"Exactly. Combining the strength of our families to forcefully suppress any dissenters is far better than letting that Dharma Orb disappear into someone's pocket for nothing. Even if it's already been swallowed, it won't have been refined yet. One way or another, we have to get that Dharma Orb out!" Patriarch Lais laughed sinisterly.

  Leo, standing not far away, felt a chill run down his spine. Fortunately, he possessed that mysterious boundary space within him that could hold spiritual items. Otherwise, he would be in grave danger. He always made it a habit to store his valuables inside the boundary. His storage pouch was merely for show, hanging empty at his waist—not even a single low-grade spirit stone inside. For a cultivator venturing into the mountains, that was decidedly abnormal.

  Moreover, the severed arm had fallen right next to him. People nearby had seen it. A flash of inspiration struck Leo. He began grumbling loudly, "Damn it! I'd like to know which bastard made off with the Dharma Orb. Days of work and I haven't even gotten a single hair from it! Now the best treasure is gone. Might as well pick up a few spirit stones to salvage something from this mess."

  Hearing Leo's words, the others suddenly snapped out of it. Right! Most of them had been charging after the Dharma Orb and the demon core. And now those were gone. They had wasted so much time already. At least there were still plenty of water and ice-attributed spirit stones scattered on the lake bed. With luck, they might even uncover one or two rare forging ores. Whatever the case, they should grab what they could first.

  Leo casually tossed a few worthless spiritual herbs and a couple of spirit stones into his storage pouch.

  He glanced up and saw Long-Browed Old Freak and Patriarch Lais looking in his direction, as if trying to memorize the faces of everyone nearby. Then, the various cultivation families and the leaders of the scattered cultivator groups departed, each with their followers. While the ordinary cultivators were still busily scouring the lake bed, these family heads and team leaders had already stationed their people, sealing off all the key paths leading away from the lake.

  Leo watched them leave with a sly grin, then rejoined the treasure hunt at the lake bottom.

  The lake bed wasn't very large. It could hold a few thousand people, but barely. Earlier, during the frenzy for the Dharma Orb and demon core, few had paid attention to the items scattered underfoot. Now that the most valuable treasures had vanished, the scattered cultivators were searching with a vengeance, digging everywhere. Soon, the lake bed was picked clean. There was nothing left but mud and a few stray weeds.

  However, by the time these scattered cultivators tried to leave the lake and return to the shore, they found their way already blocked by the heavily-guarded family cultivators stationed around the lake.

  "What gives? Why won't you let us pass?" someone immediately shouted in dissatisfaction.

  "You might be wealthy cultivation families from Moonwatch Immortal City, but you think your family cultivators are so great? We outnumber you! If it comes to a fight, you won't be able to hold us off!" Another late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, a burly bearded man, roared in anger.

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  Leo smiled inwardly. He had noticed this burly bearded man earlier, pocketing a piece of ore worth no less than his own Crow Ore. Seeing the family cultivators blocking the way, he was naturally incensed. The loose cultivators' collective anger showed that their conflict with these family cultivators was long-standing.

  "Our family cultivators paid a heavy price to help kill that fourth-grade Crystal Toad. And now, some unknown person has secretly stolen the Dharma Orb. We only want that Dharma Orb. We won't touch any of your other spiritual items."

  A stern-faced, cold young man clad in dark spirit armor, radiating authority, stepped forward. Behind him were dozens of guards, all uniformly armored—these were Moonwatch Immortal City's own soldier-cultivators.

  A wave of murmurs rippled through the scattered cultivators, then gradually subsided. Even a city garrison officer had stepped forward, backed by this force. They could argue with ordinary family cultivators, but this cold young man represented the vast organization behind Moonwatch Immortal City.

  "No! We disagree! Moonwatch Immortal City has long had an unwritten rule: any spiritual items obtained through exploration in the mountains belong to the individual. No one has the right to forcibly demand them, unless you intend to openly rob us!" A late-stage Qi Refining elder protested angrily.

  "That's right! We disagree!" A chorus of voices from the scattered cultivators echoed in support.

  "Disagree? That's not for you to decide. I'll state it again: we only ask for the person who has the Dharma Orb to come forward. Everything else, we guarantee we won't touch. But if anyone wants to lead a rebellion, they'll be making an enemy of the Lais family!"

  "And an enemy of the Hoth family!"

  As the various family cultivators announced their names, the loose cultivators' voices noticeably weakened.

  "Fine, go ahead and search. I don't have much anyway." A young, slightly naive-looking youth, clearly a newcomer on his first mountain expedition, had only a few spirit stones in his pouch. He saw no reason to provoke these family cultivators.

  "Bastard!" The late-stage Qi Refining elder glared furiously. The young cultivator quickly looked away, unable to meet his eyes.

  "What's this? Picking on a youngster? This young friend is being reasonable. I'll vouch for him. You, come to our Lais family's forging workshop to get your artifacts crafted. Twenty percent off." Patriarch Lais, a shrewd man, quickly stepped in front of the young cultivator, shielding him from the elder's piercing gaze.

  "That's right! Our families have joined forces and control all businesses—pills, techniques, spirit artifacts, everything. The first hundred loose cultivators to cooperate can get a twenty percent discount at any of our establishments!" Other family heads quickly followed suit with similar offers.

  Another wave of murmurs swept through the loose cultivators. Spirit artifacts and techniques cost cultivators a considerable amount. Leo had paid over sixty spirit stones for his mid-grade spirit sword. A twenty percent discount would save him over a dozen stones. For a scattered cultivator, that was a significant saving.

  Like this young man, many loose cultivators didn't have much of value in their pouches. Letting someone take a look cost them nothing. Those who objected strongly were mostly the ones with considerable wealth, who feared being targeted. After all, murder and robbery were common among loose cultivators. But such people were a minority. A significant portion were tempted by the discount offered by the families. Getting one of the first hundred slots could save months of risking life and limb in the Moonwatch Mountains. So they voluntarily opened their pouches for inspection.

  Once the first few complied, the scattered cultivators, an undisciplined rabble at heart, quickly lost their cohesion. Seeing that the family cultivators truly were only searching for the Dharma Orb and had no other intentions, the rest, though unwilling, had no choice but to open their pouches as well.

  As more and more people left, the remaining dissenters, though vocal, were no match for the combined might of the family alliance. They had to swallow their pride and accept the situation.

  Leo followed the line. The person inspecting his pouch was an armoured woman, striking in her bearing. Seeing his pouch contained only two or three spirit stones and a couple of spiritual herbs, she muttered, "So poor and still so slow."

  "Heh heh, Sister Hong, were you hoping to land a rich husband?" a younger woman beside her giggled, covering her mouth.

  "Tell me about it. Wasted my time for nothing." The striking woman, Hong, yawned boredly.

  Leo, pouch in hand, rubbed his nose awkwardly and slipped away, blending into the departing crowd of loose cultivators. It wasn't his fault his pouch was so empty.