One person: Starting with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, his grandmaster uncle emerges from seclusion.

"Understood, Mr. Gao. I'll take care of it right away."

Deng Youfu paused for a moment as he reached the door.

He turned around, looked at Gao Lian sitting behind the desk, and asked hesitantly:

"Mr. Gao, if... I mean, if we uncover some incredible background, should we request support from headquarters in advance?"

Gao Lian looked at the capable young man and smiled faintly.

"The sky hasn't fallen yet, let's find out the truth first."

"Although our Northeast region is vast and sparsely populated, it's not made of paper. If someone really oversteps their bounds..."

Gao Lian picked up his thermos, his tone calm yet revealing the fortitude of a regional warlord:

"Let's chop off two of his fingers first, then report it to higher authorities."

"Okay!" Deng Youfu felt reassured, turned around, and pushed open the door to leave.

Looking at the office door that had been closed again.

Gao Lian leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.

"I originally thought that with the help of that master from the Celestial Master's Mansion, the Northeast would be able to have some peace for three to five years."

He rubbed his temples helplessly and gave a wry smile:

"It seems that the world is never short of those audacious people who want to snatch chestnuts from the fire."

Gao Lian picked up the landline phone on the table and dialed the internal line of the intelligence department.

"Hey, Zhang. Get the entry and exit records from the border crossings in our region, and focus on checking if any convoys carrying large prohibited items or special containers have entered the country in the past week."

"Yes, check carefully, don't miss a single road."

After hanging up the phone, Gao Lian looked out at the somewhat gray sky, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

"Abducting the spirit without a sound..."

What kind of business is hidden behind this?

The 451st Shen family, the Shepherd God's Envoy!

A secluded deep mountain canyon in the south.

This place is shrouded in a white mist all year round.

Even the most advanced satellite maps can only reveal a blurry patch of land in this area.

We walked through those ancient trees that blocked out the sun.

Deep in the valley, there lies a vast, antique-style Chinese mansion.

The courtyard's architectural style is extremely sophisticated, with flying eaves, bracket sets, and blue bricks and gray tiles.

The courtyard was eerily quiet; not even the chirping of insects or the calls of birds could be heard.

The doors to the main hall were open.

A man dressed in a dark-patterned long robe was sitting upright in a grand chair.

He had a lean face and refined features, looking like a scholarly teacher.

This person is the current head of the reclusive Shen family.

Shen Zhichuan.

He walked to the center of the hall, stopped, clasped his hands together, and bowed deeply.

"Master, the task has been completed."

Three men dressed in dark windbreakers, looking travel-worn, were giving a report in the hall.

These three are all Shepherds of the Shen family, specializing in the family's "Shepherd" duties outside the home.

Shen Zhichuan put down his teacup.

He nodded slightly, quite satisfied with the answer.

"You've had a tough time. Did you leave any loose ends along the way?"

"do not worry."

Shen Feng straightened up, his tone serious:

"The Northeast is a vast and sparsely populated area, so we always choose to act during the yin hours of the second half of the night."

They used the Spirit-Severing Array to isolate the energy flow, and then used the Bewitching Incense to probe the path.

Before the black bear and the blue fox could put up much of a fight, we had already put them into the bag.

The site was cleaned up very well; even if the local officials investigated, they would at most assume the animals had migrated on their own.

As he spoke, he reached into his robes.

He pulled out a palm-sized, gray cloth bag that was neither gold nor jade.

The bag looked unremarkable and dusty.

However, the surface is densely embroidered with intricate runes using dark red silk threads.

Shen Feng held the specially made spatial artifact in both hands and respectfully handed it over.

Shen Zhichuan extended his slender fingers and took the gray cloth bag.

He didn't rush to open it.

Instead, he placed it in his palm, his fingertips releasing true qi, and gently moved it along the runes on the cloth bag.

"urn……"

A red glow appeared on the surface of the cloth bag.

Through the unique perception of this magical artifact, Shen Zhichuan was able to clearly explore the internal space.

A black bear that should have been enormous, and a blue fox with glossy fur.

At this moment, it is being forcibly shrunk to the size of a cat or dog.

His eyes were closed, his body was bound by several chains, and he had fallen into a state of unconsciousness.

"The condition is acceptable, and the spirit is quite fresh."

Shen Zhichuan withdrew his true qi and casually placed the cloth bag on the coffee table next to him.

"However, it's still too much of a stretch."

Shen Zhichuan sighed softly, his tone revealing a hint of dissatisfaction and regret:

"In recent years, there have been more and more projects outside, such as building bridges and roads, and blasting rocks."

The powerful spirits and monsters in these mountains and rivers are becoming increasingly difficult to find.

With just these two spirits who have barely reached the threshold of a hundred years, the array core can only operate for another year or two at most.

It's a pity that the incense offerings to the deities in those ancient temples have mostly disappeared; otherwise, why would we need to hunt spirits?

The three people standing at the lower end of the table, including Shen Feng, exchanged glances and remained silent.

They traveled far and wide, capturing countless spirits.

But the further you go, the harder it becomes to find suitable prey.

"Master of the family."

Shen Feng pondered for a moment, then tentatively spoke:

"Ordinary spirits are indeed not enough to fill the gap in the array. But if we want to play it safe, we can try our luck in the Ten Thousand Mountains to the southwest."

There's a lot of poisonous miasma over there, and perhaps some ancient ones are hidden there...

"The southwest is too fragmented, and it takes too much time and effort."

Shen Zhichuan raised his hand, interrupting his subordinate's suggestion.

His eyes appeared deep and unfathomable in the dimly lit main room.

"Since small-scale scrambling can't fill our stomachs, we should change our approach."

Shen Zhichuan picked up his teacup and took a small sip.

His voice was very soft, yet it was like a thunderclap from a clear sky:

"What do you think of Liu Tianxian, the dragon who just shed her dragon skin and transformed into a real dragon at the bottom of Tianchi Lake in Changbai Mountain?"

These words were spoken.

The air in the main room seemed to freeze.

The three subordinates gasped, and Shen Feng subconsciously tensed his shoulders.

"Patriarch...this..."

Shen Feng swallowed.

Despite her efforts to remain calm, the shock and fear in her voice were impossible to conceal:

"That's the guardian deity of Changbai Mountain! And she just survived the Heavenly Tribulation and transformed into a dragon, so her strength must have increased greatly."

"What's even more troublesome is that Gao Lian from the Northeast region has been keeping a close eye on Changbai Mountain, and Guan Shihua's group of shamans are no pushovers either."

He paused for a moment, but finally voiced his biggest concern:

"Most importantly, not long ago, that Celestial Pivot Master from Longhu Mountain helped her at the bottom of Tianchi Lake. If we were to harm Liu Tianxian..."

"If we offend that man, with our family's current strength, we probably can't afford to suffer the consequences."

The words weren't explicitly stated, but the meaning couldn't be clearer.

Everyone knows the fame of that living Yama, so the risk of messing with the dragon he protected is ridiculously high!

After listening to his subordinate's rational and meticulous analysis.

Shen Zhichuan was not angry; instead, he nodded with great appreciation.

“You’re absolutely right. Your analysis is meticulous and you haven’t been blinded by self-interest, which is exactly why I put you in this position.”