death,” the Serpentess noted from beside him.
Using their code names, they ensured no other assembly members could hear them. “In that case,” Feng Zhiming replied with a faint smile, “I guess I’m not a cultivator.”
The Serpentess giggled. “Distinct sense of humor—another telling trait. You’re becoming sloppy.”
Feng Zhiming clicked his tongue in mild annoyance, though he didn’t mind her learning a bit about him. To him, it only made the challenge more thrilling.
He refocused his attention on the administrator, waiting for his turn to ask another question. “What exactly is the testing ground we’ll be dropped into?”
“The world you will enter is similar to the one you originated from—a world within the many mortal realms. There are no rules against the residents there, so do what needs to be done.”
The administrator took flight once again, pulling out a hundred small shadows. “These shadows will be your observers as well as your executioners. Their realm is irrelevant; as soon as they observe a rule violation, they will kill you—body, soul, and origin.”
The shadows descended, merging seamlessly into the shadows of each participant.
“These shadows will also inform you of rule updates, participant deaths, and other key information if necessary.”
With a grand sweep of his hand, the administrator tore open a rift at the end of the courtyard, revealing a void beyond. “Walk through the tear to arrive at the testing ground. The time for questions is over.”
Feng Zhiming began to walk toward the tear, but he paused, turning to face the administrator with a sharp, defiant gaze. “What if I feel compelled to hold the assembly accountable for ripping me from my life?” he asked, his voice low but resolute, a declaration from the depths of his heart.
The blazing shadow met his gaze, its face expressionless. “If you have the ability, how could we resist?” it responded in a tone devoid of emotion.
Feng Zhiming held the gaze for a moment longer before waving his hand dismissively and continuing toward the tear. The day would come when he would settle accounts, but today was not that day. Nevertheless, he swore it would come.
“Once you enter the realm, your identity will be karmically incorporated within it,” the blazing shadow announced as the participants began to step through the void. “You will arrive at a random place, perhaps as a king, a farmer, or even someone’s spouse.”
Feng Zhiming hesitated for just a moment, contemplating the enormity of the forces at play. Whoever was behind this game had the power to manipulate the very laws of karma and causality, crafting identities as if they were mere illusions.