"Slaying demons?"
Zhang Jing repeated the words, then looked at Senior Sister Tong and asked, "Senior Sister, where is the mission?"
"Langya Commandery, Yun Province."
Tong Yao answered, her eyes fixed on Zhang Jing as though she wanted to find a trace of fear on his face.
Yet time ticked by.
In the end-
"Oh, why don't you look frightened at all, Junior Brother?" Tong Yao asked in surprise.
"This day was bound to come sooner or later. If you're not afraid, Senior Sister, what should I be afraid of?"
Zhang Jing answered calmly.
After starting Talisman Making, he had gained another trump card. If a true crisis arose, he could throw out dozens of talismans in one go and show the enemy what extravagant brutality meant.
"No fun. I'll stop teasing you."
Tong Yao pursed her lips, then explained in detail:
"A fairly large demonic uprising broke out in Langya Commandery, and many Mission Teams have headed there. One of the Luodu Squad's deputy captains is stationed there too, though I don't know which senior brother it is."
"In any case, the senior brothers and sisters in late-stage Qi Refining will be holding the main battlefield at the very front. The few of us will cut down some low-level demons in the rear and collect some demon corpses. Once the senior brothers and sisters have slaughtered all the demon leaders, our mission will be complete."
"It'll be very easy."
"May I ask roughly how long we'll be gone this time, Senior Sister?" Zhang Jing asked again.
If it took too long, he would need to prepare some spirit pills and Talisman Making materials in advance for cultivation, leveling up the Ninefold Evolution Spirit Star Talisman Canon, and collecting source talisman fragments.
"That's not something I can estimate. It might, perhaps, probably last a month or two."
Tong Yao guessed.
"Anyway, make your preparations in advance, Junior Brother. We'll gather at the entrance to the Spirit Crane Garden at a quarter past seven the morning after tomorrow, sharp."
"Zhang Jing understands. Thank you for the reminder, Senior Sister."
"I'll be off, then. See you the day after tomorrow!"
With that, Tong Yao waved casually and left.
Zhang Jing likewise turned and returned to his cave abode, his brow thoughtful.
Looks like I'll need to visit the Thousand Techniques Pavilion again tomorrow and buy more spirit pills. I should buy more spirit paper and spirit ink too, so if I encounter a crisis and exhaust all my talismans, I can replenish them promptly afterward.
For this mission,
Zhang Jing was prepared for a protracted battle.
After briefly putting his thoughts in order, he returned to the talisman-making room.
If his senior sister had not come to notify him about the mission, he should have been testing whether Middle-Grade Spirit Paper could bear talisman Dao patterns imbued with the Nether Flood Dragon Devouring the Void Dao Rhythm.
Half a quarter-hour later.
Looking at the Middle-Grade Spirit Paper that had once again disintegrated into fragments, Zhang Jing did not know what to say for a moment.
Even Middle-Grade Spirit Paper won't work. Surely I don't have to try high-grade spirit paper?
High-grade spirit paper was nothing like the low- and medium-grade varieties. It was made directly from superior demon beast hides, and even a single sheet cost a considerable sum.
With no other choice, Zhang Jing temporarily halted his experiments with imbuing talismans with Dao Rhyme.
He checked the time.
Then he headed to the Cultivation Chamber, carefully took out the Origin Water Pill that had cost him a full twenty-eight Dao Merit, and placed it in his mouth.
As he circulated the Five Viscera Water-Origin Guiding Commentary at full power,
the roar of surging river waves immediately resounded throughout the cave abode.
The next day.
Early morning.
Inside the Cultivation Chamber, Zhang Jing slowly opened his eyes.
As expected of a High-Grade Spirit Pill whose attributes match my cultivation method.
A single Origin Water Pill and one night of cultivation had actually matched nearly ten days of cultivating with Purple Spirit Pills!
The spiritual power within his Dantian had grown considerably stronger again. Moreover, though he did not know whether it was because of the Origin Water Pill, Zhang Jing felt that his spiritual power had become increasingly pure, and his ability to sense and control water-aspected spiritual qi had grown stronger.
Simply sitting there cultivating caused water mist to condense around him.
At this rate,
Zhang Jing was confident that he would need only around seven Origin Water Pills to break through to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, directly crossing the threshold between Early Qi Refining and Middle Qi Refining.
Unfortunately... there was not enough time.
He could only wait until he returned from this mission to make his breakthrough.
Of course, if he was lucky, perhaps he might manage to break through to Middle Qi Refining with the help of Purple Spirit Pills during the mission.
Right, I still need to visit the Thousand Techniques Pavilion today to buy spirit pills, spirit paper, and spirit ink.
At that thought,
Zhang Jing rose and headed straight outside.
The following day.
Having risen early and finished his preparations, Zhang Jing arrived at the Spirit Crane Garden ahead of time.
Unexpectedly, a man had arrived even earlier and was already waiting there.
The man was extremely tall, a head and a half taller than Zhang Jing, but exceptionally thin. Standing there, he resembled a bamboo pole, looking as though the wind could carry him off at any moment.
At odds with his frail build, faint fluctuations of spiritual power far beyond the third level of Qi Refining emanated from his body.
Zhang Jing understood at once.
He walked straight up to the man and asked tentatively, "Senior Brother Ding?"
"Junior Brother Zhang Jing?" The man lowered his head to look at Zhang Jing, a stiff smile involuntarily appearing on his gaunt face. "A pleasure, a pleasure! Senior Brother Yangchu told me how very impressive you were, but I had my doubts."
"Now that I've met you, Senior Brother Yangchu was far too reserved in his praise. Hahaha!"
The man's voice sounded cool, but his tone was exceedingly warm.
"You flatter me, Senior Brother," Zhang Jing replied politely.
"Oh, I mean every word. You've cultivated for just two short months, yet your cultivation has already caught up with Tong Yao and the others. It really is... rather astonishing."
Senior Brother Ding clicked his tongue in wonder as he spoke.
While the two were talking,
Tong Yao and two other men arrived at the Spirit Crane Garden simultaneously from different directions.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Ding."
The three greeted him in unison.
Senior Brother Ding smiled and nodded.
Then all three turned their gazes to Zhang Jing, who stood beside Senior Brother Ding.
"Junior Brother Zhang Jing, my name is Xia Yuan. A pleasure!"
"You must be Junior Brother Zhang. Tong Yao talks about you every day, and now I finally get to meet you in person. A pleasure, a pleasure!"
"Zhou Zhi, what nonsense are you spouting now?"
At his words, Tong Yao immediately snapped at him, then turned to explain to Zhang Jing, "Please don't misunderstand, Junior Brother. Senior Brother Yangchu asked me to take good care of you, so I've mentioned you a little more often."
"Don't worry, Senior Sister. I understand," Zhang Jing reassured her.
Then he looked at the other two and said warmly, "Greetings, Senior Brother Xia, Senior Brother Zhou. I'm Zhang Jing."
"All right, since everyone is here, let's head straight inside."
Holding the mission credentials, Senior Brother Ding led the way into the Spirit Crane Garden. Seeing this, Zhang Jing and the others promptly followed close behind.
Before long,
five Spirit Cranes shot into the clouds, flying straight toward Yun Province.
Because the journey was so long, the Spirit Cranes repeatedly flew and stopped along the way. After a day and a half of this ordeal, Zhang Jing and the others finally reached the borders of Yun Province.
Gazing out from high in the sky,
they saw a vast expanse surrounded by mountains on all sides, filling their entire field of vision.
Dozens upon nearly a hundred magnificent cities lay scattered like stars across a boundless forest. Faintly visible were villages and towns as numerous as the stars, along with roads as fine and dense as spiderwebs.
It should have been a beautiful, tranquil scene.
Yet now, countless streams of demonic qi rising from the ground had utterly ruined it.
"So this is Langya Commandery in Yun Province?"
Blood and fire were faintly reflected in Zhang Jing's dark pupils.
The Spirit Cranes carrying them began to descend rapidly.