This Is Not the Female Demon Lord I Remembered
Chapter 278 - 269: Public Beta Launches

Chapter 278: Chapter 269: Public Beta Launches

Three to five days before the public beta test, Liang Yi unreservedly moved into the top cave mansion of Purple Cloud Sect. With the innate Purple Mist physique and the sect’s fortune, Liang Yi’s cultivation speed increased several times, with experience visibly accumulating at an impressive rate.

Likewise, Su Youyi chose a top-notch cave mansion to secure the inheritance passed down to her from Su Jianyi’s sphere of light.

Only Old Jute leisurely strolled around like someone with nothing better to do, eating, drinking, and sleeping without hindering his cultivation in the slightest.

In just a few days, Zi Xuanbu managed to create mechanical puppet bodies for all the residual souls of Purple Cloud Sect’s powerful cultivators, making them look identical to real people. Though their facial expressions were slightly stiff, a lack of soul didn’t mean a lack of intelligence. Each one could perfectly perform and complete the specific tasks Zi Xuanbu had assigned.

"Ding! Player Forum is now open!"

When Liang Yi emerged from seclusion and heard this prompt, all cultivators above the Seventh Realm on Mystical Mechanism Continent seemed to sense something, their expressions shifting as they simultaneously looked up at the sky.

Above the pristine Heavenly Vault, a bright light flashed across an unknowable space, forming a passage unknown to all, on the other side of which countless players were anxiously awaiting the server’s opening.

"3, 2, 1!"

"Xuanji, activate!"

"Qingliang City, here I come again!"

The player forum went from extreme stillness to extreme activity in an instant. The information flow was even wilder than during the closed beta, with posting speeds reaching a new peak.

The ubiquitous advertising brought an overwhelming number of players; after all, it was a game whose posters could be seen even when looking up in the restroom. A casual internet search revealed the explosive and spectacular ratings for the game.

Newbies were searching the forums for strategies, looking for the perfect start.

Veterans swiftly opened various live streams, waiting for advice from old beta players to choose their starting point.

Top beta players like Bai Xiaomo and Ju Xiaobei were already rubbing their hands in excitement, closely watching the countdown to the public beta.

With the countdown hitting zero, everyone pressed the start button with peak agility.

The ordinary life of billions of beings on Mystical Mechanism Continent came to an end!

Players descended!

In an instant, whether it be the largest city in Desert North, White Horse, or cities under the rule of Sword Cleanse Heavenly Pool in Yong’an, or Senluo Wanxiang Sect’s managed ghost capital, Youdu, countless flashes of white light appeared. Naturally, cities near Complete Heaven Sect and Blood Control Sect were no exception.

Closed beta players still logged in at Qingliang City, while players choosing the Demon Clan path had their spawn points set up within Ten Thousand Miles Mountain.

The only exception among the super forces was Taoist Sect since it had no capital city. But the Taoist Sect territory wasn’t large, with many cities near its borders, and quite a few players appeared within.

As the stone doors opened, Liang Yi walked out of the cave mansion at a measured pace.

Looking at the vibrant spring scenery outside the cave, Liang Yi took a deep breath before activating the Communication Talisman in his hand, setting the panel’s transmission target to Wu Yangshuo.

Currently unable to go to Qingliang City, Liang Yi couldn’t come into contact with the beta players who could guide the players’ direction. Although Purple Cloud Sect’s teleportation array was being constructed at full speed under professional guidance, connecting it to Qingliang City would still require Xuanzhou Immortal Dynasty’s approval.

All main cities of super forces were connected to Xuanzhou Immortal Dynasty’s official teleportation network, except for Taoist Sect, which didn’t have a main city.

But now it was as if it did, connecting directly to Purple Cloud Sect.

The Communication Talisman Liang Yi sent to Wu Yangshuo contained a mark to connect to Purple Cloud Sect’s Teleportation Array; once Wu Yangshuo engraved the mark into the array on his side, the two would be linked.

However, the most important task was for Wu Yangshuo to pass on Purple Cloud Sect’s message of recruiting disciples to the players currently in Qingliang City.

Even though a portion of players had already joined Mystic Bureau, many more had no affiliation. As long as those players hadn’t joined Mystic Bureau, they were the chives Liang Yi had his eyes on.

So what if they were reserved by some minor sect? Sorry, the chives I fancy can’t be taken away by others; they can only be planted in my field. If anyone has objections, come to Youdao Mountain and discuss it face to face. Liang Yi promises not to brandish Banished Immortal as a weapon first.

As a top player, Liang Yi naturally knew what players liked most—nothing more than wanting ample tasks to get experience and level up, wanting cool and unique magical treasures for showing off; this was a world for grinders and whales. And for those salted fish players and lifestyle gamers, Liang Yi also had corresponding comprehensive sect features and measures waiting for them.

Although Zi Xuanbu was puzzled by many seemingly pointless things that Liang Yi suggested under his advice, Liang Yi guaranteed with utmost sincerity that all these were for reinforcing the sect’s cohesion.

Liang Yi even went so far as to crazily place a Second Grade [Purple Smoke Cloud Sword] and a Second Grade Flying Magical Treasure [Purple Mist] in the sect’s shop.

After asking for and receiving Chen Hua’s approval, Liang Yi even connected his talismans to the sect’s shop, putting up the 108,000 spells inside for sale. However, pulling up the list of spells would take a good ten seconds.

The purchase condition for these spells were unified as Sect Contribution Value, but there was a preferential condition.

That is, by paying a certain amount of Experience, one could enjoy a discount, with the highest reaching up to 50% off!

However, this was only limited to Daoist Skills; for Cultivation Techniques and the like, beyond the castrated version standard for Outer Disciples, players would still need to earn their own Sect Contribution to exchange for the advanced versions.

Liang Yi glanced at the cave mansion halfway up the mountain where his junior sister Youyi was in closed-door cultivation, seemingly at a crucial juncture with no movements visible.

"Just wait a few more days, wait until the first batch of players comes in and get settled before discussing."

With that thought in mind, Liang Yi flashed from the green hills specially used for closed-door cultivation to behind a sect building, wanting to see the accomplishments Elder Zi had been busy with these past few days.

What Liang Yi didn’t expect was that when he emerged from behind the building, he saw the sect in full bloom. Countless disciples clad in standard splendid robes were chatting joyfully; some were heading to the training grounds for daily sparring; others, having amassed enough contribution points, were hurrying to the Dharma Transmission Tower to exchange for the Daoist Skills they desired.

Liang Yi rubbed his eyes, turned back behind the building, and came out again, even activating his unblemished sword heart, to see if he was in an Illusion Realm.

"Sect Master!"

"Sect Master has emerged from seclusion!?"

"Wow, the new Sect Master is so handsome!"

···

Upon seeing Liang Yi, all the disciples, no matter what they were doing, stopped and respectfully greeted him with a disciple’s salute. Female disciples who saw their new Sect Master were also enticed by his Charm, their faces blushing.

This was the first time Liang Yi encountered such a spectacle, and though he felt somewhat uncomfortable inside, his face still maintained a faint majesty as he signaled to the surrounding disciples not to mind him.

He had just used the unblemished sword heart in conjunction with the Sect Master’s authority to nearly understand what was going on!

"How about it, don’t they look just like real people?" Elder Zi Xuan stepped out smiling from nowhere, and these past days, he had been keeping himself busy, feeling as if he had grown several hundred years younger.

"Mechanical Puppet Technique combined with the Taiwei Eight Sceneries Array?" Liang Yi asked with a hint of inquiry, feeling like Elder Zi Xuan was like that blue civet cat with no ears, able to pull out any great treasure.

"Haha, Sect Master really has a discerning eye." Elder Zi nodded and smiled, motioning with one hand, he walked with Liang Yi, talking as they went, "Previously, Sect Master had mentioned we shouldn’t let the sect seem too deserted, so I tried this out, and I didn’t expect it to actually work."

Along the way, the disciples they passed by all looked vibrant and full of vitality. Upon seeing Elder Zi Xuan and Liang Yi, they all greeted the new Sect Master and the Supreme Elder.

"Like those responsible for various places, they’re also made using Mechanical Puppet Book bodies, then memories created from within the Taiwei Eight Sceneries Array are imbued."

For some reason, Liang Yi felt that selling this technique to players could probably make him wealthy overnight. However, after hearing Elder Zi’s explanation, Liang Yi hesitated before asking,

"Elder Zi, by doing this... does it count as creating life?"

Many have raised the question whether a person is made of memories or a soul. If it’s memories, then what difference is there between Elder Zi’s actions and creating people?

"Of course not." Elder Zi shook his head; even at the Eighth Realm’s profoundness, it was still too far from the stage of creating life.

"Although these disciples seem no different from normal people, they are missing the essential aspect of life inwardly. These disciples are even more flawed than those possessed by strong residual souls because they wouldn’t comprehend how to think on their own."

"Like robots?" Liang Yi pondered in his heart.

After listening to Elder Zi’s explanation, when Liang Yi observed those disciples again, he could clearly notice the subtle differences. Although they seemed normal on the surface, whether it was the tone of their speech or the expressions in their eyes, there were no flaws, but one could detect a hint of lifelessness and rigidity in the slight changes in their eyes.

"These disciples are simply used to make up the numbers; once new disciples arrive, they will gradually be replaced and disappear in various accidents." Elder Zi’s words contained no sympathy, as he had a clear understanding of the matter.

"By the way, where is Uncle Ju? I haven’t seen him," Liang Yi suddenly recalled that cat which hardly needed to cultivate and wondered where it had gone during his seclusion.

"Mmm... At this time, he should be at the Spirit Food Hall indulging in a feast!" Elder Zi looked up at the sky, with the sun high above, that cat was definitely enjoying itself in the Spirit Food Hall.