**: The Atonement Gold**

Time goes back to the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

The Ten-Thousand-Mile Roaming Dragon, concealed and hidden, arrived at Fog Hidden Mountain, right in front of the Cloud Fox Mountain God Temple.

Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong emerged from the mechanical roaming dragon.

The temple gates were wide open, with worshippers already coming and going, mostly villagers.

Seeing the two appear suddenly, the villagers were startled, but then someone recognized them as the guests who had visited the village before and greeted them with a smile.

Sun Lingtong crossed his arms and said nothing.

Ning Zhuo wore a faint smile, nodding amiably in response to the villagers' greetings, his attitude very friendly.

The villagers were quite enthusiastic: "Have you two guests come to a decision? It's absolutely the right choice to offer incense and make wishes here. The Fox God is very efficacious."

The moment Sun and Ning appeared at the temple entrance, the Fox God sensed them immediately and felt a slight jump in its heart.

It had previously informed Sun and Ning about the secret of the valley west of the mountain, intentionally revealing the matter to them. But after waiting for days without any sign of movement, the Fox God had started to think they had truly left Fog Hidden Mountain and never returned.

Unbeknownst to it, that very day, Sun and Ning had deliberately ridden their cloud away from Fog Hidden Mountain before activating the Ten-Thousand-Mile Roaming Dragon to sneak into the valley west of the mountain.

Although the Fox God was a mountain deity, it was only a deputy, and its true power only reached the Golden Core level within Fog Hidden Mountain itself. It was utterly incapable of detecting Sun and Ning's movements.

It knew next to nothing about what had happened in the intervening days.

Now, seeing Sun and Ning suddenly return, it immediately sensed that a major event was about to occur.

It issued a divine edict.

A fox acolyte scurried out to the gate, bowing deeply to Sun and Ning: "Honored guests, please come in!"

The other worshippers nearby saw this and showed looks of surprise.

They had burned incense and worshipped the god many times but had never seen the usually calm and aloof fox acolyte display such a humble attitude.

Sun Lingtong shook his head repeatedly: "We won't be going in. Tell your master to meet us on the mountainside for a talk."

Last time, they had been trapped inside the temple and suffered a minor setback.

How could Sun Lingtong possibly repeat the same mistake?

This time, Sun and Ning made no attempt to conceal their tracks. They had the still-invisible Ten-Thousand-Mile Roaming Dragon follow them stealthily. The two of them then summoned their Somersault Clouds and rode down the mountain.

As they descended towards the mountainside, they saw a patch of mountain mist suddenly coalesce, quickly forming into the Fox God.

By the time Sun and Ning descended and their clouds dissipated, the silver-haired, white-clad Fox God, with her slender figure, had already landed first. She stood on the ground, looking at the two with a smile.

Sun Lingtong leaped lightly, his feet touching the ground.

Ning Zhuo lowered his cloud to just above the ground, stretched his legs, and retracted the cloud. The mist drifted into his storage belt as he stood naturally before the Fox God.

His first words were: "Fox God, your deeds have been exposed!"

The Fox God's pupils contracted slightly, but the smile on her face remained composed: "Young master, it's been days. This deity has missed you dearly. I didn't expect the first words upon reuniting with an old friend to be so hurtful to our rapport."

Ning Zhuo chuckled coldly: "I have fully investigated the case of the Black Wind Tiger Demon in the valley west of the mountain."

"The Meng family's Golden Core cultivator from Jade Steel Town secretly aided that group of demons and monsters. They are now extremely anxious."

"As for you, as a mountain god, you clearly knew but did not report it, failing in your duty as an official of the Southern Bean Kingdom. Sheltering demons and monsters, assisting them in wreaking havoc in the region... your crimes are severe, Fox God."

The Fox God's expression changed, a trace of panic flashing across her face.

"Young master is truly formidable!"

"To uncover the truth in just a few short days."

"This humble one was also forced! If I hadn't complied, I would have died long ago. How could I have met you then, young master?"

"Compelled by circumstances, this humble one could only yield reluctantly, serving the villains against my will. But my loyal heart is witness to heaven and earth! I have always plotted to expose this conspiracy."

"That's why, upon meeting you, young master, I immediately informed the two of you."

"This is ample proof of my sincerity."

Sun Lingtong sneered: "What a smooth talker, Fox God. By telling us the secret of the valley west of the mountain, you wanted to lure us into exploring it."

"If we were weak, we'd have become food for the demons. I suppose you've done that before, haven't you?"

"If we were evenly matched, causing a commotion, you could have watched from the sidelines, letting the secret be exposed and forcing that group of demons to leave Fog Hidden Mountain, thus removing your problem."

"If we were stronger, or simply brought help, and killed those demons, you'd effortlessly enjoy the fruits of victory. After all, the main mountain god is gone, so you, the deputy, could smoothly take the position."

Sun Lingtong's words directly laid bare the Fox God's scheme.

The Fox God forced a smile: "Little one, you think too poorly of this humble one."

She was about to continue explaining when Ning Zhuo raised a hand to stop her: "Enough, let's save the effort of mutual testing and acting. We can protect you, but Fox God, what can you offer?"

The Fox God was slightly taken aback, then showed a pleased expression, tentatively saying: "This humble one is willing to offer ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones."

Spirit stones are divided into low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and top-grade.

Approximately one thousand low-grade spirit stones can be exchanged for one hundred mid-grade spirit stones, or ten high-grade spirit stones.

This conversion is only a general market reference.

In reality, most cultivators, under the same conditions, prefer higher quality. Between ten high-grade stones and a hundred mid-grade stones, basically no cultivator would choose the latter.

As for top-grade spirit stones, they are priced but rarely available on the market; this conversion ratio doesn't apply.

Ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones are a huge fortune.

But Sun Lingtong immediately shook his head: "Tch, are you trying to fob off beggars?"

The Fox God said: "This humble one hasn't finished. Don't be impatient, little one."

She looked at Ning Zhuo, her beautiful eyes sparkling: "This humble one is also willing to offer six Golden Core-level Walnut Mountain Essences."

Walnut Mountain Essences are a specialty of great mountains, a type of mountain rock essence.

They are small in size, resembling walnut kernels, but have a solid foundation capable of bearing numerous array patterns. They are excellent for serving as array bases.

The Heavy Blood Ape·Da Sheng contained many Walnut Mountain Essences inside its body. However, those were only at the Foundation Establishment level.

If replaced with Golden Core-level Walnut Mountain Essences, the specifications and number of spell arrays it could carry inside would surely increase tenfold!

Ning Zhuo was tempted, but his expression remained unchanged.

Sun Lingtong, coordinating seamlessly with him, directly exclaimed: "Fox God, you should know we are from extraordinary backgrounds, a wealthy family. A mere six Walnut Mountain Essences? You underestimate us too much."

The Fox God's smile faded. She took a light breath: "This humble one is also willing to offer three hundred Mist Embroidered Orchids, one hundred and eighty Haze Stones, and sixty drops of Purple Dawn Dew."

Mist Embroidered Orchids are a type of white orchid that only grows in dense misty environments. They are often used to make disguise talismans or pills that conceal one's aura.

Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu had stolen many of these earlier inside the Cloud Whale.

Haze Stones are only produced deep within perpetual, dense fog. Crushing one can release a vast mist covering several square miles.

Purple Dawn Dew is essentially just morning dew; its preciousness lies in containing purple qi.

The so-called "Purple Qi Comes from the East" – many cultivation techniques emphasize absorbing the wisps of purple qi scattered across heaven and earth at dawn when the sun rises.

Morning dew in the mountains is countless; some can capture a bit of purple qi. Once the temperature rises, the dew evaporates, and the purple qi dissipates back into heaven and earth.

A mountain god like the Fox God has an extraordinary advantage in collecting morning dew.

Although the quality of this dew is only at the Qi Refining level, the purple qi is useful for both Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong, making it quite valuable.

But Sun Lingtong still shook his head: "Not enough, not enough!"

The Fox God widened her eyes, her face cooling: "Little one, your appetite is truly huge. Can you digest so much if you take it all?"

Sun Lingtong snorted coldly: "You should worry about yourself first."

The Fox God gritted her teeth and had to increase the offer again: "Thirteen stalks of Ghost Shadow Bamboo, each reaching the Foundation Establishment level. This is all my stored treasure. Surely that's enough?"

Sun Lingtong couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Having managed a black market for years, he naturally knew the value of goods well.

Ghost Shadow Bamboo is quite rare, only growing in extremely sinister places. Often, these places are teeming with vast numbers of malicious ghosts, making them extremely dangerous.

Ghost Shadow Bamboo itself can harbor solitary souls. When they sway, their shadows resemble ghosts, drifting eerily off the ground, capable of killing enemies and claiming lives.

Ghost Shadow Bamboo contains massive amounts of Yin energy, representing a huge cultivation resource for certain cultivators.

If a cultivator wants to enter a ghost market, lanterns made from Ghost Shadow Bamboo are among the most suitable tools for paving the way.

In short, because Ghost Shadow Bamboo is very scarce, it usually appears in auctions. Any stalk, as long as its quality isn't too poor, can fetch a price comparable to Golden Core-level materials.

This time, the Fox God wasn't offering just one stalk, but thirteen! For a newly appointed mountain god, this was truly spending her life's savings. Sun Lingtong even found it incredible – could the Fox God really produce so much? Was being the Fog Hidden Mountain God so profitable?

"Logically speaking, Fog Hidden Mountain isn't a place that should produce Ghost Shadow Bamboo either," Sun Lingtong felt puzzled and simply asked directly.

The Fox God sighed bitterly: "That demonic black tiger itself possesses the innate talent of Night Shadow Yin Malice. It has slaughtered many living beings, all gathered in the valley west of the mountain. Therefore, Ghost Shadow Bamboo can occasionally be produced there."

"Young masters, this humble one has also only recently become a deity. I am already offering my entire fortune to buy my life and atone for my crimes."

"I beg the two young masters to have pity on this minor deity…"

The Fox God looked on the verge of tears.

Sun Lingtong sneered. When it came to this kind of extortion, he was much more experienced than Ning Zhuo: "Hmph, Fox God, you can't fool me. These aren't your ultimate treasures. I can tell at a glance!"

"You need to understand, us taking your things is helping you."

"What we receive is only a small part. To atone for your crimes, we need to make arrangements and pay off the right people up and down the chain."

"At a time like this, you're still clinging to some of your wealth? That's truly unwise."

"When the time comes, and your temple is destroyed, your body scattered, your spirit extinguished, what use will all those treasures be?"

(End of )