We Are Incompetent and Ashamed Before the Sect

"Oh? The real show is finally about to begin?"

Seeing the mission prompt, Zhong Yi rubbed his hands together in excitement.

The BGM kicked in, pumping up the intensity.

Suddenly, Zhong Yi was reminded of playing "Plant vs. Zombies"—when the final wave of zombies approached, a similar warning would appear: "A huge wave of zombies is coming!"

"Heh, you measly demonic cultivators, bring it on!"

Zhong Yi vigorously shook his arms and began frantically recruiting various troop types.

He had only recently started mining Mystic Iron, so his resources were limited.

As a result, his army primarily consisted of low-tier units.

For Tier 2 units, he opted to recruit as many Talisman Masters as possible.

According to their description, Talisman Masters were long-range damage dealers.

Any cultivator who had played "Plant vs. Zombies" knew that damage output was the key to victory.

After exhausting his Spirit Stones and Mystic Iron, a grand army had gathered outside the Lingxiao Sect’s gates, looking quite imposing.

"Ugh—!"

A sudden scream echoed from the distance.

A red exclamation mark appeared on the minimap.

[Your units are under attack!]

Zhong Yi quickly panned the camera.

Four disciple laborers tasked with transporting Mystic Iron had already been reduced to pools of blood.

The demonic army was now advancing toward the Lingxiao Sect.

"Come then! Let us defend the honor of the righteous path!"

With a roar, Zhong Yi charged out with his troops.

The initial base location was perched on a steep mountain slope—a classic defensible position.

Zhong Yi expertly arranged his forces, placing the tanky Body Refiners at the front while Spirit Archers and Talisman Masters lined up in the rear.

Adding to this were a single Blazing Rhinoceros and two Spirit Cranes.

This was the entirety of Zhong Yi’s army.

"Just one, two, three, four... Huh?"

Zhong Yi had been about to taunt the enemy, but the more he counted, the more uneasy he felt.

The demonic forces seemed... a tad overwhelming?

Over twenty Blood Puppets dripping with dark-red viscous fluid, along with a dozen hulking demonic beasts, charged forward.

"Tsk—!"

Zhong Yi sucked in a sharp breath and scrambled to adjust his strategy.

Though the demonic forces outnumbered his, he had the advantage of terrain and managed to hold the line—barely.

"These Blood Puppets are so tanky, and they slow you down when they get close... At least their damage is negligible."

"The demonic beasts are the real problem! They must be Tier 2 units!"

"Thankfully, the demonic side lacks troublesome ranged units..."

Holding his breath, Zhong Yi analyzed the battlefield.

His forces were fewer in number, but with terrain advantage and solid backline damage, they were actually gaining the upper hand.

"Wait... If they have no way to deal with my backline, wouldn’t that make this battle way too unbalanced?"

Just as doubt crept into his mind—

Several shadows flickered at the edge of his vision.

Seven or eight demonic assassins abruptly materialized amidst his army.

"Holy crap! Assassins!!!"

......

......

The battle raged on for roughly half an hour.

The sudden appearance of assassins, combined with Necromancers reviving the Blood Puppets, completely tipped the scales.

To secure victory, Zhong Yi had gone all out.

He sold the Spirit Gathering Array.

He sold the Divination Pavilion.

He even sold the Beast Garden.

The Spirit Stones he gained were immediately spent on recruiting Sword Cultivators to deal with the assassins.

Even the mining laborers were called to arms, swinging their pickaxes at the assassins’ heads.

He even considered whether he’d have to sell the entire sect if things got worse...

......

After a brutal and bloody struggle,

A flaming arrow pierced through the last Necromancer’s chest.

Silence finally returned to the battlefield.

"Finally... it’s over..."

Zhong Yi wiped the sweat from his brow.

The battle had cost him dearly.

Only the battered sect headquarters and the Training Hall remained standing.

His army was reduced to just two Spirit Archers and a single Talisman Master.

In [War Mode], units could level up after defeating a certain number of enemies, maxing out at Tier 3.

The two Spirit Archers had now ascended from Qi Refining to Golden Core, their arrows imbued with random elemental energies.

The Talisman Master had jumped from Foundation Establishment to Nascent Soul, his spells now dealing AoE damage instead of single-target.

Zhong Yi gazed at the three survivors, emotions swirling. "You guys really pulled through. From now on, you’ll be called Xiao Qiang, Xiao Ming, and Xiao Hong!"

Glancing at the ruined base, he refused to lose heart.

"It’s fine. Just one more breather, and I’ll..."

Just as he was about to recruit more laborers to restart his economy—

His blood ran cold.

The minimap was once again flooded with dense red dots!

Red dots represented enemy units—the demonic cultivators.

This swarm was far more overwhelming than the last wave.

"Maybe... they’re just mining laborers?"

Clutching at straws, Zhong Yi panned the camera.

His hope shattered as he saw the towering War Golems summoned by Demon Summoners, alongside lavishly dressed demonic formation masters.

"I get it now! This must be scripted. Time to... evade the enemy and find a new base location!"

Zhong Yi’s optimism was so unshakable that even Lu Ze would’ve given him a thumbs-up.

"Revenge is a dish best served cold... I’ll reclaim this home one day!"

With a cold snort,

He sold the Training Hall, canceled the garrison, and let the sect headquarters transform back into a floating island.

Then, without hesitation, he fled in the opposite direction with his three remaining units.

Previously, he had explored northwest.

This time, he headed southeast.

Uncharted territory lay ahead, shrouded in the black fog of war on the minimap.

As he retreated, Zhong Yi reflected on the battle.

Brutal, yet thrilling.

But before he could get far—

A massive boulder plummeted from the sky, crushing his last units into paste.

"NO!!! XIAO QIANG!! XIAO MING!! XIAO HONG!!!"

"WHO DID THIS?! I’LL KILL YOU!!"

Grief-stricken and furious, Zhong Yi glared into the distance—

Rows of War Golems, summoned by Demon Summoners, leered at him with grotesque grins.

"......"

Zhong Yi gulped.

He spun the floating island around and bolted.

"I’LL BE BACK!!"

......

As expected,

Zhong Yi lost.

Watching his base being smashed to pieces by the demonic forces, guilt gnawed at his heart.

The moment the headquarters exploded,

The door to his command room burst open.

Countless demonic cultivators swarmed in, blades and swords piercing his body...

......

"Damn it! Losing is one thing, but did they really have to add a death cutscene...?"

Zhong Yi grumbled in frustration.

Aside from controlling units on-screen, all his abilities had been sealed—essentially a scripted death.

This was a feature Lu Ze had specifically designed to trigger upon failure,

Ensuring the system would tally his "demonic karma" by enforcing the concept of death.

Back in the starting space,

A dialogue box popped up in front of Zhong Yi:

[You have failed to defend your sect. Do you have any last words for your fellow disciples?]

Zhong Yi paused.

The screen showed that six Lingxiao Sect disciples had already left messages in this chapter.

At first glance, they were clearly the disciple representatives of the Lingxiao Sect.

[Shame, what shame! It seems my cultivation is still lacking!]

[We are unworthy, disgracing our sect like this…]

[So this golden age was won for us by our ancestors through such brutal wars!]

[Fun, hehe… so much fun!]

……

He had no idea this was a deliberate ploy devised by Lu Ze.

By doing so, the disciples’ focus wouldn’t be on “how difficult the battle was,” but rather on “how to uphold the sect’s honor.”

The upright Zhong Yi fell for it immediately.

Far from being disheartened, he was deeply moved and left a heartfelt message.

[Disciple Zhong Yi, failed to restore the sect’s former glory and defend the Dao with my life! Yet through this battle, I have grasped the path to supremacy… To reclaim the Lingxiao Sect’s honor is our solemn duty!]