[Due to a major change in the mission, it has been upgraded to a Four Star mission. Complete the mission to receive Method of Detoxification and the max-level Movement Technique Treading Snow Without Trace.]
Although Ning Fengzhi had concealed important information, the system adjusted the mission rating based on the details of the commission.
Now that it had been upgraded to a Four Star mission, completing it would earn him an additional Movement Technique.
But how could a Four Star mission be easy to complete? It wasn't the kind of mission he could finish just by putting in enough time. The process was bound to be perilous, and he would even have to snatch the prize from Spirit Hall right under their noses. One wrong move, and he could lose his life.
No wonder Ning Fengzhi had agreed to help him obtain a Spirit Ring and even offered him a reward for the mission. It turned out that was a sign of a guilty conscience!
He could only blame Qin Yuan for being too "careless" at the time and letting Ning Fengzhi's facade deceive him.
After this, he decided to avoid any contact with Ning Fengzhi for the time being, and he certainly wouldn't accept any commissions from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
No wonder Tang Hao had said that Ning Fengzhi was a man of great talent in the original timeline. He acted like a sworn brother to your face, but schemed and plotted behind your back. Perhaps this was Ning Fengzhi's true nature.
Once he had settled on his target, Qin Yuan slipped out of the city at dawn the next day. When he saw the man bringing another sack of gemstones to his stall, he hid nearby and watched.
The man could produce gemstones endlessly, so he must have a warehouse or a hideout behind him.
All Qin Yuan had to do was wait patiently. Once the man returned, Qin Yuan could track down the thieves' movements.
Qin Yuan was a patient hunter, but the people from Spirit Hall weren't.
Spirit Hall had an intelligence network that spanned the entire continent. The theft of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's gemstone caravan near Lin Chuan City hadn't caused much of a stir, but with Spirit Hall's resources, it was easy to investigate.
Those who dealt in gemstones on the continent, had ample funds, and dared to swallow up that much cargo could only be the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Of course, Spirit Hall's top priority was to recover the gemstones and avenge the theft. As for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, without sufficient evidence, Spirit Hall wouldn't dare move against them lightly.
Before long, a group of experts dressed as Spirit Hall members surrounded the wooden house and the surrounding area. Every one of them was a Spirit Emperor.
The man selling gemstones had nowhere to run.
Qin Yuan's expression darkened.
Spirit Hall was practically making its intentions to attack the thieves plain. He didn't know if there were spies nearby, but he felt Spirit Hall was acting too hastily.
At the same time, alarm bells rang in Qin Yuan's mind.
Spirit Hall had sent twenty Spirit Emperors, each of them no weaker than he was. In a direct confrontation, he didn't stand a chance.
With no other choice, he withdrew some distance and watched what Spirit Hall would do.
The people from Spirit Hall showed no mercy. Several Spirit Emperors worked together and captured the man at once. They immediately tortured him on the spot, forcing him to reveal the location of the mountain stronghold behind him.
Qin Yuan followed them and reached the foot of a mountain in the afternoon.
Spirit Hall didn't rush to attack. Instead, its people spread out and surrounded the entire mountain.
Qin Yuan didn't know how the system would determine whether the mission was complete. If Spirit Hall found out that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was behind this, and that caused his mission to fail, it would be a terrible loss.
After all, he had never failed a mission before. He couldn't afford to ruin his reputation.
After giving it some thought, he decided to conceal himself, find a weak spot, and sneak up the mountain under cover of darkness.
A large tent stood on the mountain, serving as the Black Tiger Gang's camp.
The Black Tiger Gang had countless sentries around its hideout. The movements of Spirit Hall's Spirit Emperor squad couldn't escape the eyes of its informants.
Inside the Black Tiger Gang's main tent.
The gang leader, Xiao Yue, wore a grave expression. The gang members below him all hung their heads in dejection.
Over the years, no one targeted for extermination by Spirit Hall had ever managed to escape alive.
Spirit Hall's experts had surrounded the stronghold. Once the main force arrived, no one on the mountain would get away.
"Big brother, how did we offend Spirit Hall?" The stronghold's leaders were all confused.
Xiao Yue had no idea. The only thing they'd done recently was rob a caravan, but it had nothing to do with Spirit Hall. And according to his investigation, the caravan was likely from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
When had Spirit Hall become so close to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? Besides, even if the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could take revenge, they wouldn't ask Spirit Hall to do it for them.
As for their past misdeeds, that was even less likely.
With Spirit Hall's intelligence network spanning the entire continent, they should have found the gang long ago, not waited until now to act.
Xiao Yue had a vague suspicion that Spirit Hall's operation had something to do with those gemstones, but he couldn't understand why Spirit Hall would pursue a batch of gemstones that had nothing to do with them.
Or had someone in the stronghold acted on their own and offended Spirit Hall?
Doubts and unease tangled in his heart, leaving Xiao Yue extremely agitated. He pushed away the beauty and wine beside him, on the verge of losing his temper.
By then, Qin Yuan had already infiltrated the stronghold.
Black Tiger Stronghold was huge, with many members. Qin Yuan knew how they spoke and behaved. Once he blended in, the others assumed he was a new recruit and didn't question him.
He had already decided to kill only the stronghold's ringleaders and, if possible, find evidence implicating the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's disciples.
He would only get one chance to act. Once they noticed the commotion in the stronghold, Spirit Hall's people would soon attack.
Whether he could complete the mission was up to luck.
Within the Black Tiger Gang, only the upper ranks knew what was happening below the mountain. Most of the gang members knew nothing.
To buy time for their retreat, Xiao Yue decided to use the lives of ordinary members to secure a safe escape for them.
After reaching the area near the main tent, Qin Yuan used his Soul Power to sense that Xiao Yue and the other leaders were discussing matters inside.
He walked toward the tent. A member guarding the perimeter saw him and shouted, "This is a restricted area. No one may approach without a good reason."
Before the man could stop him, Qin Yuan swung his blade and cut off his head.
Six Spirit Rings—yellow, purple, purple, black, black, and black—shone beneath Qin Yuan's feet. Divine Slaughter's Domain spread out from his body, enveloping everything within a hundred meters in an instant.
A terrifying killing intent and bone-chilling cold spread through the area. Everyone caught in it panicked.
As the gang leader, Xiao Yue was powerful enough to keep his footing. He rushed out of the tent, shocked. "Who are you, and why have you come to cause trouble for the Black Tiger Gang?"
The killing intent radiating from Qin Yuan was stronger than that of all of them combined. Without having endured mountains of corpses and seas of blood, no one could have condensed such a terrifying killing intent.
In Xiao Yue's eyes, Qin Yuan definitely wasn't from Spirit Hall. He was most likely a rival!
Daring to storm the Black Tiger Gang's headquarters with just one man and one blade, Qin Yuan clearly wasn't someone to underestimate.
"You're a Spirit Saint!?" Xiao Yue's expression darkened as he carefully counted Qin Yuan's Spirit Rings. He was stunned. "Impossible! How could an ordinary person absorb a thousand-year Spirit Ring as their Second Spirit Ring? Who exactly are you?"
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