The Demon Lord's persona must not be ruined!

Chu Yuan has been here for three days and has already figured out the rules pretty well.

Inner disciples need contribution points, which are earned by completing tasks.

The Heavenly Holy Water requires 1,000 contribution points and inner sect status to exchange for.

He's currently an outer disciple, so his status is easy to manage; he'll naturally be promoted after a few months. But the 1,000 contribution points are a big problem.

Yun Qingyao has been unusually quiet these past few days.

This girl used to chatter in his ear all the time, asking him all sorts of questions.

Now, things have gotten worse. Every now and then, they look at him with a strange gaze, as if he were some rare and precious object.

Chu Yuan knew what she was thinking.

Mingzhen and the other four old men called him in for questioning, and when he came out, they gave him a bottle of Foundation Establishment Pills.

Yun Qingyao must be puzzled.

He wasn't one of these people's disciples.

Let her wonder; she can't guess anyway.

On the morning of the fourth day, Chu Yuan was sunbathing in the courtyard when he suddenly heard a commotion outside.

"The Mission Hall has released a new mission!"

"I heard the reward is 500 contribution points!"

"Really? Let's go!"

Chu Yuan's eyes lit up, and he got up and walked out.

Five hundred contribution points? If I finish this one and then do another, I'll have a thousand.

A crowd had already gathered at the entrance of the mission hall.

Chu Yuan squeezed in and looked up at the jade slip on the wall.

[Mission: Clean up the stronghold of heretical cultivators in southern Xinjiang]

Location: 300 li south of Black Wind Ridge, abandoned ruins

[Reward: 500 Contribution Points]

[Note: There are reports of heretical practices in this area, suspected to be related to demonic cultivation. It is recommended to go in a group.]

Is it suspected to be related to the demonic path?

Chu Yuan's lips twitched.

These days, everyone blames everything on the demonic path.

But the 500 contribution points are real, so who cares about evil cultivators or demonic cultivators, I'll do it.

Just as he was about to step forward to register, a hand suddenly reached out from the side and snatched the jade slip away.

"I'll take this task."

Chu Yuan turned his head and saw a young man dressed in the robes of an inner disciple. He was fair-skinned, with his chin held high and his eyes practically reaching the top of his head.

When the surrounding disciples saw it was him, they immediately began to whisper among themselves.

"Zhou Hao? It's him again?"

"This guy always snatches the best missions; he was the one who took on the 300 contribution points mission last month."

"He's Elder Zhou's personal disciple, who would dare to compete with him?"

Chu Yuan narrowed his eyes.

Zhou Hao?

The guy Li Han mentioned?

Li Han had mentioned while drinking that day that Zhou Hao was the most troublesome person in the outer sect.

Relying on his status as Elder Zhou's nephew and personal disciple, he acted arrogantly and domineeringly, always snatching the best missions. He would cause trouble for anyone who accepted a mission from him, making everyone afraid to compete with him.

Chu Yuan looked at the jade slip in Zhou Hao's hand and felt a bit of a headache.

Tasks that cost 500 contribution points are rare; if you miss this one, who knows when the next one will come around.

His mind raced, and he suddenly sighed, turning to walk away.

Zhou Hao was feeling quite pleased with himself, but he was taken aback when he saw him leave so decisively.

Hey, you there, stop right there.

Chu Yuan stopped, turned around and looked at him, his face blank:

"Did my senior brother call me?"

Zhou Hao looked him up and down:

"You were also thinking of taking this mission?"

Chu Yuan nodded, then shook his head:

"I was thinking about it just now, but I'm not thinking about it now."

Zhou Hao raised an eyebrow:

Why?

Chu Yuan scratched his head and lowered his voice:

"Senior brother, let me tell you something. I heard about this mission yesterday. That place is incredibly eerie. Several groups of people who went to investigate never came back, which is why the reward was increased to five hundred. With my current cultivation level, going there would be suicide."

Zhou Hao's expression changed:

"Hasn't he come back?"

Chu Yuan nodded, his face sincere:

"Really, I'm not lying to you. Senior brother, your cultivation is high, you'll definitely be fine if you go, so I won't join in the fun."

After saying that, he cupped his hands in greeting, turned around, and left.

Zhou Hao stood there, his face turning pale and then flushed.

He stared at the jade slip in his hand for a long time, then looked at the disciples around him watching the spectacle with wide eyes, and suddenly slammed the jade slip on the table.

"This task... I've thought about it carefully, and I think I'll give it to you poor bastards."

After saying that, he turned and left, walking much faster than when he came.

The surrounding disciples were stunned for two seconds, then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, Zhou Hao chickened out!"

"Senior Brother Yuan is awesome! He scared them away with just three sentences!"

"Senior Brother Yuan, how did you know that place was eerie?"

Chu Yuan looked completely innocent:

"I heard it from someone."

He hadn't heard anyone say that.

He had no idea what the situation was like there, but to scare people, he just had to exaggerate the severity of the situation.

Anyway, given Zhou Hao's character, he'd definitely value his life.

Chu Yuan walked to the mission platform, picked up the jade slip, and registered his name.

"Yuan Shu, outer disciple, has accepted the mission 'Clean up the stronghold of heretical cultivators in the southern border region'."

The disciple in charge glanced at him and handed him a token:

"The mission has a ten-day deadline. Go."

Chu Yuan took the token and turned to leave when he saw Yun Qingyao standing in the crowd, looking at him with bright eyes.

"Senior Brother Yuan!"

She squeezed through the crowd and grabbed Chu Yuan's sleeve:

"I'm going too!"

Chu Yuan didn't even think about it:

"no."

Yun Qingyao blinked:

"Why not?"

"You're only at the Qi Refining stage; you'll only hold everyone back."

Yun Qingyao looked unconvinced:

"Who says I'm holding us back? I'm amazing!"

Chu Yuan rolled his eyes.

Impressive? Of course you're impressive. How could someone at the Tribulation Transcending stage not be impressive?

But he couldn't say it; he could only keep a straight face.

"No means no."

Yun Qingyao suddenly laughed, leaned closer and lowered her voice:

"Senior Brother Yuan, it's too dangerous for you to go alone. I'll protect you!"

Looking at her innocent face, Chu Yuan mentally ranted.

Will you protect me?

You'd love for me to die sooner, wouldn't you?

But then he thought again...

This girl is at the Tribulation Transcending Stage.

How many people in the entire Cangxuan Realm can defeat her?

With her by my side, the safety factor is immediately maximized.

Even if she really wanted to harm me, that would be something to do after I arrived at the Heavenly Dao Sect. Right now, she's still relying on me to cover her identity.

Chu Yuan was silent for two seconds, then nodded:

"Alright."

Yun Qingyao's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"real."

"Great! When do we leave?"

"First thing tomorrow morning."

That evening, Chu Yuan was packing his things when there was a knock on the door.

When I opened the door, I saw Li Han standing there, holding an oil paper package in his hand.

"Junior Brother Yuan, still awake?"

Chu Yuan let him in:

"What brings Senior Brother Li here?"

Li Han placed the oil paper package on the table, opened it, and inside were several pieces of braised beef and a pot of wine.

"I'm going on a mission tomorrow, so I've come to see you off."

Chu Yuan smiled:

"Senior Brother Li is very kind."

The two sat down, and Li Han took out a yellowed animal hide from his pocket and handed it to Chu Yuan.

"What is this?"

"map."

Li Han lowered his voice:

"I had someone draw this out; it shows the terrain of that place. I've heard that the ruins are very eerie; many people who go in never come out. Be careful."

Chu Yuan took the map, unfolded it, and looked at it.

The drawing is quite detailed, showing the entrance to the ruins, the three-story structure, and several places marked "dangerous".

He looked up at Li Han, his eyes filled with a complex emotion.

"Senior Brother Li, why are you so good to me?"

Li Han paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Back in the White Bone Hall incident, if it weren't for you, we might have all perished." He picked up his wine cup and took a sip. "Besides, we're both from the Heavenly Dao Sect, who else would I help if not you?"

Chu Yuan remained silent for two seconds.

This kid really thinks he's one of us.

The key point is that he wasn't faking it; he genuinely thought so.

Chu Yuan suddenly felt a pang of emotion.

People on the righteous path are sometimes easier to fool than those on the demonic path.

"Senior Brother Li," Chu Yuan raised his wine cup, "this cup is for you."

Li Han touched his glass with him and downed it in one gulp.

Setting down his wine glass, Li Han suddenly stared at Chu Yuan with a somewhat complicated expression.

"Junior Brother Yuan, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

Chu Yuan raised an eyebrow:

"you say."

Li Han hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice:

"I always felt that you were different... not in a bad way, just... different from most people."

Chu Yuan's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained expressionless:

"What's different?"

Li Han shook his head:

"I can't quite put my finger on it. But the feeling you give me isn't that of an ordinary rogue cultivator."

He paused, stood up, and patted Chu Yuan on the shoulder:

"But whoever you are, take care."

After saying that, he turned and left without giving Chu Yuan a chance to speak.

Chu Yuan watched his figure disappear into the night, looked down at the map in his hand, and suddenly smiled.

That kid is really something.

When you kill him in the future, at least leave him with a complete corpse.

Just kidding.

Let's try to win over the demonic path!

Cultivate a confidant...

The next morning, Chu Yuan and Yun Qingyao left the mountain gate.

Yun Qingyao changed into a neat and stylish outfit today, tied her hair into a high ponytail, and carried a small bundle on her back. She really looked the part.

"Senior Brother Yuan, how do we get there?"

Chu Yuan took out a talisman from his pocket and tossed it into the air.

The talisman transformed into a ray of light, and upon landing, it had become a small boat the size of a palm.

Yun Qingyao blinked:

"What is this?"

"A replica of the Void-Crossing Divine Ship; it can only fly, and its speed is decent."

Chu Yuan jumped onto the small boat. "Come on up."

Yun Qingyao jumped on after her, touching and looking around with great curiosity.

The small boat transformed into a streak of light and soared into the sky.

Chu Yuan stood at the bow of the ship, looking at the sea of ​​clouds below, when he suddenly remembered something.

Youyue should be nearby right now.

That girl must have been secretly following him again.

He glanced back; there was nothing in the clouds, but he knew that Youyue was there.

One cultivator at the Tribulation Transcending stage openly protected the other, while another at the Tribulation Transcending stage secretly followed.

This lineup is enough to take down not only evil cultivator strongholds, but also the main hall of the Heavenly Dao Sect.

The airship traveled through the miasma of southern Xinjiang for two hours before finally seeing its destination.

A dilapidated stone ruin lies in the valley, half of it collapsed and overgrown with weeds.

Chu Yuan landed the flying boat and stood at the entrance of the ruins, glancing at it twice.

"Is this the stronghold of that heretical cultivator?"

Yun Qingyao leaned closer and peered inside:

"It doesn't look like anyone lives here."

Chu Yuan nodded.

It certainly doesn't look like it.

This place has been abandoned for at least a hundred years. The weeds have grown into saplings. Where would such an evil cultivator come from?

Youyue's voice came silently:

"Master, there's a seal!"

Chu Yuan narrowed his eyes.

Is there a seal in this wretched place?

"Let's go in and take a look."

The two walked in, stepping on the gravel.

The ruins are even more dilapidated inside than they appear from the outside, with collapsed stone pillars and broken bricks everywhere.

But after walking a few dozen steps, Chu Yuan realized something was wrong.

Runes began to appear on the wall.

The densely packed runes, neatly and precisely engraved, are clearly the work of a master.

As you walk further ahead, the view suddenly opens up.

An underground palace appeared before them, completely different from the dilapidated state of the outside.

The stone walls were as smooth as a mirror, the runes shimmering with a faint light, and the ground was paved with neat rows of bluestone bricks, so clean it looked as if someone cleaned it every day.

Yun Qingyao paused for a moment.

It happened in a flash, but Chu Yuan noticed it.

He turned to look at her.

Yun Qingyao's face still had that innocent and carefree expression, but something was off about her eyes.

Chu Yuan knew what was going on, and deliberately asked:

"Junior Sister Yun recognizes these runes?"

Yun Qingyao shook her head rapidly:

"I don't know it! It's just a little scary, it's all dark."

Chu Yuan nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

It would be strange if you didn't recognize me.

That expression clearly showed they knew each other.

But he didn't say anything and continued walking forward.

Just as we rounded a bend, we suddenly heard the sounds of fighting ahead.

"Bang!"

"boom!"

There were also shouts from people:

"Senior sister, watch out! To the left!"

Chu Yuan paused, exchanged a glance with Yun Qingyao, and the two quietly crept over.

Deep within the underground palace, in a stone hall, five people were being attacked by a group of stone golems.

Each of those stone golems was as tall as two people. Although they moved slowly, they were incredibly strong. One punch from one of them would leave a crater in the ground.

The five people who were surrounded were three women and two men, and they were wearing clothes that Chu Yuan recognized.

Disciples of Hundred Flowers Valley.

The girl in the light green dress who was leading the group was Zhao Lian.

Chu Yuan was amused.

He's an old acquaintance.

Back in the White Bone Hall, this girl was an undercover agent with him, they were surrounded by the Blood Blade Sect together, and their identities were exposed together.

I never expected to run into him here again.

Zhao Lian was being chased by three puppets at the moment, looking quite disheveled, with his hair all messed up and his face covered in ash.

"Senior sister! I can't hold on any longer!"

A disciple of Hundred Flowers Valley shouted.

"We have to hold on, even if we can't!"

Zhao Lian gritted his teeth and cleaved a puppet in two with his sword. The puppet, half-broken, shakily stood up again and continued the chase.

Chu Yuan watched for a while, then turned to look at Yun Qingyao.

Yun Qingyao blinked:

"Senior Brother Yuan, why are you looking at me like that?"

Chu Yuan said:

"Weren't you going to protect me?"

Yun Qingyao nodded:

"yes."

Chu Yuan pointed over there:

"Then you will protect me as I go to save people."

Yun Qingyao: "..."

Chu Yuan had already rushed out.

As he ran, he channeled the Vast Righteous Heart Sutra, a faint golden light emanating from his palm. He rushed in front of a puppet and struck it with his palm.

"Bang!"

The puppet wobbled, didn't break, but took a step back.

Chu Yuan shook his hand; it hurt a little.

This thing is pretty hard.

He glanced back and saw Yun Qingyao still standing there, looking at him speechlessly.

Chu Yuan shouted:

"What are you standing there for! Come and help!"

Yun Qingyao sighed, dawdled over, and casually patted him a couple of times.

With those two slaps, the puppet shattered into pieces and became completely immobile.

Chu Yuan knew exactly what was going on.

Although this girl suppressed her cultivation level, her strength was undeniable; even a casual slap from her carried the power of someone at the Tribulation Transcending stage.

But he feigned shock:

"Junior Sister Yun is incredibly strong!"

Yun Qingyao rolled her eyes:

"Stop talking nonsense, just start fighting."