Chapter 143: Chapter 142: Battle Achievement List _1
Killing a Ghost Envoy yields one thousand military achievements. If one could kill a Demon General, the military achievements would be even more impressive.
Of course, Ghost Envoys are hard enough to deal with, let alone Demon Generals.
"After killing the Magic Knife Ghost Envoy, our team leader should be able to make it onto the Military Achievement List," Yan Ling, who was beside him, said without hesitation.
"The Military Achievement List?"
Ling Chen was momentarily stunned before recalling such a thing. The Military Achievement List was a leaderboard that recorded military achievements, ranking all the warriors who had come to the Fire Country’s battlefield based on the points they had earned.
"The Young Master of Myriad Dao from the Myriad Dao Sect currently ranks first on the Military Achievement List with 9,300 achievement points," Yan Ling said.
"That many?"
Mu Feng and the others gasped. Over nine thousand achievement points! That would require completing a vast number of missions and eliminating many high-ranking members of the Demonic Sect, they thought.
Ling Chen shook his head. "That’s normal. The Young Master of Myriad Dao is a supreme expert ranked second on the Heavenly List. His Cultivation is at the peak of the Ninth-Level Martial Master realm. He’s capable of taking on five-star missions. Besides, to someone like him, a Ghost Envoy of Kong Yuan’s level is hardly a threat."
Hearing this, Mu Feng and his two companions nodded with newfound understanding. Indeed, one’s perspective is shaped by their capabilities. For them, killing a Ghost Envoy-level expert was an extraordinary feat, but it might not be so for others, they mused.
"Thank you, young heroes, for saving my life."
At this moment, the silver-robed general whom Ling Chen and the others had saved walked over. Gratitude was etched on his face as he clasped his fist towards Ling Chen and the others in a salute.
"There’s no need for formalities, General. We were merely following our mission orders."
Ling Chen returned the salute. After scrutinizing the man, he said, "You must be General Yue Chaoqun, the talented Grand Marshal who guards Shaochuan Pass. I hear that despite your young age, you’ve written a volume of ’Taiyue Military Tactics,’ which is considered a classic by military scholars and highly praised."
"Mere Trifling Tricks. Even those most skilled in military tactics can’t ward off the malicious plots of the Demonic Path Followers." Yue Chaoqun let out a heavy sigh.
"Demonic Path Followers often resort to any means necessary to achieve their goals," Ling Chen nodded. "However, discussing it now serves no purpose. General Yue, what are your plans?"
"Shaochan Pass has been seized by the enemy. Their next target will be Stone City. The soldiers who retreated in defeat from Shaochuan Pass have already evacuated to Stone City. We must hurry there and defend it," Yue Chaoqun pondered for a moment before responding.
"Defend the city? Just the few of us?" Mu Yun and the others exchanged doubtful looks.
"Inside Stone City is a branch of the Sect Alliance, with Grand Master-level experts stationed there. But the city currently lacks a suitable general to take command. We must rush over immediately," Yue Chaoqun replied.
Ling Chen nodded. "Let’s set off immediately then. The Demonic Sect forces sent to pursue General Yue surely aren’t limited to just this one group."
Everyone quickly mounted their horses and galloped towards Stone City at full speed.
"We must reach Stone City before dusk. Once we are inside Stone City, we will be safe," Ling Chen told the other four in his team.
Once they reach Stone City and report to the Sect Alliance’s branch, they should be able to complete their mission. Although they didn’t gather intelligence this time, they did manage to save Yue Chaoqun. That should count as fulfilling the objective, Ling Chen thought.
「Not long after they departed, two more teams of people in black arrived at the mountain path.」
"Half an hour ago, Yue Chaoqun was rescued from here, and even the Magic Knife Ghost Envoy, Kong Yuan, was killed." A somewhat thin man, one of the people in black, stood on the edge of the cliff, his voice aged and hoarse.
"Could it be that an Elder from the Sect Alliance came and rescued Yue Chaoqun?" one of the younger people in black asked.
"It wasn’t an Elder from the Sect Alliance. The two sides must have been engaged for some time. If it were a Sect Alliance Elder, Kong Yuan wouldn’t have held out for that long."
The elder among the people in black crouched, examining the traces on the ground. Then, his eyes lit up. "Judging by the hoof prints, they seem to have headed south, towards Stone City."
"Stone City? If they make it inside, besieging that city will indeed be very difficult."
The younger man among the people in black frowned. "Right now, several Fire Country officers who surrendered at Shaochuan Pass are heading to Stone City with Yue Chaoqun’s command token. They intend to trick their way into opening the city gates, paving the way for our main army to attack. If Yue Chaoqun’s group enters the city before them, our plan will be ruined."
Upon hearing this, the elder among the people in black also turned solemn. "Pursue them at once! We might still be able to intercept them en route. Once found, kill them on sight!"
A firework shot into the sky. Nearby, all the people in black changed direction and gave chase to the south.
「By this time, Ling Chen and his party had already reached Stone City before nightfall.」
After entering the city, Yue Chaoqun was taken to the military camp to have his injuries treated and was placed under strict protection.
Even within Stone City, safety isn’t absolutely guaranteed.
After Yue Chaoqun was settled in, Ling Chen and the four others went to the Task Camp to report the completion of their mission to the Deacon Disciple.
"You’ve completed the first part of the mission beautifully. If you hadn’t rescued General Yue Chaoqun, the consequences would have been dire. You’ve exceeded expectations for this task. Each of your military achievement rewards will be increased by fifty percent," the Elder in charge said with a smile.
"Thank you, Elder."
Ling Chen and the others let out a sigh of relief, their previous anxiety finally settling.
"Next, you can choose to continue with the second part of this mission chain or select a different mission."
The Elder in charge looked at the five of them, his gaze finally falling on Ling Chen. "If you continue with the second part of this mission chain, although it’s still a Three-star mission in terms of difficulty, the military achievement reward will be much higher than for the first part. You can continue this way through the third part, the fourth, and so on, accumulating more military achievements as you complete each stage until the mission concludes."
"But if you choose a different mission, you’ll have to start from its first part. Understand?"
"Understood."
Ling Chen nodded. This type of chained mission unfolds progressively, with the rewards improving at each subsequent stage, he thought. However, the difficulty also increases with each new part.
Ling Chen glanced at the other four. After a brief, silent exchange of understanding through their eyes, he looked back at the Elder in charge. "We choose to continue with the second part of the mission."
"Good. This is the second part of your mission."
The Elder in charge took a document from a drawer behind him and handed it to Ling Chen.
Ling Chen examined it. The mission was to find a Demonic Sect spy hidden within the Sect Alliance in Stone City within ten days.
Ling Chen frowned. Find the Demonic Sect’s spy? This mission’s difficulty is considerable. Spies are often deeply hidden, and unmasking one is far from easy. This mission will require not just strength, but also intellect. Completing such a task in ten days will undoubtedly be challenging.