Sect Mission

Qi Ruming clearly hadn't expected something like this to happen.

The number of Mine Beasts here was far beyond anything he'd imagined.

His confident claims moments ago had been brutally slapped in the face by reality.

Before he could figure out why, the Mine Beasts deep in the mountain had already charged out.

From a distance, the herd stretched into a long line, the dust kicked up by their stampede rising straight into the sky.

"Third Senior Brother, should we charge straight in or fly over?"

Though Lin Chen was eager to try, he didn't dare act recklessly.

After all, there were simply too many Mine Beasts on the other side.

And this was his first time carrying out a mission in the wild. There was no harm in listening to his senior brother's advice.

"Little Junior Brother, don't be rash. This many Mine Beasts wouldn't be here for no reason." At that moment, Qi Ruming had actually become cautious.

Lin Chen glanced at him. "Third Senior Brother, this really isn't like you!"

"Quit your cheek. I may be careless in everyday matters, but when something serious happens, I'm never sloppy." Qi Ruming looked grave, his eyes fixed on what lay ahead.

Lin Chen scratched his head. "But we've already accepted the mission. What do we do now?"

With a whoosh, Qi Ruming flew into the air. "Follow me!"

A streak of light appeared beneath Lin Chen's feet, and he shot into the sky as well.

From above, they could see much more.

Lin Chen sucked in a sharp breath.

Before, the Mine Beasts had looked like a single line charging toward them.

Now, he could see a full-blown beast tide.

They covered the mountains and plains.

If the two of them had foolishly charged in just now, they would have been surrounded and might never have gotten out.

[Ding! Host, Demon Beast Cores can be exchanged for Spirit Stones of the same grade, and can also increase your cultivation]

Lin Chen couldn't describe how he felt.

Before he'd heard the system's prompt, he'd been stunned.

As soon as he heard it, his blood began to boil.

Were these Mine Beasts?

They were walking piles of money!

"Third Senior Brother, do all these Mine Beasts have Spirit Cores?" Lin Chen felt a little excited.

There had to be at least a hundred or two hundred thousand Mine Beasts below. If they all had Spirit Cores, wouldn't he be rich?

"Under normal circumstances, only Mine Beasts that have reached a rank possess Spirit Cores."

Qi Ruming glanced at the beast tide below, then continued, "At least half of these have reached a rank. What are they doing?"

Half would do!

Lin Chen's eyes lit up.

"Come on. Let's check the source." Qi Ruming was skilled enough to be bold, and he led Lin Chen forward.

They flew over the entire mountain before discovering that the source of the beast tide wasn't here at all.

The entire mountain had merely been in the path of the tide.

"Third Senior Brother, that direction looks like Beast King Ridge. Could this beast tide be heading somewhere on purpose?" Lin Chen had also noticed something was wrong.

Qi Ruming didn't even have time to worry about the mission. He hurriedly took out his Token and sent a message to the sect.

He also sent back an image of what was happening.

"Investigate the source."

A moment later, the sect sent back a message.

Lin Chen and Qi Ruming exchanged a glance, then sped toward Beast King Ridge.

The farther they went, the more alarmed they became.

The creatures behind them were no longer just Mine Beasts, but a true wave of Demon Beasts.

They were all at least first-rank, and there were plenty of second-rank ones as well.

"A beast tide on this scale is extremely rare. I've been in the sect for so many years, and I've never seen one." Qi Ruming's voice trembled slightly.

Lin Chen wasn't doing any better.

The sight was too shocking.

It made fear rise in a person's heart without them even realizing it.

"Third Senior Brother, I don't think they're attacking. I think they're fleeing!" Lin Chen had gained Spiritual Sense early, and his unusual perception let him sense something different.

What?

Qi Ruming turned to look at Lin Chen. "Are you sure?"

"Mm!"

Lin Chen nodded. "I can sense their panic and fear. They're definitely running away."

Qi Ruming didn't know how Lin Chen had sensed it, but he trusted him.

"Then we have even more reason to check out Beast King Ridge. Little Junior Brother, are you afraid?" Qi Ruming's bold expression returned. With a wave of his hand, a Blood Blade appeared before him.

The moment the blade appeared, it radiated a savage aura.

Lin Chen felt that it wasn't a blade at all, but a frenzied, bloodthirsty beast roaring in fury.

He smiled faintly and summoned two Top-grade Flying Swords of his own. "Third Senior Brother, you lead the charge. I'll cover our rear."

"Hahaha..."

"Let's go!"

Qi Ruming gripped the long blade and charged forward at full speed.

Half an hour later, they could no longer see the beast tide.

But fierce rumbling came from Beast King Ridge ahead, accompanied by the roars of Demon Beasts.

"Looks like my guess was right. Two Demon Beasts are fighting over the title of Beast King."

A wild light flashed in Qi Ruming's eyes. He raised the long blade in his hand. "This blade of mine is just missing a beast soul..."

Lin Chen immediately understood what he intended to do.

He looked down toward Beast King Ridge. A White Tiger and a Brown Bear were fighting there.

Neither Demon Beast was especially large, but the auras they gave off were savagely powerful.

Even from a hundred meters in the air, Lin Chen felt a little suffocated.

The Brown Bear and White Tiger were evenly matched, locked in a fierce struggle.

The slightest touch from them sent the surrounding rocks and trees exploding into pieces.

"Third Senior Brother, what rank are these Demon Beasts?" Lin Chen couldn't tell, and didn't know how to judge.

Qi Ruming held up three fingers. "At least at the peak of the third rank. If either of them defeats the other, it might have a chance to break through to the fourth rank."

Lin Chen nodded.

The peak of the third rank was equivalent to a human cultivator at the peak of the Spirit Sea Realm.

Cultivators of that level were absolute elites in Green Mountain Sect, with lifespans of up to five hundred years.

They could serve as Inner Sect Elders or take on other important positions.

Demon Beasts like these held similarly high status in the area around Green Mountain Sect.

When two Demon Beasts like this fought, the first- and second-rank ones were bound to flee.

At the same time, this was a fight to the death.

Neither side wanted to lose. Whoever lost would die.

As time passed, the battle reached a fever pitch.

Both Demon Beasts were covered in wounds.

Roar! Roar!

The next moment, they roared in unison.

Their bodies began to swell at the same time.

"See that? They're showing their true forms. Now they're getting serious." Qi Ruming sounded excited.

Boom! Boom!

Amid the thunderous rumbling, two Demon Beasts as large as hills appeared before them.

Lin Chen sucked in a deep breath.

Good heavens!

He had never seen a White Tiger and Brown Bear thirty meters long.

They were as tall as ten-story buildings.

A person standing beside them would look like a tiny bug.

Boom! Boom!

The next moment, the two giant beasts crashed into each other again.

That single collision made the mountains crumble and the earth crack.

Rocks flew in every direction, and a swath of trees toppled in an instant.

Roar! Roar!

The two giant beasts' battle reached another peak.

Lin Chen watched as light began to shine from their bodies.

Their qi and blood surged into pillars of light that shot straight into the sky.

Even from far away, he could feel their auras.

"System, how many Low-Grade Spirit Stones can the Spirit Cores of those two fighting beasts be exchanged for?"

Who would have thought that at a time like this, this was what Lin Chen cared about?

[Host, the Spirit Cores of third-rank peak Demon Beasts can barely be exchanged for 100 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.]

"That's so little?"

[Host, listen to yourself. Killing a Demon Beast like that would earn you a hundred years of cultivation. Anyone else would be laughing themselves to death.]

Lin Chen scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

He'd really gotten a little carried away lately.

He'd started thinking a hundred Spirit Stones were practically worthless.

But that was the impression the system had given him.

When the system demanded tens of thousands, even over a hundred thousand, what was a mere hundred Spirit Stones?

Come to think of it, if you gave a hundred Spirit Stones to an Outer Disciple, they'd probably jump for joy.

While Lin Chen was distracted, the battle had already reached its conclusion.

The Brown Bear smashed half the White Tiger's body with a single paw.

At the moment between life and death, the White Tiger also bit through the Brown Bear's neck.