Chapter 128: Temporary Mission

Chapter 128: Chapter 128: Temporary Mission

The Dynasty was the strongest force in the Human Race. No matter how powerful a Sect was, it could not possibly be a match for the Dynasty. And the Jade Capital was the very core of it all.

"The Yanyue Sect only emerged in recent years. I don’t know what their purpose is in coming to the Jade Capital," Lu Yuan revealed.

Song Yumeng’s eyes flickered, but she said nothing. She simply turned around and went home.

"Brother Yuan," Lin Siyao stepped forward and gave Lu Yuan a comforting hug. "I’m going back too."

"Mhm, it’s fine," Lu Yuan said, patting her shoulder.

Old Lu was only injured; it wasn’t as if he was...

However, he wouldn’t just let this matter drop. Whether it was Mr. Sixth, Mr. Seventh, Mr. Eighth, or Mr. Fifth, he would root them all out and eliminate them. These Evil Cult fanatics dared to cause chaos in the Jade Capital—he would spare none of them!

Lu Yuan didn’t sleep that night. He kept watch in the courtyard, silently refining his internal organs.

[Your Dao companion Su Wan has gained enlightenment in her cultivation. You have received a ten-fold return. 2,000 EXP has been credited to your account.]

Lu Yuan was surprised.

Another return, and it was 2,000 EXP again. The Su Wan from twenty-five years in the future cultivated quite diligently. She worked hard every day and made progress every day. Connecting with this Dao companion was a great choice.

"Wait, isn’t her cultivation level increasing?" he wondered.

The Sixth Grade was called Inquiry Dao, which was divided into three stages: Stepping on the Void, Qi Manipulation, and Divine Condensation. Su Wan was at the second stage, Qi Manipulation, comprehending how to manipulate the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi at will. Upon reaching mastery, one could soar the skies and traverse the earth.

She was probably comprehending some sort of Cultivation Technique or Divine Technique, so that explained it.

By daybreak, Lu Ming had recovered by over fifty percent. Lu Yuan went to work with peace of mind. He needed to report this matter to Chen Qiang. The strike against the Yanyue Sect had to continue; it couldn’t stop here.

"Mhm, I understand," Chen Qiang nodded.

He knew the Yanyue Sect couldn’t be finished. The strongest Sixth Grade Martial Artist from the earthquake zone last time had escaped. There were definitely others hiding, or more arriving from other districts. He immediately went to report it higher up.

"Mu Lingche didn’t come today," Liu Zhi suddenly pointed out.

"So what if he didn’t? What’s the big fuss?" Lu Yuan didn’t care. The guy was a young master; it was perfectly normal for him to be absent. It would be weirder if he clocked in every day.

"Could he be on the verge of breaking through?" Liu Zhi guessed.

"No way, right?" Lu Yuan furrowed his brows. "Well, it’s possible."

Breaking through from the Eighth Grade to the Seventh Grade wasn’t that simple. However, as a young master of the Marquis Mansion, he was different from ordinary Martial Artists, so that was another story entirely.

"Goodness, if he breaks through to the Seventh Grade..." Liu Zhi clicked his tongue.

A Seventh Grade Martial Artist under the age of seventeen would definitely rank among the top in the Jade Capital. As expected of someone from the Grand General’s Mansion. He would definitely become a prominent figure in the Jade Capital in the future.

Jiang Hongfei and Yu Qiuyang both experienced a change in expression.

Young geniuses... That was what they strived to be, but it felt completely out of reach. The gap in foundation and conditions was simply too huge. Could they really rely on accumulating experience over time and blooming late to catch up? Was that even possible?

"Temporary mission," Chen Qiang said upon returning. "We’re heading outside the city to inspect an abandoned mine. Intelligence indicates there’s human activity there. It’s suspected to be illegal mining or some other illicit operation."

"Did they find a new mineral vein?" Liu Zhi guessed.

"Impossible. A Leyline expert already went to investigate; there are no veins left," Chen Qiang shook his head. "Whatever little remains isn’t worth mining. There is a high probability that someone is conducting illegal activities inside."

Otherwise, a matter like this wouldn’t fall under the jurisdiction of the Demon Suppression Bureau.

"According to the intel, people are transporting slaves inside."

"Slaves! Slaves again..." Lu Yuan thought, frowning.

Everything seemed connected to slaves. Slaves had become expendable resources and links in a chain of profit, yet the worst part was that no one was ever held accountable.

"Could this be related to what happened before?"

"We can’t rule out the possibility." Chen Qiang’s gaze deepened.

Slaves involved significant profit margins and had other illegal uses. Major factions in the Jade Capital were involved, so it was highly suspicious.

"Everyone, be careful when we get there. I’ll go in first to scout; the rest of you stay outside as backup."

"Understood," the group nodded.

The five selected their horses and rode out of the city.

The mine was over two hundred miles away from the Jade Capital, situated to the northeast. It originally produced iron ore, but now...

The horses galloped for nearly two hours before they arrived. The five found a place to tie their horses first, then stealthily approached from the flank.

The mine was nestled between several mountains. The roads were almost completely abandoned, overgrown with tall weeds. However, upon closer inspection, fresh wheel ruts could be seen. There had indeed been recent activity. Chen Qiang had a map of the mining tunnels. Following it, they quickly crept closer.

"Hurry up!

"Push harder! Didn’t you eat breakfast?

"You can’t even make it up this little slope! You’re all a bunch of useless trash!"

Harsh shouts could be heard from afar.

Looking down, they saw a group of people pushing carts in the valley. Inside the carts were slaves. There were dozens of laborers and five large carts of slaves, numbering around fifty or sixty in total. Over a dozen Martial Artists holding swords or leather whips stood guard or acted as overseers nearby.

Following their path, a mining tunnel could be seen dozens of meters away and over ten meters up the slope. All the people were being sent inside. Once they entered, it was highly unlikely they would ever come out alive.

"They really are up to no good. Let’s tear this place apart!" Liu Zhi said angrily.

"We still don’t know the situation inside, nor do we know how strong their forces are," Chen Qiang said, calming him down. He looked left and right. "There’s another entrance nearby. I’ll go in from there to scout. The rest of you assess the situation and act accordingly. Listen to Lu Yuan’s commands!"

He gave his brief orders, then quickly concealed himself, disappearing as he sneaked toward the other entrance.

"So, what’s next for us? We wait?" Liu Zhi asked Lu Yuan.

"We wait," Lu Yuan nodded.

They definitely had to wait for Chen Qiang’s signal before acting. Moving recklessly without knowing the enemy’s strength inside would be incredibly foolish. Furthermore, acting on their own would only increase the danger for Chen Qiang.

"From the looks of it, their forces aren’t that strong," Yu Qiuyang suddenly commented.

"You can tell all that just by looking?" Jiang Hongfei mocked, shooting him a glance.

A mine thousands of meters deep had massive interior space; who knew what kind of things or forces were hidden inside? Pulling something like this deep in the mountains, far from the Jade Capital, definitely wasn’t a simple matter. To claim one could see through it all with a single glance was ridiculous.

"You can lead the vanguard later then," Lu Yuan said.

Yu Qiuyang instantly shut his mouth.

"You’ll have my arrows for cover. What are you afraid of?" Lu Yuan asked.

"Yeah, what are you afraid of? I’m not afraid," Jiang Hongfei added, rubbing salt in the wound.

Yu Qiuyang’s expression turned ugly.

"There are only a dozen or so people, and five or six of them are Eighth Grade...

"Lu Yuan, you can’t just shoot them all down later. You have to leave two for me," Liu Zhi requested.

The lethality of Lu Yuan’s arrows was simply too great. It was highly likely that before they could even charge into the valley, those dozen or so people would already be dead.

"As long as you guys aren’t in danger, I’ll try my best," Lu Yuan smiled.

With only a dozen people, that meant about a dozen Contribution Points. He couldn’t just give away military merits. Leaving one Eighth Grade Martial Artist for each of them would be more than enough.

"I feel like I need to prepare in advance!" Jiang Hongfei started looking for an optimal angle of approach.

Liu Zhi couldn’t hold back either, his gaze rapidly scanning the area.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye.

BANG! BANG!

Muffled sounds of a fight suddenly erupted from within the mine.

BOOM! BOOM!

The entrance of the mine blasted apart, sending crushed rocks flying in all directions. Three figures darted out rapidly, engaged in a fierce battle as they ran. One of them was naturally Chen Qiang, while the other two were eerie Martial Artists covered head to toe in black and red malicious aura...