Mortal: I, Zhang Tie, started by joining forces with Han Li to kill a strategist.

If Zhang Tie hadn't known Xie Changkong's background, he would have truly believed he had slandered an innocent person.

Until one day, Zhang Tie vaguely felt that something was wrong.

It wasn't Xie Changkong and Tang Zixu, but rather the raw spirit stone ore mined from the spirit stone mine.

According to his intuition, the daily output of raw spirit stones mined from this spirit stone mine is not low, and after purification, it can yield about sixty to seventy spirit stones.

However, Zhang Tie's divine sense inadvertently swept over the warehouse where spirit stone ore was stored and discovered that the quantity of spirit stone ore was incorrect.

Zhang Tie vaguely sensed that he seemed to have grasped something, but he didn't make a sound and instead observed in secret.

The daily storage of spirit stone ore in the warehouse requires verification by Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the person in charge of verification is none other than the usually cheerful Tang Zixu.

Zhang Tie secretly observed the entire process and finally figured out what the two were up to behind the scenes, sighing at their audacity.

After the spirit stone ore is mined, the Qi Refining stage manager stores the ore in the warehouse. Tang Zixu personally inspects it, but he secretly intercepts a portion of the spirit stone ore.

However, this guy won't keep much, only about 10%.

Based on the daily value of sixty spirit stones for raw spirit stone ore, those raw spirit stone ore pieces are only worth five or six spirit stones each. It may not seem like much, but when added up, it becomes quite a large sum!

That's over 150 spirit stones a month, and 1,800 spirit stones a year!

These two guys actually acted like rats in secret, intercepting raw stones from the spirit stone mine.

If it weren't for his soul power being comparable to the late Foundation Establishment stage, coupled with his cultivation of the Spirit Seeking Technique and his keen perception of spiritual energy, he really wouldn't have been able to detect it.

One thousand eight hundred spirit stones, split in half between the two, would amount to nine hundred spirit stones. This was no small sum for a Foundation Establishment cultivator; in a year, they could embezzle two top-tier magic artifacts of the finest quality.

"No wonder Xie pretended nothing happened!" Zhang Tie sneered inwardly, understanding why this guy was so patient.

Xie Changkong wasn't indifferent to his grudges with the Xie family, but he was afraid that he would ruin things. If things were exposed because of targeting Zhang Tie and it got to the sect, Xie Changkong and Tang Zixu would definitely be in deep trouble!

So their plan was to keep him calm and let him get through the year peacefully, and then get out of there as soon as possible!

That makes sense now!

It seems that for Xie Changkong, the grudges between the Xie family and Zhang Tie are insignificant in the face of absolute interests!

But now that we know what these two guys did, how should we deal with them to maximize their benefits?

Reporting directly to the sect? That's probably not an option!

The two have been stationed at this mine for a long time, and it's likely that they've been intercepting raw spirit stone ore for quite some time now. Spirit stone ore isn't something you can just take out and use; it needs to be processed and purified.

There must be others behind them, and there might even be other Foundation Establishment cultivators involved. By the time the sect reports and investigates, it will be too late. To deal with them, the people behind them must be uprooted!

Pretending not to see it is impossible. As one of the guards, he also has a responsibility. If the matter is exposed in the future, he will probably be implicated as well.

Zhang Tie pondered for a long time, with plans flashing through his mind. He even considered joining the two of them, but quickly rejected the idea.

Ultimately, Zhang Tie decided to stabilize the situation first, find out the accomplices of these two men or find incriminating evidence. The more he knew, the more room there would be for further maneuvering.

...

In the days that followed, Zhang Tie acted as if nothing had happened, continuing his duties and cultivation as usual.

Tang Zixu remained enthusiastic, while Xie Changkong maintained his calm expression throughout.

It wasn't until the third month that the sect's steward, sent to collect the spirit stone ore, arrived at the mine.

The steward was also at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, with a stern face. He meticulously counted the spirit stones and raw ores. Xie Changkong and Tang Zixu personally accompanied him, while Zhang Tie stood at a distance, pretending not to be interested in joining in the fun, but his divine sense quietly probed out.

However, under Zhang Tie's late-stage Foundation Establishment level divine soul, nothing could escape his notice. Xie Changkong and that Deacon Liu's divine soul power were both lower than his, so they couldn't sense his probing at all.

Sure enough, Zhang Tie discovered something interesting.

"That's utterly absurd!"

Watching Xie Changkong and Deacon Liu secretly communicate via telepathy while exchanging ore, a hint of sarcasm flashed through Zhang Tie's mind.

Zhang Tie's divine sense detected the subtle fluctuations in spiritual energy and directly intercepted their conversation. He marveled at the benefits of having strong divine sense.

"Should we proceed with the usual procedures for this batch of ore?" Deacon Liu transmitted his voice.

"As usual, 30% will go to the higher-ups, and 70% will be transported to my Xie family's territory. The secret chamber is already prepared, and with my Xie family's Foundation Establishment cultivator personally overseeing it, everything will be foolproof."

"Have you made contact with the Earthly Fiend Stronghold? When will the handover take place?"

"It's all set. Same old spot. This batch of ore is of good quality; it should yield at least a thousand spirit stones. Thirty percent will go to that person, and the rest will be a good share for you and me!"

"My senior brother is currently in seclusion; please don't disturb him!"

"..."

Zhang Tie slowly withdrew his divine sense, his face remaining calm, but his heart was in turmoil.

Besides the three in front of us, the entire Xie family was involved, and there were indeed people behind them. Only a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator could be called "Senior Brother" by a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator!

The Di Sha Village was also involved. If I remember correctly, the Di Sha Village was a bandit stronghold in Tian Que Fort. Chao Feng, who was killed at the Ascension Conference, was from this Di Sha Village, and he also seized the Qing Gang Pagoda!

What a small world! We've met again after all this time!

However, although Di Sha Village is ostensibly a bandit stronghold, everyone knows that it has intricate connections with Tian Que Fortress, though Tian Que Fortress has always denied it.

According to Xie Changkong and Steward Liu, this batch of ore will be transported to the Xie family's ancestral land for storage, and then transferred to the Disha Village to be sold as stolen goods.

The time is three months from now!!!

Zhang Tie secretly regretted that he was too busy to be in two places at once and would still be on duty at the mine three months later. Otherwise, he would definitely have played the role of the cicada that stalks the cicada and given the Xie family a big surprise.

But there's no rush. Xie Changkong is stationed here for a long time. They trade every six months. By the time the next trade takes place, his mission period will be over.

However, Zhang Tie wasn't sure if that late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator would appear.

His current cultivation level is mid-Foundation Establishment. With his Golden Embryo Body, Azure Gang Tower, Azure Wood True Cover, Golden Locking Ring, and Six Harmonies Sealing Array, he should be more than capable of dealing with cultivators of the same level. However, Zhang Tie is not confident in dealing with late-Foundation Establishment cultivators, since he has never actually fought one before.

Just to be on the safe side, I'll focus on improving my foundation over the next few months and gathering a few strands of malevolent energy to prepare for any eventuality.

Three months ago, when Zhang Tie broke through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, three strands of Demon-Slaying Golden Qi successfully condensed in the golden light cluster in his dantian, and they were slowly condensing at a rate of one strand every six months.

According to the description of the Demon-Slaying Golden Qi in the "Mysterious Earth Contains Gold Technique", the amount of Demon-Slaying Golden Qi that can be condensed is not fixed, but depends on the cultivator's Golden Embryo and the purity of spiritual power. However, a cultivator in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage can usually condense nine strands of Demon-Slaying Golden Qi.

The Po Sha Jin Qi, capable of easily piercing through the protective aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator and the defensive magic artifacts, is Zhang Tie's most closely guarded trump card!