The Mo Family Patriarch had already investigated the origin of the person who bought the Phoenix Blood Stone. It was a bit tricky—the buyer was a Foundation Establishment disciple from the Dao Seeking Sect, probably an upstart nouveau riche, and the two companions with him were also from the Dao Seeking Sect.
Foundation Establishment cultivators were nothing in his eyes, but appending the words "Dao Seeking Sect" made them an entirely different matter.
The higher one's cultivation, the more secrets one knew, and the more keenly one understood the terror of the Dao Seeking Sect.
That was why he had to handle this personally.
He simply refused to believe that three Foundation Establishment Dao Seeking Sect disciples could detect a Soul Formation cultivator attempting to steal something.
Only, he wasn't the only one stealing tonight.
*Little thief, how dare you lay your hands on something I've set my sights on?*
"Leave at once!" the Commandery Governor and the Mo Family Patriarch released targeted pressure toward each other at the same time. If an ordinary thief encountered pressure of this caliber, they would collapse to the ground in terror, paralyzed.
A cold sneer crept onto the governor's face. He guessed that after failing last night, the Mo Family hadn't given up and had sent another person tonight.
What good would that do? Encountering him, they had only their bad luck to blame!
The two nearly identical waves of pressure collided silently, making both men frown.
"Hm?"
Both sensed that the other's pressure was extraordinary—far from an ordinary practitioner!
"Old Monster Mo!"
"Old Ghost Shi!"
The two recognized each other's identity, followed by a silence that stretched for more than ten seconds.
There were only two Soul Formation cultivators in all of Luofeng Commandery; they were far too easy to recognize.
Both took pride in their status and disdained petty theft. Running into each other here was exceedingly awkward.
They could hardly claim they had come out to bask in the moonlight.
"What a coincidence. You're here too."
"Yeah, what a coincidence."
Another awkward silence of over ten seconds followed.
Taking the initiative to seize the upper hand, the governor sent a divine sense transmission, his voice solemn and brimming with righteousness. "I foresaw long ago that petty scoundrels would come to steal tonight and waited here by the stump for the hare. Sure enough, I caught you! Old Monster Mo, surrender without resistance!"
From who knew where, the governor pulled out an iron chain and swung it toward the Mo Family Patriarch.
"Bah! Dressed like that, do you think I'm blind? You have the nerve to claim you were waiting by the stump?"
The Mo Family Patriarch clearly wasn't buying it. This grandson of a bitch was dressed head-to-toe in black just like him—who was he trying to fool?
He drew his weapon to meet the attack.
Both feared exposing themselves, so by unspoken agreement, neither used mana, keeping their combat utterly soundless.
Having fought each other for decades, they were intimately familiar with each other's methods and knew this would get them nowhere. After several dozen exchanges, both broke off.
"Carrying on like this won't produce a result. Didn't you come here for that Phoenix Blood Stone? Let's steal by our own skill—whoever gets it keeps it," the governor proposed.
"Fine, it's a deal," the Mo Family Patriarch agreed readily.
The governor sneered inwardly. Even if the other man got the stone, he would find a way to snatch it back. His future was at stake; who was going to keep a promise with him?
Coincidentally, the Mo Family Patriarch thought the exact same thing.
In the shadows, Lu Yang recorded everything with an image-recording orb.
Both men had already located the Phoenix Blood Stone with their divine sense. Just as they prepared to head into Meng Jingzhou's room together, yet another black shadow vaulted over the wall.
"Why is there another one?" Not only were the governor and the Mo Family Patriarch baffled, but even Lu Yang, Su Yiren, and Li Haoran, who were observing from hiding, found it strange.
"Is your house really that attractive?" Lu Yang looked at Li Haoran.
Li Haoran rolled his eyes, too exasperated to speak. *Is it my house that's attractive? It's clearly the Phoenix Blood Stone Senior Brother Meng bought that's attractive.*
Lu Yang recalled the shadow he had caught out of the corner of his eye the previous night while tailing the two Golden Core cultivators.
Could that have been the same person as this third shadow tonight?
"The third shadow is also a Soul Formation cultivator," Su Yiren warned, putting Lu Yang on guard.
Who was the third shadow? What was his objective?
"What? Tonight there isn't just the governor, but also the Mo Family Patriarch and a third Soul Formation cultivator?" Meng Jingzhou couldn't see what was happening, and listening to their conversation made his curiosity itch fiercely.
He desperately wanted to see the situation outside.
...
The third shadow wasn't surprised to see the governor and the Mo Family Patriarch. He nodded. "Good attitude—a quarter of an hour ahead of the appointed time. Let's go."
The governor and the Mo Family Patriarch exchanged a glance, realizing they couldn't see through the shadow's cultivation.
A Soul Formation cultivator? But where in Luofeng Commandery could a third Soul Formation cultivator have come from?
The stranger seemed to have mistaken them for someone else. Rather than blow their cover, it was better to play along, so they fell into step behind him.
"Milord, I heard Dao Seeking Sect disciples are staying in this residence. Is our operation safe?" the governor asked from behind.
The third shadow dismissed the concern. "Just a Foundation Establishment disciple. What could possibly go wrong? Everything is ready now; all we lack is a top-grade Phoenix Blood Stone."
"And the highest-quality Phoenix Blood Stone happens to be in the hands of this Foundation Establishment disciple from the Dao Seeking Sect."
"Once the deed is done, all three of us will receive promotions. Success is right before our eyes, so why are the two of you hesitating and cowering like this? Hurry up and follow!"
The third shadow's goal turned out to be the Phoenix Blood Stone Meng Jingzhou had purchased as well.
"What on earth is that Phoenix Blood Stone you bought? It specifically attracts Soul Formation cultivators," Lu Yang griped. That was what he got for flaunting his wealth—now everyone and their mother knew he had a top-grade Phoenix Blood Stone.
"How the hell should I know? If I'd known it would cause so much trouble, I'd have rather thrown it in the trash," Meng Jingzhou grumbled back.
The three Soul Formation cultivators entered Meng Jingzhou's guest room together.
"The Phoenix Blood Stone!" The governor's eyes lit up when he saw the stone sitting beside Meng Jingzhou.
It was just as he had expected—the very stone that could never be allowed to circulate in the market.
Noticing the governor's reaction, the Mo Family Patriarch knew his own guess had been correct.
The third shadow's eyes also shone with excitement. Though he had never seen what a top-grade Phoenix Blood Stone looked like, this quality was close enough even if it wasn't the absolute finest. It would suffice.
"By the way, Milord, what do we need this Phoenix Blood Stone for?" the governor asked casually.
Perhaps because the objective was right before his eyes, the third shadow unwittingly lowered his guard and replied offhandedly, "To refine the phoenix beneath our feet into a corpse puppet, of course! We'll overturn all of Luofeng Commandery and magnify the might of our Nine Nether Cult! The foundation is already laid; all we need is a top-grade Phoenix Blood Stone to serve as the core."
"You're from the Nine Nether Cult?!" the Mo Family Patriarch blurted out.
"Isn't that obvious? If we aren't the Nine Nether Cult, could we be the Immortal Cult... Wait, who are you two!" The third shadow suddenly realized these two men weren't his subordinates at all!
The three thieves who had broken into the residence instantly went on high alert, on the verge of striking at the slightest provocation.
"Now that you've discovered me, you cannot be allowed to live!" The third shadow lashed out ruthlessly, unleashing the full might of his peak Soul Formation cultivation, intending to seize the chance to slaughter the two of them.
The governor and the Mo Family Patriarch were no pushovers either. They were also Soul Formation cultivators; did he really think he could kill them in an instant? Who would kill whom was anyone's guess!
At that very moment, space solidified. None of the three could move a muscle, as if time itself had frozen.
Altering the rules—the power of the Body Integration stage.
Su Yiren had intervened.
Chapter 226