Heaven rewards diligence, but there are always fairies plotting against me.

"Let's get going, Senior Brother Zhao."

Chu Chang raised his hand and brought his sword down.

"Pfft."

A head filled with resentment and regret rose into the sky.

Chu Chang calmly sheathed the iron sword, then flicked his finger and released a wisp of flame, completely turning Zhao Meng's corpse and the black heavy sword into ashes.

Without delay, he darted out of the cave in a flash.

At this moment, outside the valley.

The fierce fighting has subsided.

Hu Li of Black Tiger Stronghold had already breathed his last under Yin Jiu's relentless torture, his body turning into a pool of foul-smelling black water. The rest of the bandits were also almost all dead or wounded.

Yin Jiu was sitting weakly on the repaired bone chair, directing his men to clean up the battlefield and prepare to enter the cave to capture Zhao Meng.

"Second Brother, take a few men in and bring that bastard out," Yin Jiu ordered in a hoarse voice.

"Yes, Deacon!"

A Blood Fiend Sect disciple was about to take a step.

"Keep the change, please."

A clear, cold voice suddenly echoed throughout the entire valley.

Yin Jiu's expression changed drastically, and he looked up abruptly.

The thick blue mist that had been shrouding the valley entrance suddenly began to condense rapidly.

Strands of bone-chilling, icy blue true essence transformed into countless flying ice blades, dyeing the entire sky a deep blue.

"rise!"

Lin Ruoxue appeared at the edge of the valley.

She formed hand seals, and her ice-type true energy erupted completely.

"Ice and snow everywhere! Sealed off!"

With a sharp shout from her, countless thick glaciers suddenly appeared on the ground of the rocky valley.

The glaciers spread at an alarming rate, instantly freezing the remaining Blood Fiend Sect disciples and the black iron puppets within the solid ice.

"Not good! It's the Divine Sword Sect's ice-based magic! Retreat!"

Yin Jiu's eyes were bloodshot. He never expected that when he was at his weakest and most triumphant, someone would be waiting to take advantage of him!

He slammed his hand on the chair, transforming into a streak of blood-red light that shot into the sky, attempting to forcefully break through the boundless ice.

However, before he could fly ten feet away...

A blinding golden sword light, carrying unparalleled domineering sharpness, shone from the void and slashed fiercely at the blood-red light.

"boom!"

Blood and light exploded.

Yin Jiu screamed and fell from mid-air, crashing heavily onto the hard ice surface.

He clutched the deep, bone-revealing sword wound on his chest, staring in horror at the gray-clad youth slowly emerging from the thick fog.

"Who...who are you?!"

"The one who will take your life."

Chu Chang smiled slightly, leaving a trail of afterimages in his wake.

"No!"

Amidst Yin Jiu's desperate screams, the dazzling sword light completely swallowed his vision and his life.

After an incense stick has burned.

The once bloody and chaotic rocky valley is now completely covered by a thick layer of solid ice.

The sunlight finally pierced through the clouds and shone on the glacier, refracting a magnificent yet chilling light.

All traces of humanity are buried deep beneath this unyielding ice.

Chu Chang and Lin Ruoxue stood side by side on the glacier.

"Did you get the items?" Lin Ruoxue asked Chu Chang.

Chu Chang chuckled and patted the storage pouch at his waist: "Got it. Not only that, I also found quite a few good things on Yin Jiu and Hu Li. This trip to Black Wind Valley has been very fruitful."

Lin Ruoxue smiled slightly, and that moment of radiance made the icy snow lose its color.

"Let's go then. There's quite a commotion here, and soon even more powerful demonic experts will come to investigate."

"it is good."

The two figures vanished into the misty forest in an instant.

Ten days later.

The chilling and bloody atmosphere of Blackwind Valley was finally left far behind.

When the familiar, majestic, and continuous mountain range appeared on the horizon, Chu Chang and Lin Ruoxue both breathed a sigh of relief.

We've finally arrived at the Divine Sword Sect.

Amidst towering mountains, swirling clouds and mist, the cries of cranes echo.

One after another, enormous stone swords pierced the sky, radiating an awe-inspiring and majestic sword intent.

This is a completely different world compared to Blackwind Valley, a desolate and treacherous place filled with corruption, slaughter, and demonic energy.

At an inn ten miles from the sect, the two changed out of their previous disguises of coarse cloth clothes and put on the iconic white outfits of the Divine Sword Sect.

Lin Ruoxue washed the herbal juice off her face, restoring her ethereal and untouched beauty!

Chu Chang also shed his shrewd and ruthless rogue cultivator demeanor, reverting to his gentle, reserved, and even somewhat unremarkable outer disciple persona.

"Senior Sister, after returning to the sect, regarding what Zhao Meng said before he died..." Chu Chang walked on the mountain path, slightly tilting his head, and said in a very low voice.

Lin Ruoxue paused, a hint of seriousness flashing in her cool eyes.

As Zhao Meng lay dying, he roared in a frenzied manner, "That wasn't some kind of secret treasure at all; it was a deadly poison!"

These past few days, a dark cloud has been hanging over her heart.

"This matter is of utmost importance." Lin Ruoxue replied in a low voice, "'Quiet Mind Avoids Poison Marrow' is a treasured antidote passed down through the sect for many years. If there is any secret behind it as Zhao Meng said, then the interests and high-ranking figures involved are definitely not something we can get our hands on now."

"Chu Chang, when you hand in the mission later, just present the items and don't say a word more. As for Zhao Meng's cause of death, just say that he resisted capture and was killed by our joint efforts, and his remains were destroyed by the talisman in the battle."

Chu Chang nodded slightly: "I understand. A tall tree catches the wind; I know that principle."

The two walked side by side, encountering many disciples from various sects along the way.

When the disciples saw Lin Ruoxue, they all showed amazement and respect, stopping to bow and greet her: "Senior Sister Lin!"

When their gazes swept over Chu Chang beside Lin Ruoxue, most of them revealed a hint of doubt and jealousy.

The fact that an unknown outer disciple could travel with the aloof and elegant number one beauty of the inner sect naturally sparked a lot of private gossip.

Chu Chang remained indifferent to this, his expression calm.

Reaching the fork in the road between the inner and outer sects, Lin Ruoxue stopped and looked at Chu Changdao, saying, "I'm going to report back to Master and also find out the sect's higher-ups' attitude towards this matter. You go to the mission hall to hand in your mission, and be careful in everything you do."

"Don't worry, Senior Sister." Chu Chang cupped his hands in greeting.

Lin Ruoxue gave him a deep look, then her figure flickered, like a drifting white cloud, and sped towards the inner sect's main peak.

Chu Chang withdrew his gaze, a faint smile playing on his lips, and turned to walk towards the "Mission Hall" located on Tianxuan Peak in the outer sect.

…………

…………

…………

The outer gate mission hall is always bustling with people.

This is the most important place for outer disciples to obtain cultivation resources and exchange for cultivation techniques and pills.

On the massive white jade wall, countless golden characters shimmered, recording various sect missions of varying difficulty.

As Chu Chang stepped into the hall, he was immediately enveloped by a wave of sweltering heat.

He ignored everyone else and walked straight to the "High-Level Mission Delivery Area" located at the deepest part of the hall.

The counter here is made of a single piece of jet-black jade, giving it a solemn and austere appearance.

Ordinary outer disciples rarely come here, because those who dare to take on high-level missions are all notorious and ruthless figures in the outer sect.

The person in charge of registration was an elderly deacon, surnamed Liu, who was over sixty years old and was resting with his eyes closed at the moment.

Chu Chang walked to the counter and gently tapped the table: "Steward Liu, your disciple has come to deliver a task."

Deacon Liu slowly opened his somewhat cloudy eyes, glanced at Chu Chang indifferently, and when he saw clearly the clothes on Chang's body that represented ordinary outer sect disciples, his brows furrowed slightly.

"Name, mission number." Deacon Liu's voice was somewhat hoarse and formulaic.

"Outer disciple Chu Chang has accepted the mission to hunt down the traitor Zhao Meng and retrieve the sect's secret treasure. Mission number: Heaven Zero Nine," Chu Chang replied calmly.

"What?!"

Deacon Liu's previously cloudy eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light, and he leaned forward abruptly, staring intently at Chu Chang: "You accepted the mission to hunt down Zhao Meng? And you're going to deliver it?"

This quest had been posted in the quest hall for more than half a month. Because of its extremely generous rewards, it attracted many elite inner disciples to form teams to attempt it, but in the end, they all failed miserably. Two teams even disappeared without a trace in Black Wind Valley.

A mere outer disciple dares to claim he's here to deliver this task?

Inside the hall, the previously noisy sounds became eerily quiet for a moment.

Many outer disciples around, who were selecting tasks, cast surprised, suspicious, and even mocking glances at Chu Chang.

"Who is this kid? Is he out of his mind?"

"Chu Chang? I've never heard of him. I don't think his name is on the Outer Sect Prodigy Ranking."

"Hey, he's probably desperate to show off. He tried to fool Steward Liu with a fake. He'll be in for it later."

Despite the whispers around him, Chu Chang remained unfazed.

He reached for the storage bag at his waist, and with a flip of his hand, an exquisite white jade box and a waist token stained with dried blood were placed flat on the black jade counter.

"This is Zhao Meng's identity token. He resisted stubbornly in Black Wind Valley and has been executed on the spot by the disciples. This is a sect treasure that was recovered. Please examine it, deacon."

Deacon Liu took a deep breath, suppressing his shock.

He first picked up the waist token that belonged to Zhao Meng, and then channeled a wisp of true energy into it.

A moment later, a faint red light appeared on the waist token, and the remaining aura was undoubtedly Zhao Meng's, and the soul fire representing his life had been completely extinguished.

"The ID card is real..."

Deacon Liu's voice trembled slightly.

Then, with a solemn expression, he reached for the white jade box and carefully opened it.

"Buzz!"

The moment the box was opened, an extremely pure and warm green light burst forth.

The light contained a peculiar fragrance that permeated the hall. Everyone who smelled the fragrance felt their restless true energy, aroused by cultivation, instantly calm down, and even their souls became clearer.

A series of gasps of astonishment rippled through the hall.

"This...this is 'Mindfulness and Poison Avoidance Essence'!"

"Heavens! It really is the secret treasure that was stolen from the sect!"

"Chu Chang actually completed the mission?! All by himself?! How is that possible?!"

The surrounding mockery and doubt vanished in an instant, replaced by endless shock and awe.