"Boss, that old guy probably sold us out to the Skeleton Clan as soon as we left," said the Sacred Beast Qilin.
Lin Jiufeng shook his head helplessly. He wasn't surprised. Instead, he gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "Once I become strong enough, I'll uproot the entire Skeleton Clan."
The real culprit was the Skeleton Clan.
Still simmering with anger, Lin Jiufeng continued browsing the bounty board.
The tasks were bizarre and constantly updating.
[The Holy Angel Clan seeks ten physically fit individuals for drug testing. Reward: 500 catties of Divine Source. Duration: Three days.]
Lin Jiufeng scoffed. "Drug testing is risky; you could end up permanently damaged. And they're only offering 500 catties of Divine Source? The Holy Angel Clan sure is stingy."
The Sacred Beast Qilin added, "But boss, this task is already taken."
Lin Jiufeng looked again and saw that ten people had already signed up. A few seconds later, the task vanished from the board.
"They're not afraid of dying?" Qilin asked curiously.
"Actually, people fear poverty more than death," Lin Jiufeng said with a sigh. "It's not a guaranteed death sentence, and earning 500 catties of Divine Source in just three days is tempting."
Lin Jiufeng continued browsing the available tasks and suddenly noticed two particularly interesting ones.
[Mystery Bounty: Kill a member of the Shura Clan. Reward: 300 catties of Divine Source per kill.]
[Mystery Bounty: Kill a member of the Ancient Barbarian Bull Clan. Reward: 300 catties of Divine Source per kill.]
"Are these two clans at war?" Qilin asked in surprise.
"Must be," Lin Jiufeng replied. "I heard about this. The Barbarian Bull Clan discovered a Divine Source mine and were about to excavate it when the Shura Clan intervened, ruining their plans. In the end, neither side got it—the Holy Angel Clan seized the opportunity and took it instead. Of course, the Barbarian Bull Clan is furious."
"So now they're putting up bounties on each other's heads? Pretty petty, though. Only 300 catties per kill. Meanwhile, my head is worth a million," Qilin teased.
Lin Jiufeng rolled his eyes and ignored the remark, continuing to search for a suitable task.
Suddenly, a name he recognized appeared in a newly posted bounty. Lin Jiufeng's eyes widened in shock.
[Head to Yunmeng Great Lake and participate in the search for the human swordsman, Sword God Emperor Liu. Spotting him alone earns 800 catties of Divine Source. Capturing him grants a minimum of 2,000 catties.]
"Sword God Emperor Liu!" Lin Jiufeng's eyes gleamed with excitement. One of the ten great human kings from 5,000 years ago had reappeared.
But it seemed like he was in trouble.
Lin Jiufeng quickly opened the bounty details and saw a picture of Sword God Emperor Liu. He still looked as dashing and formidable as ever.
The comment section was buzzing with discussions.
"A human expert? Never heard of him. What's his background?"
"He ascended 5,000 years ago, around the same time as the deceased Gu Baili and the still-living Painted-Skin Scholar. But he's always kept a low profile, so few people know about him."
"Who did he piss off? Why is there a bounty on him?"
"Who else? The Yaksha Clan. He killed their current Yaksha King and stole their clan's sacred treasure."
"Wait, he killed the Yaksha King and robbed their treasure? That's insane!"
"Yeah, now he's trapped in Yunmeng Great Lake, and the Yaksha Clan is determined to finish him off."
"That place is enormous and full of hidden dangers. No wonder the Yaksha Clan issued a bounty—they can't find him on their own."
"Are you guys taking the job?"
"Hell no. Yunmeng Great Lake is too dangerous. That little reward isn't worth my life."
"I'll take it. Just gonna slack off, pretend to look around, and pocket some easy Divine Source. Maybe I'll even get to watch an epic fight."
Reading these discussions, Lin Jiufeng quickly pieced together the story.
Sword God Emperor Liu had stayed hidden ever since ascending to the Dimensional Battlefield, focusing entirely on cultivation. Because of this, many people didn't even know he existed.
This time, however, he had infiltrated the Yaksha Clan, stolen their sacred treasure, and even killed their Yaksha King, enraging the entire clan. Now, he was trapped in Yunmeng Great Lake.
The Yaksha Clan had set up heavy defenses, but manpower alone wasn't enough, so they issued a bounty, hoping to use outsiders to help locate him.
"Should we go?" Qilin asked curiously.
"We're going," Lin Jiufeng answered immediately. He accepted the bounty, receiving a map of Yunmeng Great Lake, which was stored in his bounty hunter badge.
Then, Lin Jiufeng and Qilin left Holy Angel City, following the map's guidance toward their destination.
"You know this Sword God Emperor Liu?" Qilin asked as they traveled.
"I know him, but he doesn't know me," Lin Jiufeng replied. He had studied Emperor Liu's techniques, including the infamous "Heavenly Sword Strike," and had even glimpsed fragments of his past. That counted as "knowing" him, in a way.
"He's one of your human powerhouses. The human race is in dire straits right now. If we can, we should help him," Qilin said.
"I'm just a small Twelve-Seal cultivator. I won't make much difference," Lin Jiufeng said seriously. "But I have to at least take a look."
The two hurried on without rest.
The journey from Holy Angel City to Yunmeng Great Lake spanned a million miles. But Lin Jiufeng and Qilin were incredibly fast, and after three days of relentless travel, they arrived.
The sight before them was breathtaking.
A vast expanse stretched beyond the horizon, veiled in misty clouds. It was impossible to tell if it was an ocean or an immense inland lake.
Within this massive body of water, countless towering mountain peaks emerged like submerged dragons breaking the surface.
One mountain chain linked to another, weaving together in an intricate pattern that extended beyond sight.
Sunlight filtered through the mist, creating an ethereal, dreamlike atmosphere. This was why it was called "Yunmeng"—Cloud Dream Great Lake.
"This place is incredible," Qilin murmured in awe.
Lin Jiufeng nodded. Standing in the air, taking in the vast landscape, he finally understood why the Yaksha Clan had resorted to issuing bounties. The lake was simply too vast—searching through it manually was nearly impossible.
"Let's go in," Lin Jiufeng said, leading Qilin as they flew toward the lake.
"Stop right there!"
A sharp voice suddenly rang out.
Lin Jiufeng and Qilin halted midair as a fierce-looking creature appeared before them.
The being was entirely black, with a hunchbacked, hairless head, and wielded an iron trident. Its face was twisted and menacing.
A Yaksha.