Celestial Taoist

Chapter 37 Unlocks the Mission

Li Mofan didn't answer, but silently channeled his energy. The Dao Foundation before him transformed into a golden longsword, the very Dao technique "Sword of Passion." With a gentle wave of his hand, the longsword fiercely plowed into the floor of the corridor, carving a trench half a meter wide and over a meter deep. The ground of this secret realm was made of an unknown type of rock, exceptionally hard. Li Mofan estimated that if his sword had struck the stone mountain in the Myriad Swords Sect world, it could probably have shaved off half of the mountain.

Even so, it was enough. Flames trembled on Huo Di's body as he said in a deep voice, "Alright, I'll fight you to the death this time!" You should know that even his full-force attack couldn't shake this place in the slightest.

With such a powerful subordinate, Li Mofan finally smiled. That attack just now cost him a full two hundred points of spiritual energy. As for the Universal Qi, after his experiment in the martial arts arena last time, he found that as long as a trace of it was added to the Dao technique, it could be used normally. However, he felt that the spiritual energy was well spent. There is a huge gap between the strength of the Foundation Establishment Realm and those who have not yet entered the realm. Choosing Huo Di is more powerful than the previous ones combined.

Connecting to the mechanical dog, Li Mofan confirmed his choice in his personal terminal. Several barriers opened automatically. Besides Huo Di, he also selected two human subordinates and two alien subordinates, including the previously mentioned insane alien. There was no other way; many of the slaves here were no longer communicable, and compared to them, this alien was considered superior.

He wasn't worried at all about these slaves rebelling. The slaves were all implanted with control chips from the Tianfa system, which could detect anomalies. If they showed any disloyalty, they would be destroyed by the exploding chips. Li Mofan had already learned this in advance from the guidance information from the mechanical dog.

The group introduced their respective strengths to each other, but of course, it was the remaining four humans and aliens who had already exchanged their techniques in front of the stone chamber.

None of these four had reached the required level of cultivation; three were martial artists, and one was a bloodline cultivator. Li Mofan had noticed this during the selection process: among the forty-odd slaves, there wasn't a single mage or mechanic; there were three Taoists, but all of them were mentally broken and unsuitable for selection.

After a quick preparation, the group headed to the location where they would carry out their mission.

According to Huo Di, his last mission was to defeat a simulated, fully-fledged otherworldly force with a well-established power system. Although they only had one more awakened-level expert than his team, and a few more non-entertainers, the enemy's combined attack formation was simply beyond the capabilities of awakened-level individuals. Huo Di's team consisted of ordinary awakened-level talents, and their attacks couldn't even break through the enemy's defenses.

This was precisely the main reason why he changed his attitude and joined the team when he saw Li Mofan unleash an extremely powerful attack. He could see that although Li Mofan's attack was not yet at the level of a primordial bloodline, which is the corresponding Dao Fruit realm Daoist, it had already far exceeded the strength of the awakened level. This kind of power was far beyond what a few ordinary awakened people could achieve by joining forces. He was afraid that if he did not join in time, he would miss this opportunity, and it would not be easy to have such an opportunity again.

Soon, Li Mofan and his five subordinates, a group of six, arrived at the mission starting point. The place looked like an ordinary open area, with a protruding metal structure on the mission point, which, according to the mission guide, was the mechanism to start the mission.

Huo Di lowered his massive, flame-shaped head and whispered, "All the preparations made in advance are useless. They will all become ineffective once the mission is activated. Similarly, the powerful weapons and external forces that are not his own will also become ineffective." Clearly, he had already learned his lesson in the last mission.

"Are you all ready? Huo Di will follow me. The rest of you, just improvise without my orders." After giving these brief instructions, Li Mofan connected his personal terminal to the mechanism on the ground. With a "buzz," two lines of text popped up in his mind.

[Arrival at the mission location]

[Enable or disable]

Open!

As Li Mofan chose to activate it, the metal mechanism beneath his feet suddenly lit up with a dazzling red light, and the surrounding ground began to tremble violently. A faint black mist gushed out from the cracks in the ground, instantly spreading to everything in sight. The mist was mixed with a pungent and foul odor, and a chill spread from his feet to his entire body, causing the temperature to drop significantly.

"Watch out! This isn't the kind I encountered last time!" Huo Di's body suddenly flared up, making him stand out in the crowd.

Li Mofan's expression hardened, and a golden Dao foundation quietly appeared, with spiritual energy flowing throughout his body. Perhaps because the intensity wasn't excessive, his Adem Armor hadn't malfunctioned and was still able to provide its intended protection.

The next second, the black mist suddenly surged, and dozens of long, worm-like creatures covered in grayish-black slime emerged from it. They had no distinct facial features or limbs, only a gaping maw filled with fangs, yet they moved with extraordinary speed, silently lunging towards the six people. Even more eerie was the faint black mist surrounding them, corroding tiny holes in the rocks wherever they passed.

"Attack!" Li Mofan shouted, his figure charging forward first. His golden Dao Foundation sliced ​​through the black mist, striking directly at the monster at the forefront. The golden light descended, expecting to kill it instantly, but the golden pellet pierced right through the monster's body without causing any damage.

"Something's not right! Their bodies can penetrate physical attacks!" Li Mofan's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly retreated, using a basic Dao technique. The Dao Fund shone brightly, transforming into a light blade that slashed fiercely at the monster's head.

With a soft "sizzle," the golden light finally broke through the monster's defenses, slicing its head in two. Black slime gushed out, emitting a pungent, fishy odor. The monster let out a sharp screech and then fell silent.

On the other side, Huo Di was engulfed in raging flames, his fists slamming down with the power of scorching fire on the charging monster. The flames sizzled as they landed on the monster, burning away the black mist. The monster's body began to smoke and curl up, clearly demonstrating that the flames were effective against it.

The remaining four henchmen also made their moves, swinging their fists and feet, but their attacks either pierced through the monster's body or missed completely, having little effect. Instead, they were forced to retreat repeatedly by the monster, their bodies constantly corroded by the monster's slime, turning black and swollen.

Li Mofan's gaze swept quickly across the battlefield, instantly discerning the enemy's peculiarities: their bodies were impervious to physical attacks, their slime possessed strong corrosive properties, and only attacks containing energy could harm them.

"Huo Di, attack the left!" Li Mofan commanded in a deep voice, his Dao Foundation transforming into blades of light that swept out continuously. "The rest of you, do not attack, fight and retreat!"

As the blade flashed, several monsters were struck by the spiritual light. The black mist dissipated, emitting a mournful screech, and they turned into a puddle of black slime, completely lifeless. But more monsters burst forth from the black mist, in an endless stream.

Li Mofan knew very well that this was only the beginning of the trial. Behind these ordinary monsters, there must be even more powerful beings. At this time, every bit of spiritual power he could save was precious. Therefore, he focused on attacking Huo Di, while his light blade was mainly used for support.