Chapter 502: Chapter 501: Each Relying on Their Own Skills
"Fellow Daoist Beiming, I’ve been waiting for you."
From afar, Master Earth Spirit greeted with a smiling face.
Feiyun Ascendant coldly glanced at Bai Ziyue and Master Earth Spirit but said nothing.
"I wonder what our Star Order assessment will be this time?"
Bai Ziyue asked curiously.
He was not surprised that the two recognized him; among all present, he was the only one displaying an early-stage Divine Realm cultivation.
"The Star Order assessment of the Nine-star Daoist Palace is never the same each time.
In the two previous times I participated, the first was a task to hunt a type of Exotic Beast called Wind Fire Tian Wu in the Celestial Wind Sand Sea, each with strength comparable to Mid-stage Divine Realm Cultivators, extremely troublesome to deal with. We had twenty people participate in the assessment that time, but only seven succeeded. Among the thirteen who failed, nine perished.
The second time was targeting a small outpost of the True Demon Sect, with fifteen participants, eight fell, and only three succeeded.
However, generally speaking, the Nine-star Daoist Palace wouldn’t assign tasks beyond our capabilities, so you may relax for now."
Master Earth Spirit comforted him.
"Is that so?"
Bai Ziyue nodded silently, glancing around the scene, unexpectedly spotting two Buddhist Cultivators with scar marks on their heads and took a few more looks.
"Those two, even if they aren’t disciples of the Great Buddha Sect, they must be powerhouses from a Buddhist Sect within the Great Buddha Sect’s domain, proficient in Buddhist Dharma.
These two, as long as luck isn’t against them, are almost certain to pass the assessment."
Master Earth Spirit couldn’t help but convey via sound transmission.
"Why?"
Bai Ziyue asked curiously.
"Generally speaking, Sect Disciples possess stronger abilities compared to Loose Cultivators like us, and the disciples of the Four Great Immortal Sects within the Cloud-piercing Mountain Range have skills even superior to regular Sect Disciples.
Though it’s uncertain if those two Buddhist Cultivators are disciples of the Great Buddha Sect, the Buddhist Sects within its domain almost always derive from the Great Buddha Sect.
The techniques they practice and Divine Techniques they master are strong. Even if they’re slightly weaker than disciples of the Four Immortal Technique Sects, the difference isn’t much. Once one becomes a Mid-stage Divine Realm Cultivator, it almost guarantees having the combat power of a Two-star Divine Realm.
The likelihood of their success is naturally high."
Master Earth Spirit explained.
Bai Ziyue understood but did not speak further.
As time passed, more Divine Realm Powerhouses arrived, and each, upon seeing Bai Ziyue, would inevitably examine him. After all, a Cultivator at the early-stage Divine Realm participating in the Star Order assessment was indeed rare.
Bang! Bang!
At this moment, amid a loud booming sound, a battleship suddenly descended from a distance and hovered above the square.
A Cultivator clad in a gray robe appeared from the battleship, his face covered by a Primordial Magnetic Mask, and said, "Everyone, board the ship."
"Yes, Elder!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was startled and hastily responded.
Bai Ziyue also curiously gave that Cultivator a glance, discovering the reason others should not be slow to respond.
Seven-star Divine Order!
This was a powerhouse of the Seven-star Divine Realm.
He too jumped aboard the battleship.
Besides the gray-robed Cultivator, there were two others on the ship at the Late-stage Divine Realm, both holding Five-star Divine Orders.
"Everyone, I am Panshan. You may refer to me as Master Panshan, responsible for your Star Order assessment this time."
The gray-robed Cultivator, in a light tone, looked at everyone and said, "A total of seventeen signed up for the Star Order assessment this time, but only fifteen have shown up. I don’t care why the remaining two didn’t come, nor should you.
Since you’ve arrived, surely you wish to obtain the Star Order and enjoy the benefits and resources of our Nine-star Daoist Palace.
However, I would remind you that choosing to participate means you will inevitably face risks.
*Death will occur!*
*Perhaps half of you may perish in this assessment, or the entire group could encounter unknown dangers and be wiped out.*
*In the Immortal Technique World, everything is unknown.*
*Even I might encounter mishaps during mission execution.*
*Thus, if anyone amongst you fears death, you may opt-out now; no one will mock you.*"
After a brief pause, seeing no one chose to quit, the gray-robed Cultivator nodded in satisfaction and said, "Good, you are courageous, better by this one point than ordinary people.
The only thing you lack is an opportunity, a chance to demonstrate your strength.
Let’s go, our target this time is the Celestial Demon Territory."
With that, he drove the battleship.
Bang! Bang!
With a booming sound, the battleship soared into the air, slowly flying out of Cloud-piercing City.
Once outside the city’s scope, the ship rapidly accelerated, swiftly heading off in one direction.
"The details of the task are actually quite simple.
Within the Celestial Demon Territory, there is a herd of Single-horned Kui Oxen.
Your task is to hunt down these Single-horned Kui Oxen and deliver the singular horn to us, which will count as completing the assessment.
Of course, the more you hunt, the higher your Star Order level."
"Five single horns, and you could directly obtain the Two-star Divine Order; ten horns would mean the Three-star.
If you managed to slay the Single-horned Kui Ox King, then you could receive the Four-star Divine Order.
This also presents an opportunity for those among you who are stronger."
"How many stars you can receive will rely solely on yourselves."
Master Panshan smiled as he spoke,
"It’s worth mentioning that the Single-horned Kui Ox has many treasures. Apart from the single horn being the proof of your mission, all other items belong to you, and how you decide to handle them will be up to you.
Remember, you only have three days for hunting; once those three days are over, no matter whether you succeed or not, you must immediately cease hunting. Otherwise, if unforeseen events occur, don’t blame us for not warning you.
Furthermore, by that time, we will automatically assume that you have perished, and we won’t wait for any of you; we will leave immediately.
Therefore, it’s best to complete the mission within three days."
A Five-star Divine Realm powerhouse beside him could not help but speak up,
Everyone’s hearts suddenly tightened.
"Alright, if there are any questions now, you can ask them. During the official hunt, no one will explain anything to you."
Another Five-star Divine Realm powerhouse wearing a silver Primordial Magnetic Mask said coldly.
Soon, a burly cultivator clasped his hands and asked, "Elder, if we succeed in hunting on the first day and don’t wish to stay, can we return to complete the task?"
"You can."
"At that time, we’ll remain at the place where you disembark from the warship for three days.
You can return at any time.
No matter whether you’ve captured a single horn, once you’re on the warship, the task is considered complete, and we will temporarily protect your safety."
The man with the silver mask inexplicably smiled and said,
"Being on the warship indicates safety, so..."
Bai Ziyue’s gaze constricted, and he subtly swept his eyes over the others.
Clearly, for this assessment, besides hunting the Single-horned Kui Ox to obtain its horn, vigilance and protection against the other participants in the hunt were equally necessary.
Some people might even opt not to hunt Demon Beasts themselves; instead, they would ambush and kill those who had seized the Single-horned Kui Ox, allowing them to complete their mission just the same.
"Is it true that robbery is not prohibited in this assessment?"
Apparently, Bai Ziyue wasn’t the only one who thought of this question, as a cultivator immediately asked.
"In principle, we don’t encourage slaughter."
"But in the Star Order assessment, everyone relies on their own abilities."
"In reality, the greatest casualties occur not from the assessment itself but from the mutual killings of participants."
The cultivator with the silver mask replied coldly.
Upon hearing this, everyone felt a chill, their gazes filled with caution as they glanced at one another.
"Fellow Daoist Beiming, both of us are the weakest among everyone, and we should most definitely form an alliance."
"Once we enter the Celestial Demon Territory, we’ll act together. With our combined efforts, the chance of hunting the Single-horned Kui Ox should increase significantly."
"If you’re worried, I have a Third-Grade Spirit Talisman, a Heart Demon Blood Oath Talisman, which can establish an oath. Once signed, it cannot be violated, or one will be plagued by a Heart Demon, suffer Qi and Blood deterioration, a significant decrease in power, and never advance again for life."
"Does this help ease your mind?"
Master Earth Spirit looked at Bai Ziyue and couldn’t help but communicate through voice transmission.
"With Elder Earth Spirit’s assistance, Beiming’s chance of passing increases, so naturally, there’s no reason to object."
Bai Ziyue’s eyes flashed, and he also communicated through voice transmission in response.
"Good, we shall sign the blood oath not to attack each other during the task and instead support each other in passing the Star Order assessment. Once the assessment is completed, the Heart Demon Blood Oath Talisman can be dissolved."
Master Earth Spirit’s heart leaped with joy, and he spoke quickly.
"No rush, let’s discuss this after disembarking the warship. With so many people and chattering here, it’s not convenient for our alliance to be exposed to others."
Bai Ziyue quickly communicated back.
Upon hearing this, Master Earth Spirit nodded and happily communicated, "Fellow Daoist, you are right."
Then, Bai Ziyue stopped communicating with him and instead sat quietly in a corner of the warship, appearing to close his eyes and meditate.
He certainly wouldn’t be hasty to sign any Heart Demon Blood Oath Talisman with Master Earth Spirit. Though he wished to know the other party’s intentions, he wouldn’t let himself enter such a passive state.
*Thus, while he seemed to be meditating, he was actually focusing on the Attribute Panel, directly opening the Enlightenment Time, and beginning to deduce a magic technique for breaking oath-related talismans.*
*This wasn’t specifically aimed at Master Earth Spirit.*
*He understood that once he participated in tasks from the Nine-star Daoist Palace in the future, he was bound to unite with other cultivators. This preparation was just in case.*
*In the Immortal Technique World, there was definitely more than one cultivator who mastered breaking blood oath talismans or oath-related magic.*
*There are bound to be some with ulterior motives.*
*Hence, he naturally needed to be vigilant.*
*The Enlightenment Time began, external silence, but his thoughts turned swiftly, and various novel ideas emerged promptly.*
One minute, two minutes, three minutes...
After half an hour,
Bai Ziyue opened his eyes.