Chapter 39: The Sub-Hall

“Hmph, very well.” Sibo Rong lowered his voice and asked the black-haired elder beside him, “Old Liang, who is this kid?”

“Based on his appearance and the long spear he carries on his back, he should be Dongbo Xueying from Yishui City,” the black-haired elder whispered. “He should be only twenty-two this year. At fifteen, he single-handedly destroyed the Scimitar Alliance. Since he dared to accept this mission, he must be at least a Silver Moon Knight.”

“Twenty-two?”

Sibo Rong grew even more displeased.

He himself was already past fifty, yet now he encountered a twenty-two-year-old Silver Moon Knight. Naturally, it irked him.

“Hmph, hmpf,” Sibo Rong sneered coldly at Dongbo Xueying before sitting down nearby. The black-haired elder also sat beside him.

“Now that all five experts have arrived,” the red-robed bald elder swept his gaze across the five before him—Sibo Rong, the black-haired elder, the white-haired burly elder Tang Xiong, Dongbo Xueying, and the green-robed female mage Yu Jingqiu.

“My name is Yuan Wu. I am the Master of Longshan Pavilion in Qinghe Prefecture,” the red-robed bald elder smiled. “I suppose most of you have heard of my name before. However, this is the first time I’ve met Lady Yu and Dongbo Xueying.”

Yu Jingqiu and Dongbo Xueying both smiled slightly.

“Master Yuan, just tell us about the mission already,” Sibo Rong said rather casually.

“Not so fast.”

The red-robed bald elder’s voice suddenly turned icy cold. “Before accepting the mission, I must first explain the most basic rules!”

“First, everything related to this mission, including information about your companions, must not be leaked! Leaking information could very likely result in retaliation against your mission companions, and this is absolutely unacceptable to our Longshan Pavilion! If anyone intentionally leaks the information and we find out, hmpf, no one will be able to save you.”

“Second, this is the most difficult mission among the Iron-tier missions. No one can guarantee your safety. You will face life-threatening danger. If you die, don’t blame anyone.”

“I’m telling you these two points upfront. If you can’t accept them, you can leave now!”

The red-robed bald elder scanned the five before him with his gaze.

Not one of Dongbo Xueying’s group stood up to leave.

“Master Yuan, we all know the rules,” the white-haired burly elder Tang Xiong said with a smile.

“Hmph, hmpf, going out to risk our lives is never absolutely safe. If you’re scared, you’d better go back home early,” Sibo Rong glanced at Dongbo Xueying. Instinctively, he felt hostile toward this young man. In front of the ‘Lady Yu Jingqiu’ he was pursuing, he instinctively wanted to suppress all other men. The guards accompanying him and Tang Xiong were both old men, posing no threat!

But this Dongbo Xueying was too young, which made him unhappy.

“Very well.”

The red-robed bald elder nodded. “Since you all understand the danger of death and the rule of secrecy, I will now explain the details of the mission.”

Dongbo Xueying, Yu Jingqiu, and others, including Sibo Rong, all listened attentively.

This mission, after all, could cost them their lives.

“The target of this mission is the family castle of the Lu family, the most powerful family in Qutai City within Qinghe Prefecture. You must destroy and eliminate the entire family castle and kill the head of the Lu family, Lu Huaru,” the red-robed bald elder said.

“Lu Huaru? A Flowing Star-ranked mage. I heard their Lu family also has three or four Flowing Star-ranked knights. But with such strength, why do we need five of us to team up? And why is there a risk to our lives?” Sibo Rong questioned doubtfully.

Master Yuan of Longshan Pavilion replied solemnly, “Lu Huaru is also very skilled in alchemy. There must be many dangers within the castle. And most importantly… this place is actually a branch altar of a certain evil god or demon god in our Qinghe Prefecture!”

“What!”

Dongbo Xueying, Yu Jingqiu, Sibo Rong, Tang Xiong, and the black-haired elder Liang Yong all changed expressions drastically.

An evil god or demon god?

Within the entire empire, only the ‘Earth Temple’ was orthodox. All others were considered evil gods or demon gods! Even the founding emperor of the Longshan Empire did not establish a temple to spread his faith.

But equally—

Any evil god or demon god daring to extend their hand into this world was terrifying. No one would dare to take them lightly.

“Anyone related to evil gods or demon gods must be treated with caution. This is only a branch altar of a certain evil god or demon god in our Qinghe Prefecture. And the known experts are only a few Flowing Star-level individuals, so the threat level is relatively low. That’s why we are sending you five,” said Master Yuan Wu.

“You now know the mission. If you are unwilling to go now, you can only temporarily reside within Longshan Pavilion and cannot go outside until this mission is completed.”

“Any objections?” Master Yuan looked at the five before him.

“Are there any Silver Moon-level experts in Lu family’s castle? Any named-level experts?” Yu Jingqiu asked.

“No discoveries so far!” Master Yuan replied. “There might be hidden forces, but it’s unlikely there are named-level experts! Named-level experts are extremely rare and wouldn’t be wasted on a branch altar.”

“Those evil gods and demon gods are ultimately hiding in the darkness,” Sibo Rong immediately said to Yu Jingqiu. “They wouldn’t be so extravagant as to station a named-level expert in just one prefecture.”

“If there are no problems, we should set off now!” Master Yuan said. “Our Longshan Pavilion will send a flying boat to transport you there.”

Sibo Rong quickly said, “Jingqiu, this time is more dangerous. You are a mage, so stay close to us. We will protect you well.”

Yu Jingqiu slightly furrowed her brows.

Deep down, she was very annoyed by Sibo Rong, who had been pursuing her persistently. However, her family was within Qinghe Prefecture, so she also didn’t want to strain relations with the Si family too much.

Dongbo Xueying, already carrying his weapon case, walked outside. Yu Jingqiu followed him out.

“Not even a decent storage treasure, carrying a weapon case like that,” Sibo Rong scoffed.

…

Within the territory of Qutai City, on a vast plain, stood a magnificent castle. It covered an area of more than three miles, even larger than Dongbo Xueying’s Xueshi Castle.

This was the family castle of the Lu family.

The castle was divided into an outer fortress and an inner fortress.

The inner fortress was octagonal, resembling a strange monster crouching there. This inner fortress was personally designed and arranged by Lu Huaru himself, filled with layers of traps and magical arrays. The closer one got to the bottom of the castle… the more dangerous it became.

“Divine Envoy, are these few handmaidens prepared to your satisfaction?” Lu Huaru asked with a fawning smile.

Reclining there was a monstrous, burly man.

This man’s body was incredibly robust, his waist as thick as a water vat. He was about two meters and forty-five centimeters tall, his arms thicker than an ordinary person’s thighs. His beard was as hard as steel needles, his eyes slightly drooping, but occasionally opening to reveal terrifying pressure. His very breath caused the surrounding air to tremble and roar. The nearby handmaidens were visibly trembling with fear.

“Just so-so,” the monstrous, burly man said indifferently. “Hmm, I feel you’re very afraid of me?”

“Divine Envoy’s power is boundless. I am merely showing reverence,” Lu Huaru quickly replied.

“Don’t worry. I’m just staying here for a while to recuperate. I barely escaped from the Ember World with my life, nearly forgetting the pleasures of the human world! Alright, bring me some more beautiful young girls. Preferably some powerful female mages. Ordinary humans are just not tasty enough,” the monstrous, burly man smacked his lips, grabbing a piece of meat from the side and devouring it greedily.

“Yes, yes, Divine Envoy, rest assured. I will quickly bring some female mages to present to you, Divine Envoy,” Lu Huaru replied hurriedly.

“Go on, go on, don’t stand here blocking my view,” the monstrous, burly man waved him off casually.