Demon Path Kill

The "Immortals' Brawl" event had become an obsession for Righteous Path Cultivators. What began as simple card games and life-or-death wagers had devolved into bizarre showdowns of cheating tricks—everyone was a swindler now.

But by the second and third day, the atmosphere grew increasingly twisted and sinister...

A newly initiated Righteous Path Cultivator sat at the table, eyeing everyone as if they were demonic cultivators in disguise.

Among the sects, voices rose calling for "long-term activities of this nature in other illusionary realms."

Naturally, Lu Ze paid them no mind.

Without rules, there is no order.

Occasional events for fun were fine, but if it turned into an all-out cheat-fest, the game would be doomed.

"Hmm, maybe I should open a dedicated server for cheaters?"

Lu Ze muttered to himself before exiting the main space of "The Scoundrel's Teahouse."

Not long after he left, Zhong Yi came knocking.

"Junior Brother Lu, care for another spar?"

Zhong Yi chuckled mysteriously, as if he had some devious trick up his sleeve.

"Not now, I have things to attend to later," Lu Ze declined, then asked curiously,

"By the way, why haven’t we seen Senior Brother Mu these days?"

Usually, Zhong Yi, Zhou Yue, Zhou Qiaoling, and Mu Yawen formed a quartet for illusionary realm games.

But Mu Yawen had been absent lately, forcing Zhong Yi to drag Lu Ze in as a substitute.

"Senior Brother Mu... Ah."

Zhong Yi sighed and explained the reason.

After Lu Ze’s encounter with demonic ambushes in the illusionary realm, major sects had intensified their crackdowns on demonic forces.

Mu Yawen was among the first batch of Lingxiao Sect members assigned to suppress demonic cultivators.

Not long ago, they arrived at a village rumored to harbor demonic practitioners.

Mu Yawen, being honest and straightforward by nature, was utterly fooled by the demons. After a full day of investigation, he concluded the entire village was full of good-hearted folks.

Yet within days, other cultivators uncovered a group of demonic practitioners disguised as villagers.

Mu Yawen was devastated—not only had he been played for a fool, but his oversight nearly cost innocent villagers their lives at the hands of the demons.

Since returning to the sect, Mu Yawen had been in seclusion, too ashamed to even indulge in his favorite illusionary games.

Hearing this, Zhong Yi’s enthusiasm for "The Scoundrel's Teahouse" also waned.

"Ah, Junior Brother Lu, you’re sharp-witted. Any ideas on how to train Senior Brother Mu to see through lies?"

Zhong Yi suddenly proposed.

"Well..."

Lu Ze’s eyebrows lifted.

He actually had the perfect game in mind for this situation—

"Werewolf."

A tabletop game from his past life, beloved for its logic, debate, and deception-detecting mechanics.

But he kept it to himself.

"Nothing comes to mind."

Lu Ze shook his head.

Games like Werewolf were fun, but the elimination process was too slow.

If all 12 players were like Zhong Yi, a single round of discussion could stretch past half an hour...

"Ah, what a shame."

Disappointed, Zhong Yi turned to leave.

Just then, the system’s voice echoed in Lu Ze’s ears:

[Host’s growing strength has earned the admiration of countless Righteous Path Cultivators. As the Demon Saint, the host should seize this opportunity to expand demonic influence and convert some righteous cultivators!]

[Mission: Within seven days, make at least 100 Righteous Path Cultivators actively yearn for a demonic identity.]

[Reward: Random spell (category selectable)]

"Wait!"

The moment the system spoke, Lu Ze called out to Zhong Yi.

"I think I just had an idea..."

Zhong Yi: "???"

……

……

Make righteous cultivators yearn for a demonic identity?

Wasn’t this practically forcing him to develop "Werewolf"?

Sure, some players hated being the wolf, but plenty of others played solely for the thrill of deception!

Once "Werewolf" launched, the system’s mission would be a breeze.

But Lu Ze wasn’t planning to recreate the original "Werewolf."

As he’d previously considered, the classic version’s heavy emphasis on logic and deduction made demonic-value farming inefficient.

More importantly, logic-heavy games like "Werewolf" had niche appeal, limiting player growth.

Still, "Werewolf" wasn’t the only game of its kind.

His past life had 3D variants like "Fear Surrounds," folk-horror adaptations like "Ominous Night: Return of the Dead," and 2D versions like "Among Us" and "Goose Goose Duck"—all excellent alternatives.

To maximize accessibility, Lu Ze opted for a more casual approach, making "Among Us" and "Goose Goose Duck" better templates.

More roles meant more variables and faster-paced gameplay.

With the direction set, Lu Ze got to work.

First, factions:

Three in total—

Righteous, Demonic, and Monstrous.

The Righteous faction included skill-less civilians and special roles with unique treasures.

The Demonic faction had assassins with varied abilities.

The Monstrous faction was the wildcard, playing lone wolves for victory.

The map was straightforward—localized adaptations of his past life’s designs.

Small-scale illusionary realms like this were Lu Ze’s forte.

In just three days, it was ready.

After completion, Lu Ze sent a message to Zhong Yi via voice-transmitting jade slip and posted an announcement:

[New Illusionary Realm "Demonic Kill" Now Live!]

[Struggling against demonic deception? Can’t see through lies?]

[Play "Demonic Kill" and hone your insight!]

……

……

Tempering Gold Peak, Forge Valley.

"Senior Brother Zhong, are you sure this illusionary realm can help me see through demonic tricks?"

Crushed training stones littered the ground around Mu Yawen.

At Zhong Yi’s news, the dullness in his eyes flickered with renewed hope.

These days, the memory of being fooled by demons haunted him, filling him with guilt.

Even his master worried this might breed inner demons.

"Don’t you trust Junior Brother Lu’s ideas? He’s full of clever schemes—this’ll help!"

Seeing Mu Yawen’s spirits lift, Zhong Yi coaxed him further.

"Alright, let’s give it a try."

Mu Yawen grinned.

The two quickly updated their illusionary crystals and entered the realm.

""Demonic Kill"? Shouldn’t it be "Kill the Demons"?"

Zhong Yi muttered.

Inside, he created a room and invited Mu Yawen.

"Senior Brother Zhong, you’ll have to teach me how to spot demons!"

Mu Yawen rubbed his eyes vigorously, as if polishing them for clarity.

"Uh... It might not be what we expect."

Zhong Yi eyed the room settings thoughtfully.

For new players, the first three matches had fixed settings—unchangeable by hosts.

A standard nine-player setup.

Two demonic cultivators, one demonic beast, and six righteous cultivators.

As sharp as Zhong Yi was, he quickly grasped the hidden truth behind this setup—

The demonic cultivators and the demonic beast were also being played by real players!

This game wasn’t as simple as he initially thought—just identifying and eliminating the demonic side.

Instead, it was a competitive illusionary realm!

Each player had a distinct identity.

Some were righteous cultivators, some were demonic cultivators, and some were demonic beasts.

Zhong Yi’s excitement for this illusionary realm instantly surged.

A strong intuition told him that he had immense room to maneuver here!

Lu Ze’s illusionary realm had a massive player base, and Zhong Yi’s newly created room filled up within minutes.

The game—began!