Cultivation is just so scientific!

Chapter 280: Chapter 186: Self-examination_2

“That is the Heavenly Demon Map, if you wish to die, keep looking!” the Golden Core cultivator said at this moment.

His voice wasn’t loud, but it woke all the cultivators who had been drawn to the darkness, bringing them back to their senses.

However, there were three cultivators who, perhaps due to insufficient spiritual resilience, did not make it until the Golden Core cultivator’s warning. With the sound of the Golden Core cultivator’s voice, their bodies heavily fell to the ground, life already departed.

“This is the first and last time I remind you, everyone find a stone stele and stand in front of it!” the Golden Core cultivator said solemnly without even a glance at the three corpses.

The cultivators each found a stele to stand in front of. Li Yuan Ba carefully examined the stele before him, wary because of what had happened before, always ready to avert his gaze.

The stele was engraved with a faceless humanoid creature with only eyes, looking at it sent chills down one’s spine.

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“Ask your heart if you are sincere!” the voice of the Golden Core cultivator sounded.

The stele before Li Yuan Ba began to glow, the faceless humanoid creature seemed to come to life, dancing upon the stele.

He couldn’t help but think of his original reason for joining the Senluo Sect—to obtain more resources, more knowledge. Even if he had personal motives, it was merely to obtain materials for the Third Grade Five Elements Formation.

In his heart, he held no ill will towards Senluo Sect, nor did he join for some unspeakable purpose.

Thus, the glow on the stele before him slowly faded, and the faceless humanoid creature turned back into a statue.

His situation was normal, but the hall was filled with continuous screams of agony.

In front of him, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator was being grasped by the faceless humanoid from the stele. His spirit was being pulled into the stele amidst cries of despair.

“Ask your heart for strength!” the Golden Core cultivator continued with a trace of a smile.

Upon these words, the stele lit up again.

Li Yuan Ba felt as if he had been transported into an Imperial Palace, surrounded by countless beautiful women, with fine wines and delicacies being offered.

Generals reported to him their victories, extensive lands conquered by his armies, reaching the pinnacle of worldly success.

The illusion not only affected his senses but his spirit as well, almost convincing him that everything before him was real and occurring in the moment.

But he was different, he had another consciousness connected to Li Shiming, and to him, these illusions were more like a movie, a play.

He easily broke free from the illusion, and the stele before him dimmed once again.

This time, several more cultivators with foolish smiles on their faces had their spirits dragged into the stele by the faceless creature.

“Swear by the Heavenly Demon!” the Golden Core cultivator watched the remaining cultivators before continuing, “Join the Senluo Sect and never betray it; by this oath, the Heavenly Demon witnesses!”

“Never betray the sect, by this oath, the Heavenly Demon witnesses!” the cultivators spoke the oath in unison.

Li Yuan Ba felt as if, upon uttering the oath, his spirit was locked onto by some presence within the stele. He had a feeling that if he was powerless against the Heavenly Demon within the stele and he were ever to betray the sect, the Heavenly Demon would come for his spirit.

He wasn’t certain if hiding away in Li Shiming’s machinery space realm would avoid the Heavenly Demon’s lock, but feared that if so, he would never be able to leave that space realm again.

However, he had no regrets about joining Senluo Sect, for due to the Senluo Order, the sect would not delve into his past. This was something not even the most prominent sects could offer.

He looked around. Only six cultivators had survived beside him. The young man who had entered the sect with him had miraculously survived, as well as a Qi Refining cultivator.

It seemed that the test of conscience was not about cultivation level but about the spirit and mind.

“Very well, I am Elder Lv of the outer sect. You six have become disciples of the Senluo Sect, follow me!” Elder Lv said with a smile.

If it weren’t for the over forty corpses still lying around, Elder Lv’s smile might truly seem kind and affable.

This time, with fewer people, a medium-sized Flying Boat was not needed; Elder Lv simply led the remaining six by flying up.

“Speak of the matters of the inner sect to no one, or it will be considered an act of betrayal. You can’t afford the price of betraying the sect!” Elder Lv instructed as they flew.

The six of them naturally understood what the cost of betrayal meant. They had a vivid memory of the scene of the Heavenly Demons snatching souls.

Li Yuanba was especially shocked by the Senluo Sect’s method of selecting disciples. He felt that any other sect wanting to infiltrate the Senluo Sect would be doomed before they even joined, perishing within the Sky Demon Hall.

Cultivators with fragile minds would also have their souls devoured by the Heavenly Demons.

The remaining cultivators, not to mention their talent, were definitely the most resolute of heart among ordinary cultivators.

Elder Lv flew to a certain place and handed the only Qi Refinement cultivator over to a Foundation Establishment cultivator before leading the remaining five Foundation Establishment cultivators to the Outer Sect’s Chaoyun Main Peak Hall.

“You, come with me. The rest of you, wait outside,” said Elder Lv, pointing to one of the five Foundation Establishment cultivators.

After a while, the Foundation Establishment cultivator stepped out, now dressed in a black robe, the standard-issue robe of the Senluo Sect. He nodded happily to the others and then departed.

Another was called in and soon emerged as well, also wearing a black robe as he left.

The third to be called was Li Yuanba; he walked into the room.

“Tell me your expertise, and I will assign you a position,” Elder Lv said with a smile.

These cultivators were all Foundation Establishment cultivators; once they joined the sect, they could be directly assigned missions.

The sect was expanding and needed a large number of Foundation Establishment cultivators, which was why the sect had issued so many Senluo Orders.

The Senluo Sect didn’t care about the chaos in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. As long as no major sects were involved, such chaos could easily be suppressed.

The Senluo Sect was in dire need of Foundation Establishment cultivators, having occupied vast territories and everywhere demanding manpower.

Every cultivator holding a Senluo Order who reached the Senluo Sect had survived extensive killings and countless interceptions; they were either incredibly powerful or extremely lucky.

Whether one or the other, they were the talents urgently needed by the sect.

“I don’t have any particular expertise. The only thing I’m good at is combat; I am a Sword Cultivator!” Yuan Ba replied respectfully.

“I need to examine you. You may refuse, but then your score will be very low,” Elder Lv’s eyes shone as he spoke.

The sect took the cultivators’ privacy very seriously; otherwise, the sect would have been in disorder long ago with Devil Cultivators spying on each other’s secrets.

“That’s acceptable!” Yuan Ba nodded his agreement.

Elder Lv’s Divine Thought swept over his body. Armed with Secret Techniques, Elder Lv quickly grasped his situation.

“Gold Attribute Heavenly Spirit Root, complemented with powerful Body Refinement techniques and mastery of Sword Intent, having studied the legacy of Sword Cultivators. Had you not passed the inner questioning, I might have suspected you were sent by a major sect!” Elder Lv was slightly taken aback, then shook his head with a sigh.

Although Heavenly Spirit Roots were not rare among the major sects, they were definitely not as common as cabbages.

Even with the vast Ten Thousand Great Mountains, the Ascension Conference would reveal at most single-digit Heavenly Spirit Roots, and it was common to have none at all.

The competition for Heavenly Spirit Roots was intense. Not to mention smaller sects and factions, Cultivation Families were desperate for high-spirit root descendants and used various means to intercept them before the Senluo Sect’s Ascension Conference.

Even within the Senluo Sect itself, cultivators would target these Heavenly Spirit Root descendants, turning them into Corpse Refining to become powerful combat assets.

As the Senluo Sect was itself a Demon Sect, Corpse Refining was one of the important sources of combat power for the Demon Sect, and the sect could not completely ban such actions against Heavenly Spirit Roots.

Only the Heavenly Spirit Roots discovered during the Ascension Conference and known to the sect itself were off-limits to any power.

Even so, the number of Heavenly Spirit Roots the Senluo Sect acquired in the end was very few.

Li Yuanba’s situation was exactly what a major sect would cultivate based on a Heavenly Spirit Root, something a Loose Cultivator could not achieve.