—–

“Woooow! So cool!” Selene wagged her tail happily.

“It’s nice!” Melisa nodded.

“Wow, it’s so beautiful!” Anastasia said, her usually expressionless face softening. “The fresh air is so relaxing.”

“Just what is this place? Is this really a dungeon?” Agustina wondered, gazing at the scenery in awe.

“It is indeed beautiful,” Zorba agreed with a gentle smile, closing his eyes. “Hmm, refreshing even.”

“But it is not normal either,” Timothy pointed out. “Right? Look at those cities. There are people living in them…”

Each mountain city teemed with activity. From their vantage point, they could see figures moving about, interacting, and living their lives.

They wore ancient Chinese-style attire, some elegant and others simple. Could there truly be people trapped inside the dungeon? It made no sense.

“W-Why are there people down there?” Melisa asked, realizing Timothy was right.

“Yeah, it is odd…” Anastasia murmured. “Quite odd. What is this place?”

“Hmm…” Mirai looked down in silence. “There really are people. They are not monsters…”

“Heh,” Louis smiled as he gazed downward. “They are.”

“…?!”

Everyone turned to him in confusion. Timothy was the first to speak.

“What? Honestly, this place gives me the creeps,” he muttered, scratching the back of his neck. “It looks way too pretty. Like it is trying to lure us in before stabbing us in the back. Maybe if we go down there we will get attacked? Did I get that right?”

“Exactly,” Louis said calmly. “This layer was modeled after the ancient Immortal Sects of Zipangu’s history and various Fantasy Fields or Floors from the Dimensional Labyrinth that share similar themes, where cultivators pursued the Dao, refined their qi, and faced heavenly tribulations to ascend. But here in the Dungeon, everything is twisted.”

“Twisted? How so?” Agustina asked. “It looks so perfect!”

“It is as real as you see it,” Louis explained, “but these beings are not human. They were born inside this Dungeon. Their intelligence reaches only as far as a monster’s. They are not quite Anomalies, more like hybrids between Anomalies and Entities. That is what Cultivators are here. Notice how there are no children or elderly? They are all adults, men and women.”

“Right. It does not make sense for a real city to have no kids or old people…” Timothy nodded. “So I was right!”

“Yeah, you were, Timothy. The ‘sects’ are Anomaly-Entity hybrids pretending to be righteous cultivators. And that golden palace?” Louis pointed toward the distant peak. “That is the heart of the layer: the Heavenly Sovereign’s Pagoda. Clearing it is the only way down to Layer Six.”

Mirai crossed her arms. Her demonic aura flickered faintly as she scanned the peaks. “All things considered, it sounds fun. When are we going? And how do we handle this? Fly straight there?”

“Flying would be convenient,” Louis said, stepping forward, “but the moment you leave this mountain, you will understand why we cannot.”

ZAAAP!

A powerful formation activated across a wide area. Dozens of giant swords of light materialized, layered over each of the four largest mountains surrounding the tallest peak.

“We have to break through this annoying formation, a powerful barrier,” Louis explained. “At our current level, it would tear us to shreds. Even I have to admit it is strong. You are not meant to brute-force it. This layer is where most students escape the dungeon. We need to pass through the four mountains, face the sects, locate the Formation Nodes, and shatter them to weaken the grand barrier protecting the layer core. Once all four sects fall, the formation opens and we can confront the boss.”

“Sounds like a freaking pain in the ass if I am being honest,” Timothy sighed. “But okay, let us do it quickly then.”

“And since when are you the boss here? Wait until my lord finishes speaking,” Zorba reprimanded him.

“It is fine, Zorba,” Louis said. “Anyway, let us move. We will find more than just Cultivators here. Mythical Beasts roam these mountains. Be careful. They are fewer than the monsters from previous layers but far stronger and trickier.”

Everyone nodded. Tension hung in the air even as the breathtaking beauty of the surroundings continued to awe them.

Louis advanced quickly, leaping from peak to peak and landing on smaller mountains to survey the area. They drew closer to the first city, home to the Ki Sword Sect.

But before they reached it, he sensed presences approaching from a nearby peak.

“Already?”

He quickly hid with the others. From the peak emerged three humanoid figures riding flying swords, accompanied by their tamed Mythical Beasts: a young Yellow Sky Serpent and two Waterfall Qilin.

They were Cultivators dressed in silver and white robes, sharp-eyed and thin-browed. The oldest had long black hair and was strikingly handsome. The other two were younger juniors, one slightly overweight and bald, the other short-haired, scarred, and messy.

As Louis’ team watched, they felt conflicted. Were these really monsters? They looked completely human. Perhaps it would even be possible to speak with them or negotiate.

But Louis knew better. He glared sharply and used Telepathy to address the group.

“Do not have mercy. We will ambush them from behind and strike them down. Understood?”

Mirai, Agustina, and Melisa looked the most shocked by the plan. The others more or less agreed. These three girls were more pacifistic, at least toward people who appeared human.

“Is it really okay?” Mirai whispered.

“Maybe we can talk with them. They are people…” Melisa said with pleading eyes.

“Hmm, they do not even give off an evil aura like monsters,” Agustina added. “Louis, maybe these really are just people living here. What would it make us if we murder them in cold blood?!”

Unlike him, they were not as ruthless, at least not enough to kill without remorse or hesitation, especially people who had yet to prove themselves evil.

Indeed, this was part of the Dungeon’s trial: learning to discern true malice.

Entities, Grievances, and even Spiralwalkers could hide among people and pretend to be normal. This was a test.

“Hah. I guess you will not believe me until you see it with your own eyes. Go ahead. Speak with them.”

Louis shrugged and let them approach. The three Cultivators had arrived standing on flying swords, scanning the area and speaking among themselves. They had clearly sensed an anomalous presence.

“Are you sure someone is here, senior?” the bald cultivator asked. “I cannot feel anybody.”

“My senses do not deceive me,” the tallest replied. “Hmm…”

“But even the Qilin have not smelled anything yet,” the scarred one added.

“You are right…” the tallest sighed. “Let us return to the sect. We have gathered enough Spirit Herbs for the day. Oh?”

His eyes sharpened as three girls suddenly emerged from the bushes, walking toward them with friendly expressions.

“Hello. Excuse me, are you trapped in this dungeon or something?” Agustina asked. “We were passing by and… some said you are monsters.”

“Why are you living inside a dungeon? Is it not dangerous?” Melisa asked.

“…”

“…”

“…”

The three remained silent, staring at them with cold judgment. Their casual demeanor vanished instantly.

“I cannot understand anything they are saying.”

“Ah, another cockroach from the lower realm.”

“They are cute. I wonder if they would make good pills if we put them in the refining furnace.”

“…?”

Mirai and the other two girls were stunned. They could clearly understand the cultivators, but the reverse was not true. The men spoke as though the girls’ words were gibberish.

“Do you not understand what we are saying?” Mirai asked.

“Um, misters… what is a refining furnace?” Melisa asked, stepping closer.

“Don’t get close to me, disgusting thing,” the tallest cultivator sneered. He waved his hand. A sword of light struck down at Melisa.

BOOOM!

“Aaaaeegh!”

Melisa cried out in pain as the blade pierced her body. Her eyes widened in shock. She collapsed.

If not for the shattered spirit armor covering her, she would have died instantly.

“A-Ahh…!” Melisa crawled backward, feeling the overwhelming, oppressive auras of the Cultivators and their beasts. “W-Why did you attack me?!”

“What is that thing trying to say?”

“I do not understand, but they are clearly inferior if they cannot speak our tongue.”

“Kill them.”

The senior ordered with open distaste. The two juniors nodded. The Qilin roared and galloped toward the girls.

“Wait! This is a misunderstanding!”

Mirai intercepted both Qilin with raw strength, punching them away. They retaliated with furious torrents of water and lightning, electrocuting her and the girls beside her.

“Aaaagghh!”

“Nnnggh?!”

“W-What the…?!”

As she groaned in pain, the cultivators closed in, looking down from above. They waved their fingers, and more swords manifested and rushed downward.

“Sword Rain.”

“Sun Blade.”

“Slicing Sword.”

As Sword Path Cultivators, all their Spirit Arts revolved around summoning or creating swords from pocket dimensions or pure qi and spirit energy.

CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The attacks were incredibly fast and explosive. Sword Rain unleashed small blades that detonated on impact. Sun Blade formed a massive sword of sunlight that struck horizontally. Slicing Sword delivered a single devastating vertical slash capable of cleaving through anything.

Mirai clenched her teeth. She unleashed her Aura and summoned a wall of infernal flames and chaotic black wood to shield her friends. Grabbing both girls, she retreated toward Louis.

“What did I tell you?” Louis sighed, arms crossed as he greeted her.

“I-I was wrong! I was wrong! Please help me! They are bleeding!” Mirai cried.

“Make sure to learn from this,” Louis said calmly. He summoned Handy and let her begin healing them.

—–

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep