Demon Extermination Operation

Looking at this group of oblivious wretches, Ye Lin offered a silent prayer for them, though it also stirred a profound sense of crisis within him.

Not a single soul had survived from the previous group of twenty; what did that signify? The demon's cultivation level far exceeded the Qi Refining realm. Even if he went, he would just be serving himself up on a platter.

The rewards were enticing, but one had to be alive to claim them.

At this moment, Ye Lin had already made up his mind: he would slack off.

"Very well, since everyone is informed, go down and prepare."

As the Sect Master waved his hand from above, the disciples, brimming with fighting spirit, filed out of the great hall. Ye Lin followed in their wake.

Upon returning to his quarters and settling his affairs, Ye Lin headed toward the Outer Sect.

He intended to venture into the Dark Abyss within the Hundred Thousand Mountains to seize Lin Ziyou's opportunity. With the Nirvana Fruit, the phoenix's incubation process would take a significant step forward.

"Have you heard? Senior Brother Li Shan fought a demon yesterday and was ultimately slaughtered. His blood and essence were drained dry, leaving him a mummified corpse. It was terrifying."

"Who could say otherwise? In just half a month, eighteen Outer Sect senior brothers have fallen in battle. It is said the sect is furious and intends to dispatch Inner Sect disciples."

"They say a personal disciple will be accompanying them. With such a massive lineup, those demons will surely be wiped out."

Listening to the whispers of the Outer Sect disciples, Ye Lin felt a jolt of alarm. Had the situation with the demons truly become this dire? It couldn't help but instill a sense of urgency in him.

After exiting the sect, Ye Lin produced the God-Hiding Bead. Once activated, it veiled his presence, and he vanished into the forest.

The Dark Abyss was a peculiar place within the Hundred Thousand Mountains. It was utterly devoid of spiritual energy, and neither demonic beasts nor human cultivators cared to visit.

"Just as the rumors suggested, there is no spiritual energy here, as if it were plucked away by some unseen force."

Stepping into the Dark Abyss and surveying his surroundings, Ye Lin murmured softly.

The name "Dark Abyss" sounded grand, but it was merely a deep valley.

"It really is the Nirvana Fruit."

At that moment, Ye Lin spotted a crimson spirit fruit on a cliff wall ten meters below. Because this godforsaken place was so desolate, the Nirvana Fruit had remained unplucked.

Ye Lin slowly descended the rock face, reached the fruit, snatched it, and returned to the ground.

"Why does this place always give me such an uneasy feeling? The deeper I go, the stronger it becomes."

Standing on the ground, Ye Lin looked down into the bottomless depths of the valley and muttered to himself.

The feeling had intensified as he climbed down, as if something truly horrific lurked below.

"Forget it. My strength is low; it's better not to be curious about such things."

Ye Lin shook his head and hurried away from the area.

When he returned to the sect, the Outer Sect was bustling with activity. Twenty Inner Sect disciples were already geared up and ready to depart, while the other Outer Sect disciples cheered them on.

The sect had ordered them to descend the mountain to slay demons tomorrow, but they could no longer wait.

They were all in their twenties. Having cultivated until now, they had never seen what a demon looked like. Besides, at that age, who didn't harbor a dream of being a great hero?

More than that, they were impatient for the tempting rewards.

"Follow me, let's move out."

With a shout from the leader, the twenty Inner Sect disciples marched out of the Azure Cloud Sect.

"Hmph, demons? With the Inner Sect stepping in this time, let's see how much longer you can act so arrogant."

"The Inner Sect disciples are all at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and there's a personal disciple at the Foundation Establishment Realm backing them up. With such a luxurious lineup, those demons are nothing but small fry."

Watching the Inner Sect disciples leave the mountain gate, the Outer Sect disciples chattered among themselves.

Looking at these twenty poor wretches, Ye Lin felt a pang of pity. These guys all had decent fates, but without exception, none of them had any real opportunity.

They wouldn't live long anyway, so what opportunity could they possibly have?

"Since I am among those ordered to descend, the sect will surely investigate. In that case, I might as well follow behind them and look for a chance to slip away."

Watching the twenty figures before him, Ye Lin pondered to himself.

The sect kept a record of everyone in the great hall; if he didn't go, he wouldn't have a good explanation when they came looking for him.

With that, Ye Lin followed behind the twenty figures.

"Junior Brother Ye, where did you go just now? We went to your quarters to find you, but you weren't there. We thought you had turned tail and fled."

At this, the leading Inner Sect disciple frowned and asked Ye Lin.

"This demon-slaying mission is of great importance, so I was preparing a few things."

Hearing Ye Lin's reply, Wang Li nodded. How could an Inner Sect disciple survive without a few tricks up his sleeve? He stopped asking.

Asking about another person's hidden trump cards was a major taboo; even brothers-in-arms wouldn't do it. One's life was one's own.

"Junior brothers, according to the information provided by the sect, the demons have been appearing in Wang Family Village, Li Family Village, and Zhao Family Village. We shall split into three groups and advance."

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Wang Li turned to address everyone.

As for the demons ravaging the cities, that was certainly not their task; they were only there to clean up the small fry terrorizing these villages.

The higher-ups of the Azure Cloud Sect weren't idiots; they wouldn't let their core strength die in vain.

"Including Ye Lin, there are twenty-one of us. We will split into three groups of seven and head to the three villages respectively."

Three minutes later, everyone lined up, and the target for Ye Lin's group this time was Wang Family Village.

Ye Lin felt secretly pleased about this; he was familiar with the terrain of Wang Family Village, which would make it perfect for slipping away when the time came.

On the way to Wang Family Village, a burly man in front turned his head to look at Ye Lin.

"When the fighting starts later, stay in the back. Remember, if you get killed, none of us will save you, so don't become a burden to us."

After the burly man finished speaking, Ye Lin nodded silently; there was no need to bicker with a man who was as good as dead.

"Hmph, I really don't know why someone at the eighth level of Qi Refining is here to join in the fun."

"He must be here for the reward. If the Outer Sect disciples knew about it, let alone the eighth level of Qi Refining, I think even those at the fifth level would come running to join the excitement."

Once this person finished speaking, the other five burst into laughter.

Watching them laugh, Ye Lin sneered inwardly. Laugh all you want; let's see if you can still laugh when you're standing before the King of Hell later.

Upon arriving at Wang Family Village, the group was hit by a thick, pungent scent of blood. As they stepped into the village, the scene before them left everyone stunned.

The village was littered with corpses, and without exception, they were all mummified, looking as if a layer of skin had simply been wrapped over bone—a truly terrifying sight.

"What... what on earth happened here?"

Seeing this, some disciples began to lose their nerve. Having spent their days cultivating within the Azure Cloud Sect, when had they ever witnessed such a scene?

It was a miracle they hadn't wet themselves in fear.

"Spread out and search! See if there are any survivors, and if you encounter an evil spirit, shout for help!"

At this moment, the burly man in front commanded. The others nodded one after another and scattered in all directions.

Seeing this, Ye Lin finally understood how these fellows had ended up dead.

When faced with an unknown situation, their first reaction wasn't to group up, but to scatter—weren't they just waiting to be picked off one by one by the evil spirit?

Moreover, shouting for help when encountering an evil spirit? I'm afraid you won't even have the chance to scream by the time it reaches you.

Ye Lin walked halfway before using the God-Hiding Bead to conceal his figure. As long as it wasn't a Golden Core stage evil spirit, it would be impossible for it to discover him.