Divine Convenience Store

The wind from the [Windstrike Talisman] howled through the village, shredding the animated skeletons into a shower of splintered bone and dust. Those hit with the sharp pieces winced and took a step back.

The Bone Ash Syndicate's men staggered back, their crude barricades trembling under the force of the sudden gust.

And with how destructive that single talisman was. Bone Lord Keshan's sneer faltered, his glowing eyes narrowing as he gripped his skull mace tighter. Explosive-type talismans weren't foreign to him. He even had some of those stashed. But the [Windstrike Talisman] that Luo Ming set off was on another level. With little to no fluctuation of spiritual energy, it activated the instant it reached them.

"What sorcery was that? Where have you gotten a talisman master of that caliber?" He spat, his voice laced with both fury and unease.

The High Priest hovered higher, his skeletal frame casting an elongated shadow over the desolate village. "Sorcery, you say? Keshan. You're wrong. It's pure 'convenience'. Do you know how much it cost? 2 high-grade spirit stones."

"Lies! That kind of talisman should've cost ten times that amount. More than that, a talisman master who'd be willing to sell it off at that price will be a fool!"

"Oh, ho. You know your price well for someone who had no interest other than grinding skeletal remains. Alas, you're still ignorant. You have no idea what kind of existence has appeared outside this region. And I… Our cult has gotten its hands on this convenience. Something your syndicate can only dream of now."

Keshan's response was a guttural roar as he swung his mace upward, a pulse of his spiritual turned necromantic energy surged forth. The ground cracked, and skeletal hands erupted from the earth, clawing their way toward the cultists.

The villagers behind the barricades shrieked, some fleeing deeper into the settlement while others watched in morbid fascination. Most of them had long been numb and were just waiting for when they'd be dragged by the syndicate to their graveyard.

Luo Ming stepped forward, unfazed. His Core Formation Stage aura matched the Bone Lord's.

He slapped a [Spirit Embodiment Sticker Seal] into his, activating it with a flick of spiritual energy.

A spectral Venomous Serpent materialized, its scales glinting with an oily sheen as it coiled around him. After hissing menacingly, it fused with his body. With a punch, venomous fangs seemingly sunk into the nearest skeletal construct, shattering it into fragments.

Then, that projection of his attack slithered through the ranks of the undead, its venom dissolving their animating energy with ruthless efficiency.

When Luo Ming reached the range of Keshan, he leapt and pulled out his slick obsidian daggers, laced with his own poison concoction.

His daggers and his opponent's mace clashed, blowing away the skeletons in every direction.

Meanwhile, the syndicate members behind Keshan charged towards the Poison-bearers, Acolytes and the corrupted demon beasts – or what's left of them after the recent skirmish.

The Poison-bearers pulled out different types of mortal-grade weapons bought from the store and supplied by the High Priests. In every three Poison-bearers, one activates a Card Talisman from the Basic Card Talisman Pack, strengthening them. And in every ten Poison-bearers, one threw [Explosive Talismans] that erupted in bursts of violet flame, reducing clusters of skeletons to ash despite its weaker firepower.

The Acolytes chanted in unison, their voices weaving a venomous mist that crept across the battlefield, corroding the Syndicate's defenses and choking the air with acrid fumes.

Keshan snarled as he drew back for a moment. He swung his mace, and a wave of dark energy rippled outward, slamming into the mist and dispersing it momentarily.

"You think your toys will topple me? I've harvested thousands of bones. These tricks are nothing!"

The High Priest's raspy laugh cut through the chaos. "Toys, you say? Let's see how you fare against this." He raised a hand, and a [Heavenly Shield Talisman] flared to life, its golden barrier absorbed Keshan's next necromantic blast with ease.

The shield shimmered, deflecting the energy back toward the Bone Lord, who barely dodged as it cratered the ground beside him.

Luo Ming seized the opening, darting forward with his serpent still coiled around him. His daggers dripped with a sickly green sheen.

Keshan swung his mace to intercept, but Luo Ming struck first with his feet, lurching forward like a snake and forcing him to stumble back.

Following that, Luo Ming's dagger slashed across Keshan's arm, chest, and legs, the venom seeping into the wound instantly.

The Bone Lord hissed, his necromantic aura flickering as the poison took hold.

Luo Ming looked at him coldly, stepping forward as he kicked the skull mace that dropped from the Bone Lord's hands away.

Keshan clutched his arm, his face twisting in pain as the venom spread.

Behind him, the Syndicate's remaining loyal forces wavered, their skeletal constructs crumbling under the relentless assault of talismans, poisons, and spells.

The villagers, once cowering, now peeked out with growing curiosity as the Poison-bearers began distributing [Energy Replenishing Candies] and [Heavenly Dew Sodas] to those who approached.

One skinny villager took a sip of the soda. His eyes widened as a rush of vitality coursed through him, the weariness of starvation momentarily lifted.

Whispers spread among the onlookers. "What is that? Divine elixir?"

And more began to creep forward, drawn by the promise of the store's wares.

However, the moment they piled up, the Poison-bearers started charging them with spirit stones. Due to that, many of them ran back into the village, pillaging their own houses or the courtyards of the syndicate members.

Keshan saw the shift, his control slipping. "Kill! Kill those villagers! I let you live and this is what you're going to do?!"

Alas, no one could heed his command anymore. Many syndicate members had already surrendered, and some even started killing their allies to raise their value in the High Priest's eyes.

He gritted his teeth hard, his molars bled before doing hand seals as he started casting a spell. A summoning using the final surge of his necromantic energy.

"My brothers will avenge me! You Poison Demon Cult! You'll pay for this!" Keshan growled in rage as he poured the last bit of his spiritual energy, emptying his dantian and drying up his Golden Core.

Soon, a towering skeletal giant emerged from the ground, its bones reinforced with jagged metal shards, roaring as it charged the cultists.

The High Priest's grin didn't waver. He pulled his bone staff and waved it lazily before tossing a follow-up [Windstrike Talisman].

The might of a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator roared, immediately halting the skeleton giant's steps and the accompanying [Windstrike Talisman] resulted in a gale that tore through its bony structure, shattering it into a hail of debris that rained over the battlefield.

Then, before Keshan could react, the High Priest descended, his Nascent Soul aura flaring with suffocating venomous intent. A single flick of his finger sent a needle-thin dart of concentrated poison burrowing into Keshan's chest.

The Bone Lord gasped, his already weakened vitality draining further as he collapsed to his knees.

The venom spread rapidly, his skin blackening as his necromantic energy sputtered out like a putrid pus.

With a final shudder, he fell face-first into the dirt, lifeless.

Silence blanketed the village, broken only by the faint fizz of a soda can opening or the cracking bite onto the potato chips among the crowd.

Luo Ming approached the fallen Bone Lord, severing his head with a swift stroke of his dagger. He lifted it by the hair, presenting it to the High Priest. "As you commanded."

The High Priest nodded, his gaze sweeping over the Syndicate's remnants and the villagers. "Hear me, Bone Ash Syndicate! Your Bone Lord is dead. Join us, embrace the Great Poison Demon and the Divine Convenience Store and live stronger while coddled by convenience. Resist, and you share his fate."

The remaining Syndicate members hesitated, their weapons lowering as the villagers began to murmur in favor of the cult. The Poison-bearer's spatial pouches became filled with spirit stones as more villagers lined up for the 'divine elixir' and 'ultimate panacea'. Their hunger-filled gaze easing up.

One by one, the resistance dropped to their knees, pledging allegiance.

The High Priest floated back to the ground, satisfied. "Luo Ming, distribute more wares. Let them taste the store's blessings and gather all the spirit stones. Then, press on to the main temple. The conclave awaits."

As the cultists moved to consolidate their new recruits – most of whom might not even become Acolytes but mere Poison-bearers – the High Priest pulled out his Viewing Jade once more, composing a brief message to the Shopkeeper under his [PoisonedOracle] username:

"Shopkeeper, your store's influence has now been entrenched in this side of the forest. A territory of the Bone Ash Syndicate is successfully converted. Without bloodshed, of course. Our offer stands. Partnership benefits us both."

He sent it off, his skeletal grin widening as he imagined the Shopkeeper's reaction.

—

Meanwhile, Lin Mo, who had just finished tending to the First Princess, suddenly received an update through the [Divine Interface System]. A [Field Test Report].