Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

The one who had summoned the disciples was Daoist Elder Nie. He stood in the center of the plaza, gaze lowered, fiddling with a pale yellow paper talisman in his hands.

"What’s happening? Why were our lessons interrupted?"

"This doesn’t seem like a trivial matter..."

The disciples gathered in the plaza, whispering amongst themselves.

"Everyone..."

Elder Nie suddenly lifted his gaze and looked out at the crowd.

The disciples immediately stopped talking. The plaza fell silent.

Elder Nie held up the paper talisman in his hand and announced in a deep voice, "I’ve just received a message by Flying Talisman. Demon insects have invaded Jue Ming Mountain."

’Jue Ming Mountain?’

Zhao Lin subconsciously glanced at Zhu Cong.

Jue Ming Mountain was a mortal residential area where the families of some cultivators from Han Chi County were settled.

Zhu Cong was the round-faced youth who had set out from Denghai County with Zhao Lin. Only twelve years old, his parents were also on Jue Ming Mountain.

Hearing this news, Zhu Cong’s face instantly flushed red. He blurted out, "Elder, what kind of demon insects have invaded Jue Ming Mountain?"

"Yes, what kind of demon insects?"

A few other disciples with family on Jue Ming Mountain also chimed in.

Elder Nie raised an eyebrow at Zhu Cong, not angry, and said calmly, "They are locusts."

"Locusts?"

Zhu Cong paused, a look of confusion on his face. He had no idea what kind of demon insects these locusts were.

Zhao Lin turned his head and said in a comforting tone, "Don’t worry too much. The locusts are Tier One, Low Grade demon insects. They have low intelligence, feed on all sorts of herbaceous plants, and generally don’t attack people unprovoked."

Although he hadn’t been in the sect for long, Zhao Lin had read countless related books because of the Spirit Beast Scroll.

Among everyone present, it was likely that no one, aside from Elder Nie, understood Demon Beasts and demon insects better than he did.

The grading system for Demon Beasts was, in fact, based on the Cultivation Realms of cultivators.

The method was simple and direct: a Tier One Demon Beast’s strength was equivalent to that of a Qi Refining Realm cultivator, a Tier Two Demon Beast to a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, and so on.

Each tier was further divided into Low Grade, Mid Grade, and High Grade, roughly corresponding to the early, mid, and late stages of each realm.

The locusts closely resembled ordinary locusts. They were adept jumpers and could also fly for long periods. Their attack power was unremarkable, placing them among the lowest level of demon insects.

A cultivator who had reached the Qi Refining Realm could generally handle them with ease. Even skilled Martial Artists among mortals could hold their own against one or two.

However, there was one thing Zhao Lin didn’t mention: the locusts were gregarious demon insects that moved in swarms of hundreds or even thousands.

Wherever they went, they would devour everything edible, leaving nothing behind. Their destructive power exceeded that of even mortal locusts, and this was not something one or two cultivators could possibly handle.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Zhao."

Zhu Cong’s expression eased upon hearing this, but his brow remained tightly furrowed.

Elder Nie, who had also heard Zhao Lin, nodded in agreement. "Correct! The locusts are Low Tier demon insects. There’s no need to deploy overwhelming force, but we do need enough manpower."

"I have summoned you all here for this very reason."

Once locusts enter an area, they scatter in all directions like dandelion seeds, making it difficult to annihilate them in one go with large-scale destructive Magic.

Furthermore, since this was happening in a mortal settlement, they had to be mindful of the commoners’ property and could not recklessly unleash their Magic.

Otherwise, even if the demon insects were cleared out, the people would be left homeless. The only way was to rely on a sufficient number of cultivators working together to exterminate them.

The disciples now understood. They were being sent to fight the insects. They exchanged glances, their expressions varied; some were eager for the challenge, while others remained silent.

Elder Nie paid no mind to their expressions and continued, "You have all been practicing your Magic. This is a perfect opportunity to get some practical experience with these demon insects."

"I am now recruiting forty disciples to accompany me."

"Let me add, although the locusts are of a low rank, they are still demon insects. This mission will have its dangers. Volunteers must be at least fifteen years old and have mastered one offensive Magic to the introductory level."

Having said his piece, he fell silent, allowing the disciples to deliberate and decide for themselves.

Tong Mu whispered to Zhao Lin, "Brother Zhao, are you going?"

Because he was not very talkative and was from a different ethnic group, he didn’t quite fit in with the other young disciples.

Zhao Lin, however, didn’t care about his background, so Tong Mu felt closer to him.

Zhao Lin didn’t hesitate and said just one word: "Go!"

’You can’t practice Magic by locking yourself away. This is a perfect opportunity for real combat experience; I can’t possibly pass it up.’

’At the same time, I want to see what a mortal settlement is actually like. It’ll help me decide whether to bring my family here in the future.’

Li Sancai suggested, "Then let’s go tell the Elder now. Otherwise, all the spots will be taken."

Zhao Lin agreed. Saying, "Alright," he strode out from the ranks and declared, "Disciple Zhao Lin is willing to go!"

Tong Mu and Li Sancai followed right behind him. "This disciple is also willing to go."

A faint smile touched Elder Nie’s lips. He nodded and said, "Excellent. Who else?"

Unexpectedly, Zhu Cong shot out from the crowd and yelled, "And me!"

Elder Nie’s face fell. He scolded, "I just said that only disciples aged fifteen and older are permitted to go. How old are you? And if I recall correctly, you haven’t even reached the introductory level in your Magic."

Zhu Cong’s lip quivered, and he said in a tearful voice, "My mom and dad are on Jue Ming Mountain! I have to go save them!"

Elder Nie was taken aback. His expression softened, and though his lips moved twice, he said nothing more. It seemed he had given his tacit approval.

"This disciple volunteers to go..."

With Zhao Lin and the others taking the lead, another twenty or thirty people stepped forward from the lines. Most of them were disciples who had family on Jue Ming Mountain.

By comparison, more of the newer disciples stepped forward; the older disciples’ response was not nearly as enthusiastic.

This was especially true for the local disciples, as most of their families were settled in other counties. Hardly any of them volunteered.

Elder Nie’s gaze swept across the faces of the disciples who had volunteered. "Good," he praised. "Newborn calves don’t fear tigers."

On the surface, he was praising the new disciples, but his words held a hint of mockery.

"This disciple will also go to Jue Ming Mountain..."

Losing face, a few of the older disciples stepped forward, followed by another seven or eight.

A few others remained hesitant, looking around as if unable to make a decision.

But Elder Nie had no intention of waiting. He clapped his hands together. "Thirty-eight. That’s enough!"

"All disciples going to Jue Ming Mountain on this mission will be rewarded with one merit point! If you perform well, there will be additional rewards!"

The moment he said this, an uproar erupted from the crowd.

The faces of many who hadn’t stepped forward were etched with regret. Some grumbled resentfully, "Why didn’t he say so earlier?"

The Daoist Elder paid them no further mind and called out, "Wei Yi, Han Kui, Zhang Gong..."

In one breath, he called the names of nine senior disciples responsible for instruction and operations. Then he pointed away from the mountain. "We depart now!"

...

Jue Ming Mountain was only a little over two hundred li from Han Chi County. A Foundation Establishment cultivator could fly there on their qi in thirty to forty-five minutes, but the disciples lacked this ability and had to travel by Flying Vessel.

Two attendant disciples piloted two separate Flying Vessels, carrying the party of nearly fifty people. They spiraled high into the air and flew straight to the northwest.

The Spiritual Qi around Han Chi County was abundant, and there was little turbulent Evil Qi in the Cloud Layer. As a result, the Flying Vessels flew quite smoothly, with almost no turbulence.

Peering through the vast clouds and mist, they looked down upon a landscape of winding mountain ranges and crisscrossing rivers.

’I feel like we’re an airborne unit from a movie in my past life, riding a Flying Vessel to carry out a mission.’

Onboard, besides the cultivators, were three Cyan Wood Sparrows and five Long-tailed Yi Pheasants.

These Spiritual Birds were the natural predators of the locusts. Elder Nie’s reason for bringing them was self-evident.

Still, seeing the stern, unsmiling Elder Nie surrounded by these Spiritual Birds, Zhao Lin found the scene rather amusing.

The Flying Vessels pierced the clouds and mist, arriving above Jue Ming Mountain in what felt like no time at all.

Zhao Lin used his Qi Observation Skill and saw a gentle, open expanse between the peaks, encircled by a protective Array.

Spirit Veins were like mineral deposits. Besides a main vein, there were often branch veins and scattered veins in the surrounding area.

Jue Ming Mountain sat on one such scattered vein extending from Han Chi County. Its Spiritual Qi wasn’t rich enough to be officially graded, but it was sufficient to support a small protective Array.

A protective Array could stop large, high-tier Demon Beasts, but it wasn’t so effective against Low Grade demon insects.

It was like a fishing net: capable of catching large fish, but small fish could slip right through the mesh.

In front of the Array stood two cultivators with Mortal Spirit Roots, dressed in blood-stained yellow robes. They were craning their necks, waving expectantly at the newcomers.

Before the Flying Vessels even landed, Elder Nie leaped down, strode forward, and asked, "What’s the situation inside?"

The two Mortal Spirit Root cultivators hastily bowed. The older of the two, a middle-aged man, replied, "Reporting to the Elder, a few locusts broke through the Array this morning. We received word and immediately went to kill them."

"But after we killed a few dozen, we saw more and more locusts gathering. Sensing things were taking a bad turn, we immediately organized the townsfolk to retreat behind the inner emergency Array and sent out a message talisman."

Elder Nie nodded slightly. "Any casualties?" he asked.

The middle-aged cultivator replied, "The evacuation was timely enough. No one was killed."

"However, in the beginning, some of the able-bodied men organized themselves to help us kill the locusts. Six or seven were injured, but thankfully, none of the injuries are life-threatening."

When Zhu Cong heard that people were injured, he asked frantically, "What about my parents?"

He had barely gotten a word out before a large hand clamped over his mouth.

He looked up. It was Zhao Lin who had stopped him.

Zhao Lin held a finger to his lips and shook his head. "The enemy is before us. We follow the Elder’s command in all things. This isn’t just about you. Others have parents here too, understand?"

Zhu Cong’s face flushed, and he nodded emphatically.

Although Elder Nie’s back was to the group, he was keenly aware of what transpired behind him. He cast a slightly surprised glance in Zhao Lin’s direction before asking, "Roughly how many locusts are there? Jue Ming Mountain has four guardian cultivators. Where are the other two?"

The middle-aged cultivator replied, "They’re inside, guarding the emergency Array. They can’t leave their post."

The other cultivator added, "There are probably several thousand locusts, but it’s just a massive, dark swarm, so it’s hard to be certain."

Elder Nie said with approval, "Handled properly and methodically. After this battle, the county will reward you with merit points."

The two cultivators’ faces showed no joy. They said in unison, "Our friends and family are inside as well. It is our undeniable duty to protect our home."

Elder Nie said, "You two must have exhausted your Mana. Rest here for a moment. The rest of you, follow me into the Array!"

With that, he waved a jade tablet in his hand, and the Array immediately opened a path several zhang wide.

The mist parted, and the town finally appeared before them.