Chapter 47: Sect Mission

“I’ll take a D-rank mission,” Lin Yanghao said, fully aware that with his meager strength, he would already be doing well if he could complete one D-rank mission. Anything above C-rank was far beyond the reach of an outer disciple like himself.

“There aren’t many D-rank missions left in the sect—only three remain. How many do you want to take?” Zhou Wei replied calmly.

“I’ll take all three!” Lin Yanghao answered without hesitation. After all, with so many disciples in the sect, it was no surprise that few missions remained. He thought to himself that if he wanted to gather the thousand contribution points needed for the Foundation Establishment Pill as soon as possible, his only option was to complete as many sect missions as he could. So, without a second thought, he accepted the last three missions all at once.

As he watched Lin Yanghao walk away, Zhou Wei sneered coldly in his heart. “Lin Yanghao, you were unlucky to offend our boss. This time, you won’t even have a corpse left to bury!”

Unbeknownst to Lin Yanghao, Zhou Wei had quietly slipped a C-rank mission in among the three D-rank tasks he’d just accepted. Even ordinary Foundation Establishment disciples in the sect rarely dared to take on C-rank missions—only the stronger ones among them did. What’s more, the C-rank mission Zhou Wei assigned was even more difficult than usual. The consequences for Lin Yanghao could easily be imagined.

Lin Yanghao, of course, was completely unaware that he’d fallen victim to Zhou Wei’s scheme. Nor could he have guessed that Wang Shaohui’s influence had already reached this far.

A young man walked alone down a mountain path, a longsword strapped to his back. His long hair was perfectly in place, his eyes tiger-bright yet drowsy. Though he was slender, his robust physique could not be concealed.

This young man was, of course, Lin Yanghao. The first of the three missions he’d taken on required him to head to Mount Xing Cliff, where, according to local reports to the sect, a vicious beast had recently appeared and was wreaking havoc. Lin Yanghao’s assignment was to eliminate it.

As the greatest sect in the northern region of Ziyu North Continent, the Seven Luminaries Sect was naturally responsible for ensuring the safety of the lands under its control. Thus, the concept of “sect missions” had gradually formed. The sect’s reasoning was that by establishing missions, they could both maintain peace and safety in their territory and train their disciples. Other sects were much the same as the Seven Luminaries Sect in this regard.

“Excuse me, elder, I am a disciple of the Seven Luminaries Sect, sent here to rid you of the beast that’s been causing trouble. Do you know where I might find it?” Having searched Mount Xing Cliff for a while without finding any trace of the beast, Lin Yanghao realized that wandering aimlessly wouldn’t work. He decided to ask a local. Before long, he spotted an old man in a field and went over to inquire.

“Ah? This humble one pays his respects to the Immortal Master.” At the mention of the Seven Luminaries Sect, the old man immediately realized that Lin Yanghao had come to slay the beast, and bowed deeply.

“Please, elder, rise. I don’t deserve such courtesy,” Lin Yanghao said, quickly helping the man up. He still held on to many of the values from his life on Earth.

“Immortal Master, the beast only comes out at night. There’s no way you’ll see it during the day. You’d best come back after dusk,” the old man replied, clearly flustered by Lin Yanghao’s modesty.

“Thank you, elder,” Lin Yanghao said, turning to leave.

He climbed to the top of a tall tree, glanced up at the sky, and thought, “There are still a few hours before nightfall. I’ll just have to wait here and use the time to restore my spiritual energy.”

Suddenly, a series of bestial roars echoed through the air, jolting Lin Yanghao out of his meditation. He scanned the area from the treetop and saw a giant black beast rampaging below. Fields and trees were being flattened in its wake. Lin Yanghao immediately leapt down and dashed toward the monster.

As he drew near, he saw that the surroundings had already been devastated by the beast. Around it were over a hundred strong men, all armed. Lin Yanghao could tell at a glance that these were martial cultivators, ranging from the first to the sixth level. Many corpses lay on the ground—the beast had clearly claimed quite a few lives. Watching the hundred or so men fighting desperately against the monster, Lin Yanghao felt a deep respect. Though their cultivation was not high, they had not retreated an inch.

“Beast! Taste my Fierce Tiger’s Claw!” Lin Yanghao shouted, channeling his spiritual energy and arriving in a flash at the black beast’s side.

“Look, everyone! The Immortal Master is here to save us! We’re saved!”

“Immortal Master, this beast has killed countless of our people over the past days. You must slay it!”

The martial artists instantly recognized Lin Yanghao as the “Immortal Master” Old Liu had mentioned. Hope surged among them, and excitement shone in their eyes.

But as Lin Yanghao struck, he was shocked to find that his attacks did nothing—the black beast remained unscathed. Even more puzzling, the creature’s offense was surprisingly weak, no stronger than a sixth-level martial cultivator. Lin Yanghao was both amused and frustrated: its defense and offense were completely out of proportion.

He was convinced that even the mightiest foes had their weaknesses. All he needed to do was find the beast’s.

“Immortal Master, try burning it! The monster fears fire!” one of the martial artists called out, noticing that Lin Yanghao was struggling and even at a disadvantage. He shouted out the hard-won knowledge they’d gathered from their previous fights.

Without hesitation, Lin Yanghao formed a seal with his hands and hurled a fireball at the beast. His heart pounded with anxiety—his fireball technique was little more than a gimmick, practically useless in battle. After the earlier fight and the casting of this spell, his spiritual energy was nearly spent. If even fire couldn’t harm this black beast, he really didn’t know what else to do.