Martial Conquest of the Nine Desolates
Chapter 306 - 304: Hidden Mission

Chapter 306: Chapter 304: Hidden Mission

Xiao Ye couldn’t suppress the wild thumping in his heart as his gaze turned towards the canyon.

"Could it be that the true leader of the bandits, the ultimate target of this mission, is in the canyon?"

At this moment, the void trembled violently, and the aura emanating from within the canyon was terrifying to the extreme, shattering Heaven, causing storms to change color, and the ground to crack open with countless fissures, making Xiao Ye feel incredibly insignificant.

The Ferocious Beast that was engaged in fierce battle with Xiang Nan’s Team and Mo Ye Team suddenly trembled and prostrated on the ground, not daring to move an inch.

And the members of the Genius Camp only felt their Xuandans inside their bodies being restricted, with even the Xuanwu Power being difficult to mobilize.

Boom!

Under Xiao Ye’s watchful eye, a towering figure ascended into Heaven. He was wearing a red robe, with a strange totem etched on his forehead, his murderous aura soared to the sky, and his fierce eyes were like blade edges, so sharp that they seemed to cut through the void.

Pfft!

Ding Yi, who was holding an iron rod, became the object of the red-robed man’s gaze. His body shook, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. His body flew out as if struck by a heavy hammer, his expression one of horror.

He had remained undefeated under the assault of five Ferocious Beasts at the peak level of Nine-Revolution Profound Martial, but now he couldn’t even withstand a single glance.

"Hmph, I see that as a student of the Genius Camp under Lord Starfall, you are one of the strongest, yet you can’t even take one look from me. It seems the Genius Camp isn’t all that special," the red-robed man sneered coldly.

Swoosh!

Jiu Zhu, carrying a longsword on his back, dashed out, shielding the Genius Camp students behind him.

"You are a Void Martial Realm expert, yet you condescend to fight a younger Xuanwu Realm warrior? Aren’t you ashamed?" Behind Jiu Zhu, a vast Grotto Heaven appeared, filled with boundless Sword Qi, covering the students of the Genius Camp.

Instantly, the red-robed man’s impact was neutralized.

"Hmph, in the True Spirit Continent, strength is revered. I don’t care about their power level, whoever dares to provoke me, I kill," the red-robed man sneered ferociously.

"Indeed a Void Martial Realm expert!" Xiao Ye’s pupils contracted violently.

Hearing these words, the hearts of the other students at the Genius Camp sank. This mission was impossible to complete with a Void Martial Realm expert present.

"Lord!"

Seeing the red-robed man appear, the leader of the bandits flew towards him, as if seeing a glimmer of hope for survival.

Jiu Zhu watched this scene coldly and did not make a move to stop it.

"Killing this man is not the mission; he’s mine to deal with. The rest of the bandits and Ferocious Beasts are up to you. Also, you have not yet discovered the hidden Contribution Points objective of the mission," Jiu Zhu’s voice transmitted with his power, resonating in the ears of each Genius Camp student.

On hearing Jiu Zhu’s words, all the students of the Genius Camp lit up with excitement.

Clearly, Lord Starfall had known long ago that there would be a Void Martial Realm expert here. As long as Jiu Zhu was able to hold off the red-robed man, their chances of completing the mission would greatly increase.

Moreover...

There’s a hidden Contribution Points objective!

"I’ve long heard that Jiu Zhu, a follower of Lord Starfall, is a Sword Dao genius who has evolved an entire Sword Dao Grotto Heaven. Today, I shall witness it for myself," said the red-robed man from above Heaven.

Boom!

As soon as he finished speaking, a blood-red Grotto Heaven rose behind him, filled with countless mountains of corpses and seas of blood, where vengeful spirits roamed.

"First, try taking one punch from me!"

The red-robed man roared, and like the sound of shocking thunder, his right hand clenched into a fist. An overwhelming power surged from within the Grotto Heaven, condensing into a ferocious beast’s head on his right fist, filling Heaven as it barreled towards Jiu Zhu.

"Power Devouring!"

Jiu Zhu bellowed, his hands swiftly drawing through the air as the Sword Dao Grotto Heaven behind him rapidly expanded, generating an immense devouring force that directly absorbed the power from the red-robed man’s punch.

Boom, boom, boom!

The Grotto Heaven behind Jiu Zhu trembled continuously, then slowly stabilized.

"Using the Grotto Heaven to this extent, your reputation is indeed well-deserved, and you did not disappoint," the red-robed man let out a long howl, shooting towards Jiu Zhu like a meteor.

Clang!

The longsword behind Jiu Zhu was unsheathed, bursting forth with extremely radiant light and a terrifying suppression that made Xiao Ye below breathe heavily, as if bearing the weight of a mountain, his feet sinking deep into the ground, a coldness penetrating his body.

"That is... a Void Artifact!"

A glint of fervor flashed in Xiao Ye’s eyes.

Above a Xuan Artifact lies a Void Artifact.

After joining the Genius Camp, he had learned from Kuang Dao that crafting a Void Artifact required extremely rare materials, then nurturing it within a Void Martial Realm’s Grotto Heaven for several years before it could come into existence; the process was very complicated.

Hence, many experts of the Void Martial Realm did not possess a Void Artifact.

First, materials that could withstand the power of a Void Martial Realm expert were too rare; second, the nurturing time was too long, which is why the heirs of the Eighteen Great Families of the Starfall Kingdom did not possess Void Artifacts.

The value of a Void Artifact is even far greater than the power of a Void Martial Realm expert itself.

Evidently, with Jiu Zhu possessing a Void Artifact, she is an extremely powerful entity within the Void Martial Realm.

Crack!

Above the boundless heavens, two powerful beings met, their Void Martial forces collided, bursting forth in unison, shattering the void and obliterating everything in an instant.

Simultaneously, an invisible shockwave spread in all directions, transforming everything in its path to ruins, blasting numerous Ferocious Beasts into dust, sparing not even those at the Peak of Nine Revolutions Profound Martial Realm.

Such is the prestige of a Void Martial Realm expert!

Fortunately, the students from the Genius Camp were well prepared, their bodies guarded by armor formed from their Identity Tokens, and with Jiu Zhu taking action to block most of the aftershocks for them, they did not suffer serious injuries.

"Kill!"

Xiang Nan’s Team and Mo Ye Team, having been freed from the encirclement of the Ferocious Beasts, roared as they pounced on the remaining bandits.

"Don’t let the Dragon Hunting Team take the lead!" A fierce light surged in Guo Tao’s eyes as he lunged at the bandits.

Ding Yi, who had been injured by the gaze of the man in the red robe, quickly consumed an Elixir to stabilize his condition, and notwithstanding his situation, also charged forward. These were all Contribution Points, after all.

"Ah!"

"Lord save us!"

The bandits, with a look of despair, sought help from the man in the red robe above the heavens.

However, the man in the red robe couldn’t be bothered to respond, fully engaged in battle with Jiu Zhu. Their Cultivation seemed evenly matched, as they fought fiercely, the tumult of their combat shook the earth and trembled the heavens.

"How utterly ruthless." Xiao Ye’s heart chilled upon witnessing this scene.

It was clear that the man in the red robe did not care about the lives of the bandits.

"Hidden mission Contribution Points!" Xiao Ye’s eyes glinted with intensity as he looked toward the immense canyon.

The bandits had been almost entirely wiped out by the Dragon Hunting Team, leaving only about twenty or so. Even if they were all slaughtered, there wouldn’t be many Contribution Points left to claim, not to mention that Xiang Nan’s Team and the Mo Ye Team were also competing for them.

Thus, Xiao Ye made a decisive decision, focusing his attention on the hidden Contribution Points mission ahead of the others.

If there were hidden Contribution Points to be found, the vast canyon before him was the likeliest place.

"Lord Starfall must be aware of the dangers of this mission, yet he still sent us to complete the hidden Contribution Points. It seems that the danger isn’t too great, at least with no Void Martial Realm experts around." Xiao Ye pondered for a moment, his eyes shining with determination.

If there were any Void Martial Realm experts around, Jiu Zhu would surely have informed them.

"Captain, I’m going to check out the canyon; you hold off Ding Yi and Guo Tao for me," Xiao Ye communicated his strength through his voice to Qing Wu, who was pursuing the bandit leader.

Right now, both Guo Tao and Ding Yi, as well as Qing Wu wanted to kill the bandit leader. Without a doubt, the Contribution Points for killing the leader of the bandits would be the most, and they certainly weren’t going to let that opportunity go by.

Qing Wu glanced at Xiao Ye, nodded subtly, then waved her jade hand, sending a gentle Palm Force strike that sent the bandit leader flying hundreds of meters, but not severely injuring him.

The bandit leader flipped over, seeing a glimmer of hope for survival, and desperately rushed towards the mountains beyond.

"This man’s life is mine!"

Guo Tao and Ding Yi didn’t realize that Qing Wu had done it on purpose, and they bellowed as they chased after the bandit leader.

A faint smile appeared on Xiao Ye’s face; seizing the opportunity, he took a step and pretended to chase the bandits, then circled around a great distance, heading straight for the great canyon, his form obscured by the rolling mists.

The regular members of Xiang Nan’s Team and Mo Ye’s Team were all competing with the Dragon Hunting Team for prey, and none of them noticed Xiao Ye’s movements.

"This place is far from simple." Xiao Ye attempted to release his Martial Arts True Intent but found that he still couldn’t penetrate through, which tightened his nerves.

"Judging by these bandits, they don’t seem capable of controlling Ferocious Beasts. Could the secret be here then?" Xiao Ye mused as he wielded the Flame Saber, emerging from the densely packed cave entrances above the canyon.

Roar!

Just as he stepped in, a sharply pained roar erupted from underground, sending a terrifying surge that pushed him back three meters.

"What grade of Ferocious Beast is this, to be so terrifying!"

Xiao Ye was alarmed; just the roar alone held such immense power. This beast was likely not just at the Peak of Nine Revolutions Profound Martial level.

Embedded in the mountain’s belly, Xiao Ye realized that his Martial Arts True Intent still had no effect, unable to spread even over a meter’s distance.

"It seems that this Ferocious Beast has a significant connection to the hidden Contribution Points mission." Xiao Ye hesitated for a moment, then finally gritted his teeth, choosing to go and investigate.

"As long as it’s not a Ferocious Beast at the level of the Void Martial Realm, I still have a chance to save myself."

With this thought, Xiao Ye gripped the Flame Saber, looking around him. He noticed that there were many passageways, crisscrossed like a labyrinth, with no clear indication of where they led.

"The roar from earlier came from underground." Choosing a pathway that led downwards, Xiao Ye soared forward, with the three Xuandans within his body ready to unleash a powerful blow at any moment.

This path slanted downward into the earth, different from the natural cave entrances outside, resembling something that was excavated by hand.

"Did this group of bandits dig this path to study Ferocious Beasts?" Xiao Ye’s eyes were deep with concentration, cautiously surveying his surroundings, growing increasingly curious.