Chapter 405: Poison Demon Cult’s Mobilization
The cost was steep but the store’s current Dimension Essence balance was healthy, and the strategic value was incalculable. It was a half-million DE investment to open a new war front and secure a new territory. A bargain.
"Proceed," Lin Mo confirmed without hesitation.
The system chimed, deducting the amount. Lin Mo then opened the live feed from the Guardian Construct again. He, along with Wu Meiyu, watched as the ground at the Blazing Ridge began to tremble.
Ethereal lines of divine energy shot up from the earth, weaving together in the air like a golden loom. The simple foundations that had been laid down began to expand and solidify at a reality-defying speed. Walls of pristine white and green rose from the red rock, a roof of polished jade materialized from thin air, and a glowing, unmistakable sign reading ’Divine Convenience Store’ flickered into existence above the entrance.
The Blazing Maw tribespeople, who had been setting up a perimeter, dropped to their knees in awe, witnessing a miracle of divine creation.
Their Chieftain, Akasha, stood frozen with her beast-skull mask unable to hide her utter astonishment.
The entire process took less than a minute. Where there was once a patch of fortified ground, there now stood a perfect, fully-formed, and fully-stocked Divine Convenience Store branch.
Then, the final piece fell into place.
Inside the newly created store, a familiar gleaming archway materialized. The Celestial Shuttle Network hub.
However, it was still inaccessible. It still awaited the arrival of the appointed Branch Manager.
—
Abyssal Forest Conduit Tower. Poison Demon Cult Camp.
"Acolyte Luhan, the High Priest has called for everyone to gather." A Poison Demon Cult priest appeared from the shadows of a massive, gnarled tree, his moss-green robes blending with the forest floor.
Luhan, a former Poison-bearer who had once been a spy in Fanling City, immediately stood up from his meditative posture, bowing his head respectfully. "Priest Jiao. Is something amiss?"
It had been a strange but undeniably prosperous time for the cult. Since their... ’conversion’ to the path of convenience, their days were less about dark rituals and more about managing their expansion as the spreader of convenience to the Inner Abyssal Circle. Luhan and his fellow Acolytes spent their time trading store-bought snacks with righteous sect disciples, discussing strategies for clearing the tower’s lower floors, and occasionally fending off incursions from other, less enlightened factions from the Inner Abyssal Circle.
He, along with his fellow spies who were the first to encounter the Divine Convenience Store, had seen their status within the cult rise exponentially. He was originally feeling let down when Lin Mo’s promise of freedom was not met after enticing the High Priest with the store products they sent before.
However, once the High Priest fully committed to becoming the representative of the store to the Inner Abyssal Circle, he and his fellow Poison-bearers, whose bodies ached every day due to the process of their transformation into one, were called back to the main temple.
There, they were cleansed of the poison in their bodies and were granted the scripture of the Poison Demon Cult, admitting them as a former member of the cult and becoming an Acolyte.
It had only been a week, but thanks to the store products assisting him in cultivation, he managed to successfully comprehend the first Chapter of the [Myriad Poison Scripture], officially stepping into the Spirit Condensation Stage.
He was no longer a disposable spy but a true cultivator of the Poison Demon Cult. All thanks to the Convenience Saint.
Priest Jiao’s eyes, which were barely visible within the shadows of his hood, gleamed with a fervent light. "Amiss? No, Acolyte. The Great Poison Demon has sent a revelation! The Convenience Saint has called upon us! A grand mission has been bestowed! Now, hurry. The High Priest does not tolerate tardiness."
The words sent a jolt of electricity through Luhan...
’The Convenience Saint has called upon us.’
In the new hierarchy of the cult, there was no higher command. The Great Poison Demon was still their spiritual guide, their faith, but the Shopkeeper and the Divine Convenience Store became their path to greatness.
He quickly followed the priest through the sprawling, chaotic camp. The air, usually thick with the scent of venomous herbs and demonic beasts, now had an undercurrent of something else, the savory aroma of instant noodles and the sweet fizz of soda. Cultists who once would have been brewing poisons were now gathered around crackling fires, excitedly opening Celestial Duel card packs. Many of them were even preparing for their attempt to climb the new Conduit Tower. The new culture was bizarre, but Luhan wouldn’t trade it for anything.
They arrived at the central clearing, right in front of the Conduit Tower, where only a few orthodox cultivators could be seen standing around. They were left here to stand guard along with the Poison Demon Cult and the Shadow Veil Clan, preventing other factions of the Inner Abyssal Circle from taking advantage of the absence of many experts due to the Flash Raid that the Shopkeeper called.
The Priest then continued to where the collective of Poison Demon cultists in moss-green robes were gathered in front of the Celestial Shuttle Network hub.
The High Priest stood before the gleaming metallic archway, his skull staff pulsing with an eager, green light.
Gathered before him were the elite of the Poison Demon Cult. Not just the acolytes and priests stationed at the tower, but Venom Masters who had been summoned from their branches within the Poison Demon Cult’s territory.
Luhan recognized the terrifying Venom Master Huangfeng of the Wasp Branch and the other Venom Masters of the other five branches. After their rebellion a week ago, they already recovered enough to heed the High Priest’s call.
He could also see Venom Master Xun’s Arachnid Branch, their smaller Doom Spiders skittering restlessly, their many eyes glowing in the dark.
Luhan couldn’t help but feel his chest throb in anticipation. The energy was different. It’s like they’re now heading into war. But upon thinking about it, he was convinced that it was because the Shopkeeper called for them personally. The High Priest wanted to ensure their devotion towards ’convenience’.
After a few bated breaths, the High Priest raised his staff, and a heavy silence fell over the assembly.
"Children of Poison and Convenience!" His old, decrepit voice boomed, carrying a terrifying zeal that made the tall trees tremble. "Our lord, the Great Poison Demon, has blessed us! Our patron, the Convenience Saint, has handed us a sacred task."
He slammed his staff onto the ground. "Xun Caiyin, Venom Master of our Arachnid Branch, has cornered a great evil in the Southern Wilderness! A monstrous beast from the Outer Realms! But the cowardly and opportunistic savages of the south, the Ironbone Clan and the Spirit Haze Sect, dare to interfere! They seek to steal the spoils of convenience for themselves!"
A low, angry growl rippled through the assembled cultists.
"The Shopkeeper has seen this injustice!" the High Priest continued, his voice rising to a fever pitch. "He has chosen us! The Poison Demon Cult! To act as his divine retribution! We will be the reinforcements! We will descend upon the Southern Wilderness, and we will show them the true power of a partnership with the store! We will crush the beasts, deter the savages, and secure a new land for the glory of the Great Poison Demon and the expansion of Convenience!"
He then projected the message Lin Mo had sent him, the glowing words of the Shopkeeper hanging in the air for all to see. The promise of becoming the second Official Distributor was highlighted in a glorious, venomous green.
Little did they know how exaggerated the High Priest made that pronouncement. But who’s to care about what exactly was exchanged between them? All they knew was to follow the will of the Great Poison Demon and, by extension, the Divine Convenience Store.
The cult erupted. It was a roar of pure ecstasy. Finally, they were getting their first official assignment coming from the Shopkeeper, the Convenience Saint himself. It felt like validation, promotion, and a crusade all at once.
Luhan felt a shiver of excitement run down his spine. He, who had once been a lowly spy on the verge of death in Fanling City, was now part of an army chosen to wage a holy war. His fate had been completely rewritten.
"The path to the front lines has been prepared!" The High Priest declared, gesturing dramatically to the Celestial Shuttle hub. "The Shopkeeper, in his infinite wisdom, is about to perform a miracle! He will establish a new route for us! We will be the first to ride the shuttle into a new, untamed land bereft of convenience!"
As if on cue, a powerful surge of spiritual energy washed over the clearing. It wasn’t hostile but it was immense. It’s like a wave of pure creation that makes the time and space shiver.