"Salute to the Spirit Sovereign!"

Many spiritual forms rose and bowed to the figure in the center. Li Sheng did not stand out but joined them in the gesture.

As everyone took their seats, the Spirit Sovereign's authoritative voice rang out again.

"This discussion has three purposes."

"First, to initiate the Demon Hunting Merit Task."

"Second, to gather Demon Crystals."

"Third, to encircle and kill a Master."

The first two tasks were expected, but the mention of encircling a Master shocked everyone.

"The Anti-Demon Alliance really has guts... they dare to encircle even a Master," Li Sheng thought in amazement.

Once the murmurs died down, the Spirit Sovereign spoke again.

"This demon disaster has erupted in Lingchuan City, starting at the disaster level, with a possibility of escalating to despair level."

"This task is not recommended for warriors below the fourth rank to avoid unnecessary deaths."

"That's quite humane..." Li Sheng nodded to himself.

The Spirit Sovereign raised his right arm and waved his hand.

A virtual scroll, dozens of zhang long, floated in the air.

The center of the scroll displayed three gilded characters for the merit list.

On the left side were the task objectives.

Other demons, viewed by rank—ranging from one hundred to fifteen thousand merit points.

Despair-level leader—ten thousand merit points.

Disaster-level leader—one thousand merit points.

The ancestor of the Great Yan Dynasty, Yan Shengjing—one thousand five hundred merit points.

The ancestor of the Hongyu Sacred Land, Zhou Tianyi—one thousand seven hundred merit points.

Demon Crystal—five hundred merit points.

City-destroying level leader—one hundred merit points.

Dangerous level leader—five merit points.

On the right side was the treasure list.

The manuscript of the Heavenly Silk Sovereign—twenty thousand merit points.

The Sword Dao Insights of the Ximen Sword Saint—eight thousand merit points.

Second-grade divine weapon—seven thousand five hundred merit points.

......

Breaking the Sect Pill—eight hundred merit points.

Secret Classic of the Martial Domain—fifty merit points.

......

With a quick glance, Li Sheng's eyes widened, feeling a wave of dryness in his throat.

The Heavenly Silk Sovereign shattered the void a thousand years ago; his legend is still talked about today.

The Ximen Sword Saint ascended at the peak of the Snow Region eight hundred years ago, leaving behind three volumes of sword dao scriptures, and this Sword Dao Insights is one of them.

As for the second-grade divine weapon and the Master's training manuscript, they made him very envious.

"Unfortunately, they're too expensive!"

"To match a fourth-grade city-destroying demon worth only a hundred merits, how many would I need to kill to afford one..."

With his current strength, he might be able to handle weaker city-destroying demons.

But handling them doesn't mean he could hunt them down; demons are harder to deal with than warriors of the same rank.

After looking around, the only item suitable for him was the Secret Classic of the Martial Domain.

There happened to be a demon nearby, but he couldn't deal with it, so wanting to trade it for merit points was unrealistic.

"I'd need to kill ten city-destroying demons for that..."

Li Sheng pondered.

"It seems the Spirit Sovereign is truly angered this time, actually opening the Heavenly Pavilion of the Spirit Treasure Pavilion!"

"Tsk tsk... the manuscript of the Heavenly Silk Sovereign..."

"Isn't the Ximen senior's Sword Dao Insights supposed to be destroyed? I can't believe our alliance has a copy, how incredible..."

Gasps of surprise echoed around, and discussions began.

"Fellow cultivators interested can accept tasks in their respective rooms."

"We will now discuss the encirclement and killing of the Master. Those with ideas can stay; the rest may leave."

With a wave of his hand, the scroll gradually dissipated.

Li Sheng stood up and walked toward the hall exit. Before leaving, he glanced back and saw a dozen indistinct figures had not moved.

"It seems the real discussion is about to begin... what just happened was merely an appetizer."

Following the passage back to his room, the task list appeared on the wall.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Tasks could be accepted on the left and published on the right.

"Can I also publish tasks?" Li Sheng thought, deciding to post a resource transport task.

In the midst of the demon disaster, he wondered if anyone would take it.

"Let's give it a try; there might be someone..."

"In the sect, low-tier alchemy materials are still adequate, but we lack materials for fourth and fifth-grade pills, and we also need fourth-grade techniques."

Li Sheng began inscribing the task requirements on the wall.

For purchasing and transporting: locations in Anxi County and near Qing Shan City.

Items to buy: five portions of fourth-grade spirit-concealing pill materials, ten fifth-grade pills, and five fourth-grade techniques (any).

Reward: two upper-grade Blood Solidifying Pills.

Initially, he planned to set the reward as spirit stones, but after estimating, he realized it wouldn't be enough and had to change it to upper-grade pills.

Now deeply entangled in the demon disaster, with dangers everywhere, the situation might worsen again.

With his current strength, as long as it wasn't a Master attacking,

under the protection of the great formation, he wouldn't fear even a perfected fourth-grade warrior.

If he couldn't defeat them, he was confident he could defend.

Moreover, Master-level powerful beings also lacked upper-grade pills; the only real trouble would be the top-tier pills.

He wasn't worried about his junior sister, senior sisters, or Hongying; the other three disciples, even if they had ulterior motives, wouldn't have the opportunity.

Under the demon disaster, it was both a threat and a shield.

This was also the reason he dared to grant top-tier pills to his disciples.

After posting the task, Li Sheng accepted a task for the leader of a dangerous-level demon.

Just as he was about to leave, he noticed a line of text flashing on the wall.

Task: Accepted.

Requirement: Discuss in person.

Li Sheng confirmed the meeting and opened the door, waiting quietly.

Soon, a spiritual figure entered.

"May I ask how to address the employer?" a pleasant voice rang out.

Li Sheng felt a stir in his heart.

This voice sounded somewhat familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

"Just call me The Great Monster."

"The Great Monster? Master Li really has a sense of humor..."

"And you are?"

"Master Li must have forgotten; we have a half acquaintance from the Treasure Appraisal Hall."

"The Treasure Appraisal Hall... you are that young lady mentioned by Shopkeeper Hua?" Li Sheng recalled.

"Exactly. Seeing the delivery location in Qing Shan City and the reward being upper-grade pills, Qing Yi had some guesses; I didn't expect it to be you, Master Li, in person."

"Miss Qing Yi, it's a pleasure to meet you; I assume you've escaped the city."

"I was lucky to escape, but the losses were heavy, sigh..." Qing Yi sighed.

"Let's not talk about that. I have everything you need; the total value is forty-three thousand spirit stones. The materials for fourth-grade pills are four thousand spirit stones each, and the fifth-grade..."

Li Sheng listened quietly, and once she finished, he spoke, "Miss Qing Yi, may I ask how much an upper-grade Blood Solidifying Pill is worth?"

"In the city, upper-grade pills are released every year. Based on previous prices, they average about three thousand spirit stones each."

"Three thousand spirit stones..." Li Sheng pondered for a moment. "Miss Qing Yi, I might not have enough spirit stones; I can compensate with pills instead."

"That would be most welcome!"

After reaching an agreement, they chatted casually for a while, learning from her that she had encountered three despair-level demons, and there were probably no less than ten in the entire city.

She could escape not only due to the protection of powerful experts but also through a bit of luck.

Even in conversation, he could sense the fear in her words.

Li Sheng sighed inwardly.

The number of Master-level demons being so high was unsettling; he could only hope they wouldn't come here anytime soon.

"If nothing unexpected happens, they will reach Qing Shan City in four days at most; we can discuss it further then."

"Miss Qing Yi, please be careful on your journey!"

"Until we meet again!"

"Take care!"