Mortal's Purple Sky Cave Heaven

Chapter 453 Special Mission
"Old Mo, you don't need to worry too much. My demon race is not without successors. We will not let you shoulder the burden of protecting both the human and demon races alone." Ao Xiao smiled gently, as if he had no regrets.

“Brother Ao, let alone your demon race, even if we include my human race, among the many Nascent Soul cultivators, I haven’t seen anyone who has a chance to break through to our level.” Mo Jianli made no attempt to hide his doubts and stated his opinion without reservation.

"Old Mo, you're not mistaken about this." Ao Xiao nodded, then changed the subject, a faint smile on his face, and said:
"Those are not the people I'm interested in."

“Brother Ao Xiao, you have known each other for tens of thousands of years. Is there anything you need to hide from me?” Mo Jianli’s tone became slightly displeased.

"Of course I didn't mean to hide it from you, it's just that this matter happened suddenly, and it's only been a few hundred years in the past, so I haven't had time to tell you yet, Old Ghost." Ao Xiao still had a faint smile on his face.

"Things that happened within the last few hundred years?" Mo Jianli's expression shifted, as if he had thought of something, and he asked with considerable curiosity:
"Could it be related to your granddaughter who returned from the lower realm? I heard that as soon as your granddaughter returned to the spirit realm, she parted ways with the Heavenly Kui Wolf King and went to seek your protection, and even changed her name to 'Silver Moon'?"

"Tian Kui Wolf King? If it weren't for the fact that no one else in the wolf clan has the strength to inherit the position of Wolf King, and that I don't have much time left to live, I would have already skinned that brat Tian Kui alive!" Ao Xiao said, a ferocious look suddenly appearing on his handsome and refined face.

Having known Ao Xiao for so long, Mo Jianli naturally knew that Ao Xiao was furious at this moment, so she wisely kept quiet and did not ask about the secret.

"That brat Tian Kui simply doesn't take me, the only Mahayana stage ancestor of the demon race, seriously. He has broken his promises to me time and time again and has repeatedly attacked my granddaughter. However, my granddaughter also has some luck. After experiencing a tribulation in the lower realm, she unexpectedly awakened the Seven Star Moon Body." Ao Xiao snorted coldly, his tone full of gloom, but as he spoke, his eyes gradually brightened.

"Seven Star Moon Physique! I never imagined your granddaughter would awaken such a special physique! Ao Xiao, your talent wasn't that extraordinary back then, and it was only after awakening the Seven Star Moon Physique that you reached your current level, right?" Upon hearing this, Mo Jianli was also surprised and couldn't wait to confirm.

"The Seven Star Moon Body isn't that powerful; it just gives ordinary cultivators a slight edge in their chance of advancing to the Mahayana stage," Ao Xiao said without hesitation.

"That's enough." Mo Jianli wasn't disappointed; instead, she breathed a sigh of relief.

The vast majority of cultivators at the peak of the Integration Realm have no hope of even advancing to the Mahayana Realm.

"What level is your granddaughter at now?" Mo Jianli asked with great concern.

“Yin Yue had some good fortune in the lower realm and actually brought back a large number of ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs. In addition, I spared no expense to prepare spiritual pills for her. In just a few hundred years, she has already reached the peak of the Void Refinement realm and is still in seclusion. It seems that she will not come out of seclusion until she breaks through to the Integration realm in one go,” Ao Xiao said with great satisfaction.

Given Yin Yue's original aptitude, he would have likely reached the limit of cultivation by the time he reached the Void Refinement Realm, but now he even has the hope of advancing to the Mahayana Realm. How could this not make him overjoyed?

Moreover, after experiencing the hardships of the lower realm, his granddaughter's resolve to pursue the Dao has undoubtedly become even stronger.

"Within a few hundred years, you've advanced from the late Nascent Soul stage to the peak Void Refinement stage. Even with your grandfather's strong support, this advancement speed is extremely fast." Mo Jianli stroked his long beard and nodded slightly.

When Nie Zhaonan and his companion appeared in the main hall of Luofeng Mountain Cave, the other women were already there, having been waiting for a long time.

As soon as Yuan Yao arrived, all the women's eyes fell on her without exception. Unable to withstand such intense and curious gazes, she lowered her head slightly.

“Even if Sister Yuanyao didn’t tell us, we could guess that it must be wonderful. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have shown up so late. After all, tomorrow is the deadline for the mission, and if she didn’t show up now, it would be too late,” Ling Yuling said with a half-smile, her tone completely unpretentious.

Nie Zhaonan put his arm around Yuan Yao's shoulder, gently patted it, and silently comforted her, saying at the same time:
"Alright, you all know what happened, so what's there to be curious about? You'll experience it all in the future, and you'll know how it feels then."

His words made the women blush and exchange glances, unsure of what to say.

A moment later, a streak of emerald light shot out from the Falling Wind Mountains and flew towards Tianyuan City in a flash.

Half a day later, the azure light flew over the city wall, which was dozens of feet high, and entered the urban area of ​​Tianyuan City.

Following the guidance on the jade pendant, they arrived at a giant tower, which was the temporary residence of the Tianyuan Guard.

There weren't many cultivators entering or leaving the giant tower at that moment, and Nie Zhaonan and his companions leisurely walked in.

Based on the information they had gathered, they did not rush to their base. Instead, they went to a place called the "Heavenly Armor Hall" in the tower to collect the armor of the Heavenly Abyss Guards.

Nie Zhaonan had experienced the power of this golden armor firsthand from Huang Bao. It was three points stronger than ordinary defensive spiritual treasures. For other cultivators at the Void Refinement stage, it was undoubtedly a life-saving weapon. But for him, it was something dispensable, more of a symbol of his identity.

As Qingming Guards, Nangong Wan and the others naturally received Qingming Armor. This armor has good defensive capabilities, but their body tempering cultivation is also quite strong, so this armor can only be considered icing on the cake.

After receiving their armor, Nie Zhaonan and his group headed straight for the so-called armored team's encampment.

After going through seven or eight floors, he finally stopped in front of what looked like an ordinary palace gate.

On a plaque above the palace gate, the words 'Jia Jiu Shi Liu' are written in ancient script.

Glancing at the hazy white light of the protective barrier above the palace gate, Nie Zhaonan calmly flipped his palm.

Instantly, a golden jade pendant appeared in his hand. Holding the pendant in one hand, he gently shook it at the palace door, and a burst of golden light shot out, instantly dissipating the white spiritual light on the door.

The palace doors opened, and the group naturally went inside.

Inside was a fairly large hall, furnished with some exquisite tables and chairs. On either side of the hall were passageways that seemed to lead to some secret rooms.

After familiarizing himself with the temporary camp, Nie Zhaonan suddenly received a message from Xiang Zhili:
“Junior Brother Nie, just now Master Lei Luo personally issued a special mission. You can come and check it out to decide whether to accept it.”

Nie Zhaonan naturally thanked him and then transformed into a silver streak, shooting away.

There had been no news for a month. He originally thought that there would be no special missions issued in Tianyuan City and that he could only take on time and laborious rotating missions. Unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better at this time, so he naturally went to check without hesitation.

In a secret location somewhere in Tianyuan City, after pondering for a while and accepting a special mission, Nie Zhaonan returned to the 'Jia Jiushiliu' headquarters. In the hall, Nie Zhaonan and his fellow Daoists were conversing.

"This special mission not only takes us deep into the wilderness, but it's also very close to the Shadow Clan's territory, making it extremely dangerous. Here's what we'll do: I'll take Ning'er, Wan'er, and Yuan Yao with me. The rest of you, stay in Tianyuan City and wait for our return." Nie Zhaonan's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.

The three women, Wang Ning, Nangong Wan, and Yuan Yao, who were called upon, naturally had no objections and nodded slightly, obeying the arrangement.

However, the other women were slightly disappointed. They had obviously wanted to go as well, but since their husband had spoken, they couldn't object.

After all, the wilderness is indeed very dangerous, and accidents can easily happen. They didn't want to become a burden to their husbands.

Seeing that the women's beautiful faces were somewhat dejected, as if they had lost their luster for a moment, Nie Zhaonan spoke up to comfort them:
"We have only been in Tianyuan City for a short time. There should be some good items in the city's markets and auctions. You can go and have a look. Perhaps you can find something you like."

As a passage between the two races and the wild world, Tianyuan City naturally has a very large market. It has a wide variety of rare materials that are not available in the main cities of the Three Realms and Seven Lands.

In addition, the occasional outflow of some primitive items made the city's markets extremely lively.

Whether they were local guards of Tianyuan City or outsiders, they came and went in a constant stream day after day.

Upon hearing this, the women's expressions improved, and they all smiled. They were naturally very interested in the local market.

"Yes, my husband."

In a strange, black forest filled with towering trees, seven men and women stood several feet apart in a clearing, silently observing each other.

A man in his thirties, dressed in a brocade robe, with thick eyebrows and a fierce look in his eyes.

A beautiful young woman, dressed in a blue palace dress, with a fair complexion, appeared. She exuded no unusual aura, and wore a faint smile, like any ordinary, unassuming girl from a humble family in the mortal world.

One of them was a Heavenly Guard from Tianyuan City, dressed in golden armor.

The last four people huddled together; the man was handsome and the woman was beautiful. They were none other than Nie Zhaonan and his three Daoist partners, Wang Ning, Yuan Yao, and Nangong Wan.

These seven people all looked exceptionally young, but apart from Nie Zhaonan's three Daoist partners, they were all at the Refinement of Void stage.

That seemingly unremarkable, beautiful young woman was actually the person with the highest cultivation level present, possessing the cultivation of the late-stage Refinement Void Realm.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, you also accepted this mission?" Nie Zhaonan asked the golden-armored cultivator first, with some curiosity.

Zhao Wugui, who was only at the early stage of the Void Refinement realm, didn't find the question strange at all, and replied with a smile:
"My master is none other than Master Lei Luo, who issued this mission. Therefore, I learned some information that this special mission is far less dangerous than previous ones, which is why I participated."

Upon hearing this, the man with murderous intent in his eyes raised a thick eyebrow and said calmly:
"If the mission intelligence is correct, we only need to face Shadow Clan members in the Void Refinement stage, and there is indeed no risk of death."

The beautiful young woman then spoke with a smile:

"Indeed. I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Longyang to have broken through to the late stage of the Void Refinement realm. This trip will surely be much smoother."

Upon hearing this, Nie Zhaonan's expression shifted. His surname was Long, and he was a cultivator at the Void Refinement stage. Could he be a cultivator from the Long family, a true spiritual family?

Longyang's eyes still held a murderous glint as he spoke, neither humble nor arrogant:

"What I didn't expect was that the dignified patriarch of the True Spirit Valley family, Fairy Xiaofeng, would also be here? As the patriarch of a prestigious family, shouldn't the fairy be preoccupied with trivial matters? Why does she have such leisure time?"

"Fellow Daoist is too kind. The one who truly manages the clan is the clan's only Nascent Soul cultivator. I am merely a figurehead. As for why I came here, I wanted to travel to the Wilderness to see if I could encounter any opportunities. The reward for this special mission is also quite good, so I took it on as a favor." The beautiful young woman said casually.

Upon hearing this, Longyang's eyes flickered, but he merely smiled, it was unclear whether he truly believed it.

"This must be the renowned Fellow Daoist Nie, right? But to carry out a special mission while bringing your beloved wife along is a bit too much of a fuss. I have no other intentions, after all, the wilderness is fraught with danger, and we might encounter a perilous situation that even we cannot avoid at any moment, and we might perish." The beautiful young woman stopped paying attention to Longyang and instead turned her gaze to Nie Zhaonan and his group, kindly reminding them.

For a cultivator of her level, bringing along a Nascent Soul cultivator would be nothing short of a burden when carrying out special missions in the wilderness.

"I didn't expect Fairy Xiaofeng to know me. I appreciate your kindness. My three Daoist companions are not ordinary cultivators either, so they are safe." Nie Zhaonan said politely with a smile.

Wang Ning, Yuan Yao, and Nangong Wan stood calmly beside him, without offering any introductions.

"If other cultivators said that, I would certainly be somewhat displeased. However, Fellow Daoist Nie cultivates the Dharma Body and the Divine Spirit, so he is naturally not an ordinary cultivator." The young woman did not dwell on the matter too much and said with a smile.

Suddenly, Longyang's gaze also fell on Nie Zhaonan, and he abruptly spoke:
"Fellow Daoist Nie, although you have only been back in the human race for a little over a month, there are probably not many high-level cultivators in the Three Realms and Seven Lands who are unaware of your whereabouts. So, after completing your three-hundred-year term as a Heavenly Abyss Guardian, would you be interested in joining my Long family as a guest elder? My Long family is the number one True Spirit family in the human race, possessing the bloodline of a True Dragon. Moreover, we have an ancestor in the late stage of the Integration Realm who is in charge of our family. Our strength ranks among the top in the entire human race."

Seeing that Nie Zhaonan's expression remained unchanged and he showed no sign of being moved, Longyang revealed his greatest advantage:

"The most precious thing in the Long family is the blood of the true dragon. I don't need to elaborate on the wonders of this kind of true spiritual blood."

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(End of this chapter)