After the internet was disconnected, I connected to the magic world.

The Iron Palm Gang's storeroom door was kicked open, revealing piles of silver, low-grade pills, a small heap of spirit stones, and quite a few hides and bones of first-tier demonic beasts.

The players sorted and packed the food into cloth bags, even taking the cured meat hanging in the kitchen and the grain stored in the cellar.

It was exactly the same as when he copied the Five Tigers Sect and the Broken Blade Sect before; his skill was so adept it was heartbreaking.

A seasoned player in the mid-stage of the game leaned against the door frame and pulled out a cigarette he had rolled himself from his pocket.

He rubbed his fingers together, and sparks flew from his inner energy to light the cigarette. He took a deep drag and exhaled a smoke ring.

Looking at the corpses of the Iron Palm Clan disciples lying on the ground, and then at the new players who were being rescued crying, he gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"You know... this is fucking a real world."

He flicked his cigarette ash, his voice slightly unsteady, "They have flesh and blood, wives and children, and sect traditions. What about us?"

The Fourth Natural Disaster?

"Hmph, to put it nicely, they're players; to put it bluntly, they're invaders."

Another player smoking nearby chimed in, took a puff, and coughed twice, choking on the smoke.

"This wild tobacco is really damn strong. Only martial artists can withstand it. An ordinary person would faint after just one puff."

Honestly, look at these people, they look just like us, speak the same language, and write the same characters. They might even have ancestors from the same place.

Now they're fighting to the death, what can they do?

They want to kill us; we can't just stand there and wait.

"How many is this?" someone asked.

"The third one." The veteran player who spoke earlier stubbed out his cigarette.

"The Broken Blade Sect, the Five Tigers Sect, and now the Iron Palm Gang, that makes three."

This can't go on. New players are joining every day. We can't just wipe out all the sects in the Eastern Continent, can we?

"What does it mean to annihilate a sect?"

A middle-aged player walked over. He was at the late stage of the Acquired Realm and had previously been a retired soldier. He spoke in a loud voice.

"The entire Eastern Continent should have been our territory in the first place. What we are doing is called recovering lost land!"

When did these local tyrants get the right to occupy our ancestors' territory?

Major sects?

So what if the royal family has many innate masters?

Have we players ever been afraid of dying?

"At worst, we'll die, resurrect, and keep fighting. We'll wear them down until they're dead."

The surrounding players roared in agreement, their voices carrying a hint of reckless ruthlessness.

They're right, what players have in abundance are fearless, ruthless individuals.

The news of the sect's destruction and the players' looting reached the Imperial Study in the capital in less than three hours.

"Bang!"

Zhou Qian smashed the teacup in his hand to the ground, shattering the celadon pieces. The kneeling eunuchs and guards below were so frightened that they dared not even breathe.

"What a Xuanhuang Sect! What a bunch of extraterrestrial demons!"

Zhou Qian's chest heaved violently, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Do you really think my Great Yao has no one left?"

Not only did they seize the mountain and become kings, but they also dared to wipe out three of my sects that paid taxes and tribute, and kill my people. Did they really think I wouldn't dare to touch them?

The ministers below all lowered their heads and dared not speak.

Everyone knows that the Eastern Continent belongs to the Great Yao Dynasty, but the world is never ruled by the emperor alone.

This is a world where individual strength reigns supreme.

A single master of innate talent can be worth an army of 100,000. The royal family was able to unify the Eastern Continent not only because of their military strength.

Furthermore, there are several innate masters hidden within the royal family, as well as alliances with various sects.

Those major sects obey orders but not summons. When their disciples arrive in the local area, they have a higher status than the county magistrate and don't even have to kneel before officials.

The minor sects pay taxes and tributes to the imperial court every year, and the court protects them. Everyone gets what they need, and they have lived in peace for many years.

But now, those extraterrestrial demons have arrived.

They destroyed small sects, killed sect disciples, and even dared to occupy mountains and establish their own sects. What chilled Zhou Qian to the bone the most was that...

These people cannot be killed.

It revives after being beheaded in three days, and gets back up after being stabbed in the back. No matter how many times you kill it, it's useless. How do you fight an enemy like this?

"Your Majesty, the innate elders of the six sects—Qingyun Sect, Shenjian Sect, Pili Hall, Tianqiang Sect, Heihu Sect, and Shendao Sect—have all arrived and are awaiting your decree outside the hall."

The young eunuch came in to report, his voice trembling.

"Announce."

Zhou Qian took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and sat back on the dragon throne.

Before long, six elderly men dressed in different Taoist robes and tight-fitting clothes walked in, each exuding an unfathomable aura.

They were all experts at the Innate Realm, and they did not kneel before Zhou Qian, but merely bowed slightly and clasped their hands in greeting.

A master of innate talent is qualified to not bow before the emperor.

"Since all the elders are here, I will not say anything more."

"You should all know about those evil spirits."

They've destroyed three sects, yet they still dare to establish their own sects. If we let them continue to develop, sooner or later we'll attack their gates and even my palace.

What ideas do you all have?

The six elders looked at each other. The Qingyun Sect elder spoke first. He was in the mid-stage of the Innate Realm and was the most senior among the six.

"Your Majesty, the most bizarre thing about those demons is that they are immortal and indestructible," the elder said in a hoarse voice.

"Ordinary killing is useless. You kill them, they revive, you revive, and you kill them again. It's endless."

We have devised a plan that can resolve this predicament.

"explain."

"Build a demon-locking tower outside Qingxi Peak."

"The tower is divided into seven levels. The first level is where disciples in the early stages of the acquired cultivation are arranged to form an array."

The second stage is the mid-term stage of postnatal development.

The third layer is the later stage of acquired constitution.

The fourth level is the day after tomorrow's completion.

The fifth to seventh levels will be guarded by innate masters like myself, forming a formation.

For every demon that resurrects, we kill it. Each time they die, their cultivation level drops by one level.

Once their cultivation level drops to that of ordinary people, their meridians will be severed, and they will be imprisoned in the dungeon at the bottom of the tower, never to emerge again.

Zhou Qian's eyes lit up.

This method is ruthless; it perfectly counters the player's invincibility.

But the elder from the Divine Sword Sect sighed:

"Your Majesty, Elder Xuan, this method is good, but it is only a temporary measure."

There are already several thousand extraordinary people in the Eastern Continent, and the number is increasing every day. Who knows if there are any in the Western Continent or the Southern Continent?

How many people can one Demon-Sealing Tower imprison? We can't build a hundred or a thousand, can we?

After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

Yes, there are more and more players, and the game is never-ending. This is not a long-term solution.

"I remember it being recorded in an ancient scroll," an elder from the Black Tiger Clan suddenly said.

"An extraordinary person appears, and the path to immortality opens."

"We have yet to witness any immortal techniques. Those extraordinary beings are immortal and indestructible; could the destiny for immortality truly lie with them?"

Everyone looked at each other, and no one spoke.

The Immortal Path?

The legendary immortal path that can grant immortality?

No one has ever seen it, and no one knows the answer.

"Regardless of whether the path to immortality lies with them or not, let's wipe out these demons first."

Zhou Qian slapped the dragon throne, making up his mind.

"Each of the six sects will send one Innate Realm expert, and I will send four more from the royal family, making a total of ten Innate Realm experts. They will lead three thousand Imperial Guards and two thousand sect disciples to besiege Qingxi Peak!"

He paused, a cold smile appearing on his lips:

"In addition, spread the word that the imperial court is going to send a large army to besiege the Xuanhuang Sect. The more the news spreads, the better."

Let all those wandering outlaws know this, forcing them all to retreat back to Qingxi Peak. Then we'll surround the mountain and wipe them all out in one fell swoop!

"As you command!"

The six elders bowed in agreement and turned to leave the palace.

The news spread like wildfire, reaching inns, teahouses, and official roads.

The news spread throughout the entire Eastern Continent in less than half a day, and naturally it also reached the Xuanhuang Sect's headquarters.