Chapter 782: It’s Necessary to Plan Ahead

In the courtyard.

Yi Feng sat on a stone table. A small pot of wine, a plate of beef jerky, and a plate of peanuts—what a delightful scene. Below, aside from Su Bai, there were more than a dozen young servants standing respectfully to the side, their faces filled with excitement and gratitude. These young servants were all around the same age as Su Bai. They had been carefully selected by Yi Feng, chosen for their simple nature, good character, and, most importantly, their obedience, just like Su Bai.

After Su Bai gathered them, Yi Feng gave each of them a small boost in their cultivation.

"Starting today, aside from helping me clean, your task will be to go into the mountains and fetch some wild game for me!" Yi Feng instructed the young servants after taking a sip of wine. "Of course, it doesn’t need to be anything too rare, as I might need a lot of it. Just make sure it looks tasty. But if you do come across something rare, try to get it if you can!"

Yi Feng had been thinking that Shi Qingwu had been in seclusion for many days now and would likely emerge soon. Once she came out and paid him the remaining fee, he could leave and continue his search for his final disciple. The process of finding a disciple was tedious, and although he now had immortal crystals, wandering the martial world meant he could still end up in situations where he might be trapped for a while.

Therefore, planning ahead was necessary. Keeping a stock of food in his spatial ring to avoid starving in case of danger became a top priority. This was also why Yi Feng needed so many servants. He had already thought it through—he could prepare plenty of cured meats, sausages, and ham. If nothing else, he could turn them into braised dishes, pack them in bags, vacuum-seal them, and store them.

The dozen or so young servants responded respectfully. Under Su Bai’s lead, they quickly headed into the back mountains.

"Split up and act separately. Make sure to satisfy the master’s needs!" Su Bai, as the leader, commanded with authority.

The other servants acknowledged his orders and swiftly scattered in all directions.

"Boom!"

"Rumble!"

"Bang, bang, bang..."

"Howl, howl, howl..."

Soon, explosions and the cries of demonic beasts echoed from the back mountains of the Hundred Refinements Sect. The dozen young servants swept through the area like a swarm of locusts.

The commotion quickly reached the sect.

"What’s going on?"

"Has that mysterious expert appeared again?"

"Is he going to attack our sect?"

Countless patrol teams sprang into action, while many uninformed disciples were filled with fear and unease.

The Second Elder, Third Elder, and Wang Yue, among others, quickly gathered upon hearing the noise.

"What’s happening?" the Second Elder couldn’t help but ask.

"It seems Senior Su Bai is hunting demonic beasts in the back mountains again!" the Third Elder said, looking toward the commotion.

"Why would Senior Su Bai hunt demonic beasts for no reason?" The Second Elder frowned deeply. Recalling that several of the sect’s guardian beasts had gone missing recently, a sense of foreboding rose in his heart. What if Senior Su Bai wiped out all the sect’s demonic beasts? They were, after all, valuable assets to the Hundred Refinements Sect.

"Can we inform Senior Su Bai and kindly ask him not to target our sect’s demonic beasts?" the Second Elder asked.

"I think we should go and have a word with Senior Su Bai," the Third Elder agreed.

"I think so too. Senior Su Bai is actually quite approachable and doesn’t put on airs," Wang Yue, who had interacted with Su Bai before, added.

Hearing this, the seven or eight elders present quickly agreed to head into the mountains to discuss the matter with Su Bai. Additionally, they saw this as an opportunity to get closer to him.

The group swiftly entered the back mountains and ventured deep inside. After traveling at full speed for half a day, the elders finally felt the battle vibrations more clearly.

"He should be right ahead," the Second Elder said.

"Yes, let’s hurry, but everyone, stay alert," the Third Elder cautioned.

Everyone nodded solemnly. After all, the back mountains of the Hundred Refinements Sect connected to a massive mountain range, one of the most famous in the martial world. At this depth, encountering True Immortal-level demonic beasts was highly likely. In the forest environment, where demonic beasts had stronger defenses and attacks than humans, facing them at the same level was a disadvantage. Moreover, the mountain range was home to demonic beasts at the True Immortal level, some even reaching the tenth tier. Under normal circumstances, these elders would never venture this deep. This time, they were emboldened by their numbers and, more importantly, by the fact that Senior Su Bai was nearby.

Following the battle vibrations, they finally caught sight of the fight through a dense patch of forest. A massive demonic beast was fiercely attacking a small figure floating in the air. The beast was enormous, with a semi-dragon body and massive fleshy wings that spanned a hundred zhang when fully extended. It roared in fury, launching shockwaves, fireballs, and flames at the tiny human figure.

"A True Immortal seventh-tier Fire-Winged Dragon!" Wang Yue and the others broke out in a cold sweat. A beast of this level was something they couldn’t handle even if they joined forces.

Yet, the figure in the air dodged its attacks with ease, clearly holding the upper hand.

"Take a closer look—is that Senior Su Bai?" the Second Elder squinted at the sky, unable to see clearly.

"It seems so," the Third Elder said, narrowing his eyes. "From this distance, I can’t make out his face, but I can see he’s wearing the Hundred Refinements Sect’s servant attire."

"If he’s wearing servant clothes, then it must be Senior Su Bai. After all, there’s no one else with such strength who would be dressed as a servant."

"Senior Su Bai is truly terrifying!" the Second Elder stroked his beard, deeply impressed. Previously, they had only speculated about Su Bai’s strength, but seeing it firsthand was a different level of awe.

As they spoke, the figure in servant robes seemed to lose patience. After dodging the Fire-Winged Dragon’s attack, he flew above the beast and struck down with a single palm.

The strike caused the Fire-Winged Dragon to let out a deafening roar.

"Boom!"

The massive body crashed to the ground, shaking the earth.

"Senior Su Bai is incredibly powerful! He killed the Fire-Winged Dragon so easily!" the Second Elder’s eyes burned with admiration.

The others were equally stunned, looking at the scene like starstruck fans.

"Let’s hurry and greet Senior Su Bai. We should also ask him to spare our sect’s demonic beasts if he encounters them," the Second Elder said, thinking of the few True Immortal-level beasts that often roamed this area.

With that, the group excitedly flew toward the figure.

The figure noticed their approach and, after storing the Fire-Winged Dragon’s corpse, turned to face them.

"We pay our respects to Senior Su Bai!" the group called out from a distance, bowing respectfully as they approached.

But there was no response.

"Uh… Senior Su Bai, why aren’t you responding?" The group exchanged nervous glances, hesitating for a while before cautiously looking up.

When they did, all seven or eight of them froze in place, as if turned to ice.

Why… wasn’t it Senior Su Bai?