186: Chapter 186: The Demon Hunting Team

Early the next morning.

The bustle of the Guixu Pavilion had just faded.

Three dull tolls of a bell rang out from the high tower in the center of the city, the sound deep and far-reaching, spreading to every corner of the giant city.

Pedestrians on the street stopped in their tracks, looking up toward the high tower.

"Monster Hunting Operation!"

"It's that time of the month again."

A bun vendor exclaimed, hurriedly packing up his stall.

An old man selling spirit talismans stroked his beard and sighed, "I wonder how many will make it back this time."

"Those who return are heroes, those who don't..."

The vendor shook his head, not finishing the sentence.

Xiao Ran stood by the second-floor window of the Guixu Pavilion, startled by the three tolls of the bell.

Downstairs, Lin Xue was busy arranging goods, and Finance Manager Shen Qing was clicking an abacus behind the counter.

Hearing the bell, the two also stopped their work.

"Shopkeeper, what is that sound?"

Lin Xue looked up and asked.

"That should be the Sword Qi Great Wall's Monster Hunting Operation."

Xiao Ran responded simply.

He couldn't say much more because he hadn't been here long and hadn't encountered such a thing yet.

Just then, a middle-aged Cultivator walked in; he was at the Nascent Soul middle stage and a local who had become acquainted with Finance Manager Shen Qing yesterday.

Finance Manager Shen Qing hurriedly asked, "Senior Zhang, what's going on with this bell?"

The middle-aged Cultivator was taken aback: "You don't know? This is the call for the Monster Hunting Operation!"

"On the fifteenth of every month, the Sword Qi Great Wall organizes a large-scale purge to hunt the Yao Race outside the wall."

"Three tolls of the bell summon all the city's Cultivators; anyone willing to participate can go."

Xiao Ran walked down from upstairs and asked, "Where do we sign up?"

The middle-aged Cultivator smiled and said, "No need to sign up, just go straight to the city gate."

"The Monster Hunting Team will gather there, and those who want to go can just follow along."

Xiao Ran was thoughtful.

Monster Hunting Operation... Su Qinghan must have come to the Far North Land for this, right?

He thought about it and decided to go take a look.

Through the Soul Link, Li Changsheng's voice came through: "Xiao Ran, did you hear the bell?"

Xiao Ran nodded: "I heard it. Are you guys participating in the Monster Hunting Operation?"

Li Changsheng hummed in affirmation: "Yes, my Second Senior Sister came for this. I'll accompany her."

Xiao Ran was silent for a moment.

"I'll go take a look as well. You guys head out first, and I'll follow shortly."

Li Changsheng cut the link.

Xiao Ran turned to Finance Manager Shen Qing and Lin Xue: "Watch the shop, I'm going out for a bit."

Finance Manager Shen Qing nodded quickly, while Lin Xue looked worried: "Shopkeeper, please be careful."

Xiao Ran waved his hand and strode out of the Guixu Pavilion.

On the main road of the Sword Qi Great Wall, a dense crowd had already gathered.

The sides of the street were packed with onlookers and Cultivators, leaving a wide passage in the middle.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on the city center, their eyes filled with expectation, awe, and a hint of indescribable complexity.

Xiao Ran blended into the crowd, finding a spot with a good view.

A moment later.

A group of people and horses slowly approached from the direction of the city center.

Leading them was a pitch-black Yao Beast.

It was a Black-Scaled Tiger, thirty feet long, covered in dark scales, with claws like hooks; every step it took left deep claw marks on the ground.

Seated on the tiger's back was a middle-aged man with a resolute face and a scar slashing from his left forehead to his right cheekbone, splitting his face in two.

His eyes were grayish-white, without pupils, yet they emitted a heart-palpitating cold light.

His aura was clearly that of the Void Refinement Stage.

Behind him followed exactly thirty Cultivators.

They were uniformly dressed in black battle armor, which was covered in blade scars and sword holes, clearly the marks of veterans who had survived countless battles.

The weakest of them was at the Late Nascent Soul Stage, and the strongest few were already at the Peak Soul Transformation Stage.

Every one of them carried a intense Killing Intent, an aura that could only be forged by rolling through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Their steps were orderly, and they remained silent.

Everywhere they passed, the crowd automatically made way, falling into a dead silence.

Xiao Ran watched this team, feeling secretly shaken.

This is the Sword Qi Great Wall's Monster Hunting Team?

Just that Killing Intent alone was enough to make ordinary Cultivators' legs go weak.

A young Loose Cultivator nearby swallowed hard and whispered to the old man beside him.

"Senior, these people... why does every one of them look like they crawled out of a pile of corpses?"

The old man glanced at him and said flatly, "They did crawl out of a pile of corpses."

"Anyone who can join the Monster Hunting Team has an irreconcilable blood feud with the Yao Race. Some had their families killed by the Yao Race, some had their sects slaughtered, and some grew up at the foot of the Great Wall, watching their loved ones die in the mouths of the Yao Race with their own eyes."

The young Loose Cultivator's expression changed: "Then why do they still go hunting monsters? Aren't they afraid of death?"

The old man laughed, "Afraid of death? Are you afraid of death when seeking revenge?"

The young Loose Cultivator fell silent.

The old man added, "Of course, it's not all for revenge."

"The Sword Qi Great Wall has rules—hunting the Yao Race allows you to exchange Yao cores, pelts, and bones for Contribution Points."

"Contribution Points can be exchanged for anything in the Sword Qi Great Wall: Medicinal Pills, Magical Artifacts, Cultivation Techniques, Spiritual Materials... as long as you want it and have the Contribution Points, there's nothing you can't get."

The young Loose Cultivator's eyes lit up: "Anything?"

The old man nodded heavily, "Anything."

"That's why so many Loose Cultivators are willing to participate in the Monster Hunting Operation. Killing a Nascent Soul Stage Yao Race can get you a Realm-Breaking Pill; killing a Soul Transformation Stage one can get you an Earth Rank Magic Treasure; and if you can kill one at the Void Refinement Stage..."

He paused.

"Then you can exchange it for a Fiefdom and become a power within the Sword Qi Great Wall."

The young Loose Cultivator gasped.

Xiao Ran listened from the side, making a mental note.

Contribution Points... that's a good thing.

If he wanted to expand in the Far North Land in the future, he would inevitably need Contribution Points.

The Monster Hunting Team walked to the city gate and stopped.

The middle-aged man on the Black-Scaled Tiger raised his hand, and the team came to an immediate halt, their movements perfectly synchronized like a precision machine.

Outside the city gate, a group of Loose Cultivators and temporary participants had already gathered.

They weren't as disciplined as the Monster Hunting Team, huddling together in small groups.

Some were wiping their Magical Artifacts, some were resting with their eyes closed, and some were talking in low voices.

In the crowd, Xiao Ran spotted Li Changsheng and Su Qinghan at a glance.

Li Changsheng stood with his hands behind his back in a green robe, looking indifferent.

Su Qinghan stood beside him, her white clothes as pure as snow, her expression cold as she gazed at the distant Wilderness Lands, lost in thought.

Xiao Ran didn't approach, just watched from a distance.

Through the Soul Link, he sent a message to Li Changsheng: "I see you guys."

Li Changsheng remained expressionless: "Why can't I see you?"

"Because I've disguised myself. Alright, we'll find a way to meet up after we head out."

Li Changsheng nodded and cut the link.

Xiao Ran found an inconspicuous corner to stand in, preparing to follow the main force out of the city.

At this time, the middle-aged man on the Black-Scaled Tiger looked around at the Cultivators who wanted to join the Monster Hunting Team and spoke slowly.

His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"I am the captain of the Monster Hunting Team, surnamed Zhao. You can call me Captain Zhao."

"As per routine, I will repeat the rules of the Monster Hunting Team. There is only one..."

He held up one finger.

"Obey orders! Obey orders! Obey the fucking orders!"

Total silence.

Captain Zhao scanned the area and continued, "I know some of you are here for revenge, some are here to earn Contribution Points, and some are here to temper yourselves."

"Regardless of your purpose, once you step out of this Great Wall, your life is no longer your own."

He paused.

"My words are law."

"If I say retreat, no one is allowed to linger in battle. If I say charge, no one is allowed to fall back. Don't blame me for not warning you if you die because you didn't follow orders."

No one spoke.

Captain Zhao nodded: "Good, prepare to leave the city."

He turned around, facing the direction of the Sword Qi Great Wall, and took a deep breath.

"This old man is in position!"

His voice rolled out like thunder, piercing the clouds.

On the high tower in the center of the city, a beam of Aurora shot into the sky!

The light was dazzling, piercing the clouds like a sharp sword.

The Aurora exploded in the sky, turning into countless spots of light that rained down upon the Sword Qi Great Wall.

The next second.

That eternal golden Sword Intent suddenly flared up.

The runes on the city wall began to flow, emitting a humming roar.

The ground shook, and gravel trickled down from the wall.

A crack slowly opened in the center of the city wall.

The crack grew larger and wider, finally forming a gate about ten feet wide.

Behind the gate lay the Wilderness Lands.