The Great Elder was stationed in Pingyang City, guarding this critical location. To avoid being ambushed and killed before he had a chance to activate the city's protective formation, he had always kept the Nine Deflection Bell by his side.
This time, to increase their chances of success, the group not only brought along the Fiery Sun Heavenly Fire Flags but also decided to request the Nine Deflection Bell for their mission.
Early the next morning, the five of them departed from Qingyuan Mountain. On the way, they stopped at Pingyang City to retrieve the Nine Deflection Bell and then headed toward the Qingyang Sect.
The Qingyang Sect's mountain gate was located in Qingzhou, deep in the heart of Chu Kingdom, approximately two hundred thousand miles away from Yu County.
The group traveled non-stop for nearly half a year before finally arriving at the sect's entrance.
Upon reaching the Qingyang Sect, they met Chen Qingyuan. Having left the family over twenty years ago, Chen Qingyuan initially felt a bit estranged. Noticing their exhaustion, he quickly invited them inside to rest.
Seeing the weariness on their faces, this youngest elder of the Qing generation smiled wryly.
"Because of my situation, I've troubled you all to travel so far to help me. I feel deeply ashamed."
"No need to say that," the Third Elder said, shaking his head.
"You come from the family; the family is your foundation and your strongest support."
The Second Elder, who had watched Chen Qingyuan grow up, asked with concern, "How have you been all these years in the Qingyang Sect?"
Hearing their words of care, Chen Qingyuan couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat. He fought back his emotions and refrained from speaking further.
Seeing this, the others exchanged glances and refrained from asking more.
They all knew well enough about the Qingyang Sect's current state. Ever since the previous sect leader passed away a century ago, the sect had undergone significant changes.
The current leader, Patriarch Xu, had schemed against his senior brother to seize power, setting a precedent of corruption that trickled down through the sect.
After taking control, Patriarch Xu drained the sect's treasury to purchase a Golden Core Pill and successfully broke through to the Golden Core realm, securing the sect's foundation—though whether this was a good or bad outcome remained uncertain.
In such an environment, cultivators like Chen Qingyuan, who lacked strong backing, were unlikely to have had an easy time.
The Second Elder could only offer words of comfort:
"Just endure a little longer. Once you break through to Foundation Establishment, things will get much easier."
After chatting briefly and catching up on the major events that had occurred in the family over the years, an hour passed.
Sensing an opportunity, Elian brought up the subject.
"Have you decided which beast to target for the mission?"
Chen Qingyuan shook his head with a bitter smile.
"In the past, we could choose which beast to hunt, but this year, Elder Wei, who oversees the distribution of Foundation Establishment Pills, changed the rules and directly assigned the tasks."
"They claimed that because only three furnaces of Foundation Establishment Pills were refined this year, the supply is lower than usual, so they increased the difficulty of the tasks."
After speaking, he handed over a bamboo tube. The group examined the contents, and their expressions turned grim.
Chen Qingyuan's assigned target was a second-tier Blue-Patterned Ape. While not the strongest of second-tier beasts, it was no easy opponent.
This was because Blue-Patterned Apes were social creatures. Any clan capable of producing a second-tier ape typically consisted of at least a hundred Qi Refining-level apes.
To slay a Foundation Establishment-level Blue-Patterned Ape, Chen Qingyuan would likely face the threat of a hundred lesser apes swarming to its aid—a daunting task.
"It seems someone in the Qingyang Sect has their eyes on Qingyuan's Foundation Establishment Pill," the Fourth Elder said with a scowl.
"Why don't we wait another ten years? Perhaps the supply will be higher, and the tasks less demanding."
"Competing for a Foundation Establishment Pill is never easy," the Second Elder, Chen Qinghe, countered.
"And how many decades does a cultivator have? Hesitation now might lead to lifelong regret later."
Chen Qingyuan considered this and said hesitantly,
"The Blue-Patterned Ape is indeed too dangerous. Perhaps it's better to wait ten years. It might be easier then."
Elian glanced at the group before speaking decisively.
"There's no need for hesitation. While the Blue-Patterned Ape is formidable, we are not without options. If all else fails, I still have a Fiery Sun Divine Flame Talisman."
Hearing this, the group visibly relaxed. With the Fiery Sun Divine Flame Talisman as a backup, they would even dare to challenge a second-tier mid-grade beast, let alone a second-tier low-grade one like the Blue-Patterned Ape.
With their decision made, they set off to complete the task.
The Qingyang Sect's location in the heart of Chu Kingdom meant that second-tier beasts were relatively rare in the area. Finding a specific Foundation Establishment-level beast wasn't easy.
Fortunately, the sect had already scouted the location. After two months of travel, the group finally reached the Blue-Patterned Apes' lair.
The apes inhabited a remote and rarely visited mountain range, occupying a spiritual vein and evidently thriving for many years.
The group scouted the area before convening to discuss their strategy.
The Third Elder spoke first.
"I counted a total of 113 Blue-Patterned Apes. Among them is one Foundation Establishment-level leader and nine late-stage Qi Refining apes. The rest pose little threat."
Elian closed his eyes briefly to recall the terrain, then used a stick to draw a rough map of the area on the ground.
"With their numbers and strength, a direct confrontation would be unwise," he said.
"However, their intelligence is low. We can attempt to pick them off gradually."
He circled a valley on the map with his stick and smiled.
"This area has treacherous terrain. If we lure them here and block the entrance, we can trap them in a Fiery Sun Heavenly Fire Formation and pick them off."
"Excellent idea," the others agreed unanimously, and the Third Elder added,
"Let's begin preparations."
To ensure their chances of success, the group modified the terrain.
They worked tirelessly, using flying swords and magical tools to reshape the valley and set up formation flags. Exhausted, they finally stopped to rest.
The next day, they began their operation.
They entered the Blue-Patterned Apes' territory, quietly targeting stragglers.
However, as the apes were social creatures, it didn't take long for their actions to be noticed. After slaying three or four apes, a group of apes began chasing them.
The group retreated quickly, running over ten miles before Elian noticed only a dozen apes had followed them.
"Let's take them out first," he said decisively.
With that, he unleashed the Greenleaf Sword, cutting one Blue-Patterned Ape in half.
The group of late-stage Qi Refining cultivators attacked together, and within moments, the dozen apes lay dead.
"Not bad," Elian said with a smile. "Let's keep going."
The group repeated their strategy, returning to the apes' territory to lure and eliminate more of their numbers.
...
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