The Great Elder was responsible for guarding the vital region of Pingyang County. To prevent being ambushed before he had time to activate the city's defensive array, he had carried the Nine-Yi Bell with him for many years, never letting it leave his side.
For this mission, however, the group wanted every possible advantage. Not only did they bring the Blazing Sun Fire Flags, but they also decided to borrow the Nine-Yi Bell.
The next morning, the five of them set out from Qingyuan Mountain, passed through Pingyang County to obtain the Nine-Yi Bell, and then headed toward Qingyang Sect.
The sect's mountain gate lay deep within Qingzhou, far in the heartlands of Chu—over two hundred thousand li from Yu Prefecture.
They pushed on day and night, and after nearly half a year of travel, finally arrived at the gates of Qingyang Sect.
There, they met Chen Qingyuan. After more than twenty years away from the clan, he was visibly awkward at first. Seeing how exhausted they all were, he hurriedly invited them inside.
Looking at the five travel-worn elders, the youngest member of their generation gave a strained smile."For my matter to trouble the elders into traveling so far… I truly feel ashamed."
"No need for that," the Third Elder said, shaking his head. "You come from the Chen Clan. No matter where you go, the clan is your root—your strongest support."
Second Elder, who had watched Qingyuan grow up, asked with concern, "How have you been living here all these years?"
Hearing their genuine care, Chen Qingyuan's eyes reddened, but he forced the emotion down.
Seeing this, the others exchanged glances and tactfully said no more.
They all understood what life in Qingyang Sect must've been like. Ever since the previous sect master passed away a century ago, the sect had changed for the worse.
The current master, Elder Xu, had schemed against his own senior brother to seize power. Naturally, the entire sect became crooked from top to bottom.
And though Xu later used up the entire sect treasury to purchase Golden Core materials and forcefully break through to the Core Formation realm—preserving the sect's foundation—it was unclear whether this was a blessing or a curse.
In such a sect, it was easy to imagine how hard life must be for someone like Chen Qingyuan, who had no powerful backer behind him.
Second Elder let out a sigh."Endure a little longer. Once you form your Foundation, things will change."
They shared clan news and talked for almost an hour.
At the right moment, Chen Nianzhi finally asked,"Regarding the beast-hunting mission… which target did you choose?"
Chen Qingyuan gave a bitter smile."In previous years, we could choose. But this time, Elder Wei—the one in charge of distributing Foundation Pills—changed the rules. He assigned us the targets directly."
"He said that because only three furnaces of pills were refined this time, there are fewer pills than usual—so the challenge has been increased to 'match the rarity.'"
He handed them a bamboo tube. After a glance, all their expressions darkened.
Chen Qingyuan's assigned target was a Tier-2 Blue-Patterned Ape.
Not the strongest Tier-2 beast—but never an easy one.
Because Blue-Patterned Apes are group beasts.
Any tribe capable of producing a Tier-2 leader typically had over a hundred Qi-training apes.
Chen Qingyuan had to slay the Foundation-stage alpha. But he might first have to survive the onslaught of a hundred enraged apes.
A nightmare of a task.
Fourth Elder's face stiffened."So it's true—someone in Qingyang Sect definitely wants Qingyuan's Foundation Pill. Should we wait ten more years? Maybe next time the pills will be more plentiful, and the task easier."
"No Foundation Pill contest is ever easy," Second Elder shook his head."And how many decades does a cultivator have? Miss this chance now, and he may regret it for life."
Chen Qingyuan hesitated, then said softly,"The Blue-Patterned Apes are too dangerous… maybe we should wait ten years."
Chen Nianzhi looked at everyone and said decisively,
"No need to hesitate. The Blue-Patterned Apes are strong, but we're not without options. If needed, I still have the Blazing Sun Divine Fire Talisman."
Everyone let out a subtle breath of relief.With that talisman as a final trump card, even mid-tier Tier-2 beasts weren't impossible to challenge—let alone a lower-tier one like the Blue-Patterned Ape.
The decision was made.
They set out immediately.
Blue-Patterned Apes were rare in the heartlands of Chu. Finding a specific Foundation-stage beast was difficult.
But since this was a sect-issued mission, Qingyang Sect had already scouted the location.
After two months of travel, the six finally reached the mountains where the ape tribe lived.
The apes occupied a remote mountain range, having long since claimed a spirit vein as their territory. Their thriving numbers suggested many generations of growth.
Before approaching, the group carefully scouted the terrain and regrouped to discuss.
"I counted them," Third Elder reported."There are exactly 113 apes. Aside from the Foundation-stage leader, there are nine late-stage Qi-training apes. The rest are manageable."
Chen Nianzhi closed his eyes, recalling the terrain, then used a stick to draw a rough map on the ground.
"The ape numbers are high, and their strength isn't trivial. A direct assault would be foolish."
"But their intelligence is low. We can split them up and defeat them in batches."
He circled a narrow mountain valley on the map.
"The terrain here is steep. If we lure them in, block the mouth of the valley, and set down the Blazing Sun Fire Formation… we can trap them like beasts in a jar."
"Excellent idea."
With a unified decision, they began preparations.
They spent the rest of the day reshaping the terrain—flying swords cutting stone, clearing obstacles, and planting formation flags. By the time they were done, all of them were exhausted.
Only after resting a full night to recover their mana did they begin the operation.
They entered the apes' territory and started silently picking off isolated apes.
But Blue-Patterned Apes were highly social. After three or four kills, the tribe noticed and a group gave chase.
The six retreated for several miles. When Chen Nianzhi realized only a dozen apes were pursuing them, he immediately turned around.
"We kill these first."
Before the words finished leaving his mouth, he summoned the Azure-Leaf Sword and split an ape cleanly in half.
With several late-stage Qi-training cultivators attacking together, it took only moments to slaughter all the apes.
"Not bad," Chen said with a smile."A good start. Again."
And just like that, they repeated the tactic—returning into the apes' territory to lure out and eliminate small groups one after another.