Time rolled back 30 minutes.
The Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon stealthily approached, arriving before the Cloud Fox Mountain God Temple on Mist Hidden Mountain.
Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong emerged from the Mechanical Dragon.
The temple doors were wide open, with worshippers coming and going, mostly villagers.
The sudden appearance of the two startled the villagers, but soon someone recognized them as guests who had previously visited the village and greeted them with smiles.
Sun Lingtong crossed his arms and remained silent.
Ning Zhuo, wearing a smile, nodded and greeted the villagers warmly in return.
The villagers responded enthusiastically, "Have you two decided? Praying here is definitely the right choice. The Fox God is very effective."
As soon as Sun Ning and his companion appeared at the entrance of the temple, the Fox God immediately sensed their presence and felt a slight jolt in his heart.
He had previously revealed the secrets of Shanxi Valley to the two intentionally. However, after waiting for days without any developments, the Fox God thought they had left Mist Hidden Mountain and never returned.
Little did he know, on that same day, Sun Ning had deliberately moved away from Mist Hidden Mountain using the Flowing Clouds and then activated the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon to secretly enter Shanxi Valley.
Although the Fox God was a sub-Mountain God, his true power on Mist Hidden Mountain only reached the Golden Core Level; he was unable to discern the whereabouts of Sun Ning and his companion.
He knew very little about what had transpired over these days, practically nothing.
Now, seeing Sun Ning returning abruptly, he immediately sensed that something significant was about to happen.
He then issued a divine decree.
The Fox Guest ran towards the entrance and bowed deeply to Sun Ning, "Honored guests, please come in!"
The bystanders expressed their surprise.
They had prayed to deities many times but had never seen the typically calm Fox Guest display such a humble demeanor.
Sun Lingtong shook his head repeatedly, "We won't go in; rather, let your master meet us halfway up the mountain."
They had been trapped inside the temple before, suffering a minor loss.
How could Sun Lingtong make the same mistake again?
This time, Sun Ning made no attempt to hide their tracks and let the still-invisible Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon follow behind. They each took out their Somersault Clouds and rode them downward.
As they descended to the middle of the mountain, a sudden burst of mountain mist appeared and quickly formed into the Fox God.
Having dismounted from the Flowing Clouds, the silver-haired, white-robed, slender Fox God was already there, standing on the ground, looking at them with a smile.
Sun Lingtong lightly jumped down, landing on the ground.
Ning Zhuo lowered his Somersault Cloud close to the ground, stretched his legs, and stowed the cloud away. The mist dispersed into his Storage Waist Belt as he naturally stood in front of the Fox God.
The first thing he said was, "Fox God, your troubles have erupted!"
The pupils of the Fox God slightly contracted, but his smile remained calm, "Young lad, it's been a long time since I saw you. I've missed you. It's unfortunate that this is the first thing you say upon our reunion; it's rather hurtful."
Ning Zhuo scoffed, "I've thoroughly investigated the case of the Black Wind Tiger Demon in Shanxi Valley."
"The Meng Family of the Golden Core secretly assisted those demons. They're already panicking."
"As for you, you knew but did not report it, failing in your duty as an officer of the Southern Bean Country. Shielding demons and assisting them in wreaking havoc in the region, your crime is severe, Fox God."
The expression of the Fox God changed, revealing a hint of panic.
"Young lad, you truly are remarkable!"
"In just a few days, you've uncovered the truth."
"This lady was forced, if not, I would have died and would never have met you."
"Under these dire circumstances, I was compelled to comply and aligned myself with the villains, but my loyalty is clear for all to see! I've always plotted to expose this conspiracy."
"That's why, upon meeting you, I immediately told you both."
"This surely proves my sincerity."
Sun Lingtong sneered, "What a clever Fox God, indeed. You informed us about the secrets of Shanxi Valley with the intention of deceiving us into investigating."
"If we were incapable, we'd have become a meal for the demons. I'm sure you've done this before, haven't you?"
"If we were equally strong and caused a ruckus, you could simply watch from the sidelines, exposing the secret and forcing the demons to leave Mist Hidden Mountain, thus clearing the troublesome situation for yourself."
"If we were stronger or even if we called for help and killed the demons, you'd reap the benefits effortlessly. After all, since the True Mountain God is gone, you, being the deputy, could ascend officially."
After Sun Lingtong revealed the Fox God's schemes directly,
the Fox God forced a smile, "Young lad, you really think too poorly of me."
He was about to explain further when Ning Zhuo interrupted by raising his hand, "Enough with the probing and acts. Let's save that energy. We can protect you. But Fox God, what can you offer in return?"
The Fox God slightly stunned, then delightfully ventured, "This lady is willing to offer ten thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones."
Spirit Stones are divided into Low-Grade, Mid Grade, Top Grade, and Top Grade.
A thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones could roughly be converted into a hundred Mid Grade Spirit Stones, which could in turn be exchanged for ten Top Grade Spirit Stones.
This kind of conversion is just a general market reference.
In reality, under the same conditions, most cultivators would prefer quality. Between ten Top Grade Spirit Stones and a hundred Mid Grade Spirit Stones, basically no cultivators would choose the latter.
As for Top Grade Spirit Stones, they are priceless, and this conversion relationship cannot be used as a reference.
Ten thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones constitute a huge fortune.
But Sun Lingtong immediately shook his head, "Tsk, are you trying to fob off a beggar?"
Fox God said, "This servant hasn't finished speaking yet, young boy, don't be impatient."
She looked at Ning Zhuo, her beautiful eyes sparkling, "This servant is also willing to offer six Walnut Mountain Essences of Golden Core Level."
Walnut Mountain Essence is a specialty of the mountains, a kind of essence of the mountain rocks.
It is small in size, resembling a walnut kernel, but its foundation is thick and heavy, capable of carrying a large number of Array Patterns. It is excellent for use as an Array Base.
Inside Heavy Blood Ape·Victory, there are many Walnut Mountain Essences. However, they are all at the Foundation Establishment Level.
To switch to Golden Core Level Walnut Mountain Essences would mean the arrays it could accommodate inside its body could potentially increase tenfold or more!
Ning Zhuo was tempted, but his expression remained unchanged.
Sun Lingtong and he acted in tacit agreement, calling out directly, "Fox God, you should know that our origins are extraordinary, we are from a wealthy family. Merely six pieces of Walnut Mountain Essence, that's really underestimating us."
The smile on Fox God's face receded as she took a light breath, "This servant is also willing to offer three hundred Mist Embroidery Orchids, a hundred and eighty Smog Stones and sixty drops of Purple Qi morning dew."
Mist Embroidery Orchid is a type of white orchid that only grows in environments rich in clouds and mist. It is often used to make deception-class Talismans or Elixir Pills to mask scents.
Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu had previously stolen many while inside the body of the Cloud Whale.
Smog Stones can only be found in areas of dense fog that never dissipates. Crushing one releases a vast fog, covering a radius of several miles.
Purple Qi morning dew is essentially just morning dew, but its value lies in its contained Purple Qi.
The phrase "Purple Qi coming from the east" addresses many cultivator's Cultivation Techniques, which emphasize absorbing the strands of Purple Qi that the rising sun scatters on the heaven and earth at dawn.
There are countless dewdrops in the mountains early in the morning, some of which can gather a bit of Purple Qi, but as the temperature rises, the dewdrops evaporate into vapor, and the Purple Qi naturally dissipates into the environment.
A Mountain God like Fox God has an extraordinary advantage in collecting morning dew.
Although all these morning dews are only at the Qi Refining Level, the Purple Qi is very useful for Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong, and they hold considerable value.
But Sun Lingtong still shook his head, "Not enough, not enough!"
Fox God glared, her expression chilling, "Young boy, you really have a big appetite. can you digest all that you bite off?"
Sun Lingtong snorted coldly, "You should worry about yourself."
Fox God, gritting her teeth, had no choice but to up her offer again, "Thirteen stalks of Ghost Shadow Bamboo, each at Foundation Establishment Level. These are all my treasures, this should be sufficient, right?"
Sun Lingtong raised his eyebrows.
Having run the Black Market for many years, he was naturally well aware of the value of goods.
Ghost Shadow Bamboo is quite rare, growing only in very sinister places. Often, these places are infested with a massive number of Ghosts, extremely menacing.
Ghost Shadow Bamboo itself can harbor lonely spirits. As it sways, the bamboo shadows look like ghosts, drifting off the ground, capable of killing enemies and seizing lives.
Ghost Shadow Bamboo contains a vast amount of Yin Qi, making it a tremendous resource for cultivation for some cultivators.
For cultivators entering the Ghost Market, ghost shadow lanterns made from Ghost Shadow Bamboo are one of the most suitable treasures to pave the way.
In short, because Ghost Shadow Bamboo is very scarce, it often appears in auctions where any stalk in decent condition can fetch the price of a Golden Core Level material.
This time, the Fox God didn't just offer one stalk, but as many as thirteen. For a newly ascended Mountain God, she really was putting everything on the line. In fact, Sun Lingtong found it unbelievable — how could the Fox God offer so much? Was the Mountain God of Mist Hidden Mountain earning that much?
"Logically speaking, Mist Hidden Mountain isn't a place that produces Ghost Shadow Bamboo," Sun Lingtong felt puzzled and directly asked.
The Fox God gave a wry smile, "That Devil, Black Wind Tiger, inherently contains the Innate Night Shadow Yin Fiend. It has slaughtered many living beings, all gathered in the Shanxi Valley. Therefore, only there, occasionally, some Ghost Shadow Bamboo might grow."
"Both young masters, this servant has only recently become a god. I have put forth all my possessions in exchange for my life and atonement."
"I hope the two of you can pity this humble god..."
The Fox God was on the verge of tears.
Sun Lingtong coldly sneered. He was much more experienced in this kind of extortion than Ning Zhuo. "Humph, Fox God, you can't deceive me. These aren't your most treasured possessions. I can tell just by looking!"
"You must understand, by taking your items, we are helping you."
"What we get is only a small part; to atone for you, we need to make sure everything is in order everywhere."
"Even at this point, you're still clinging to some of your wealth, which really is unwise."
"When it's time for your mountain to be cut down and your temple destroyed, your body to crumble, and your Spiritual Nature to be obliterated, what use will those treasures be then?"