"Miss Sun, where will this major Elimination Mission take place?"
Lu Mian asked curiously.
"I've only heard a few rumors so far."
"They say even the Demon Extermination Palace will be sending quite a few people. Our Falcon Guard is bound to be involved."
"Be ready."
Sun Feifei said.
"All right. Thank you for the warning, Miss Sun."
Lu Mian nodded.
He finished his last egg, said goodbye, and left.
Inner City, Demon Extermination Palace.
"Hall Master Liang, it hasn't been long since the bloodbath against the Void Cult."
"Though the operation was a resounding success, our casualties were considerable."
"Could we postpone the purge of Flying Cloud County Seat for a couple of days?"
A portly man in his forties with a slightly protruding belly spoke quietly.
In the hall's main seat, a tall, slender man with a stern face said, "Too much death aura and resentment have already gathered in Flying Cloud County Seat. If we wait any longer, a second-tier evil sha might emerge."
"Will you take responsibility for that, or will I?"
Cold sweat broke out on the portly man's forehead.
He knew perfectly well that the odds were low.
But there was no way he would accept responsibility for it.
"Then I'll arrange the manpower right away and have them depart within three days."
The portly man spoke hurriedly.
"Go..."
"Put Xu Yi in charge of this mission."
The stern-faced man said flatly.
"With Xu Yi on the job, the Evil Spirits and Weird Beings in Flying Cloud County Seat will surely be wiped out."
The portly man chuckled.
With that, he hastily took his leave.
A day later.
A letter was delivered to the Guard Hall and placed on Fan Qiang's desk.
After glancing through it, Fan Qiang sent someone to summon Shen Ruiwen.
"Greetings, Hall Master."
Shen Ruiwen hurried inside.
Fan Qiang chuckled, picked up the letter on his desk, and handed it over.
"We'll have to ask your Falcon Guard to put in some hard work again."
After reading it, Shen Ruiwen frowned deeply. "Hall Master Fan, if we send a hundred men at once and suffer any losses, I might as well resign as commander."
"Our Falcon Guard can send fifty men at most."
Fan Qiang knew Shen Ruiwen was in a difficult position. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I won't make things difficult for you."
"Send fifty men. I'll have the other guards supply the rest."
Shen Ruiwen finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Hall Master Fan."
"Go... Have the roster on my desk tonight."
Fan Qiang waved a hand.
Shen Ruiwen nodded.
He returned to the hall at the Falcon Guard's base and began drafting the roster.
The very first name Shen Ruiwen wrote down was Lu Mian.
To amount to anything, a man had to weather hardship.
Constant protection would never make him great.
Two days later.
Over a hundred people gathered on the Guard Hall's training grounds.
The Falcon Guard naturally had the most men, making up half the group.
The rest had been drawn from the other guards.
Just then.
A figure entered the training grounds, biting into a large steamed bun.
"Good thing I'm not late."
Lu Mian breathed a sigh of relief.
With no squad of his own, he naturally tucked himself away in a corner.
Next should come a few formalities, and then we can set off.
"Lu Mian."
"Why are you here alone?"
A burly man carrying a powerful bow noticed Lu Mian and walked over.
"Captain Zhuang."
"You're taking part in this Elimination Mission too?"
Lu Mian was a little surprised to see Zhuang Shen.
Judging by the insignia on his clothes, he belonged to the Patrol Horse Guard.
"Yes. My name happened to be drawn."
"You've done well for yourself, lad. The first Corpse Collector to pass the Guard Hall's assessment, and you even placed in the top ten."
Zhuang Shen chuckled.
He had heard a few things about Lu Mian, too.
But the Guard Hall was enormous, and they belonged to different guards, so they hadn't run into each other all this time.
Lu Mian smiled faintly. "I owe it to your encouragement back then, Captain Zhuang."
Zhuang Shen knew he was joking. He asked again, "You still haven't told me why you're all alone."
Lu Mian said calmly, "Everyone in my squad died on our last mission. I was the only survivor."
"So I'm a squad all by myself."
Nothing about Han Can had gotten out, so he could say whatever he wanted.
Zhuang Shen frowned at Lu Mian's words. "I see... Why don't you join my squad?"
"That way, we can look out for each other."
Lu Mian declined. "Thank you for the offer, Captain Zhuang... But I'm used to working alone."
"It's a bad habit I picked up as a Corpse Collector. I can't shake it."
Zhuang Shen didn't press him. "Then make sure you're careful."
"Even the Demon Extermination Palace is sending people this time. That damned place must be dangerous."
Lu Mian nodded. "I'll be careful."
Zhuang Shen patted Lu Mian on the shoulder and returned to his squad.
A little while later.
Shen Ruiwen walked in.
"Everyone, our destination this time is Flying Cloud County Seat."
"It's about three hundred li from here..."
"According to information provided by the Black Panther Guard, the entire county seat has been overrun by Evil Spirits and Weird Beings."
"There's a strong chance we'll encounter First-Tier Fierce Spirits there. Be extremely careful."
"Of course, the Demon Extermination Palace will be sending people as well."
"Next, we'll collect our supplies and set out!"
That was all Shen Ruiwen said.
Everyone headed to the storehouse in turn to collect the supplies they needed.
Lu Mian had also made ample preparations for this major Elimination Mission.
He had spent a hefty sum at the Artisans' Hall, buying five Blood Ginseng Pills for a thousand taels of silver in case of emergencies.
He was even wearing the Soft-Scale Silver Armor he had taken from Han Can.
Once at the storehouse, he collected plenty of dried meat, along with Talisman Water and Evil-Sensing Talismans.
With all preparations complete, the group set out.
Flying Cloud County Seat was more than three hundred li from Thousand Chimes Commandery City.
Beyond a hundred li from Thousand Chimes Commandery City, the land was no longer relatively safe. All manner of terrifying evil entities ran rampant there.
Though they were still within that hundred-li boundary, everyone wore an unusually grave expression, and the atmosphere was oppressive.
Dressed in his Falcon Guard Uniform, Lu Mian walked in the middle of the group.
He seemed quite relaxed, gazing toward the front with mild curiosity.
Three figures in white robes embroidered with golden sun patterns led the way.
From the conversations around him, Lu Mian learned that these were the Golden Sun Uniforms unique to the Demon Extermination Palace, marking their wearers as outer disciples of the Sunflame Sect.
"That man in the middle must be Xu Yi."
"Yes... One of the best of Thousand Chimes Commandery City's younger generation."
"He's from the Xu Family's direct line, and his talent is terrifying, too... It's enough to make you jealous."
"With him leading us, this mission shouldn't be so dangerous."
The Falcon Guard members beside him spoke in low voices.
Lu Mian listened intently.
He knew little about the Demon Extermination Palace.
But from what the others said, Xu Yi truly seemed to be an exceptional prodigy.
The first hundred li of their journey passed smoothly, without incident.
By then, evening was approaching, and the sun was beginning to sink.
"It'll be dark soon."
"Let's make camp here. Once day breaks tomorrow, we'll cover the remaining two hundred li in one push and head straight to Flying Cloud County Seat."
Tall and slender, with sharp brows and bright eyes, Xu Yi spoke.
Before you continue