271: Chapter 271 Where are my spirit stones?

Behind Shen Guhong were several experts at the Golden Core Realm.

These people were all powerful figures of the Yao Race.

"How dare you steal the Spirit Stones of my Flowing Fire Sect! You're looking for death!" Shen Guhong's eyes were filled with fury, his Speed pushed to the absolute limit.

At the same time, he swore in his heart that he would tear the thief who stole the Spirit Stones into ten thousand pieces.

He truly could not understand; the treasury was heavily defended, protected by multiple Great Arrays, and guarded by experts. How could someone infiltrate it silently?

If it hadn't triggered the Restriction he had placed inside the treasury,

he likely wouldn't have even discovered that someone had invaded their treasury.

"Greetings, Sect Head!" Seeing Shen Guhong's arrival, the two guards outside the treasury hurriedly knelt on the ground.

"What's going on inside?" Shen Guhong asked with a dark expression.

"We... we don't know..." The two guards' faces were already pale.

Even now, they didn't understand what was happening.

They had been guarding the entrance to the treasury the entire time.

They hadn't sensed anyone sneaking in at all.

"You don't know?" A terrifying Pressure erupted from Shen Guhong's body.

The moment this Pressure touched the two guards, it pinned them to the ground, rendering them completely unable to move.

"Big brother, perhaps the Restriction inside the treasury was accidentally triggered!"

"Why don't we go in and take a look first!" Shen Hu spoke up.

Shen Guhong slowly nodded.

At this moment, he agreed with his younger brother Shen Hu's words; after all, the defenses of their Yao Race treasury were extremely powerful.

Even for a Cultivator at Golden Core Perfection, it would be very difficult to sneak in.

It was likely that the Spirit Stone with the Restriction on it hadn't been placed properly, which triggered the alarm.

"Hurry up and open the treasury doors!" Shen Guhong glared fiercely at the two guards.

"Yes, yes..." The two guards hurriedly stood up, fumbled for their keys, and began to open the treasury doors.

At the same time, Qin Changsheng stored the final Spirit Stone into his Storage Space.

Inside the treasury, the once mountain-like piles of brilliant Spirit Stones had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only an empty floor and bare shelves.

"Everything's collected. Let's go!" Qin Changsheng raised his hand and waved at Hu Nan.

Hu Nan understood. Without a hint of hesitation in his eyes, he drew the longsword from his waist and thrust it into his own chest. A golden light erupted from within him, and his body gradually became transparent, turning into countless fine specks of golden light that dissipated inside the treasury like stardust.

Hu Nan was originally Qin Changsheng's Incarnation; even if he died, Qin Changsheng only needed to spend a single Spirit Stone to summon him again.

Having dealt with the traces of his Incarnation, Qin Changsheng didn't delay. With a thought, the Golden Trait [Teleportation] in his mind was instantly activated.

At the same time, Qin Changsheng also put away the Teleportation Stone and the dropped sword.

In the next instant, Qin Changsheng's figure vanished from within the treasury.

Just as Qin Changsheng's figure disappeared, with a loud "Boom!", the heavy doors of the treasury swung open.

Shen Guhong was the first to rush in, followed closely by Shen Hu and numerous other Yao Race experts. Each one had a ferocious expression and a menacing Aura, prepared to seize the thief who stole the Spirit Stones on the spot.

But the moment they stepped into the treasury, all the fury and ferocity froze on their faces. The entire treasury fell into a deathly silence.

On the empty floor, there was no trace of a Spirit Stone. The shelves and alcoves that were once piled high with Spirit Stones were now completely bare. Only the dense Spiritual Qi remaining in the air proved that a massive amount of Spirit Stones had once been stored here.

Shen Guhong froze in place, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. His face was filled with disbelief; he was completely dumbfounded.

He slowly raised his hand, pointing at the empty treasury. His throat bobbed a few times, but he couldn't make a sound. The fury in his eyes was instantly replaced by extreme shock and bewilderment.

Two hundred million Spirit Stones—a full two hundred million—had actually all vanished?

He staggered forward, bending over to touch the empty Spirit Stone racks. There were only cold shelves, without a single trace of a Spirit Stone.

He truly could not understand how this could be.

"...The... the treasury is empty..." The many Yao Race experts were completely baffled by what was happening.

How could the Spirit Stones their Yao Race had spent years plundering vanish without a trace in an instant?

Exactly who had such great ability to silently infiltrate the treasury and then silently steal away all the Spirit Stones inside?

Shen Guhong spun around, his eyes bloodshot, and roared at the guards behind him: "What happened?! What are you good for?! The treasury is protected by a Great Array and you were guarding it in shifts. How could someone silently enter the treasury and steal all the Spirit Stones?!"

The two guards were so terrified they fell to their knees with a thud, their bodies trembling violently as they kowtowed repeatedly: "Sect Head, have mercy! We have been at our posts the entire time. The Great Array showed no abnormalities, and we didn't sense anyone approaching the treasury! We really don't know how the Spirit Stones disappeared!"

Shen Guhong stared at them intently, the fire in his eyes nearly consuming them. However, he also knew that these two guards were at the Foundation Establishment Perfection stage; if someone truly approached, it would be impossible for them to notice nothing.

Moreover, the multiple Great Arrays outside the treasury were layered one upon another. Even a Cultivator at the Core Formation Late Stage couldn't possibly break through silently, let alone escape calmly without leaving a trace after stealing all the Spirit Stones.

He turned around and looked at the empty treasury again, his heart filled with doubt and violent rage.

Just who was it? Who possessed such formidable strength to break through the Yao Race's multiple defenses, silently infiltrate the treasury, and then calmly take away all the Spirit Stones after triggering the Restriction?

"Big brother, do you think that person is still inside the treasury?"

"Let's seal off the treasury and then find them!" Shen Hu's expression was also extremely grim.

Those Spirit Stones were the hope for their Yao Race's rise.

Without the support of those Spirit Stones, if their Yao Race wanted to rise again, it would be delayed by ten years or more.

"Investigate! Give me a thorough investigation!" Shen Guhong's roar echoed through the treasury once more, carrying heaven-shaking fury and resentment. "Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, find the thief who stole the Spirit Stones!"

"Yes, Clan Chief!" All the Yao Race experts responded in unison, their voices filled with awe and fear, as they turned and began searching the treasury.

However, they searched for fifteen minutes without finding a single clue.

It was as if no one had ever been in the treasury at all.

Shen Guhong stood alone in the empty treasury, his demonic power surging violently around him, his face so dark it looked like it could drip ink.

Looking at the empty floor, his confusion grew deeper. Those two hundred million Spirit Stones were the accumulation of the Yao Race over many years; they were the hope for his schemes and the rise of the Yao Race.

Now that they had vanished overnight, his plans were completely thrown into disarray.

...

Outer Sect courtyard.

Although Qin Changsheng had been standing in this open space for a long time,

the joy in his eyes could still not be hidden.

Qin Changsheng looked toward his Storage Space.

Inside the space were mountain-like piles of Spirit Stones. The Spirit Stones covered the floor like gravel, with various spiritual lights intertwining in a dazzling display.

"With these two hundred million Spirit Stones, that damaged Heaven-Grade Magical Artifact can definitely be repaired!"

Previously, he had been worried about the lack of Spirit Stones to Repair the Heaven-Grade Magical Artifact and to Breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm. Now that he had obtained the Yao Race's massive hoard of Spirit Stones, all his problems were solved.

Repairing the Heaven-Grade Magical Artifact would allow his combat power to achieve a qualitative leap;

and with the support of sufficient Spirit Stones, his success rate in charging for the Golden Core could also be greatly improved, allowing him to enter the Core Formation Realm sooner.

Qin Changsheng reached out, and a Spirit Stone flew out from his Storage Space, landing steadily in his palm.

Qin Changsheng also softly began to chant an incantation.

In the next instant, Hu Nan's figure appeared not far away.

"Your subordinate Hu Nan greets my Lord!" Hu Nan bowed respectfully, waiting for Qin Changsheng's orders.

Qin Changsheng glanced into the distance and said, "Go to the Azure Cloud Sect to participate in the Auction Assembly."

"Your subordinate obeys!" Hu Nan leaped up and turned into a streak of light, racing toward the direction of the Azure Cloud Sect. His figure soon disappeared into the night, leaving only a faint ripple of spiritual power.

...

Flowing Fire Sect.

Main Sect Hall.

Shen Guhong sat on the main seat, his face so dark it looked like it could drip ink.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his entire body radiated heaven-shaking fury and resentment.

On the floor below the hall, two corpses lay silently.

These two were the guards who had been watching the treasury two days ago.

Over the past three days, he had mobilized all the Yao Race experts of the Flowing Fire Sect to dig three feet into the ground and search everywhere.

But in the end, they hadn't found even a single clue.

He still couldn't understand how those two hundred million Spirit Stones could have vanished into thin air.

The treasury was protected by multiple Great Arrays—Concealment Arrays, Killing Arrays, and Illusion Arrays were layered one after another. Even a Cultivator at the Core Formation Late Stage couldn't possibly break through silently;

not to mention there were dozens of experts guarding in shifts day and night. How could someone silently infiltrate the treasury, steal all the Spirit Stones, and then escape calmly without leaving a trace?

"Just what happened..." Shen Guhong had suspected many people.

But looking across the entire Southern Region, there wasn't a single person who possessed such formidable strength to silently steal two hundred million Spirit Stones right under his nose.

Those two hundred million Spirit Stones were plundered by the Yao Race over many years.

They were the key to their Yao Race's rise.

But having them vanish overnight had completely thrown his plans into disarray.

The more Shen Guhong thought about it, the angrier he became. His demonic power surged violently, and he struck the armrest of his chair with his palm. With a "crack," the hard armrest shattered instantly, wood chips flying everywhere.

Just then, a faint sound of footsteps came from the entrance of the hall.

In the next moment, Shen Hu walked in from outside.

"Second brother! Is there a clue?" Shen Guhong hurriedly asked.

"Big brother, there are no clues at all!" Shen Hu's expression was also very grim.

"Dammit!" Shen Guhong's face became even more unsightly.