"Demonic Path Escape"? What Kind of Trial Is This?

You were a lowly Qi Refining Stage cultivator who had accidentally stumbled into a secret Demon Path stronghold and was now being hunted down by a Demonic Beast raised by the Demon Path.

Bad news: the Demonic Beast chasing you was incredibly powerful. If it caught you, you were dead for sure.

Good news: you seemed to run just a tiny bit faster than it.

In this Illusion Realm, you had to follow the rules below:

1. Other than the "Cloud Shattering Art," all other Cultivation Methods were ineffective.

2. You could only move forward by using the "Cloud Shattering Art."

3. Demon Path Barriers lined both sides of the road. Touching them meant instant death.

4. The escape route was riddled with traps. Touching them meant instant death.

5. Behind you was a terrifying Demonic Monster. Touching it meant instant death.

The escape began!

As the words vanished, Zhang Ming rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

He recognized every single word on it, so why could he not understand them when they were put together?

What Demon Path? What pursuit? What did touching something mean instant death??

Hadn't he come to the Illusion Realm to practice the Cloud Shattering Art?

Where the hell had this sent him??

Zhang Ming was still baffled when a furious roar suddenly came from behind him.

He turned around and happened to see a pitch-black Demonic Monster drenched in blood, its enormous maw wide open as it charged toward him.

That massive body, that stench of blood and rot crashing into his face, those footsteps that made the forest tremble, that savage appearance...

The Demonic Monster personally created by Lu Ze was overwhelmingly oppressive, with every special effect cranked to the limit.

Zhang Ming had never seen such a horrifying scene. Only one thought remained in his mind:

Run!

But when he turned around, he discovered that his legs felt as if they had been filled with lead. No matter how hard he tried, he could not move an inch.

"What's going on..."

Zhang Ming froze.

The Demonic Monster behind him was getting closer and closer.

At the brink of life and death, he suddenly remembered the rule written earlier—

"Only by using the 'Cloud Shattering Art' can you move forward."

The Cloud Shattering Art was Spirit Cloud Sect's basic movement technique, as well as the core content of this Trial.

Zhang Ming had no time to think further and hurriedly activated the Cloud Shattering Art.

The instant he activated the Cloud Shattering Art, his legs could move!

Wind gathered beneath Zhang Ming's feet as he ran forward with all his might.

The monster followed close behind!

After only a few steps, a bend suddenly appeared ahead. Zhang Ming failed to brake in time and nearly crashed straight into it.

"Damn... what... what kind of Trial is this?!"

At that moment, Zhang Ming was both excited and flustered.

Although the monster behind him frightened him somewhat, this unprecedented sensation...

Was simply too wonderful!

"What are these? Spirit Stones? What happens if I pick them up?"

Spirit Stones floated in the air along the escape route.

Whenever he ran into one, it let out a crisp "ding," filling him with an inexplicable sense of delight.

The shattered Spirit Stones turned into streams of light and entered his body.

Two numbers appeared in the upper-right corner of his vision.

One was his score, while the other was distance.

"Picking up Spirit Stones increases my score, and continuously running increases my distance?"

This time, Zhang Ming understood quickly.

"Roar—!!"

A howl came from behind him, making him jolt.

When he had rounded the bend earlier, his shifting of footwork and Cultivation Method had not been coordinated enough, slowing him by half a beat. Now, the monster had nearly caught up.

The immense sense of danger clung to him like a shadow. Zhang Ming hurriedly pushed the Cloud Shattering Art to its limit.

"Holy shit! Why are there Firestarter Talismans here?!"

Zhang Ming had only just gotten used to the controls when two Firestarter Talismans from either side caught him completely off guard.

Massive pillars of fire suddenly blocked his path.

His first instinct was—jump over them.

After all, in reality, something this high could be cleared with a light leap.

But this was not reality, after all.

He was instantly burned into a lump of charcoal.

Trial Over!

Score: 68

Escape Distance: 21 steps

Current Rank: 18th

Looking at the data panel floating before him, Zhang Ming gritted his teeth in fury.

"Damn it! Why am I only eighteenth?!"

"If I had chosen to duck through it back then, I definitely could have gone farther! Again!!"

A man's damned competitive spirit had been awakened.

Zhang Ming eagerly started the next round.

Illusion Training Hall, central control room.

Lu Ze sat in his chair, a faint smile curling his lips.

He was currently in the Main Space of "Demonic Path Escape," cheerfully watching the game screens of the many players.

When choosing a concept, Lu Ze had hesitated again and again. In the end, rather than choosing the more popular "Daily Cool Run" from his previous life, he chose "Temple Escape."

The main reason was that the game setting of "Temple Escape" was simply too suitable for adaptation into a Cultivation World theme.

Its level designs were also easy to localize.

Most importantly, "Temple Escape" was more suitable for a first-person perspective.

Much of the thrill of "Daily Cool Run" had to be supported by the original visuals.

When converted into first-person immersion, it was far less engaging than "Temple Escape."

Of course, Lu Ze had also borrowed some useful elements from "Daily Cool Run."

For example, the sound effect for picking up coins and the dynamic design of using Skills...

After combining those elements with production experience from other works in his previous life, Lu Ze was brimming with confidence in this localized "Demonic Path Escape."

Reality unfolded just as he had expected.

Nearly every disciple was absorbed in it. Even after failing again and again, they still eagerly started over.

"Looks like it's a success..."

Lu Ze pondered to himself.

Even if the Inner Disciples did not spread the word, the Outer Disciples alone numbered so many. Once they became addicted to it...

Completing the task would be as easy as turning over one's hand.

Just as he was rejoicing over this, a system notification suddenly sounded by his ear.

Demonic Value +0.01

Lu Ze's eyes widened at once.

He hurriedly opened the system panel.

The value of 0.01 was small, but it had truly been added to his total.

"Isn't Demonic Value only gained by killing Righteous cultivators? Could it be..."

Lu Ze was overjoyed.

"Does a Righteous cultivator dying in my game count as me killing them???"

The moment that thought appeared, Lu Ze could no longer suppress his excitement.

So you were forcing me to leave games and torment people, huh?

Well, now I'm wide awake.

The instant several game titles surfaced in his mind, Lu Ze suddenly felt like he really was someone of the Demon Path.

"Forget it. I should calm down first. There will be plenty of time for such things."

Lu Ze shook his head, dispersing the wicked thoughts in his mind.

He carefully observed the players' game screens.

He discovered that Demonic Value was not generated every time a player died.

"0.01 is too little, and a single player has to die many times before I gain it... It must be because the Outer Disciples' cultivation is too low."

"But even so, Demonic Value should not be this low."

"Demonic Value gained through games is probably far less than what I'd get from truly killing a cultivator."

Lu Ze analyzed in secret.

To prove his first guess, he needed a group of disciples with higher cultivation to play "Demonic Path Escape."

As for the second guess...

As long as he could gain Demonic Value, who needed a bicycle?

Even if the game's returns were only one percent, he merely needed them to die more than a hundred times.

And in many games, players died far more than a hundred times.

This was much more profitable than truly killing a Righteous cultivator!

Most importantly...

The higher a cultivator's realm, the fewer cultivators there were.

Kill one, and there was one less.

But deaths in games could be recycled endlessly!

All of a sudden,

Lu Ze felt that making games was the proper use of this system.

After all, sustainable development mattered most.

Just then, a system notification arrived:

The host has impressed Righteous cultivator Zhang Ming with strength, causing him to feel admiration. One of the target's abilities will be randomly acquired.

Reward obtained: "Cloud Shattering Art (Mastery)"