owlsbooks Chapter 28 Infiltration
Chapter 28 Infiltration
When Mu Chunfeng arrived at Li Huayuan's tent, she lifted the curtain and entered, only to find that her senior uncle Hongfu was also there.
The atmosphere inside the tent was heavy. Li Huayuan and Hong Fu were frowning and talking in hushed tones, their expressions full of anxiety.
When Mu Chunfeng came in, Hong Fu glanced at him indifferently, then turned around and sat down on a chair to the side, her expression still anxious.
Li Huayuan quickly walked up to Mu Chunfeng and said urgently, "Chunfeng, you've finally arrived."
Mu Chunfeng quickly bowed and clasped his hands in a respectful greeting: "Disciple Mu Chunfeng greets Master and Senior Sister Hongfu."
Hong Fu simply nodded slightly without saying anything more; Li Huayuan stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a deep voice, "Chunfeng, I have summoned you here today to entrust you with a very important task."
Upon hearing this, Mu Chunfeng subconsciously straightened his back, thinking to himself: Here it comes, it must be about the Black Fiend Sect!
But before his anticipation could dissipate, Li Huayuan's next words chilled him to the bone, instantly extinguishing all his interest.
"Chunfeng, your junior sister Xuan'er went to the front lines without permission a few days ago and has not been heard from since. She may have been kidnapped by demonic cultivators. Right now, the front lines are in a critical situation, and we really can't spare too many people. Moreover, both sides have already agreed that Core Formation cultivators cannot interfere in small battlefields at will. Therefore, we can only send you to the outer perimeter of the demonic territory at the forefront to investigate Xuan'er's whereabouts."
"If we can find her, that would be best. If not, then we should try our best to find some news about Xuan'er."
"Huh? Me?"
Mu Chunfeng looked astonished, pointed to herself, and subconsciously asked a question, her tone full of disbelief.
"Yes, it's you."
Li Huayuan nodded, and seeing the troubled look on his face, he added, "But don't worry, you're not going alone. There are three cultivators from the other three sects going with you. The four of you can form a small team and quickly investigate."
Mu Chunfeng was extremely unwilling, but quickly put on a pitiful look and sincerely declined, saying, "Master, you know me. My only skill is drawing talismans, and I am not good at fighting. If we venture deep into the demonic territory and encounter a powerful enemy, I will definitely become a burden to everyone and ruin everything."
"Master, you must think twice. Don't be fooled by my late Foundation Establishment cultivation level. It's all from being greedy and reckless. I'm not good at any fighting or combat."
As Mu Chunfeng spoke, she knelt down and tugged at Li Huayuan's clothes, looking completely pitiful.
Upon hearing this, Li Huayuan couldn't help but smile and wave his hand, saying, "Don't be modest. I heard everything from your junior brother Han. When Yan Family Fort encountered a powerful enemy, it was all thanks to you stepping forward and defeating the demonic pursuers that you not only protected him and Xuan'er but also ensured Xuan'er's safe return."
Upon hearing this, Mu Chunfeng cursed Han Li for being too talkative in his heart, but on the surface he still pretended to be serious and said, "Master, you don't know, at that time it was all thanks to Junior Brother Han's great power. I only used a little trick and contributed a little bit of my strength. We were lucky to block the pursuers of the Ghost Spirit Sect and protect Junior Sister Xuan'er."
Looking at his evasive manner, Li Huayuan thought to himself: This kid really won't act until he sees the benefit.
Then, his tone shifted, a sinister smile playing on his lips, as he said in a low voice, "Since you're unwilling to go, then your secret sale of battlefield merits can no longer be kept a secret. I remember the Seven Sects already announced a ban on the private trading of battlefield kill merits, didn't they?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Chunfeng was immediately shocked, and his expression changed slightly—he hadn't expected that Li Huayuan would discover his secret trading of battle merits so soon after he arrived.
Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately adopted a righteous and indignant demeanor, quickly stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Master, you flatter me. As fellow cultivators of Huangfeng Valley, it is my duty to help Junior Sister Xuan'er in her time of need. I will do my utmost to find out her whereabouts!"
Seeing his lightning-fast change of attitude, Li Huayuan couldn't help but curl his lips. He then took out a radiant talisman from his storage bag and handed it to Mu Chunfeng, saying, "Don't worry, although this mission is dangerous, your Martial Aunt Hongfu and I will provide you with assistance. If you encounter danger, this talisman will be enough to protect you."
At this moment, Hong Fu slowly stood up, looked at Mu Chunfeng, and said in a gentler tone: "Junior Nephew Mu, this trip to the demonic territory is indeed extremely dangerous, but Xuan'er's matter is of great importance. I hope you can do your best to find out her whereabouts."
After saying that, a flash of light appeared at her waist, and a long sword magical weapon radiating a blazing red light was lifted by her magic power and slowly presented to Mu Chunfeng.
Upon seeing this, Li Huayuan was immediately surprised and blurted out, "Senior Sister, isn't this the Luan Hong Sword you used when you were establishing your foundation?"
"good."
Hong Fu nodded, her tone tinged with nostalgia, "This magic artifact was with me for a long time. After I formed my core, although I stopped using it, I refined it again. Now it's considered top-grade among the best magic artifacts. It was originally intended to protect Xuan'er, but Xuan'er's cultivation level wasn't high enough to use it, so it stayed with me."
Then, Hong Fu turned to Mu Chunfeng and said solemnly, "Now that Xuan'er is in trouble, I entrust this magic artifact to you, hoping that you can find Xuan'er. I'm really begging you this time."
After speaking, Hong Fu nodded slightly to Mu Chunfeng, which startled him. The rules of the cultivation world were no joke. He quickly knelt down to accept the Luan Hong Sword and loudly proclaimed, "This disciple will do everything in my power to find Junior Sister Xuan'er!"
"If I can find Xuan'er, I can grant you three requests. Whatever they are, as long as I can fulfill them, I will not refuse. Even if it means helping you reach the Core Formation stage..."
Upon hearing this, Mu Chunfeng lowered his head even further, his voice resolute: "To save Junior Sister Xuan'er, this disciple would gladly die!"
"Alright, finding Xuan'er is important, but so is your life. Be extremely careful on this journey. If anything goes wrong, you can retreat at any time. As for the Luan Hong Sword, whether we succeed or fail, it is yours."
Seeing this, Li Huayuan quickly added, "And the talisman treasure too, it's all yours regardless of the success or failure of the mission."
Mu Chunfeng was overjoyed. Holding the talisman and the Luan Hong sword in both hands, he respectfully said, "This disciple will certainly do his utmost to live up to the expectations of Master and Senior Uncle!"
Li Huayuan looked at him and earnestly advised, "Chunfeng, be careful in everything you do, and remember to put your own safety first. If you really face a life-or-death crisis, don't force yourself. Just focus on escaping. We'll think of another way to deal with Xuan'er."
"Yes, disciple will remember Master's teachings." Mu Chunfeng bowed and nodded respectfully in response.
Afterwards, Li Huayuan explained the details of the mission to Mu Chunfeng, but he did not tell him the details of the other cultivators, saying that for the sake of the mission's secrecy, they would meet at a secret location in half an hour.
About an incense stick's time later, Mu Chunfeng turned and left the tent, but his heart had already turned cold. He knew that Dong Xuan'er had most likely been captured by Wang Chan as in the original story, and that she had been taken to see the old demon Yunlu after being captured by Wang Chan.
That's the territory of a Nascent Soul cultivator. For a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like him, let alone finding Dong Xuan'er, even getting close to her would be as difficult as climbing to heaven.
Although the three conditions proposed by Hong Fu were very tempting, he simply couldn't meet them.
But since things had come to this, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go on the mission.
An hour later, Mu Chunfeng, dressed in the blood-stained clothes of the Ghost Spirit Sect, stepped onto the Cloud-Piercing Shuttle, deliberately concealing his aura and pretending to be a demonic cultivator.
Beside him stood three other cultivators, also dressed in blood-red robes: Duan Ze from the Hidden Moon Sect, Li Weidong from the Pure Void Sect, and Zhou Hua from the Spirit Beast Mountain.
All four were at the late Foundation Establishment stage, their auras were steady, and their expressions were wary.
At this moment, Duan Ze of the Hidden Moon Sect spoke first, saying in a solemn tone: "This journey requires us to cross the front lines of both sides and enter the territory of the demonic forces. Fellow Daoists, you must act with caution and never make any rash moves that might alert the enemy, lest you attract a large number of demonic cultivators to attack us."
Li Weidong and Zhou Hua, who were standing nearby, nodded in agreement: "Fellow Daoist Duan is absolutely right. We will be careful."
At this moment, Mu Chunfeng looked at Zhou Hua beside him and felt a sense of solemnity. He never expected that there would be cultivators from the Spirit Beast Mountain with him on this trip.
He knew in his heart that Spirit Beast Mountain had already secretly sided with the demonic path. Although he couldn't be sure that every cultivator from Spirit Beast Mountain was an undercover agent, most of the high-level cultivators must be loyal to the Spirit Control Sect.
This week, Zhou Hua's cultivation level is only one step away from becoming a fake Core Formation cultivator. He might be someone who knows the truth, or even a direct disciple of the Yu Ling Sect.
Mu Chunfeng wished he could turn around and run away right then and there. If it weren't for the fear of being treated as a deserter by these people and being reported to them later, he really wouldn't want to stay here for another second.