Chapter 1738: Intentions

The white-robed deacon suppressed his fear, maintaining a calm facade.

“Please calm yourself, Senior Yang. The client is in urgent need of these items, and given the inherent risks, the reward was set high. However, were the conditions not explained to you by the relevant deacons before you accepted the mission?”

“You all accepted this task after hearing those conditions. The mission has already been activated and cannot be canceled. If you insist on withdrawing, Senior Yang, I will have to summon the disciples from the Law-Enforcement Hall to assess the potential losses of this mission and decide your fate. That is not within my authority to decide. Pressuring me will yield nothing.”

The deacon’s words grew more confident. He was merely following orders; the rules were set by the sect. As expected, Yang Zun’s eyes flickered several times before his aura vanished. He sat back down in silence. He had no desire to deal with the Law-Enforcement Hall.

The deacon glanced at the other five. Seeing that they remained silent, he produced six storage rings and a jade slip.

“These are the pills to be escorted. Please keep them safe. This jade slip contains the map, the route, and more detailed information. Please review the contents now and return the slip to me before you depart.”

He pushed the rings forward, and they shot toward each of the six members. The jade slip remained hovering before him. Li Yan and the others caught the rings, and all performed the same action simultaneously: they sent a thread of Divine Sense inside to verify the contents.

Buzz…

At that exact moment, all six storage rings emitted a pulse of green light and a low vibrating sound.

“What? Such a powerful restriction!”

Li Yan felt his Divine Sense being forcibly pushed back by a dominant power. He sensed that if he pushed harder, the force would grow exponentially and might even shatter his mind. He saw the others’ faces pale as they shared his shock. His Divine Sense was roughly at the strength of a mid-stage Void Refining cultivator, yet even he felt he couldn’t break the seal.

‘This must be a powerful spell seal or a miniature formation, not just a mental seal…’ Li Yan mused.

He doubted it was a mental seal from a Body Integration expert; it felt more like a specialized defensive formation. A Body Integration expert wouldn’t waste time sealing rings for a mission like this; they would just deliver the items themselves.

The deacon stood by as if nothing had happened. The team realized the sect didn’t want them to know exactly what they were carrying. They were told these were pills, but that might not be the whole truth.

“The seal on the ring serves as an identification marker for the recipient. They possess the means to unlock it, so there is no need for you to verify the contents,” the deacon explained.

Since the rules were clear, the veterans in the group didn’t press the matter. Yang Zun stowed his ring and snatched the jade slip from the air to begin his review.

Half a day later, the six of them were flying through the void. Though they traveled together, they naturally maintained different distances from one another.

Yang Zun knew the mission had to proceed. To ensure everyone received the full reward, Xie Xingzhi had initiated a brief meeting to establish a plan. As the one with the highest cultivation, Yang Zun proposed the route. Li Yan and the others found it reasonable—it was the most direct path to their destination—so no one objected. Everyone wanted to finish quickly and be on their way.

Through their brief interaction, they learned one another’s names. Yang Zun had been a Core Elite Disciple for over six hundred years. He was a true disciple of Huangqi Valley, having achieved elite status back when he was in the Golden Core realm.

The woman was indeed Ming Qi. Her sister, Ming Yu, had wanted to join but lacked the necessary cultivation, much to her frustration. Ming Qi had shared this with Li Yan via a private transmission after noticing his questioning look. Since the sisters were rarely apart, his curiosity was natural, and she felt inclined to explain. Among the group, she felt Li Yan was the only one she truly knew, and he remained a mystery she hoped to probe further.

The youthful-looking man was Xu Yihua. Like Li Yan and Ming Qi, he had entered the elite ranks through the internal selection, though he had done so while still in the Nascent Soul realm. Xie Xingzhi seemed to know something of his background and spoke of him with some praise, though he didn’t mention why Xu Yihua had left his previous sect.

Once they left the sect’s territory, Yang Zun began to converse with Xie Xingzhi and Jiang Tingye, seemingly trying to recruit them. The three of them flew together at the front. Li Yan and Ming Qi naturally paired up, while the quiet Xu Yihua trailed behind them in silence.

‘Senior Brother Li, I’ve heard you’ve taken quite a few missions over the years. Your reputation in the Mission Hall is becoming quite notable,’ Ming Qi sent a transmission, a hint of amusement in her voice.

‘You flatter me, Junior Sister. It’s not a notable reputation; it’s a necessity born of desperation. My authority level is too low. To advance my cultivation, I have to spend my time grinding low-level missions. With my meager talent, I would remain stagnant otherwise,’ Li Yan replied with a sigh.

Ming Qi’s eyes flickered, but she didn’t call him out. She knew he wasn’t just taking low-level missions; most of his tasks were high-risk.