The Overbearing Style of Martial Soul Hall

[Due to a major change in the mission, it has been upgraded to a Four-Star Mission. Upon completion, you will be rewarded with the Method of Detoxification and the max-level movement technique, Treading Snow Without Trace.]

Although Ning Fengzhi had withheld important intelligence, the system's mission rating would adjust based on the content of the commission.

Upgrading to a Four-Star Mission meant an additional movement technique as a reward upon completion.

However, how could a Four-Star Mission be so easy to complete? It was not a task that could be finished simply by putting in time; the process was bound to be extremely perilous. He would have to snatch food from the tiger's mouth—specifically from the Martial Soul Hall—and the slightest carelessness could cost him his life.

No wonder Ning Fengzhi had agreed to help him obtain a Spirit Ring and offered a mission reward; it was a sign of a guilty conscience!

He could only blame himself for being too "underestimating of the enemy" at the time, having been deceived by Ning Fengzhi's facade.

After this, he decided not to have any contact with Ning Fengzhi in the short term, and he certainly would not accept any more commissions from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

It was no wonder that Tang Hao, in the original timeline, had said Ning Fengzhi possessed great talent. Acting like brothers on the surface while being full of schemes and calculations behind their backs—this was likely the true nature of Ning Fengzhi.

Having set his target, Qin Yuan quietly left the city at daybreak the next day. Seeing that the man was back at his stall with another sack of gems, he lurked in the surroundings to observe the situation.

Since the other party could continuously produce gems, there must be a warehouse or a lair behind it.

He only needed to wait patiently. Once the man returned, he would be able to track the movements of that group of thieves.

Qin Yuan was a patient hunter, but the people from the Martial Soul Hall were not.

The Martial Soul Hall possessed an intelligence network that spanned the entire continent. Although the theft of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's gem transport convoy near Lin Chuan City had not caused much of a stir, with the Martial Soul Hall's capabilities, they could easily uncover it.

In the gem business on the continent, there was no one else besides the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect who had sufficient capital and the audacity to swallow such a quantity of goods.

Of course, the Martial Soul Hall's primary mission was to recover the gems and take revenge on the group of thieves. As for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, without sufficient evidence, the Martial Soul Hall would not dare to easily take action against them.

Soon, within Qin Yuan's line of sight, a group of experts dressed in Martial Soul Hall attire completely surrounded the wooden hut and its surrounding area. Each of them possessed the strength of a Spirit Emperor.

The man selling the gems had no way to escape.

Qin Yuan's expression darkened.

The Martial Soul Hall's move was practically an open declaration that they were going to strike at this group of thieves. He did not know if there were any hidden scouts nearby, but he felt that the Martial Soul Hall's actions were far too rash.

At the same time, alarm bells rang in Qin Yuan's mind.

The Martial Soul Hall had dispatched twenty Spirit Emperors, each of whom was no weaker than him. If they were to clash head-on, he would not have the slightest chance of winning.

With no other choice, he had to briefly retreat to a distance to observe the Martial Soul Hall's actions.

The members of the Martial Soul Hall showed no mercy in their actions. Several Spirit Emperors coordinated with one another, subduing the man instantly before interrogating him on the spot to force out the location of the mountain stronghold behind him.

Qin Yuan followed behind them, arriving at the foot of a mountain by the afternoon.

The Martial Soul Hall side was in no rush to attack; instead, they dispersed to surround the entire mountain.

Qin Yuan did not know how the system would determine if the mission was complete. If he let the people from the Martial Soul Hall discover that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was the one pulling the strings, and his mission failed because of it, the loss would outweigh the gain.

After all, he had no precedent for mission failure yet, and he couldn't afford to ruin his own reputation.

After some thought, he decided to conceal his presence, found a weak point, and quietly climbed the mountain under the cover of night.

On the mountain sat a large encampment that belonged to the Black Tiger Gang.

The perimeter of the Black Tiger Gang's lair was riddled with hidden sentries; the movements of the Martial Soul Hall's Spirit Emperor squad could not escape the observation of their scouts.

Inside the Black Tiger Gang's main tent.

The gang leader, Xiao Yue, wore a heavy expression, and the gang members below were all dejected.

For so many years, no one targeted for extermination by the Martial Soul Hall had ever managed to escape alive.

The experts from the Martial Soul Hall had surrounded the stronghold; once their main force arrived, no one on the mountain would be able to get away.

"Big Brother, why on earth did we offend the Martial Soul Hall?" The various leaders of the stronghold were filled with confusion.

Xiao Yue was naturally unaware of the reason. They had only robbed one convoy recently, but that convoy had absolutely nothing to do with the Martial Soul Hall. Furthermore, according to his investigation, that convoy was very likely from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Since when had the Martial Soul Hall become so close with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? Besides, even if the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had the ability to seek revenge, it was impossible for them to enlist the Martial Soul Hall to do it for them.

As for past misdeeds, that was even less likely.

With the Martial Soul Hall's intelligence network covering the entire continent, they should have tracked them down long ago, rather than waiting until today to take action.

Xiao Yue vaguely guessed that this operation by the Martial Soul Hall might be related to that batch of gemstones, but he truly could not fathom why the Martial Soul Hall would pursue a batch of gems that had nothing to do with them.

Or could it be that someone in the stronghold had acted on their own and offended the Martial Soul Hall?

Intertwined doubts and unease weighed on his heart, making Xiao Yue exceptionally irritable. He pushed away the beauties and wine beside him, ready to lash out.

At this moment, Qin Yuan had already infiltrated the stronghold.

The Black Tiger Stronghold was large and had many members. Qin Yuan was familiar with their way of speaking and their behavioral logic. Blending in among them, others simply assumed he was a new recruit and did not question him too much.

He made up his mind to kill only the ringleaders of the stronghold and to find, as much as possible, evidence left behind by the disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

He only had one chance to strike. Once the commotion in the stronghold was detected, the people from the Martial Soul Hall would launch their attack very soon.

Whether he could complete the mission would be left to luck.

Within the Black Tiger Gang, aside from the upper-echelon members who were aware of the situation at the foot of the mountain, the majority of the gang members knew nothing about it.

In order to buy time for their retreat, Xiao Yue decided to use the lives of the ordinary members to secure a safe escape for themselves.

Creeping near the main tent, Qin Yuan used his Spirit Power to perceive the area, confirming that Xiao Yue and the other high-ranking members were inside discussing matters.

He walked toward the main tent. The members guarding the perimeter saw him and shouted, "This is a restricted area of the stronghold. No approaching without urgent business."

Before they could move to stop him, Qin Yuan raised his blade and brought it down, severing the guard's head.

Six Spirit Rings—yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black—shimmered beneath Qin Yuan's feet. The Slaughter God's Domain centered on his body, instantly shrouding a hundred-meter radius.

Terrifying killing intent and a bone-chilling cold spread outward, throwing everyone caught within into a panic.

As the gang leader, Xiao Yue possessed greater strength and managed to barely steady himself. He rushed out of the tent, shocked, "Who are you, and why have you come to cause trouble for my Black Tiger Gang!"

The killing intent radiating from Qin Yuan was more powerful than that of all of them combined. One could never condense such terrifying killing intent without having waded through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

In Xiao Yue's eyes, Qin Yuan was definitely not from the Martial Soul Hall; there was a high probability that he was one of their own kind!

Daring to charge into the Black Tiger Gang's base alone with nothing but a blade, this Qin Yuan's strength could not be underestimated.

"You are a Spirit Saint!?" Xiao Yue's brows furrowed. He carefully counted Qin Yuan's Spirit Rings and was shocked, "Impossible. How could an ordinary person absorb a thousand-year Spirit Ring as their second Spirit Ring? Who exactly are you!"