Even hybrid monsters have their day

"Captain Jin, what brings you here?" If it weren't for him, she probably would have already confronted that Ninth Sister. And that mysterious black aura made her very wary.

Jin Mo looked around and, seeing that the people weren't chasing after her, relaxed and said, "This mission is of a higher level, and Chu Jiangjun was worried you wouldn't be able to handle it, so he sent me to help you. Haozi and the others will also come over in a couple of days after they finish their current missions."

"Huh? The mission level has increased?" She knew that missions in the Underworld were divided into levels, and the one she accepted last time was the lowest level. Level 1 missions were the simplest, mostly involving gathering information and dealing with one or two weaklings at most, with little danger. The mission she accepted this time was also level 1, just to investigate the strength of the Cloud Heaven Pavilion and Zhang Tianshi. "Do missions that have already been accepted also increase in level?"

"Yes, this morning Chu Jiangjun saw in the mission announcement that the difficulty level of this mission had actually increased from Level 1 to Level 2. I just finished the mission yesterday and returned to the Underworld, so he sent me to pick you up." As he spoke, he patted Geng Miaowan's shoulder with great seriousness and said with a happy face, "You girl, your luck is extraordinary. You know, completing a mission with an automatically increasing difficulty level like this earns double points. Our group has never encountered such a good thing before. Haozi and the others will be overjoyed when they find out."

Jin Mo, caught up in her joy, overlooked one thing: tasks that are upgraded to level 1 are often more difficult than those that are set to level 2 from the start.

"Double points?" Geng Miaowan was inexplicably happy when she heard this.

As a guardian, the higher the accumulated points, the better the treatment she receives in the Underworld. Points are directly tied to salary and performance. Moreover, the use of many things in the Underworld is related to one's points, often requiring hundreds of thousands or even millions, which makes her very envious.

Therefore, for a newcomer who has not yet enjoyed the benefits of points, the opportunity to get double points is quite nice.

So the two sat down on the ground, and Geng Miaowan shared the information she had obtained with him, determined to complete this mission.

Jin Mo couldn't identify the black mist she saw in the hall. However, according to Xiao Bai, the smell of the black mist was somewhat similar to that of the things that appeared in the grass on the mountain the previous night.

It seemed there was a big problem in that mountain, so they decided to investigate it after watching the Rain Festival in Yonghe Town.

When the two returned to Yonghe Town, it was already late afternoon. Geng Miaowan keenly sensed that the atmosphere in the town seemed to have changed. People were looking around and walking in a hurry.

She inquired and learned that the selection of the female fairy in the morning had been disrupted. Although a rain sacrifice female fairy was eventually selected, Ninth Sister said that Zhang Tianshi was very unhappy and hoped that the rain sacrifice ceremony tomorrow would be more secure to prevent villains from causing trouble.

Because of what happened that morning, Ai Shaochen routinely questioned Geng Miaowan when he saw a handsome young man beside her. Geng Miaowan introduced him, saying that Jin Mo was her senior brother who had come to find her while passing by, and that they would return to their sect together after watching the Rain Ceremony.

Ai Shaochen didn't suspect anything; he simply told them to be careful and left. After what happened at the Celestial Master's Hall that morning, Ninth Miss strongly urged him to strengthen the guard on the altar, so he didn't have any extra time to linger and could only let the two of them do as they pleased.

They scouted the altar but found nothing unusual. The chosen rain-offering fairy was heavily guarded in a side hall of the Celestial Master Temple. Not only were the yamen's guards strengthened, but the Cloud Heaven Pavilion had also sent people to guard the outside, surrounding it in layers, so that not even a fly could get in.

Geng Miaowan didn't dare to get too close, only watching the situation at the Tianshi Temple from afar. She whispered to Jin Mo, "Captain Jin, is there any way to get us closer to that side hall? I heard that Zhang Tianshi will come tonight to confer magic and open the seal on the female priestess Yu Xian. Maybe we can find out some clues."

Jin Mo was also quite anxious, but he really didn't have a good way to get closer to the side hall.

“Our concealment can evade the notice of ordinary people, but you saw what happened this morning. I’m afraid the other party is not an ordinary person, and their cultivation level is likely higher than ours. In addition, they are now on guard, so it will be quite difficult to get close to them without being detected.”

At this moment, several girls from Yuntian Pavilion came out of the side hall and walked towards the small door next to it. Something suddenly flashed through Geng Miaowan's mind. She turned around and whispered a few words in Jin Mo's ear before leaving despite his attempts to stop her.

Jin Mo chased after her, but she said, "You don't need to say anything more. If you don't help me, I'll find a way myself."

Seeing that she had made up her mind, Jin Mo sighed softly. They were in the same group, so how could he let her act alone? He put something in her hand and instructed her, "Then you must promise me that you will not act rashly. If things go wrong, you will come back immediately."

Geng Miaowan put the things into her bosom and replied, "I understand."

Having received her assurance, the two exchanged a glance and disappeared at the end of the road.

Outside the side hall, the Ninth Miss walked out with a serious expression. Behind her was a person from Yuntian Pavilion, who seemed to be a little older than the other girls.

"Aunt Ying, is everything ready?"

"Reporting to Ninth Miss, everything is ready."

"Keep a close eye on them. Tonight's events cannot be allowed to go wrong, otherwise, the Pavilion Master's wrath is something neither you nor I can bear."

"Yes……"

After finishing her sentence, Ninth Sister left on her own. Aunt Ying respectfully lowered her head until Ninth Sister's figure disappeared behind the main hall door before raising her head and re-entering the side hall.

At this moment, the girls who had gone out earlier returned. They entered the side hall with their heads bowed and stood in their original positions, facing the wall.

In the middle of the side hall, the girl who had been chosen as the rain-worshipping fairy sat awkwardly on the stool prepared for her.

Her name was Jin Lingshan. Although she was the daughter of a butcher in town, she was exceptionally beautiful. At this moment, she was anxiously looking around, her large, watery eyes revealing a hint of sorrow. She had no desire to become this Rain Sacrifice Fairy, but who knew she would be chosen?

Her hands, twisting her dress, betrayed her inner tension. Aunt Ying had given her a strange drink, and now she felt as if her blood was boiling, burning uncomfortably.

Around her were twelve oddly shaped candlesticks, each holding a red candle. The flickering candlelight emitted a faint red glow, appearing from a distance less like candlelight and more like a blood mist permeating the air.

Even though she was used to the bloody scenes of her father slaughtering pigs at home, she was still somewhat shocked when she saw these candles.

Night fell quickly, and as the last rays of sunlight disappeared from the sky, the door to the side hall opened.