Chapter 1009: Chapter 528: Obtaining the Spiritual Pearl (2) "The scorching energy brewing within you is rare among thousands. I treated you as a furnace, using it to brew a century of power for myself. What harm is there in giving you a Spiritual Pearl?" "I... was treated as a furnace?" "Yes, I used your flesh and blood and spirit to brew scorching energy. The Spiritual Pearl is your reward." As he spoke, the great bird carefully groomed its feathers, clearly very satisfied. Gu Sheng scrutinized it closely, realizing it was indeed different from before. However, he really hadn’t expected to be unknowingly used as a furnace. Just as Gu Sheng wanted to ask more, the great bird suddenly flapped its wings. "Fated one, farewell." With those words, the great bird soared high into the sky. At the moment it vanished, the entire South Mountain seemed to lose its luster. Retracting his gaze, Gu Sheng suddenly noticed a Qingmu box appeared under the tree. His heart stirred, and he quickly approached it. Excitedly opening the box, and seeing the various treasures inside glittering with a dazzling light, Gu Sheng almost burst into laughter. He not only received a Spiritual Pearl, but also the treasure beneath the soul! Truly a double blessing! As dawn approached, Gu Sheng, fearing more complications, quickly stored the items in his storage ring and swiftly returned to his group. "The sky is about to brighten, everyone, quickly follow me down the mountain." Upon hearing this, everyone hurriedly withdrew their Divine Power and followed him downhill with all their belongings. Gu Sheng sensed the Divine Power in all directions and ultimately chose an extremely steep cliff. He needed to leap down in one bound and then use Divine Power to catch everyone one by one. Er Gou was the last to jump down, and after being caught safely, his forehead was still covered in cold sweat. "Brother Sheng, if it weren’t for you below, I wouldn’t jump no matter who else it was. It’s too terrifying." As he said this, everyone burst into laughter. "Don’t worry, with Brother Sheng here, nothing will happen to you." "Of course, my Brother Sheng is wise and brave. I wouldn’t trust my life in anyone else’s hands as much as in his." "You brat, stop flattering and get moving." Shi Lou gave him a pull, and they quickly headed toward the foot of the mountain. At this time, those who entered South Mountain were gathering at the mountaintop, leaving the foot of the mountain empty and their speed naturally faster. As they were about to exit South Mountain, Gu Sheng turned and chose another route. Everyone understood his meaning and immediately followed. As night fell, they finally emerged from South Mountain. Seeing no one outside, Gu Sheng let out a huge sigh of relief. There weren’t many sects entering South Mountain, with most guarding outside. He took a long time choosing this path; fortunately, he chose correctly. There was indeed no one outside, preventing potential rumors and additional troubles. "Let’s go back to Stone Village." Everyone exchanged glances and smiled as they started their journey home. Halfway along the route, Gu Sheng and his group were, those on the mountain were still searching for the Spiritual Pearl. Unable to find any sign of the Spiritual Pearl for a long time, some looked anxious. "Everyone who entered South Mountain is here, so it’s impossible for someone to secretly take the Spiritual Pearl, right? Could the appearance of the Spiritual Pearl be fake?" Hearing this, someone suddenly stood up and said, "No, not everyone who entered South Mountain has gathered. There’s still one group without any flags missing!" After he spoke, many people began to realize. "Yes, yes, it’s that fringe group, they’re not here. Could they have taken the Spiritual Pearl? Who knows where they’re from?" After this question, no one at the scene responded. Zhang Ping let out a cold laugh, swaggering forward to speak: "It can’t be them, just the people from Stone Village, what ability do they have to take the Spiritual Pearl?" "They’re from Stone Village?" "Yes, I have some connections with them." "But now everyone is here except them. Are you sure it wasn’t them who took it?" Zhang Ping was just about to speak, but Luan Yun seized the opportunity. "I can assure you, because brother Zhang Ping and I saw with our own eyes people from Stone Village being crushed to death by stones." This statement caused an uproar among everyone. At this point, someone speculatively asked, "Who killed them? They didn’t die at the hands of the wild sprites, but were crushed by rocks. It must have been intentional, right?" As this doubt was raised, everyone suddenly understood. As Zhang Ping and Luan Yun were still basking in their pride, many eyes turned to them. "Could it be you from Stone Village and Purple Mist Peak? Did you take action and disturb the Spiritual Pearl?" "No, no, no, it wasn’t us. We just happened to see it." Luan Yun hurriedly distanced himself from suspicion, and Zhang Ping quickly followed his lead. However, under so many eyes, the more they explained, the more nervous they became, and the more they explained, the more people doubted them. As discussions buzzed, Lan Yao glanced at them, then turned to leave. On the way, Gu Sheng and his group found a rare inn to rest. Gu Sheng took out some Silver Tael, directly handing it to Shi Lou. "We’ve been tiring ourselves for a while; it’s time for a good reward. You take this Silver and make the arrangements. Let me know if it’s not enough." Weighing the money bag in his hand, Shi Lou was overjoyed. "Brother Sheng, this is enough. What would you like to eat?" "Order some good food and drinks." "Understood." Shi Lou walked out happily, and Gu Sheng and the others took the opportunity to rest a bit. In private, Gu Sheng entered the spiritual world and took out the Qingmu box from the storage ring. Looking at the various jewelry inside, he couldn’t help but smile broadly. He took everything out at once, divided it according to the number of people to ensure fairness, and then put everything away. Since there weren’t enough boxes in the storage ring, he could only casually wrap them with Divine Power. When Huang Shan came by, Gu Sheng mentioned this matter. After hearing they truly acquired the treasure, Huang Shan beamed with joy. "Brother Sheng, it looks like this trip wasn’t in vain!" "Indeed, no one expected such a harvest. We not only got the Spiritual Pearl and treasure, but also the Purple Spiritual Grass. Quite a windfall." As soon as he finished speaking, Er Gou opened the door enthusiastically. "Brother Sheng, Shi Lou prepared a lot of good food and drink and is calling us down." Hearing this, Gu Sheng quickly rose. During their time in South Mountain, they survived on Spirit Stones and Purple Spiritual Grass, nearly forgetting the taste of wine and meat. Downstairs, everyone sat around a table, smiling at the feast of wine and meat laid before them. Gu Sheng gestured grandly: "Eat and drink as much as you want, order more if needed." With his command, everyone immediately indulged. In just one dinner, they had the wine and meat dishes changed three times, scaring the waiter into staying nearby, fearing someone might overeat and die in the establishment. Not until the final round of dishes were finished, did everyone lean back, patting their full bellies and burping. Just as they were basking in their feast, a group of people approached from outside the inn, locking eyes with them from a distance. Sensing something amiss, Gu Sheng sharply looked over. When he saw Lan Yao, he paused for a moment. "Gu Sheng, I didn’t expect to meet you here, it’s quite a coincidence, isn’t it? Isn’t this another reunion?" Seeing his excited expression, Gu Sheng smiled, nodding. "It is quite a coincidence. I thought you were still in South Mountain, didn’t expect to find you here." "There’s nothing on South Mountain, everyone said you were dead. I couldn’t stay, so I thought of checking out Stone Village. Didn’t expect to run into you here, Gu Sheng, I’m so glad you’re alive." Lan Yao looked at him intently, gradually tearing up. Gu Sheng could see that his emotions were genuine. "Don’t get too excited. Here I am, alive and well. Why would someone spread that I’m dead?" "Not only did they spread you were dead, but they said everyone from Stone Village was dead too." "Who said that?" "Zhang Ping from the Heisha Sect and Luan Yun from Purple Mist Peak. They claimed they saw you die with their own eyes, crushed by falling stones." Hearing this, Gu Sheng raised an eyebrow. Recalling what he saw that day, he finally knew who pushed those stones down. "I didn’t expect it was them..." Gu Sheng murmured, as Lan Yao quickly asked, "Gu Sheng, what are you saying?" "Nothing, have your people take a seat, and let’s have a drink."