Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

Chapter 398: Chapter 366: Spirit Pearl Mission (Part 2)

When Steward Hu said the mission’s danger came from people, Zhao Lin’s heart skipped a beat. He asked, "What people?"

Steward Hu didn’t answer. He pulled Zhao Lin to a corner of the hall before whispering, "The mission briefing mentioned that Red Tail Island is a disputed island between our Chenghua Sect and the Earth Dark Sect. It’s currently under our joint control."

"In reality, the Earth Dark Sect has more control. Whether on the island or in the surrounding waters, our sect is at a relative disadvantage."

"To avoid conflict and war, the two sects reached an agreement long ago to temporarily set aside the dispute and jointly develop Red Tail Island’s cultivation resources."

"They also agreed that each side can only dispatch twenty Qi Refining Realm cultivators. Neither side can send a single person more, and they certainly can’t send cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Realm or above."

"So, when you’re gathering Spirit Pearls on Red Tail Island, you won’t just find cultivators from our sect, but also people from the Earth Dark Sect. Do you understand?"

Zhao Lin naturally understood. He nodded slightly. "Brother Hu, you mean the danger comes from that pack of ambitious wolves from the Earth Dark Sect?"

Steward Hu sneered. "That’s right. That bunch of bastards."

"Once cultivators from the two sides meet under the sea, it almost always ends in a fight to the death. That’s the real danger of this mission."

Zhao Lin furrowed his brow, his expression turning grim.

The Earth Dark Sect was very close to the Chenghua Sect, separated only by a narrow stretch of sea. The two had deep historical ties, close enough to be called neighbors separated by just a narrow strip of water.

Zhao Lin had read many of the Chenghua Sect’s historical records in the Library Pavilion and had a general understanding of the surrounding sects.

The Earth Dark Sect was located on a large island east of the Chenghua Sect and had a history of about fifteen thousand years.

In its early days, the sect only had a few Qi Refining Realm cultivators who had just begun their journey. Few could successfully reach Foundation Establishment, making it a late-blooming sect in the Cultivation Realm.

Over ten thousand years ago, the Chenghua Sect was at its zenith. Its Magic and Cultivation Techniques surpassed all other sects, and none on the entire Xuanyuan Continent could rival it.

The Earth Dark Sect admired the Chenghua Sect’s teachings. Time and again, they sent envoys across the eastern sea to study their ways, even considering themselves a subordinate sect and referring to the Chenghua Sect as the "Suzerain Sect."

At that time, the Chenghua Sect had brought peace to the lands and its power was felt across the seas. It was also very open-minded, generously teaching the Earth Dark Sect many of its daoist techniques, as well as the arts of Alchemy and Artifact Refining.

It was only after this that the Earth Dark Sect gradually began to develop and grow.

Even now, over ninety percent of the Earth Dark Sect’s Magic is identical to the Chenghua Sect’s, and most of their cultivation techniques are derived from them as well.

But who could have guessed the Chenghua Sect’s kindness was completely wasted on ingrates.

The Earth Dark Sect was located on an island, frequently plagued by earthquakes and tsunamis, and sorely lacking in Spiritual Qi. They were always looking for opportunities to expand, and the vast, resource-rich Chenghua Sect was their coveted target.

So, when the Chenghua Sect fell into crisis over a thousand years ago, not only did the Earth Dark Sect not lend a helping hand, they kicked them while they were down and took advantage of the chaos.

In that great sect war, the Earth Dark Sect dispatched a large number of cultivators and ships to invade the Chenghua Sect. They conquered cities, seized territory, and slaughtered both cultivators and mortals, nearly wiping the Chenghua Sect out completely!

They revealed their true, heartless nature.

In short, they were a sect that bowed to power but not to virtue, that understood petty etiquette but lacked any sense of greater justice.

The Earth Dark Sect’s behavior stirred up some unpleasant memories from Zhao Lin’s past life, which was why he’d called them ambitious wolves.

Currently, due to territorial disputes and historical grievances, the two sects only maintained a superficial peace and communication, while secretly remaining on guard against each other.

Taking a quiet breath, Zhao Lin asked, "Senior Brother Hu, the Earth Dark Sect only has over ten thousand cultivators, while our sect has over a hundred thousand. Why can’t we even take back a single disputed island?"

"It’s not that simple."

Steward Hu shook his head gently. "First, our sect’s strategic position is very unfavorable."

"Because our territory is so vast, we face a lot of pressure. To the southwest, we have the Nanzhu Sect, which repeatedly provokes border conflicts. To the southeast, there’s the Jiaoyue Sect, which has always viewed us as a bitter enemy. And to the north, the Luosa Sect is watching us like a hungry tiger..."

"All these places require a large number of cultivators to guard them, so it’s impossible to use the sect’s full strength against the Earth Dark Sect."

"On top of that, there are sects from outside the region meddling with ill intentions, which ties our hands."

Steward Hu clenched his fist, his face full of resentment. "There’s another thing. Our sect is currently in a phase of recuperation and recovery. It’s not a good time for a major war."

"Hmph. In the end, the Earth Dark Sect is nothing but a bunch of insignificant clowns. We’ll take back Red Tail Island sooner or later!"

Zhao Lin thought for a moment and asked, "Brother Hu, you said both sides send twenty Qi Refining Realm cultivators into the sea. That sounds fair. Are we still no match for them?"

Steward Hu sighed softly. "The Earth Dark Sect is based on an island and its people have dealt with the sea for generations. As a result, they have many cultivators with Water-element Spiritual Roots, and they are quite accomplished with their Magic."

"If you’re just comparing proficiency in Water Element Skills, especially among Low Tier cultivators, they do have a slight edge."

He paused for a moment, then continued to explain, "This mission requires your Water Manipulation Skill to be at a proficient level, and your offensive magic to have reached Minor Achievement."

"But that’s just the minimum standard. In reality, it’s best if your Water Manipulation Skill has reached the Minor Achievement Level, and your offensive magic is at the Mastery level."

"Otherwise, gathering Spirit Pearls might be easy, but if you run into Earth Dark Sect cultivators, you’ll probably have a hard time surviving."

At this point, Steward Hu lowered his voice. "If you kill an Earth Dark Sect cultivator, there’s also a reward of two hundred Merit Points."

Zhao Lin’s eyebrows shot up at this. "There are Merit Points for killing Earth Dark Sect cultivators? Why isn’t that mentioned in the mission details?"

Steward Hu chuckled and waved his hand dismissively. "How could something like that be written in the mission description? After all, the two sects aren’t officially at war. We have to be mindful of the sect’s reputation."

"Junior Brother Zhao, you are a Martial Cultivator, skilled in combat. Once you reach Late-stage Qi Refining, you could try your hand on Red Tail Island and serve the sect by killing our enemies."

"But for now, I think the first two golden missions would be a safer bet."

Zhao Lin didn’t answer, instead calculating silently in his mind.

’I only have a little over two hundred Merit Points left. If I want to continue practicing the Nine Revolutions God Condensing Skill, this will only last me two months at most.’

’Not to mention cultivating in a Spirit Cave and moving my family to the commandery—all of that requires a huge amount of Merit Points.’

’This mission may be dangerous, but I have my echolocation ability, which lets me detect things from very far away in the water. Plus, my Water Manipulation Skill has already reached the Great Achievement stage.’

’There’s another benefit: gathering Spirit Pearls takes place entirely in a public area where it’s impossible for Foundation Establishment cultivators to interfere. I won’t have to worry about the Li family trying to ambush me.’

’As they say, fortune favors the bold. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.’

Zhao Lin made up his mind. In a determined voice, he said, "Brother Hu, I’ll take this mission!"

Steward Hu hadn’t expected that after all his earnest advice, Zhao Lin would still choose to face the difficulty head-on. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

"Junior Brother Zhao, are you sure you want to choose mission Gui Zi No. 6?"

Zhao Lin nodded seriously. "I’m sure. I’ll take it!"