At the cave's mouth, the atmosphere was a far cry from the terrifying gloom of the deeper tunnels.
"Haha! Junior Brothers, these spiders are nothing more than fodder!" A tall, bulky man bellowed, his voice filled with arrogant mirth. He wielded a massive, broad headed axe that glowed with a biting Ice Qi, matching the white and blue robes of the Heavenly Frost Sect.
Standing at the 4th Layer of the Mortal Core Realm, he moved like a Mountain, crushing the lesser spiders with every swing while his four junior disciples,fresh Mortal Core newcomers,watched in awe. "Watch carefully! This is how a true disciple of the North harvests..."
His boast died in his throat. Suddenly, the very foundation of the mountain seemed to shiver. A terrifying, oppressive aura erupted from the dark throat of the cave, accompanied by a rhythmic, bone chilling clicking that sounded like a thousand knives on glass.
Sou!
Before the man could react, a streak of violet thunder and blue light flashed past him. Hanyuan didn't even glance at them, he utilized the Thunderclap Steps to its absolute limit, becoming a blur of light that displaced the air around the Heavenly Frost Sects party.
A heartbeat later, the darkness of the tunnel spat out a nightmare. The Spider Queen, shrieking in a frequency that made the juniors' ears bleed, charged into the sunlight.
"FUCK! Do you want us all to die!?" the bulky man roared in a mixture of shock and blind fury. He realized instantly that he had been used as a meat shield. He had no time to chase the intruder, he had to defend his life.
The man leaped into the air, his axe expanding with a freezing light as he brought it down in a desperate strike to halt the Queen's momentum.
BOOM!
The collision sent a shockwave through the clearing, shattering ice and sending the junior disciples flying back. As the Man and the beast became locked in a life and death struggle, Hanyuan didn't waste a single millisecond.
He let out a sharp, piercing whistle. From the high clouds, Lingxiao dove like a bolt from the heavens. Hanyuan vaulted off the ground, catching the eagle's back mid flight. Within seconds, he was a hundred yards away, landing on the ridge where Feng Yue had been healing.
Feng Yue stood up as he approached, her color having returned to her face, though she still looked a bit weak. She looked at the chaos erupting at the cave mouth with wide eyes.
"Feng Yue, quickly! We're leaving!" Hanyuan shouted, Lingxiao already flapping its massive wings to gain altitude.
Confused but sensing the urgency, Feng Yue whistled for her Snowy Owl and mounted it. The two spirit beasts shot into the air, leaving the sounds of the Axe Man´s curses and the Queen's screams far behind.
Half an hour later, once they were safely cruising through the sea of clouds toward the Inner Sect, Feng Yue pulled her owl alongside Lingxiao. She looked at Hanyuan, her brow furrowed in a mixture of anger and bewilderment.
"Why did you flee so fast?" she demanded, brushing a stray blue hair from her face. "You left like you had just robbed the Heavens! Who were those people?"
Hanyuan threw his head back and laughed, a bright, triumphant sound that echoed over the clouds. "The Spider Queen happened to clash with a hunting party from the Heavenly Frost Sect," he explained, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I figured it was best if we vanished. I don't think those disciples would have appreciated a friendly chat after I led a 4th Layer Spider Queen into their laps."
Feng Yue stared at him, her jaw dropping slightly as she realized the sheer audacity of his gamble. She raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at her own lips despite herself. "You... you used a rival sect as a distraction? That's incredibly reckless, Hanyuan."
She paused, her gaze flicking to his storage ring. "What about the mission? Did you find what we came for, or did we just narrowly avoid being eaten for a joke?"
"Haha, no problem there," Hanyuan laughed, tapping his ring. "I got them. Five Frozen Bone Marrow Crystals are sitting right here. Not to mention a few other... unexpected bonuses."
He thought of the 115 Mid grade spirit stones and the Tier 2 spider carcasses tucked away in the ring. The mission payout was only 25 stones each, but his total profit for the day had soared into the triple digits.
The flight back to the Inner Sect was serene compared to the chaotic battle in the valley. The wind whistled past Hanyuan's ears as Lingxiao glided through the golden hour, the sun setting behind the floating islands and painting the cloud sea in fire. Beside him, Feng Yue sat atop her Snowy Owl, her expression contemplative. She occasionally stole glances at Hanyuan, her mind clearly replaying the moment he had carried her out of the cave,the feeling of his Qi shielding her while she was helpless.
They descended upon the Ascension Island and headed straight to the Mission Hall, their arrival causing a stir as the frost heavy aura of the valley still clung to their robes.
The Deacon behind the counter took the five Frozen Bone Marrow Crystals. The stones emitted a thick, bone chilling mist that instantly frosted the polished wooden surface of his desk.
"The mission was a success," the Deacon noted, his eyes scanning the purity of the crystals. He tapped their amethyst jades against the recording array. "Twenty five Mid-grade spirit stones have been credited to each of you."
Hanyuan then tapped his storage ring. With a series of dull thuds, twenty-three Tier 2 Frozen Bone Spider carcasses materialized on the hall floor. The pile was so large it forced other disciples to step back in alarm.
"We would like to sell the materials from these as well," Hanyuan said, his voice calm despite the gruesome display.
The Deacon adjusted his spectacles, sighing as he moved through the pile to analyze the carapaces. "You certainly were thorough. However," he pointed to a few crushed heads and frozen shattered legs, "many of these are not in good condition. The frost damage and blunt force impact have ruined the silk glands and some of the leg blades. I can give you each fifteen Mid grade spirit stones for this lot."
Hanyuan didn't haggle. Fifteen stones was a fair price for carcasses he had essentially used as target practice.
Once the payouts were finalized, the two youths stepped out into the night air. After the bonus from the carcasses and his mission reward, Hanyuan checked his storage ring. Added to his previous savings and the stones he had scavenged from the Golden Saber skeletons, his total wealth had reached 175 Mid grade spirit stones.
Feng Yue turned to him as her owl shrieked from a nearby pillar. "I'm going back to the Sapphire District to properly purge the remaining toxin from my meridians," she said, her voice softer than usual.
Hanyuan watched her fly away before mounting Lingxiao and heading back to the Crest-Cloud District.
He landed alone on his estate, the only sound the distant roar of the waterfall. After feeding Lingxiao a hearty portion of spirit meat from the valley, Hanyuan walked into his garden. He sat cross legged near the turquoise pond, the 175 stones in his ring feeling like a heavy, golden Future.
"One hundred and seventy five..." Hanyuan thought, his obsidian eyes reflecting the stars.
He closed his eyes and began to circulate his Qi.The spiritual energy of the peak rushed into his body like a roaring river. His Mortal Core spun with terrifying speed, refining the energy and compressing it into the dense energy required for the next stage.