In the Mission Hall.
This was one of the most bustling places in the sanctum. Every day, countless outer sanctum disciples would come to the Mission Hall and stare at the mission list. Once a mission with a generous amount of merit points appeared, they would immediately take it.
When Su Yu went to the Mission Hall and looked at the crowd, he couldn't help but smack his tongue. There were at least several thousand outer sanctum disciples here, all of whom were looking at the mission lists.
The mission list was divided into two parts. One of them was enormous, and its projection was hanging in the sky. It was the mission that most people paid attention to.
There was another mission list, but there weren't many people paying attention to it. It was just a three-meter-wide boulder that was erected beside the hall. There was an old man sitting next to it.
It seemed like this place was quite desolate.
However, when the mission list flickered and a new mission appeared, it immediately attracted the attention of several thousand people. Their gazes became heated, as if the mission that appeared on this mission list was even more special.
"Junior brother Su, these two mission lists are called the Human List and the Ghost List. The Human List is a giant list that issues ordinary missions, while the Ghost List is a boulder list that issues special missions. There's a great disparity between them." Xue Qi was quite interested in this trip to the Elegant Spirit Mountain.
A pensive look appeared on Su Yu's face as he asked, "How are they special?"
Xue Qi pursed her lips and smiled. "For example, the Elegant Spirit Mountain's mission can only be accepted by certain people. As for other people, no matter what kind of status they have, they can't accept some extremely dangerous missions. Most of these missions can't be completed by outer sanctum disciples, and some missions have remained on the list for ten years. "
Missions that couldn't be completed even after ten years? Su Yu was startled by this.
"That's right! It's rumored that this mission has a reward of three million merit points. Moreover, the reward is increasing every year, and even the inner sanctum's geniuses are tempted by it. But, it's a pity that all of them have failed, and the number of people who have gone missing is in the double digits. "Gongsun Wuxie's eyes shone as she spoke.
Three million merit points? Su Yu was shocked by this, and he wondered … What kind of difficult mission has such a huge reward?
Moreover, what kind of background does the person who issued such a mission have?
However, Su Yu was just shocked by this, and he didn't plan to take this mission for the time being. After all, it had been ten years, and the number of inner sanctum's geniuses who had died was in the double digits.
All of the inner sanctum's geniuses were outstanding people, yet they still hadn't gotten any benefits from it. So, Su Yu surely wouldn't invite a rebuff upon himself.
He just kept this ten-year mission in mind.
When the stooped old man reached the giant boulder, he raised his eyelids and swept Su Yu and the others with an indifferent gaze. "The Elegant Spirit Mountain's mission?"
However, he knew Su Yu and the others' objective. Su Yu nodded and said, "That's right. Elder, please assign me the mission."
The hunchbacked old man cast a glance at Su Yu, then casually took out a snow-white centipede from his sleeve and threw it at Su Yu. "This is a white species of the Black and White Ice Centipede. Take it to the Elegant Spirit Mountain and hand it over to the manor's master. He will surely arrange a mission for you."
However, Su Yu understood the function of this object. The eggs of the black and white Ice Centipedes would give birth to a male and a female centipede at the same time. The white centipede was the female, and the black centipede was the male. Both of them came from the same source, so they could sense each other.
This kind of spirit insect was used as a keepsake. When two kinds of centipedes came into contact with each other, there would be a reaction.
As long as Su Yu took the centipede and went to the Elegant Spirit Mountain, then came into contact with someone's black centipede, it would prove that Su Yu had come from the sanctum and was carrying out a special mission.
"Thank you, elder." Su Yu cupped his fists and left the faction with the others.
Before he left, Su Yu turned his head around and took a look at the hunchbacked old man, his eyes flickering.
After Su Yu left, the hunchbacked old man shook his sleeves, and a bee flew out of them. It streaked through the air and flew toward the Fairy Confining Forest.
The Elegant Spirit Mountain was five days' journey from the outer sanctum, and it was located in the depths of the Fairy Confining Forest.
There were many dangers along the way, but they were accompanied by an inner sanctum's Divine Master disciple, four demons, and Zi Xuan, who was in the dark.
As long as the demonic beasts in the forest had eyes, they wouldn't run into them. Thus, they were safe and sound on the way.
"Junior brother Su, you really have a great entourage. You have four demons … Oh, no, if you count yourself, you will have five demons." As Xue Qi walked over, her alluring fragrance assaulted Su Yu's nostrils. She wore a smile on her face as she looked at Su Yu.
Su Yu subconsciously kept some distance from her, then asked, "Senior sister Xue Qi, you are more than equal to the five of us. So, why do you need to talk about such a great entourage?"
As he spoke, Su Yu stroked his chin and asked, "Senior sister, I'm really curious … Why do you insist on going to the Elegant Spirit Mountain? It seems like you don't care about ten or twenty thousand merit points, do you? "
Xue Qi smiled, her eyes narrowing into slits. "Do you want to know? As long as you pay me a high enough price, I will tell you. "
Su Yu shrugged his shoulders. He was well aware of this woman's two-faced nature, so he didn't reply to her.
"Hmph! You vixen! You are just pretending to be mysterious and trying to seduce our Yuxian! You won't be able to do it!" Tian Renyao flew over and inserted himself between them. He then pulled Su Yu's arm and spoke coquettishly.
Su Yu's whole body shuddered as he skillfully dodged Tian Renyao's pull.
Tian Renyao didn't care about it at all. Instead, he intimately came over to him and revealed a faint smile. "Yuxian, don't pay attention to that vixen. I will tell you everything you want to know."
Su Yu got goosebumps all over his body, so he quickly dodged him and went to Bing Wuxin's side.
Tian Renyao didn't give up, so he continued chasing after him.
"That's enough. Just travel calmly," Bing Wuxin said expressionlessly.
"Junior brother, you don't know about this, but something happened in the Elegant Spirit Mountain recently. Some inner sanctum's disciples got news of it, and they all tried to find a way to go there." Bai Shanliang coughed, then spouted a mouthful of blood.
Su Yu's heart tightened. "Situation? Please enlighten me, Senior Brother. "
"I wouldn't dare to teach you. Actually, this matter has already spread throughout the inner sect." Bai Shanliang's pale complexion became slightly grave. "It's said that ghosts have been causing trouble in Elegant Spirit Mountain for the past six months. Disciples and demonic beasts raised by them often go missing while carrying out missions. Not even their corpses or bones were left behind."
"Ninety-nine percent of those who can carry out missions in the Elegant Spirit Mountain are inner court disciples. Thus, the inner court disciples have long since spread the news. Only the outer court disciples know nothing about it." Bai Shanliang said, "Many factions in the inner sanctum are suspicious of each other, and they all think that they're the culprits. That's why they've sent investigators to infiltrate the inner sanctum and investigate in secret. This Senior Sister Xue Qi should be an investigator sent by her faction."
Upon hearing this, Su Yu's brows relaxed slightly. He had assumed that this was just Shao Yueming's scheme, but since it had started half a year ago, it was obvious that there was something fishy going on.
Although Bai Shanliang didn't say it clearly, Su Yu could understand his underlying meaning.
Those who had gone missing were all inner sanctum disciples, and there were many Divine Master experts among them.
Even a Divine Master had disappeared without a corpse remaining. This was no small matter.
However, since Su Yu didn't need to fear any evil spirits, he knew that he had to deal with them.
They traveled for five days straight, before they finally reached a wondrous region.
There were many mountain ranges there, and they seemed like layers upon layers of ocean waves. They extended to the horizon, and they gave off a stifling and depressing feeling.
Moreover, the Spiritual Energy in this region was quite special, so one could always feel a faintly discernible gloomy air current lingering in the surroundings.
As they looked at the mountain ranges below them, they discovered that they were all dark-green, which gave them a gloomy feeling.
"This was once the battlefield of the human clan and the Ghost Clan, and many Ghost Clan members' corpses are buried beneath these mountains. A hundred years ago, this place was just a barren land filled with ghostly energy, and it was only several dozen years ago that the ghostly energy gradually dissipated. It was only then that the Red Blood Palace managed to develop this land. However, as the ghostly energy permeated this land for a hundred years, it became quite eerie," Bai Shanliang explained. It seemed like he was quite familiar with this region.
Su Yu swept his gaze over the land below him. Since Zi Xuan was here, he didn't dare to use his Soul Eyes to investigate the depths of the land. So, he just followed them into the depths of the boundless dark-green mountain range.
After flying for an unknown amount of miles, they suddenly arrived at a plain, which was overflowing with greenery and had a refreshing spiritual energy.
If one looked at it from above, it seemed like a circular jade ring was floating amidst the boundless ocean waves.
"This is the Elegant Spirit Manor, which was established by our Red Blood Palace. We dug out a hundred great mountains to create it, and a large number of precious spiritual plants are planted in the vicinity of the manor. This is why many of the sanctum's top experts are guarding it. You must all bear in mind that you mustn't cause any trouble, and that you must abide by the rules of this place. Otherwise, the guards will kill you first and report to you later," Bai Shanliang warned them.
The group of people nodded and landed on the plain.
Before they even landed, a group of nine people flew over.
The leader of this group was a Divine Master expert, who was just the captain of a small patrol team.
"Who are you?" the captain berated him.
Su Yu took out the Black and White Ice Centipede's white seed.
Upon seeing it, the captain's expression became more reserved. "Fine, follow me. Pay your respects to the Manor Master."
It seemed like the captain was leading the way, but he was actually monitoring them. Soon, Su Yu and the others reached the manor.
When they just entered the manor, Su Yu felt at least ten Divine Masters' gazes sweep over them.
Su Yu and the others entered a side hall while being closely monitored.
"Wait here for a while. The Manor Master will come here shortly." After the captain spoke, he immediately went to inform the Manor Master.
After a short while, an awe-inspiring middle-aged man, who wore a purple-gold crown, came over. He was followed by nine Divine Master old men with different cultivations.
"Greetings, Manor Master Zhang." Xue Qi poked Su Yu's arm and greeted him.
Su Yu and the others greeted him one after another. "Greetings, Manor Master Zhang."
However, just as they lowered their heads, a gentle force lifted them up.
When they raised their heads, they saw that the middle-aged man was slowly lowering his right foot.
As he raised his foot, he controlled the gentle power and helped everyone up. This man's control over his power was truly miraculous.
When Su Yu examined his cultivation, he could only say that he was unfathomable.
He was like the outer sanctum's Young Palace Mistress Kong Chan, who was like an abyss that was difficult to probe.
Moreover, there were nine Divine Master old men at the early or middle stage beside him. Just this lineup alone could rival a quarter of the outer sanctum's power.
This was especially the case with Manor Master Zhang overseeing this place.
Even the other sixteen factions wouldn't be able to contend against the Elegant Spirit Manor unless they used all of their factions' power.
"You may dispense with the formalities. You are all outstanding talents of the outer sanctum, and we will sooner or later become peers. So, there is no need for such formalities." Manor Master Zhang was quite polite.
Su Yu was the outer sanctum's top scorer, and his future achievements would be limitless.
The four demons he had brought with him were all Level Nine Fairies, and they were just a step away from becoming Divine Masters.
In fact, it was rumored that they were all suppressing their cultivations in order to wait for an opportunity. Otherwise, they would have already become Divine Masters.
"Manor Master Zhang, this is our token." Su Yu took out the white centipede and handed it to him.
Manor Master Zhang's gaze fell upon Su Yu.
In an instant, Su Yu felt like his whole body was being seen through, and he was startled.
So powerful!
This was the only feeling Su Yu had in his heart. Apart from All Creation Old Monsters, no one had ever made him feel so oppressed. Even Palace Mistress Kong Chan wasn't this powerful.
"Not bad. I heard that you managed to reach the fiftieth layer when you first tried to leap over the dragon gate. Now that I have seen you, it seems like you really are a heavenly phenomenon," Manor Master Zhang said.
Su Yu understood that Manor Master Zhang was referring to his old appearance, which was a heavenly phenomenon.
"Manor Master Zhang, you are overpraising me. I was just lucky," Su Yu replied modestly.
Manor Master Zhang chuckled and shook his head. "Hehe, luck isn't allowed in the Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate. You will surely have great achievements in the future."
As he spoke, Manor Master Zhang took the white centipede and swept it with his gaze. He then took out a black centipede.
When they came into contact with each other, the two centipedes' bodies emitted a rainbow-like radiance.
"It's a Black and White Ice Centipede, which came from the same egg. It's a token, "Manor Master Zhang said." I will arrange a region for you to develop. Jiu An, give me the map. "
A bald middle-stage Divine Master Realm old man, who looked like a monk, took out an ancient scroll from his sleeves and unfurled it in front of everyone.
It was the map that Su Yu had seen from the sky.
"Jiu An, where is the most suitable region for development? Leave it to them. It isn't easy for outer sanctum disciples to come here, so you must find a good region." Manor Master Zhang took good care of them.
Jiu An swept the area with her gaze and looked at the westernmost region.
"Manor Master, the soil around the Eighteen Linked Mountains is very fertile and loose, so it's suitable for outer sanctum disciples to develop it. As for the rest of the wasteland, its soil is very hard, and only a Divine Master Realm's cultivation can break it," Jiu An said.
Manor Master Zhang looked at Su Yu and the others and said, "I will leave the Eighteen Linked Mountains to you. You only have three days, so how much land you can develop will depend on how hard you work. The merit points you will get in the end will depend on how much land you develop. Of course, if you manage to dig out any important treasures, you can also exchange them for merit points."
All of them gladly accepted such an arrangement.
"Fine, this is the map, so you can take it. A camp has been prepared in the Eighteen Linked Mountains, as well as all the necessary supplies and resting places. You can go there now. Also, there is a new batch of inner sanctum disciples there, who will also carry out a development mission. So, you must get along well with each other," Manor Master Zhang said.
Su Yu and the others cupped their fists at him to thank him, then respectfully sent him off.
Tian Renyao's eyes flickered as he looked at Manor Master Zhang's departing back. He then said in a sweet voice, "Oh, Manor Master Zhang is really handsome! Just looking at him makes my heart thump."
When she saw Su Yu out of the corner of her eye, she replied shyly, "Of course, the most manly one is still our Yuxian. No one can compare to her."
Su Yu felt a chill run down his spine. He couldn't understand why Tian Renyao was interested in him.
He had an old body, and his appearance was far from being as charming as those handsome youths.
"Well, it seems like Manor Master Zhang isn't bad." Gongsun Wuxie rolled her eyes as she asked, "But, isn't he treating us a bit too well?"
She was the Eastern Heretic, and she was the one who played pranks on people.
"There is indeed an issue," Xue Qi, who had been frowning all this while, said in a deep voice.
Bai Shanliang lowered his head and pondered this matter. His expression became solemn as he said, "That's right, there is indeed an issue."
The two of them exchanged a glance, then Bai Shanliang turned to look at Su Yu and said solemnly, "I think that we must be careful. The Eighteen Linked Mountains that Manor Master Zhang arranged for us isn't a safe place. In fact, it's the most dangerous region in the past half a year."
Su Yu furrowed his brows slightly, then asked, "Are you saying that many people went missing in the Eighteen Linked Mountains in the past half a year?"
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