32: Chapter 32 was very rewarding!

Deep within the heart of the Dafeng Mountains.

The poisonous miasma that had lingered year-round was torn open by the Golden Core self-detonation from a few days ago, allowing long-absent sunlight to scatter across the depths of these mountains.

Without the deterrence of the Golden Core Yao General, the depths of the mountain range had long since descended into chaos.

The majority of the high-rank Yao Beasts were dead or injured, and the survivors were fleeing in all directions. Even the rank 1 Yao Beasts had suffered over fifty percent casualties, leaving vast stretches of the mountains desolate...

This was the perfect opportunity to fish in troubled waters.

Shi Jian walked at the very front, his massive frame easily pushing aside man-high shrubs. Sun Boan, Sun Kezheng, and Sun Xing followed closely behind, not even daring to breathe loudly.

“Old Ancestor, we've broken away from the main White Cloud Temple force. Aren't we going too deep?”

Sun Boan clutched several defensive Talismans, his palms drenched in sweat.

Shi Jian didn't look back; his nostrils twitched as he distinguished the various scents in the air.

“White Cloud Temple doesn't even have a single Golden Core right now. That old fellow Daoist Yun Du is busy stabilizing the situation; he doesn't have the time to worry about us.”

Shi Jian’s voice was low, carrying a hint of disdain: “The outskirts are filled with nothing but rank one trash. Is that even worth your effort to snatch?”

As Shi Jian spoke, he stopped and raised a front paw toward a cliff on the left.

“Over there, there's a strong medicinal fragrance mixed with the stench of a rank 3 Blackline Python, though that long worm's scent has already faded.”

“It's likely dead. Let's go see what Spirit Medicines are there.”

Sun Boan’s eyes lit up, his fear instantly overwhelmed by greed.

A rank 3 Yao Beast’s nest!

Around the nests of such Foundation Establishment level Yao Beasts, companion Spirit Medicines are usually born, and their grade is typically not low.

The three men and one bear then quickly approached the cliff.

The nest was in a hidden cave. The entrance was already covered in spiderwebs. Shi Jian swiped his claws to tear them open and strode inside.

The space inside the cave was enormous, with a natural stalactite pool in the center.

By the edge of the pool grew more than a dozen purple-black Spiritual Plants. Their leaves were covered in natural patterns, making them look quite extraordinary!

“Purple-Veined Ginseng!”

If Sun Changping were here, he would surely go mad with excitement...

Sun Boan sucked in a breath of cold air: “They're all over a hundred years old! They've already evolved into rank 2 Low Grade Spiritual Plants. A single one of these could sell for two or three hundred Spirit Stones on the market!”

“Dig them all up. Pack them into jade boxes with the roots and soil. Be quick about it.”

Shi Jian let out a yawn. This was just the beginning.

The three Sun family members immediately pounced forward, each carefully digging up the Spirit Medicines with a level of proficiency that was almost pitiable...

Over the next twenty-odd days.

Shi Jian led the Sun family on a frantic "looting spree" through the heart of the Dafeng Mountains, relying on his perception of Yao scents.

He was always able to accurately avoid those troublesome great Yao that were still alive, heading straight for the nests of those unlucky bastards who had already died in the beast tide or the Golden Core battle.

Spiritual Wood Fruits from Blazing Birds, Profound Yellow Stones accompanying Earth-Armored Beasts, and they even found a rank 2 High Grade blood-condensing lotus!

Sun Boan's Storage Pouch was stuffed to the brim. He smiled so wide the wrinkles on his face could have crushed a fly.

“Old Ancestor, we’ve struck it rich! We’ve really struck it rich!”

Sun Boan tallied the resources, his voice trembling:

“As long as we can digest this batch of goods, it will be enough for our Sun Clan to take another step forward. Once we save up another sum of Spirit Stones, it will be enough to buy a foundation establishment pill!”

“Look at how easily satisfied you are.”

“Nothing should be rushed; do not flaunt your wealth.”

“I'd rather take a long time to process this batch of goods, moving slowly, than have anyone notice anything suspicious. You could even go to other prefectures to trade.”

Shi Jian gave a cold snort and offered another warning; he didn't want to see the Sun Clan getting ahead of themselves.

At that moment, Shi Jian’s ears suddenly twitched.

He smelled blood and an extremely faint sound of breathing. It was the unique scent of his own bear kin...

“You guys finish cleaning up here. I’m going to take a look around.”

Shi Jian left those words behind and turned to leave. He passed through two dense forests and, in a dried-up creek bed, saw the mangled corpse of a mother bear. Half of her body had been sliced away by wind blades.

Beneath the mother bear, four furry cubs were being protected.

The largest was only the size of a kitten, desperately licking the mother bear's stiff face while whimpering. The other three were already on the verge of death from starvation.

Shi Jian stood silently by the edge of the creek, a bitter smile appearing on his face:

“Consider yourselves lucky.”

Shi Jian leapt down into the creek and released a trace of pure Demonic Qi.

Feeling the aura of a high-rank powerhouse of their own kind, the four cubs stopped whimpering simultaneously and instinctively crawled toward him, rubbing against his paws.

He opened his mouth, picked up two in his jaws, scooped up the other two with his front paws, and turned to head back.

When Shi Jian returned, Sun Boan looked at the four little bears he had brought back with a face full of joy. This sort of thing had already happened many times.

“Old Ancestor, you’ve picked up more bear cubs.”

“Take all these bear cubs back and have the clan raise them well. They are my kin, after all, so we must look after them.”

“In the future, the clan's younger generation will have more choices for Spirit Beasts.”

Sun Boan nodded in agreement. Counting these four, they had already picked up twenty-four young bears, most of which were ordinary wild animals.

But a few among them had developed spiritual intelligence and could become Yao once they reached adulthood!

“What the Old Ancestor says makes sense. The bear kin are thick-skinned and have high combat power, making them excellent battle pets. I will arrange for Ke Zheng and the others to take good care of them!”

Using the excuse of "taming beasts,"

Shi Jian continued to take in over thirty more orphaned bear cubs during the subsequent mountain-clearing operation.

There were ordinary black bears, as well as Iron-backed Bears with a hint of Yao Beast Bloodline.

He filled several Spirit Beast bags. When he truly couldn't carry any more, he had to use carts to haul them. He took as many as he could!

...

A month later, the mountain clearing order drew to a close.

Cultivators from various families, covered in the aura of blood and slaughter, regrouped at the Cangshi Valley camp. However, the overall atmosphere was not good.

After all, they had to hand over eighty percent of their gains.

For the Cultivators, this was undoubtedly like cutting off their own flesh, so naturally, they weren't very happy. Soon, it was the Sun Clan's turn for the inventory.

Sun Boan took a deep breath, stepped forward, and handed over ten Storage Pouches: “Reporting to Senior, these are the gains of my Sun Clan during this period. Please inspect them.”

The deacon's Divine Sense swept over them, and his brow furrowed slightly: “Three hundred and fifty-three items from rank 1 Yao Beasts, ten items from rank 2 Yao Beasts...”

“It's alright, but isn't it a bit low?”

“I recall the Sun Clan has a Foundation Establishment great Yao backing them, don't they?”

Sun Boan put on a bitter face and sighed: “Deacon, please understand. Our Old Ancestor suffered some injuries in several previous battles.”

“This past month, our Old Ancestor was willing to act as the vanguard, leading the way for White Cloud Temple and clearing obstacles along the path...”

“His loyalty is clear for all to see. If it weren't for that, our Old Ancestor wouldn't have been injured.”

As he spoke, Sun Boan’s words were incredibly bitter. At the same time, he inconspicuously slid a small jade box into the deacon's sleeve.

“A little local specialty. Senior, you’ve worked hard on your inspection.”

The deacon felt the jade box in his sleeve. It was hard and brimming with Spiritual Qi; it was worth at least three or four hundred Spirit Stones.

With that, the deacon’s expression softened, and he gave a light cough:

“Ahem, I have indeed heard of Fellow Daoist Shi's injuries. I heard from Junior Brother Lyu earlier that Fellow Daoist Shi fought bravely and was heavily wounded.”

“In that case, the Sun Clan has done its best. You may pass...”

“Thank you, Senior.”

Sun Boan wiped away his cold sweat and retreated to the group with a fawning expression.

Shi Jian lay on the beast cart at the back of the group, his eyes half-closed, laughing inwardly.

The items they had handed over were only about one-fifth of what they had gained on this trip, worth only a little over a thousand Spirit Stones...

The truly good stuff had all been sealed with Demonic Qi and hidden in a layer of his stomach. Ordinary Cultivators wouldn't be able to see anything.

For the coming period, he should keep a low profile and properly organize everything he had gained on this trip.