This is a cultivation game, but the operation is bad

Before the words were even finished, the three giant warships accelerated simultaneously, and dense runes appeared on both sides of the ship. Countless golden sword energies shot out from the ship's side, weaving into a huge sword net in the air, enveloping the first island, "Black Wind Island".

The demonic cultivators on the island were clearly prepared. A piercing whistle rang out, and hundreds of demonic cultivators dressed in black robes rushed out of the black mist, their bodies enveloped in demonic energy, and soared into the sky!

War is imminent!
"Do justice for heaven! Do justice for heaven!"

Elder Yunhe took the lead, his whisk transforming into thousands of silver threads, each thread containing sharp sword energy. Wherever it swept, the demonic cultivators at the forefront were instantly sliced ​​into pieces, their black blood spilling onto the sea and stirring up plumes of white smoke.

Jiang Liu followed closely behind, circulating his spiritual energy. The moment the Righteous Qi Sword was drawn, a hundred-foot-long sword aura burst forth, slashing straight at the overwhelming demonic energy!
"The Tenth Heaven of the Soaring Clouds!"

You have killed a Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivator.

You have killed a Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivator.

You have killed a Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivator.

[You are affected by the Taiyi Demon-Slaying Sword Formation. Your damage to demons is increased by 300%, your sword damage is increased by 300%, and your spirit energy recovery speed is increased by 200%]

"What an awesome buff!"

The golden sword net descended like a curtain from the sky, tearing a huge gap in the demonic mist along the coast of Black Fiend Island, and the screams of the demonic cultivators rose and fell.

Jiang Liu gripped the Righteous Qi Sword, his figure darting across the battlefield like a ghost. Wherever his hundred-foot sword energy passed, Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivators were harvested like grass. System notifications exploded in his mind, making him so happy that he almost couldn't help but groan.

You have killed a Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivator.

You have killed a Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivator.

You have killed a Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivator.

Just as they were about to attack the Black Fiend Islands, suddenly, a strange change occurred!

hum!
A deep hum came from the depths of Black Fiend Island, and the entire island suddenly trembled violently. Countless spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the ground, and black mist surged and churned like boiling water. The demonic mist that had been dispersed by the sword energy instantly condensed, transforming into a huge black light shield that enveloped the entire Black Wind Island.

On the light shield, countless dark red runes swirled wildly, like hideous ghost faces, exuding a chilling aura.

Even more terrifying was that the moment the light shield formed, the Taiyi Demon-Slaying Sword Formation buff on Jiang Liu and the others suddenly began to fluctuate violently. The originally abundant spiritual energy was slowly absorbed by the light shield, and the circulation of spiritual energy in their bodies became sluggish.

[You have been affected by the Spirit Devouring Array. Your current cultivation level has decreased by 1, and your spiritual energy recovery speed has decreased by 500%.]

The Taiyi Demon-Slaying Sword Formation's effects have been weakened: damage against demons increased by 100%, sword damage increased by 100%, and spirit energy recovery speed increased by 50%.

If the Spirit Devouring Array cannot be breached, no one will be allowed to land on the island.

"Damn it! What's going on?"

Jiang Liu's expression changed, and he felt the spiritual energy in his body flowing out like a flood breaking through a dam, causing the light of the Righteous Qi Sword to dim slightly.

"This broken formation can absorb spiritual energy?"

Not only him, but other righteous cultivators also exclaimed in surprise.

"My spiritual energy! What's going on? My spiritual energy is disappearing!"

"This is the Demonic Spirit Devouring Array! A legendary array that can devour the spiritual energy of heaven and earth!"

"This is bad! Without the support of spiritual energy, we can't break this formation at all, let alone deal with the Black Fiend Demon!"

Elder Yunhe's expression was solemn. He rapidly waved his whisk, attempting to use his own spiritual energy to resist the array's suction force, but with little effect. He stared at the black light barrier and said in a deep voice, "That's right, this is the Spirit Devouring Array! This array requires a massive amount of spirit stones to activate. Once it's formed, unless you invest even more spirit stones to force your way through, you'll only be trapped and die outside the array!"

"Charge with spirit stones?"

An elder in the Nascent Soul stage frowned: "Brother Yunhe, our expedition was hasty, and most of the spirit stones we carried were used for propelling the warships and maintaining the formation. Where would we find any extra spirit stones to break the formation?"

Another white-bearded elder chimed in, "Indeed, Elder Yunhe, our Tianmen Sect only brought five million spirit stones this time, and we've already used up most of them. The rest is simply not enough to break through the formation."

"My Qingxu Temple is in the same boat. Before we set off, our sect was financially depleted and only allocated three million spirit stones. Now we don't even have enough spiritual energy for the warships!"

"So are we!"

For a moment, the elders leading the group all looked troubled, each telling the other about their sect's predicament, their faces full of embarrassment.

The once-impressive righteous cultivators were now deflated, looking at each other in bewilderment.

Jiang Liu stood there, dumbfounded.

Did he hear that right? A group of powerful figures from the Tribulation Transcending and Integration stages of the righteous path actually said they didn't have enough spirit stones to break the formation?

This is a legitimate NPC! How can it be so poor?

"Seniors."

Jiang Liu couldn't help but ask, "How many spirit stones does this Spirit Devouring Array need to be broken? Maybe if we pool our resources, it will be enough."

Elder Yunhe sighed and looked at Jiang Liu: "Director Jiang, you may not know this, but the level of this Spirit Devouring Array is not low. To forcefully break through the array, you need at least 30 million spirit stones, and you must invest them all at once to create an impact at the core of the array and tear a gap."

Thirty million spirit stones?
The righteous cultivators around them gasped, their faces showing despair.

"Thirty million? How is that even possible!"

"Even if all our sects combine, we don't have more than ten million spirit stones left!"

"Are we just going to be trapped here like this? Just watch the Black Demon Lord continue to do evil?"

Elder Yunhe's face was ashen as he watched the increasingly bright runes on the black light shield, pacing anxiously: "What should we do? If we delay, the demonic cultivators from the other two islands will definitely come to our aid. If we are attacked from both sides, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

The elders looked at each other, and finally all turned their gaze to Jiang Liu.

Seeing their eyes, Jiang Liu's heart skipped a beat; he sensed something was wrong.

"Director Jiang."

Elder Yunhe rubbed his hands together, a sheepish smile on his face, and said, "You are young and promising, and highly regarded by the Alliance Leader. I suppose you must carry quite a few spirit stones with you, right?"

“Yes, Director Jiang.” Another elder quickly chimed in, “You have made many outstanding contributions in the missions, and the Alliance Leader must have rewarded you with a lot of treasures and spirit stones. Why don’t you lend them to us for now? When we return to the Immortal Alliance, we will definitely repay you double!”

Jiang Liu: “????”

Oh no, they're after me!

Jiang Liu was stunned. He never expected that in the end, it would be aimed at him!
To conquer the Demon Island, we must first break its formation.

How do we break the formation?

The formation can be broken by investing 30 million spirit stones.

but!

The NPCs have no spirit stones!

Only he can pay!

Damn it, do the developers only feel happy when they rip me off with spirit stones?
Jiang Liu was so amused by this unexpected setting that he almost laughed.

But what can be done?
The NPCs want him to break the formation, but the developers want him to bleed money. What can he do?

Turn around and leave?

It seems this long-term mission is out of his reach.

"Seniors."

Jiang Liu gritted his teeth, his face contorted with pain, and said, "To be honest, I do have some spirit stones, but they are what I've accumulated over many years. Since things have come to this, in order to uphold justice and eradicate the demonic path, I will reluctantly part with them!"

After saying that, he opened his backpack and took out thirty million spirit stones.

Instantly, countless crystal-clear spirit stones surged out from the river, piling up into a small mountain, radiating a rich spiritual energy.

The righteous cultivators around stared wide-eyed, each revealing expressions of envy and jealousy.

"My God! Thirty million spirit stones! Director Jiang is incredibly wealthy!"

"As expected of someone the Alliance Leader values, he's incredibly generous!"

"With these spirit stones, we can break the formation!"

Elder Yunhe breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "Director Jiang is truly righteous! After this matter is over, I will definitely report your merits to the Alliance Leader and have the Immortal Alliance give you generous compensation!" Jiang Liu sneered inwardly. Compensation? It had better be true, otherwise these thirty million spirit stones would have been wasted!
"Fellow Daoists, unleash your full spiritual energy and guide the power of the spirit stones to attack the array's core!"

At Elder Yunhe's command, several elders acted simultaneously, and streams of golden spiritual energy surged into the pile of spirit stones.

Thirty million spirit stones were instantly activated, transforming into a massive golden beam of light that shot towards the black light shield like a sharp sword. The moment the golden beam collided with the black light shield, a deafening roar erupted, and the runes on the shield flickered violently, teetering on the verge of collapse like a candle in the wind.

boom!
After a deafening explosion, a huge gap was finally torn in the black light shield, the suction force of the Spirit Devouring Array disappeared instantly, and the buff of the Taiyi Demon-Slaying Sword Array returned to normal.

The Spirit Devouring Array (Black Wind Island) has been destroyed.

[Taiyi Demon-Slaying Sword Formation effect restored: Damage to demons +300%, sword damage +300%, spirit energy recovery speed +200%]

“It finally broke!”

Jiang Liu breathed a sigh of relief and was about to move forward when he suddenly heard the same buzzing sound coming from the direction of the other two islands.

He looked up and almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

On the other two islands, Black Turtle Island and Black Nether Island, two huge black light shields rose up simultaneously, exactly the same as the Devouring Spirit Array from before. Dark red runes flowed around them, emanating the same terrifying aura.

[Warning! The Soul Devouring Array (Black Turtle Island) has been activated!]

[Warning! Activation of the Soul Devouring Array (Black Nether Island) detected!]

Jiang Liu: “.”

"Isn't it?!"

Jiang Liu stared in disbelief, his face filled with despair.

Is this ever going to end?! All three islands have spirit-devouring arrays?!

Are you really trying to bankrupt me, planner?
The righteous cultivators around were also dumbfounded, their joy vanishing instantly.

"How could this be? The other two islands also have spirit-devouring arrays?"

"This is terrible! Thirty million spirit stones! Where are we going to find that many spirit stones to break the formation?"

"Director Jiang..."

All eyes turned to Jiang Liu once again, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Can you please not look at me?
Elder Yunhe looked at Jiang Liu with an embarrassed expression: "Director Jiang, this is really unexpected. I didn't expect that the Black Fiend Three Islands would set up three Spirit Devouring Arrays. It seems that the Demonic Path came prepared this time."

"Coming prepared? I think they came with 'coins'!"

Jiang Liu mentally cursed, "This is clearly targeting me, the sucker!"
He now deeply regrets his impulsive decision to take out 30 million spirit stones.

Now, the formations on the other two islands still need to be broken. We can't just watch the mission fail, can we?
"Seniors."

Jiang Liu rubbed his throbbing temples, his tone tinged with helplessness, and said, "Are you sure that each of these two islands' spirit-devouring arrays requires thirty million spirit stones to break?"

Elder Yunhe nodded and said with certainty, "That's right! These three Spirit Devouring Arrays are interconnected, and each one is of roughly the same strength. To break each one, at least thirty million spirit stones are required!"

"At least thirty million?"

Jiang Liu's lips twitched as he said, "So, the two islands might cost over 60 million?"

"That's the theory."

Elder Yunhe said somewhat embarrassedly, "But don't worry, Director Jiang, once we return to the Immortal Alliance, our sects will definitely gather the spirit stones and give you justice!"

"Fairness? All I want now is my spirit stones!"

Jiang Liu groaned inwardly, but there was no other choice now that things had come to this.

He opened his backpack, looked at the remaining spirit stones inside, and gritted his teeth.

Forget it! It's just spirit stones, right? We can earn more! But if the mission fails, the losses will be much greater!

"Director Jiang, you're so rich!"

"Are you perhaps the legendary tall, rich, and handsome man?"

The other righteous NPCs were overjoyed to see Jiang Liu take out the Spirit Stone Mountain again.

Several seniors once again activated their spiritual energy, guiding 35 million spirit stones to transform into golden pillars of light, which shot towards the spirit-devouring array on Black Turtle Island.

"boom!

With another loud bang, the spirit-devouring array on Black Fiend Island, just like that on Black Wind Island, was torn open by the golden pillar of light, leaving a huge gap.

The Soul Devouring Array (Black Turtle Island) has been destroyed.

"Thankfully, it was a success this time."

Jiang Liu breathed a sigh of relief, but just as he was about to catch his breath, he saw the Spirit Devouring Array runes on Black Nether Island flickering even more intensely, as if absorbing the spiritual energy that had dissipated when the other two islands broke the array, and the light shield became even thicker.

"No way? You can do that?"

Jiang Liu stared wide-eyed, feeling like he wanted to cry but couldn't.

Elder Yunhe's expression also changed: "This is bad! These three formations are indeed interconnected. With the other two formations broken, the Black Nether Island formation has absorbed the dissipated spiritual energy and its strength has increased! To break it, we'll probably need even more spirit stones!"

"How much more?"

Jiang Liu's voice trembled slightly.

"At least forty million spirit stones!"

Elder Yunhe hesitated for a moment before speaking.

Forty million?!

Jiang Liu nearly jumped up, his face instantly darkening: "Why don't you just rob it?!"

Follow the right path, and you'll eat five tons a day!

So I was the one who got eaten!

"Director Jiang, now that things have come to this, we have no other choice."

Elder Yunhe sighed and said, "Black Nether Island is the location of the Spirit Devouring Demon's Nest and also the lair of the Black Fiend Old Demon. If we can't break the formation, all our previous efforts will have been in vain."

"Yes, Director Jiang, for the sake of all living beings, we can only ask you to make this sacrifice!"

"Once we return to the Immortal Alliance, we will definitely explain the situation to the Alliance Leader and ask the Immortal Alliance to give you the highest level of reward!"

"President Jiang is a model of righteousness and integrity, and he is a role model for us all!"

Several elders spoke up one after another, showering Jiang Liu with compliments.

Jiang Liu: “.”

They've come out for the sake of all living beings, what more can I say?

Jiang Liu expressionlessly took out tens of millions of spirit stones; this time, he had truly emptied his coffers.

Dog day.

"My God! Just how much money does Director Jiang have?"

"This isn't just richer than a country, this is richer than an immortal alliance!"

"If I follow Director Jiang, I might get a share of spirit stones in the future!"

Jiang Liu was no longer in the mood to listen to their flattery; he just wanted to break the formation quickly, complete the mission as soon as possible, and then see what rewards he could get.

"Seniors, let's get started! Let's get it done in one go!"

Jiang Liu said weakly. (End of Chapter)