'I'd better be careful. There's no guarantee all the spies are dead.'
Qin Xuan cautioned himself.
The information on the mission list wasn't necessarily accurate.
The Fierce Soldier mission had recruited so few Demon Disciples precisely because it was so dangerous.
'My current Cultivation is only at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, and I'm out in the open. If I run into a spy who isn't completely dead, I'm screwed...'
However, when Qin Xuan heard about the one hundred Contribution Points, he felt a flicker of temptation.
Recently, Qin Xuan had discovered another wonderful use for Contribution Points.
'Contribution Points are like currency within the Blood Demon Sword Sect. For just 10 Contribution Points, you can trade with other Stewards for a Demon Disciple who has just finished Introducing Spirit into the Body, and drain their blood dry.'
'I have to say, it's great!'
...
Stepping out of the Demon Disciple Dormitory,
he found Tang Tianhe and Hou Longtao already standing in the plaza before the sect gate.
Behind them stood forty or fifty Qi Cultivation Demon Disciples of varying Cultivation levels.
Tang Tianhe was a pot-bellied, bald man with a Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer Cultivation. Something bulged beneath his skin, as if countless tiny black protrusions were squirming, a truly nauseating sight.
As for Hou Longtao, Qin Xuan recognized him at a glance.
'That stooped body, short as a dwarf, with that ugly, pockmarked face... who else could it be but Hou Qi?'
'That sneaky Hou Qi. Did you really think I wouldn't recognize you just because you're using a different name?'
Qin Xuan cupped his hands. "Greetings, Senior Brother Hou, Senior Brother Tang."
Hou Qi's Cultivation had also advanced to the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer. Qin Xuan, however, concealed his own, releasing the pressure of the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer while cloaking it in the guise of the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer.
"You must be Qin Xuan, Junior Brother Qin?"
Tang Tianhe patted his large belly, looking Qin Xuan up and down with a smile. "Hearing about you is nothing like meeting you in person. I've often heard Senior Brother Xiao mention you. Junior Brother Qin, you're quite the character..."
'Too bad he's following the wrong person,' Tang Tianhe thought to himself.
If one ignored the black, maggot-like protrusions constantly squirming beneath his skin, Tang Tianhe's smile was actually quite guileless, like a cheerful Maitreya Buddha.
After another short wait, the stooped figure of Yin Tu arrived, fashionably late, his face hidden behind a Bronze Beast Head Mask.
Upon seeing Hou Longtao, Yin Tu called out eagerly, his face a mask of smiles.
"Senior Brother Hou, long time no see."
Though he was smiling, deep down, Yin Tu was cursing Hou Longtao and his entire ancestry, his heart filled with a towering hatred for the man.
'It was this son of a bitch, Hou Qi, who nearly killed me with that Dark Poison Secret Technique. Thankfully, I was able to get an Incense Master Loan of 300 Contribution Points from Incense Master Zheng of the Ten Thousand Laws Altar, which was just barely enough to neutralize the poison.'
'The price, however, was my entire face, now disfigured beyond recognition.'
'Besides Hou Longtao, there was one other person I hated: Xiao Ran of the Fierce Soldiers!'
'Unfortunately, it was only after leaving the Blood Boiling Arena that I learned Xiao Ran was the personal disciple of an Elder. I had no choice but to swallow my anger and endure the humiliation.'
"Everyone's here."
Tang Tianhe's eyes narrowed to slits, and he said with a chuckle, "The targets of this mission are cunning Righteous Cultivators. It's likely some of the small fry secretly survived."
"Senior Brother Hou, should we discuss how to divide the work?"
Hou Longtao replied, "Our Blood Demon Sword Sect's territory is vast. Just counting the main peaks, we have Celestial Demon Peak, Earth Demon Peak, Profound Demon Peak, and Yellow Demon Peak. I suggest we each take one. How about it?"
Yin Tu, wearing the Bronze Beast Head Mask, said nothing.
Just as Qin Xuan was about to speak, a giant ball of light suddenly flashed in his mind, from which four bamboo slips flew out.
[Top-Top Lottery: Go to Profound Demon Peak to search for spies. Discover two heavily injured Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer cultivators. Obtain one Seventh-Grade Opportunity. Safe and harmless. Great Fortune.]
[Middle-Middle Draw: Go to Yellow Demon Peak to search for spies. At dawn, encounter one Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer cultivator at full strength. Use all means to barely kill him, exceeding your level, and become completely exhausted. Obtain one Ninth-Grade Opportunity, but get looted by a fellow sect member. No danger to life. Neutral.]
[Middle-Lower Draw: Go to Celestial Demon Peak to search for spies. At dawn, encounter one Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Gain nothing. The Sect Array's protection will not arrive in time. Possible danger to life. Danger.]
[The Worst Draw: Go to Earth Demon Peak to search for spies. Encounter one Purple Mansion Daoist. Die without a complete corpse. Great Peril!]
A chill shot through Qin Xuan's heart.
'Damn it, I knew the Fierce Soldier mission was dangerous, but I didn't know it was *this* dangerous.'
'Weren't they talking about a Foundation Establishment Ascendant? How the hell is there a Purple Mansion Cultivator involved?'
'...This goddamn Demon Sect. Their intel is more misleading than a dating profile picture!'
Qin Xuan's thoughts raced.
'Celestial Demon Peak and Earth Demon Peak are absolutely off-limits. One has a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, the other a Purple Mansion Daoist. I'd die if I ran into either of them.'
'Yellow Demon Peak has a Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer cultivator at full strength. Even if I won, it would be a pyrrhic victory.'
'So, the best choice is Profound Demon Peak!'
Qin Xuan spoke up, "Senior Brothers, I think one peak per person is a fine suggestion. I'll take Profound Demon Peak."
Tang Tianhe smiled and nodded.
"Then I'll choose Yellow Demon Peak. Senior Brother Hou, which one will you choose?"
Hou Longtao: "Celestial Demon Peak."
Yin Tu remained silent, his body stooped, his eyes filled with indifference.
They had all chosen, so he could only go to Earth Demon Peak.
Tang Tianhe took out three Jade Talismans and distributed them to the three of them.
"These are special Communication Jade Talismans made by the Sect. Let's make sure to keep in contact at all times."
"Alright!" Qin Xuan nodded slightly.
Yin Tu took the Communication Jade Talisman, glanced back coldly at Hou Longtao, and then led ten Demon Disciples toward Earth Demon Peak without another word.
Qin Xuan also picked ten Demon Disciples.
...
Watery moonlight spilled into the quiet, deep forest.
A Demon Disciple who had just completed Introducing Spirit into the Body, shivering from the cold, couldn't help but ask,
"Senior Brother Qin, we've been waiting here on the mountainside for a whole day. Why haven't we gone to find the spies' corpses?"
Qin Xuan's lips tightened slightly, but he said nothing.
Zhao Youliang glared at the Demon Disciple. "Do as Senior Brother Qin says! Get lost!"
A quick-witted Demon Disciple next to him pulled the man aside.
"Are you dense? Senior Brother Qin isn't letting us go look for our own good."
"The Sect says they want us to collect the spies' bodies, but they really want to use our lives as bait!"
"If we really ran into a spy from the Righteous Dao, with our pitiful Cultivation, would we even survive?"
Hearing this, that Demon Disciple had a sudden realization.
'They're animals. The Demon Sect is full of nothing but animals.'
Hugging his arms, his nose running from the cold, he looked at Qin Xuan with eyes full of gratitude.
Time slowly passed, and midnight arrived.
Qin Xuan, who had been feigning sleep with his eyes closed, suddenly snapped them open and looked into the distance.
From the distance came a rustling sound, the sound of feet treading on a thick layer of fallen leaves.
His Divine Sense quietly spread out.
Qin Xuan saw two Cyan Robe Cultivators in tattered Daoist Robes, supporting each other as they moved forward.
The two of them had faces ashen as death. The Blood Demon Element had already seeped into their bone marrow.
Sweat and black energy mingled, vanishing the instant they dripped onto the ground. Their tattered Daoist Robes were stained with blood, as if they had just survived a life-or-death struggle.
One of them struggled to speak, his voice as faint as the buzzing of a mosquito.
"Senior Brother, can we... really get away safely?"
"We can, Junior Brother. Hang on... As long as we hold out until dawn, the Grand Master will come to take us back to the Sec—"
Before he could finish, the Cyan Robe Cultivator suddenly looked down in astonishment.
A Cyan Iron Longsword, its color approaching that of antique bronze, had pierced through his heart from behind. The sword drank his blood like water, the crimson fluid gurgling down its fuller and into the blade.
In a flash, all his blood and True Essence were drained away.
All that remained was a weightless sack of skin stretched over bone. He died instantly!
"Senior Brother!" the other Cyan Robe Cultivator screamed.
He looked around frantically, finally spotting a black figure slowly emerging from the shadows in a dark corner.