Chapter 100: Infiltration
Chapter 100: Infiltration
He Xingping was fifty one years old and an elder in the Lion Lord's faction. He was a direct descent of He Zicheng but there were was a two generation gap. He Zicheng was over five hundred years old and he was very active in producing offspring. There were tens of children, hundreds of grandchildren, countless descendants. The family members of He Zicheng held influence within the sect but it was only the strong and talented that held positions of power.
He Xingping's talent was not amazing and he had no hope of breaking through to the Spirit Lord Realm like He Xinghan. However, He Xingping was always very meticulous and careful with his tasks. He worked hard over the years to earn the trust of the lord and carve out an elder's position that was responsible for procuring beast materials. His reputation was good and was respected by his peers.
This person that stood silently in the tent was different from before. It was a curious situation. If anyone would quiz He Xingping with secret passphrases, he would answer them correctly without pause. If an immortal checked his body and mind for any abnormalities, there would be none. He Xingping was completely fine and perfectly normal and yet he was also fundamentally different.
This is because He Xingping was now Chen Wentian. It was the same way the snake within the Golden Serpent Robe and the swallow within the Insightful Swallow were also Chen Wentian. The 'main' Chen Wentian that flew off was also Chen Wentian as well. This secret art was truly heaven defying... and it was perfect for infiltration.
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He Xingping, who was now Chen Wentian, emerged from the tent the following morning and inspected his troops. One of the men looked a little ruffled up. He was the one who was forced into slumber while on watch and was beaten up by the others for neglecting his duty.
Chen Wentian walked over and patted the unfortunate man on the shoulder, "This is a warning, don't fail again."
"Yes, Master He!" The man saluted, grateful for not receiving anymore punishment.
The others expected this as He Xingping was always even handed and treated his men reasonably. They got to work packing up their tents and were soon on their way. There was still a long way to go back to the capital city of the province that held a teleportation array.
"Kakaka! Tasty humans!"
"Attack!"
A roving band of goblins were lying in wait along the horse path and they fell into an ambush. The province was mostly taken over by monsters at this point and this was not the first attack they had fallen under. It would have been a good fight for the goblins based on their numbers and cultivation but Chen Wentian's party had the advantage in cultivation arts. His nine men all transformed into half beasts and fiercely engaged the enemy.
Chen Wentian participated in the fight as well, taking the opportunity to experience first hand transformating into a half man half lion. As a directly descendant, he was given a basic version of the Armored Lion Transformation Art. Chen Wentian's neat hair and trimmed beard grew out into a wild mane. His muscles increased in size as his skin hardened into a thick and resilient hide.
"You seem quite delicious!" A nasty voice yelled out.
The largest goblin brandished a stone club and charged at him. This goblin lord was at the 10th Level of the Spirit Initiate Realm but he easily matched it in speed and strength. The stone club smashed trees to splinters and boulders into pebbles, but it could not find its target. After a short exchange, Chen Wentian's lion claws took care of his opponent, ripping apart the goblin's chest in a spray of blood.
This immortal art is pretty decent, Chen Wentian thought. It had a good balance of speed, agility, strength, and deadly attack power. Both physical combat and defense were excellent. He was never taught the immortal secret of this art and it made him want to search for it. If he could obtain it, there was still enough time to cultivate this body into an immortal which would end up being very beneficial.
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Chen Wentian's rag tag troop finally arrived in the capital city after a difficult journey. He managed to not lose anyone but it had gotten close a few times. This worked out well as these men would have zero doubts about trusting him with their lives and he definitely had use of them in the future.
"Stop! Show your identification!"
A squad of armored guards stopped them at the gate. While the lands were teeming with monsters, the capital city was still under the control of the sect. Chen Wentian pulled out his sect badge. The head guard examined it closely for a few seconds. At the same time, he felt the telltale feeling of an immortal's spiritual sense wash over him and his party. After finding nothing out of order, they were allowed to pass.
Chen Wentian led the way to the main square, into a massive stone building that looked over the entire city. Entering the lobby, they were accosted by more guards. After another inspection, they were shown into a large hall with several members of the Lion Lord's faction. The person who sat in the middle looking over them was Immortal Berserk Ox, Ji Tiangu, who was in charge of this entire province.
Chen Wentian bowed respectfully. "Immortal."
His men bowed as well.
Ji Tiangu started at Chen Wentian intently. "Xingping... successful harvest?"
"Yes sir." Chen Wentian took off his storage ring and Ji Tiangu took it from his hands with spiritual energy.
"Hmmm, good." Ji Tiangu passed the ring to a subordinate.
He then took out a bag of gold and tossed it to Chen Wentian. "Your fee, twelve hundred gold taels."
"Thank you, immortal!" Chen Wentian bowed again.
Ji Tiangu had no more use for them and waved them off. Chen Wentian quickly led his men out of the building and out onto the streets, away from the oppressive aura of the immortal.
"Whew!"
They breathed a sigh of relief, smelling the fresh air once again. Immortal Berserk Ox was getting on in age and had a weird temperament. It was best not to stay too long in his presence. The entire city was gloomy and dangerous and they didn't linger, choosing to directly teleport back to the Beast God Sanctum.
After returning to Beast God City, Chen Wentian divided the earnings. Each men received their share of one hundred gold minus the cost of teleportation. As the leader of the operation, he pocketed the rest.
"Go back, take care of your families. After two days, lets meet up at Red Swan Tower for a feast. My treat." Chen Wentian said.
"Yes, Master He, thank you!" The nine men bowed.
"Take care!"
"See you soon!"
After the group dispersed, Chen Wentian headed off along the familiar streets toward his house. First step of infiltration was a smooth success!