Young Noble Be Monster Slaying-Chapter 783: A Thief in the House (II)

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

A massive beast, nearly thirty stories tall, stomped forward, shaking the ground with every step. It had the body of a lion and a tiger combined, but its hooves looked more like those of an ox or a horse. Its features were hard to make out under the heavy armor covering its entire body. The sheer size of the armor alone must have taken an unimaginable amount of gold and iron to create.

And yet, even that was not the most shocking sight.

The beast stomped toward a massive metal fortress, a mountain made entirely of adamantine steel. There were no trees, only giant weapons like swords, spears, and halberds piercing the sky like a forest of blades. Instead of cliffs and boulders, the entire stronghold was forged from solid steel. Armored beasts roamed freely, their heavy steps shaking the ground, while even the birds soaring above glided through the air in chainmail.

This was the War Tomb Mountain.

This was a sect that specialized in battle formations. It had always been a powerful force in the nine provinces, but it remained in the shadows. Now, it had finally stepped into the light, and the world could see just how terrifying its strength truly was.

Boom!

A streak of azure light tore across the distant sky, falling like a shooting star. Moments later, a deafening explosion shook the land.

"What was that?!"

"Enemy attack!"

"No... it’s our junior brothers at the Beast Cavalry Battalion!"

As the dust settled, the source of the azure light became clear. It was a Wind Roarer that looked rather extraordinary. Slumped on its back were several disciples of the War Tomb Mountain, Both the disciples and the beast were gravely injured, appearing battered and bloodied.

"Who did this?!" a fierce man clad in armor shouted angrily "Who would dare hurt a brother of War Tomb Mountain?!"

A young disciple, less severely injured than the others, struggled to lift his head. With great effort, he spoke in a weak and shaky voice, "It was... a Confucian cultivator. He saw our War Tomb Mountain armor and attacked us on sight... He first questioned our sect’s ranking among the immortal sects, saying we weren’t qualified to compete with the Yushan Academy for a place in the Terrestrial Ten... that we didn’t know our place. And... he even said he’d beat us up every time he saw us."

Furious roars erupted from the assembled warriors of War Tomb Mountain. "Raaaaaar!"

If this had happened at Silver Sword Peak, anyone except Di Nufeng would have questioned whether the attacker was truly a Confucian cultivator. They would have wondered why someone from the Yushan Academy would act so recklessly and whether this was an attempt to stir up conflict between the sect and the Yushan Academy.

After all, it seemed far too simple and direct. If this were a fishing attempt, it would be like dangling bait on an obvious bare hook—served up with a side of garlic and scallions.

But War Tomb Mountain, like the Great Astral Sect, was a sect built on martial traditions, and this kind of provocation worked perfectly on its members.

"We’ll kill them and avenge our brothers!"

"Flatten the Yushan Academy!"

"No—while we’re at it, let’s smash the Ascending Dragon Academy too!"

As the war cries grew louder, one man remained calm. He was older and carried an air of wisdom. He raised his hand and said, "Brothers, calm down. Something about this doesn’t sit right."

The warriors turned to him in unison. "Hm? Eldest Senior Brother, what seems off?"

The man with an air of wisdom spoke slowly and clearly. "I suspect... that person isn’t even from the Yushan Academy!"

"Oh?" Everyone was stunned. Confusion spread through the crowd as they all asked at once, "How do you know?"

"I once fought a Confucian cultivator at the Assembly of Immortal Sects. I know their moves and techniques well. But the injuries our brothers sustained—vicious and sinister—are nothing like those caused by the divine arts of a Confucian cultivator." The man, exuding an air of wisdom, enunciated each word with precision. "So let me make a bold conjecture... that person was hired by the Yushan Academy!"

"Ah!" A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

Someone spoke up in admiration, "Eldest Senior Brother, you are wise as expected! If not for you, we never would have thought of this!"

"The Yushan Academy is truly despicable! They wanted to ambush us, even if it meant hiring outsiders to do their dirty work."

"Let's raze that academy to the ground!"

Atop War Tomb Mountain, the flames of war blazed to life. Battle flags fluttered fiercely in the wind, as if heralding the rise of an unstoppable storm.

...

Meanwhile, on Mount Shu...

"CEO Chu, did you call me here to discuss about our sect competing for a place in the Terrestrial Ten?" Huan Leisheng asked eagerly.

As turmoil swept across the nine provinces, the competition for the Terrestrial Ten had become the talk of the world. Yet, Chu Liang continued watching events unfold from a place of ease. Day after day, he took Huan Leisheng to celebration feasts, welcoming banquets, business dinners... all revolving around commercial partnerships, steadily pushing the Talismanic Sect’s business ventures onto the right track.

However, he didn't mention a single word of the competition.

Huan Leisheng wasn’t particularly obsessed with securing a spot in the Terrestrial Ten, but since they had already entered, they couldn’t just show up unprepared and make a fool of themselves. At the very least, shouldn’t they recruit a few disciples to meet the minimum headcount?

Yet, Chu Liang not only refused but even rejected Huan Leisheng’s request to recall the disciples he had previously dismissed.

Chu Liang explained that the Talismanic Sect wasn’t the same anymore. Now that it was under his leadership, it was officially part of the Mount Shu Sect. Because of that, the benefits for the disciples had to be the same as those of the Mount Shu Sect’s disciples. He added that it was like having an official staff limit, meaning positions in the sect couldn’t be given out randomly, since it would affect the sect’s interests.

Of course, Huan Leisheng didn’t understand a thing about benefits, salaries, or staffing quotas. All he knew was that while the outside world was in chaos, with sect leaders dropping like flies, the Mount Shu Sect was still sitting idly by, playing some childish game.

By the time the competition started, how could he possibly compete with the others as a sect leader with no disciples?

Still, Chu Liang was the Chief Executive Overseer, and as a subordinate sect leader, Huan Leisheng had to answer to him. Even without the hierarchy, he had an almost unquestioning trust in Chu Liang’s wisdom. With all of this in mind, he could only hold back his complaints.

And so, Huan Leisheng asked helplessly, "CEO Chu, why did you call me here?"

"Ah, Mister Huan," Chu Liang said, "do you have any talismans that can prevent theft?"

It turned out that something had happened at his fruit garden on Silver Sword Peak. Previously, he had buried many powerful evil cultivators beneath the fruit garden. He had given them a proper burial, planted a seed as a mark of respect, and tended to their graves daily with cleaning and watering. At first, everything had been thriving.

However, a few days ago, a shocking theft occurred at the fruit garden. A Threefold Supreme Clarity Spirit Herb, nearly ready to mature, was stolen. Chu Liang mourned deeply for the loss, as though someone had stabbed him in the heart. After all, this plant was the result of his painstaking ritual offerings.

Ever since Red Cotton Peak flourished, the first layer of the grand formation protecting Mount Shu had remained active at all times, making it nearly impossible for outsiders to sneak in.

Therefore, if something had been stolen, the culprit was most likely an insider.

On Silver Sword Peak, there were only a handful of living beings. Naturally, the first person Chu Liang suspected was his esteemed teacher. However, the moment the thought crossed his mind, he dismissed it. If his teacher had wanted the spirit plant, she would have taken it openly. Why would she bother sneaking around?

Next on his list of suspects was Golden-Furred Hou. That rascal had recently retired from Red Cotton Peak and had nothing better to do. These days, it spent most of its time running wild with the Baize youngling. If that big, dumb head of his suddenly came up with a mischievous idea, stealing and munching on a spirit plant wouldn’t be out of the question.

Then there was Fierce Draconic Colt. This wild stallion probably had no concept of stealing. Nevertheless, what if it had trampled a plant in its wild frolicking and swallowed the evidence to avoid punishment? That wasn’t entirely impossible either.

As for Liu Xiaoyu'er and Liu Xiaoyu, the two sisters were always well-behaved and didn’t seem like the type to steal.

Besides, Chu Liang had set up an enchanted formation around the spirit plants, but it had been forcefully broken through. The method seemed more in line with the behavior of the beasts he had mentioned earlier, rather than the way the two sisters would normally act.

After a moment of contemplation, Chu Liang decided to strengthen the security measures, which was why he sought Huan Leisheng's advice.

The moment Huan Leisheng heard the request, his confidence soared. "Oh, that’s easy! We just need to modify a Tracking Talisman and combine it with a powerful attack talisman. I can set up a talismanic formation. Once the thief touches the spirit plant, they'll be bombarded from all directions!"

Chu Liang listened to him speak confidently, nodding in agreement the entire time.

Once Huan Leisheng left, Chu Liang reinforced the enchanted formation, carefully set up the talismanic spell, and then settled in to wait for the thief to take the bait.

Sure enough, that very night, the talisman detected something.

At the time, Chu Liang had been cultivating, quietly meditating on the Yin-Yang Seed. Suddenly, he felt the motion from the Tracking Talisman, followed by a loud explosion from the fruit garden.

Boom!

"A thief?!" Chu Liang shouted, leaping into the air without hesitation.

But someone was even faster than him. He immediately felt a blazing streak of firelight shoot past him and saw Di Nufeng roaring as she charged forward with her claws up.

At the same time, she yelled, "Who dares steal from my Silver Sword Peak?!"

Di Nufeng arrived, followed closely by Chu Liang. Together, they stared at a gaping crater in the middle of the fruit garden, right where the spirit plants had been growing. It was clear that the explosion from the talismanic formation had caused the damage.

However, the thief had vanished. All that remained at the scene were a few black-and-white strands of fur drifting in the air.

As they scanned the area with their divine sense, they quickly pinpointed a shadow lurking at the edge of the slope, blending into the darkness.

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

The figure was small and stocky, barely half the height of a person. It had a round, plump body, a tiny medicine basket strapped to its back, and fur that was unmistakably black and white.

It's a... chubby little thief? Chu Liang thought. He couldn’t help but feel that the back of this thief looked very familiar.

Di Nufeng exclaimed in surprise, "An iron-eating beast?"