Jing woke up to the sudden sound of loud clapping, and because of how unusual it was for him to wake up in such a way, he shot up into the air with a scared look on his face.

"It's time," Peak Master Li Yan said with a solemn look from the opened door with hands behind his back.

Understanding the origin of the sound, Jing calmed down, put on his wooden sandals, and followed after the two.

An intense pang of hunger and thirst descended on him out of nowhere the moment he woke up. Fortunately, Li Yan had already thought of that as he led them to the center of his territory where a very wide tree stump stood, surrounded by small wooden stools.

Jing observed how the tree stump was transported here, and it wasn't a result of a tree that was cut down. Sitting down in one of the chairs, he began wolfing down the meal Li Yan magically summoned out of nowhere in front of them. It was a big circular bread filled with delicious cubes of meat and some vegetables inside.

As the two young men ate and drank from their wooden cups, Li Yan looked at them with a serious disposition. "This is gonna be a very dangerous mission," He said. "And it'll take a long while, several months at the very minimum."

Without waiting for the two to say anything he continued, "I know some more details about the mission that the other peak masters might not have been privy to." He said with a faint smile. "Do your best to become the array elder's disciple, if you do then things will be slightly easier, and you'll also gain even more merits in the sect."

Though Jing still had absolutely no idea about what this mission entailed, the more he learned about it the more it made sense.

Shen Yun swallowed a big mouthful, sipped, and asked, "How should we deal with the other disciples?"

Li Yan turned serious once again and warned, "You need to be careful." Glancing at the still-eating Jing who had just taken a sip from the berry juice he emphasized, "Especially you."

With a filled mouth, Jing hesitantly asked, "Why me?"

"Zho Gen's twins will surely participate as well." The old Peak Master explained. "Which goes to show how important this mission is."

"What was their problem with my father to begin with?" Jing asked, clearly frustrated but also apprehensive about going somewhere with people who want him dead.

"It's better not to say," Li Yan said with a sigh. "The less people know the smaller it'll stay."

Not understanding anything, he just continued eating and listened to the old man's advice and encouragement.

After they finished eating, they followed the old man through the tunnel. Along the way they encountered a lot of monsters that mortified Jing, but whenever they sensed Li Yan they would become very docile and nuzzle against him before leaving.

The next territory they emerged into was exactly the one Jing found himself in yesterday, the Twin Flame's Peak. Walking beside the wooden houses, moans of pleasure would reach the three, of which only Jing reacted and the other two seemed used to it.

'What a strange place!' He thought, his eyes darting from one window to the next with a slight flush. He had learned that this Peak accepted only female disciples and they specialized in dual cultivation. However, what was particularly interesting about it was the fact that only the female disciples who practiced that art benefited from it, whereas the male would lose a bit of his strength with each climax. Something that most of the male disciples who ventured here willingly gave up for a chance to bed one of the gorgeous women of the peak.

Because of his previous intrigue that slowed down his pace, the two had already surpassed him by a few paces. But seeing them busy animatedly talking with one another, Jing kept a distance behind them and followed.

Just like yesterday, they walked in a completely straight line, leaving one territory after the other behind them. Why this place was laid out in such a peculiar manner was something that the already confused Jing found even more puzzling.

He had seen hundreds of all kinds of people along the way. Old, young, men, women, children, and everything in between. The existence of monsters that he was forced to walk beside prompted him to close the distance between him and the two. Li Yan's previous fight from yesterday was still very vivid in his mind, and to him, this was the strongest person he had ever seen.

Soon, they stepped foot inside the fifth tunnel leading into the darkness. Jing's heartbeat couldn't help but increase at the prospect of seeing something new. After a few minutes, the darkness gave way to the flickering ember light of the torches that lined up the area.

True to his expectations, this new place was absolutely different from the previous five territories which were utterly boring and unimaginative.

A grandiose castle rose defiantly amidst the underworld realm, its imposing stone walls adorned with formidable towers that scraped the cavernous rocky ceiling above. Its massive gates, fortified and thick, stood tall against the surroundings darkness.

'How is that possible?' Jing exclaimed with beaming eyes. The beauty and the majesty of the castle made such a stark contrast against the dark bland underground world that was teeming with both people and monsters.

It was then that he noticed a procession of a single species of monster, adorned with saddles, stretched out in an orderly line, dutifully waiting without so much of a slight growl.

The monster's physique bore a powerful resemblance to that of a robust predator, with sinewy limbs ending in razor-sharp claws ready to rend flesh. Their face, angular and adorned with menacing spikes and elongated tendrils. Their skin, textured in dark green, boasted a ruggedness and sturdiness that made Jing certain that he would never be able to break through their defense with his measly strength. Standing at a towering two meters in height, it commanded attention with its formidable presence as their vicious eyes resolutely moved around.

His attention was once again quickly grabbed by the three pairs of eyes that hatefully stared at him. Zho Gen and his two sons that stood a short distance from the orderly line of monsters. There were also two men and two women in beautiful Daoist robes all of whom were followed by two disciples of their own.

Li Yan impatiently snorted when he saw how all of them were looking at him, and after the initial pause, the three moved in a beeline to join them.

Along the way, Jing was eyed by almost everyone which made him slightly nervous. To be seen by such a group of people who had unimaginable powers left him uncertain about his place among them.

Standing a few paces away from them Li Yan merely said, "Good morning everyone," With a collected voice.

Fortunately, some of the other Peak masters approached him and began cheerfully talking with him, much to Jing's relief as the whole reprimand about saving face and all left him unsure of how they were going to be treated then.

Jing continued uncomfortably standing there whereas Shen Yun had already joined some of the female disciples to talk. He noticed that one of them was exactly the girl whose breasts he was folding just yesterday. She had the same height as him, wavy curly brown hair, and a cheerful demeanor.

He also noticed something very peculiar, all of the female disciples wore clothes that were very different from those he had been witnessing thus far. Their robes were thick, and long, and they barely showed any skin above the knee, a stark contrast to how most women dressed themselves in the sect.

Quickly moving from that, his mind had other concerns. 'I don't think this is good...' He thought with some trepidation in his heart. Witnessing such a wide chasm between him and the other disciples whom he supposedly was going on a very dangerous infiltration mission with made him even more nervous and afraid of what was in store for him.

After a few minutes, the tall castle's gate snapped open behind him. Swiftly turning around to look, his eyes widened in shock.

Emerging from the castle gates strode a figure of formidable stature, boasting a towering frame and a complexion akin to rich mahogany. With each breath, plumes of mist billowed from his flared nostrils, a testament to the simmering intensity held within the creature. As his crimson gaze fell upon the assembled group, Jing instinctively recoiled, feeling the weight of his penetrating stare, and his legs reflexively moved backward.

One of the disciples who witnessed his unmasked fear joked, "Relax, it's just Elder Ma, he doesn't bite."

Meeting his eyes, and then the other disciples who were softly chuckling to themselves, Jing could see the dripping ridicule and lack of respect in their eyes. The combination of yesterday's events, and what had just happened seemed like a very ominous start to a dangerous journey.

Composing himself, he dismissed their unpleasant gazes and glanced at the castle's gate once again.

There he saw a breath-takingly beautiful woman with a cold emotionless face that oozed with a domineering pressure. Each step she took seemed to pull on his heartstrings rendering him even more of awe toward her.

It was only after she was but a short distance away did he noticed her slightly protruding belly which caught him off guard, but her words soon captured his attention once again. "Is everything ready?" She said, her voice calm but regal.

"Yes, sect master!" All of the peak masters and the tall oxen monster shouted in unison from behind Jing, startling him once again which was followed by another bout of chuckle from the disciples.

However, it was then that Zho Gen stepped forward. Of all of the peak masters, he was the one who didn't say anything at first. With a bow and a respectful tone, he addressed the sect master, "Sect Master, there is something that I don't agree with."

The sect's master's emotionless gaze showed a subtle reaction as her eyebrows lifted in surprise. "What is it?" She asked.

"This," Zho Gen straightened his back and pointed at Jing.

Feeling the sect's master's unfathomable eyes on him, Jing gulped and he could feel a tangible pressure descend out of nowhere.

Zho Gen continued, "It's unwise to send our disciples with a newcomer on such a dangerous mission. What if he betrays the sect in the end and moves to the Golden Mountain Sect's side?"

"Who is he with?" The sect master's eyes danced around the peak masters.

Li Yan stepped forward, and with cupped fists and a slight bow he explained, "Sect Master, you don't have to worry about him. He's Xie Ran's son, and after what happened we can only repay him in this way."

The sect master seemed to understand his underlying meaning as her eyes moved to Zho Gen once again, "I understand your worries." She said, but then her cold eyes landed on Jing once again, "If something were to happen I'll take responsibility and come after him myself." She opened her palm, and out of nowhere, a flickering black flame began to converge. Reaching an egg-sized form, the flickering flame danced in the air and effortlessly penetrated Jing's heart. "Satisfied?" She asked with an amused smile.