Sect Mission

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

The sheer number of Mine Beasts here completely exceeded his imagination.

His earlier confident claims were ruthlessly slapped down by reality.

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

From afar, the beast horde stretched into a line, the dust kicked up by their running soaring straight into the sky.

"Third Senior Brother, do we charge in directly, or fly in?"

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

After all, the Mine Beasts on the opposite side were far too numerous.

And this was his first time carrying out a field mission like this—listening to his senior brother's advice wouldn't go wrong.

"Little Junior Brother, don't rush in recklessly. So many Mine Beasts wouldn't be here for no reason." At this moment, Qi Ruming actually became cautious.

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

"Less cheek. I'm usually carefree, but when real trouble comes, I never slack off." Qi Ruming's face was serious, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

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

Qi Ruming shot into the air with a whoosh. "Follow me!"

A beam of light appeared beneath Lin Chen's feet, and he too instantly flew into the sky.

Up in the air, they had a fuller view.

Lin Chen sucked in a cold breath.

Earlier, he'd seen the Mine Beasts charging in a single line.

Now, what he saw was a tide of Mine Beasts.

They covered the mountains and fields.

If the two of them had foolishly charged in just now, they'd likely have been surrounded and found it hard to escape.

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

Lin Chen could hardly describe how he felt right now.

Before hearing the system prompt, his heart was shaken.

After hearing it, he immediately burned with excitement.

Were these Mine Beasts?

This was solid money!

"Third Senior Brother, do all these Mine Beasts have cores?" Lin Chen's heart was a little stirred.

Below, there were at least a hundred or two hundred thousand Mine Beasts. If they all had cores, wouldn't that be a jackpot?

"Normally, only ranked Mine Beasts have cores."

Qi Ruming glanced at the beast tide below, then continued, "At least half of these down there are ranked. What are they up to?"

Half would do!

Lin Chen's eyes gleamed.

"Let's go, check the source." Qi Ruming, bold in his skill, led Lin Chen flying forward.

The two flew all the way across the entire mine mountain before realizing the source of the beast tide wasn't here at all.

The whole mountain was, at most, just a place the beast tide passed through.

"Third Senior Brother, that direction looks like Beast King Ridge. This isn't a purposeful beast tide, is it?" Lin Chen also sensed something off.

Qi Ruming set aside the mission for the moment, quickly pulled out his token, and sent a message to the sect.

He also transmitted the recorded images back.

"Investigate the source."

A moment later, the sect replied.

Lin Chen and the other exchanged a glance, then directly sped up toward Beast King Ridge.

The further they went, the more alarmed they became.

What came after was no longer just Mine Beasts, but a true tide of demon beasts.

Their lowest grade was first-tier, and second-tier beasts were not uncommon.

"A beast tide on this scale is truly rare. In all my years at the sect, I've never seen anything like it." Qi Ruming's voice trembled slightly.

Lin Chen wasn't much better off.

The scene was too overwhelming.

It instinctively stirred fear in one's heart.

"Third Senior Brother, I feel like they're not attacking—they're fleeing!" Lin Chen, having awakened his Spiritual Sense early, sensed something different with his unique perception.

What?

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

"Mm."

Lin Chen nodded. "I can feel their panic and fear. They're definitely fleeing."

Qi Ruming had no idea how Lin Chen was sensing this, but he trusted him.

"Then we have even more reason to head to Beast King Ridge and take a look. Little junior brother, are you afraid?" Qi Ruming's bold demeanor returned as he waved his hand, and a Blood Blade materialized before him.

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

Lin Chen felt it wasn't a blade at all, but a bloodthirsty beast roaring in mad frenzy.

He gave a faint smile and summoned two Top-grade Flying Swords. "Third senior brother, you charge ahead. I'll cover the rear."

Hahaha...

"Let's go!"

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

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

But from Beast King Ridge ahead, violent rumbling rang out, accompanied by the roars of demonic beasts.

"Looks like I guessed right. Two demonic beasts are fighting for the kingship."

A wild gleam flashed in Qi Ruming's eyes as he raised his long blade. "This blade of mine just so happens to be missing a beast soul..."

Lin Chen immediately understood what he was about to do.

He looked down at Beast King Ridge. A White Tiger and a Brown Bear were locked in battle.

Neither beast was large in size, but the aura radiating from them was ferocious beyond measure.

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

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

The surrounding rocks, trees, and terrain shattered with the slightest touch.

"Third senior brother, what rank are these demonic beasts?" Lin Chen couldn't tell and didn't know how to judge.

Qi Ruming held up three fingers. "At least peak third-rank. If either one can defeat the other, they might have a chance to break through to fourth-rank."

Lin Chen nodded.

Peak third-rank—equivalent to a human cultivator at the peak of the Spirit Sea Realm.

A cultivator at that level was already considered absolute elite within the Green Mountain Sect, with a lifespan of up to five hundred years.

They could serve as inner sect elders or hold other important positions.

Such demonic beasts held similarly high status in the region around the Green Mountain Sect.

When two beasts of this level fought, first- and second-rank beasts would certainly flee.

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

Neither side wanted to lose. Whoever lost, died.

As time passed, the fight reached a fever pitch.

Both beasts were now bearing wounds.

Roar! Roar!

The next moment, they both bellowed at once.

Their bodies suddenly began to swell.

"See that? They're revealing their true forms. They're about to get serious." Qi Ruming's voice carried a hint of excitement.

Boom! Boom!

Amid the violent rumbling, two beasts the size of small mountains appeared before them.

Lin Chen sucked in a sharp breath.

Good heavens!

A White Tiger and a Brown Bear, each thirty meters long—this was his first time seeing such things.

Their size was enough to rival a ten-story building.

Standing nearby, a person looked like nothing more than a tiny insect.

Boom! Boom!

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

With that single impact, the mountains cracked and the earth split.

Rocks flew in all directions, and trees toppled over in a wide swath.

Roar! Roar!

The two colossal beasts clashed once more at their peak.

Lin Chen watched as light erupted from both of their bodies.

Blood Qi power surged into pillars of light, shooting straight into the sky.

Even from a great distance, their presence could be felt.

"System, how many low-grade Spirit Stones can those two fighting beasts' spirit cores offset?"

Who would have thought that at a time like this, Lin Chen's concern would be this.

[Host, third-tier peak demon beasts barely offset 100 low-grade Spirit Stones]

"That little?"

[Host, listen to yourself. Killing one of these beasts grants you a hundred years of cultivation. Anyone else would be overjoyed]

Lin Chen scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

He'd really been getting a bit full of himself lately.

Thinking a hundred Spirit Stones were nothing.

But that was all the impression the system had built for him.

With demands of tens of thousands popping up left and right, what was a hundred stones in the face of that?

Still, if a hundred Spirit Stones were given to outer disciples, they'd probably jump for joy.

Just as Lin Chen was lost in thought, the battle had already reached its conclusion.

The brown bear's paw smashed half of the white tiger's body.

In that instant of life and death, the white tiger also bit clean through the brown bear's neck.