Seized by the System

Not a single clan made a move since they did not know what was going on at the moment. Everyone discussed and analyzed the situation among themselves, but no one climbed the mountain to enter the gate.

Everybody was waiting for someone to make the first move since there was still a month’s time to go.

There would eventually be a cultivator who could not restrain himself or herself. After all, not everyone could max out his or her Endurance Points.

Of course, the leaders of each clan understood they still had to send someone up in the end no matter how perilous the journey would be. If not, they would face a scarier outcome wherein their clan would not be listed on the Divine List…

What would happen to the clans that had failed to secure spots on the leaderboard set by the Heavenly Axiom, including those that did not dare to raise their ranks by cheating? One should get a vague idea to the answer should they ruminate on it for a while.

The consciousness of the Heavenly Axiom that had evolved from the law of the jungle would certainly not look after useless clans.

Fang Ning had meditated beside the Divine Gate after he made the announcement. In reality, his body had actually been seized by Sir System, and he had returned to the System Space to plan the next move.

He would obviously enter that spot anyhow. He did not have the time for those highly endurant fellows. For the purpose of his safety, he needed to choose a pathfinder first.

“Sir, your memory is the best. Who do you think is the most suitable to be a pathfinder among our allies?” Fang Ning asked the System.

“Easy as pie, that would be Tom the black cat. Look at it, it’s small, and it can hide anywhere. It’s sly, highly experienced, can’t die easily and doesn’t have a conscience. It was never a good cat to begin with… The key is the match in characteristics. It had been cultivating the Path of Death all along which matches the signs beyond the dark fog.” Sir System replied.

“Hmm, great minds think alike. I do share the same view.” Fang Ning remarked proudly.

“You didn’t even think of it…” Sir System snorted.

“Who cares? It’s Tom then. I’ll summon it here.” Fang Ning sent a WeChat message.

…

At the Yin Attribute Herbs Plantation Base in the Morality City.

Spiritual Flowers hung loosely on the twigs of the greyish white plants, contributing to an enigmatic atmosphere.

Clouds of grey fog encircled the plants and formed tiny vortexes near the Spiritual Flowers.

The base was enclosed by high walls. Guards were patrolling on both sides of the walls.

The high walls and guards were not to deter thieves and robbers but to prevent accidental trespassers such as curious children.

Residents of the Morality City were personally selected by Vigilante A before moving in. They were all law-abiding citizens.

The base’s manager, Tom the black cat, was observing the growth of the herbal plants. Suddenly, it sneezed a few times. It had a bad feeling in its heart.

It had always kept a low profile in Vigilante A’s base and rarely brought attention to itself due to its unsavory background.

“What’s the matter? Who misses Sir System? Don’t tell me it’s that goddamn Death?” It bobbed its huge tiger head and commented intuitively.

A little grey ant was clutching its fur and sleeping on its head.

This was the futuristic “Death Army Ant” that he had been cultivating for some time. It had established relations with the local ants and controlled an ant general. It faced no problems in farming and in battle.

The Yin Attribute Herbs had been growing fantastically each year, so much so that Vigilante A never had any bone to pick with its end-of-year report. This fellow had contributed to 80 percent of the work.

Tom was pleased that it could still achieve something remarkable under Vigilante A’s watch.

Unfortunately, it did not speak the language of humans and could not be easily manipulated in spite of its cleverness and ability to grasp many concepts immediately… It was hard to socialize with it.

Tom’s handphone buzzed as it was preoccupied with his thoughts.

It reached for the gadget with its tiger claws and understood something at once.

“I knew it. it’s nothing good!”

Tracking paths had always been a dangerous activity. In ancient times, the marching scouts must be sharp-witted due to the high risks involved. Regular soldiers simply did not have that capability and qualification required to do so.

Today, scouts also needed to possess a greater caliber than regular soldiers.

Nevertheless, what could it do? It did not have the right and a valid reason to reject this task.

“Dammit, I’ll fight back one day!” Tom the cat thought savagely and woke the little grey ant up.

“Bring your general along. You’ll come with me to a new place to have fun.” It said and tricked the ant.

The little grey ant bobbed its head and its pair of antenna, emanating a gust of black air.

Soon, a huge army of grey ants followed the trail of the black air and crawled into a large sack found by Tom.

The black cat nodded his approval as he took in the sight. It heaved the sack over its shoulders and handed over the work at the base to its deputy before leaving.

After a while, it flew straight for the Lunaette and arrived in front of Vigilante A.

When he saw the glittering Divine Gate, he froze for a moment before euphoria gripped at his heart. Then, it tried to suppress the tumultuous emotions he was feeling and acted as if nothing has ever happened.

“Tom the tiger, you’re well aware of this issue. The realm beyond the Divine Gate is filled with great opportunities. I’ve decided to give you this chance seeing as to how diligent and hardworking you had been throughout these few years. You should know that a clan only has 10 quotas.” Fang Ning explained seriously.

“Eh, Mr. Rich Boss, you can’t even trick me with these words. How do you expect to trick it?” Sir System was in disbelief.

Fang Ning was not a sly fox who was good at reading expressions and body language after all. He could not decipher Tom the cat’s intentions, and so he said, “So what if I can’t trick it? It still has to go. The Tiger Saddle that’s bound to the System is still on its body.”

However, Tom genuflected and said emotionally, “I’m so grateful for your fair judgment, Venerable One. I can’t believe I can secure this precious opportunity by doing some small favors. I’m willing to sacrifice my life for this.”

“Mm, very well.” Fang Ning felt a bit embarrassed after seeing Tom’s enthusiasm. He thought for a few seconds and handed a bottle of pills to the cat. “This bottle of pills might not be able to resurrect you, but it can restore your health and heal serious injuries. Take it with you, just in case.”

Tom accepted the item and thanked Fang Ning. Then, he stepped into the Divine Gate without turning back.

“Hey, looks like something has entered the gate.”

The crowd down below that was observing any signs of movement at the Divine Gate noticed the cat and began to clamor.

“It’s a black tiger, and it looks like Vigilante A’s mount.”

“A hero indeed. He’s so considerate and intends to find a path for all of us…”

“Yes, that’s great. When that black tiger comes out, we’ll know how dangerous that place is.”

Various opinions and ideas were formed about the incident. Everyone was particularly attentive and fixed their eyes on the Divine Gate.

As soon as the black tiger entered the Divine Gate, it was shrouded by the dark fog and vanished into its murky depths.

It was a completely different sight from the last time.

Last time, everybody could at least be able to observe which step the candidate was on. This time, though, they had not the faintest idea about the candidate’s condition.

What laid beyond the dark fog? Was the Stairway to Heaven easy to climb… The answers to these questions could only be revealed once the black tiger had successfully emerged from the Divine Gate.

If it failed to return, there was nothing that could be done except to wait for the next pathfinder.