C9 Cliff of Destruction

Jian Wuxin gave Wang Yipao a reproachful look and said, "Junior brother, brown scorpions have become exceedingly rare near our Small Sword Sect. You were lucky to obtain brown scorpion poison last time. How could you possibly take on this mission?"

Wang Yipao hadn't even checked the details of the black mission, likely fearing it would vanish. But Jian Wuxin's words sent a shiver down his spine. He quickly reviewed the mission.

Disciple Mission: Alchemy Method

Introduction: The Pill Elder of the Small Sword Sect requires a sample of brown scorpion king poison.

Duration: One day

Reward: One Basic Alchemy Technique

Penalty: Failure will result in the loss of a random cultivation technique.

"Damn it!" Wang Yipao nearly hit himself in frustration. He now fully grasped Jian Wuxin's point. With brown scorpions being so scarce, obtaining the poison of a brown scorpion king seemed impossible.

So, where could one find the brown scorpion king's poison?

"Junior brother, I'm telling you, there's not a single brown scorpion king within five hundred miles of the Small Sword Sect!" Jian Wuxin seemed to read Wang Yipao's mind and sighed, "You've been too impulsive!"

Wang Yipao felt like he was going to explode. The reward was clearly a secondary profession, and he was indeed thrilled at the prospect of acquiring such a role. But with no brown scorpion king in the vicinity, the mission seemed excessively harsh.

Why issue a mission when there's no target to be found? Was it just to make a fool of an honest man like him?

No, this honest man needed to confront the bosses and find out if there was a way to transform into a brown scorpion king in a single day. Otherwise, losing a cultivation technique would be a huge setback. Any technique lost would be a significant blow.

Unless he could afford to purchase another, but cultivation techniques weren't exactly on the market for cheap. Even the most basic low-grade Yellow Rank technique could take ages to acquire, and the cost might be exorbitant. He might even have to sell his villa to afford one.

"Look at me and my trigger-happy hands!"

Wang Yipao chastised himself as he slapped his left hand and decisively logged into his mystical account.

Brown Scorpion: Hey, big shots, I've got myself into some new trouble.

Nine-life Spider (Qi Refining Boss): What kind of trouble could you possibly be in, little scorpion?

Brown Scorpion: I can't divulge the details, but if I don't manage to evolve into the Brown Scorpion King soon, I might...

Nine-life Spider (Qi Refining Boss): You mean your life is on the line? Oh, heavens! My poor little Brown Scorpion, we haven't even had the chance to properly meet and bond! But isn't death in this world followed by resurrection?

Brown Scorpion: Sis, you promised to send some heavenly treasures my way, remember? *sobs*

At this point, Wang Yipao threw all caution to the wind and started to act adorably pitiful, rolling around. The whimpering sounds he made were so convincing that even he was taken aback by his own performance.

Centipede Demon King (Qi Refining Boss): Heavenly treasures? Keep dreaming! We've never even tasted such things, let alone have any to give to you. Why don't you focus on your cultivation, kiddo?

Nine-life Spider (Qi Refining Boss): *cough* Brown Scorpion, you might as well forget you ever had a sister like me.

Brown Scorpion: ...

After all this time considering you my sister, you're just going to ditch me?

Where's your demonic compassion?

Isn't my cutesy act enough? What do you want me to do, warm your bed?

Fine, I'll do it. It's just a game, after all.

Before Wang Yipao could even offer his bed-warming services, someone else stepped in to clear up his confusion.

Celestial Stone Mountain Man (Foundation Stage Boss): Young demon, aiming high, I see. You wish to advance to the Qi Refining Stage and become the Brown Scorpion King? Very well, I'll show you a technique. Head to the Cliff of Destruction in the Five Poisons Valley. If fortune favors you, you could break through in two hours, let alone a day.

Centipede Demon King (Qi Refining BOSS): The Cliff of Destruction!

Nine-life Spider (Qi Refining BOSS): Damn, Mountain Man, I may have disowned this little brother, but you can't just send him to his death. The Cliff of Destruction is a one-way ticket to the afterlife. Once you're in, there's no coming out. How can you talk about breakthroughs then?

White Scorpion: As kin, I must urge you, Brown Scorpion, to reconsider this reckless path.

Centipede Spirit: Brown Scorpion, don't do anything foolish.

Brown Scorpion: Esteemed Celestial Stone Mountain Man, could you enlighten me on the whereabouts of the Cliff of Destruction?

Wang Yipao licked his lips with anticipation. At last, a Foundation Stage boss had spoken, and it seemed there was a glimmer of hope.

Celestial Stone Mountain Man (Foundation Stage BOSS): Ah, so we have a brave soul among us? To enter the Cliff of Destruction, you need its key. You can request one from the two leaders of the Five Poison Valley; they should have at least one. Don't bother asking me—I'm not in the Five Poison Valley, nor do I possess such an item.

Nine-life Spider (Qi Refining BOSS): No way! I forbid you from going!

Centipede Demon King (Qi Refining BOSS): Let him go. This one won't rest until he's exhausted all options, and who knows, he might have a compelling reason. Besides, if the Five Poison Valley gains another Lord, it'll strengthen our hand against outsiders, won't it?

Nine-life Spider (Qi Refining BOSS): But...

Ding! You've received a key to the Cliff of Destruction from the Centipede Demon King!

Centipede Demon King (Qi Refining BOSS): Young demons should be ambitious. I'll await your return. Together, we'll seek out the Immortal Sword Jiulong and retrieve the key to the Secret Realm!

Brown Scorpion: My thanks, Lord Centipede Essence. I promise to secure it for you!

And with that, he planned to add the key to his own player account, Wang Yipao noted to himself.

Wang Yipao silently added to himself, if the Centipede Spirit King ever caught wind of his thoughts, it would be so enraged it might just leap into reality and bite him to death.

"Use the key to the Cliff of Destruction?"

Yes!

In an instant, Wang Yipao left the cramped space of his territory and found himself in a desolate place...

A place so forsaken, not even birds would relieve themselves there.

Damn!

I totally forgot to ask, how do I achieve a breakthrough at the Cliff of Destruction?

Am I supposed to cultivate here?

How do spirit monsters even cultivate?

Brown Scorpion: Uh...guys, I've made it into the Cliff of Destruction, now what?

Celestial Stone Mountain Man (Foundation Stage Boss): What do you think? Kill monsters! Hunt for heavenly materials and earthly treasures! Isn't that how we spirit monsters level up, by feasting, fighting, and devouring each other bit by bit? Or you could go after outsiders, consume their flesh and blood, and you'll ascend the ranks much faster. The monsters inside the Cliff of Destruction can resurrect infinitely, making them easy targets.

Brown Scorpion: Boss, why didn't you mention this sooner!

Celestial Stone Mountain Man (Foundation Stage Boss): Even if I had told you, you wouldn't stand a chance against those outsiders. Besides, you can't just abandon your territory to hunt them, and it's not like there's a surplus of outsiders lining up to be slaughtered. It's only in a special Secret Realm like the Cliff of Destruction that you'd get a shot at advancing. Ask the Centipede Spirit King how he managed to break through to become a Qi Refining Boss.

Centipede Spirit: Our king slaughtered our own kind ten thousand times to achieve his breakthrough, completely devoid of any demonic nature.

Centipede Spirit King (Qi Refining Boss): Hush, should you really be sharing this with outsiders? If you're unhappy, let's discuss it privately. Don't air our dirty laundry in public chat channels!

Nine-life Spider (Qi Refining Boss): Holy hell, you heartless old centipede, you killed your own kind ten thousand times? What happened to your principles? Is that your idea of seclusion?

Centipede Spirit King (Qi Refining Boss): Spit it out, as if you didn't exterminate every last spider in the Five Poison Valley yourself. You're no different from me!

Nine-life Spider (Qi Refining Boss): What would you know, you foul centipede? We Spider Demons naturally consume our own after a single encounter. But you? You're a centipede. Slaughtering your own has nothing to do with your nature!

Brown Scorpion: ...

So, are you saying you're going to have your way with me and then devour me?

Damn it!

Spider Sister, has anyone ever told you that you're the most unprincipled of us all?

Celestial Stone Mountain Man (Foundation Stage Boss): See, this is exactly why I warned you, young demon, not to set your sights too high. The path of demon cultivation is long and fraught with hardship. If you're not careful, you might die tens of thousands of times. Dying over and over, you might even grow accustomed to it. Plus, the Cliff of Destruction is filled with desperate, vicious monsters trying to break through. And yes, occasionally, a rare treasure or two might appear. Since you've already entered, you'll need to break through the Qi Refining Stage to make it out. So keep pushing yourself!

Tens of thousands of times...

Are you kidding me?!

Wang Yipao screamed internally.

Why do you have to be so heartless?

Are your monster schemes just too intricate?

Celestial Stone Mountain Man, where in the world are you now? Once I level up, I'm going to hunt you down and kill you ten thousand times!