"Thunder River City?"
Lin Ye glanced through the intel scroll Tao Lang had brought.
It didn't say what the treasure actually was—only vague hints.
Which meant the information was still classified.
High secrecy.
"Good," Lin Ye said, nodding.
Tao Lang's efficiency continued to impress him.
If there truly was a Blood-Asura treasure in Thunder River City, then Lin Ye couldn't afford to waste time.
He needed to leave immediately.
Sending Tao Lang to handle something like this?
Impossible.
Even putting aside how hard it would be to compete at an auction—
the moment Tao Lang got the treasure, he'd be torn apart within minutes.
A Spirit Spring Realm disciple carrying a Blood-Asura treasure?
He wouldn't survive a single night.
Tao Lang lowered his voice.
"Senior Brother Lin Ye… if you're going to Thunder River City, you need to be extremely careful."
"Zhang Wenxu's family…"
"…is Thunder River City's number one clan."
Lin Ye paused.
Then his lips curled slightly.
"Oh?"
"That's wonderful news."
Tao Lang froze.
Wonderful?
He stared at Lin Ye in disbelief.
Did Senior Brother forget he beat Zhang Wenxu half to death yesterday?
Thunder River City was Zhang Wenxu's territory.
Even if they didn't kill Lin Ye there…
they could still humiliate and cripple him easily.
"Y-you mean… good news?" Tao Lang asked carefully.
Lin Ye didn't explain.
Instead, he asked calmly, "You have a map to Thunder River City, right?"
"Yes. Of course." Tao Lang nodded quickly.
"Thunder River City is one hundred and twenty li from Wind-Thunder Mystic Sect. There's a stable at the foot of the mountain—if you ride fast, you can arrive by noon tomorrow."
He hesitated, then added excitedly:
"But I heard something…"
"The main peak plaza is gathering people right now. And they're heading to Thunder River City too."
"If you ride one of the sect's flying wind-beasts…"
"you'll get there in at most an hour."
"And you won't have to cross Blazing Wind Forest on horseback."
"If you can catch a ride…"
Tao Lang's eyes shone.
Lin Ye nodded.
"Good work."
"When I return, you'll be rewarded."
He collected the map and intel scroll, then turned toward the main peak—Mystic Thunder Peak.
If there was a flying beast, he wasn't about to waste energy riding a horse.
As for whatever mission the sect was assigning—
Lin Ye didn't care.
As a core disciple, he only needed to complete one sect mission per month.
It was the price of receiving resources.
But Lin Ye never took that seriously.
And he knew exactly how these things worked.
If the sect suddenly "sent him out" on some task…
it was likely an excuse to create a chance to kill him.
As long as Lin Ye stayed inside his courtyard, these people could only grind their teeth.
They didn't dare break sect rules openly.
So they acted in the dark.
But now?
A Blood-Asura treasure was on the table.
Lin Ye wasn't going to miss this chance.
And he also wanted to see what kind of trap they were trying to build.
Main Peak Plaza
When Lin Ye arrived, more than a dozen core disciples were already gathered.
The moment they saw him, their expressions turned ugly.
Disdain.
Mockery.
As if he were dirt.
To them, Lin Ye was nothing but a parasite living off his father's legacy.
A Spirit Spring Realm trash core disciple.
This mission looked serious.
So why was this useless waste included?
Besides the core disciples, three inner sect stewards in black robes stood near three massive birds.
These were the sect's trained Wind-Riding Birds.
They could carry heavy loads and fly long distances—
but in combat they were almost worthless.
First-rank beasts.
Lin Ye ignored the stares.
People could look.
That didn't matter.
But if anyone dared run their mouth…
Lin Ye wouldn't be polite.
Not anymore.
Soon after, an Affairs Hall steward arrived in a hurry.
"This is an emergency mission," he announced loudly.
"Any core disciple summoned must participate."
He took a deep breath, then read from the scroll.
"Mission objective: Three stewards will lead you to Thunder River City to escort a wanted criminal back to the sect—alive."
"This target is extremely dangerous. Cruel. Powerful."
"You must stay focused and never lower your guard."
Then he lifted his voice again.
"Upon completion, each of you will receive one Jade Blossom Pill…"
"…and one hour of cultivation inside the Wind-Thunder Mystic Qi Tower!"
The crowd erupted.
Eyes lit up instantly.
"The Mystic Qi Tower?! That's insane!"
"That's a huge benefit!"
"If I can cultivate inside for one hour…"
"I'll definitely break through to Qi Sea Sixth Layer!"
A core disciple at Qi Sea Fifth Layer shouted in excitement.
And the Jade Blossom Pill?
Garbage to Lin Ye—
but to them, it was top-tier.
Everyone was fired up.
Who would've thought a simple escort mission could come with rewards like this?
Then a calm female voice spoke from the crowd.
"Steward."
"Who are we escorting?"
She hadn't been blinded by rewards.
Summoning this many core disciples—
plus three Qi Sea Eighth Layer stewards—
meant the target had to be terrifying.
Lin Ye glanced at her.
Slender figure, pale skin—
but there was something predatory in her eyes.
A hunter's gaze.
A ruthless type.
Lin Ye didn't remember her name.
There were nearly a hundred core disciples.
He recognized only a few.
Her question sobered the crowd.
All eyes turned to the steward.
The steward's expression turned serious.
"This person is…"
"Blacklist rank number four."
He paused.
Then spoke the name.
"Yu Baiji."
The entire crowd inhaled sharply.
Some even stepped backward instinctively.
Yu Baiji.
An Earth Transformation Realm expert.
A monster.
Back then, he had fallen out with Wind-Thunder Mystic Sect.
He had wounded three elders…
slaughtered more than ten stewards…
and killed over a hundred disciples.
He became the sect's fourth most wanted criminal.
And now…
this bloodthirsty demon had been captured in Thunder River City.
Why not execute him?
Because he still had value.
Someone whispered, voice trembling.
"Rumor says Yu Baiji holds a Heaven-grade sword technique…"
"No one in the same realm can block it."
"Back then, seven elders joined forces—"
"and three of them still died before he escaped!"
That kind of figure…
was finally in the sect's grasp.
Even the calm woman's expression tightened slightly.
Danger.
Real danger.
Yet the next moment—
her gaze flicked toward Lin Ye.
Strange.
As if she was evaluating him.
Thinking.
Then she quickly looked away.
The steward spoke again, voice hard.
"All of you sign your names. We depart immediately."
Lin Ye signed without hesitation.
He was assigned to the last Wind-Riding Bird.
Three stewards.
Twelve core disciples.
Fifteen people total.
The stewards handled the flight.
The Wind-Riding Birds flapped their giant wings.
A violent gust tore across the plaza—
then the birds lifted off, soaring toward Thunder River City.
Lin Ye shared his bird with three other core disciples.
Once airborne, the three formed their own small group, chatting among themselves—
glancing at Lin Ye with obvious contempt.
"Look at him. Still pretending to cultivate even up here."
"Pathetic. Never trains hard, but puts on a show in front of others."
"Elder Lin was a legend…"
"And he left behind such an embarrassment of a son."
"Quiet," the black-robed steward at the front snapped.
The three finally shut up.
They leaned back, enjoying the view of the Wind-Thunder River domain below.
The birds cut through the wind.
In the Wind-Thunder River domain, flying beasts were rare.
Some river domains had forests that stretched a hundred meters into the sky—
where neither land nor air travel was possible.
Other regions were even worse—
tens of thousands of flying beasts roaming in storms.
But Wind-Thunder River wasn't that extreme.
After an hour…
a massive ancient city appeared on the horizon.
Its walls stood nearly thirty meters high.
Inside the city, watchtowers rose fifty meters tall.
Each tower carried elite archers—
built to spot beast movements from miles away.
Because in this domain…
ferocious beasts ruled the wilderness.
Human settlements were few.
This was Thunder River City.
One of Wind-Thunder Mystic Sect's five major territory cities.
As long as they paid tribute each month…
the sect protected them.
The sect also maintained branch halls here to recruit disciples.
With Wind-Thunder Mystic Sect's protection, other sects didn't dare cause trouble.
Strength made the rules.
Thunder River City had its own City Lord's Manor—
and the City Lord answered directly to the sect.
The manor handled order and stability.
Business and commerce were left to the major clans.
As long as they didn't violate city law—
anything went.
Thunder River City — Wind-Thunder Branch Hall
The three giant birds landed together.
Their arrival drew countless gazes.
A burly man in official robes stepped forward immediately.
He bowed deeply.
"Branch Hall Master Lei Yongbiao greets the three honored stewards."
Behind him, branch hall disciples stood stiffly, nervous.
These people from the inner sect…
were true big shots.