Chapter 14

"Hmmm, why have you contacted me now?" came a hoarse voice from the mirror.

"Respected Guardian, I contacted you to report something important," Deacon Chen said cautiously. "Today, Feng Qiuqiu brought a new disciple with her, and I found a big problem with him."

The voice in the mirror remained silent for a moment before speaking again, now laced with curiosity.

"What problem?"

Deacon Chen rolled up his sleeve, revealing a dark pattern etched onto his smooth skin— a bony finger coiled by a serpent. The mark pulsed faintly as if reacting to something.

"This is the trace of his qi that I captured," Deacon Chen continued, his tone respectful yet cautious. "While he was testing his spiritual roots, It caused an unexpected reaction with our Demon Cult's symbol, so I quietly captured some after repeated confirmation."

As he spoke, a faint wisp of blue qi drifted from the mark, swirling eerily in the dim cave.

A deep silence followed—heavy, almost suffocating.

Then, the voice in the mirror, now eerily calm, asked,

"What is the status of that disciple?"

"Respected Guardian, his name is Xiao Yao, and he possesses a high-grade water root," Deacon Chen reported, his voice steady despite the growing eerie atmosphere. Sensing the pressure intensify, he quickly continued, "He was brought back by Feng Qiuqiu because he carried a sect token."

Pausing briefly, he added, "I managed to convince him to join Wildbone Peak using the so-called 'Undine Immortal' legacy—since it's useless anyway. This way, if needed, we can deal with him at any time using our spies within the peak."

A chilling silence followed before the hoarse voice responded, "No action is needed for now. Just keep an eye on him. Our top priority remains the completion of our mission within the Shenhao Sect."

"Understood, Respected Guardian," Deacon Chen affirmed, bowing slightly.

"Anything else?"

"No, Respected Guardian."

"Then you may leave."

As soon as the words were spoken, the mirror surface flickered and rapidly faded into nothingness.

Deacon Chen exhaled sharply, standing up and wiping the sweat from his forehead. The Guardian hadn't said much, yet the oppressive tension in the air had been suffocating.

Shaking off his thoughts, he deactivated the formation, ensuring everything was as before, before swiftly leaving the cave and making his way back to the Resource Hall.

---

In a place of complete darkness, where nothing existed but emptiness, a lone figure sat.

"Hehehehrehahahahahaha!" A burst of wild laughter echoed as he clutched his face with a wrinkled hand, his shoulders trembling with excitement.

After a while, the laughter faded, replaced by a voice filled with deep hatred.

"Finally… finally, I can have my revenge on you, Xiang Feng. Even if you're dead, your apprentice will suffer all my hatred in your place."

A memory surfaced in his mind—of a middle-aged man with red eyes, filled with rage, chasing after him. That man had come after him furiously, all because he had sacrificed some towns or whatever stood in his way.

His all attacks were nearly devastating, leaving him with serious injuries that even affected his future cultivation. If not for his special skills, he would have explained right there.

But even after escaping, he didn't dare think of revenge. All he could do was hide, lurking in the shadows like a snake, his venomous eyes always searching for Xiang Feng.

Even as Xiang feng grew old and weak, he never had the courage to face him. He had seen others torn apart like leaves in a raging flood, their lives snuffed out in an instant. He knew what awaited him if he ever dared to stand against that monster.

And soon, Xiang Feng disappeared, and news of his death spread, making him know that his chance for revenge was gone.

But now, he had found the perfect target for his revenge—the one who had inherited Xiang Feng's legacy.

Thinking so, he quickly took out a small, dark metallic object from his storage ring, its surface covered in countless mysterious symbols.

With a small input of his qi, it glowed faintly, and he waited.

Soon, the light on it lit up completely, and a haughty male voice echoed, "What do you want to talk to me about at this moment? Don't you know that if the leader finds you contacted me at this time, you'll pay a hefty price?"

"I know, I know, but I have something that only you can do."

"Oh? Only I can do it? Is it something in Shenhao Sect? Do you need my identity to act? What about your pawns inside?"

"Tch, don't act like you don't know—most of them have already been exposed, and we're just keeping them as cover."

"Ah, Alright, then tell me what you want and what I get in return."

"I need you to do something simple, and I'm willing to pay you with a soul crystal made from a million mortal souls."

"Oh, quite a good thing you got there. So, what do you need me to do?"

The dark figure spoke in a deep voice, "Just a simple task—you need to ensure that a new disciple named Xiao Yao from Wildbone Peak is sent near the Greenwood Mountains during his first mission."

"Pfft—hehahahahahahahahahaha!" Laughter erupted from the device and it calmed down after a while.

"So, you're offering a soul crystal just to have me send a disciple to the Greenwood Mountains?" The haughty voice was now mocking.

"Yes, it's that simple."

Seeing no other reaction the haughty voice lost joking mood,

Seeing no reaction, the haughty voice soon lost its joking tone.

"Hah, well, whatever grudge you have against that boy has nothing to do with me. Just remember—the mission takes priority. If you mess it up, even with all your tricks, the leader might still hunt you down to the end," the voice said after a brief pause.

"I know, you need not worry."

"Oh, then see you next time. And don't forget the soul crystal."

With that, the voice cut off, and the device dimmed once again.

After that, the dark figure slowly calmed down as the place once again returned to deep darkness.

---

"Is this really Wildbone Peak?" Xiao Yao muttered, his eyelids twitching as he took in the scene before him. Compared to the six other majestic peaks, this one had an eerie atmosphere, with dark mist constantly rising from different areas. The occasional shouts and roars echoing from within made it clear what kind of troublesome place he had arrived at.

In contrast to Xiao Yao, Baobao stood beside him, eyes wide with excitement. Unlike the orderly and quiet places they had visited so far, this noisy and chaotic environment seemed to be much more to his liking.

Imagining himself with countless little brothers following behind him in the future, sitting on a grand sedan while feasting on treasures and casually tossing some to Xiao Yao, Baobao couldn't help but drool.

But before he could fully indulge in his fantasy, a childish voice suddenly rang out from the front.

"Hey, look! A cute walking bird!"

Before he could react, Baobao found himself suffocating as something grabbed him and lifted him into the air.

Thinking he might have caught the attention of a beautiful girl, he prepared to open his eyes and cruelly reject her—after all, food came first.

But the moment he opened them, what greeted him was not a delicate beauty but a massive, muscular girl with two ponytails and a chiseled face, staring at him with stars in her eyes.