Branch Altar

"Hmph, very well." Si Borong lowered his voice and asked the black-haired old man beside him, "Old Liang, who is this kid?"

"Based on his appearance and the long spear on his back, he should be Dongbo Xueying from Yi Water City," the black-haired old man whispered back. "He should only be twenty-two this year. At fifteen, he wiped out the Curved Blade Alliance single-handedly. Since he dared to accept this mission, it seems he must be a Silver Moon Knight."

"Twenty-two?"

Si Borong felt even more annoyed.

He was already over fifty, and encountering a twenty-two-year-old Silver Moon Knight naturally rubbed him the wrong way.

"Hmph, hmph." Si Borong let out a cold snort toward Dongbo Xueying before sitting down, followed by the black-haired old man.

"Since all five experts have arrived," the bald, red-robed old man scanned the group—Si Borong, the black-haired old man, the burly white-haired Tang Xiong, Dongbo Xueying, and the green-robed mage Yu Jingqiu.

"I am Yuan Wu, the Tower Master of the Dragon Mountain Tower in Qinghe Prefecture," the bald, red-robed old man said with a smile. "I assume most of you have heard of me, though this is my first time meeting Mage Yu Jingqiu and Dongbo Xueying."

Yu Jingqiu and Dongbo Xueying both offered a polite smile.

"Tower Master Yuan, let's get straight to the mission," Si Borong said, acting cavalier.

"No rush."

The bald, red-robed old man's voice suddenly turned icy. "Before accepting this mission, I must state the most basic rules!"

"First, everything regarding this mission, including information about your companions, must not be leaked! Leaking information could lead to retaliation against your teammates, which is something our Dragon Mountain Tower will never tolerate! If anyone is found to have leaked information intentionally, hmph, no one will be able to save you."

"Second, this is the most difficult of the Black Iron-level missions. No one can guarantee your safety; you will be in mortal danger, and you have only yourselves to blame if you die."

"I am telling you these two points in advance. If you cannot accept them, you may leave now!"

The bald, red-robed old man swept his gaze over the five of them.

None of them stood up to leave.

"Tower Master Yuan, we all know the rules," the burly white-haired Tang Xiong said with a smile.

"Hmph, there is no such thing as absolute safety when you're out risking your life. If you're afraid, it's better to head back early." Si Borong glanced at Dongbo Xueying. He felt an instinctive hostility toward the young man; in front of the 'Mage Yu Jingqiu' he was pursuing, he felt a natural urge to suppress all other men. As for his bodyguard and Tang Xiong, they were just old men and posed no threat!

It was only this Dongbo Xueying, being so young, that annoyed him.

"Very well."

The bald, red-robed old man nodded. "Since you all understand the risk of death and the rules of confidentiality, I will now explain the details of the mission."

Dongbo Xueying, Yu Jingqiu, and the others—including Si Borong—pricked up their ears to listen carefully.

A mission, after all, could cost them their lives.

"The target of this mission is the family castle of the 'Lu Clan,' the leading family in Qutai City within our Qinghe Prefecture. You are to destroy and rout the entire family castle and kill the clan head, 'Lu Huairu,'" the red-robed old man said.

"Lu Huairu? A Meteor-Rank mage? It is said their Lu Clan only has three or four Meteor-Rank Knights. How could such strength require the five of us to join forces, and why would there be a risk of death?" Si Borong asked skeptically.

Tower Master Yuan replied solemnly, "Lu Huairu is highly skilled in alchemy. The entire castle is bound to have many dangers, and most importantly... this place is actually a branch altar for a certain evil Demon God within our Qinghe Prefecture!"

"What!"

Dongbo Xueying, Yu Jingqiu, Si Borong, Tang Xiong, and the black-haired Liang Yong all turned pale.

An evil Demon God?

Within the entire empire, only the 'Earth Temple' was orthodox; all others were considered evil Demon Gods! Even the founding emperor of the Longshan Empire had not established a temple to spread their faith.

But at the same time—

Any evil Demon God daring to infiltrate this world was terrifying, and no one dared to take them lightly.

"Anything involving an evil Demon God must be treated with caution. This is merely a branch altar, and the known experts are only a few Meteor-Rankers, so the threat level is relatively low, which is why we are sending the five of you," Tower Master Yuan said. "You know the mission now. If you are unwilling to go, you must remain within the Dragon Mountain Tower until the mission concludes."

"Any objections?" Tower Master Yuan looked at the five of them.

"Within the Lu Clan's castle, are there any Silver Moon-Rankers? Any Title-level experts?" Yu Jingqiu asked.

"None have been discovered yet!" Tower Master Yuan said. "There may be hidden forces, but it is unlikely there are any Title-level experts! The power of a Title-level is rare; they wouldn't waste one on a mere branch altar."

"Those evil Demon Gods ultimately only hide in the shadows," Si Borong said to Yu Jingqiu. "It is impossible for them to be so extravagant as to station a Title-level expert in a single prefecture."

"If there are no issues, we depart now!" Tower Master Yuan said. "Our Dragon Mountain Tower will provide a Flying Boat to transport you."

Si Borong quickly added, "Jingqiu, this mission is quite dangerous. Since you are a mage, you should stay close to us; we will protect you well."

Yu Jingqiu frowned slightly.

Deep down, she found this Si Borong, who kept pursuing her, quite annoying, but her family was based in Qinghe Prefecture, so she did not want to make things too difficult with the Si Family.

Dongbo Xueying had already started walking out with his weapon case on his back, and Yu Jingqiu followed him out.

"He doesn't even have a decent storage treasure, still carrying a weapon case," Si Borong scoffed.

******

Within the territory of Qutai City, on a stretch of flat plains, stood a majestic castle covering over three miles—even larger than the Snow Stone Castle of the Dongbo family.

This was the Lu Clan's family castle.

The castle was divided into an outer fortress and an inner fortress.

The inner fortress was octagonal, looking like a strange monster crouching on the ground. This inner fortress had been researched and laid out by Lu Huairu himself, filled with layers of traps and magic arrays. The closer one got to the bottom of the castle... the more dangerous it became.

"Divine Envoy, are you satisfied with these maids I have prepared?" Lu Huairu asked with a fawning expression.

Reclining there was a man of monstrous, hulking proportions.

The man's body was immensely thick, his waist as wide as a water vat, and he stood at a height of at least two meters forty-five. His arms were thicker than an ordinary person's thighs, his beard as stiff as steel needles, and his eyes were slightly drooped; yet, whenever they occasionally opened, they carried a terrifying pressure. His very breathing caused the surrounding air to tremble and roar, leaving the nearby handmaidens trembling in fear.

"So-so," the monstrous brute said indifferently. "What is it? I sense that you are afraid of me?"

"The Divine Envoy's strength is heaven-shaking; this is merely awe," Lu Huairu replied hurriedly.

"Rest assured, I am only here to recuperate for a time. I barely escaped the Xinhuo World with my life; I had almost forgotten the pleasures of the mortal realm! Very well, bring me some more young beauties—it would be best if you could find some formidable female mages. Ordinary people are truly tasteless." The monstrous brute smacked his lips and picked up the meat beside him, devouring it in large mouthfuls.

"Yes, yes, yes. Rest assured, Lord Divine Envoy, I will procure female mages to present to you as quickly as possible," Lu Huairu said repeatedly.

"Go, go. Don't be an eyesore here," the monstrous brute said dismissively.