The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 304: Chapter 301: Trapped Heart Monkey, Tethered Will Horse

At the peak of Longevity Mountain, amidst the swirling black fog, a cluster of low, symmetrical buildings could be faintly seen.

Although Longevity Palace called itself a Daoist Sect, it had no Three Pristine Hall.

Legend has it that its Founding Ancestor, a Grand General, didn’t believe in gods or immortals, but found the martial arts of the Daoist Sects to be truly profound, which is why he established it this way.

This might also be part of the reason why Longevity Palace was never recognized by the Central Plains Daoist Sects.

Too pragmatic!

This was a clear violation of the Daoist Sects’ philosophy of tranquility and inaction.

A group of figures appeared indistinctly before the Spirit Official Hall.

The black fog gradually dispersed.

It was the group that had come from Huanglong Prefecture.

Yang Fangyu cracked his knuckles and looked at the Longevity Palace disciples who lay unconscious on the ground.

Along the way, they had already encountered no fewer than a hundred members of Longevity Palace who had lost their minds, including both Elders and disciples.

As soon as these people sensed their presence, they would pounce like zombies, a horrifying sight.

Perhaps because their minds were gone, these Longevity Palace disciples attacked without any technique to speak of. Their strength was greatly diminished, and they posed no major threat.

"Can they be saved?"

Yan Lei asked, looking at Bai Yuan, who was carefully studying a Longevity Palace disciple.

Bai Yuan shook his head.

’To cure a disease, one must first know its cause.’

He didn’t even know why these people had gone mad; saving them was nearly impossible.

"We press on."

Bai Yuan stood up and gave the order again.

The group advanced, dispelling the Demonic Qi as they went, and before they knew it, the sky had turned completely dark.

"Not a single one is sane."

Yang Fangyu said as he walked back to the main hall.

He and his men had already searched most of Longevity Palace. Everyone here had gone mad.

Bai Yuan nodded.

’This wasn’t unexpected.’

But what did surprise him was the complete absence of anyone from the Celestial Heart Sect. That was very strange.

Just as the few of them were discussing how to deal with Longevity Palace, a squad of black-robed figures suddenly appeared not far away.

Bai Yuan was a little stunned.

’Speak of the devil.’

He had just been wondering why he hadn’t seen anyone from the Celestial Heart Sect, and now they had shown up on their own.

Clad in black robes, unafraid of the Demonic Qi—no matter how you looked at it, they had to be from the Celestial Heart Sect.

The corners of Bai Yuan’s mouth turned up slightly. "Take them."

Before the words had even left his mouth, the Lingzhou Demon Cavalry drew their weapons in unison and charged the members of the Celestial Heart Sect.

The Demon Cavalry rode Demon Horses, which could charge even on mountainous terrain with no loss of power.

With a furious roar, Yang Fangyu also charged into the fray.

Bai Yuan didn’t originally need to act, but for the sake of reinforcement points, he naturally had to get involved personally.

Seeing the two men beside him personally join the charge, Yan Lei had no choice but to follow.

This group of Celestial Heart Sect disciples numbered only a dozen or so.

The strongest among them was merely at the Zhigan realm.

With five hundred Demon Cavalry, plus three Grandmasters like Bai Yuan, it was no surprise they were routed the moment the battle began.

Just a moment later, Bai Yuan broke both legs of the Celestial Heart Sect’s Zhigan Pass expert with a single palm strike.

The battle was over.

Bai Yuan had originally wanted to leave one alive to interrogate for information, but he hadn’t expected the Celestial Heart Sect to have a unique method of suicide.

Black energy surged from the Celestial Heart Sect expert’s body, and a moment later, he dissolved until not even bones remained.

It was too late for Bai Yuan to stop him.

Yang Fangyu and Yan Lei both looked pleased.

Longevity Palace had been searched, the men from the Celestial Heart Sect were dead, and the mission could be considered a complete success.

Ever since the deaths of the Palace Master and two other high-ranking members, Longevity Palace had been without a Zhigan-level expert to hold the fort.

Although they didn’t know what methods the Demon Sect had used, it was clear that an expert at the Zhigan realm could easily deal with a Longevity Palace that lacked a Grandmaster.

Everything added up.

The three of them had originally thought this trip to Longevity Palace would be fraught with complications, but it had turned out to be surprisingly smooth.

"Lord Bai, I will head to Lingzhou City at once to report the matter of Longevity Mountain to my grandfather," Yan Lei said.

Bai Yuan nodded.

Yan Lei then departed alone for Lingzhou City to find Yan Shao’an.

Meanwhile, Bai Yuan and Yang Fangyu led the troops back to the foot of the mountain to await Yan Shao’an’s instructions.

Although the people of Longevity Palace weren’t dead, there was no known cure for their condition. As for how to handle them, the matter naturally had to be reported to the Lord Grand Protector for a decision.

Even though Bai Yuan was the Lingzhou General, major matters in Ling Province still required Yan Shao’an’s approval.

"Ah Yuan, I never thought this would go so smoothly."

Yang Fangyu and Bai Yuan sat by a bonfire.

The Lingzhou Demon Cavalry had already made camp at the foot of the mountain, and the two men were chatting idly.

Bai Yuan had just taken office and had already easily resolved such a major problem.

It was a stark contrast to Kong Sen’s performance before him.

It had taken Kong Sen a full month to eliminate the demons of the Celestial Heart Sect, yet Bai Yuan had done it in a single day.

The difference in their abilities was instantly clear!

By achieving merit right after taking office, Bai Yuan’s position as General was naturally secure.

Bai Yuan asked, "Brother Yang, what do you know about the Mingxin realm?"

Now that he had broken through the Zhigan Pass, it was as the saying goes: after conquering Long, one covets Shu. He had to understand the Mingxin realm.

In this world, those at the Zhigan realm are common, but those at Mingxin are not.

Those at Zhigan are called Grandmasters, and those at Mingxin are Grandmasters.

But the title of Grandmaster alone is hardly enough to convey the significance of a Mingxin Martial Artist.

In the Imperial Court, a Mingxin Martial Artist is a guaranteed Second-Grade Official. In the Jianghu, they are absolutely the master of a sect.

Shangguan Yang, the Sect Leader of the Celestial Profound Sect, is a supreme expert at the Peak of Mingxin.

Yang Fangyu gave a bitter laugh. "Mingxin..."

He broke into the Zhigan realm many years ago, but to this day, he couldn’t even see the threshold of Mingxin.

Without some great stroke of fortune, he would likely remain stuck at the Zhigan Pass for the rest of his life.

Who among those who achieve the rank of Mingxin Grandmaster is not a person of heaven-defying fortune?

"The Mingxin Pass, which takes its name from ’clarifying the mind and correcting the will.’ My grandfather once said that to break through the Heart Gate, one must trap the Heart Monkey, tether the Will-Horse, steadfastly guard one’s true self, and let the spirit shine inward."

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