Chapter 67: The Mass Disappearance of Yunhai Sect Disciples

The Cloud Ocean Sect stood upon the southern seas, its mist-shrouded peaks rising amidst vast, billowing waters; even before the founding of the Great Jin Dynasty, it had already established itself as a formidable order, reigning supreme as the sovereign head of all cultivation sects across the southern expanse, bearing an immense and ancient history!

Neighboring Jiuhua City was the coastal metropolis of Yanhai City, renowned precisely for its maritime trade with the various cultivation sects of the southern seas, which meant that cultivators frequently resided within its borders.

Yet on this very day, a monumental incident transpired at the sect's outpost within the city, plunging the entire estate into a chaotic state of utter turmoil!

Deep within the main hall sat a withered, short elder with hair as white as frost, robed in a formal gown embroidered with cloud motifs, his aging eyes glaring intently at several young men bowing their heads before him: "Was the girl Ye not traveling with you? How could she vanish just like that?! And you call yourselves elite disciples of this sect, yet you cannot even protect your own junior sister!"

The elder seated at the head of the hall was visibly displeased; had these disciples not been the very talents the sect was investing its utmost efforts to cultivate, he likely would have given them a fierce thrashing by now!

"When the Sect Master asks me for his daughter, how do you expect me to account for her?!"

The group immediately wore expressions of profound bitterness.

"Why are you still standing there? Go look for her!"

"Understood..." the youths replied in haste, preparing to take their leave.

Right at that moment, the elder called them back once more: "Hold on!"

"Does the Elder have further instructions?" the handsome young man leading the group asked with a respectful bow.

"Before the girl Ye disappeared, did she happen to say anything?"

"Uh..." The group pondered for a moment. "Junior Sister mentioned she was going to play Anhei..."

"An... what...?!" The elder froze, utterly mystified.

The youths exchanged glances: "This must be a clue. Rest assured, Elder, we will certainly find our junior sister!"

...

"Anhei... that does not sound like a good thing..." As the eldest disciple of the Cloud Ocean Sect, Yun Lian naturally took this matter deeply to heart. "Could it be some sort of heretical cult organization...?"

"It does sound rather like one..." Beside him stood Yun Lan, the disciple who had led the excursion with Ye Xiaoye that day.

"Are there any other clues?" Yun Lian pressed further.

"None..." Yun Lan thought for a moment, then suddenly gasped. "Ah, right! The day before yesterday, Senior Sister Zhou took Junior Sister Ye to Jiuhua City. Ever since then, Junior Sister Ye kept mentioning Anhei. Could it be related to that...?"

"Then what are we waiting for!" Yun Lian commanded. "Hurry and contact Senior Sister Zhou via communication jade!"

"Who has connected with Senior Sister Zhou's communication jade?"

...

Meanwhile, within the internet cafe, a few mages unleashed a synchronized volley of firebolts, instantly clearing out the female hunters ahead; as Zhou Hongying gathered the spoils of war, she inquired, "Junior Sister Ye, weren't you supposed to return to the sect today? Why did you come back here instead?"

"Uh..." Ye Xiaoye's fair face flushed slightly as she stuck out her tongue. "What is there to fear? I'll just play for a little while before heading back..."

"..." Just then, Zhou Hongying's communication jade vibrated slightly.

"Senior Sister Zhou has sent word—Junior Sister Ye is right here in Jiuhua City!" Yun Lian snatched his sword from the wall of the room, declaring with fiery haste, "Move out, to Jiuhua City!"

"We take the sect's flying boat, time is of the essence!" With Yun Lian's cultivation, he had long possessed the ability to pilot a flying vessel; moreover, as a custom craft of a major sect like the Cloud Ocean Sect, it was built for both land and sea, boasting incredible speed, allowing them to arrive in Jiuhua in less than an hour!

Beholding the small shop before them, its exterior constructed entirely of glazed glass, one could actually see the inside from the outside with absolute clarity: "Could this be the establishment run by that heretical cult called 'Anhei'? It doesn't quite look the part, does it?"

What kind of cult operates so openly and righteously?

Peering through the shop door, they could see that the establishment was already filled with quite a few people; led by Yun Lian, the group marched straight inside.

"This is too delicious! Why is it so incredibly tasty!" Jiang Xiaoyue sat before the counter, taking small, blissful sips. "Why does something this wonderful exist in the world!"

Having finally obtained a Sprite, the little girl, being a massive foodie, was almost moved to tears of joy; in an exceptionally bright mood, she casually asked, "Are you here to play games?"

"Hmm?" Seeing a terribly adorable little girl sitting at the counter, Yun Lian and the others grew even more bewildered. "Do heretical cultivators adopt this sort of style nowadays?"

"We are looking for someone!" Yun Lian slammed his unsheathed sword onto the counter, asking in a low, heavy voice, "Where is station number thirty-six?"

"If you are looking for someone, just say so, why be so fierce." Jiang Xiaoyue glared at him with displeasure, pointing toward the inner section. "Right over there, the tables have labels."

They quickly located station thirty-six following her directions, but before they could even draw near, a series of loud shouts rang out:

"The Countess! I found the Countess! There are so many monsters here, come quickly!"

"Ice Bolt! Ice Bolt! Clear out the archers first!"

"There's an elite monster too! Burst it down first!"

"Watch your positioning!"

"Ah! I've been hit by an arrow! Hold the line, everyone!" a delicate female voice cried out.

"Is that Junior Sister's voice?!"

"Junior Sister was hit by an arrow?! Where?! Where?!"

They swiftly found a young maiden clad in green sitting before station thirty-six: "Junior Sister! Are you alright?! Show us where you are hurt!"

The entire group instantly swarmed around her with profound concern!

"What do you mean, where am I hurt?" Ye Xiaoye toggled her controls to keyboard-and-mouse mode and turned her head in confusion. "Why are you all here?"

"Weren't you hit by an arrow?" Yun Lian hurriedly drew a vial of medicinal pills from his robes. "I have healing medicine right here! Take it quickly!"

"I..." Ye Xiaoye felt an urge to cough up blood upon hearing this; pointing at the screen, she said in exasperation, "I was talking about inside the game!"

Getting injured in a game and having a vial of cultivation pills thrust at her?! What kind of nonsense was this?!

"A game?" Followed by Ye Xiaoye's pointing finger, the group looked at the screen, only to see a delicate female mage indeed hiding in a corner, frantically chugging potions.

"What kind of game is this?!" The group stared at one another in mutual bewilderment; such a thing actually existed?!

"This is Diablo!" Ye Xiaoye explained. "Didn't I mention it yesterday?"

Regardless of what game it was, seeing that Ye Xiaoye was unharmed allowed Yun Lian to finally breathe a sigh of relief: "So Anhei was merely a game... truly a false alarm."

"However... Junior Sister Ye, everyone is searching for you. Come back with us now."

"No way, let me finish playing these six hours, then I will return with you."

"Play... for six hours? Before returning?" The youths looked at one another blankly.

"Yes! I have already paid the money, I must finish playing! There are still an hour or two left." Ye Xiaoye explained with absolute seriousness.

"Forget it, forget it. Since we are right here, Junior Sister is in no danger anyway. Given how playful she is, just let her play for a while." Yun Lian gave a wry smile.

"By the way, do you want to play too?" Ye Xiaoye asked while preparing to continue her assault on the Countess.

"Us?" The group checked the time, noting there were still an hour or two left; with the mindset of passing the time, they agreed, "Whatever, let's do it!"

"Boss! Activate four more copies of Diablo for me!"

"What on earth is this?" After Ye Xiaoye finished slaying the Countess, the four confused youths entered the game under her guidance.

"Hiss—!" The four instantly drew in a sharp breath of cold air. "To think such a game actually exists?!"

"A game can actually be played like this?!"

"Of course!" Ye Xiaoye declared proudly. "The games in this shop are incredibly formidable! The even more amazing parts are yet to come! You will experience it shortly!"

"There are even more incredible parts?" The group wore expressions of utter shock.

"Mhm! For your class, just choose the Sorceress; all sorts of spells are incredibly powerful!" the maiden patiently explained.

"Then we shall choose the Sorceress."

"Eh~? Upon entering the game, I realized I suddenly know a new spell? Do you all have it too?"

"Hey—! Me too!"

"Me too!" Several people looked utterly amazed.

"By the way, go grind levels in the Den of Evil first. You can learn new spells when you level up," Ye Xiaoye instructed. "When the time comes, just open the skill panel, tap right here, and you will have learned it."

"Learning spells is really that simple?!"

"Just a single tap?!" The group found it increasingly magical.

...

Four or five hours later...

Yanhai City, at the headquarters of the Cloud Sea Sect.

A white-haired elder slammed his hand against the desk. "How has there been no news after they've been out for so long?! Have they all vanished into thin air?!"

...

PS: Classmates, please do not complain that a few chapters are not as gripping as the others... The plot requires transitions, characters need development, and red flowers need green leaves to set them off. These will push the story forward later, so certain roles are being given screen time now for foreshadowing and preparation...

The author knows exactly what they are doing, so that is essentially how it is...

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