Against The Heavens 74 Sect Eradication Mission.

When Li Yang returned to his own house, the three provisional disciples that were a.s.signed to him were still standing in the living-room, nervously waiting. Even though Jiang Chen said to keep the abuse to a minimum, it was still quite normal for the provisional disciples that worked as servants to be treated rather poorly, especially the beautiful women. Because of that, when Li Yang walked into the house, they rapidly gave him a nervous greeting.

"Senior Brother Yang, welcome back."

Li Yang glanced at the three servants, Rivergra.s.s, Blackstone, and Ji Shun. In his past life, he had never had any servants or slaves, so he had no idea how he should treat them. In the end, he gave a nod of his head, deciding to treat them in a manner he felt that Fang Ying would find suitable.

"Right, I should probably prepare something for you."

After speaking, he swiped his interspatial ring, quickly rummaging through its contents for something suitable. He quickly found what he was looking for, transferring the items to an empty interspatial ring and tossing it to Rivergra.s.s.

"Take these, you can set them up somewhere close to this building."

Rivergra.s.s quickly checked the contents of the interspatial ring, her face turning shocked. She handed the ring to the two others and allowed them to see the contents, their expressions also turning rather shocked. Ji Shuren held the ring tightly, her voice a bit uncertain as she looked at Li Yang.

"We... Can stay in this area?"

Within the interspatial ring were three small wooden huts, portable homes prepared by some of the cultivators that Li Yang had killed before coming to this clan. The reason Ji Shuren and the others were shocked was that it was normal for the servants to stay in their own homes, forced to move between the provisional disciple area and the house of the disciple that they served.

But compared to the provisional disciple area, the Qi within the outer disciple area was denser and more abundant, it was far better to live here than it was to live in the provisional disciple area. Li Yang ignored their shock, giving a light shrug of his shoulders.

"Why shouldn't you? You were a.s.signed to me, so for the foreseeable future, you are my people. Having you nearby will make it easier for me to call upon you, or help you if there should ever be a need."

Even if he wasn't treating them in a manner he felt Fang Ying would find suitable, Li Yang still wouldn't treat these servants poorly. He might not care too much about them, but that didn't change the fact that they worked for him, they were his people. The three servants quickly gave Li Yang a deep bow upon hearing his casual response.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Yang!"

Their thoughts were moving rapidly as they bowed. If they got to live and cultivate here in the outer disciple area, perhaps a bit of abuse wasn't too terrible. After they finished their bow, Li Yang seemed to think of something, glancing at the three of them.

"Right, who among you knows how to cook?"

Li Yang himself had lived for quite a long time in his past life, but he had always had Fang Ying by his side that could cook for him, so he wasn't a great cook, only knowing the basics. After a short second of confusion, the black-haired and scarred Blackstone stepped forward, raising his right arm.

"Of the three of us, I am a bit better at cooking."

Li Yang gave a slight nod, once again rummaging through the items in his interspatial ring. He simply took a bunch of ingredients and tossed them into an empty interspatial ring, tossing it to Blackstone.

"Alright, make some food for us out of this. Four normal portions and two large ones."

Blackstone hurriedly caught the ring, checking the contents. After seeing the myriad number of ingredients, most of them being normal ones that could be found in any city, he couldn't help but tilt his head.

"You want to eat?"

Cultivators needed much less food than others. Even Li Yang, who was only at the late stage of the Houtian Rune realm, could go for around half a year without food. And the moment you stepped into the Immortal Rebirth realm, there was no longer any need for food, you could sustain yourself on Qi alone. Because of that, cultivators either ate very rarely or only ate food that contained large amounts of Qi. Facing the confused Blackstone, Li Yang spoke up with a tone that seemed to imply that what he was saying was common sense.

"Of course I want to eat, eating is one of the greatest joys us cultivators can have."

Being a cultivator was nerve-wracking, especially for the ones that could live for many years. One was in constant danger of being attacked because of an old grudge or because someone wanted to steal your treasures. Because of that, it was important to find something that would help you relax. For Li Yang, those things were Fang Ying's cooking and her music.

Blackstone didn't ask any more questions, quickly entering the kitchen to start cooking. While he did that, Rivergra.s.s set the table, and Ji Shun set up the three small huts that Li Yang had given them. Li Yang had said to make four normal portions and two large ones, so Rivergra.s.s a.s.sumed that he wanted them to eat with him, setting up plates for them as well.

Blackstone quickly finished the cooking, carrying some stew, soup, roasted vegetables, and roasted meat to the table. He placed the two large portions of food on the floor, guessing that they were for Li Yang's two pets. He thought he had done the right thing, but his heart skipped a beat when he saw that Li Yang's eyebrows furrowed when he saw the two plates on the floor.

Li Yang picked up the two plates and placed them on the table, one on the left of his plate, and the other on his right. Jinwu and Shenlong jumped onto the table, quickly digging into the food. Rivergra.s.s and the others seemed to find this highly unusual, as Rivergra.s.s seemed to want to say something.

"Senior Brother Yang, your pe..."

She knew that Li Yang came from some tribe somewhere, so she wanted to say that it was common for the pets to eat on the floor, allowing the table to stay clean. But before she got to finish her sentence, Li Yang cut her off.

"They're not pets, they are brothers, and they will be treated as such."

Jinwu had been with him since he started his cultivation journey in this world, and Shenlong and Huanglong were born from his and Fang Ying's blood. If anyone dared called them pets, he would immediately strike that person down. Rivergra.s.s and the two others quickly nodded their heads to show their understanding, only sitting down at the table after Li Yang beckoned for them to do so.

The group quickly finished eating, Ji Shun clearing the table and Rivergra.s.s was.h.i.+ng the dishes. They moved quite smoothly, so it seemed like they had some experience with working as servants or maids. Once the sun set and even came, there was a knock on the door of Li Yang's house.

"Is this the abode of Junior Brother Li Yang?"

The voice that called out was unfamiliar, so Li Yang walked to the entrance and opened the door. Standing outside was a blonde-haired male youth clad in the yellow robes of the Yuan clan. The youth sent him a polite smile, so Li Yang gave him a slight nod.

"That would be me."

The blonde haired youth returned a polite nod, introducing himself and handing over a leather belt with a round piece of white jade embedded into it. Looking at it, it seemed to be a type of storage treasure, just like an interspatial ring.

"Good evening, I am Geng Jiayin, your Senior Brother. Senior Sister Luoyang asked me to deliver these to you and the other newcomers. You weren't supposed to get these for another three days, but Senior Sister Luoyang had them push it forward."

Li Yang couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Geng Jiayin's words. It seemed like Yuan Luoyang held him in a rather high regard, could it be that she had really sensed something during their last clash? Even if she did, it didn't seem like she was interested in prying too deeply, looking to instead foster a good relations.h.i.+p. Li Yang accepted the belt, cupping his hands at Geng Jiayin.

"I see, please tell her that I am grateful."

Geng Jiayin was only supposed to deliver the items, so he politely cupped his hands and then headed toward the houses of Cheng Xun and Qiao Ping. Li Yang closed the door and returned to the bedroom, giving the contents of the belt a quick glance.

Other than the 10 Spirit grade Spirit Stones that they would get each month, the annual basket of resources had also been sent over. The contents of the baskets were mostly herbs or medicines that one could use to purify their body, preparing it for the Immortal Rebirth stage. They were mostly used by cultivators at the Ascending Gate stage, but they were also very useful to the current Li Yang.

Li Yang put the items into his own interspatial ring, returning to quietly resting and preparing for tomorrow. Once the light of the sun shone in through the window of his room, he opened his eyes and took a quick shower. He put on a fresh robe and left the house, a voice greeting him the moment he closed the door behind him.

"Good morning, Junior Brother Yang."

Li Yang glanced at the one that greeted him, finding two youths, one male and one female, waiting for him outside his home. The male was rather tall and had short brown hair, while the female was a more average height and had short black hair. Li Yang didn't feel like wasting too much time right now, so he cut straight to the chase.

"Can I help you with anything?"

He had a slight hunch at who these two were, or at least who they worked for, but he wasn't completely certain. The male youth cupped his hands in greeting, following Li Yang's example and moving right on to business.

"I am Long Jucai and this is Yuan Lanxia, we have come here under the orders of Senior Sister Yijun. She would like you to please hand over the monthly tax, a mere 5 Spirit grade Spirit Stones and a vial of Marrow-Was.h.i.+ng Dew."

Li Yang couldn't help but let out a slight sound after hearing the demands. This 'tax' was around half of everything he had received, it was little worse than straight up robbery. Long Jucai and Yuan Lanxia quietly waited for Li Yang to hand over the items, but he simply shrugged his shoulders and started walking past them.

"It seems your information network is quite excellent. You can return to Senior Sister Yijun and tell her that I can't pay her, I need all the resources I can get."

The more resources he had the better, he couldn't afford to waste any on this tax. It might cause a slight amount of trouble if he didn't pay the tax, but what could he do, he needed to increase his strength as fast as possible, the grand compet.i.tion was getting closer and closer. And even if he ignored the grand compet.i.tion, once he met up with Fang Ying again, he would need the strength to protect her and fight alongside her. Long Jucai's eyebrows twitched slightly, but he didn't stop Li Yang using force, giving him a low reminder.

"You don't wish to pay? Are you certain, you can still reconsider. I do believe that Senior Brother Chen should have told you the rules."

Rather than calling it a reminder, it was better suited to be called a threat. But Li Yang didn't even bother turning around, simply shrugging his shoulders once more.

"He did. But I still won't pay. As I said, I need all the resources I can get."

If it really did turn out that this ordeal with Yijun became too much trouble, he would either just pay the tax and hope that solved it, show some of his might to get a better position in the clan, or just leave the clan and find a better way to earn resources. Since Li Yang had affirmed his words, Long Jucai simply cupped his hands.

"Very well, we will bring your words to Senior Sister Yijun."

Li Yang was just about to leave the area when he remembered that he had forgotten to mention something, something that Fang Ying had told him several times in the past. Because of that, he turned around and gave Long Jucai a quick reminder.

"Right, you can also tell her that I won't stand for anyone laying a hand on the people a.s.signed to me."

Fang Ying despised it when people laid a hand on those that worked for her, so since Li Yang was trying to treat his servants in a way that Fang Ying would find suitable, he, of course, couldn't forget that part. Long Jucai's eyebrows twitched again, but he didn't say anything, only giving a slight nod of his head.

Li Yang headed directly for the ma.s.sive yellow dome that was the mission control building. There was a ma.s.sive golden gate that led into the building, the doors already pushed open. The inside of the mission control building was surprisingly simple, various counters and enclosed booths lining the sides of the dome. The central area of the dome was mainly dominated by small stands set up by other disciples, so it seemed like one could even accept missions from other disciples.

Standing at the center of the room was a ma.s.sive green jade pillar that stretched from the floor all the way to the ceiling that was several hundreds of meters above them, names covering the entire pillar. Around the jade pillar stood several tables covered in watermelon-sized orbs of white quartz.

Right past the entrance stood a small sign with a quick explanation of the rating system used by the clan, as well as how to accept and deliver a mission. It was a rather simple rating system, with each mission given a rating that ranged from 0-5 stars. The more stars a mission had, the more dangerous it would be, and the more contribution points it would reward. 1-star missions required the strength of the Ascending Heaven realm, 2 and 3-star missions required the strength of an Immortal Rebirth realm cultivator, and 4 to 5-star missions required the strength of a Primordial Rune realm cultivator.

Li Yang followed the instructions on the sign, walking over to one of the many orbs of quartz that were placed around the jade pillar. He placed his palms on an empty on, sinking his mind into it as if it was a jade slip or an interspatial ring. Once his mind entered it, countless lines of text floated into his mind, each one a different mission.

Li Yang quickly sifted through the missions, removing those that were too dangerous or those that didn't pay enough to be worth his time. After spending a bit of time searching, he found a mission that piqued his interest, mostly because it was a bit strange. He noted down the number of the mission, taking the number over to one of the numerous counters that lined the walls. He handed the number over to the yellow-robed female that stood behind the counter, asking his question.

"This mission, why is its difficulty only set to half a star? Shouldn't a mission that requires us to kill an Ascending Gate stage cultivator be ranked at around one star?"

The mission was to take down a small sect that had engaged in a few slaughters in the territory of the Yuan clan. The reward was 100 contribution points and a Fireplum Blossom, a type of herb that was useful not only for Li Yang but also Jinwu. But the mission stated that the leader of the cult was a cultivator at the Ascending Gate stage, so how could the mission only have half a star difficulty?

The female behind the counter checked the number, taking out a tablet made out of azure jade, sinking her mind into it. After making Li Yang wait a few minutes, the woman opened her eyes again and gave him a response.

"Normally it would indeed be so. But as this is a group mission, and the leader has already been set as Xiang Wuying, the clan has decided to lower the difficulty grade to half a star."

Xiang Wuying was one of the five leaders of the outer disciples, a man was half a step into the Immortal Rebirth realm. With him taking care of the leader of the evil sect, the other people were no problem. Li Yang gave it a bit more thought after getting the response, but in the end, he nodded his head.

"I see, I'll accept this mission then."

He didn't have the strength to take on someone at the Ascending Gate stage, but as long as Xiang Wuying was there to serve as his s.h.i.+eld, he felt that the mission was a safe and profitable choice. The woman nodded her head, noting down Li Yang's information, which she had gotten from the clan mark that had been placed on him when he joined the clan.

"Very well. Your group will set out at dawn tomorrow, so please arrive at the Ascending Carp Staircase before the appointed time."

The deadline for accepting the mission was midnight today, which was another one of the reasons that the mission had caught Li Yang's eye. Li Yang didn't stick around any longer after accepting the mission, returning to his own house. He had Blackstone cook up some more food once evening rolled around, eating a light dinner alongside his three servants and his beast companions.

A bit before the dawn of the next day arrived, Li Yang had already arrived at the Ascending Carp Staircase, which was the name given to a long staircase that went from the foot of the main mountain, all the way to the top of the mountain. When he arrived, there were already four other people standing there and waiting. The eyes of the man who seemed to be the leader of the group landed on Li Yang.

"You are the last member of our group?"

The leader, Xiang Wuying, had a surprisingly short body, even smaller than the still young Li Yang, he couldn't be over 1.40 in height. But his short body clearly held tremendous power, rippling with muscles that caused his yellow robe to bulge slightly. He had rough features, brown eyes, and golden hair that hung down a little past his ears. Li Yang cupped his hands in a quick greeting, introducing himself.

"That would be me, Li Yang."

Xiang Wuying and the three other people, two men and one woman, looked Li Yang up and down. The three other people had all entered the Ascending Heaven realm, leaving Li Yang as the only person who was still in the Human Rune realm. They frowned slightly but didn't say anything, leaving it to Xiang Wuying to make a decision about the newcomer.

"Since you were accepted as an outer disciple, you should have something special about you, so I won't say anything against you joining. But if you end up dragging us down, I will send you back to the clan, understood?"

The clan would not accept someone at the late stage of the Houtian Rune stage as an outer disciple if there wasn't something special about him, so it was clear that Li Yang was not as simple as he looked. Li Yang nodded his head to show his understanding, so Xiang Wuying introduced the rest of the group.

"I am Xiang Wuying, the leader for this mission. This is Yu Chao, Huang Yong, and this is Deng Guo."

Yu Chao was a slim male youth with quite a beautiful face, silky black hair, lightly red lips, and crystal clear blue eyes. Huang Yong was a bit chubby, had unruly crimson hair that hung down to his shoulders, a burn scar that was faintly visible on his neck, and pitch black eyes. Deng Guo was a rather muscular woman with green eyes and azure hair that hung all the way down to her b.u.t.tocks.

Once the introductions were done, Xiang Wuying did not have the group waste any more time, immediately setting out to cleanse the territory of the Yuan clan, ridding it of the evil sect.