Something Unexpected

After packing his things, he went out to the courtyard.

He couldn't ask anyone else to take care of his house and his small garden because of the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower. He was worried something might go wrong. People coveted it. They might kill others or get killed in the process. The courtyard was always watched.

He wondered if that woman would come here again. 'If she sees me gone, will she take the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower with her?'

Jiang Hao stopped worrying. That woman was certainly someone of importance and Elder Baizhi must be on the move anyway.

'I'd better pray for myself first.'

He looked at his interface:

[ lifeblood: 56/100(can be cultivated)]

[ cultivation: 61/100(can be cultivated)]

'More than half. I don't know if I can make it to a hundred soon. If I can, I will still need a quiet environment to advance further.' This was his last trump card.

Jiang Hao went to meet his Cliff Master before leaving the Cliff of Broken Hearts. Unfortunately, his master wasn't there. He had wanted to say goodbye.

He walked to the foot of the mountain where the Law Enforcement Hall was located.

"Junior Brother, are you leaving?" Liu Xingchen walked towards him.

"Good morning, Senior Brother," Jiang Hao said politely. Everything felt funny. All the spies were suddenly concerned about him. How was that possible? It appears they wanted him to come back alive though he didn't know why they would care.

"Junior Brother isn't in a good situation," Liu Xingchen said as he walked with Jiang Hao to the place where those going on missions would gather.

"I've seen the name list. The strongest person is in the Late Foundation Establishment Stage. There's another Late Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator who isn't on good terms with the Heavenly Joy Pavilion. That should be good for me at least," said Jiang Hao.

"Yeah. The people appointed by the Heavenly Joy Pavilion for this mission were in the Middle and Late Foundation Establishment Stage. However, something… unexpected happened." Liu Xingchen sighed.

"They changed people?" Jiang Hao asked in surprise.

"No, they didn't." Liu Xingchen shook his head. "But they advanced."

Jiang Hao was stunned. He felt he was in big trouble. He recalled the four words on the piece of paper that Senior Sister Ming Yi had given him: "close to a breakthrough."

At this moment, he remembered the four words on the note, "Close to a breakthrough." Both team members from the Heavenly Joy Pavilion had been close to a breakthrough.

So, the one in the middle stage had advanced to the Late Foundation Establishment Stage while the one in the late stage had successfully completed the Foundation Establishment Stage and advanced further.

This was dangerous.

"Thank you for your reminder, Senior Brother." Jiang Hao was grateful.

Liu Xingchen nodded. He then left Jiang Hao.

'I need to find a way to gather enough lifeblood and cultivation to break through to another stage,' thought Jiang Hao.

When he arrived at the gathering place, he saw four people. One was a cold and serious looking woman. The other was a man who looked fierce. Their eyes, as they watched Jiang Hao, were filled with savagery.

Across from them stood a man holding a white paper fan who looked friendly and a woman in blue. She held a long sword and glared at the two in front of her.

These were his teammates. Qing Xue and Lou Feng of the Heavenly Joy Pavilion, Zheng Shijiu of the Ice Moon Valley, and Xin Yuyue of the Thunder Fire Peak. 

Although those four people didn't like each other, he didn't know if he could be on good terms with any of them. When he approached, everyone looked at him. Some sized him up, others looked on teasingly. Jiang Hao tried not to get flustered and walked over to them.

"Greetings, Senior Brothers and Sisters," he said politely. 'I apologize for being late." In fact, the four of them had come too early.

"No, no. You are right on time," smiled Lou Feng of the Heavenly Joy Pavilion. It seemed that they had been waiting for this day for a long time.

"Then let's go," said Zheng Shijiu of the Ice Moon Valley.

"That's right. It's disgusting to stand around with people from the Heavenly Joy Pavilion for too long," said Thunder Fire Peak's Xin Yuyue in disdain.

Jiang Hao didn't say anything to that. He noticed that the two from the Heavenly Joy Pavilion had concealed their cultivation. Thanks to the secret manual, he was able to tell their cultivation level.

He still chose to appraise Heavenly Joy Pavilion's Qing Xue just to be safe.

[Qing Xue: a disciple of the Heavenly Joy Pavilion of the Heavenly Note Sect. Peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage. She is devoted to her Pavilion Master and holds a deep hatred for you.]

Jiang Hao was speechless. This was insane! Jiang Hao sighed. It wouldn't be Devil's Sect without some dangerous people.

They arrived at the Devil's Den by noon. It was located at the central Lake of the Heavenly Note Sect. It was a world of its own and was vast. The entrance fell within the boundary of the Heavenly Note Sect, so it was considered the sect's territory.

"I heard that most of the people inside are early or middle Foundation Establishment Stage demon dwellers. If that's the case, we should split up and deal with them," said Qing Xue.

Lou Feng nodded. "I agree."

"I don't think so." Zheng Shijiu shook his head. "There will be a lot of demons. I think we should stick together. That way we can not only attack efficiently but also look out for each other, if necessary. If we split up it might prove to be difficult to fight late or peak Foundation Establishment Stage demons, should we encounter them. At least we will have a chance of defeating it together. Splitting up as soon as we enter will be no less than courting death."

"I agree with Senior Brother Zheng," Xin Yuyue of Thunder Fire Peak echoed.

"I agree with Senior Brother Zheng, too," said Jiang Hao.

He needed to stay with everyone. He was no match for someone at the Peak of Foundation Establishment Stage if they chose to attack him.

"Alright. After we clear most of the demons, it will be safer to split up later and deal with the lone demon dwellers," said Qing Xue. She stared icily at Zheng Shijiu.

Jiang Hao could feel her displeasure.

But now was not the time to dwell on it. He needed time and sticking with everyone would give him that.