A sunny day. The sun shone brightly, and no clouds were visible in the vast sky.
A young man in green robes, his black hair flowing gently in the wind, walked across the vast mountain range. His unusual black azure eyes gleamed under the bright sun. A sword rested at his hip, swaying slightly with each step.
As he walked, his gaze briefly lifted toward the glowing sun, its golden rays illuminating the rugged landscape around him. The only signs of life were the sparse trees scattered across the rocky terrain and a small river that quietly flowed through the mountain's base.
This place was called Stone Wolves Mountain.
Yuan had accepted one final sect mission, leading him to this remote mountain range. Unlike the others, this one held special significance. It marked the end of his active duties before entering seclusion.
At last, his preparations were complete.
For four months, he had struggled within the sect, competing for the best missions, earning enough merit coins to sustain both himself and Ming Ze. Now, that period was finally coming to an end.
During these months, Yuan hadn't found the time to personally check on Ming Ze's tea house, but he had overheard a few inner disciples talking about it.
They spoke of an outer disciple at the Peak of the Mortal Awakening Stage, one who made exceptional tea.So exceptional, in fact, that even Blood Purification Stage cultivators found it useful.
Hearing this, Yuan felt a small sense of relief.
That meant Ming Ze had already reached the peak of the Mortal Awakening Stage.
Now, all that remained was for him to break through to the Blood Purification Stage within the year.
Any further delay, and his chances of reaching the Meridian Awakening Stage would slip away.
But that wasn't all the inner disciples talked about.
According to them, Ming Ze had even begun serving a few high ranking inner disciples who were at the Meridian Awakening Stage.
That alone spoke volumes.
If Ming Ze had managed to attract Meridian Awakening Stage cultivators, then his business must have truly begun to flourish.
With just this one piece of information, Yuan could easily conclude that Ming Ze had already earned twice the amount of the reward Yuan had given him last time,perhaps even more.
That was the only news Yuan had about Ming Ze.
Aside from that, the only other noteworthy news was Li Yun's breakthrough to the Meridian Awakening Stage.
But Yuan had already expected this.
After all, Li Yun had been on the verge of breaking through five months ago. Now was the perfect time for him to advance.
With his successful breakthrough, Li Yun had now become a High Inner Sect Disciple.A rank above regular inner disciples.
Among the disciples of the Howling Wind Sect's branch sects, only Core Sect Disciples ranked higher than him.
However, being a High Inner Sect Disciple was, in some ways, even better than being a Core Sect Disciple.
Because when a new High Inner Sect Disciple emerged within the branch sect, the main sect would grant them the opportunity to take the Core Disciple Test.
If they passed, they would officially become a Core Disciple of the Main Sect, earning a far higher status within both the sect and the cultivation world.
On the other hand, branch sect Core Disciples were simply those who had failed the test.
Their potential was considered lacking, and they were deemed unworthy of reaching cultivation realms beyond the Marrow Essence Stage.
But a Core Disciple of the Main Sect?
That was an entirely different story.
Unlike the branch sect Core Disciples, a true Core Disciple of the Main Sect held a status comparable to that of a Grand Elder.Even if their cultivation realm was lower.
The Howling Wind Main Sect truly valued strength above all else.
That was the only conclusion Yuan could make about the main sect before he pushed the thought aside and continued his journey through Stone Wolves Mountain.
His current sect mission was simple.
Hunt down ten Demonic Stone Wolves and deliver their corpses to the Mission Hall.
A straightforward mission, but the problem was that Demonic Stone Wolves never traveled alone.
They always traveled in packs, ranging anywhere from thirty to forty wolves at a time.
That was the difficulty of the mission.
But thankfully, in the outer region of Stone Wolves Mountain, all the Demonic Stone Wolves were only at the Blood Purification Stage.
That meant Yuan could easily kill these Demonic Stone Wolves without much trouble.
Not only that, but this demonic beast race wasn't particularly known for its intelligence.
Unlike other demonic beasts with even mildly decent bloodlines, Demonic Stone Wolves were born with an impure lineage. They lacked bloodline memories, physical enhancements, or any inherited strength.
They were nothing more than primitive creatures, surviving purely on instinct.The lowest of the low in the demonic beast hierarchy.
Yet, despite their lack of intelligence, they had dominated the entire mountain.
Due to their lack of intelligence, their only advantage was their sheer numbers, allowing them to dominate Stone Wolves Mountain.
Because of their high numbers, most other demonic beasts had either been hunted down by the relentless packs or were forced to flee the mountain entirely.
Demonic Stone Wolves lacked a strong bloodline, and because of that, their most powerful member was a single known pack leader.
This pack leader resided at the highest peak of Stone Wolves Mountain, a Bone Forging Stage demonic beast ruling over a tribe of elite wolves.
Unlike the weaker wolves scattered across the outer regions, this demonic beast tribe had a few Meridian Awakening Stage demonic beasts among them.
However, since they only lived in the mountain's core region, they didn't bother with the wolves living in the outer region.
Those Demonic Stone Wolves were either exiles or simply too weak to be considered part of the main tribe.
Abandoned and left to survive on their own, these outcast Demonic Stone Wolves were seen as nothing more than fodder for the wild.
Soon enough, Yuan found one of these outer packs.
And today, luck was on his side.
The pack he discovered was a newly formed one, consisting of only twenty five Demonic Stone Wolves.
More importantly…
Only one of them had reached the Peak Layer of the Blood Purification Stage.
Two others were at the High Layer, while the remaining wolves were at the Early or Middle Layer.
A perfect hunting opportunity.
Yuan didn't waste time.
He immediately began searching for the perfect moment to strike.
His plan was simple.
Eliminate the pack leader first.Then, while the pack was in disarray,Slaughter the rest in a single sweep.
Even though his mission only required ten corpses, he could still sell the extras.
Or perhaps…
He could give one to Ming Ze to experiment with.
Who knows? Maybe the alchemist tea maker could create a new recipe using the demonic stone wolves blood?
Two hours passed quickly.
The twenty five wolves had finally stopped to rest.
Even the Peak Layer Stone Wolf, exhausted from its long trek, lowered itself onto the warm ground, basking under the sunlight.
It was the perfect moment.
Yuan's eyes gleamed.
It was time to strike.
Yuan seized the opportunity. In one swift motion, he drew his sword and activated Howling Gale Steps.
His figure blurred.
Before the Peak Layered Stone Wolf could even sense danger, Yuan had already appeared behind it.
Wind Cutter Slash.
A whisper of steel. A flash of light.
The wolf's head tumbled to the ground, its body crumpling lifelessly beside it.
It had died without ever realizing how.
But Yuan didn't stop there.
Channeling a bit of spiritual blood into his legs, he activated Howling Gale Steps once more, his speed exploding as he dashed toward the two High Layered Demonic Stone Wolves.
The two wolves, having just noticed their leader's death, froze in shock.
That moment of hesitation was all Yuan needed.
Wind Cutter Slash!
Two more heads fell to the ground, their bodies collapsing beside their fallen leader.
With the three strongest wolves dead, the remaining Middle and Early Layered wolves finally reacted.
They gathered themselves, preparing to attack.
But without a leader, and with almost no intelligence, their movements were nothing but mindless instinct.
They had no strategy.
No coordination.
No chance.
And so the battle became a massacre.
Blood sprayed across the grey stone ground.
The once lifeless terrain was now painted in deep crimson, the scent of iron thick in the air.
By the time the last demonic stone wolve fell, the aftermath of the battle had created a small lake of blood.
Yuan glanced at the gruesome sight before him.
Without hesitation, he retrieved a special bag of holding one designed specifically for storing demonic beast corpses.
One by one, he stored the fallen demonic stone wolves inside.
The last thing he wanted was for more Demonic Stone Wolves to catch the scent of this much blood and come swarming toward him.
So,Yuan sheathed his sword and swiftly sealed his bag of holding, storing the Demonic Stone Wolves' corpses inside.
His hands and green robe were now completely stained with blood, but he didn't care.
As he had collected all the deminic stone wolves corpses, he turned and ran, moving swiftly away from the scene.
He wanted to go to a small lake he spotted earlier while surveying the area
Upon arriving at the lake, Yuan's sharp gaze swept the surroundings.
Seeing no one nearby, he finally undressed and stepped into the cool water.
As he bathed, he washed away the blood, watching as the red stains dispersed into the water, fading into nothingness.
Once his body was completely clean, he summoned a small Azure Basilisk Flame, using it to dry himself off.
Then, without hesitation, he burned his blood soaked robe,reducing it to ashes.
From his bag of holding, he retrieved a fresh, clean green robe, dressing himself anew.
Now that his sect mission was completed it was time for his real mission.
The true reason he had come to Stone Wolves Mountain was that there are Rumors that a loose cultivator had taken residence in these mountains, creating a cultivation cave somewhere in the region.
From what Yuan had gathered and heard, this person wasn't particularly strong.
Rather than a fighting cultivator, he was an alchemist who made a living by trading pills with other cultivators.
However despite his lack of combat prowess, this loose cultivator had allegedly killed multiple infamous robbers and bandits.
An isolated alchemist, rich in resources yet lacking protection.
What better target could there be?
if he were to disappear, no one would ever really notice it,after all he was known to being in long seclutions for his cultivation.
So which robber wouldn't want to rob this alchemist filled with valuable resources,that could help someone to cultivate even higher?
A perfect target for him.