Chapter 480: Let Him Know the Price

Chapter 480: Let Him Know the Price

That sharp voice echoing in my mind was like the tongue of a devil, striking at the pain points within people, ultimately causing them to lose their fighting spirit, leaving them powerless when disaster struck.

This was merely the initial malevolent whisper, and those who had entered Tian Lin already sensed the negativity stemming from it.

The three practitioners at the center of Tian Lin possessed a celestial compass that could sense the emotional fluctuations of those under a spell within Tian Lin.

Nearly everyone felt somewhat dejected, their spirits low, even lethargic.

Even the Xuanyun Sect cultivators, adhering to the principles of self-cultivation, could not help but feel uneasy and disheartened once the deeper pains of their hearts were touched.

Yet, amidst this Tian Lin, there was one individual who not only remained unshaken but appeared to be in great spirits.

This counterintuitive reaction left the three in the center of Tian Lin completely puzzled.

“This brat is actually happy? Didn’t we say this would make them feel dejected?”

“Too strange, could it be that our magic really has no effect on him?”

“No, the seeds of disaster still lie within him; he’s merely struggling against our spells hard enough to achieve minor success, feeling triumphant enough to mock us,” Zhu Yu remarked.

The three surrounded the celestial compass, observing for a moment captivated by Lin Nuo’s elevated mood, discussing the situation.

Zhu Yu continued, “This is just our initial test, and merely the prelude; the main drama lies ahead. Since he hasn’t eradicated it completely, it means he lacks that capability. Once the disaster takes root and spreads, he will eventually collapse.”

“That sounds plausible.”

Longren Heng nodded, feeling quite confident about their approach.

However, he had some doubts:

“What kind of sound did our spell evoke within them? What pain point did it strike?”

“I can trigger it,” Zhu Yu said, beginning to reproduce the sounds playing in Lin Nuo’s mind for the three of them to hear together.

After listening, they gained a rough understanding that these words were targeted at righteous cultivators—those who aspired to the dao, promoting justice and often boasting about their integrity, believing they were guiltless.

But achieving complete guiltlessness is extremely difficult; during cultivation or tasks, they might end up doing things that go against their original intentions.

Or, there could be unbearable memories they’d long buried, reluctant to bring to light.

Now that sharp, devilish voice echoed in their minds, stirring up those hidden memories, and in time, their mental states would inevitably explode.

“From the outcome, he’s a cultivator with grand ambitions, desperate to become a great hero, but constantly facing obstacles, not regarded highly.”

Zhu Yu explained the result.

“The more firmly one seeks the righteous path, the less they can tolerate blemishes; greater expectations lead to greater disappointments. I’ll try intensifying our magic on him.”

Then, using the power of Demon Cultivator Zhou Zi, Zhu Yu began to increase the intensity of the spell on Lin Nuo, intensifying the magical whispers surrounding him.

Next, they continued to monitor the celestial compass.

They discovered his mood had risen even higher, as if he had just encountered great joy in life; they could easily imagine that brat grinning widely.

“Absurd…”

“Damn it, this brat is mocking us again. Let him bask in his moment; I refuse to believe he can handle this.”

Zhu Yu seethed with anger; how could that kid maintain such delight despite being inundated with negative emotions?

Was he genuinely that happy?

Such an arrogant cultivator surely needed to learn the painful price of his hubris.

…

“Why isn’t it speaking anymore?”

Lin Nuo tapped his head, realizing the voice had stopped.

“This is perfect; why did it stop? Keep talking! Is the radio requiring a VIP subscription to continue? Where do I sign up for VIP?”

Lin Nuo thought of the delightful broadcast he was listening to that suddenly got cut off, leaving him somewhat frustrated.

This marvelous dialogue was rare, and he was so into it.

Previously hailed as a great hero of the righteous path, he began to doubt his life, but now that a voice was saying “You can’t become a great hero,” he felt a newfound confidence.

What a beacon in the darkness, illuminating his path forward.

However…

This kind of thing is nice to listen to, but he had to avoid getting too caught up; after all, he believed the voice’s original intent was laced with malice.

This Tian Lin was problematic; minor fluctuations in the spiritual energy field were natural phenomena, but significant disturbances indicated someone was meddling.

This wasn’t his first encounter; during training sessions in the Xuanyun Sect, they had trained their mental states, often invoking demonic whispers based on the weaknesses deep in one’s heart.

Now, this occurrence was quite potent, echoing aggressively in his mind, yet the content was off.

If it were in his past life, he surely would have fallen into despair, becoming lethargic and unable to recover for a month or two.

But now, faced with this content, he was thrilled; being told he was evil and wouldn’t become a great hero?

Forget your so-called great hero; he was the villain, and who needed to save the world?

These statements had no power over him; they were less troublesome than saying his favorite show got canceled, that Meat Floss Cake had vanished, or that all his figures were ruined by brats. Even if it claimed he could only become a great hero, he doubted it would send his already tough mental state into chaos.

Lin Nuo mused that this narrative was so outdated; were they still drawing from his pure-hearted ambitions from his past life?

Did your village not have internet or what?

He reckoned that perhaps upon his rebirth, the events of his past life were locked away, making them unable to gauge that he was the villain.

Moreover, in this life, when separating points of evil from justice, his points of justice significantly outweighed the evil ones.

Enough said, talking about it only brings tears; the heavens don’t treat people kindly.

As the voice faded, Lin Nuo also reined in his smile, restoring a frosty demeanor.

For him, this was a positive turn of events.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely because he had a voice ringing in his brain accusing him of being evil but because the spell’s reach was vast, dropping like a sharp blade around the necks of the people of Tian Lin.

Well, great—now he didn’t even have to step in; someone would take care of them for him.

Whoever it was, he’d thank them and bow down in gratitude.

If he ever found out who they were, and if one day they perished, he’d light a stick of incense for them.

Lin Nuo roamed through Tian Lin again, hearing sounds of roaring; he followed the source and discovered the fierce beasts.

In a place that held hardly any wild animals, for such beasts to appear only reinforced his belief that someone aimed to wipe out all outsiders entering Tian Lin.

Clearly, they had lost their fighting spirit; facing the savage and brutal attacks of the fierce beasts, they had no intention of resisting, but rather awaited their demise in despair.

Batch after batch of people were slaughtered, the fierce beasts tearing into their flesh, and the fallen would exhale mist that floated toward the center of Tian Lin.

“Indeed, there’s something afoot.”

Lin Nuo didn’t care much; it was none of his business. He planned to leave Tian Lin, then contact Qin Shili to inform her that the situation was stable, and he had won effortlessly.

She should be unaffected by this, right?