Chapter 2711 - 2703: Compensation and Return

Chapter 2711: Chapter 2703: Compensation and Return

After Feng Jun issued the bounty, the cultivators at White Pebble Beach started to act in unison, aiming to catch the thief who stole the Spirit Stone.

Among them were some cultivators belonging to forces that had purchased Magical Treasures. However, the conversation between Feng Jun and the High-Rank Elder was also spread around, and everyone heard that Mountain Master Feng allowed such actions, so they naturally wanted to try their luck to see if they could be the fortunate ones.

Then the people of the Xiong Family suffered, getting pestered and questioned repeatedly.

True Immortal Youshan was already in a bad mood and kept being questioned, so he simply hid, letting the Xiong family disciples respond—after all, they only wanted to understand the situation, and it wasn’t necessary for the Elder to appear.

The course of events was actually quite laughable; the Xiong Family could have delivered the Spirit Stone long ago, had already chosen a section of the Lower Realm, and had arrived with the Spirit Stone, led by True Immortal Youshan.

However, on the eve of descending to the Lower Realm, they heard Feng Jun had run out of Spirit Stones, was stuck before the Rui Family, and had stopped refining Magical Treasures, which felt a bit strange for a moment, prompting them to observe what was happening.

Feng Jun took a very short time to collect Spirit Stones, but instead of continuing to refine Magical Treasures, he took a break, simultaneously researching formations with the Formation Path and Artifact Refining Path, giving people the impression he had no heart for artifact refining.

Xiong Youshan reckoned that these fifteen Spirit Stones didn’t need to be rushed down; who knows how long they might have to wait.

But taking the Spirit Stone back home just like that? It didn’t seem appropriate; the road home might not be safe!

They waited for a while, really considering going home when Feng Jun agreed to the Rui Family: starting artifact refining in four days.

The Xiong Family trusted Mountain Master Feng’s promise, thinking they could descend to the Lower Realm; unexpectedly, on the way to the location for descending, they ended up walking right into a formation.

The details after entering the formation, Xiong Family disciples were unwilling to talk about much, nor did anyone speak of how the Spirit Stone was lost; what they could affirm was that the formation was set on a main thoroughfare, absolutely and definitely not a mistaken entry.

Two days later, the formation dispersed, and Elder Youshan was already furious, saying the Spirit Stone was stolen by someone. Then they inquired around for three days with no news, and since White Pebble Beach really couldn’t afford any delay, they had no choice but to descend to the Lower Realm.

Regarding how the Spirit Stone was lost, Elder Youshan wouldn’t say, and nobody could figure it out. As for the possibility of an inside job? That was absolutely impossible. Elder Youshan was a bit stubborn in temperament but was fair and hated evil with a passion.

Anyway, True Immortal Youshan is now hiding, not even meeting anyone; talking about coercion is out of the question.

Yet, some people are truly not that easy to avoid. One day later, just as he was about to sneak away with his disciples to research the thief, someone came to visit—True Immortal Ji Wuching of the Ji Family.

Ji Wuching is the foremost among the younger disciples of the Ji Family, currently at Nascent Soul Eighth Layer, but even the average Nascent Soul Ninth Layer cultivators are no match. It’s said he is deeply liked by a Divine Spirit Elder in the Ji Family, also the most promising among younger disciples to emerge out of the shell.

It’s said the Ji Family’s two Magical Treasures are complete and passed inspection; they should have all withdrawn, but in fact, Xuanyuan Buhuan himself, the honorable True Lord, is still loitering at White Pebble Beach, making it impossible for the Ji Family to ignore the place.

So the Ji Family left a Nascent Soul Middle Phase cultivator here, and when the Xiong Family’s Spirit Stone was stolen and White Pebble Beach intervened, this Nascent Soul cultivator knew he was of little weight and immediately reported to the Ji Family.

The Ji Family hasn’t held the top spot for long, and they’re just starting to take actions corresponding to that status, not to mention this bounty was issued by the Master of White Pebble Beach, how could it be taken lightly?

Thus, the Ji Family’s True Sage quickly brought Ji Wuching over, commanding him to descend and oversee related affairs.

Ji Wuching has an air of arrogance in his bones, yet wasn’t dismissive of the Xiong Family. He declared, "Elder Youshan, I have long admired you. Since I’ve come, I naturally must meet. I also wish to help you recover the Spirit Stone."

Elder Youshan had no choice but to meet him, but still refused to disclose how the Spirit Stone was lost. Seeing the other party pressing harder, he couldn’t help but say, "Mountain Master Feng hasn’t pressed me for answers, so Young Master Wuching, don’t push too hard."

He originally meant to refer to "The High-Rank Elder," but considering the subtle relationship between the Ji Family and the Xuanyuan Family, he could only mention Feng Jun.

"Mountain Master Feng..." Ji Wuching’s lips curled into a faint smile; this name has bombarded his ears lately. But honestly speaking, he hadn’t regarded this Small Golden Core very highly.

However, family elders insisted he mustn’t be dismissive, so he naturally wouldn’t be. "Is it true that White Pebble Beach wanted to assist you, at first you refused?"

Don’t tell me Mountain Master Feng was reasonable, alright? When he forcibly intervened in the Xiong Family affair, did he consider your feelings?

"That was my misunderstanding of Mountain Master Feng’s goodwill," True Immortal Youshan’s stubbornness stemmed from his deep care for clan reputation, not stubborn obstinance; once he decided on something, he would fully defend it. "Sometimes I tend to oversimplify things."

"He really has good intentions," Ji Wuching laughed, "once your family stops, dozens of others follow."

"You’ve gone too far!" A divine sense descended from the sky, pure and cold, "Daring to speak ill of Mountain Master Feng while in White Pebble Beach?"

"Greetings to Immortal Yi Jue," Ji Wuching stood up and cupped his hands towards the sky. No matter how proud he was, he couldn’t be proud in front of Yi Jue, who was even more extraordinary than him. In this world, only extraordinary people truly understand extraordinary people.

So, he spoke seriously, "The so-called strength is not just cultivation level and combat strength. I believe influence and wisdom should also count. Mountain Master Feng’s calculation ability is extremely strong, and his skill in turning situations to advantage... is still a proper and blatant strategy."

"Haha, don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking," Yi Jue sneered coldly and fell silent.

Having been startled like that, truth be told, Ji Wuching felt a bit disappointed. He was well aware of how powerless others felt against him, just as he felt powerless against Yi Jue.

Remembering the advice of elders at home, he composed himself, smiling and cupping his hands towards Xiong Youshan, "I was a bit rude earlier, mainly eager for the hunt. Please, Elder Youshan, be understanding... Could the elder take me along while investigating clues?"

Can I say no? Xiong Youshan felt a little helpless at heart. He wasn’t really concerned with the person in front of him, but this person had a Divine Spirit True Sage behind him. He would rather face Xuanyuan Buti than have more contact with this one—a True Sage still carries the dignity of a True Sage.

So, he shook his head expressionlessly, "Taking you along is impossible."

This wasn’t a mindless confrontation but had strategy in it. Unfortunately, Ji Wuching didn’t fall for it. Instead, he smiled and nodded, "Naturally, it’s not just me alone. There are some clan members; I’ll bring them to see the world."

He was not only bringing juniors but also an escort at the Nascent Soul High Stage. Youshan True Immortal’s strategy also targeted this; Ji Family’s extraordinary members, when going out, still dealt with dangerous matters—how could the elders of the Ji Family sit idly by?

Thus, the people of the Ji Family actually left White Pebble Beach together with the Xiong Family people—strictly speaking, other hunters took Xiong Family juniors, and Ji Wuching took elders responsible for the Xiong Family.

Feng Jun didn’t pay much attention to the matter. It was great that others were willing to help, and according to the account provided by the Xiong Family people, their loss of extreme spirit stones somehow... connected with White Pebble Beach?

Honestly, when he first heard the rumor, he was so angry he almost didn’t want to deal with the Xiong Family’s matter anymore: it was their fault for not protecting their possessions properly; don’t always emphasize changes at White Pebble Beach, alright?

During the days the Xiong Family was hunting the culprits, Feng Jun had little to do, so he adjusted three sets of magical treasures. Although not crafted, as long as the Xiong Family’s extreme spirit stones were in place, continuous crafting could begin.

Unfortunately, the condition of these slightly adjusted magical treasure components couldn’t be maintained for long. If crafting didn’t start within a certain period, they needed to be adjusted again during crafting, so he had no need to adjust too many—three sets were enough.

Hunters pursuing culprits gradually brought various news, and the situation became increasingly clear.

Firstly, it was certain that numerous signs showed the Xiong Family indeed suffered a robbery—not some imagined internal theft.

Secondly, the number of robbers wasn’t high. Including those who might have been lookouts and supporters, there were at most seven or eight.

Moreover, the robbers’ ability to conceal their tracks was very high, they were extremely vigilant, and had considerable anti-tracking skills. Taixu Sect’s tracking disciples were even led to two Nascent Soul Beast Kings’ lairs.

Fortunately, Taixu’s disciples had extremely strong combat strength and high tactical skills.

Facing two Nascent Soul Beast Kings and over a hundred Golden Core demon beasts, they fought while retreating, causing significant damage to the enemy, and without pausing, counter-attacked eliminating a demon beast tribe, only a few dozen at the Out of Dust stage escaped.

Unfortunately, these demon beasts weren’t very valuable; after such a big battle, they didn’t lose money but merely broke even.

Think about it, and it makes sense; those who dared to plot against the Xiong Family were undoubtedly strong. If they were valuable demon beasts, they probably wouldn’t have left them for the pursuers. The Taixu Sect disciples were itching with hatred, swearing not to let the adversary go.

However, clearly, this almost impenetrable net of hunters brought tremendous pressure to the robbers. Later, the robbers even left a code phrase: if we return half of the extreme spirit stones, can we call this settled?

This definitely can’t be settled this way! Hunters hunt the robbers themselves, not the lost items—Feng Jun had explicitly stated in the bounty, he wants information about the robbers, or to bring them to White Pebble Beach, alive or dead.

On the day Feng Jun finished deducing the third set of magical treasures, the latest news came: the robbers returned the extreme spirit stones.

They realized it was a bounty from White Pebble Beach, so they proactively returned the extreme spirit stones and said this was a personal vendetta with the Xiong Family and had no disrespect towards White Pebble Beach.