My junior sister sees everyone as a heretical cultivator.

Chapter 272 Jade Dragon Continent, A Fleeting Play
Jade Dragon Continent, Bhikkhu Dynasty.

An imperial edict was posted overnight, stating: "In order to reverse the fate of the nation and seek long-term peace and stability, all boys and girls within the territory of the dynasty have the obligation to serve the country."

The entire government and the public were shaken.

Most local officials paid lip service to this. The entire dynasty had gathered 11,000 children, which, when distributed among their own cities, was a manageable number. As long as they didn't offer up their own children, they didn't care about other people's children.

However, some officials with a conscience were chilled to the bone when they saw the contents of the imperial edict.

Has the Emperor gone mad? Bewitched by that sorcerer, he's actually willing to sacrifice the lives of young boys and girls to pay for his own death?!

……

At the same moment the imperial edict was posted, a dynasty quest appeared on the player panels of all players whose birthplace was within the territory of the Bhikkhu Dynasty.

The golden scroll icon exudes the majesty of imperial power.

[Imperial Edict of the Dynasty] Elixir of Immortality

Mission Description: By His Majesty's decree, in order to refine the "Rejuvenating Elixir" and stabilize the nation's fortunes, we are now searching for "medicinal ingredients" within the dynasty's territory. Anyone who voluntarily offers a "Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart" will have their family enjoy wealth and honor for three generations. Anyone who assists the court in capturing "medicinal ingredients" will receive massive amounts of money, top-grade elixirs, divine weapons, and even official titles and ranks, depending on their contribution.

Task objective: Submit the "Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart" (0/11000).

【Seven-aperture exquisite heart】: The heart of a boy or girl under the age of ten who is physically and mentally healthy.

[Red Name Exemption]: Due to the mission personally issued by the emperor of the dynasty, you will have the privilege of being exempt from red names when performing mission-related actions, and you can suppress the disloyal ministers for His Majesty.

Posted by: Bhikkhu Emperor
This dynastic quest, personally issued by the emperor, caused a huge stir among the players.

"Holy crap! A dynasty mission! The rewards are incredible! Divine weapons, official titles and ranks?!"

"A heart with seven orifices? What is that? It doesn't sound like a good thing."

"Didn't the person upstairs read the mission description carefully? The hearts of young boys and girls... Ouch—! This game is going this far?! Killing NPC children?"

"So what if we kill them? It's just a bunch of data. We can get divine weapons in return. It's a good deal! Brothers, anyone want to team up to farm 'medicinal ingredients'?"

"Is the person upstairs crazy? This game is so realistic, how could you possibly play it? I certainly couldn't. Just wait until you get your red name and then you can start getting PvP!"

"Exactly. Even though they're NPCs, they look just like real people, with their own families and lives. How can you kill children just for a little reward?"

"Stop arguing, everyone. This Bhikkhu Dynasty is rotten to the core. Even the emperor is leading the way in these evil practices. This place is unbearable. I'm planning to run away. Anyone want to go to another continent or country?"

"Yes, yes, yes, it's moisturized! This broken dynasty, let whoever wants to stay can stay!"

In a short time, the player community split into several distinct factions because of this quest.

However, those players who were disgusted with the dynasty's missions and were preparing to pack their bags and leave the Bhikkhu Dynasty frequently encountered court officials on their way out of the city who claimed to be concerned about the country and its people but were unwilling to compromise their principles; others claimed to be court spies acting on the orders of a certain prince.

They would post tasks in various corners that were completely opposite to the golden imperial edict. The rewards for these tasks were not much, or even meager, perhaps just some money and a few bottles of basic pills, but this gave some players a reason to stay.

[The Righteous Man's Choice]: Save those poor children.

【Shadow Guardian】: Assist the young boys and girls known as "medicinal catalysts" in escaping the imperial court's pursuit.

[Red Name Exemption]

……

The atmosphere within the Bhikkhu city was becoming increasingly eerie.

The imperial edict prompted ordinary people to keep their doors and windows closed, the cries of children were suppressed behind doors and windows, and the number of city defense troops patrolling the streets increased exponentially.

Finally, a player, confident in his abilities and seemingly driven by the enormous reward and chaotic desires, made his choice. He rushed towards the woman who was trying to get home and hide. She was huddled in a corner with a five or six-year-old child in her arms. The player raised the long knife in his hand.

"Little one, don't be afraid, Uncle will take you to get a divine weapon." He swung his knife down at the woman who was protecting the child.

"Qiang——!"

With a sharp clang, another sword appeared, blocking the fatal blow in front of his blade: "Beast! You attack civilians, are you even human?!"

This was the trigger.

"boom--!"

In an instant, the city of Bhikkhu was in complete chaos.

Driven by the brutal scene and the enormous reward, some players drew their weapons, their eyes gleaming with excitement. A "hunting feast" unbound by any rules had begun.

"Hahaha! Killing NPCs and getting loot is only fair! Today we're even giving away an official rank! I can finally try killing people at will!" a player shouted as he charged towards the civilians holding children.

Another group of players, however, were deeply moved by the all-too-realistic scene. The children's cries and the desperate backs of the parents shielding their children made it impossible for them to remain indifferent. "Damn it! I play games to have fun, not to be a scumbag! Brothers! Team up! Even if it means being put on the enemy's side by the dynasty, we'll kill these bastards who accepted the imperial edict!"

They spontaneously organized themselves, and even though they were wanted by the dynasty, they drew their swords and charged at the "hunters" in an attempt to protect innocent lives.

The NPCs in the city also made their choices.

The imperial guards, expressionless, surged forth from the palace, shouting, "By His Majesty's decree! Those who stand in our way will be killed without mercy!" They stood alongside the "Hunter" players, their blades pointed at the very people they had once protected. Meanwhile, some wandering swordsmen and soldiers with a shred of conscience made the exact opposite choice. A lone traveler carrying a heavy sword cleaved a guard who tried to snatch a child, sending him flying. "We practice martial arts to uphold justice and help the weak, not to aid the wicked! Today, I betray this cannibalistic dynasty!"

They stood with the guardian players, turning their swords against their former comrades, turning the entire city of Bhikkhu into a massive, chaotic battlefield.

"Damn! I got one-shotted again! Brothers, meet at the respawn point, remember to pick up my gear! The Dynasty Bounty is pretty serious! Coordinates (XXX, XXX), that Imperial Guard Captain in black armor is an elite monster, the drop rate is definitely high!" But the players were fearless, "Never mind the elite monster! Let's get to the East Gate! There are a few Imperial Order CS (presumably referring to a specific player class) blocking the gate, not letting NPCs with children leave the city!"

They kept respawning at various respawn points in the city. Some would immediately draw their swords and charge back at the enemy who had just killed them, while others would rush to various districts to fight with the guards who were capturing children and hostile players.

Swords and swords flashed, flesh and blood flew everywhere.

Despite all this chaos that engulfed the entire city, swords and spears have no eyes. Innocent parents fell in pools of blood while trying to protect their children. Crying children were snatched from their parents' arms by the Imperial Guards, or killed by hunter players who then carried them on their shoulders with a sinister grin, exchanging them for the blood-stained bounty.

The player who lit the fuse had already retreated into a dark alley amidst the chaos.

Bhikkhu City was completely transformed into a living hell.

Players can resurrect infinitely; for them, death is merely the time cost of running back to their corpse and some death penalty. But for NPCs who only have one life, once they are hit by the chaotic swords, their lives will end.

So some players tried to storm the palace, wanting to kill the emperor who issued this ridiculous quest. But inside the palace, the imperial guards, who were of extremely high level, easily killed these players who had not yet embarked on the path of immortality. Even the occasional cultivators were unable to move an inch under the suppression of the dragon energy.

Players were constantly cycling between the city's respawn point and the bloody battlefield, their hatred growing deeper and deeper. Some players, unable to bear the realistic and brutal scene any longer, chose to log off after dying several times.

……

On the highest platform of the imperial palace, Xuan Chenzi and Emperor Biqiu stood side by side, enjoying the grand chaos below.

The emperor watched the smoke and fire rising throughout the city, and listened to the faint sounds of battle cries, his eyes gleaming with greed.

Even Xuan Chenzi, who was standing beside him, sent his wife and children to the palace as hostages in order to gain his trust. At this moment, he could clearly feel that as the killing spread in the city, the imperial aura was rising at an unprecedented speed.

All of this made him even more convinced that everything the Imperial Advisor said was true.

Xuan Chenzi looked down at the hellish scene below, a look of extreme satisfaction on his face. He turned to the emperor beside him and asked, "No way, no way? Your Majesty, you didn't actually believe my nonsense about 'a mortal's heart being able to exchange for the lifespan of an immortal,' did you? You believed it? Hehehehe~"

Upon hearing this, the emperor trembled violently and looked at him in disbelief.

Xuan Chenzi's face began to twist and deform like melting wax.

The face, corrupted by yin energy, gradually elongated, its eyes slanted upwards, and its mouth stretched open, revealing a row of theatrical masks in a smile. Half of its face was crying, and the other half was laughing. Deep within its eye sockets, there were no pupils, only two constantly rotating black vortexes.

"Now that the goal has been achieved, the play should come to an end." He addressed the emperor, slowly reciting a mantra: "True or false, why ask? A handful of dust is offered to the Heavenly Venerable!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the emperor suddenly felt the ever-increasing illusion of the dynasty's dragon aura shatter in an instant. He looked at his hands in horror; the dynasty's dragon aura was actually almost gone...

When... did this person... appear...?

Before the emperor's eyes, all was darkness...

……

With the emperor's death, all the players in Bhikkhu City who had accepted the imperial edict quest and massacred NPCs received a system notification.

[System Warning: The initiator of the Dynasty Quest [Elixir of Immortality] has died; the quest has failed.]

[System Warning: All resurrection points in the Bhikkhu Dynasty have been destroyed.]

[You have died... You are being resurrected at a random location outside the Bhikkhu Kingdom... You have been given a negative status effect: Red Name (Blood Debt).]

Those players who accepted the righteous mission and killed some people as a result also received a mocking system notification, except that they seemed to have received a follow-up side quest.

[System Notification: The quests you accepted, [The Righteous Man's Choice] and [Guardians of the Shadows], were fraudulent. The quests have been forcibly cancelled. Because you participated in large-scale fighting within the Bhikkhu Dynasty, your behavior has been classified as Chaotic Neutral. You have received a negative status: Red Name (Conflict), duration: 72 game hours. Enjoy your game!]

Your experience in the Bhikkhu Kingdom seems to have touched upon a vast shadow lurking behind the scenes.

Side Quest Unlocked (Rare): Life is Like a Play

Task Description:

A grand drama has come to an end in the Bhikkhu Dynasty. It seems that emperors, loyal ministers, rebels, knights-errant, villains... everyone is just an actor on the stage, guided by invisible threads, having played out their roles.

As a participant and victim in this grand drama, you seem to have touched the puppet master hidden behind the scenes.

Who are they? What do they want to do? Is this a pre-written script or a chaotic improvisation?

Perhaps it's time to find the answer.

Task objective: Find clues related to the incident (0/3)
mission rewards:

Experience points (Internal strength/Cultivation): [???] (Determined by mission completion rate and discovered clues)
Money/Spirit Stones: [?] (Determined by task completion rate and discovered clues)
Magical item: [? ? ?] (Determined based on mission completion and discovered clues)
Meanwhile, those players who participated in the protection without accepting any tasks were pleasantly surprised to find their red names disappearing after being resurrected.

[System Notification: Due to the fall of the Bhikkhu Dynasty, your red-name wanted status from that dynasty has been cleared. This dynasty has been destroyed. Would you like to reincarnate in another region?]

(End of this chapter)