Descending the Mountain, Slaying the Snake

Looking at the Spirit Stones in his hands, Ye Lin closed his eyes and began cultivating.

Streams of pure spiritual energy flowed into his body, strengthening every part of him.

Cultivation was always dull and tedious. In the blink of an eye, fifteen days had passed.

"Whew. The later it gets, the harder it is to improve my strength. I cultivated for half a month and used up five Low-Tier Spirit Stones, yet I still can't break through to Qi Refining Level 7?"

Looking at the Spirit Stone powder in his palms, Ye Lin murmured to himself. Half a month had passed, and after absorbing five Low-Tier Spirit Stones, Qi Refining Level 7 was still far beyond reach.

No wonder some Outer Sect disciples spent ten years muddling through the Outer Sect without improving at all. Poor Spirit Roots, no resources, and low-grade cultivation techniques—those three things had long since determined the course of one's life.

"Fortunately, I have the Life Panel. If I don't have resources, I can just take them."

With that, Ye Lin rose and dusted off his clothes.

"It's time to seize Huang Xiong's opportunity. Huang Xiong must have accepted the mission to slay the Demon Snake through the Mission Pavilion. The panel says it will happen half a month from now."

"And I happened to cultivate in seclusion for fourteen days. In that case, I'll go to the Mission Pavilion today and accept the mission. I can kill a Demon Beast and complete the Outer Sect assessment due in half a month at the same time."

After thinking everything through, Ye Lin arrived at the Mission Pavilion. There was only a small counter inside, behind which stood a young cultivator.

"Senior Brother, what missions are available today?"

Ye Lin stepped forward and asked. New missions were posted every day—some issued by disciples, some by elders, and some by the sect.

Generally speaking, missions issued by disciples and elders offered solid rewards, all paid in Spirit Stones.

Missions issued by the sect, meanwhile, were paid in points. However, sect missions were relatively safer, because the sect clearly marked all relevant information.

"Oh? You're the new Outer Sect disciple from half a month ago?"

Huang Xiao looked up at Ye Lin, his face full of surprise.

"That's right. But Senior Brother, what new missions are there today?"

"There is an interesting mission today. A Demon Snake at Qi Refining Level 5 has appeared in Wang Family Village. Slay the Demon Snake, and you'll receive three hundred points. Do you dare accept it?"

Huang Xiao sneered. This mission had only just appeared. He had originally intended to save it for his older brother, Huang Xiong, but the person before him was currently the talk of the entire Outer Sect.

As far as he knew, Ye Lin was only at Qi Refining Level 5, yet he had dared refuse his brother's invitation. He truly did not know his own limits.

"Oh? Then I'll take it."

As soon as Huang Xiao finished speaking, Ye Lin's eyes lit up and he immediately replied.

"Then go. Remember, you only have three days. And you must bring the Demon Snake's head before me for the mission to be considered complete."

Seeing Ye Lin display such courage, Huang Xiao's voice carried an inexplicable undertone.

"Alright."

With that, Ye Lin walked out of the Mission Pavilion. At the same time, a panel appeared before his eyes.

Name: Huang Xiao

Cultivation: Qi Refining Level 6

Fate Rank: White

Fate Traits: [Heavenly Baleful Lone Star]

Destiny: Four months later, he would descend the mountain under orders to eliminate demons, only to have all the blood essence in his body drained by an Evil Demon, dying as a result.

Recent Opportunity: Feeling bored and restless, he would descend the mountain the day after tomorrow and go to Tianfeng City in search of excitement. By chance, he would encounter a beggar at the entrance of the Wind and Flower Pavilion. He would casually give the beggar a steamed bun, and in gratitude, the beggar would produce a Foundation Establishment Realm Demon Core as repayment. Huang Xiao would then absorb the Demon Core and break through to Qi Refining Level 7 in one stroke.

[Heavenly Baleful Lone Star]: The closer someone is to you, the more misfortune they will suffer. Those with this Fate Rank are destined to live alone for life.

"Good heavens, a Foundation Establishment Realm Demon Beast's Demon Core?"

Looking at Huang Xiao's opportunity, Ye Lin was deeply shaken. A Demon Core was the essence of a Demon Beast's entire body. Once a Demon Beast was slain by a Human Race cultivator, it would self-destruct its Demon Core before dying.

The value of an intact Demon Core was immeasurable.

"A Foundation Establishment Realm Demon Core... once I refine it, reaching Qi Refining Level 7 is within reach."

Only Demon Beasts at the Foundation Establishment Realm or higher could condense a Demon Core.

Ye Lin sighed inwardly, then headed toward Wang Family Village. Once he completed the mission there, he would go to Tianfeng City and wait for that old beggar.

"Hmph, overestimating yourself."

Watching Ye Lin's hurriedly departing back, Huang Xiao let out a cold laugh. A Demon Beast at Qi Refining Level 5 was not so easy to kill.

What he did not know was that, while it was merely a simple mission to kill a Qi Refining Level 5 Demon Beast for him, Huang Xiong had missed out on a Heaven-Shaking opportunity.

When Ye Lin arrived at Wang Family Village, he found several worried-looking people standing at the village entrance, surrounded by a large crowd of terrified villagers.

"Look, someone's coming! He's dressed in white—could he be an immortal master sent by the Azure Cloud Sect?"

At that moment, a villager shouted, and everyone else turned their gazes toward Ye Lin as he approached.

For villagers who had lived their entire lives in the mortal world, even a cultivator at Qi Refining Level 1 was an immortal master they absolutely could not afford to offend.

"May I ask whether this immortal master has come from the Azure Cloud Sect?"

An elderly man who appeared highly respected stepped forward and asked Ye Lin.

"That is correct. I have come under orders to slay the Demon Snake. Please tell me where it is."

Ye Lin nodded to the old man before him.

"Good, good, good! Immortal Master, that Demon Snake is entrenched in the Back Mountain behind our village. We beg you to take action and rid Wang Family Village of this monster."

The old man was about to kneel before Ye Lin, but in the next instant, Ye Lin firmly caught him.

"Why are you doing this? Slaying Demon Beasts is the duty of cultivators like us. You must not."

After saying that, Ye Lin flashed several times and rushed toward the Back Mountain.

"Good heavens, it's actually this big."

Upon reaching the Back Mountain, Ye Lin was thoroughly stunned.

A giant Python over ten meters long and nearly two meters wide was coiled there like a mountain. The sheer visual impact instinctively filled him with fear.

"No, this Demon Beast can actually affect my state of mind."

Coming back to his senses, Ye Lin immediately steadied his mind. He had actually felt fear toward a Demon Beast at Qi Refining Level 5 before even fighting it. That was a grave taboo.

"Hissss."

At that moment, the sleeping Demon Snake seemed to notice Ye Lin. It opened its eyes, fixing him with a pair of snake eyes as its scarlet tongue flickered from its mouth.

Life from One Sword.

Seeing this, Ye Lin did not hesitate. He drew the Long Sword from his sleeve and slashed at the giant snake before him. In an instant, a streak of Sword Qi flashed past, carving a spray of blood from the snake's body.

The giant snake's scales could not withstand Ye Lin's martial technique. A bloody wound appeared atop its head.

"Hissss."

The giant snake seemed enraged by Ye Lin's strike. Its enormous body began to move, and its tail lashed toward Ye Lin.

"It didn't die?"

Ye Lin's face was full of surprise. After all, both were at Qi Refining Level 5, yet he had killed the Demon Tiger one sword at a time. He had not expected the Demon Snake before him to withstand his strike and suffer only minor injuries.

"Since that's the case, then I'll smash you to pieces."

His blood roiled throughout his body. He plunged his Long Sword into the ground, then dodged the giant snake's sweeping tail.

Seven Kill Fist, kill!

Ye Lin roared and circulated all the spiritual energy in his body. Strands of scarlet blood energy emerged over his right hand. He had cultivated the Seven Kill Fist to the third layer, and its full-power strike was twice as powerful as Life from One Sword.

Ye Lin drove his fist into the giant snake's head. With a deafening boom, the massive snake head was smashed straight into the ground by his punch.

A bookshelf grouping feature has been added. You can add multiple books into groups for categorization. If you have any suggestions after using it, feel free to let us know, and we will make further improvements.

At the request of many readers, we have now launched an ad-free VIP membership feature.

Click to view