I'm not going to tell you

【There's an impostor among you!】

【The Demon-Purging Barrier has been breached. You must find a way to repair it. Check your task list and head to the designated locations to complete your missions and restore the barrier!】

【The impostor will try to hinder your progress, so be cautious. Trust no one but yourself!】

【If you discover a corpse, you can shake the wind chime in your hand.】

【Once the wind chime is shaken, everyone will be teleported to the ancestral hall, where you can vote to exile a suspect.】

【You can also summon everyone to the ancestral hall by paying respects there.】

【Either complete the tasks to repair the barrier, or identify and expel the impostor.】

【Good luck, and survive!】

The cultivators present were mostly baffled by the introduction before them.

Zhong Yi found himself in a vast study.

With him was another player, marked with the number "four" above his head, followed by his nickname.

"This illusion's rules are so convoluted! What does it mean that there's an impostor among us?"

This person didn’t recognize Zhong Yi, clearly not a disciple of the Lingxiao Sect.

Zhong Yi’s vision was filled with additional information:

【Your identity: Demon Path (Corpse Devourer)】

【Special Ability: Once per game, you can consume a player’s corpse. (0/1)】

【Your tasks:】

【1. Search for torn pages in the study】

【2. Repair the formation stone at the center of the fountain】

【3. Restore the collapsed statue in the back mountain】

【All your tasks are fake.】

【Eliminate all non-Demon Path players to claim victory!】

After only a brief pause, Zhong Yi quickly composed himself.

"It probably means that among us, someone is aligned with the Demon Path or the demonic races."

He adopted a defensive stance, taking half a step back, his face full of wariness.

"Fellow Daoist… you’re not the impostor, are you? Don’t kill me!"

"Hey, hey, don’t misunderstand! I’m one of the good guys!"

The player named 【Honest and Trustworthy Wang Zhiyuan】 frantically waved his hands.

"You’re a good guy? Then what’s your identity?"

Zhong Yi retreated several more steps, his acting flawless.

"I’m a 【Spirit Medium】! I can see how many souls are lingering around… but my skill isn’t ready yet, so I can’t use it."

Wang Zhiyuan sounded utterly sincere.

"Alright… I’ll trust you then. I’m just a civilian, no special abilities."

Zhong Yi relaxed his tense posture and took a few steps closer to Wang Zhiyuan.

Before the game started, he had skimmed through a few roles’ skills—posing as a civilian seemed the safest bet.

Based on Player Four’s response, Zhong Yi gleaned another piece of information:

Everyone’s skills had cooldowns or usage limits.

As a Demon Path member, his 【Kill】 ability also had a cooldown.

But it was almost ready again.

"That’s a relief. You seem pretty sharp—I feel safer sticking with you!"

Wang Zhiyuan exhaled in relief, as if he’d found an ally.

Snap.

With a swift motion, Zhong Yi struck, and Wang Zhiyuan instantly became a corpse.

A few seconds later, once his 【Corpse Devour】 skill lit up, Zhong Yi promptly "consumed" the body.

These actions weren’t visually detailed—just a slash, a death animation, or a skill activation making the corpse vanish.

If the Demon Path’s corpse-eating were depicted too vividly, Lu Ze worried the righteous factions might refuse to play.

"Alright, time to find my teammate."

Zhong Yi glanced at the player list and sighed.

His teammate was Player Two, Mu Yawen.

Given Mu Yawen’s timid nature, playing as the Demon Path would be disastrous. Zhong Yi knew he had to find him fast.

Luck was on his side.

Just as he stepped out of the study and pretended to work on a task near the garden fountain, he spotted Mu Yawen crouched in the bushes, trembling.

Not far away, Players Five and Eight were eyeing him suspiciously.

This kid looks guilty just breathing—no wonder they suspect him…

Zhong Yi stifled a laugh and walked over.

The moment Mu Yawen saw Zhong Yi, it was like seeing a lifeline.

"Senior Brother Zhong, I—I’m…"

"I know, I know. You’re terrified of everyone, scared you’ll get killed… a good guy, right?"

Zhong Yi cut him off loudly before he could blurt out the truth.

Sound transmission in this illusion was strange—even whispers carried clearly to nearby players, as if the game deliberately prevented secret conversations.

Mu Yawen stared blankly at Zhong Yi’s red-marked name above his head.

"Senior Brother, why is your name…"

"Ah, I’ve got a task near the rock garden. Come with me? If we run into the Demon Path, just shake the wind chime for me!"

Zhong Yi reacted swiftly, steering Mu Yawen away before he could say more.

Once they were alone, Zhong Yi chuckled helplessly.

"Junior Brother Mu, you almost got me killed!"

"Senior Brother, didn’t you say you’d teach me how to catch the Demon Path? Why are we the Demon Path now…?"

Mu Yawen looked miserable.

"Ha! Experiencing the Demon Path firsthand will teach you how they think and act. Lu Ze’s idea is actually pretty clever."

Zhong Yi explained.

Mu Yawen blinked in confusion. "So… what do I do now?"

"Simple."

Zhong Yi smirked confidently.

"If anyone asks, just say you’re a good guy and know nothing."

He’d already grasped the essence of this game—

A battle of truth and lies!

As a good guy, expose the impostors.

As the Demon Path, deceive and kill in the shadows!

As for the demonic races’ objectives, he wasn’t sure.

But judging by the name, they were probably similar to the Demon Path.

"This round, I’ll carry you to victory!"

……

While the others were still fumbling with the rules,

Zhong Yi stood out like a crane among chickens.

After killing another player near the rock garden with Mu Yawen in tow, he strode away, exhilarated.

"Remember, if anyone questions you, just play dumb—say nothing."

Zhong Yi warned.

"Say nothing… got it!"

Mu Yawen nodded solemnly, as if mentally taking notes.

【Player Nine has discovered a corpse and shaken the wind chime.】

Instantly, everyone appeared in the sect’s ancestral hall.

Player Nine, 【Gatekeeper of the Tianxuan Sect】, was clearly a disciple of the Tianxuan Sect.

"I found the body near the rock garden. I’m innocent… Hmm, I think I saw Players One and Two heading that way earlier. They might be the impostors."

True to his Tianxuan Sect roots, his reasoning was sharp.

Unfazed, Zhong Yi countered:

"Me? Player Two and I already confirmed each other’s identities. I’m the 【Spirit Medium】, he’s the 【Detective】. Surely no one else here shares our roles, right?"

Both identities were lifted from dead innocents. The specificity of his claim made half the crowd hesitate.

Zhong Yi pressed on:

"We are fellow disciples of the Lingxiao Sect and only teamed up because we knew each other in real life. The odds of us both being traitors while also knowing each other outside the game must be pretty low, right? We just happened to have a quest near the rock garden, so we went there to complete it."

With this additional explanation, even Player Nine, who had initially doubted them, began to lean toward believing their story.

After Zhong Yi spun his elaborate tale and felt certain of victory, he finally concluded his speech.

Then it was Mu Yawen's turn to speak.

His face was pale with panic, his lips trembling as he forced out each word:

"I…"

"I’ll never tell you anything!!!"