123: Chapter 123 There's still a secret.

"What's wrong?"

Lu Yu asked.

Li Changsheng remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly.

"This altar might only be one of many."

Lu Yu was stunned.

"What do you mean?"

Li Changsheng pointed at the runes.

"These runes are not isolated."

"They are connected to a much larger Formation."

"This altar is likely a node of that Formation."

Lu Yu's expression changed.

"Are you saying... there are other altars?"

Li Changsheng nodded.

He looked up toward the gloomy sky.

That man in black had escaped.

Where would he go?

Would he go to another altar?

Would he go to inform an even more powerful existence?

What on earth was this altar summoning?

He didn't know.

But he had a strong premonition that this matter was far from over.

"Let's destroy it first."

He said.

The two of them combined their strength, their sword light flashing out together to strike the altar!

Boom!

Amidst the loud crash, the altar collapsed!

The stone pillars broke, the bronze tripod rolled away, and those blood-colored runes instantly dimmed, completely losing their light!

The altar was destroyed.

But in Li Changsheng's heart, there wasn't the slightest sense of relief.

He crouched down, picked up a fragment of stone engraved with runes from the ruins, and tucked it into his robes.

This thing might be useful.

"Let's go."

He stood up.

"Time to return and report."

The two turned and left that blood-stained land.

Behind them, Luanshi Ridge remained silent.

But in the wind, the weeping of those wronged souls seemed to linger.

Returning from Luanshi Ridge, Li Changsheng and Lu Yu went directly to the Mission Hall.

The process of handing in the mission went smoothly.

The Deacon Disciple responsible for registration saw their travel-worn appearance and the injuries they carried, knowing this mission had not been simple.

He carefully verified the mission requirements, asked for some details, and finally stamped the mission Jade Slip.

"Investigating the traces of the Blood Fiend Sect stronghold; mission complete. Reward: five thousand contribution points."

He paused, then pulled out another record.

"Investigating the missing persons incidents around Qingshi Town—you completed that as well?"

"The reward for this mission is eight hundred contribution points."

"Handing in both missions together, the total is five thousand eight hundred points."

Lu Yu's eyes lit up.

"Five thousand eight hundred! We're rich!"

"Five thousand eight hundred contribution points, how will you split them?"

The Deacon Disciple asked as he looked at them.

"Evenly."

Being able to gain nearly three thousand contribution points, Li Changsheng felt a slight joy in his heart.

Adding this to his previous thirty-one thousand, he now had nearly thirty-four thousand contribution points.

He was still sixteen thousand away from fifty thousand.

Completing three or four more high-difficulty missions would be enough.

"I could earn more completing them alone. But it would be relatively more dangerous."

Li Changsheng pondered in his mind.

The Deacon Disciple transferred the contribution points into their identity tokens and handed over a receipt.

"Sign here to confirm."

The two finished signing.

As Lu Yu prepared to leave, Li Changsheng suddenly stopped.

He said to the Deacon Disciple.

"Senior Brother,"

"Regarding this mission, there are some other findings I wish to report."

The Deacon Disciple looked up.

"What findings?"

Li Changsheng took out a stone fragment from his robes and placed it on the counter.

On the stone fragment, those eerie blood-colored runes were still clearly visible despite having dimmed; this was exactly what he had picked up from the altar ruins.

"We discovered an altar deep within Luanshi Ridge."

He said slowly.

"People from the Blood Fiend Sect built an altar there and used the blood of missing townsfolk to conduct some kind of ritual."

"We killed several men in black, but the person presiding over the altar escaped."

The Deacon Disciple's expression became solemn.

Li Changsheng continued.

"The runes on that altar are not isolated."

"I suspect they might be part of a larger Formation."

"The altar the Blood Fiend Sect built in Luanshi Ridge might only be one of them."

"There might be others elsewhere."

The Deacon Disciple was silent for a moment, then stood up.

"Wait a moment, I will go fetch the Hall Master."

A moment later, a middle-aged man with a deep aura walked out.

He was the Deputy Hall Master of the Mission Hall, surnamed Wu, with a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivation.

Deputy Hall Master Wu took the stone fragment and scrutinized it for a long time.

He then asked the two for a detailed account of their journey, including the strength of the men in black, the construction of the altar, the style of the runes, and the manner in which the man in black escaped.

Li Changsheng answered everything one by one, without hiding anything.

After Deputy Hall Master Wu finished listening, he remained silent for a long while before speaking slowly.

"You have done very well. This discovery is extremely important."

He looked at the two with admiration in his eyes.

"I will report this matter to the Sect Elders immediately. What happens next is not something you can interfere with."

"Rest well and recover from your injuries."

Li Changsheng nodded and took his leave along with Lu Yu.

Walking out of the Mission Hall, Lu Yu let out a long breath and grinned.

"Brother Li, we've really achieved a great merit this time! Plus, we each earned nearly three thousand contribution points."

Li Changsheng smiled and said nothing.

Lu Yu patted his shoulder.

"Go back and rest well for a few days, heal your wounds, and then we'll take on more missions!"

"Let's strive to save up fifty thousand within half a year!"

"Alright."

Li Changsheng thought silently to himself.

"It seems Lu Yu also knows about the Shelter Platform."

The two parted at a fork in the road and returned to their respective residences.

Returning to the Hundred Herb Garden, Li Changsheng first went to check his spirit fields.

That Spirit Tea Tree had grown another section taller, its branches and leaves even denser.

The nearby Jade Dew Ginseng was growing well; in a few more months, he would be able to harvest the second batch.

The clear heart grass and Spirit Nourishing Grass were also lush and green, a scene full of vitality.

He crouched down and gently stroked the trunk of the Spirit Tea Tree, a faint warmth rising in his heart.

No matter what happened outside, this spirit field would always be his roots.

Returning to the tool warehouse, he lit a lamp and began to treat the wounds on his body.

Although the harvest from this mission was bountiful, a price had been paid.

He had gained seven or eight wounds, the most serious being a gash on his left arm that was deep enough to see the bone.

If not for the vitality of the nine-turn azure profound bead, he would probably have had to recuperate for ten days to half a month.

He took a healing Medicinal Pill, treated the wound with muscle-growth powder, and then sat cross-legged to begin regulating his breathing.

Spiritual energy flowed slowly through his body, and combined with the efficacy of the pill, it repaired his damaged Meridians and flesh bit by bit.

He could clearly feel that the wounds were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

This was the extraordinary power of the Longevity Dao Body and the nine-turn azure profound bead.

The night passed without incident.

When he woke up the next day, his wounds had already scabbed over, and he could move without hindrance.

In another two days, they should be fully healed.

He decided to rest for a few days to properly adjust his state.

For the next three days, he lived very peacefully.

Watering the spirit fields every morning, practicing fist and sword techniques in the forenoon, studying Alchemy in the afternoon, and regulating his breathing to Cultivate at night.

Occasionally, Li Changqing, Shi Tiezhu, and Li Xiaocao would come to chat with him, and he was happy to talk with them.

Such days were simple and fulfilling.

But Li Changsheng knew this was just the calm before the storm.

The matter of the Blood Fiend Sect building an altar in Luanshi Ridge left a faint unease in his heart.

Those runes, that escaped man in black, and that potentially existing larger Formation... all of it reeked of the bizarre.

He didn't know what the Blood Fiend Sect was plotting, but he knew it definitely wasn't anything good.

And he himself had to become stronger as quickly as possible.

Qi Refining Level 9 Middle Stage was not enough.

He needed to reach Foundation Establishment, to become even stronger.

Only then could he protect himself and those around him in the coming storm.

Meanwhile, somewhere on Wanqi Peak.

Zhao Guangyuan sat alone in a quiet room, a pot of cold tea before him, untouched.

He had been sitting like this for a long time.

Ever since the exchange meeting ended and the day Li Changsheng returned, he had fallen into a deep conflict.

To kill, or not to kill?

This question had tormented him for seven whole days.