We're All Thinking of the Demonic Cult's Best Interests

As the most powerful cultivator in the entire guild, the leader had received systematic training at headquarters and learned the true essence of demonic cultivation. What kind of situation hadn't he seen?

He had never seen anything like it before.

If it were said that the deacon was considerate of his hard work and made preparations in advance, he could understand and even feel gratified.

But what's up with you three? Who came out of nowhere?

The leader figured out the problem; his eyes were so cold they could kill. These three people were impersonating examiners, eliminating competitors in advance.

"What a brilliant tactic!" the helmsman said through gritted teeth.

The three men were still posing as examiners when Lu Yang put his legs up on the table and said, "We still want to pass the assessment without bribes? Next one?"

The next person respectfully presented the Spirit Stone offered to the three examiners. Meng Jingzhou counted them, felt it was too little, and asked, "Do you have any experience joining the Demonic Sect?"

"No."

"Oh, I'm sorry, we don't need inexperienced people. Let's go back."

"..." He felt that the examiner practically had "We're not hiring" written all over their face.

The leader appeared behind the three like a ghost, his teeth clenched with icy malice, his Golden Core stage aura clearly visible. He slapped the three of them, sending them flying against the wall. "You three have quite the nerve, daring to impersonate examiners here!"

If he had come any later, everyone would have run away!

Lu Yang pried himself off the wall and quickly said, "Your Honor, you've been wronged! We were all wholeheartedly devoted to the Demonic Sect!"

The leader was so angry he laughed, and asked, "Then tell me, how are you considering the interests of the Demonic Sect?"

"My lord, as cultivators of the demonic path, we should be suspicious and inquisitive, and not easily trust others. Look at these people, the moment the three of us sat down here, they believed we were the examiners, and not a single one of them had any doubts."

"If they're so easily fooled, aren't they just easy targets for scams? If there are any clever people in the righteous path, they could easily deceive them."

"Moreover, only righteous cultivators would believe whatever anyone says. I even suspect that there are righteous cultivators spies among these people. My lord, you must investigate their identities thoroughly and not let righteous cultivators infiltrate!"

At this point, Lu Yang looked at the group of people participating in the test with suspicion, as if to say that there must be a mole among them.

Lu Yang spoke with True Intention, appearing entirely to be considering the leader's best interests.

The leader's expression relaxed slightly.

Meng Jingzhou spoke even more sincerely than Lu Yang, revealing his true thoughts. "Furthermore, demonic cultivators are selfish and only think of themselves. With so many people participating in this trial, we naturally need to find ways to reduce our competitors!"

"They were outmatched and got scammed. Who can they blame but themselves? They just weren't experienced enough at conning people!"

The leader's brow unfurrowed; he realized this was the truth from the three men.

Yes, demonic cultivators must be lawless and stop at nothing. Back when he joined the demonic sect, he used every means to gain the favor of the higher-ups and achieve his current position.

These three individuals are even more skilled than I was back then; they have surpassed their teachers.

Man Gu spoke the most honestly, stating, "We genuinely want to join the Demonic Cult, and we promise not to do a single good deed!"

The helmsman nodded slightly, thinking that perhaps these three could also gain the favor of the higher-ups, raising the evaluation of the Yanjiang helmsman to a higher level.

Everyone glared at Lu Yang and his two companions. They were all notorious thugs, scoundrels, and swindlers in the underworld, but none of them were as shameless as these three, who were so ruthless in their deception!

If the leader weren't around, they would all want to swarm him and tear those three bastards to pieces!

The leader didn't care about the opinions of his subordinates; how could a group of mediocre people compare to the value of these three?

"What are your cultivation levels, the three of you?"

Lu Yang respectfully replied, "We are all in the early stage of Foundation Establishment. The three of us brothers are from out of town. We came to Yanjiang County a month ago and happened to hear that the Demonic Sect was recruiting, so we thought we'd give it a try. But seeing that there were too many competitors, we came up with this best option."

"Well done." The leader was increasingly satisfied with the three of them; they were promising talents, and this was all thanks to his own achievements.

He casually waved his hand, and even ordinary early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators would be injured. In contrast, these three were completely unharmed, which shows that they are all outstanding in the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

If these three perform reasonably well in the test, promoting them to stewards would not be unreasonable.

Those who had been eliminated by Lu Yang gradually returned, summoned by the leader when he arrived.

Those who were eliminated resented Lu Yang more than others. Lu Yang felt that if he killed these people now, they would probably turn into vengeful spirits.

The leader opened the stone wall again and said to everyone, "Come in, all of you."

Behind the stone wall lies a vast and dark space, with huge rocks suspended and connected by chains, creating a spectacular sight.

Lu Yang's guess was correct; Yan Jiang's rudder was located in a hidden cave.

The leader's attitude towards the three was clearly different from his attitude towards the others. "You have a good plan to squeeze out your competitors, and you've done a commendable job, but you've been wrong from the start. Even if you squeeze out these people, or even if only the three of you participate in the test, it doesn't necessarily mean you'll pass."

"What does this mean?" Lu Yang and the other two asked, puzzled.

The helmsman, hidden behind the mask, smiled without answering, and led everyone to the largest floating stone by stepping on the floating stones.

This is a platform with intricate and beautiful patterns carved on the ground. Four ancient stone pillars stand in the four directions of east, west, south, and north. Eleven deacons dressed in black robes are on duty at the edge of the platform.

"Sit apart and relax."

After everyone did as instructed, the leader arrived at the center of the platform, where a jade-green stone floated, its surface engraved with countless mysterious symbols.

The leader channeled Spiritual Qi into the stone, causing the array beneath his feet to activate, rotate, expand, and replicate, instantly covering the entire platform.

The platform is like an ancient behemoth awakening, using mysterious power from the primordial era to transport everyone to an unknown space.

In the pristine white space, shadowy figures stood, looking bewildered, unaware of what had happened.

Whenever Lu Yang sees the pristine white space, he always suspects that a Tofu Celestial Venerable might suddenly emerge from the crowd.

Lu Yang found that Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu were not around, and he was surrounded by strangers.

"Brother, where are you from?" Lu Yang asked in a rather familiar manner, and the man didn't quite get used to Lu Yang's enthusiasm.

The man felt it wouldn't be right to remain silent, so he said, "From Huangyue City."

Lu Yang asked several people and found that they came from different demonic sect strongholds and had all been teleported here through a giant array.

Lu Yang roughly understood what the leader meant. This selection was not conducted by each stronghold on its own, but was organized by the headquarters, with all independent cultivators of the demonic Rogue Cultivator participating at the same time.

"It feels like a ghost leaving the body, but it's different," Lu Yang muttered to himself. He felt that what the platform was transmitting was not the real body, but something like a thought.

"That's interesting. I wonder if Senior Sister could..." Lu Yang stopped his thoughts. If he were in a mental state right now, the Immortal Sect might have a way to detect what he was thinking.

Better safe than sorry.

Suddenly, the entire space darkened, and a figure radiating a white glow stood in the air.

The man said calmly, "I am the Vice Leader of the Immortal Sect. I have set three tests for you. Only those who pass all three tests may join our sect."

There will be one more update before and after 1:00 PM.