After a frantic day and night of running behind Gao Lin, by dawn, Xu Yang had no idea where he was. He only knew that they had likely left the confines of the Yunling Mountain Range.
"Senior Brother Gao, how much longer do we have to travel?" Hong Lei couldn’t help but ask.
Traveling nonstop for a day and a night without sleep was taking its toll, even on the bodies of Bone Marrow Cleansing Martial Artists. If they encountered an enemy in this state, their combat effectiveness would be severely compromised.
"Another half-day’s journey."
Gao Lin took out the Exotic Beast Jerky he was carrying and distributed it to everyone. After a short period of meditation and rest, the group resumed their journey through the desolate, deep mountains.
Several hours later, a few wraith-like figures drifted out of the woods, surrounding them.
"They’re one of us!" Gao Lin growled, stopping Hong Lei and the others, who were on the verge of attacking.
The group looked and saw that they were indeed all disciples of the Purple Sun Sect.
"We were just waiting for you!" Lu Chuping, a disciple of the Master of Li Fire Peak, strode over.
Gao Lin replied helplessly, "We received the message late and traveled day and night to get here. We’ve barely had any rest."
The group followed Lu Chuping and the others forward into a mountain hollow where a crowd of Purple Sun Sect disciples had gathered. Some were sleeping, while others were meditating.
Xu Yang scanned the crowd and spotted many familiar faces.
Du Chuan, Yun Heng, Xie Zhan, Liu Xiao...
Aside from Medicine King Peak, all the other peaks were represented.
He roughly estimated that there were no fewer than twenty people in total, and the weakest among them were all experts of the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm.
’This Blood Lotus Sect stronghold must be filled with experts!’
Xu Yang grew vigilant. The Purple Sun Sect had sent so many people, which meant the Blood Lotus Sect was sure to have powerful experts of its own. He’d have to be careful when the action started and avoid running into one of them.
"You all should rest up," Lu Chuping said. "We’ll probably make our move when Senior Brother Cui Mingchong returns. Also, no one is to leave this area without permission. Otherwise, you’ll be treated as a spy."
"Is Cui Mingchong in charge of this?" Gao Lin asked.
Xu Yang had heard of Cui Mingchong. He wasn’t a disciple of Li Fire Peak, but the head disciple of the Master of Beast King Peak. His cultivation was at Marrow Cleansing Great Success, and it was said he might one day become the Master of Beast King Peak himself.
In fact, Gao Lin was in a similar position. Barring any accidents, when Elder Huoyun eventually retired, he would take his place and become one of the Elders of Li Fire Peak.
"Yes," Lu Chuping nodded.
Xu Yang and the others paid no mind to Gao Lin and Lu Chuping’s conversation. They found an empty spot, ate some jerky, and then leaned against the rocks to sleep, conserving their strength for the great battle to come.
He didn’t know how much time had passed before he was shaken awake.
Opening his eyes, he saw a man built like an iron tower standing in the center. Behind him stood Lu Chuping, Gao Lin, and another man with a face as fair as crowned jade.
’This must be Cui Mingchong!’ Xu Yang thought.
He also recognized the man standing with Gao Lin and Lu Chuping: Yan Guiyun, ranked third on the Ten Heroes List. He had seen him before in Tianfeng Valley, but they weren’t acquainted and had never exchanged words.
"Everyone, over here!" Cui Mingchong commanded.
All the disciples rose and quickly gathered in front of Cui Mingchong.
"I’m Cui Mingchong. Most of you have probably heard of me, so I won’t waste time on introductions. Let’s get to the mission. Our task is to annihilate the Blood Lotus Sect Demons hiding in Qiushui Manor.
I’m not going to lecture you on how evil the members of the Blood Lotus Sect are. All you need to know is that to them, a disciple of our Purple Sun Sect is just another person to kill. If you don’t want to be killed by them one day, we have to kill them first."
Cui Mingchong didn’t try to rouse them with an emotional speech; he just stated the facts.
"Of course, you won’t be working for free. For this mission, everyone is guaranteed one hundred contribution points. Killing someone at the Initial Stage of Marrow Cleansing will earn you one hundred contribution points. Killing someone at Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement, two hundred. For Marrow Cleansing Great Success, three hundred.
Below the Marrow Cleansing Realm, a kill at Gang Qi Great Success is worth forty contribution points. Gang Qi Minor Achievement is thirty, and the Initial Stage of Gang Qi is twenty.
Anyone below the Gang Qi Realm is worth a flat ten contribution points."
No speech could be as motivating as tangible rewards. The moment the rules were announced, the eyes of the previously listless crowd lit up.
Guarding the Sect’s properties and working themselves to the bone for a month earned them less than one hundred contribution points. This time, they could get a hundred just for showing up, even without a single kill.
Even Xu Yang felt a surge of motivation. ’If I try hard enough this time, I might just get enough contribution points for the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm Pill Formula.’
"Remember, show no mercy. The followers of the Demon Dao are treacherous. Kill them on sight, no questions asked. Now, go with the Senior Brother who brought you here and follow his orders."
The crowd dispersed.
Gao Lin beckoned to Xu Yang and his group, then plunged into the forest.
After a while, Gao Lin’s voice reached Xu Yang and the others via transmission: "From this point on, stay hidden. Use Secret Transmission to communicate."
Ahead, on a distant hill, a sprawling estate came into view. It was a magnificent structure with deep courtyards, high walls, and ornate, flying eaves with interlocking brackets.
"That’s Qiushui Manor," Gao Lin transmitted.
Hong Lei couldn’t help but transmit back, "Qiushui Manor is one of the biggest tea merchants in Tan Mountain County. I can’t believe it’s actually a stronghold for the Blood Lotus Sect. Back during the Martial Arts Examination, I even considered trying to become a guard here if I failed."
Only then did the others realize that Hong Lei was actually from Tan Mountain County.
"Senior Brother Hong Lei, since you know this area, can you tell us about Qiushui Manor’s strength?" a Senior Brother named Zhu Yuan transmitted.
They were all disciples under Elder Huoyun.