Just Read the Memories Directly and Be Done

"Hey... you've got to be kidding me.

What the hell is going on here?"

"Who... are these people?"

The short-haired woman from the Black Raven Squad turned deathly pale, her voice barely squeezing through clenched teeth.

No way.

We were just preparing to drive out the intruders as a contingency in case the mission failed.

But...

What the hell is happening now?

We haven’t even made a move, and you... brought this many people?

Forget the two overwhelmingly powerful figures leading them.

What truly crushed her spirit was the sight behind them—a dense army of cultivators, stretching like a storm cloud across the sky, their numbers blotting out the horizon.

One squad member, using a combat scanner over his eye, stammered out an estimate.

"C-Captain..."

"There are at least ten thousand of them..."

"And... their combat power... every single one is comparable to an A-rank!"

"Not to mention the dozens of S-ranks among them!"

The Black Raven Squad members were utterly dumbfounded.

They had thought this S-rank territory expansion mission would be a breeze.

But now, it was clear they had underestimated everything.

Who were these people? Another squad?

Just as tension reached its peak—

"Huh, why is there such an ugly statue here?"

Qin Luo chuckled, his gaze sweeping over the Black Raven Squad before lingering on the distant obsidian raven statue.

Then, turning to Su Muwan, he smirked. "What do you think, Young Miss?"

Su Muwan understood immediately. She glanced at the statue and scoffed. "Yeah, it’s hideous."

The moment she spoke, her finger flicked upward slightly.

BOOM—!

A surge of frigid power erupted, and the Black Raven statue in the distance shattered into a storm of ice crystals.

On the golden leaderboard, the Black Raven Squad’s faith points plummeted by 5,000.

"You—!" The short-haired woman’s eyes bulged with rage, but her voice cut off abruptly.

Because Qin Luo had already taken a single step—vanishing and reappearing right in front of her, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder.

"Relax."

His smile was warm, but his voice sent chills down the spines of every Black Raven member.

"We of the Netherfrost Divine Domain always prefer to reason with virtue."

"Now, you have three choices—"

"One, scram."

"Two, die."

"Three, answer some questions."

The air seemed to freeze solid.

The Black Raven Squad stood paralyzed, their breaths shallow and strained.

Sweat beaded on the short-haired woman’s forehead as she stared into Qin Luo’s eyes—only to find an abyss of darkness staring back.

Finally, she realized—

They had messed with the wrong people.

Three options.

The second was out of the question.

Leaving wasn’t an option either—this territory had taken too much effort to secure.

So the only choice was...

"What... questions?" She chose the safest route.

At the same time, the oppressive pressure around them eased.

The Black Raven Squad gasped for air like drowning men granted a reprieve.

Qin Luo watched them, amused. "Smart choice."

"Then..."

"Start by telling us about this [Heaven’s Path Space] of yours."

Heaven’s Path... Space?!

The woman’s pupils trembled violently.

These people... weren’t from a Heaven’s Path squad?

But they knew about the Heaven’s Path Space?

Damn it...

She had to stall them.

Just as the thought crossed her mind—

"Ah, one more thing."

Qin Luo’s voice cut in again, slow and deliberate. "Tell us everything you know."

"And if I catch even a single lie..."

His smile remained, but his eyes turned glacial.

The woman scoffed inwardly.

—As if I’d spill everything.

—The rules of the Heaven’s Path Space aren’t for outsiders like you to understand.

—Worst case...

She steeled herself, but before she could act—

"Tch, seriously, don’t make your thoughts so obvious."

BUZZ—!

An invisible force descended.

The woman’s mind, memories, even her soul—

It all felt like it was being gripped by an unseen hand, forcibly rifled through.

"ARGHHH—!"

She collapsed to her knees, her eyes glazing over as her memories poured into Qin Luo’s consciousness.

The Heaven’s Path Space operated much like a "Main God’s Space."

Periodic missions were issued—fail, and you were erased.

Mission ranks: D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS.

The Black Raven Squad’s current mission was S-rank—[Release the Insectoid Deity sealed in the Primal Era and retrieve it.]

Squads could plunder each other’s resources, even hunt members.

The Black Ravens were infamous for preying on weaker teams.

Completing missions earned points for trading—techniques, weapons, even reviving teammates.

Fail, and points were deducted. Reach zero... instant erasure.

But... someone seemed to be pulling strings behind the scenes.

Forcing squads to slaughter each other, pitting them in a survival-of-the-fittest game.

Every mission matched squads of similar strength against each other.

This woman was an A+ rank, a sub-captain of the Black Ravens.

After digesting the intel, Qin Luo mused.

"I see..."

Withdrawing his hand, he glanced at the Black Raven members, lips curling.

"Do you want to live?"

The woman’s eyes were hollow, her mind still reeling from the forced memory extraction.

The others shuddered, terror in their gazes.

What kind of monster was this guy?!

Without hesitation—

They dropped to their knees.

"W-We want to live!"

Qin Luo smiled. "Then repeat after me..."

"I swear! Eternal loyalty to Young Miss Su Muwan!"

...

The Black Raven Squad was vast in number, each member formidable enough to stand alone in past missions.

This S-rank mission, unsurprisingly, had them spread out.

In a pocket dimension—

The Black Raven’s supreme commander, codenamed "Night Owl," sat in a makeshift command tent.

His fingers tapped rhythmically against a metal desk.

Tall and imposing, his face was carved with a vicious scar over his left eye—a souvenir from an S-rank mission long past.

"Report!"

A subordinate rushed in, tense. "Third Squad just re-established contact."

Night Owl’s fingers froze mid-tap. His gaze sharpened. "Re-established? How long were they offline?"

"About half an hour."

The subordinate bowed. "Before losing signal, they sent a distress call. Now they’re saying the threat’s neutralized and requesting further orders."

Night Owl’s scar twisted under the dim light. "Half an hour of dead silence..."

He rose slowly. "Who leads Third Squad?"

"Cold Crow. Specializes in stealth and assassination. Three solo A-rank mission clears."

Night Owl smirked. "Cold Crow... I remember her. Never reckless. Always cautious."

He paced to the holographic sand table at the center of the tent, lightly tapping his fingertips to pull up the last known coordinates of the third squad.

"Half an hour—from losing contact to restoring the signal..."

Night Owl's voice was low and dangerous: "Who can guarantee nothing went wrong during that time..."