Chapter 802 - Secret Mission

“Heavens!”

Looks of disbelief were on everyone’s faces. The mission to kill Crown Prince Evil Moon was too difficult—so much so that almost no one thought that Chen Fan could complete it.

Yet now, Crown Prince Evil Moon’s corpse lay before them, his frozen expression betraying the shock he had felt in his final moments, as though his soul had been shattered.

That Merit Hall disciple was also taken aback, but he quickly composed himself, his training sharper than the rest of the crowd’s reactions. Without delay, he took the corpse for verification.

Chen Fan listened to the crowd’s discussion but did not say anything.

For others, this feat seemed impossible—unbelievable. But for Chen Fan, it was inevitable.

Crown Prince Evil Moon was strong and had a group of experts from the Blood Soul Palace as his subordinates. It would have been a difficult mission even for first and second-level Manifestation realm experts; they could have even died.

After all, Crown Prince Evil Moon also had brains and brawn. He had numerous tricks up his sleeves, including his hidden ace—the Yin Lightning of Six Desires.

Unfortunately for him, he had encountered Chen Fan. It was like a mouse running into a cat—his every trick was rendered useless.

The crowd’s incredulous murmurs failed to stir even the faintest emotion in Chen Fan.

Before long, the Merit Hall disciple confirmed the identity of the corpse. True Martial Academy had infallible methods for verification, leaving no room for doubt.

The crowd’s discussion became even more heated.

Originally, quite a few still had doubts; after the verification, none of them had anything to say.

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

An old man in white robes walked out from the depths of the Merit Hall. He was an elder of the Merit Hall, and he stopped before Chen Fan.

The crowd looked confused. Although Chen Fan killing Crown Prince Evil Moon was indeed shocking to them, when all was said and done, this mission did not count for much. After all, if the academy had truly cared, they could have sent a Manifestation realm expert to eliminate him.

“We’ve verified it. It is indeed Crown Prince Evil Moon’s corpse,” the elder announced, offering no details about the verification process. The Merit Hall had its methods, and anyone attempting deception would face dire consequences.

“This is the remuneration for this mission,” he continued, sending a ray of clear light toward Chen Fan. He added, “Come in with me for a bit.”

“Yes.” Chen Fan followed this elder into the depths of the Merit Hall. The elder turned around to face Chen Fan and said, “I called you here because I have a task for you.”

“What is it?” Chen Fan looked at this Merit Hall elder and asked.

“A traitor has emerged from our Merit Hall—Mu Tianfang. He was once a genius we invested heavily in, but now he’s defected. You know the academy’s stance on traitors.”

Chen Fan nodded in understanding.

Betrayal was despised universally—be it by the True Martial Academy, other sects, or even cults. Traitors were hunted without mercy.

Take the Law Enforcement Hall, for instance—they specialized in missions to eliminate traitors

Chen Fan said, “If he’s a traitor, should the Law Enforcement Hall take care of this matter?”

The Merit Hall elder smiled bitterly and said, “You’re unaware, but this matter hasn’t been made public. Only a few of us old men in the Merit Hall know about it. Having a traitor isn’t exactly a badge of honor for us. After some discussion, we decided to entrust this mission—eliminating Mu Tianfang—to you. Due to the secrecy, we can’t give you a remuneration openly. However, regardless of success or failure, our Merit Hall will owe you a favor.”

Chen Fan narrowed his eyes.

A favor from the Merit Hall was no small matter. This wasn’t a debt from a single elder but from the entire organization.

The Merit Hall’s overall strength was almost on par with the nine main peaks and was on the same level as the Law Enforcement Hall. Securing their goodwill could prove invaluable.

However, Chen Fan did not agree to it immediately. He said, “Even if the Merit Hall doesn’t wish to publicize it, you have no shortage of experts. Finding someone to kill him shouldn’t be difficult. Why come to me?”

The Merit Hall could deal with the situation internally. Why did they have to ask an outsider like him?

“We don’t have a choice either. To tell you the truth, Mu Tianfang is in the half-step Manifestation realm. Not even ordinary first-level Manifestation realm experts can defeat him. Worse still, he’s stolen several valuable treasures from the hall. Advancing into the Manifestation realm would be easy for him.

“But his breakthrough isn’t the biggest issue. No matter which realm he reaches, as long as he’s on the eastern continent—on the Tianwu Continent—we can deal with him. The key thing is that he is currently not on the Tianwu Continent. He had fled to a special place that rejects Manifestation and Legendary realm cultivators.”

Chen Fan’s irises shrank violently.

Not on the Tianwu Continent!

He was no stranger to such matters now and quickly asked, “What place is that?”

“Myriad Demon Islands.”

“Myriad Demon Islands? Which continent is that?”

It was the first time Chen Fan had heard this name.

The Merit Hall elder explained, “The Myriad Demon Islands aren’t on another continent. They’re located in the Endless Sea. The continents aren’t connected by land but are instead separated by a vast, unending ocean—hence the name.”

Chen Fan nodded. Di Chen had mentioned the Endless Sea to him before, but he hadn’t mentioned the existence of islands within it.

The Merit Hall elder continued, “The Myriad Demon Islands were created in ancient times. A powerful demonic path faction from the Tianwu Continent used their power to move fragments of the earth into the Endless Sea, forging an isolated haven for their kind...

“Mu Tianfang possesses tremendous strength. And with the islands closed to outside-world experts, we’ve determined that you are the most suitable candidate for this mission. How about it? Will you accept it?”

Chen Fan thought for a while. This mission didn’t seem overly challenging for him, and he could also go take a look at the Myriad Demon Islands and see what kind of a world it was, widening his horizons.

“Accepting the mission is not a problem, but there’s no time limit on it, is there?” Chen Fan asked.

The Merit Hall elder shook his head and said, “There isn’t. We only know that Mu Tianfang escaped to the Myriad Demon Islands, so pinpointing his exact location will be up to you. Just return with his head, no matter how long it takes.”

“Alright then, I’ll accept this mission,” said Chen Fan, nodding.

After receiving this secret mission from the Merit Hall, Chen Fan returned to the Peerless Peak without batting an eyelid.

The Peerless Peak had few people to begin with, and they were not people who could stay still. Thus, the entire Peerless Peak was quiet.

Three days later, Chen Fan left the True Martial Academy.

“It’s time to deal with that traitor Mu Tianfang.”