The road is vague

Chapter 301 Jianmen Mountain Military Headquarters

that's it.

Li Mo, along with Wan Shun, Liu Lan, and Zhang Zhenshan, spent more than half a year hunting in the Motian Mountains as a member of a hunting team.

With the help of Li Mo's True Spirit Eye, the four of them hunted more than twenty bear demons in the past six months. Among them, seven bear demons became spirits and they obtained demon cores, which can be described as a great harvest.

The way Liu Lan and Zhang Zhenshan looked at Li Mo was completely different from what it had been six months ago.

However, as the number of bear demons in the Motian Mountains decreased, even Li Mo and the others were able to hunt them less and less frequently, which made Wan Shun, Liu Lan, and Zhang Zhenshan gradually consider giving up.

this day.

Wan Shun finally made a decision.

"Brother Li, Brother Zhang, Fairy Liu, all good things must come to an end. Over the past hundred days, thanks to your close cooperation, I have finally gathered the demon cores I need for cultivation. It has been more than ten years since I last returned to my sect, and I miss it dearly. It is time for me to go back."

Liu Lan smiled slightly, her eyes filled with a tender gaze as she looked at Wan Shun.

"With this batch of demon cores, Fellow Daoist Wan's advancement to the late Foundation Establishment stage is practically a certainty. At your current age of only forty-five, your future advancement to the Golden Core stage promises a bright future. Congratulations."

Upon hearing this, Wan Shun couldn't help but smile.

But he quickly composed himself and looked at Li Mo solemnly.

"My achievements are truly insignificant compared to Brother Li's. I wonder what Brother Li's plans are next?"

He must have heard about Li Mo's deeds while he was in the State of Lu.

For the past six months, Li Mo has not revealed his strength at all, and has only been hunting here as an ordinary disciple of the Lingmu Sect. This makes him admire him, hence the question.

"Well... I plan to rest and recuperate here first, and see if I can gain anything from the remaining power of the Tongtian Ice River Tower. After a while, the second batch of troops summoned by the Great Qian Kingdom should also arrive. At that time, I plan to go to Jianmen Mountain and see the First Line of Sky."

In the past six months, Li Mo and his group have become quite famous in this market.

Especially Li Mo.

He deliberately collected the animal skins of the hunted bear queen and sold them in bulk, flaunting his hunting of the direct bloodline of the Sky Bear King and widely publicizing the hunting process.

He thought it wouldn't be long before the Sky Bear King's clone would hear the news and come to take revenge.

But half a year passed, and the Sky Bear King was nowhere to be seen.

At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder if the King of Assassins was still following him.

But no matter how he called out, the other party never responded.

About half an hour later.

Wan Shun, Liu Lan, and Zhang Zhenshan all left.

Li Mo sat in the market teahouse, feeling the cold wind blowing from Mount Motian, gazing at the frozen snow-capped mountain, holding a warm cup of tea in his hand, lost in thought.

……

Jianmen Mountain soars into the clouds.

This place seems to have once been a vast plain. With geological changes, the land gradually rose, forming the steepest mountain range in the southern barbarian lands. Between two different mountain ranges, a narrow strip of land, several hundred feet wide and over a hundred miles long, was formed. Some areas even formed archway structures, which were called Jianmen (Sword Gate).

in this way.

The narrow passage between two cliffs at Jianmen Mountain is famous for this.

With the start of the war against the southern barbarians, the Qian army marched eastward. Eventually, with the addition of the Lu army, the two armies were separated by a narrow strip of sky, forming a protracted stalemate that lasted for hundreds of miles.

The area is shrouded in fog morning and evening, teeming with various poisonous insects, and fraught with danger.

By noon, the fog dissipated, the poisonous insects lay dormant, and it became like a paradise on earth.

Both the armies of Qian and Lu have spared no expense in building super formations and various defensive facilities in their own camps, and have stationed more than a dozen Nascent Soul stage cultivators there year-round. The Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators from both sides fight each other almost every day in the One Line Sky until the fog dissipates, at which point they return to their own camps to lie dormant, like poisonous insects, waiting for the new day to begin.

The Golden Core cultivators from both sides would engage in a standoff once a month, taking advantage of the weakest power of the great formation, above Jianmen Mountain.

Whether or not a fight breaks out depends on the specific environment and atmosphere.

Sometimes the two sides would remain locked in a stalemate for months on end, while at other times they would engage in continuous battles, trying to take advantage of the moment when the formation was least affected by the power of heaven and earth in this place to attack the other's camp and gain the upper hand.

As for the three chaotic battles led by Nascent Soul cultivators from both sides, these have taken place three times in recent years.

Every year, a large number of cultivators from both sides perish, including many Nascent Soul experts.

In comparison.

Although Chen Shouyi's death was a major blow to the Lingmu Sect, it was insignificant to the entire Daqian Kingdom.

And in this constant process of mutual slaughter.

From all levels of cultivators in both the Qian and Lu kingdoms, a number of elite disciples have emerged who strike fear into the hearts of their enemies. Some of them were previously unknown, while others are true disciples of various sects, all hoping to make a name for themselves here.

Others, however, had a stroke of great luck and received tremendous opportunities.

But many more people, in the process of fighting each other, became one of the countless corpses.

……

Li Mo ultimately failed to wait for the day when the Sky Bear King would come to take revenge on him in the market.

He felt that perhaps his reputation was not loud enough to reach the ears of the Sky Bear King, or perhaps the other party had completely abandoned the Sky Bear Mountains and did not care about his offspring as much as he had imagined.

In short.

This time, he decided to join the army at Jianmen Mountain to make a name for himself, attract the Sky Bear King, and avenge the innocent people who died in Bai'an City.

"Sect, family, identity, name."

The person in charge of registration said impatiently.

Every day, there are dozens of cultivators like Li Mo who come here alone to join the army. He has seen many people who hope to make a name for themselves on the battlefield. They usually realize the harsh reality within three to five days, but it is not easy for them to leave again.

Li Mo glanced indifferently at the thin-faced, monkey-like registration officer and then took out the Imperial Decree.

The previously arrogant and impatient registration staff suddenly widened their eyes, looking at Li Mo with surprise. Just a moment later...

Li Mo was then taken to the Lingmu Sect's headquarters.

Compared to the vast resources of other sects, Lingmu Sect only dispatched five Golden Core cultivators. With Chen Shouyi, Qin Yue, and Xu Chen all perishing in the brutal war, only Han Mu, the former deputy head of the Advanced Study Hall, and Jiang Wencai, the former deputy head of the Dharma Protection Hall, remain.

"Uncle Han, Aunt Jiang!"

Upon seeing Li Mo, Han Mu and Jiang Wencai were immediately taken aback and exchanged a glance.

Finally, Han Mu spoke first.

"Didn't you say that Ye Shoutian would lead the army here in a few days? How come you've arrived first? Besides, our Lingmu Sect is not like other sects. Now we only have three true disciples left. Your priority should be to strive for advancement, not to make achievements. How can you be so foolish?"

After sighing, Li Mo calmly said, "I am here on the orders of the sect leader to carry out important duties."

"The Sect Leader's destiny?"

Upon hearing this, Han Mu frowned and said no more.

Jiang Wencai's eyes flickered slightly before he suddenly smiled and said, "Since that's the case, we can't say anything more. However, since you are a true disciple of our sect, you should quickly communicate with your fellow disciples to understand the ranks and positions here before choosing which part to join."

"this?"

Li Mo thought that after joining the military, he would be assigned a position based on his own rank, but he didn't expect that he would have to choose a department.

After a while.

Li Mo arrived at a stone house and looked at the people inside.

There were seven people in the stone house at this moment. These people were all Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Lingmu Sect, who were exchanging information about battles. When they saw a newcomer arrive, they all looked surprised. However, when they recognized Li Mo as a true disciple, they were all shocked and stood up to pay their respects.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Li!"

"Senior Brother Li Mo, what brings you here..."

Li Mo gestured to everyone that there was no need for formalities, and he sat down among them with a smile.

Of the seven people, he recognized two of them somewhat, but he didn't have a deep impression of the remaining five.

"I just arrived here myself. I learned that after joining the military, I have to choose which department to join, so I came here specifically to ask you about the details."

"I see!"

Upon hearing this, the seven people began to explain themselves.

"Senior Brother Li, this place can be divided into three parts: the headquarters, the division headquarters, and the contract department. Joining the headquarters means daily intensive training, military formation drills, and various guard duties. It offers relatively little freedom but high rewards, making it suitable for those with higher military ranks. Joining the division headquarters involves performing missions at various sect headquarters. It offers more freedom but lower rewards, making it suitable for those with lower military ranks. The contract department, also known as the bounty hunter department, involves exchanging items representing enemy identities for rewards, making it suitable for those skilled in combat..."

Li Mo was thoughtful after hearing this.

He held a sixth-rank military position, so joining the headquarters would have been the best option for him.

But at this moment he has a secret mission and wants to quickly increase his reputation. Joining the Contracts Department as a bounty hunter is undoubtedly the best way.

Seeing Li Mo deep in thought, the seven people couldn't help but become curious.

"I wonder which faction Senior Brother Li plans to join?"

Li Mo smiled slightly.

"I am very interested in the contracts department."

"Senior Brother Li wants to join the Contracts Department?"

"It's said that the casualties over there are quite severe, but there are also many highly capable individuals who have received generous rewards from the military, making others envious!"

"It seems that there are now fewer than ten Foundation Establishment disciples left in our sect who are still struggling in the Contract Department. None of them are..."

While everyone was talking and discussing, another person entered the room.

Everyone looked over, and Li Mo was astonished when he saw the person. It was none other than Jiang Wencai's daughter, Jiang Caiqian, whom he had once rejected.

"Senior Sister Jiang."

"Fairy Jiang has arrived!"

"What a coincidence, Senior Brother Li. Fairy Jiang is one of the few people in our sect who works in the Contract Department. She knows more about working as a bounty hunter in the Contract Department than any of us do."

Upon hearing this, Li Mo smiled and clasped his hands in a slight gesture of respect towards Jiang Caiqian.

"Junior Sister Jiang."

"Senior Brother Li."

Jiang Caiqian looked somewhat resentful, but didn't say anything more.

"I heard that Junior Sister Jiang became a bounty hunter here?"

"Well, a year ago, after I failed to advance to the Golden Core stage, I came here and joined the Contract Department as a bounty hunter, hoping to exchange for the military's bounty opportunity as soon as possible. I know that Senior Brother Li is extraordinary and far stronger than me, but if you want to join the Contract Department, I still have to advise you not to be careless and underestimate the other side."

At this point, Jiang Caiqian sighed.

"This past year, although my younger sister has gained a great deal, she has also faced several perilous situations and nearly lost her life. On one occasion, she encountered a true disciple of the Undying Mountain of Lu Kingdom. Although he was also at the late Foundation Establishment stage, he was able to temporarily unleash the Golden Core spiritual pressure through a secret technique, which was truly unbelievable. If it weren't for the three Azure Sun Lightning bolts secretly given to her by my mother, my younger sister would probably have perished here. There are many similar legends in other sects, and many true disciples have even died here. It can be said that..."

Listening to Jiang Caiqian's detailed explanation, Li Mo became even more eager to learn.

This narrow passage at Jianmen Mountain is the perfect place for him to verify the results of his dual cultivation of body and mind.

After all, Li Mo has now reached the limit of the Foundation Establishment stage within his understanding. Apart from advancing to the Golden Core stage, there is almost no possibility of significant improvement.

The military has offered numerous rewards to bounty hunters, including secret techniques, methods, elixirs, and skills that can help them advance to the Golden Core stage.

Seeing Li Mo's eager expression, Jiang Caiqian knew that this senior brother Li was probably extremely confident in his abilities and planned to become a bounty hunter.

He certainly has reason to be confident.

It's just unknown how this Senior Brother Li compares to the true disciples of other sects in the Qian Kingdom and the true disciples of the Lu Kingdom.

(End of this chapter)