Was this the price of not following the rules?
Nameless's heart sank slightly as his gaze drifted to the plaque.
At that moment, he saw Xu Qinqin return after fleeing, now holding a torch. She ran to the gate and immediately used the torch to set it on fire.
About thirty seconds later, the gate actually caught fire.
The corner of Nameless's eye twitched slightly. The monk who had led the way had handed Xu Tao a torch, yet they had foolishly neglected to use one and simply forced their way in.
There had indeed been such a detail in the backstory told by the supervising monk. Since the monks of Great Seclusion Temple were all refugees or people seeking to escape the world, they had hidden in the temple to cultivate.
That meant war was raging outside. If the plaque were really that useful, every household could simply hang one up, and war would never reach them.
Nameless had not thought it through carefully before, but now he understood. When the supervising monk spoke of burning, killing, and looting, the thing being burned had probably been this plaque.
Perhaps it was like a lock—effective against gentlemen, but not villains, much less bandits.
Of course, while it could not stop human-caused disasters, it might still offer protection against spirits, monsters, and ghosts.
As the gate caught fire, many monsters immediately gathered and tried to extinguish the flames. Nameless promptly ordered the young dragon to stop them.
Only then did he belatedly realize the proper way to clear this stage: first burn the gate and ignite the plaque, then work together to stop the monsters trying to put out the fire.
After the plaque had burned down, they could kill all the monsters, fight their way to the main hall,