"The old man doesn't care about so much!"

Hatakehiro ignored the furious Xuan Ming, his gaze turning back to Long Wuxian: "Long Wuxian, this is both a punishment and a task, do you dare to accept it?"

For a moment, Long Wuxian once again became the center of attention, countless gazes falling on him, wondering whether he dared to accept this potentially fatal task.

Not to mention obtaining the holy emperor demon stone, with Long Wuxian's cultivation level, even just venturing into the forbidden zone would be extremely perilous.

In the forbidden zone of the Holy Demon Mountain, there were illusionary demon gods at the level of the holy emperor everywhere, and even peak immortal emperor-level demon gods roamed frequently. For those whose strength was insufficient, they would probably be torn apart even before reaching the entrance to the cave.

"I accept."

Long Wuxian did not hesitate at all, speaking out loud.

In this world, there was nothing he wouldn't dare to do, and after recovering the Haiyuan Divine Pearl this time, he had already planned to go on a journey of training in the Holy Demon Mountain.

Moreover, Long Wuxian knew that Hatakehiro wasn't really trying to punish him; he wanted to see if he had the courage. In the depths of Hatakehiro's eyes, he saw a hint of trust – the confidence in himself from the sect leader. Even on such a difficult mission to the Emperor's Ruins, Hatakehiro believed that Long Wuxian could succeed.

Or rather, Hatakehiro was taking a gamble; deep down, he hoped that Long Wuxian would grow quickly and bridge the gap with Yu Tianlong. Real growth required facing formidable challenges, even life and death situations.

Long Wuxian clearly saw the satisfaction and admiration in Hatakehiro's eyes the moment he accepted the task.

"Oh, Brother Wu Xian, do you know what you're getting into? Accepting such a task is like going to your death."

Elder Fengshen said anxiously, fearing that Long Wuxian, carried away by impulse, would agree – and as expected, he did.

"Elder Feng, I know what I'm doing."

Long Wuxian smiled at Elder Feng.

His acceptance had its own purpose; there was nowhere he wouldn't venture to in this world, and he didn't want the sect leader to look down on him. Furthermore, he also wanted to journey to the Holy Demon Mountain for training. The allure of the holy emperor demon stone to Long Wuxian was immense – with it, he could enhance his chances of reaching the holy emperor level from the immortal emperor level. If he obtained the holy emperor demon stone, within half a year, Long Wuxian could break through to the holy emperor level.

Additionally, once he reached the holy emperor level, Long Wuxian could use this Haiyuan Divine Pearl to search for the other five. Although he had obtained this one by sheer luck, the interconnection among the Haiyuan Divine Pearls would make pursuing the others nearly impossible without it.

"Alright, prepare yourself, we depart tomorrow."

Hatakehiro said expressionlessly, then his figure flickered and disappeared into the sky.

After causing chaos in the inner gate and even killing Xiu Er, Long Wuxian ended up with this conclusion. This punishment was quite satisfactory for Xiu Xiu, his sister. Almost everyone thought that Long Wuxian was doomed this time, and that he would definitely die under the siege of the demon gods.

In the courtyard of Elder Fengshen, Long Wuxian found a large tree to sleep under, while Yunxiang snored soundly next to him. These two carefree guys never seemed to be disturbed, no matter the situation.

However, Elder Fengshen paced back and forth, clearly agitated.

"Elder Feng, could you stop walking around? I'm getting dizzy."

Long Wuxian said irritably.

"No, I'm taking you to see the sect leader. Going there is no different from walking to your death. I believe the sect leader wouldn't want to lose a talent to the sect."

Elder Fengshen looked at Long Wuxian, seeming determined to take him to the One Qi Palace to speak with the sect leader.

"Alright, Elder Feng, isn't it just an expedition? You underestimate me too much."

Long Wuxian said nonchalantly.

"Do you really not know anything? Your attitude makes me even more worried. Inside there, the demon gods are ferocious. All elders who've gone into the forbidden zone have ended up dead, becoming food for the demon gods. The only exception was when the sect leader went for training last time and managed to return alive. Despite your exceptional talent and terrifying strength, can you beat the sect leader?"

Elder Fengshen said persuasively.

"...I can't."

Long Wuxian shook his head; with his current strength, he indeed couldn't defeat the sect leader, Hatakehiro.

"Then do you dare to go to the Emperor's Ruins? Do you still want to obtain the holy emperor demon stone? Are you out of your mind?"

Elder Fengshen said angrily.

Long Wuxian simply smirked, unfazed by Elder Fengshen's attempts to dissuade him. He knew Elder Fengshen genuinely cared about him and considered him a friend.

"Feng Elder is right; it's a near-death experience, and to obtain the holy emperor demon stone, chances are slim."

Long Wuxian knew this well and had already arranged for the eavesdropper to report the information. As he glanced at the disappearing figure on the rooftop, a smirk formed at the corner of his mouth. After all, gambling included both wins and losses!

Just then, a voice sounded in the courtyard, and a tall man walked in – the sect leader, Hatakehiro.

"Disciple Long Wuxian, greetings, Sect Leader."

Long Wuxian calmly got up from his chair and greeted Hatakehiro with a fist salute.

"Sect Leader, you know it's a dangerous mission, so why send Long Wuxian? I refuse to believe you truly want him dead."

Elder Fengshen said bluntly, expressing his dissatisfaction with Hatakehiro. Throughout the entire One Qi Sect, he was probably the only one who dared to question the sect leader in such a manner.

"Of course, I don't want him to die. After all, I have placed the future of the One Qi Sect on him."

Hatakehiro said with a smile.

"What?!"

Elder Fengshen rolled his eyes, too stunned to speak.

Not wanting him to die but sending him to his death – what kind of logic was this?

"Elder Feng, don't worry. The Sect Leader's intention is for me to take this opportunity to train at the Holy Demon Mountain."

Long Wuxian said with a smile.

"Ah... don't you see, you've only been in the sect for a few days? What has happened to both the inner and outer gates now? If you continue to stay, the sect will be in chaos. You need to grow rapidly, shorten the gap with Yu Tianlong, and heading to the Holy Demon Mountain for a while is a very good choice indeed."

Hatakehiro said solemnly.

"Even if it's for training at the Holy Demon Mountain, do you have to go to the Emperor's Ruins?"

Elder Fengshen asked, exasperated.

"Elder Feng, you must know, for a person to truly grow, they need immense pressure. Going to the Emperor's Ruins is a good choice, and as sect leader, I must have the ability to lead. The fact remains that Long Wuxian killed his fellow disciple, and I haven't set a time limit for him. I'm giving him ample time to train at the Holy Demon Mountain. As for whether he can retrieve the holy emperor demon stone, that's up to him. If he unfortunately dies there, it would be fate."

Hatakehiro said these words directly in front of Long Wuxian, showing his sincerity and expectations for him.

However... Long Wuxian wanted to curse out loud, but the other party was much more powerful, so he could only swallow his anger.

"Just the Emperor's Ruins? Trying to take my life... it's ridiculous."

Long Wuxian's aura surged; Hatakehiro's intentions were crystal clear to him from the beginning, and even if the mission was a perilous one, he had to accept it. He could not let the sect leader lose face.

"Ah, you two are really daring. Since that's the case, I won't bother myself any longer. I want to see if you, Long Wuxian, can truly create a miracle."

Elder Fengshen no longer said anything more.

"Long Wuxian, before you head to the Holy Demon Mountain, if you have any requests, feel free to say. Whatever can satisfy you, I will do my best to fulfill. Once you're there, you're on your own – life and death are your own responsibility."

Hatakehiro said.

"Oh... in that case, give me ten bags of high-grade spirit stones."

Long Wuxian immediately made a bold request.

What? Ten bags?

Hatakehiro rolled his eyes. "You... are you sure this isn't a plan to escape, kid?"

"Sect Leader, don't be so stingy. A few spirit stones are nothing to you. As the Sect Leader, ten bags of high-grade spirit stones are mere pocket change."

Long Wuxian smirked; he needed spirit stones the most at the moment. For his trip to the Holy Demon Mountain, he needed to be well-prepared with sufficient spirit stones as each advancement for him consumed a staggering amount.

Given the difficult task and punishment from Hatakehiro this time, Long Wuxian saw an opportunity to capitalize on it. How else could he justify it to himself?

"Huh, how can that be considered pocket change?"

Hatakehiro felt like he was being taken advantage of. While the One Qi Sect was wealthy, the riches were not his alone.

"Sect Leader, Brother Wu Xian's request isn't unreasonable."

Elder Fengshen chuckled cunningly.

"..."

Hatakehiro gave Elder Fengshen a wry look but didn't say much more.

Grinning, Elder Fengshen didn't seem fazed.

"Long Wuxian, here are ten bags of high-grade spirit stones. Bring back the holy emperor demon stone for me alive!"

Hatakehiro shook his head and tossed the bags of spirit stones into Long Wuxian's arms before disappearing in a flash.

Hatakehiro felt that he should leave this place of troubles as soon as possible. Or perhaps, he shouldn't have come today at all!

"Thank you, Sect Leader." Long Wuxian shouted and then took the bracelet handed to him. It was a top-tier bracelet with a much larger storage space than ordinary ones. Long Wuxian stowed the bracelet in his own space. With these ten bags of immortal spirit stones, promotion was no longer a concern.