"The petty thoughts of us two juniors couldn't escape your discerning eye after all, Senior."
"We came intending to help your sect deal with that Demon Serpent Clan and... seize the chance to gain something for ourselves."
"But your sect is formidable, and the situation is well in hand. We won't interfere, lest we take what should be your sect's gains and cause a misunderstanding."
To avoid giving Golden Feather Old Dao Lord cause for suspicion and sparking a conflict, the Ling brothers hurried to explain.
"You two young friends are far too courteous."
Golden Feather Old Dao Lord smiled.
Then he explained an important matter in detail.
The Golden Origin Immortal Sect's ambitions were considerable, so it had not merely deployed a large force against the Earth Rock Mountain Range before them.
It had also sent several other armies of cultivators to attack other key border strongholds of the Earth Fire Golden Scale Python Clan.
The fighting at those places was going well.
But the strongholds were hard nuts to crack.
Who knew what might change later?
Golden Feather Old Dao Lord therefore wanted the Ling brothers to help those other Golden Origin Immortal Sect forces.
He also made them a generous promise.
Whatever the Ling brothers gained during the campaign would be theirs to keep.
Moreover, for every demon beast above the Nascent Divinity Middle Stage they killed, the Golden Origin Immortal Sect would reward them.
A Fifth Rank Middle Grade Spirit Treasure, for instance.
Those other key border strongholds of the Earth Fire Golden Scale Python Clan were also important.
And they held numerous Spirit Veins.
But the highest-ranked among them was only an ordinary Fifth Grade Mid-Rank Spirit Vein. Their value fell well short of the Earth Rock Mountain Range's.
The Earth Fire Golden Scale Python