Free Web NovelChapter 59: Chapter 59: Treasure-Seeking Mink
When he first heard the practical exam involved killing Demonized Beasts, Zhang Chi had suspected his Jade Pendant would be useful.
However, the Sect had not announced the test location in advance, in order to prevent cheating.
It wasn’t until today that he could finally confirm it.
This wasn’t just a stroke of luck for Zhang Chi, though. The Sect’s decision to have its disciples train in a place like this was part of a far-sighted plan.
Zhang Chi immediately took out an Ink Silver Mask and a Conical Hat, putting them on. He changed into a Black Silkworm Silk Robe, altered his aura, and summoned a small Flying Boat, flying off toward the depths of the Grand Canyon.
The entrance to the canyon was over ten miles wide. Even with the large number of Sect Disciples, the area was deserted once inside, so Zhang Chi wasn’t worried about anyone seeing him put on his disguise.
Of course, if anyone were to see him using a Flying Boat, their jaws would drop.
Flying here would make one an instant target for Demon Beasts, as conspicuous as a light in the dead of night.
But Zhang Chi wasn’t afraid. With the help of his Jade Pendant and the cover of the Demonic Qi, he could even evade a Foundation Establishment Demon Beast before it noticed him.
SWOOSH...
Zhang Chi slapped his Spirit Beast Bag, releasing all the Four-legged Spirit Snakes.
The Spirit Snakes split into two groups. Two of them followed along the ground below, helping to patrol the area.
The others remained behind, lying in ambush.
Of course, unlike him, these Four-legged Spirit Snakes could not simply ignore the Demonic Qi.
However, under the control of his Spirit Contract, they would be fine for a short time. At worst, they would just become a bit more ferocious.
—
"Huh? Where’d that kid go? How did he get away so fast?"
"Does he know we’re after him?"
"It doesn’t matter. Whether he knows or not, he can’t move too fast in here. We’ll catch up to him sooner or later!"
Just as Zhang Chi disappeared into the black mist, eight Outer Disciples arrived.
They looked all around but found nothing, their faces a mixture of surprise and disappointment.
They then split into pairs and fanned out to search.
But what they didn’t know was that four Spirit Snakes were secretly tracking them from the shadows.
— freēwēbηovel.c૦m
’So the Xie Family really hasn’t given up. In that case, don’t blame me for what comes next!’
On his Flying Boat in the distance, Zhang Chi instantly knew someone was looking for him through his connection to the Spirit Snakes.
However, the Spirit Snakes’ intelligence was no match for a human’s, so he couldn’t see the specifics through them or determine who his pursuers were.
Still, it only took a moment’s thought for him to guess the truth, and killing intent surged within him.
’If I kill them right after they followed me in, Xie Yu will definitely suspect me. I’ll let them live for a few more days. It’s a good chance to have them collect some Demon Beast Materials for me.’
After a moment’s thought, Zhang Chi made his decision.
He had clearly anticipated they would make a move, which was why he had left those Spirit Snakes behind.
He obviously didn’t care about the Jade Tokens issued by the Sect.
All he needed to do was gravely injure his opponents and then use the Demonized Beasts to finish them off.
They most likely had the same plan for him.
—
"Senior Brother Lü, with so many Demon Beasts and such dense Demonic Qi, do you think there will be any problems?"
On the deck of a Floating Airship outside the canyon, seven Foundation Establishment Stewards in charge of the exam stood at the bow, gazing at the Grand Canyon ahead. One of them couldn’t help but worry.
That person was Xie Yu.
"It’s fine. The sheer number of Demon Beasts is indeed abnormal, but we’ve already investigated. There are no Demon Cultivators here. Of course, it’s possible there were some, but our arrival scared them off."
"So rest assured!"
Senior Brother Lü, a white-haired elder, smiled faintly at his words.
The other Foundation Establishment cultivators didn’t seem too concerned either.
Once all the disciples were inside, they steered the Floating Airship toward the western side of the canyon.
—
"Martial Uncle, a bunch of brats from outside are killing the Demon Beasts we’ve been raising!"
"Let’s go out and kill them! This is outrageous!"
Deep within the canyon lay a hidden cave. Its entrance was concealed, and an Array had been laid, making it appear completely normal from the outside.
Inside, however, the cave was brightly lit, occupied by over a hundred Black-robed Cultivators with sinister auras, their bodies wreathed in black qi.
One of them, a barefoot brute in Beast Hide at the Qi Cultivation Peak, addressed the leading Black-robed Cultivator, his voice booming like a great bell.
The leading cultivator was gaunt and aged, but his aura was powerful. Seated high upon a tiger-skin chair, he was clearly a powerful expert at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.
"Bullshit! You idiot, do you have a death wish? Those are Outer Disciples of the Cangwu Sect! Are they people we can afford to provoke? If you want to go, go yourself! Don’t drag the rest of us down with you!"
The Foundation Establishment Elder’s eyes bulged as he heard this, and he immediately started shouting.
"What’s so great about the Cangwu Sect? You think our Spirit Control Sect is inferior?"
The barefoot brute retorted, unconvinced.
"The Spirit Control Sect is a great Sect, but our headquarters is in Yuan Bei! This is Yuan South, understand? You moron!"
The black-robed Foundation Establishment Elder grew increasingly impatient.
"Hehe, Martial Uncle, please calm down. Senior Brother is only thinking of the Sect’s interests, he’s just not very bright."
"Senior Brother, don’t be rash. It’s no great loss if a few Low Tier Demon Beasts are killed. We just need to lie low for a while until they leave."
"After that, with our Sect’s methods, it will be easy to find a new location to gather and raise another batch of Demonized Beasts."
Just then, a petite, beautiful, black-robed young woman with a stunning figure spoke up with a placating smile.
"Xuan’Er is still the sensible one, always prioritizing the Sect’s grand plan. All right, we’ll wait patiently. No one can find us here anyway!"
Only then did a smile appear on the black-robed elder’s face.
—
Somewhere in the eastern part of the canyon, a Tier One Early Stage black Demon Leopard lay crouched in the grass.
The leopard was ten feet long, with blood-red eyes and sharp claws and fangs. It looked incredibly fierce.
CRACK!
The next moment, a streak of black Sword Light shot past.
Before the black leopard could react, its skull was pierced, and it dropped dead on the spot.
A small Flying Boat then flew over, carrying a tall young man wearing a Conical Hat and a mask. It was Zhang Chi.
He performed the Exorcism Technique, spreading his fingers and grasping at the air, immediately pulling the leopard’s corpse toward him.
He then began to process the Demon Leopard’s corpse while piloting the Flying Boat onward.
Along the way, he would occasionally strike with his sword, always killing a Demon Beast before it could even sense his presence.
This black leopard was the seventh Demonized Beast he had killed.
According to the Sect’s rules, one only needed to kill a single beast and reach the canyon’s western exit to pass the exam.
He had already exceeded the requirement several times over.
But he didn’t stop.
After all, every part of these Demon Beasts was a treasure.
He would never normally be able to find so many, especially not so many Low Tier ones.
And he would never have found a place as good as the Black Mist Canyon on his own.
—
"Junior Brothers and Sisters, attack with me!"
Elsewhere in the eastern canyon, a group of Outer Disciples had just spotted a Demon Beast—a Cyan Wolf.
A valiant-looking young woman at the head of the group gave a boisterous command, and the crowd of Outer Disciples attacked as one.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Cyan Wolf was instantly bombarded by a multicolored barrage of light, blasted into an unrecognizable state without any chance to get close.
Three members of the team immediately stepped forward to collect the Demon Pill and other Demon Beast Materials.
These three were none other than Qin Susu, He Shi, and He Yan.
"What a waste!"
Looking at the heavily damaged corpse of the Demon Beast, Qin Susu and the others felt a twinge of regret but said nothing more.
"Congratulations on taking down the first Demon Beast, Senior Sister Chen."
"Exactly! You’re amazing, Senior Sister Chen! With your leadership and the help of the Treasure-Seeking Mink, we’re sure to return loaded with treasures!"
The others chimed in, showering the young woman with compliments.
"Hahaha, not at all, it was a team effort!"
The young woman was none other than Chen Ling’Er. She feigned modesty, but couldn’t keep the smile off her face.
On her shoulder sat a small, white Spirit Beast—a mink. It was this creature that had discovered the Cyan Wolf.
