2: Chapter 2: Showing Off Our Strength!

Sun Hangchun's expression changed abruptly.

He turned his head to look behind him, his withered fingers instinctively pressing against the Storage Pouch at his waist, his composure vanishing in an instant.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, you misunderstand. I am by no means..."

"Old man, shut up!"

Shi Jian spoke calmly, his massive bear head turning slightly as his nostrils twitched twice.

"Two at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment. One is ninety zhang behind you to your left, hiding behind that withered cypress tree; he smells of low-quality Dust-Cleansing Pills."

"The other is sixty zhang up on the cliff to the right. He used a concealment Talisman, but his heart is beating as fast as a rabbit's."

He paused, his eyes slowly turning toward Sun Hangchun with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Well, Fellow Daoist Sun?"

"Did you bring two helpers to capture me? Or perhaps... you want to kill me for my beast parts?"

Cold sweat broke out on Sun Hangchun's forehead. He had certainly entertained such thoughts, but it was only a thought; he had never acted on it.

Even more unexpected was that someone was actually following him!

From the Sun Clan's Hongtian City to Mingqiu Mountain, he had intentionally taken a three-hundred-li detour and changed directions twice along the way. He hadn't even told his own clansmen the purpose of this trip.

Who exactly had followed him?

The direction of the withered cypress, low-quality Dust-Cleansing Pills...

Sun Hangchun's pupils constricted.

Of the three major families in Hongtian City, the Sun Clan specialized in Alchemy, the Ye Clan in Talisman-making, and the Lin Clan in Artifact Forging. Only Cultivators from the Lin Clan, who spent all year by the furnace fires, would use Dust-Cleansing Pills to remove the smell of smoke and fire from their bodies.

And since the Lin Clan produced and sold those things themselves, the quality was always abysmal...

The cliff to the right, a concealment Talisman...

The Ye Clan.

The Ye Clan's Talismans were unique in Hongtian City!

"The Ye and Lin families!" Sun Hangchun gritted his teeth, a flash of ruthlessness appearing in his cloudy old eyes. "It's those two old dogs!"

Shi Jian sneered in his heart.

Well, no need to act anymore. The shock and rage on this old man's face couldn't be faked; his emotions were fluctuating intensely. A Foundation Establishment Cultivator nearing the end of his Lifespan wouldn't have the energy to put on a show with him.

"It seems they aren't here for me," Shi Jian said leisurely.

"They're here for you!"

Sun Hangchun's face turned ashen, but he quickly calmed down, his raspy voice kept very low. "They must have been watching me for a long time..."

"Word must have leaked out about me leaving the city to find a contracted Spirit Beast."

"So, they don't want you to find a backer."

"Exactly." Sun Hangchun gave a bitter smile. "If my Sun Clan gains the protection of a Foundation Establishment Spirit Beast, we would have a chance to turn the tables. How could the Ye and Lin families just sit by and watch?"

"If they kill me here, the Sun Clan will be like a snake with its head cut off. Within ten years, our Family business will fall into the hands of others, and we might even face the danger of being wiped out overnight!"

He didn't hide anything; there was no need to.

The cards were on the table; hiding them would only arouse suspicion.

Shi Jian's mind raced.

Two at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment, plus Sun Hangchun who was also at the Early Stage, and himself—four Foundation Establishment entities gathered here on Mingqiu Mountain. In a small place like Hongtian City, this could be considered a Peak battle.

Of course, Shi Jian didn't care about that. What he cared about was what benefit this situation could bring him and what he could gain from it.

Silence them? Help Sun Hangchun get rid of two competitors?

That could work.

But why do it for nothing?

"Fellow Daoist Sun."

"You said just now that I should name my price?"

Sun Hangchun was taken aback, then realized what was happening, the bitterness on his face deepening further.

Good grief, this bear was even shrewder than he thought.

In such a situation, a normal Spirit Beast would have either run away or at least hesitated. But he, on the other hand, started negotiating the price first.

"What do you mean, Fellow Daoist Shi?"

"It's simple." Shi Jian raised a bear paw, making a gesture for "five," his sharp claws glinting with a cold, eerie light under the moonlight.

"Half of your Sun Clan's annual income belongs to me. Spirit rice, Spirit Stones, Medicinal Pills—anything will do, regardless of the form."

Hearing this, Sun Hangchun gasped.

"Half?!"

"Too much?" Shi Jian tilted his head, his tone as casual as if he were discussing what to eat for dinner. "Then you can also choose not to hire me."

He gestured with his snout toward those two directions.

"But before you walk out of Mingqiu Mountain, you'll have to ask those two if they agree."

Sun Hangchun's lips parted, but the words were stuck in his throat. He couldn't say anything for a long while. This was clearly an extortionate price, yet he had no choice but to agree.

"Deal."

These two words were practically squeezed through the old man's teeth. Giving up fifty percent of the profits was more painful than killing him.

But he had to do it; after all, it was for the sake of staying alive.

Shi Jian nodded with satisfaction. Now that his goal was achieved, there was no need to hold back. "Fellow Daoist Sun, don't just stand there then."

With that, the bear's shadow lunged forward.

Shi Jian's body turned into a black storm, charging straight toward the withered cypress to the left. His movements were so fast and fierce that he seemed like a completely different beast from his previous lazy demeanor.

From behind the withered cypress, a figure suddenly scrambled out. It was a grey-robed old man with a sinister face, holding a short hammer Magical Artifact that vibrated with layers of spiritual light.

"Beast! You're looking for death!"

Before he could finish his sentence...

Shi Jian's bear paw had already slammed down.

There were no fancy Spells, nor any clashing of spiritual lights; it was just a simple and swift strike. It was the pure physical power of a Foundation Establishment Yao Beast, and a bear demon known for its strength at that.

This strike held thirty-five years of power!

How could an ordinary Cultivator possibly withstand it?

As the paw fell, the spiritual light shattered, the short hammer flew off, and the grey-robed old man's protective spiritual light was pierced through like it was made of paper.

"Impossible! You're only at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment!" the grey-robed old man screamed in terror, spitting out a cloud of blood mist as his aura instantly withered.

Shi Jian didn't answer, he simply kept swinging his paw.

The second strike fell.

The grey-robed old man was slammed into the ground by the strike. Rocks flew and blood splattered; from then on, the old man made no more sound, having met his end.

From the start to the finish, three breaths of time, two strikes!

On top of the cliff, the other figure saw this and took off running without the slightest hesitation, as if he had seen a damn ghost!

"Friend, why are you leaving?" Shi Jian's voice came from behind, filled with lazy mockery. He didn't give chase...

Because there was no need to chase at all.

Although Sun Hangchun was old, he had already prepared a Spell the moment Shi Jian moved. A withered wood vine burst from the ground, winding around the runner's ankle.

A massive force pulled the man, slamming him heavily into the ground. Then, countless vines like swimming snakes locked his limbs, and numerous thorns pierced his flesh, sealing off his meridians...

"Ye Mingyuan!" Sun Hangchun's raspy voice carried heavy killing intent.

The Cultivator called Ye Mingyuan turned his head, a fawning smile still on his face. "Brother Sun, this is all a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!"

"I was just passing by..."

Before the other could finish, Sun Hangchun's expression turned cold, and he cleanly snapped the man's neck. After withdrawing his Spell, he looked toward Shi Jian with a somber gaze.

Under the moonlight, the black bear was unhurriedly patting the bloodstains off his paw and licking his fur, as casual as if he had just swatted a fly.

Killing a Foundation Establishment in three breaths.

And it was pure physical suppression. If he and Shi Jian hadn't reached an agreement just now...

A chill ran down Sun Hangchun's spine.

"Fellow Daoist Shi has excellent methods." Sun Hangchun cupped his hands, his tone more than ten times more respectful than before. "Since the deal is made, I will naturally keep my promise."

"I wonder when Fellow Daoist Shi will accompany me back to Hongtian City?"

Shi Jian lay back down on the boulder polished by the moonlight and yawned. With an indifferent expression, he said, "No rush. Search their Storage Pouches first."

"..."

Sun Hangchun was speechless and silently searched the corpses.

Shi Jian narrowed his eyes, the corner of his mouth curling up almost imperceptibly.

Half?

That was just the starting price.

Once this old man died, the entire Sun Clan would belong to him, Shi Jian.

No, to be precise, it would belong to him and his descendants!

His gaze swept over the hundred-li-long ridges of Mingqiu Mountain, finally landing in the distance, in the direction of Hongtian City...

There were Second-rank Spiritual Veins, spirit fields, and a complete Human Race cultivation Legacy.

That place was about to welcome its new master.

Only, this master had the face of a bear.