Trying to Steal What Belongs to the Witch Clan? Fellow Daoist Zhunti, Experience Buzhou Mountain's 996 Blessing First!

"Senior Brother!" Zhunti looked at Daoist Jieyin, his eyes filled with unwillingness, humiliation, and uncontrollable greed.

Daoist Jieyin let out a long sigh, his face full of suffering. He knew that today, they had truly waded into muddy waters.

That fiendish object was simply too tempting for the West. He was unwilling to give it up, but this situation clearly called for a vicious battle.

"Fight! Grab it and run!"

In the end, greed overcame Zhunti's reason. He suddenly roared, and the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree in his hand blazed with light. Rather than attacking the Ancestral Witches again, he swept out tens of thousands of rays of light, like a peacock spreading its tail, straight at the "fiendish object" within the rift!

His thinking was clear. Two against thirteen gave them no chance of victory, but as long as he got the item, even if he could not win, he might still be able to escape with his speed!

"Courting death!" Seeing him dare to snatch it right before their eyes, Zhurong flew into a rage. Southern Bright Lihuo transformed into a thousand-zhang fire dragon that roared as it crashed into the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree's radiant light.

"Let me wash your face!" Gonggong struck at the same time. Nine Heavens Weak Water turned into a pitch-black heavenly river, bypassed the fire dragon, and swept down over Zhunti's head!

A chaotic battle erupted in an instant!

Yet this was Buzhou Mountain, the Witch Clan's territory! The Twelve Ancestral Witches had prepared for this long ago, while Xuanzheng stood calmly at the rear, serving as the "battlefield director."

"Script Mirror, disrupt the trajectory of his spiritual treasure. Make his aim miss by three inches!"

"Karma Scale, shave away his fortune. Make him trip over his own feet!"

The moment Zhunti activated the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, he felt his mana circulation inexplicably stall. The radiant light that had been locked onto the fiendish object veered three inches off course as if possessed, grazing past it and blasting into the nearby mountain wall!

Bang!

Before he could react, his foot suddenly slipped, as if he had stepped on a block of ten-thousand-year ice. He staggered and nearly fell.

In that instant of distraction, the immense Earth Power summoned by Houtu became invisible shackles, making his body sink and drastically reducing his speed!

"Thunder, come!" Qiangliang's lightning had been waiting for this moment. It transformed into a thick lightning spear and struck Zhunti's protective golden light with perfect precision!

Immediately afterward, Dijiang's space prison descended without a sound, sealing off every direction around him completely!

Clang!

The Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree was struck head-on by Zhurong's fire dragon. It gave a mournful cry as it was knocked flying, its radiance dimming as it fell to the ground.

"Junior Brother!" Daoist Jieyin's expression changed drastically. The Daoist Jieyin Treasure Banner shone brilliantly as he tried to rescue him, only to be enveloped by Zhujiuyin's temporal slowing domain. Every movement became as slow as a crawling turtle. He could only watch helplessly as Zhurong and Gonggong's great water-and-fire millstone rolled toward him, forcing him into a frantic and wretched scramble.

"Stop!" Xuanzheng's "innocent and kind" voice rang out once more.

He strolled over to Zhunti, who had been bound up like a dumpling by Space Law and lightning power and was baring his teeth in pain. Bending down, he picked up the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree from the ground, weighed it in his hand with interest, and even wiped the dust off it with his sleeve.

"Fellow Daoist Zhunti, it seems you and this [Karma Loan] of mine are quite fated."

Zhunti trembled with rage, his blood and qi surging in his chest. With a wail, he spat out a mouthful of golden blood. "Xuanzheng! You... you have gone too far!"

"Not at all, not at all." Xuanzheng pushed the glittering golden virtual contract before Zhunti, smiling pleasantly.

"Fellow Daoist, look. It is all written in black and white, fair to young and old alike. Either you stay behind and devote one hundred thousand years of your life to the Witch Clan's great infrastructure project, or have your senior brother return with three high-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, or equivalent top-grade divine materials, to redeem you. Oh, and this Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree will serve as the 'good-faith deposit' and first interest payment for your voluntary loan application. I'll safeguard it for you first."

Daoist Jieyin's face turned as white as paper. Looking at his captured junior brother, then at Xuanzheng's "pure and harmless" face, a despairing sense of powerlessness rose within him.

In the end, under Xuanzheng's "friendly" negotiations and the Twelve Ancestral Witches' "enthusiastic" observation, Daoist Zhunti shed two lines of grief-stricken tears and signed that sect-humiliating [Karma Loan] with bitter resentment.

Daoist Jieyin looked utterly defeated. He glanced back every few steps at his junior brother, who was being "politely" escorted by several Great Witches to the Buzhou Mountain construction site for "observation and study." Gnashing his teeth, he said, "Xuanzheng! Just you wait! I'll return to the West at once. Even if I have to sell everything I own, I'll gather the treasures and redeem my junior brother!"

"Safe travels. No need to see you off." Xuanzheng waved, his smile especially brilliant. "Oh, right, Fellow Daoist Jieyin, be careful on the road. The Witch Clan's lads have recently been prospecting mineral veins throughout the Desolate Lands, and their eyesight is not very good. If they mistake that shining head of yours for some newly born innate treasure material and dig it up, that would be rather unfortunate."

Daoist Jieyin staggered, nearly falling from his cloud. He no longer dared look back, turning into a streak of light and fleeing in embarrassment without another glance.

Xuanzheng watched Daoist Jieyin's retreating figure, then looked toward Daoist Zhunti in the distance, who was being "enthusiastically" taught "brick-moving techniques" and "mining essentials" by Rushou and several Great Witches. He nodded in satisfaction.

Rushou carried an enormous metal pickaxe over one shoulder and enthusiastically patted Zhunti's shoulder with his other hand, nearly driving him into the ground. "Fellow Daoist Zhunti, come, this is our construction site's specially made 'safety helmet'!" As he spoke, he plopped a crooked metal lump refined from Scrap Material onto Zhunti's head.

"Starting today, you are our southwestern district's 'gold-medal miner'!" Rushou grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. "Your task is to mine, and you must meet both quality and quantity standards! Here, this is your 'magic treasure'!"

A mining pick made from some unknown material was shoved into Zhunti's hands.

Zhunti looked at the "safety helmet" on his head and the tool in his hands, then at the groups of muscular Witch Clan warriors around him, each carrying mountain-sized boulders and looking at him with curiosity and mockery. His vision went dark. With a miserable expression, he threw back his head and sighed toward the heavens, overcome with sorrow.

Meanwhile, in Xuanzheng's Loophole Repair Manual, the small print beneath the entry for the "Western Duo" was updated:

[Phase Results: Acquired one Quasi-Saint-level laborer. The Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree (down payment) has been received. Next-Phase Objective: Urge Fellow Daoist Jieyin to complete the "ransom" KPI as soon as possible. Strive to achieve freedom for the Western Spiritual Veins early and inject new capital into the Witch Clan's great infrastructure project!]