Chapter 161: Recruitment Order and Sacred Altar (3,000-Character Update)

Chapter 161: Recruitment Order and Sacred Altar (3,000-Character Update)

Lin Nuo squeezed through the crowd with Ling Meng. Since there were so many common folk crammed together, Lin Nuo held onto Ling Meng’s hand tightly to avoid getting separated.

“Master, why bother squeezing with these lowly people? Let me whip up a tempest and blow them all away.”

“Whip your own head!”

Lin Nuo tapped Ling Meng’s head, looking like he wanted to have a good talk but was frustrated.

“Listen, once we’re in the city, don’t talk nonsense, and don’t act recklessly. If you can’t speak properly, just shut your mouth.”

“Oh…”

Lin Nuo’s tap was quite forceful; she rubbed her head in pain.

Hmph, this stinky master really doesn’t know how to cherish the lovely.

But being angry aside, she really couldn’t do anything about Lin Nuo since he was too strong, and he was looking out for her after all; she couldn’t just bite the hand that fed her.

Lin Nuo felt like he was carrying a ticking time bomb, unsure when it would go off and blow everything to the sky.

Indeed, this was the true nature of the Demoness; she regarded ordinary folk as lowly people and would gladly use a tempest to sweep them away if they displeased her.

Isn’t it enough that I taught you the methods of the Demon Path? You shouldn’t just use it for bullying the weak; after all, you’ve already bullied them, so let’s keep it a bit low-key.

Lin Nuo thought he should teach Ling Meng not just about the demonic arts but also about her attitude in handling situations. Being too sharp would eventually lead to big troubles; being low-key and restrained is the way to go.

A good villain knows how to control their emotions and what actions are appropriate for different situations. At least you shouldn’t recklessly use a tempest to send a bunch of people flying into the sky!

Of course, if he was being honest with himself, he wouldn’t mind punching these rascals into the air at all.

Lin Nuo still employed some tricks, like dropping coins on the ground and yelling, “Who dropped money?” Naturally, some people rushed over to snatch them up.

After a struggle, Lin Nuo managed to pull Ling Meng to the front of the crowd, standing in front of the notice board.

They saw the recruitment order.

In the Great Puhan Empire, various cities were accustomed to using different types of official document paper to represent the importance of the announcements. Common notices were typically on a light yellow paper that was particularly rough in texture.

Clearly, the notice board was filled with this kind of crude paper.

However, among the many rough papers, one piece stood out particularly brightly.

A golden paper announcement.

The golden paper notice was the most important type of announcement in a city; its standing was almost equivalent to a royal decree.

Generally, if a golden paper document appeared, it could indicate a national crisis or war level, and recruitment of strong men often used golden paper orders.

So it was reasonable that a bunch of common folk crowded around to check it out.

This golden paper document was a recruitment order, but not one for strong men; it was for the formation of an organization called the Righteous Path Organization.

The Righteous Path Organization was divided into five stars, with more stars indicating a stronger group and better benefits.

The golden paper stated that joining the Righteous Path Organization would grant one the benefits of the Royal Army; however, entering the organization required merit, and one would enter different star teams based on their achievements.

As for the evaluation standards, everything would be explained by the officials.

Wow, what an official explanation.

Lin Nuo estimated what was going on.

Once the golden paper was involved, things definitely weren’t simple.

From previous intel he collected while descending the mountain, fierce beasts had recently been causing chaos, seriously disrupting the lives of the local people.

As for why it rose to the level of a golden paper notice, it was evident that the appearance of these fierce beasts had reached a level that was harming the area.

Lin Nuo knew there was a Sacred Altar near Zhou Ling City, which should rightfully be managed by Zhou Ling City.

What is a Sacred Altar, you ask? It’s a place for rituals.

Hundreds of years ago, Zhou Ling City was once a cursed land, a barren place where not a single blade of grass grew nearby for hundreds of miles. The winds and sands expanded, causing more areas to be assimilated into a desert.

However, a group of sorcerers rose to the challenge, using Earth Spirit Stones, Water Spirit Stones, and Wind Spirit Stones to forge the Three Heaven Stones. They chose suitable locations and, with the talents of several brothers, performed rituals to change the conditions.

The curse was lifted, and after hundreds of years of evolution, Zhou Ling City, along with the flourishing of many cities within hundreds of miles, was born.

People built an altar in the ritual site, calling it the Sacred Altar.

The Three Heaven Stones had continuously operated for hundreds of years, thanks to later generations cultivating sorcerers to guard it and injecting spiritual energy into the stones. These sorcerers were similar to the soldiers on the frontier, tasked with protecting the land of Puhan.

Previously, dark forces had wanted to take the Three Heaven Stones and found ways to attack the Sacred Altar, but after several battles, they couldn’t breach the altar.

Later, as various dark forces declined, there were no longer any more forces attacking the Sacred Altar.

But now, dark forces were rising again, and it would surely be a bloody storm.

The existence of the Sacred Altar wasn’t particularly relevant to him; if the Sacred Altar were destroyed, he could just run somewhere else. The world was vast enough for him to escape.

However, he had an idea. As a great villain, the resources of the Sacred Altar might be worth stealing, so he needed to find a way to get close to it.

However, to approach the Sacred Altar, one would at least need some decent merit and be part of a four-star or five-star team in the Righteous Path Organization to have a chance.

But that was difficult; it would take a while to mix in.

Starting by killing ordinary fierce beasts to gradually work his way up would allow him to enter the Sacred Altar territory, steal a few things, and run.

Forget the Three Heaven Stones; he couldn’t steal those. However, stealing some high-quality Spirit Stones and Crystals would be possible; running away was his specialty.

Standing next to Lin Nuo was a weathered-looking man with several scars on his face, who was different from the other civilians. While everyone else was excitedly crowding around the golden paper notice as if they were encountering a sovereign, he remained calm like Lin Nuo.

At one moment, their peripheral gazes met—sharp eyes locking together for just an instant.

Both shared the same sentiment.

Neither liked the other.

However, the other didn’t have the qualifications to provoke him.

“Tsk.”

The assassin, Poison Bee, disdainfully clicked his tongue, turning his body to nudge Lin Nuo as he slipped away through the crowd, quickly vanishing without a trace.

“Master, he actually—?!”

“A little street punk, no need to pay him any mind.”

Lin Nuo hurriedly stopped Ling Meng; there were plenty of these petty thugs around; it wasn’t worth arguing with them.

“Let’s go.”

Lin Nuo pulled Ling Meng out of the crowd and quickly ran to another corner to discuss matters.

“What’s up, Master?”

“Listen, fierce beasts have been rampaging recently, so it’s a good opportunity for your practical training. I have an idea; let’s gather intel on where fierce beasts have recently appeared, then kill them. This will not only train you but also earn some merits to join the Righteous Path Organization.”

“The Righteous Path Organization? Is that the one mentioned in the announcement? Why do we need to join?”

“To enter the Sacred Altar, of course. You know, the area around the Sacred Altar is rich in rare Spirit Stones and Crystals, as well as some spiritual artifacts. If we join, we can steal some for ourselves, not for selling, but for our own use.”

“You’re quite bold, Master, but even killing fierce beasts might not be enough merit for us to enter the Sacred Altar, right?”

“Take it slow, it’s alright. If we can’t get in, then so be it; at least you’ll get some actual combat experience. In the future, I’ll help you assess the wind, and you can take out both the Righteous Path Organization and the fierce beasts together—no need to hold back.”

“Okay!”

Killing fierce beasts was one thing, but the prospect of taking down members of the Righteous Path Organization excited Ling Meng. She absolutely detested these righteous folk and wished for nothing more than to see them all dead.

“Let’s go grab a bite.”

“Sure.”

…

In the dark of night, the shadow of the assassin, Poison Bee, lurked in the deep alleys.

Another blood-stained night, as yet another person fell victim to his hands.

He pulled out a note with various names written on it; his finger lightly brushed over the list, causing one name to vanish.

“Next.”

Each time he dealt with a target, he did this until all names on the list disappeared.

Now, very few remained, and to him, they were all easy picks.

Except for one.

Lin Nuo.

His name was on the list, having long ago become a target for multiple assassins.

Because he was strong, the bounty on him was particularly high, but assassins would act with caution.

In just two months, he had built up a significant amount of achievements by wiping out the disciples of the Refining Demon Sect at Wind Sea Forest, destroying the spies of the Xuanyun Sect, and annihilating thirty thousand soldiers of the Alien Race in Hu City. Just these three accomplishments were enough to make waves in the world, which was why several underhanded organizations had set their sights on him, offering bounties for his extermination.

“I heard a disciple from the Xuanyun Sect came to Zhou Ling City. I wonder if he will show up?”

Poison Bee’s lips curled into a cold smile as he licked the blood off his fingers.

The rest were mere shrimp soldiers and crabs; killing Lin Nuo was the priority.

But now that Lin Nuo was nowhere to be seen, with his fame in righteous sects, he would definitely come in response to the recruitment order issued by Zhou Ling City. After all, guarding the Sacred Altar was no small matter.

He was looking forward to seeing what kind of person Lin Nuo was; he fantasized about using his blood to wash his hands.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Poison Bee’s smile grew increasingly twisted.

“There he is!”

Two Taoists chased into the alley, spotting the still-recently departed Poison Bee.

“Did you just kill someone?!”

“Heh.”

Poison Bee turned around, coldly smiling,

“Otherwise, what?”

“An eye for an eye!”

The angry Taoists charged forward, launching a swift attack on Poison Bee.

However, Poison Bee remained unfazed; to him, their speed was far too slow to harm him.

“Before you call for an eye for an eye, weigh your own worth first.”

After dodging several attacks, he quickly retaliated, killing the two Taoists in an instant.

“Too weak.”

He licked the blood off his hand, crouching down to search the bodies of the Taoists for anything useful. He had to admit, these Taoists had quite a few useful items on them.

This was quite a nice haul.

In an instant, he noticed a dark-faced man at the end of the alley, his gaze locking onto him.

He felt like he recognized that face, but it didn’t matter; anyone who saw this scene wouldn’t be leaving alive.

Time to die!

He charged forward, swinging his blade at the dark-faced man.

Missed.

A phantom.

“Hmm?”

He looked around, unable to find the real body anywhere.

—

This chapter has three thousand characters, updated at the turn of the year. Wishing everyone a Happy New Year, with boundless prosperity!