Chapter 399: Yaoyao Leaves the Mountain

Inside the cave dwelling.

Yao Yao had wrapped her long hair in a length of blue cloth and was tending to the various flowers and green plants she had personally planted in the garden. After a long while, she gently wiped her cheek and straightened up.

Outside the garden, Tun Tun lay sprawled lazily. Since Zhou Yuan's departure, the cave dwelling had seemed particularly quiet.

Yao Yao gazed at the empty dwelling, feeling that something was missing. Zhou Yuan must still be on his way to Black Flame Province, she thought. She pondered for a moment, then left the garden, picked up Tun Tun, exited the dwelling, and headed straight for the Mission Hall.

In the days since Zhou Yuan left, Yao Yao had periodically visited the Mission Hall. Information about certain missions sometimes revealed extremely rare prime materials, and among them, there might be what she needed to engrave the "Great Dragon Subduing Mark" for Zhou Yuan.

Inside the grand hall on the mountaintop, people came and went, making it exceptionally lively. As Yao Yao entered, she could feel numerous admiring and ardent gazes subtly directed her way. By now, Yao Yao was already well-known within the Cangxuan Sect; her beauty and abilities combined had allowed her popularity to catch up to the original number one beauty, Li Qingchan, in just half a year.

However, Yao Yao paid no attention to these gazes, not even batting an eyelid. She walked directly to the center of the hall, where a massive prime qi mirror stood.

Inside the mirror, scrolls of various colors appeared periodically. These were newly released missions.

Cangxuan Sect's missions were divided into three tiers: Heaven, Earth, and Human. Heaven-tier missions were gold and the rarest. Earth-tier missions were silver, while Human-tier missions were simply cyan.

Consequently, most of the missions displayed were cyan. Occasionally, one or two silver scrolls would appear, always drawing exclamations and a scramble from many disciples.

Yao Yao did not accept any missions. She simply focused on the information flowing across the scrolls, which briefly described the tasks and their rewards. She observed for a long time, eventually shaking her head, as it was clear she hadn't found anything useful today either.

She was about to turn and leave. However, just as she did, a sudden commotion erupted in the hall. Many disciples eagerly looked towards the display, murmuring excitedly.

Yao Yao paused slightly, then raised her delicate face to look at the prime qi mirror. She then saw a golden scroll appear.

"A Heaven-tier mission?" Yao Yao was slightly surprised, not expecting another Heaven-tier mission to appear so soon after Zhou Yuan and the others had left. She fixed her gaze on it.

"Latest news from the Sect: A ruin has been discovered in the Barren Province of the Western Region of Shengzhou Continent. Due to insufficient personnel, support has been requested from the Sect.""Two slots available, Saint Son level required.""Note: Within the ruin, there are suspected skeletal remains of dragon-type prime beasts, suppressed by a wondrous wood."

"Wow, another Heaven-tier mission has appeared!""Too bad, it requires a Saint Son level to accept. Looks like this mission won't be easy...""If it were easy, it wouldn't be called a Heaven-tier mission."

Many voices reached her ears, but Yao Yao paid them no mind. Her eyes were fixed solely on the last sentence.

"'Suspected skeletal remains of dragon-type prime beasts... suppressed by a wondrous wood?'" Yao Yao murmured to herself, then her eyes brightened slightly. "Could it be... Dragon Suppressing Wood?"

Dragon Suppressing Wood was precisely one of the prime materials essential for engraving the "Great Dragon Subduing Mark."

Yao Yao quickly stepped forward, approaching the prime qi mirror where a Sect deacon stood. She looked directly at him, her delicate finger pointing at the Heaven-tier mission. "Does this mission require a Saint Son level to accept?" she asked.

The deacon glanced at her and nodded. "Can I accept it?" Yao Yao inquired.

The deacon was taken aback. He clearly recognized Yao Yao, so after a moment of hesitation, his lips moved slightly as if transmitting a message to inquire with the elder on duty at the Mission Hall.

Seeing this, Yao Yao did not urge him, but waited patiently where she stood.

After a while, the deacon stopped transmitting and nodded at Yao Yao. "After evaluation, although you are not a Saint Son, the Sect believes you possess the strength of a Saint Son, so you are qualified to accept it."

Yao Yao had displayed her strength on Spirit Rune Peak, almost single-handedly subduing all the disciples there. Her power was, naturally, self-evident.

Yao Yao nodded her head slightly. "Then, I'll take this mission."

"This mission departs tomorrow, so please gather at Departure Peak tomorrow morning," the deacon said. Yao Yao nodded, said no more, then turned and left, ignoring the stir she had caused in the hall.

Early the next morning, Yao Yao arrived at Departure Peak, holding Tun Tun. When she got there, she saw a figure already on the mountaintop. The figure turned, revealing a familiar face.

It was none other than Ye Ge from Spirit Rune Peak. He wore a robe-like garment, his face adorned with a warm, bright smile. His physique was tall and slender, giving him an imposing handsomeness.

Ye Ge's appearance and demeanor were actually quite good; his warm smile easily made people feel favorably towards him. This guy was quite popular within the Cangxuan Sect, especially among some female disciples.

However, when Yao Yao saw him, her beautiful eyes narrowed into a somewhat dangerous curve.

"You also took this mission?" Yao Yao's voice held a hint of displeasure.

Ye Ge noticed the unwelcoming tone in Yao Yao's words and quickly explained, "Junior Sister Yao Yao, most of the Saint Sons in the Sect are currently out on missions or cultivating, so it's hard to gather enough people. I was also forcibly dragged here to make up the numbers!"

In truth, he had recently been in secluded cultivation, but yesterday he suddenly received news that Yao Yao would be participating in a Heaven-tier mission. He then forcefully broke out of his seclusion, much to the exasperation of the White-Browed Peak Master.

Yao Yao gave him an expressionless glance.

"Don't waste my time," Yao Yao said, her tone cold. Being as intelligent as she was, she instantly saw through Ye Ge's intentions.

Ye Ge sighed with a troubled expression, then couldn't help but say, "I'm not any worse than that kid Zhou Yuan, am I?"

However, Yao Yao's smooth, jade-like face remained utterly unperturbed.

"Sigh, so many junior sisters used to be infatuated with me, but I always treated them coldly. Who knew I would have a day like this? It's truly retribution," Ye Ge lamented, his handsome face growing even more bitter as he sighed skyward from the side, filled with regret.

Yao Yao was silent for a moment, then said, "If you don't want to die out there during the mission, I suggest you stay quiet."

Ye Ge cast a slightly resentful glance at her, then stopped joking, his face turning serious. "However, Junior Sister Yao Yao, this mission might not be easy. Both of us should be extra careful."

Hearing him speak of serious matters, Yao Yao raised her eyes slightly. "Oh?"

Seeing her reaction, Ye Ge's spirits immediately lifted, and he said mysteriously again, "Do you know who issued this mission?"

"Who?" Yao Yao asked indifferently.

"That guy always prefers to handle things alone, but this time he suddenly requested support from the Sect. Clearly, he's run into some trouble... And anything that gives him trouble certainly won't be simple," Ye Ge chuckled. "Can Junior Sister Yao Yao guess who he is?"

Yao Yao pondered for a moment, then parted her red lips and uttered two words: "Chu Qing."

She truly hadn't expected this mission to be issued by Chu Qing, the head of Cangxuan Sect's Saint Sons. It seemed it would indeed be a bit troublesome.

However, Dragon Suppressing Wood was one of the main materials for engraving the "Great Dragon Subduing Mark." Therefore, even if this journey wouldn't be easy, she had to go.