361: Chapter 361 Strengthening the Futon

Flowing Fire Sect.

Inside the Liuhuo Hall.

Shen Guhong sat upright in the main seat, his black robes hanging down. The black demonic patterns on the robes trembled wildly due to his turbulent aura, and his expression was terrifyingly gloomy.

Below the hall, Liu Feng and Gou Feng knelt on the ground, their bodies trembling slightly, not even daring to breathe loudly.

The expressions of Shen Bing, Shen Hu, and the others were also very poor.

After a long while, Shen Guhong, with thunderous rage, shouted sternly, "Where on earth did the Spirit Stones go? Speak up quickly!"

That angry shout made the hall's pillars tremble slightly, and a sharp wave of air swept in all directions, making Liu Feng and Gou Feng shudder.

Gou Feng's legs went weak from fear, and he quickly knelt on both knees, recounting everything: "Lea— Leader, as we were about to arrive at the front line, we were suddenly ambushed by two people in black. The Demonic Qi on them was very strong..."

Gou Feng detailed the process of how the Spirit Stones were stolen.

He emphasized the dense and powerful Demonic Qi of the two ambushers, as well as their ruthless and decisive strikes.

"This subordinate is incompetent. I was pinned down by the opponents and couldn't stop them, watching helplessly as the Spirit Stones were taken. I beg for the Leader's punishment!"

Shen Guhong listened quietly, his expression becoming even gloomier. The Demonic Qi around him grew swifter and sharper, and the fire in his eyes almost burned. His chest heaved violently; he was clearly extremely furious.

Once Gou Feng finished speaking, he slammed his hand onto the armrest of his seat. With a loud bang, the entire hall shook, the armrest shattered instantly, and wood chips flew everywhere.

"Useless! You're all useless!" Shen Guhong shouted sternly, his voice hoarse and violent.

Originally, these one hundred million Spirit Stones were for the Yao Race warriors at the front line.

With these one hundred million Spirit Stones, the front-line warriors would have had their military pay.

Their Yao Race could have launched another attack on the Human Race's Zhenyao Pass.

But unexpectedly, these one hundred million Spirit Stones were hijacked before they even reached the front line.

"Father, could it be the Grand Elder's people?" Shen Bing stepped out from the side.

Hearing Shen Bing's words, Shen Guhong also thought of the Grand Elder.

After all, those two were Yao Race Cultivators, powerful and with dense Demonic Qi. They knew the transport route for the Spirit Stones and dared to openly ambush the team he sent to seize the one hundred million Spirit Stones.

In the entire Southern Territory, there was simply no one else besides the Grand Elder.

At the same time, Shen Guhong also knew why the Grand Elder wanted to steal these Spirit Stones.

On one hand, it was to seize resources and expand his own influence; on the other, it was to deliberately provoke him and take the Opportunity to cause trouble and fight for control of the Yao Race.

Far away in his small courtyard, Qin Changsheng heard Shen Bing's speculation, and a flash of joy crossed his eyes.

He believed that Shen Guhong and many other Yao Race Cultivators would suspect the Grand Elder.

He believed it wouldn't be long before the Grand Elder and Shen Guhong definitely clashed.

In the conflict, whether the Grand Elder or Shen Guhong emerged victorious, the Yao Race would be significantly weakened.

The pressure on the Zhenyao Pass would not be as great.

"Who do you all think it is?" Shen Guhong took a deep breath and looked at Shen Hu and the others.

"Big Brother, besides the Grand Elder, there is no one else!"

"Leader, I also suspect the Grand Elder!"

"Only the Grand Elder in the Southern Territory has such power!"

Many Yao Race experts all guessed that it was the work of the Grand Elder.

"Grand Elder..." Shen Guhong's eyes were filled with rage.

Shen Hu glanced at Shen Guhong and then said, "Big Brother, the Grand Elder clearly planned this. Now that his power is growing and he has done this, it is a clear provocation to your authority, Leader. There will definitely be further actions later. I believe we should make preparations early."

Shen Hu's words were neither fast nor slow, but every sentence hit the mark.

He knew the hatred between the Grand Elder and Shen Guhong well and understood what the theft of the Spirit Stones meant. If they didn't arrange things in advance, the Yao Race would only fall into greater chaos when the Grand Elder took the initiative to strike, and Shen Guhong's position would be in jeopardy.

Hearing this, Shen Guhong nodded slightly, agreeing with Shen Hu's words.

The Grand Elder's provocation was already out in the open. If they didn't prepare, they would only fall into a passive position, and by then it would be too late for regrets.

Shen Guhong nodded slowly, his tone heavy but with an unquestionable firmness, as he said to Shen Hu, "You are right."

"Give this secret letter to the Third Elder!" Shen Guhong handed a secret letter to Shen Hu.

"Understood!" Shen Hu took the secret letter and hurriedly left.

...

Heavenly Sword Sect.

Inside the Cave-Heaven Blessed Land.

Qin Changsheng had already returned to the Cave-Heaven Blessed Land.

On the ground before him, ten bulging Spirit Stone bags were arranged neatly. The mouths of the bags were slightly open, and dense Spiritual Qi overflowed from them, weaving into a faint barrier of Spiritual Qi.

These ten Spirit Stone bags were exactly the ones he had hijacked from the Yao Race transport in the valley near the Zhenyao Pass. Each bag contained ten million, and the ten bags together totaled exactly one hundred million Spirit Stones.

With these Spirit Stones, he could upgrade another Magical Artifact to a heaven-grade magical tool.

Qin Changsheng slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the Spirit Stone bags before him.

These one hundred million Spirit Stones were not only the key to enhancing his strength but also a Sharp Weapon to stir up the situation within the Yao Race.

He knew that the Yao Race front line was already mutinying due to the shortage of Spirit Stones. Now that these one hundred million Spirit Stones were gone, there would be no way to provide the soldiers' military pay and cultivation resources. The soldiers' dissatisfaction would surely grow stronger, and the Yao Race's offensive at the front line would inevitably slow down significantly or even come to a standstill.

More importantly, Shen Guhong was already certain that the Spirit Stones had been intercepted by the Grand Elder. The conflict between the two was already like fire and water, and this incident would completely escalate it. Their struggle would surely enter a white-hot stage.

As the internal strife of the Yao Race intensified, they would have no time to worry about his existence. He could take the Opportunity to Cultivate in peace, search for heavenly dao fragments, and seek more Opportunities. It was truly killing several birds with one stone.

Thinking of this, a sharp glint flashed in Qin Changsheng's eyes. Without further delay, with a thought, he gently waved his right hand, and several streaks of spiritual light flew out from his Storage Pouch, landing steadily in his hand.

Those were several mysterious grade high grade Magical Artifacts—a long sword, a bracer, a jade pendant, and a prayer mat. They were all obtained after he had killed enemies previously. Each contained decent spiritual energy, but compared to heaven-grade magical tools, there was still a significant gap, making it difficult to meet his current Cultivation and combat needs.

Qin Changsheng looked down at the several mysterious grade high grade Magical Artifacts in his hand and shook his head slightly.

Although these Magical Artifacts could barely be used, they could not ultimately become his trump cards. Now that he had these one hundred million Spirit Stones, he could use the Heavenly Dao [Enhancement] trait to upgrade these artifacts into heaven-grade magical tools, significantly boosting his offensive and defensive strength.

Qin Changsheng scanned the artifacts and finally settled on a prayer mat.

That prayer mat was made of ordinary spiritual reeds. Although it could assist in Cultivation and gather Spiritual Qi, its effect was mediocre. Qin Changsheng knew in his heart that although he possessed many Magic Treasures and Magical Artifacts and his Cultivation had reached the third level of the golden core, his Cultivation Speed was still not fast. If he could have a Heaven-Grade prayer mat, it would significantly increase the Speed of Spiritual Qi gathering, helping him polish his Cultivation and break through Bottlenecks more quickly, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

Qin Changsheng raised his hand with a wave, moving the ordinary spiritual reed prayer mat in front of him. Then, with a thought, the Heavenly Dao [Enhancement] trait in his Sea of Consciousness was instantly awakened.

"Enhance the prayer mat!" Qin Changsheng shouted in a low voice, his voice steady and firm. His spiritual energy slowly surged, pouring into the Heavenly Dao [Enhancement] trait.

A brilliant golden pillar of light erupted from his body, enveloping the spiritual reed prayer mat and the ten Spirit Stone bags. The golden power of the Heavenly Dao slowly circulated, extracting Spirit Stones from the bags and absorbing the spiritual energy within while wrapping around the spiritual reed prayer mat to begin the Enhancement.