Inside the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, Fang Qingyuan wore a smile, his tone somewhat fawning:
"Senior Brother, please enlighten me. I've only just been promoted to an Inner Sect Disciple, and I really don't want to mess up this year's assignment. Could you just tell me a little more? Where exactly are we going in half a month?"
The senior brother looked impatient, but unable to withstand Fang Qingyuan's persistent questioning, he finally relented:
"You don't need to worry about where we're going. In any case, we're just using your Camel Ray for transport. You won't be needed for any fighting. What's there to be afraid of?"
Hearing this, Fang Qingyuan felt a little more at ease. 'If I had to fight, to battle other Cultivators to the death, I'd rather go look after turtles in the Black River.'
However, despite the senior brother's assurances, Fang Qingyuan asked for further confirmation:
"Then, Senior Brother, are many people from our villa going this time?"
The senior brother chuckled at the question, then said irritably:
"You're so scared. If you're that afraid, just don't go. You can switch to another mission. We're not short one person anyway."
With that, the Steward senior brother turned to leave. Fang Qingyuan saw this and quickly grabbed his sleeve, saying hastily:
"I'll go! Why wouldn't I go? Count me in."
Seeing Fang Qingyuan act this way, the Steward senior brother shook his head as he wrote down Fang Qingyuan's name on the roster.
"Alright. In half a month, gather at the mountain gate. Don't wander off too far during this time."
Fang Qingyuan naturally understood this requirement. Just then, another fellow disciple arrived to receive an assignment, so Fang Qingyuan took his leave.
As he was leaving, however, he faintly overheard the Steward senior brother say:
"There's a transport mission in half a month. Are you interested, Junior Brother?"
Back in his small courtyard at the foot of the mountain, Fang Qingyuan began to review the situation. 'In half a month, I'll go on a mission with the sect. During that time, I just need to pilot my Camel Ray and won't have to fight.'
'And from what the Steward senior brother said, a lot of disciples are going. You could call it a large-scale operation organized by Tianshan Villa.'
'By the sound of it, safety should be guaranteed. In the Southern Border, very few sects would dare to disrespect the Beast Taming Sect.'
'Still, I can't go completely unprepared. If a fight does break out, with only the First-rank Lower Grade Magical Artifact I currently have, I probably couldn't even defeat an Early-stage Qi Refining Cultivator.'
'It looks like moving will have to be put on hold. The priority right now is to get a few suitable Magical Artifacts and some life-saving Talismans. Even if I don't end up needing them, I won't lose money if I resell them.'
With this in mind, Fang Qingyuan turned and headed for the Celestial Gate Mountain Marketplace.
.....
Time flowed like water, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. That morning, Fang Qingyuan finished his preparations, gave his small courtyard one last look, then took his Camel Ray, Yinbao, to the mountain gate to wait.
Fang Qingyuan had named it Yinbao because after the Camel Ray had advanced in rank, silver patterns had slowly appeared on its back.
Fang Qingyuan wasn't the first to arrive. By the time he got there, about ten of his fellow disciples were already waiting.
Most of these disciples' Camel Beasts were Camel Rays. They circled in mid-air, frolicking, chasing one another, and stirring the clouds.
Seeing this, Fang Qingyuan felt a tremor beneath his feet. It was his own Camel Ray, so excited at the sight of so many of its kind that it couldn't control itself.
Fang Qingyuan saw his fellow disciples talking in a circle. After a moment's thought, he stepped onto his Magic Sword, descended from his Camel Ray, and walked toward them.
Freed from Fang Qingyuan's restraint, Yinbao gave a shake of its bat-like wings and joyfully flew up to the flock of Camel Rays, joining their games.
Down below, Fang Qingyuan easily joined the circle of conversation. Tianshan Villa didn't have many disciples to begin with, and these were all Inner Sect Disciples. A few were even from Fang Qingyuan's batch, so they all knew each other well.
After joining the group, Fang Qingyuan didn't speak right away, instead listening quietly to gather information.
"With such a massive mobilization, gathering so many of us… can it be that the villa is planning to attack some clan's mountain gate?"
The speaker was a Late-stage Qi Refining disciple named Wang Lu. He was fair-faced and beardless, with a rather effeminate appearance. As he voiced his question, the others all shook their heads to show they had no idea.
At this, Fang Qingyuan thought for a moment before speaking up:
"I doubt it. If the villa wanted to move against another sect, they would've notified us in advance. At the very least, they'd prepare a War Beast Array. Why would they just send out a few Camel Rays? What could they possibly accomplish?"
As soon as he said this, Wang Lu nodded in agreement.
"Junior Brother Fang makes a good point. The sect wouldn't be so foolish. Why would they leave the mountain-assaulting War Beasts unused and send our Camel Rays to the front lines instead? This must be just a transportation mission."
With that said, the mood among the group lightened considerably.
A short while later, more and more Camel Rays gathered in the sky until they formed what looked like a sea of beasts. In addition to the Camel Rays, other Flying Spirit Beasts also joined the circling throng.
From a distance, the sky above Tianshan Villa's mountain gate looked as if it were being crushed by dark clouds. A black, churning tide of beasts had formed, and with the roars of beasts and the cries of birds, an oppressive feeling washed over everyone.
Perhaps seeing that nearly everyone had gathered, Lechuan, the new head of the villa, had at some point appeared at the highest point. He released his Golden Core Spiritual Pressure and bellowed:
"Depart!"
Instantly, a war drum placed on the back of a Camel Ray was struck with all the might of a Qi Cultivation Disciple. With the heaven-shaking sound of the drum, the tide of beasts began to move toward the distant Celestial Gate Mountain.
When they reached Celestial Gate Mountain, Fang Qingyuan saw from a distance that a military formation was also gathered there—hundreds, even thousands, of Qi Cultivation Cultivators led by Foundation Establishment Cultivators, all divided into units by clan.
A quick sweep of his eyes revealed several familiar banners. The Li Shang Gan, the Dangshan Zheng, and the Ming Mountain He were all gathered here.
These were all prominent clans from the vicinity of Celestial Gate Mountain. He hadn't expected the Wei Family to have gathered all of them here today.
After the Beast Taming Sect's Camel Beast detachment arrived, the clan units, guided by Wei Family Cultivators, boarded the backs of the Camel Rays one after another.
Because Fang Qingyuan's Camel Ray had only recently advanced, its carrying capacity was smaller than those that had advanced long ago. As a result, the group that boarded its back was a small clan, only fifteen people in total.
Their leader was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and judging by his attire, he was likely the clan's leader.
Their banner read 'She of Cage Mountain.' Seeing it, Fang Qingyuan searched his memory for a moment and recalled the She Family's approximate location.
'Cage Mountain is on the far eastern side of Celestial Gate Mountain, almost bordering the Endless Forest. To think that even they couldn't escape the Wei Family's summons.'
After boarding, the She Family Patriarch cupped his fist in a salute toward Fang Qingyuan and said:
"I am She Xi Yu. I am leading the disciples of the She Family in response to the summons from the Wei Family's Sect Leader. We will be in your care for this operation, fellow Daoist."
Fang Qingyuan quickly returned the salute. 'A Foundation Establishment Cultivator is only being this polite to me because I'm piloting this Camel Ray,' he thought. 'That's no reason for me to accept it so calmly.'
After exchanging salutes, before Fang Qingyuan had a chance to ask any more questions, an even grander, more magnificent roar of drums and music boomed from the centermost Camel Ray.