The mission board had changed dramatically. Every mission in the first column glowed red. Xu Yang glanced over them and saw that most were near Border City Prefecture, clearly connected to the Demonic Path forces.
Below them, the missions in the second row glowed yellow. They were somewhat difficult and carried considerable danger; some even advised forming a team to complete them.
The missions in the third row glowed green. They were very easy and posed little danger. The Ice Soul Root mission Xu Yang had completed before was this kind. Of course, the difficulty of a mission determined how different its rewards were.
The rewards for completing a red mission in the first row were exceptionally generous. Xu Yang looked at them with envy. Comparing the three tiers, he realized that the red, yellow, and green missions corresponded to the three major levels of the Qi Refining Realm: the first, fourth, and seventh layers.
For instance, a cultivator needed to be at least at the seventh layer of the Qi Refining Realm to complete a red mission alone. Having figured that out, Xu Yang studied the board and weighed his options before accepting a yellow mission. He recorded it on his identity token, then turned and left.
After leaving the sect, Xu Yang flew straight toward Wu Prefecture, in the heart of the Wu Kingdom. The mission site was within Wu Prefecture, and he was tasked with investigating a cave on Mangchang Mountain. The cave had suddenly appeared a month earlier. According to the local residents, ghosts had been moving around near it.
Two people had accepted the mission before him, but neither had returned. Clearly, they had met with misfortune. The mission had originally been rated green. Both cultivators who took it were at the third layer of the Qi Refining Realm. After they disappeared, the mission had been upgraded to yellow.
Xu Yang had accepted it partly out of curiosity, and partly because he didn't think it would be particularly difficult. Even if something unexpected happened, his formidable physical strength would be enough to handle it. After all, it was only a yellow mission.
Now that his cultivation had greatly improved, flying on his sword felt much easier. Though the Gang Qi consumption was enormous, he was no longer in such a sorry state as before. After flying for a little over a quarter of an hour, Xu Yang put away his Flying Sword and continued on foot, circulating his cultivation technique to restore his Gang Qi. Once it had fully recovered, he took to the skies again.
After repeating this three or five times, Xu Yang had reached Wu Prefecture. He recalled how Huo Lian had once carried him from Mountain City to Haicheng Prefecture in just over an hour. That speed had been astonishing. Now he had been flying for half a day, yet had only just crossed into Wu Prefecture.
They said Yue Province was the smallest of the Nine Provinces of Tianyuan. Lan Province, the next largest, was three times its size, while the other great provinces were even vaster, stretching far beyond Yue and Lan. At the thought, Xu Yang's heart filled with longing. He hoped he would have a chance to see the other provinces someday.
Coming back to himself, Xu Yang continued toward Mangchang Mountain. At his current speed, he would reach his destination before sunset. His estimate was right. By the time the sun sank in the west, he had reached the foot of the mountain.
Out of caution, Xu Yang didn't go up to investigate at once. Instead, he went to stay at a farmhouse. Only two elderly people lived there, and they welcomed him warmly. Over dinner, Xu Yang seized the chance to ask about Mangchang Mountain.
Both old people looked terrified and urged Xu Yang not to go up the mountain. They said monsters there ate people, and most of the nearby villagers had already fled. If they hadn't lacked the money to travel, they would have left too.
Seeing how frightened they were, Xu Yang hurried to reassure them. Once they had calmed down a little, he continued probing for information. In the end, he discovered to his dismay that everything they knew was hearsay and utterly useless.
With no other option, Xu Yang returned to his room and sat in meditation to practice. Early the next morning, he left the farmhouse. Before he went, he gave the two old people the silver he no longer needed, as payment for his stay.
Following the mountain path carved out by the villagers, Xu Yang slowly made his way up Mangchang Mountain. Before long, he reached a secluded spot beneath a cliff. A pitch-black cave mouth gaped in the cliff face. Looking at it, Xu Yang couldn't help laughing wryly. I really do have a connection with caves. How come I keep running into them?
Though he was thinking this, Xu Yang didn't dawdle. He leaped straight into the cave and walked inward, wondering, My senses haven't detected any danger. By rights, this mission should be easy to complete. How could the two people before me have vanished without a trace?
Though puzzled, Xu Yang didn't stop. As he ventured deeper, the cave grew larger and larger until it became a cavern. To his shock, the spiritual energy in the air had undergone a strange transformation. It had turned pitch-black, and the space around him had grown eerily uncanny.
Xu Yang's expression changed dramatically. "Demonic Qi! This is Demonic Qi! How could Demonic Qi appear here?" He immediately went on high alert, sharpening his senses to the limit as his mind raced.
Demonic Qi was one of the negative energies in the world. It was born when the negative emotions of living beings—love, hatred, greed, anger, and the like—were compressed and transformed. Once it formed, it would rapidly assimilate the spiritual energy of the world and turn it into Demonic Qi. As long as living beings existed, Demonic Qi would never disappear.
Demonic Qi had a powerful corrupting influence. Anyone it invaded would fall into the Demonic Path. At the same time, it was the source from which Demonic Path cultivators drew their power, just as Immortal Path cultivators absorbed spiritual energy.
Demonic Qi usually had a source. As long as that source could be taken away, the Demonic Qi would be unable to spread. At the thought, Xu Yang's spirits lifted, and he carefully continued deeper into the cave.
The cavern's depth was impossible to tell. Xu Yang could feel himself descending, and the farther he went, the denser the Demonic Qi became. Suddenly, a series of "squeaks" sounded from above his head. Xu Yang's heart jolted as a sense of danger washed over him. He hurriedly looked up.
More than a dozen demonic bats, each half a meter long, with pitch-black bodies and eyes red as fire, were shrieking at him from overhead. Xu Yang immediately retreated two steps. The Indeterminate Ring and a crimson Flying Sword flew out of his Qiankun Bag and circled around him.
The bats spread their black wings and swooped toward Xu Yang, squeaking. Blades of wind appeared out of nowhere and shot at him. Xu Yang sent his Gang Qi surging. The Indeterminate Ring flew over his head, and a curtain of light dropped down to block the wind blades. With a hum, the crimson Flying Sword stabbed toward the demonic bats.
The bats squeaked and dodged the sword's attacks, but they were far too slow to evade it. In a matter of moments, Xu Yang had killed them one by one.
After killing them all, Xu Yang stepped forward to inspect them and immediately recognized them as Blood-Sucking Bats. They lived in sheltered places such as caves and caverns. They were demonic beasts at the third layer of the Qi Refining Realm, capable of releasing spells such as wind blades and Blood-Sucking Tooth.
The Blood-Sucking Bats were worth very little. Only their two fangs were of any use. Xu Yang was so poor he was practically scraping the bottom of the barrel, so he naturally wasn't about to pass them up. He swiftly collected the bats' fangs in his Qiankun Bag, planning to trade them for supplies once he returned to the sect.
Once he was done, Xu Yang continued onward. After what had happened, he paid much closer attention to the space above his head. Sure enough, a little later he spotted demonic bats overhead. After a brief fight, he killed them too.
For a while after that, Xu Yang was repeatedly attacked by demonic bats. Fortunately, his cultivation was solid. He killed them all, weathering each encounter without incident. The farther he ventured, the denser the Demonic Qi became, until it was visible to the naked eye.
Xu Yang felt wave after wave of Demonic Qi crashing into him. His whole body slowly grew cold, and even the Gang Qi inside him seemed on the verge of being corrupted. His expression changed dramatically. He immediately summoned the Indeterminate Ring and used its curtain of light to keep the Demonic Qi out. Only then did he gradually recover.
Even so, the Demonic Qi continued to slowly erode the light curtain around him. Xu Yang had no choice but to keep feeding Gang Qi into the Indeterminate Ring to reinforce it. As a result, the Gang Qi within him drained rapidly.
With no other choice, Xu Yang could only hurry forward. After a little while, he suddenly stopped and looked ahead. Two figures stood ten meters in front of him. Judging by their clothes, they were disciples of Bailian Pavilion.
Xu Yang's heart stirred. He knew these two must be the fellow disciples who had accepted the mission before him. His heart eased, and he walked over. "You two junior brothers, why are you standing here? The sect thought you'd already been killed!"
At Xu Yang's words, the two figures immediately raised their heads and looked at him. The moment he saw their eyes, Xu Yang's heart lurched and alarm bells rang. He quickly leaped backward.
Seeing Xu Yang's movement, the two let out a guttural roar and lunged at him, raising their hands to slash at him.
Xu Yang dodged their attack with a sidestep and examined them closely. Their fingernails had grown long and black, while their once-pale faces had turned pitch-black and ghastly. Their eyes were utterly lifeless, clouded with chaos. Clearly, they had been dead for a long time. Now, corrupted by the Demonic Qi, they had become Corpse Demons.
Seeing Xu Yang dodge their attack, the two Corpse Demons roared and lunged at him again. Xu Yang leaped backward as he flicked his hand, sending the crimson Flying Sword stabbing toward them. Two sharp clangs rang out as the sword knocked the Corpse Demons back.
Xu Yang's expression changed. He was greatly shocked. The Flying Sword was so sharp, yet it couldn't pierce the Corpse Demons' bodies. Their strength had also risen to the early fifth layer of the Qi Refining Realm. It was astonishing.
The Flying Sword had knocked the two Corpse Demons back, and they clutched their chests in pain. Black blood oozed from their wounds. They stared at Xu Yang with ferocious expressions, then roared and lunged at him again.
Midway, the two Corpse Demons opened their mouths wide and spat out two streams of black Demonic Qi. The Qi transformed into two arrows that shot straight at Xu Yang. This time, Xu Yang didn't retreat. He controlled the Flying Sword with his right hand and sent it stabbing toward one Corpse Demon. At the same time, he raised his right hand, sending out a small black seal that swelled into a massive three-meter-wide, three-meter-tall seal and crashed down on the other Corpse Demon.
First came two muffled thumps. Then rang out a sharp clang and a thunderous crash. The cavern trembled at once.
Before you continue