Lu Ze's Perverse Taste

As the first large-scale online competitive game, Lu Ze's ambitions were grand.

In his previous life, "League of Legends" and "Honor of Kings" were groundbreaking masterpieces in the PC and mobile gaming realms.

Lu Ze also hoped to attract a new wave of players with "Immortal vs. Demon."

Currently, though the game had the remnant soul of the Heavenly Dao overseeing it, many cultivators flocked to the illusionary realm, eager to forge a connection with the Heavenly Dao.

But they weren’t truly there to play the game—they just wanted to use the illusionary realm for cultivation.

Take the Lingxiao Sect’s sect master, for example.

That old man spent all day logged into "My World," secluded in bitter cultivation, refusing to touch the game itself.

And he wasn’t the only ascetic like this.

They enjoyed all the benefits of the illusionary realm but contributed zero "Demon Path Points."

To counter this, Lu Ze implemented some targeted changes.

If these experts idled for too long, the "Black Curtain" would come knocking…

Of course, this was only a temporary fix.

Lu Ze needed an illusionary realm that could truly captivate them.

If MOBA didn’t work, then battle royale.

If battle royale failed, then search-and-destroy…

One way or another, he’d reel them in.

This time, when Lu Ze launched "Immortal vs. Demon," he went all out.

He invested significant effort into creating a promotional animation.

In the vast Immortal-Demon Canyon, two factions clashed in a thrilling, blood-pumping battle.

For cultivators who had never seen animations or CG before, this kind of marketing struck straight to the soul.

The illusionary realm’s forums exploded with discussions about "Immortal vs. Demon."

[Old Devil Lu’s released a new illusionary realm!]

[Old Devil? More like Hardworking Devil!]

[Damn, does Lu Zhenchuan even cultivate anymore? He’s just obsessed with making illusionary realms!]

[Old Devil Lu comprehends the Dao through illusionary realms—how could we ever understand?]

[What is this imagery? It looks so fun!]

[It’s not as intense as a battle between supreme experts, but… it gives me an inexplicable thrill.]

[Has Old Devil Lu finally made an illusionary realm about immortal-demon battles?]

[It can’t be that simple… If it’s just regular fighting, it’d be boring.]

[From the gameplay description, it’s kinda like "Cultivator Brawl…"]

[A real-time combat version of "Cultivator Brawl"? Hell yeah, I gotta try this!]

……

As a devoted player of "Immortal Realm Domination," Zhong Yi was naturally a die-hard fan of "Cultivator Brawl."

Upon hearing that Lu Ze had created a new illusionary realm offering a real-time "Cultivator Brawl" experience, Zhong Yi rubbed his hands in excitement, itching to prove himself in the game.

"Old Zhou, stop playing 'Bed Wars'! Come check out 'Immortal vs. Demon' with me!!"

Zhong Yi rushed straight to Zhou Yue’s residence at Blaze Pavilion, shaking him vigorously.

"Hey—stop bothering me, I’m in the middle of something!"

Zhou Yue irritably exited the illusionary realm.

After consecutive failures in "Scam Teahouse" and "Demon Path Slaughter," Zhou Yue stuck exclusively to "My World," treating other illusionary realms as mere distractions.

"Don’t drag me into another luck-based game!"

"Luck? This is the real-time version of 'Cultivator Brawl'! No more top-down controls!"

Zhong Yi quickly explained.

"Real-time? You mean we get to play as immortals?"

Zhou Yue’s eyes instantly lit up.

He had tried "Immortal Realm Domination" but wasn’t too fond of it.

The god’s-eye-view RTS gameplay didn’t appeal to him.

But if he could personally embody an immortal and command the battlefield…

Now that was worth a shot.

"Exactly! Though, I think they’re called… 'Heroic Spirits'?"

Zhong Yi nodded.

After a moment’s thought, Zhou Yue agreed. "Fine, I’ll give it a try with you… but if it’s luck-based, I’m out!"

……

It was the usual quartet—Zhong Yi, Mu Yawen, Zhou Yue, and Zhou Qiaoling—but this time, they had an extra member: Li Moran.

"Whoa, Junior Sister Li’s joining us? Rare sight!"

Zhong Yi blinked in surprise when Zhou Qiaoling brought Li Moran to Spirit Hall.

He could never figure out whether Li Moran was genuinely interested in illusionary realms or not.

Aside from "Bed Wars," she was rarely active in any game.

And yet…

No matter the illusionary realm, Li Moran always turned out to be a top-tier player.

"Hehe, Old Devil Lu rarely makes combat-focused illusionary realms, and the visuals are amazing this time. Otherwise, Senior Sister Li wouldn’t have come!"

Zhou Qiaoling giggled, explaining on Li Moran’s behalf.

Li Moran sat silently at the edge, neither confirming nor denying.

Truthfully, she had tried every illusionary realm Lu Ze created.

She just preferred to keep to herself, always playing solo.

Compared to word-heavy games like "Demon Path Slaughter" and "Scam Teahouse," she leaned more toward competitive games like "Bed Wars."

But the "Immortal vs. Demon" trailer had piqued her interest for once.

"Alright, see you in the game!"

Zhong Yi nodded.

The five of them logged in simultaneously.

[The Immortal-Demon Continent is engulfed in war, the Great Dao nearly obliterated…]

[To prevent the world’s collapse, cultivators established a covenant—]

[When disputes arise, they shall settle them in a new dimension, the "Immortal-Demon Continent," through the power of Heroic Spirits!]

[Now, as a "Contender," you embark on your journey…]

The solemn narration, paired with unprecedented cinematic transitions, instantly immersed Zhong Yi in the game’s world.

"So, I’ll be fighting using the power of cultivators in this Immortal-Demon Continent? Interesting… As expected of Junior Brother Lu."

Zhong Yi couldn’t wait to dive in.

Upon entering the game proper, the first thing he encountered was the [Beginner Tutorial].

"Oh no, please don’t tell me it’s another 'Immortal Realm Domination' situation…"

Zhong Yi froze.

Painful memories of being tormented by that game’s campaign mode resurfaced.

But his fears were unfounded.

Lu Ze hadn’t buried any traps in the [Beginner Tutorial].

"Immortal vs. Demon" was a competitive game—getting players into matches quickly was the priority.

That said…

No difficulty didn’t mean players couldn’t die.

[If the nearby minions are wiped out, the turret will target you!]

"Pfft, as if I don’t know that? There are minions everywhere—how could I possibly die?"

As a veteran of "Immortal Realm Domination" and "Cultivator Brawl," Zhong Yi smirked confidently.

And then, all the minions around him suddenly vanished.

A level 1 Zhong Yi instantly became the turret’s bullseye.

Zhong Yi: "???"

[You have died!]

……

[If you accidentally attack an enemy, the turret will prioritize targeting you.]

"What the—?! I didn’t even attack!! Wait… why did I suddenly equip a Sunfire Cape?!"

[You have died!]

……

[Equipment and levels are crucial—make sure to farm properly!]

"Yeah, yeah, I get it… but why was he level 3 a second ago and now he’s level 18 with a full build?!"

[You have died!]

……

……

After inexplicably dying seven or eight times, the tutorial finally ended.

[Contender, you have learned the essentials of battle. Now, begin your journey~]

Zhong Yi exited the [Beginner Tutorial] with a mix of exasperation and resignation.

To be fair, the [Beginner Tutorial] designed by Lu Ze was quite straightforward.

Even those who had never played Immortal Realm Domination or Cultivator Clash could quickly grasp the rules of the illusionary battlefield.

Gain experience, accumulate resources, purchase equipment, upgrade skills—

then destroy the enemy’s base and claim victory.

But what he couldn’t wrap his head around was…

Why the hell did Lu Ze insist on including scripted death sequences?

"Ah, Lu Ze and his twisted sense of humor!"

Zhong Yi sighed dramatically.

By now, the other four teammates had finished the tutorial and joined his party lobby.

"Alright, let’s get started?"

Zhong Yi flashed a confident grin.

From the [Beginner Tutorial], he’d already noticed that Immortal vs. Demon: Clash of Legends shared many similarities with Cultivator Clash.

As a seasoned player, he had a natural advantage.

"Just so you know, I’m really good at this!"

[P.S. A quick explanation on why I chose LoL over Honor of Kings: Simply put, I’ve played too little of the latter—haven’t even hit max level yet.]

[Initially, I considered forcing myself to write about it, but it felt too prone to mishandling, so I opted for what I know best. One advantage of LoL is that every champion has a title, which saves me the headache of inventing names (Lu Ze only adapted the Three Kingdoms lore—other historical figures would feel out of place).]

[Overall, Honor of Kings might’ve been slightly better, but my lack of experience risks botching the portrayal. Hope you understand!]

[Also, feel free to drop hero rework ideas in the comments for inspiration~]