As soon as Dong Xunchang knelt down, the others followed suit, kneeling and kowtowing while pleading for him.
"Family Head, they were truly vicious and ruthless! No matter what we said, they ignored us!"
"Yes, those spirit beasts were even fiercer, we almost didn't make it back!"
"They even took our storage pouches. We had to walk all the way back!"
"We know we failed in our task. Family Head, please punish us!"
Their words were half true, half false.
As they spoke, they coughed from time to time or deliberately adopted weak, injured postures, determined to show Dong Senrong how difficult things had been for them.
Looking at this group of battered remnants, Dong Senrong's expression shifted constantly, twisted, grim, and extremely ugly.
In their current state, if he added even a bit more punishment, they might not survive!
His gaze turned sinister. His breathing grew heavy. His expression was icy and severe.
Dong Xunchang's heart skipped a beat at the sight of that look, and he hurriedly added, "Family Head, shall I lead people back and seize the compass?"
"Nonsense!" Dong Senrong snapped coldly. "That's a Soul Transformation Stage cultivator!"
Who would dare confront a Soul Transformation Stage old ancestor? Were they tired of living?
Still unsettled, Dong Senrong pressed further, "Are you certain it was a Soul Transformation Stage old ancestor?"
Dong Xunchang's heart trembled, but he nodded quickly, "Certain!"
His mind spun wildly, intelligence pushed to its limits at this critical moment.
Suddenly, his expression changed, "The man who attacked me, I think I've seen him before!"
"Hmm?"
"He seems to be from Changtian Sect!"
"Changtian Sect?" Dong Senrong's face changed instantly. "Who?"
Dong Xunchang's mind raced faster than ever before. In the midst of danger, once-blurry memories rapidly sharpened, "I remember now, his name is Ke Chongzhen!"
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became, "Yes, it was Ke Chongzhen! That very young Spirit Severing Stage powerhouse!"
Dong Senrong's expression shifted abruptly.
Ke Chongzhen, Spirit Severing Stage.
Combined,he immediately had an impression of him.
Ke Chongzhen's name carried weight.
Both his parents were Spirit Severing Stage cultivators, and he himself had reached Spirit Severing Stage as well.
More importantly, he's very young!
One hundred and twenty years old sounded old, but this is the cultivation world!
Although no one had successfully ascended in the past thousand years, and almost no one lived past a thousand years, once one reached Soul Transformation Stage, one could live several hundred years.
Most Spirit Severing Stage cultivators were over two hundred years old in the present day.
If one passed three hundred without breaking through to Spirit Severing Stage, the chances become very slim.
Dong Senrong wasn't in that struggling category. He was two hundred forty-four years old.
At his age and strength, that's already quite good.
But there were still many stronger than him!
Among them, Ke Chongzhen, who had advanced to Spirit Severing Stage at just over a hundred years old, especially stood out.
A genius!
Dong Senrong always paid extra attention to those stronger than himself, so naturally he was familiar with Ke Chongzhen.
Especially since the two had an age difference of nearly a century!
"You're certain it's him?!" Dong Senrong's expression turned extremely grim.
"Yes! I'm certain!" Dong Xunchang spoke with increasing conviction.
Like Dong Senrong, he too paid attention to rising geniuses.
And someone like Ke Chongzhen wasn't easily forgotten.
"Didn't we see him ten years ago?" Dong Xunchang's long-buried memory fully resurfaced, becoming clearer and clearer. "It's definitely him!"
At the time, Dong Xunchang only felt like Ke Chongzhen looked somewhat familiar, but with the chaotic scene and his life hanging by a thread, he couldn't recall where he had seen him before.
Now, however, he finally remembered that they had once met ten years ago!
Or rather, he had one-sidedly seen Ke Chongzhen.
Back then, Ke Chongzhen had only recently advanced to Spirit Severing Stage and was in the height of youthful glory.
His breakthrough had prompted the Ke couple to host a grand banquet.
Dong Xunchang had accompanied Dong Senrong to attend and had seen Ke Chongzhen from afar.
It had been only a fleeting glance, and so much time had passed that he had nearly forgotten.
But now that he recalled it, his expression changed dramatically.
Earlier, he had merely wanted to exaggerate the situation to lessen his punishment.
But now, he's genuinely afraid.
Ke Chongzhen really was in Spirit Severing Stage, not the late Nascent Soul Stage he had initially assumed!
"Family Head, I swear, that man was really Ke Chongzhen of Changtian Sect!" Dong Xunchang raised his hand in oath. "The moment he appeared, he nearly strangled me to death. I had no ability to resist at all!"
As he spoke, he nearly burst into tears.
The humiliation was too unbearable!
He was already one hundred fifty years old and had only recently reached Nascent Soul Stage.
Look at Ke Chongzhen, at just one hundred twenty, he was already in Spirit Severing Stage!
The contrast was too brutal!
Seeing Dong Xunchang's genuine distress, Dong Senrong's features twisted together, "Shouldn't Ke Chongzhen be at Changtian Sect? Why would he appear there?"
"I also don't know." Dong Xunchang shook his head. "But he was extremely respectful toward that Soul Transformation Stage old ancestor! After taking the compass, he handed it over to her!"
As he spoke, he shot the others a look.
Everyone immediately understood and chimed in.
"Yes, Lord Chang was right! That's exactly what happened!"
"We swear it's true!"
Listening to them, Dong Senrong's brow furrowed even deeper.
He simply couldn't understand how things had deviated so drastically!
According to that person's information, this mission should've smoothly brought back the Treasure-Seeking Mouse.
Yet now, not only had they failed to bring it back, they had also lost the treasure-seeking compass!
Even more absurd was that a previously unheard-of Soul Transformation Stage old ancestor had suddenly appeared, and that genius Ke Chongzhen was standing at her side!
For a moment, Dong Senrong's thoughts became tangled. Something felt wrong.
Wrong!
Everything was wrong!
He didn't bother to punish them and waved his sleeve, "Enough. I understand. Go tend to your injuries!"
With that, he hurried away.
Only after he left did Dong Xunchang and the others collapse in relief.
"That's great!"
The others were overjoyed, "We weren't punished!"
If the Family Head told them to rest and recover, it meant he wouldn't revisit the matter later.
The incident had passed just like that!
They had thought severe punishment was inevitable.
They immediately looked at Dong Xunchang, "Lord Chang is amazing!"
"Yes, if not for Lord Chang, we wouldn't have gotten off so easily!"
"I was terrified, I thought we'd be subjected to family punishment!"
Dong Xunchang's lips twitched stiffly at their praise.
He knew very well that the ease of this outcome wasn't due to him.
Rather, it was because of the "unexpected variable" that was Ke Chongzhen, leading to Dong Senrong letting the matter go.
But the deeper reasons behind it weren't for him to investigate.
"Alright, go rest!"
Meanwhile, Dong Senrong hurried toward a certain location.
He descended into a modest courtyard.
"Great Shaman!"