[The Choice System has been triggered!]
[In the face of imminent death and encirclement by hostile disciples, the following choices have been generated...]
Mo Shen's pupils shrank sharply as the three options appeared clearly in his mind.
[Option 1: Fight Desperately
Immediately activate the Paralysis Wine Gu and throw all your remaining Poison Mist Pearls. Use the Verdant Quills Whip Art to create chaos and attempt to break through their encirclement by force. Rely on your wits and the small black serpent to create an opening.
Reward: Paralysis Wine Gu evolves to High Tier I. Random low-grade defensive talisman, and a Spirit Condensation Pill.]
[Option 2: Submit and Beg for Mercy
Kneel immediately, admit your crimes, and beg these senior brothers for forgiveness. Swear a blood oath to serve them for ten years and hand over all your possessions, including the newly obtained Black-Patterned Spirit Snake, as compensation.
Reward: Safe passage back to the sect. Soul-binding Slave Gu (Intermediate Tier I). Your reputation within the outer sect will be completely ruined, and you'll be exiled by your Master. ]
[Option 3: Use the Black-Patterned Spirit Snake + Poison Gu Combo
Calmly stall for time with words while secretly commanding the Black-Patterned Spirit Snake to inject its innate concealing venom into the ground. Combine it with your stored Paralysis Wine Gu to create a large-scale delayed poison domain. Then pretend to surrender and walk closer, detonating the trap at the perfect moment to paralyze all six of them at once.
Reward: Black-Patterned Spirit Snake's bloodline is strengthened (gains stronger stealth and poison abilities). Paralysis Wine Gu evolves to Early Tier II. Mysterious Gu Recipe Fragment x1.]
'This damned system… it actually triggered at the most critical moment!'
His thoughts turned ice-cold as he rapidly analyzed each option.
Option 1 was the most straightforward path, but also the most dangerous.
Facing an Early Foundation Establishment cultivator head-on gave him almost no chance of escaping unscathed.
Option 2 was nothing but humiliation and long-term suicide.
Kneeling, begging, and handing over his bond beast… In a place like the Myriad Demon Sect, once weakness was shown, there would be no future left for him.
Not to mention being exiled by his Master... that would be a death sentence in itself.
As for Option 3…
A sharp, ruthless light flashed deep within Mo Shen's eyes.
This choice required perfect timing and nerves of steel, but the rewards were clearly superior. If he succeeded, he could reverse the entire situation in a single move while greatly strengthening both himself and his bond beast.
His gaze swept across the six disciples, whose killing intent was surging like a tide as they raised their swords.
[Please choose an option within fifteen seconds...]
"Oh?"
The moment the word left Mo Shen's mouth, the scarred disciple at the front let out a mocking laugh.
"Hahaha! Look at this idiot!"
Another disciple sneered, his sword trembling with killing intent.
"What's with that 'Oh?' Did you only just realize you're about to die, you slow-witted trash? Did killing Senior Brother Zhao Kun and the others fry your brain?"
A third disciple spat on the ground in disdain.
"Still pretending to be calm? Pathetic. You probably didn't even notice you were surrounded until now. What a joke!"
The group burst into loud, mocking laughter, their eyes filled with ridicule and contempt.
However, to their surprise, Mo Shen did not panic, nor did he try to explain himself.
He simply stood there quietly, his expression calm as still water, waiting for them to make the first move.
The disciples' laughter gradually faded.
They exchanged wary glances, suddenly hesitant to charge forward.
After all, this was the same Mo Shen who had silently poisoned and slaughtered Zhao Kun's entire group without leaving any traces.
If he was acting this calm, he most likely had some hidden card up his sleeve.
None of them dared to be the first to rush in.
And so, both sides remained locked in a tense standoff.
One second… three seconds… ten seconds…
Just like that, fifteen seconds quietly passed.
[Ding! No choice has been made!]
[...]
[No reward will be granted.]
At the cold notifications ringing in his mind, Mo Shen's lips slowly curled upward into a faint, cold smile.
'...So, whoever is behind this system can't exactly force choices upon me, huh?'
Honestly, in his past life, Mo Shen wasn't the type to read many novels. He had flipped through a few from different genres, but never dove deep into them.
He wasn't familiar with every single trope in the novel community, but as a reader, he had always been curious about one thing... where these systems came from, and why they chose certain protagonists.
That was exactly why he refused to rely too heavily on the system.
The rewards were tempting, especially Option 3, which could have been genuinely useful… but in situations like this, he still wanted to depend on himself.
He wanted to hone his own instincts and decision-making, rather than becoming completely dependent on an external power.
That was the reason he didn't mind sacrificing those rewards.
And now…
He would execute his own plan while quietly taking advantage of the information of the choices the system had granted him.
'...Mhm. They don't know what to do... heh.'
Mo Shen noticed the hesitation in their eyes and the way they kept exchanging wary glances instead of attacking.
A cold, mocking smile slowly spread across his face.
He deliberately raised his chin and spoke with clear arrogance:
"What's this? Six grown men surrounding one person, yet none of you dares to make the first move? How laughable. Are you all cowards who only know how to bark but not bite? If you want to avenge your dead brothers, then come! Or are you waiting for me to kneel and beg first?"
His words were dripping with disdain.
The disciples' faces twisted in fury, but still, none of them stepped forward immediately.
Mo Shen laughed coldly and continued provoking them:
"Tsk tsk… Look at you all. Trembling like mice, even though you have numbers on your side. Zhao Kun's group really raised a bunch of useless trash. If I had known you were this timid, I wouldn't have wasted my poison on your senior brothers."
Just as his mocking words landed, the Early Foundation Establishment cultivator at the back could no longer endure it.
His face turned livid with rage as a powerful aura erupted from his body like a storm.
"Insolent brat! A mere peak Qi Refining ant dares to act arrogantly in front of me? Today, I'll personally cut off your head!"
He shot forward like lightning, his sword instantly coated with thick sword qi that whistled through the air.
"Spirit Wind Sword!"
With a furious roar, he swung his blade. Three sharp gusts of wind, carrying deadly sword energy, tore through the air straight toward Mo Shen.
Seeing the incoming attack, Mo Shen's lips curled into an arrogant smirk.
"I'm out!"
Without any hesitation, he turned around and bolted, running wildly in the opposite direction of the sect.
The six disciples were completely dumbfounded for a split second.
"He… he ran?!"
"That bastard was bluffing the entire time!"
"Damn it! He tricked us!"
"Chase him! Don't let that treacherous dog escape!"
Furious curses exploded behind him as all six disciples immediately gave chase, their killing intent soaring even higher.
While sprinting at full speed, Mo Shen glanced back and saw the Early Foundation Establishment cultivator using a movement technique, rapidly closing the distance.
His expression turned serious.
'He's too fast… I won't be able to outrun him for long.'
But from the memories of the original body, he clearly remembered there was a small river not far ahead, the perfect place for his bonded beast to act.
Without wasting a breath, Mo Shen changed direction and dashed straight toward the riverbank.
The moment he reached the water's edge, he secretly transmitted a command to the little black serpent coiled around his arm:
"Hide in the grass near the river and prepare to strike when I give the signal."
The small snake flicked its tongue once and silently slithered off his arm, disappearing into the tall grass with perfect stealth.
Mo Shen then stepped directly into the shallow river, the cold water reaching up to his knees.
Behind him, the group of disciples finally caught up.
The Early Foundation Establishment cultivator landed heavily on the riverbank, his eyes burning with murderous rage.
"You're finally done running, huh?!"
"Despicable coward! Running like a dog with its tail between its legs after all that big talk!"
"Keep running if you dare! Today we'll skin you alive and feed your corpse to the wild beasts!"
"Trash like you only knows how to use poison and run. Once we catch you, I'll make sure to break every bone in your body before sending you to hell to accompany Senior Brother Zhao Kun!"
In that split second, a ruthless and extremely risky plan formed in his head.
'To win this… I need them to lower their guard completely. That means I have to take a sword strike on purpose. If I can lure the Foundation Establishment cultivator into stabbing me, the others will rush in thinking I'm finished. That's when I'll use everything I have.'
It was a suicidal plan.
But it was also the only one with a real chance of killing all six at once.
Mo Shen's eyes flashed with madness.
He suddenly raised his hand. A long, flexible mortal-grade whip appeared in his grip as he activated the Verdant Quills Whip Art at full power.
"Since you want my life so badly… come and take it!"
With a sharp crack, the whip lashed out like a venomous snake, creating layers of green whip shadows that forced the disciples to dodge.
The Early Foundation Establishment cultivator sneered.
"Overestimating yourself!"
He stepped forward and thrust his sword with terrifying speed, aiming straight for Mo Shen's chest.
Mo Shen didn't dodge.
He twisted his body at the last moment, but still allowed the blade to pierce deeply into his left shoulder instead of his heart.
"Ugh—!"
A sharp grunt escaped his lips as intense pain exploded through his body. Blood instantly dyed the river water red.
The Foundation Establishment cultivator laughed triumphantly.
"Die, you trash!"
The other five disciples, seeing Mo Shen get stabbed, immediately rushed forward with excited roars, thinking the fight was already over.
'Just as I planned...'
At that exact moment, Mo Shen's eyes turned ice-cold.
"Now!"
He crushed all his remaining Poison Mist Pearls in his spatial ring at once. Thick, toxic fog exploded outward, covering the entire riverbank in an instant.
At the same time, he commanded the Black-Patterned Spirit Snake hidden in the grass:
"Attack!"
The little serpent shot out like black lightning, sinking its fangs into the leg of the closest Qi Refining disciple while releasing its concealing venom directly into the water and ground.
Mo Shen endured the searing pain in his shoulder and roared inwardly as he activated the Paralysis Wine Gu at maximum power, forcing it to release all its accumulated poison through the open wound and the river water.
The combination was devastating.
The delayed poison domain he had prepared earlier, mixed with the snake's venom and the Paralysis Wine Gu, erupted violently.
The five Qi Refining disciples who had rushed in suddenly froze mid-step, their bodies convulsing as paralysis spread through their veins like wildfire.
"You… what did you—?!"
"Impossible… my body…!"
"Poison… again?!"
Their faces twisted in shock and fear as they realized too late that they had fallen into a trap.
The Early Foundation Establishment cultivator sensed danger and tried to retreat, but the poison had already entered his system through the mist and water.
His movements slowed drastically.
"Tsk...!!!" Mo Shen gritted his teeth, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
The pain in his shoulder was excruciating, and the poison backlash from overusing the Gu made his vision blur.
But he didn't stop.
Swish!
With his remaining strength, he swung the whip again, using the Verdant Quills Whip Art to deliver the final blows to the paralyzed disciples, slicing throats and stabbing vital points directly.
One by one, they fell into the river with heavy splashes, their eyes wide with disbelief even in death.
THUMP!
Crack!
The Foundation Establishment cultivator fought desperately, managing to land another heavy palm strike on Mo Shen's chest, cracking several ribs and sending him flying backward into the water.
"Kurgh...!"
Mo Shen coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body screaming in agony, but his eyes remained ruthless.
'...Bite him!'
He forced the Black-Patterned Spirit Snake to deliver one final venomous bite to the man's neck while the Paralysis Wine Gu continued corroding his meridians from within.
...Splassh!
After a brutal, desperate struggle that felt like an eternity, the Early Foundation Establishment cultivator finally collapsed face-first into the river, lifeless.
Silence returned to the riverbank.
Mo Shen lay half-submerged in the cold water, breathing heavily, blood flowing freely from his shoulder and chest.
His body was in terrible condition... broken ribs, a deep sword wound, internal injuries, and poison backlash.
Yet even as pain clouded his mind, his thoughts remained terrifyingly clear.
'…I survived. But this is bad. The wound is deep, and I've lost too much blood. If I don't treat it soon, I might actually die here. I need to return to the sect immediately, but I can't let anyone see me like this… The elders will definitely investigate six dead disciples, especially one at Foundation Establishment.'
He slowly dragged himself up, wincing with every movement.
'First, I need to hide the bodies and destroy any traces. Then… I'll use the excuse that we were ambushed by rogue cultivators or a rival sect while I was returning. The poison should make it look like an outside attack…'
Gritting his teeth, he began dragging the first corpse toward the deeper part of the river.
There was no time to waste, so he ripped one of the robes of the dead disciples and used it to cover his wound.
'...I should've brought wound healing pills.'