Good. Let's go with this.

Lu Changsheng went straight to the elder of the Mission Hall and stated his request.

"You want to take the Five Element Beast mission?"

"Yes."

The elder naturally recognized Lu Changsheng.

"But do you know anything about the Boundary Mountain? You've only just advanced to the Divine Treasury Realm, so it might be too dangerous for you to go there," the elder cautioned in a warm tone.

"Don't worry, I'm fairly confident."

Since Lu Changsheng insisted, the elder merely nodded and handed him a map of the Boundary Mountain, with the areas where Five Element Beasts had been spotted marked on it. Only those who took the mission were given this map.

"Remember, if you run into danger, get out immediately. No amount of contribution points or powerful treasures is worth your life."

"Thank you, Elder. I'll remember that."

Lu Changsheng put away the map and walked straight out.

Elemental Beasts are huge. There's no way I can capture one and carry it all the way back to the sect. I'll need some kind of spatial treasure.

He thought it over, then headed to the Exchange Hall. As long as one had enough contribution points, a wide range of treasures could be obtained there.

"I need a spatial treasure, preferably one capable of holding living creatures."

He kept his request simple and direct.

The elder took a bag. "This is a spatial bag made for martial artists. You can open it with heart force, and it does not require divine consciousness. The top-grade ones have plenty of space where you can store just about anything."

"How many contribution points for those?"

"A low-grade one costs 3,000 contribution points. A top-grade one costs ten thousand," the elder said.

Lu Changsheng thought it over. He only had 10,000 contribution points left, and he could exchange them for two Dao Comprehension Pills. Still, getting the proper tools for this mission was the priority. A top-grade spatial bag could easily hold five Elemental Beasts, while a low-grade one would struggle. After weighing his options, he decided to go for the top-grade bag.

Feels cool to the touch...

He was unsure what material the space bag was made from. Hence, he wrapped it in his heart force and examined it. The interior was dark and large, big enough to hold living creatures. It was undeniably convenient. Such items were specially supplied to martial artists and crafted by Immortal Masters.

It had to be said that when it came to artifact creation and alchemy, Immortal Masters truly had a natural advantage. With this spatial bag, carrying out missions in the field would be far more convenient.

No time to waste. I'll go to the Boundary Mountain right away.

Lu Changsheng set off without telling anyone. He slipped away from the sect and left the first layer behind in silence.

As he stepped into the second layer, he did not notice any obvious changes. At first glance, it felt the same as the first layer, but then he quickly realized that the difference was not in the environment.

Layers were defined by the territories where demons operated. The land itself remained the same. What changed was the presence of demons, spirit beasts, and martial artists.

Now that he had entered the second layer, Lu Changsheng was being more cautious, as he knew almost nothing about this place. The first thing to do was to activate his Sense Domain. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Buzz!

As the Sense Domain materialized, a layer of white light enveloped him. However, he quickly shrank the range of the Sense Domain, keeping it close to his body. With its range reduced, the Domain no longer looked conspicuous.

While he was within the Sense Domain, demons, spirit beasts, and martial artists outside could not sense him. As for whether Immortal Masters could sense him by using their divine consciousness, he was not sure. Perhaps they could, since divine consciousness was special. They might detect the Domain itself, but even then, they would not be able to see what lay within.

When it came to ordinary spirit beasts and demons, they could see the Domain with their eyes. Once materialized, the Sense Domain was no longer intangible; that faint layer of white light was its visible form.

However, Lu Changsheng had compressed the Domain until it clung close to his body. The white light grew faint and no longer stood out. Unless someone came close and looked carefully, it would be hard to notice.

This should be enough. With the Sense Domain concealing my aura, I should not be discovered unless I have terrible luck.

With that, he set off toward Boundary Mountain with care. The distance was considerable, and it became clear that the journey would last around three days. The second layer was clearly much larger than the first.

I guess it makes sense, since demons are also roaming around here.

During those three days, Lu Changsheng encountered demons more than once, but each time he kept his distance. With the Sense Domain in place, none of them noticed him. He also came across spirit beasts and other martial artists. As long as he did not approach, they remained unaware of his presence.

With this, I can be at ease.

Even though his Sense Domain was merely an auxiliary tool, not suitable for combat, it was nevertheless highly practical.

Here it is.

As soon as he reached the Boundary Mountain, Lu Changsheng sensed all kinds of demonic energy, some more ominous than others. He kept his distance while looking at the map, trying to pinpoint the areas where the Elemental Beasts were known to appear. Their activity zones were unpredictable, and the areas marked on the map were just approximations. To actually find the beasts, Lu Changsheng had to rely on himself.

The day came to an end, and he found no traces of Elemental Beasts.

Where are they?

Just like that, another three days went by, and he found nothing. At this point, it had been six days since he started this mission, and he was still empty-handed.

If not for the demons, the search would have been simple. With his Sense Domain, he could grasp everything within the Boundary Mountain, but he didn't dare extend it that far. Just like how Immortal Masters did not recklessly sweep the entire mountain with divine consciousness, he also had to be cautious.

In both cases, the rationale was the same. Everyone feared the demons lurking within Boundary Mountain. If Lu Changsheng drew their attention, capturing the Five Element Beasts would become impossible. Worse still, he might not even survive this mission.

Ugh, the Boundary Mountain is huge... Forget about finding the beasts. At this point, it would take me months just to cover the entire area...

Eventually, Fortune finally threw him a bone. Three days later, he finally came across an Elemental Beast.

"Oh?"

There it was in the distance, a spirit beast with flames blazing across its entire body. Even from afar, it was a striking sight.

Is that a Fire Element Beast? Not bad... I actually ran into one. Among the five elements, there are matches and counters. My Waterfall Domain and Wave Domain both belong to the water element, so they're a perfect match against it.

He quietly approached the Fire Element Beast.

Looks like it's asleep.

It was incredible that even while the beast was asleep, the flames kept burning all over its body. With the Sense Domain concealing Lu Changsheng's aura, the beast did not sense him and so did not wake.

Slow and steady...

Gradually, he came within ten zhang of the beast. At this distance, he could feel a wave of heat pressing against him. It felt as though the air itself were aflame.

Vooosh!

In the next instant, the Fire Element Beast snapped its eyes open.

Damn!

It seemed like the beast was extremely cautious. Before sleeping, the beast had spread flames across a ten-zhang radius. While the heat was subtle for others, the beast had to have sensed the change in temperature as Lu Changsheng stepped through the heat wave.

Can't believe I failed to notice that...

Surprisingly, the Fire Element Beast was not enraged by the intrusion. Instead, it fled with its fire escape technique at once, as though it was in its instinct.

Rumble!

The surroundings shifted. The sound of waves echoed through the area, as though a sea was rising. At the same time, the Fire Element Beast saw towering waves a hundred zhang high surging toward it.

"Water beats fire!"

The Fire Element Beast recoiled and tried to slip away through the flames again.

Bang!

However, the beast was seemingly blocked by an invisible force. The Wave Domain had already sealed the area, rendering its fire escape technique futile. Once trapped inside a Material Domain, the beast had nowhere to run.

What now?

Lu Changsheng held back instead of attacking immediately. He was curious to see what other abilities the beast had.

"GHRAAAAAAA!" The Fire Element Beast roared in fury and spat out a massive burst of flames. The fire surged outward and scorched the air itself, warping the space around it.

Lu Changsheng felt the strain at once. His Wave Domain was being consumed at a rapid rate, as if the flames were about to burn a hole through it. If that happened, the beast would seize the opening and escape.

"Waves!"

Lu Changsheng immediately reinforced his Wave Domain. A towering wave rolled forward and swallowed the Fire Element Beast in an instant.

"Huh... Is that all?"

Lu Changsheng was rather disappointed. He could feel the beast struggling violently, but it made no difference. Within his Wave Domain, it was completely at his mercy. The Fire Element Beast was simply too weak, with one Domain being enough to suppress it.

Or maybe the power of the Divine Treasury is really that great. Once a martial artist reaches this realm, they undergo a complete transformation. The Martial Dao begins to reveal its strength...

With that thought, a sharp glint flashed through his eyes.

The Martial Dao had always been a path of battle and bloodshed. The martial artist was held back below the Divine Treasury Realm, but once they made that leap, their true potential could finally burst forth. Their combat strength rose sharply, and they were no weaker than that of demons or Immortal Masters. By comparison, spirit beasts were clearly inferior to demons, Immortal Masters, and Divine Treasury experts.

Before long, the Fire Element Beast could no longer hold on. The pressure of the Wave Domain overwhelmed it and knocked it unconscious.

With that, Lu Changsheng took out his spatial bag and stored it.

Alright, there's 10,000 contribution points!

He was satisfied with this capture. 10,000 contribution points in six days was a solid return, and this was only the beginning. His goal was to capture a beast of each element.

If I found a Fire Element Beast here, maybe there are others nearby.

He knew these beasts tended to live in groups. Even if each had their own territory, surely they would not stray far from one another. With that in mind, he withdrew his Wave Domain and searched the surrounding area.

And sure enough, just one day later, he came across another beast.

Is this one a Metal Element Beast?

His eyes lit up. Metal Element Beasts were said to be the strongest among them.

Just like before, he approached quietly, but this time, the beast seemed to spot the white glow of his Sense Domain even from a hundred zhang away.

Buzz!

The Metal Element Beast was already scrambling to escape.

From this distance, Lu Changsheng had no time to deploy his Domain and capture the beast, so he resorted to his Heart Sword instead.

"Sever!"

Whizz!

Within his Mind Space, the nurtured Heart Sword trembled slightly, and a strand split from it, vanishing instantly. A moment later, a jade-colored flash streaked through the air and sank into the Metal Element Beast.