Chen Wentian had to leave his other seven disciples for a while so he warned them not to get into trouble. Despite this, the five ice sisters decided to participate in a large cooperative mission given by Immortal Gentle Lotus Gong Liyun. The fight against the monster hordes was going well and the enemy's forward progress was completely halted. It was time for the human side to go on the offensive. The aim was to reclaim lost territory as well as sweep up valuable monster that may have taken root in the fertile human lands.
It was the first large scale mission in Gong Liyun's sector and all participants were to coordinate a general offensive towards the east. It was not without risk since the monsters would not want to lose their hard-earned gains. Some of the monster immortals that have so far been hiding might show up. Therefore, the sect masters for the sects participating would act as backup in case such a thing happened.
Peng Yuefeng, Murong Aiyin, and Fen Jue arrived in Red Bamboo Province to take command of their disciples. Since Chen Wentian could not be here, Li Yuechan and her sisters teamed up with Glacier Palace at the behest of Gong Liyun. They were eager to fulfill their original promise to help investigate anything suspicious with their former master.
The scene in the city square of Red Bamboo Province was thus one of barely controlled chaos. Fire sect disciples stared lustfully at the ice sect's women but Murong Aiyin's furious gazes kept them at bay. The ice sect women huddled together like penguins protecting each other from the dangers of the world. The swordsmen of the Tower of Swords acted aloof like proud roosters and did not socialize with anyone including their own. Even the sect masters acted like the others didn't exist and stuck to their own disciples like glue.
Murong Aiyin certainly wasn't happy seeing the disciples she kicked out again, especially after finding out that they had joined the rapist's sect. She glared at them but refused to speak to them. Xu Lanyi wanted to say something but her sisters managed to stop her from causing a scene.
"Hehe, sisters, please excuse my master. I'm glad we can meet again and team up." Long Yifei greeted them. She was much more welcoming and offered to help with anything they needed.
"Thank you Sister Long." Li Yuechan bowed out of courtesy, accepting her hospitality. The five sisters joined Long Yifei and started planning their duties for the large-scale operation.
They didn't realize that this was the first gusts of wind that would lead to an eventual hurricane of events. It was only that Gong Liyun noticed one unusual detail due to her hundreds of years of studying the human mind and human condition. It was the peculiar expression Murong Aiyin had when she would occasionally stare at Long Yifei for slightly too long.
It was an extremely well hidden but inextinguishable jealousy. It was the kind of that would eat a person live from the inside, until they would be wholly consumed. Gong Liyun giggled to herself, 'This will be exciting!'
---
At the same time Red Bamboo Province was gearing up for a large-scale offensive, the Lion faction within Beast God City was also stirring up for an importation operation. It was finally time to hunt the half-step Spirit Lord Comet Lynx!
The exact nature of the operation was kept hidden from everyone except executive elders and above. However, He Xingping had to be involved as it was a beast hunt. He completed all the preparations and conducted a final meeting with his official hunting troops for the first time in months. It was time for these lazy bums to earn their pay. He couldn't tell them much, only that an unnamed VIP was going on a hunt and that they would find out who it was after they all got to the location.
The plan was for his hunting troop to head towards the northernmost Rich River Province like they were going on a normal hunting trip. He Xinghan would arrive later after they had investigated the general area where the Comet Lynx had been sighted. It was important not to spook the comet lynx with the appearance of an immortal before they found its den and encircled it.
Chen Wentian stared at the twenty cultivators lined up in front of him. Their ages varied from the late twenties to the late thirties. Their talents were below average but they were at least all in the Spirit Initiate Realm. They were all relatives or descendants of some noble family and the entire squad screamed of nepotism.
"Alright men, this mission may be very dangerous but our client is a very powerful and important person within the sect. We have to do our duty and do it well! Any last questions?" Chen Wentian asked them.
They all shook their heads but he could see from their faces that they were already trying to guess who it was and think of how they would suck up to them.
"We have a lot to do before the client arrives. Head out!" Chen Wentian led them on horseback and headed straight for the teleportation array.
---
Rich River Province was one of the five provinces that Beast God Sanctum was responsible for in the Monster Fighting Competition. It was just south of Red Bamboo Province and since it was so far away from Beast God City, He Zicheng didn't bother to station an immortal here. As a result, this province was overrun with all kinds of monsters.
This was probably why the comet lynx felt safe enough to prepare its breakthrough here. If it was back in the wilderness, it might have been targeted by beast immortals that would love to gobble it up for their own benefit. Only after it had reached the Spirit Lord Realm would the lynx be safe from other Spirit Lord predators. However, it was still a spiritual beast, not a wisdom beast, and it underestimated the human ability to gather information.
Chen Wentian arrived in the province and took two days to set up base camp beneath a large mountain range. The mountains contained thick forest and dense brush, filled with creatures that were the lynx's prey. His Mind Focusing Realm scouts had already narrowed down the location to this mountain range after sacrificing many members. Warm blooded humans were simply a tasty snack for the beast's insatiable appetite as it tried to fuel its final breakthrough.
At noon on the third day, a cloaked figure slipped silently into base camp without the guards noticing. Chen Wentian got up from his desk as this person entered his tent.
"He Xingping greets immortal He Xinghan." He bowed to the man in front of him.
"Good job, Xingping, you may rise." He Xinghan said and took a seat. "How is the situation?"
"Sir, my men just got back. You can hear their report yourself." Chen Wentian then called out to the ones standing unawares outside of his tent. "Come in, our guest is here."
Only ten men shuffled into the tent as other half were still keeping watch on the mountain. The men saw He Xingping and another cloaked man they didn't recognize. When that man pulled back his cloak, they all gasped in shock before collapsing to their knees and bowing furiously.
"Greetings Immortal Lion of Fortune!" They said reverently.
Chen Wentian laughed inwardly but didn't say anything while He Xinghan looked bored.
"Xingping, these are your men? Are they reliable?" He Xinghan asked.
"Yes sir, they are simply a bit too excited from seeing you. We've never helped an immortal with a hunt before."
"Fine, they know what I am after right? I trust secrecy has been maintained?"
"Absolutely, they were not informed until we arrived at this mountain. They have been keeping an eye out on the Comet Lynx ever since. Hong Qi, please give your report."
"Yes elder," Squad leader Hong Qi got up and reported on the situation on the mountain, "The beast is still eating and sleeping on the third peak. We lost another scout last night but that allowed us to narrow down the location of its den."
Hong Qi walked to the table with a large map and pointed to a rocky region just above the tree line. He then circled a large area around the cliffs that surrounded the den. "It comes out to hunt every night and it would catch dozens of warm-blooded preys. It's hunting range is around the circled area. The amount of food for it is still very plentiful and it shouldn't look to move anytime soon."
He Xinghan absorbed the information and discussed some details before finally dismissing everyone, including He Xingping. Chen Wentian wasn't bothered by this as he expected his tent to be taken over and he had already prepared a second tent.
Chen Wentian didn't care if He Xinghan succeeded or not. What he cared about was the most recent intel he had received from his spy network. Apparently, He Zicheng had slipped out of Beast God City and was currently somewhere within Rich River Province. For He Zicheng to make this move, it meant that Qu Shen had to be here as well.
Now, both lords had been lured out of the city and Chen Wentian's rescue mission suddenly got a lot easier. The only thing Chen Wentian didn't know was when Qu Shen would show his hand and try to capture He Xinghan. Therefore, Jasmine's rescue operation had to be ready to start at any time. The moment Qu Shen and He Zicheng fought is when he would begin his own mayhem.