Choose Your Hero

"Damn, we have to complete three simulated battles before we can matchmake?"

Zhong Yi stared at the "Simulated Battle" option, the only one lit up in the game mode selection, and shook his head helplessly.

"Please tell me it's not going to be ridiculously hard again..."

Zhou Qiaoling shuddered at the thought.

She remembered the last time she tried Immortal Realm Domination out of boredom—the tutorial alone had beaten her to a pulp.

"What’s there to fear? With so many illusion realm experts here, how bad can it be?"

Zhou Yue scoffed, then shot a side-eye at Zhong Yi, who was puffing out his chest proudly.

"I was talking about me and Junior Sister Li. What are you so smug about, Old Zhong?"

"..."

Zhong Yi’s lips twitched in irritation.

"Old Zhou, you’d better pray there’s no friendly fire in this illusion realm, or I’ll show you what true suffering looks like..."

Zhong Yi confirmed the simulated battle selection.

In an instant, the five of them appeared on a massive altar, each standing on an operation platform carved with intricate runes.

[Choose your Heroic Spirit!]

Dozens of avatars flashed across the screens of their platforms.

"These little figures… are the Heroic Spirits?"

Zhong Yi studied the display with keen interest.

Beyond the avatars, the screen also listed various categories.

By combat roles: [Assassin], [Warrior], [Mage], [Support], [Tank], [Marksman].

Then by cultivation types: [Body Refiners], [Sword Cultivators], [Spellcasters], [Artifact Masters], etc.

There were even faction divisions like [Righteous Path], [Demonic Path], and [Monster Tribe].

With over a hundred heroes to choose from, the five of them were overwhelmed.

Li Moran’s gaze drifted across several avatars before settling on a cold-eyed woman with violet hair.

The moment she saw the title [Peerless Sword Maiden], she didn’t hesitate—she locked in her choice.

"A sharp sword, a sharper gaze."

The moment she confirmed, a cool female voice whispered in her ear.

Before Li Moran, the flame altar rose, and the Heroic Spirit of [Peerless Sword Maiden] emerged, stepping gracefully behind her.

At the same time, Li Moran’s clothes transformed into the attire of the [Peerless Sword Maiden].

The characters in Immortal-Demon Clash were all adaptations of Lu Ze’s past-life gaming memories, localized for this world.

Of course, the [Peerless Sword Maiden] was an easy fit—Lu Ze had simply tweaked the Blade Dancer skin from his previous life.

Every character had unique outfits or weapons.

Once a player selected a hero, they would be possessed by the Heroic Spirit, taking on the hero’s traits.

Take Li Moran, for example.

Her hair was now tied up in a high bun, three destiny seals glowing between her brows. She wielded an emerald-green sword, her robes replaced by a short, white-and-blue immortal’s attire.

She lifted her arm, admiring the intricate embroidery on her sleeve, clearly pleased.

"Whoa, so this is what it means to ‘wield a Heroic Spirit’ in battle! Junior Brother Lu is truly a genius!"

Zhong Yi’s eyes lit up the moment he saw Li Moran’s transformation.

With a smirk, he locked in a Heroic Spirit called [Blade Tempest].

A tattered brown haori draped over his shoulders, a rusted warblade in his grip. His forehead was framed by loose strands, a high ponytail swaying behind him—the very image of a roguish swordsman.

"Damn it, Old Zhong! You stole my pick!"

Zhou Yue gritted his teeth.

He’d also had his eye on [Blade Tempest], but Zhong Yi had been faster.

"Ha! Junior Brother Lu finally remembered us Body Refiners!"

Mu Yawen chuckled dopily.

In the past, he’d scoured the roster for Body Refiner heroes, only to find a handful—and even those were weak.

This time, selecting the [Body Refiner] filter flooded his screen with options.

After much deliberation, Mu Yawen settled on a hero called [Berserker].

A metal helmet materialized on his head, a pair of massive axes in his hands, his bulging muscles now on full display.

"Fighting… feels good!"

Mu Yawen grinned like a child.

"Ugh, there are too many pretty girls here… How am I supposed to choose?"

Zhou Qiaoling pouted.

Her screen was filled with female characters.

She was torn between [Siren’s Melody] and [Radiant Maiden].

Zhou Yue, meanwhile, was deep in thought.

The [Infernal Wraith] called to him—its fiery giant form bore a striking resemblance to the Asura Flame Avatar summoned by his own cultivation, the Lotus of Karmic Flames.

But [Infernal Wraith] was a demonic cultivator, and that gave him pause.

[Your team lacks a Marksman!]

With the selection timer about to end, the system chimed in.

Since Zhou Yue was still undecided, he randomly picked a Marksman.

"…Mechanized Dwarf?"

He blinked as a strange little metal puppet rose from the flames.

Compared to [Blade Tempest] or [Berserker], this thing looked nothing like a proper cultivator.

But the timer had run out—no takebacks now.

A powerful suction force erupted from the abyss at the center of the altar, dragging all five of them into its depths…

Flash.

They reappeared at the spawn point—a glowing fountain.

"Whoa, this place is epic!"

Zhong Yi spun around, marveling at the scenery.

"Not bad at all. If only Junior Brother Lu could break through again—imagine how much grander these illusion realms could be..."

Zhou Yue’s voice echoed.

"Yeah… Wait, Old Zhou, where are you?"

Zhong Yi turned—but Zhou Yue was nowhere in sight.

Following the voice, he looked down—and burst into laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHA!! Old Zhou, why are you so tiny now?!"

"Senior Brother Zhong, stop laughing, I’m also—"

"HAHAHA! And you’re all fuzzy! You two really are siblings!"

Zhong Yi and Mu Yawen were doubled over, and even the usually stoic Li Moran cracked a smile.

At the last second, Zhou Yue had picked [Mechanized Dwarf], while Zhou Qiaoling had gone with [Swift Scout].

Both were now comically small.

Zhou Yue resembled a mechanical puppet, while Zhou Qiaoling had turned into a fluffy creature with a green cap.

"Ugh! I only picked it because it’s the ‘scout’ that my brother’s terrified of—and it looked cute! Who knew…"

Zhou Qiaoling groaned in frustration.

"Disgraceful! Absolutely disgraceful!"

Zhou Yue clenched his fists, seething.

He could already hear Zhong Yi mocking him for eternity over this.

"Senior Brother Zhong, what do we do now?"

Mu Yawen asked eagerly.

"Buy gear, then head mid?"

Zhong Yi scratched his head, unsure.

In Cultivator Brawl, the usual strategy was to gear up, group mid, farm minions, level up, and teamfight.

But the Immortal-Demon Canyon’s layout seemed different.

He probed the area with his spiritual sense—wherever black mist shrouded the terrain, his senses couldn’t penetrate, but he could still make out the map.

Three main lanes, plus vast jungles veiled in fog.

A powerful female voice echoed through the entire canyon:

["Enemy forces will arrive in 30 seconds. Crush them!"]

Fortunately, at that moment, route guidance appeared in everyone's vision.

"I'll take the middle lane. Junior Sister Li Moran, go top. Old Zhou and Junior Sister Zhou Qiaoling, head bottom. Junior Brother Mu Yawen, you're assigned to... the jungle??"

Zhong Yi raised an eyebrow.

He had a hunch—though Immortal-Demon Clash no longer followed the single-player-multi-role format, this new mode might just be more thrilling than Celestial Conquest or Cultivator Chaos!

The five of them, guided by the illusionary prompts, rushed to their respective battlefronts.

["All forces, advance!"]