Chapter 152: The Gathering Storm (1)

After being away from the Taiyi Holy Land for over half a month, Chen Chuan’s figure appeared once again before the doors of the Outer Sect Mission Hall.

Compared to the clamor of half a month ago, the Mission Hall was still bustling with people.

However, as that figure in green robes stepped into the hall, the originally boisterous voices seemed to be throttled by an invisible hand, suddenly dropping several decibels.

Many gazes instinctively turned toward him, carrying surprise, doubt, and a trace of subtle schadenfreude.

"Eh? Isn’t he that Chen Chuan who took the Black Wolf Group mission? He... he actually came back?"

"He looks perfectly fine. Did he not go to the Black Wind Mountain Range at all and just hide outside for half a month?"

"That’s unlikely. The mission deadline is one month. If he’s back early, could he have completed it?"

"Are you joking? A Ninth Layer of the Transcendence Realm completing the mission to exterminate the Black Wolf Group? Do you think the Black Wolf Group is made of clay?"

"Look at him, he’s travel-worn. It doesn’t look like he was just idling about. Maybe he really did have some kind of fated opportunity."

Whispers like the buzzing of mosquitoes circulated through the crowd.

Chen Chuan acted as if he heard none of it and walked straight toward the mission handover counter.

Behind the counter was still that white-haired duty Elder.

When he saw Chen Chuan, he was also slightly stunned; he clearly still had an impression of this Transcendence Realm Disciple who seemed to be seeking death.

"Elder, I’m here to hand in a mission."

Chen Chuan calmly handed over his identity Token.

The Elder took the Token, his Divine Sense sinking into it, and asked as a matter of routine:

"Which mission? Exterminating the Black Wolf Group? Give it up. A young man knowing when to retreat is also—"

His words came to an abrupt halt.

Because Chen Chuan didn’t say a word.

He simply reached into an inconspicuous Storage Bag and silently took out seven heads treated with special medicinal powder, lining them up one by one on the counter.

Thud, thud, thud... The dull sound of the heads hitting the wooden counter was exceptionally piercing in the suddenly silenced hall.

In an instant, the entire Mission Hall became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Everyone’s eyes were fixed deathly on those seven heads, especially the one in the center with a fierce countenance and a hideous scar on its temple.

It was precisely the leader of the Black Wolf Group, Hei Yu, as depicted in the image on the mission Jade Slip!

"Hiss!"

After a brief, dead silence, there were countless sounds of people sucking in cold air.

"Hei... Hei Yu! It’s really him!"

"And the one next to it is the Vice-Leader of the Black Wolf Group, Hei Ya."

"Seven! The core seven members of the Black Wolf Group, not a single one missing!"

"My god! He... he really did it? A Ninth Layer of the Transcendence Realm wiped out the Black Wolf Group, which was composed of seven Half-Step Great Powers?"

"How is this possible? An illusion, it must be an illusion."

Exclamations, doubts, and roars of disbelief instantly ignited the entire Mission Hall.

Everyone crowded around, as if they wanted to see through Chen Chuan and those seven heads.

Those who had mocked Chen Chuan half a month ago, saying he was certain to die, now felt their faces burning as if they had been struck by a vicious slap.

A Transcendence Realm slaying a Half-Step Great Power—and one against seven at that, with one being at the Ninth Layer Peak of the Half-Step Great Power Realm.

This was simply a fantasy!

How many years had it been since such a sensational event occurred in the Taiyi Holy Land’s Outer Sect?

The duty Elder’s brow was tightly knit.

He picked up Hei Yu’s head, checking it repeatedly and comparing it with the Aura imprint left by the mission, until he finally had to confirm it.

This was indeed Hei Yu himself, and the time of death was recent.

He looked up, his gaze sharp as a hawk’s, staring intently at Chen Chuan. His voice carried an unprecedented gravity:

"Chen Chuan, the mission target is verified. You have completed the mission to exterminate the Black Wolf Group. One hundred contribution points will be transferred to your Token. But..."

The Elder’s tone shifted as an invisible pressure enveloped Chen Chuan:

"Tell this old man, how did you do it? With your Cultivation at the Ninth Layer of the Transcendence Realm, it is absolutely impossible for you to kill Hei Yu and the others in a head-on confrontation."

This was also the question in everyone’s hearts.

Row after row of gazes focused on Chen Chuan, waiting for his answer.

Facing the Elder’s inquiry and the crowd’s scrutiny, Chen Chuan’s expression remained as calm as a still well, as if he had prepared his explanation long ago.

He said flatly:

"It was just good luck."

"When I found them, they were in a life-and-death struggle with a group of unidentified enemies. Both sides suffered heavy losses, with almost everyone killed or wounded."

"When I arrived, only these few were left at their last gasp, so I simply finished them off and took the credit."

This explanation was reasonable.

The Black Wolf Group committed many evils and had enemies everywhere; being ambushed for revenge was a common occurrence.

"So that’s how it was!"

"I knew it. How could a Transcendence Realm have that kind of strength? Turns out he just had dog-shit luck."

"This luck is too heaven-defying. It’s like picking up a Saint Artifact just by stepping out the door."

"Sigh, why doesn’t this kind of good thing ever happen to me?"

Hearing this, the crowd showed expressions of realization, and their previous shock and disbelief were quickly replaced by thick envy and jealousy.

Although some still harbored doubts, feeling it was too much of a coincidence,

They couldn’t think of any other more reasonable possibility besides this explanation.

They couldn’t possibly believe that Chen Chuan had killed them all on his own, could they?

That was even harder to accept than good luck.

The Elder gave Chen Chuan a deep look, as if trying to see something in his eyes.

But Chen Chuan’s eyes were as calm as water, without a single ripple.

Ultimately, the Elder just nodded and stopped questioning him.

On the path of Cultivation, who didn’t have a few secrets and Opportunities? Since the other party was unwilling to say more, he couldn’t very well force it.

Chen Chuan took the opportunity to hand in two other collection missions he had completed along the way, obtaining a total of one hundred and eighty contribution points.

"One hundred and eighty contribution points... I’m still too far from the amount needed to exchange for the ingredients for a Saint-grade elixir."

Chen Chuan calculated silently, not feeling joyful over this windfall.

He planned to go back and rest for a few days before taking on several high-value missions to gather the contribution points as quickly as possible.