The crowd was utterly confused. Lin Jichen glanced at his teleportation talisman, which had also failed.
At this moment, more and more black-robed figures appeared, nearly a hundred of them surrounding Lin Jichen and his group.
Lin Jichen's expression was extremely grave.
These black-robed people looked very familiar. He had seen them twice before: once when Ji Tongyin was being chased, and once when the Sword Sect was besieged in the Land of Sealing Demons.
Lin Jichen never expected to encounter people from the Shadow Soul Hall here.
Should he say his luck was really "great"?
"Sect Leader Leng Feiyan's direct disciple, I never thought that the nameless wild boy from the Land of Sealing Demons would have a higher status than your Senior Brother. It seems our Shadow Soul Hall has found a treasure this time... Hehe..."
A woman in a purple dress walked out from the black robes. Her attire was bold, her appearance enchanting, but her cultivation was unfathomable.
Seeing her, Lin Jichen's heart sank even further.
He had seen this woman before; it was Luo Muxian, who had fought with Chu Tianhan in the Land of Sealing Demons and almost killed him.
This female demon left a deep impression on Lin Jichen.
Moreover, Luo Muxian had only been at the peak of the Golden Elixir stage back then. Now, she had stepped into the Gathering Spirit Realm!
Lin Jichen's heart sank completely. If she decided to act, everyone here, including himself, would be doomed.
Luo Muxian walked closer, carefully examining Lin Jichen, then suddenly chuckled and smiled seductively.
"Such a handsome young man, no wonder women like you. Could it be that Sect Leader Leng took you as a disciple because of your looks? She really has good taste."
As she spoke, Luo Muxian raised her jade-like hand and boldly touched Lin Jichen's face. This blatant act of taking advantage was clearly a form of teasing.
Lin Jichen slapped her hand away and said coldly, "Demoness, what do you want?"
At other times, he could admit defeat and endure, but when someone mocked his master, Lin Jichen would never show a good face.
Moreover, the Shadow Soul Hall was a demonic sect that had killed many disciples of the Sword Sect, making them mortal enemies.
As Leng Feiyan's disciple, he could never bow his head.
Luo Muxian, though disappointed by Lin Jichen's reaction, didn't get angry. Instead, she giggled, her eyes constantly scanning Lin Jichen up and down.
"Such a handsome young man, the more I look, the more I like. Why don't you come back to the Shadow Soul Hall with me? I'll make you my male servant and we can cultivate together every day. How about it?"
As she spoke, Luo Muxian's delicate body pressed against Lin Jichen, her breath fragrant, her chest half-exposed, revealing a stunning sight.
Some male players behind them showed envious expressions, wishing they could say they were willing, really willing!
Lin Jichen took two steps back and glared at her angrily, "What exactly do you want? If you want to kill me, just do it. I, Lin Jichen, will not frown!"
Luo Muxian teased, "As expected of Sect Leader Leng's disciple, you have backbone. Don't worry, I won't kill you. I just want to invite you to the Shadow Soul Hall, where you'll be well taken care of, and I'll keep you company."
"Dream on!" Lin Jichen refused flatly.
Luo Muxian's eyes sparkled with amusement, "Do you think you have the option to refuse? Or do you think you can defeat me?"
Lin Jichen's face turned ugly. After a moment of silence, he said, "Fine, I'll go with you, but I have a condition!"
"Young Master Lin, what makes you think you can negotiate with me?" Luo Muxian mocked.
Lin Jichen replied calmly, "You want to take me to the Shadow Soul Hall to use me as leverage against the Sword Sect. If you want my cooperation, agree to my condition. Otherwise, I'd rather die than let you succeed."
Players could commit suicide, even self-destruct their Golden Elixir.
But the cost of suicide was high, worse than being killed with a red name, dropping at least one or two major realms. For example, if you were in the Golden Core Realm, you might drop to the Crystal Formation or even the Foundation Establishment Realm.
You would also lose a lot of attributes and equipment.
So, in the Tale of Immortal, very few people would commit suicide; it was like ruining your own account.
Luo Muxian's eyes flashed coldly. After a moment of hesitation, she smiled.
"What condition? Let's hear it."
Lin Jichen pointed to the entire training team, "Let them go."
"Reason," Luo Muxian demanded.
"They are my disciples from the Sword Sect, and I am responsible for them. You came for me, so there's no need to involve these Outer Temple disciples," Lin Jichen said resolutely.
Luo Muxian looked at Lin Jichen with some surprise and laughed, "You're quite noble. I'm starting to like you a bit."
"Just say whether you agree or not. If you do, I'll go with you. If not, I'd rather die," Lin Jichen said impatiently.
Luo Muxian's lips curved slightly, "Fine, I don't care about these small fries anyway. Let them go."
Lin Jichen was overjoyed and immediately told Su Wanling and the others, "Tear your teleportation talismans now and return to the sect!"
"Lin Jichen, what about you?" Su Wanling asked anxiously.
Lin Jichen gave her a subtle look, "I'll go with them. Whether you stay or leave won't change anything and will only result in unnecessary deaths. Go quickly."
Su Wanling seemed to understand Lin Jichen's look and nodded, "Alright, take care."
After speaking, Su Wanling took out her teleportation talisman and found it usable.
Without hesitation, she tore the talisman, and her figure disappeared.
The others followed suit. Who would stay and wait for death?
Although it seemed like there was a hidden quest, damn it, you needed the ability to complete it.
Even Lin Jichen had given up resisting; what could they do by rushing in?
Once everyone had left, Lin Jichen finally breathed a sigh of relief.
At least this task was completed.
"I've met your condition. Now, let's go to the Shadow Soul Hall. I'll make sure you're well taken care of," Luo Muxian made a gesture of invitation and handed over a teleportation talisman for the Shadow Soul Hall.
Lin Jichen took the talisman but didn't tear it immediately. Instead, he asked, "I have a question. How did you know I was in Storm Valley and even knew my identity?"
Luo Muxian replied slyly, "You don't need to know that. We received intelligence that Sect Leader Leng's direct disciple was in Storm Valley, so I came. From now on, you'll be a guest of the Shadow Soul Hall. As long as you cooperate, we won't make things difficult for you."
Lin Jichen's eyes flickered. Although Luo Muxian didn't answer directly, her words implied that someone had betrayed him and informed the Shadow Soul Hall.
Leading a training team was something NPCs couldn't possibly know.
The only possibility was that an NPC had betrayed him, and it had to be someone from the Sword Sect.
There was only one person in the Sword Sect who had a grudge against him.
But he had no evidence and couldn't be sure it was him.
"Alright, stop wasting time. If you're trying to stall, don't blame me for being rude," Luo Muxian's tone grew impatient.
Lin Jichen sighed in resignation and took out the teleportation talisman for the Shadow Soul Hall.
Just as he was about to tear it, his eyes lit up, and his face filled with joy. He shouted into the distance, "Master! You're here!"