"That won’t be necessary."
The disciple with the Jade Token leisurely turned and headed out of the Earth City.
Daring to trap an Immortal Descendant of the Yu Family in the city—even a malformed child with an Innate deficiency—required a sufficient price to be paid to uphold the Mountain God’s dignity.
Now that those above had yet to settle the score, what talk could there be of a grand reward?
"Hah!"
The group hesitated for a few breaths, then spat resentfully.
In terms of Cultivation, they might not have been weaker than him, but that small Waist Token was something none of them had the guts to disrespect.
They turned to the inn next to them and said irritably, "Shopkeeper, we’re staying the night. Take good care of our Spirit Horses. If anything goes wrong, we’ll hold you personally responsible!"
A few of the attendants who had stayed behind to watch the shop hurried over to take the horses, while a few others led this group of obviously troublesome Cultivators upstairs to the second floor.
"Let’s stay here for now. We can send people out to investigate gradually."
"We’ll find that thing eventually."
"If I get my hands on that thief, I’ll tear them to pieces!"
The dozen or so people chatted as they passed in front of the young man, casually remarking, "Shopkeeper, you keep an eye out too. If any suspicious faces pass through, report any clues to us immediately. It’ll be worth your while."
"Alright."
Shopkeeper Lin pursed his lips slightly, a faint smile on his face as he watched the group of Foundation Establishment Cultivators head up to the second floor.
It was as if he were seeing walking, jangling Copper Coins.
’I’ll wait a bit longer,’ he thought. ’This group just arrived in Shihu City. Making a move now would be too conspicuous.’
’They’re already in my pocket, so I’m not afraid of them running off.’
’Running an inn is great. It really is.’
For the Cultivators at Yongzhou Pass, most days were dull and uneventful.
「In the dead of night.」
Atop the hundred-foot-tall Signal Tower.
The group had been on watch for another five days and were growing weary, so they sat in a circle and chatted to pass the time.
"Junior Sister Yan, Master specifically summoned you back for a trip, which clearly means she thinks highly of you. But when she sent you back, her attitude seemed a little cold."
"That thing you were planning to give me—take it out. Your senior brother will take a look for you." The red-faced senior brother reached out his hand.
Under the gazes of the others, Yan Jin lowered her head slightly.
Perhaps out of consideration for Yu Sheng, the Little Mountain God, her Master hadn’t dared to directly confiscate the Child Stone from her.
But she couldn’t give it away at all.
Enemy Cultivators were certainly dangerous, but their Master’s cold shoulder was just as fatal.
Whoever dared to accept it would be defying their Master’s will, and they would never be able to recover in this lifetime.
Of course, when it came down to it, staying alive was certainly more important.
But none of them were familiar with Lin Shu. Who could guarantee he could actually save them? Was it just because of those four streams of Life Blood?
"It’s here."
Yan Jin still wanted to do more for Daoist Brother Lin.
She tried to take out the Child Stone again.
Unexpectedly, the red-faced senior brother snatched it from her hand. His previously gentle voice suddenly grew much deeper. "You’re still young. There are many things you don’t understand."
"But you must remember, our lives are intertwined. We’re all in the same boat."
"Your martial brothers would never harm you."
"You might think that being given the cold shoulder by Master just means you won’t be favored, but you don’t know..."
The red-faced senior brother seemed to recall something, a mix of sorrow and fear appearing in his eyes.
He had already been at Yongzhou Pass for four years.
The thing that gave this Cultivator the most sleepless nights wasn’t the enemy Cultivators.
It was witnessing a junior brother, one with whom he had once shared life and death, degenerate into a Demon in a single night!
He didn’t know the exact details of what happened.
He only knew that the junior brother had also offended their Master, and he suspected there might be some connection between the two events.
"Don’t ruin your own future!"
The red-faced senior brother took a deep breath and, right in front of Yan Jin, crushed the Child Stone.
"Senior Brother!"
Yan Jin cried out in alarm, her eyes flashing with anger.
Sword Silk instantly emerged from her fingertips as she said coldly, "If you aren’t going to use it, then don’t. I never forced you. But why did you have to toy with Daoist Brother Lin?"
"Toy with him? ...It’s just making him come here for nothing, but it shows where you stand and can ease the tension between you and Master."
The red-faced senior brother frowned, using his Spiritual Power to suppress the Sword Silk on her palm, and explained earnestly, "Be reasonable. We can apologize to your Daoist Brother Lin in private later."
The other Cultivators also chimed in, trying to console her.
Just then, a playful voice rang out by their ears.
"Hahaha, fighting amongst yourselves on a Signal Tower... you Chen Family disciples are really one of a kind."
"Little sister, go on and stab him with that Sword Silk. Don’t be afraid of him."
Amidst the jeers and laughter, the ambient motes of light suddenly began to flicker.
One figure after another began to coalesce.
They wore matching dark purple uniforms.
The one in the lead was a round-faced woman with a sweet smile. She slowly closed the pale cyan paper umbrella in her hand.
Evidently, it was precisely with this object that all eight of them had managed to approach the Signal Tower without a sound.
"Yuan Yin, you’re arrogant!"
The red-faced senior brother was the most senior person here, and his Mid-stage Jade Liquid Cultivation was quite stable, no weaker than any of his opponents.
He had clearly crossed paths with this round-faced woman more than once.
"On guard!"
Following his sharp cry, the five Foundation Establishment Cultivators on the Signal Tower all rose to their feet.
The Qi Cultivation Disciples below quickly retreated into the tower and poured their Spiritual Power into it. A bright fluorescent light flared up, suppressing the Spiritual Power of the enemy Cultivators.
Logically speaking, although the enemy side was composed entirely of Foundation Establishment cultivators, they had a fair number of people on their side as well.
Unfortunately, Yan Jin had only just broken through and had not yet mastered any Foundation Establishment Immortal Techniques, so at best she could only be counted as half a person in a fight.
Furthermore,
The red-faced senior brother’s gaze fell gravely upon the umbrella in Yuan Yin’s hand.
To hold a Magical Artifact is to dominate those of the same realm.
This was no empty saying.
’To risk eight Foundation Establishment cultivators—such a large force—just for a few Blood Spirit Stones or Crimson Heart Flowers... If any of them were lost here, the loss would far outweigh the gain.’

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