A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

With a swift movement, Shang Xiangyu, like a ghost, darted into a dark corner of the cave.

In the corner, there was a huge, pitch-black rock. Shang Xiangyu grabbed the rock with both hands, suddenly channeled his energy, and the veins on his forehead bulged as he pushed the rock aside.

The moment the boulder was pushed aside, a great light burst forth.

The gushing lava flowed in the tunnel, shining as brightly as the sun!
The originally dark cave was instantly as bright as day.

Shang Xiangyu turned his head and said coldly, "Pour the first batch of medicinal herbs into the medicine furnace."

The attendants immediately busied themselves, carefully examining the bottles and jars before carrying them towards the medicine furnace. Their expressions were all very solemn; no one dared to make a mistake. If even one ingredient was wrong, the entire batch of pills would be ruined, which could mean death.

The attendants came to the medicine furnace and checked it one by one before pouring it in.

Not long after the first batch of medicinal herbs were poured in, the medicine furnace was already scorching hot from the lava, and the temperature inside the cave continued to rise. Soon, sweat beaded on the faces of the attendants.

Shang Xiangyu sat cross-legged on a rock not far from the medicine furnace, his eyes cold and sharp, as he kept a close eye on the heat of the furnace.

Feeling that the time was about right, he stood up, walked to the medicine furnace, and used an asbestos cloth to open a medicine adding port. A burst of hot air shot out. Shang Xiangyu glanced inside, then stood up and turned to say, "The heat is ready. Add those five blood fetuses."

The man responded, picked up the urn, and walked towards the medicine furnace. He walked to Shang Xiangyu's side, placed the urn at his feet, reached into the urn, grabbed a blood fetus, and threw it into the medicine furnace through the medicine inlet without even looking at it.

He followed the same method, rummaging through the jar one by one, and threw all five blood fetuses into the medicine furnace. Wisps of white steam rose from the medicine-adding spout of the furnace.

The man carried the empty urn away. Shang Xiangyu stood by the medicine furnace, watching the changes inside through the medicine adding spout. After only a few breaths, he turned his head again and said coldly, "Add the second batch of herbs in, and hurry up."

The attendants had already found the second batch of medicinal herbs and were waiting there. Now they all came to the medicine furnace, separated around the three medicine inlets, and added the medicine themselves.

After the medicinal herbs were added, a variety of strange medicinal aromas filled the cave, and a faint intoxication appeared on the faces of the attendants.

But after less than half an incense stick's time, the fragrance disappeared, and a foul stench began to emanate from the medicine cauldron.

The faces of his entourage turned very ugly, as if they had swallowed flies.

But Shang Xiangyu sniffed the air, his face full of satisfaction. He wasn't obsessed with the stench; rather, it indicated that the cooking time for this batch of blood pills was still quite good.

When the stench reached its peak, all the attendants covered their noses, afraid of vomiting, and even Shang Xiangyu kept his distance.

Seeing that it was almost done, he turned his head and said coldly, "Li Yan, add half of the processed gallbladder and purple ginseng into the pot."

Upon hearing this, Li Yan's eyes lit up. He picked out four short-bellied jars, held them in his arms, and walked towards the medicine furnace. Following Shang Xiangyu's instructions, he poured all the medicinal liquid from the four jars into the medicine furnace.

After this addition, a full three hours passed. Only when the cave was once again filled with a strange fragrance did Shang Xiangyu order the addition of a third batch of medicinal herbs.

This series of stops and starts created a strange mix of fragrance and stench within the cave, resulting in an extremely peculiar odor.

Three days have passed in the blink of an eye, and more than ten batches of medicinal herbs have been added to the medicine furnace. Shang Xiangyu's expression has become increasingly solemn, because the later stages of making the Blood Food Pill require increasingly precise control of the heat. Even the slightest deviation will greatly affect the quality.

Those close followers also endured three days of hardship in the cave. Everyone looked exhausted and had bloodshot eyes, but no one dared to complain, and no one dared to be unmotivated.

If anything goes wrong, Shang Xiangyu's punishment is simple: he simply chains the person to the medicine furnace.

This is the torture of branding with hot irons; puffs of white smoke rise, skin is torn and flesh is ripped open, eyeballs fall out—it is extremely gruesome.

In less than half a day, the whole person was roasted.

Once you've witnessed that horrific scene, no one dares to be carefree.

Just then, Shang Xiangyu suddenly said, "Li Yan, add the last main ingredient, Blood Spirit Mushroom, as well."

Li Yan responded. Unlike the other attendants, he was only responsible for administering the medicine.

Li Yan took a white porcelain bottle, walked over, opened it, and poured half a bottle of bright red medicinal powder into the medicine furnace.

As soon as the crimson powder was poured in, an extremely rich and exotic fragrance wafted out from the medicine furnace.

Upon smelling the medicinal fragrance, Shang Xiangyu's eyes flashed with a strange, cold light as he said, "This batch of Blood Food Pills should be of good quality."

Once the fragrance faded, Shang Xiangyu stood at the medicine-adding port and looked inside. He suddenly turned to Li Yan and said, "The main medicine has been added. The heat of this furnace is well controlled. After one more batch of medicines, we can start the furnace in a day. Go and send a message to Ding Qin by hawk, asking him to come to the mountain stronghold."

"Yes," Li Yan replied with a fist salute, then turned and left the cave.

Li Yan entered the cave where the storage room was located. He first bent down and wrote a message in tiny characters on the stone table. After drying it, he rolled it up and put it into a bamboo tube about the size of his little finger. He sealed both ends with wax. Then he walked out of the stone wall and walked along the stone wall to the other side of the mountain village. Suddenly, he put his finger in his mouth and whistled towards the dark forest.

He blew three times, and amidst the sound of flapping wings, a dark figure darted out from the dark forest, folded its wings, and landed on the ground in front of him.

It was a falcon with brightly colored feathers.

Upon seeing the falcon, Li Yan's eyes lit up with joy. He squatted down, stroked the falcon's feathers, and then tied the bamboo tube in his hand to the falcon's leg.

Li Yan touched the falcon again, took out a piece of dried meat, and fed it to the falcon.

After the falcon ate the dried meat, Li Yan blew his whistle again. As if on command, the falcon suddenly flapped its wings and shot into the night sky like an arrow, heading southwest.

Duan Rong, like a pine tree, perched atop the mountain.

He had already detected the falcon with his divine sense before it even flew out of the mountain pass, but he did not touch it, letting it fly into the distant night sky.

As for the note in the bamboo tube on the falcon's leg, Duan Rong had already clearly seen it with his divine sense when Li Yan was writing it.

"Envoy Ding!?"

"A personal envoy!?"

This was the first time Duan Rong had heard of this position, and he was unsure of its specific role within the Bloodstained Cult. However, judging from Shang Xiangyu's tone and the wording of Li Yan's message, the envoy's status seemed to be quite high.

A personal envoy?! Blood-Supply Pills?! It seems the answer to who Shang Xiangyu's batch of medicine was for is about to become clear!
Another day has passed. Inside the cave, the attendants have already closed their eyes and pretended to sleep in a corner. All the medicinal herbs have been added to the medicine furnace, so there is really nothing left for them to do. However, since Shang Xiangyu has not given any orders, they dare not leave.

Inside the cave, it was still scorching hot, and lava was still gushing out.

But at this moment, there was neither a strange fragrance nor a foul odor in the cave; it seemed that all the smells had been contained within the medicine furnace.

Shang Xiangyu sat cross-legged on a large rock not far from the medicine furnace, motionless, his face expressionless. The blood-eating pills inside the furnace had already taken shape, awaiting only the right heat to be taken out. Duan Rong, perched atop the mountain, enveloped the village and caves with his divine sense. In the hazy night, a figure suddenly flashed from afar.

As soon as the figure entered the range of Duan Rong's divine sense, Duan Rong locked onto him and instantly penetrated his dantian with his divine sense.

"Fourth level of True Qi Realm!?"

Duan Rong's thoughts stirred slightly. The fourth level of the True Qi Realm was already the pinnacle of existence in the mortal world.

Several years ago, Wei Ziyang, the head of the Filthy Blood Sect who died in Xiangu County, was at the fourth level of the True Qi Realm.

The moment Duan Rong sensed the man's cultivation level, he confirmed that the dark figure that flashed past him was none other than Ding Qinshi, the envoy Shang Xiangyu had mentioned.

Ding Ze dodged past the pine tree on the mountaintop and darted into the ravine without pausing.

He had been to this village many times before and knew the way well. Instead of going through the main gate, he jumped over the fence through the dense forest.

Although the leaders patrolling the village were all at the first or even second level of the True Qi Realm, they were still not strong enough to detect him.

Ding Ze easily evaded the patrolling teams, and with a swift movement, he arrived at the deepest part of the mountain wall in the village. He picked up the vines and crawled inside.

The tunnel behind the vines was difficult to traverse, so he lit a torch and slowly made his way deeper into the tunnel.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, we finally saw the light ahead.

Before a stone gate stood two guards, their arms crossed as if dozing. Hearing footsteps, they looked up and, upon seeing Ding Ze's face illuminated by the firelight, immediately knelt down and respectfully said, "Your subordinates greet Your Excellency!"

According to the rules of the Filthy Blood Cult, seeing a personal envoy is as if seeing the cult leader himself!

Ding Ze said coldly, "Get up. Open the stone door."

"Yes." The two stood up in response, and one of them turned around and turned a mechanism behind him.

The stone gate trembled and rose upwards.

Ding Ze stepped inside.

Inside, one of Shang Xiangyu's close followers was already waiting. As soon as Ding Ze entered, he immediately knelt down and led Ding Ze into the cave where medicine was being refined.

As soon as Ding Ze entered the cave, everyone, including Shang Xiangyu, knelt down. "Your subordinate greets Your Excellency!"

Ding Ze glanced at the medicine furnace in the center of the cave. The bottom of the furnace was still glowing red, and hot magma was constantly flowing and gathering in the tunnel below.

Ding Ze asked, "Pharmacist Shang, when will this batch of Blood Food Pills be ready?"

Shang Xiang said, "It will be ready soon. Please wait a moment, Your Excellency."

"That's good!" Ding Ze then sat cross-legged in the corner.

The attendants remained kneeling there, not daring to move.

Shang Xiangyu glanced at Ding Ze, who still needed to check the situation in the medicine furnace. He had no choice but to get up, take a quick look at the furnace, and then sit cross-legged on a large rock not far from it.

About an hour later, during which Shang Xiangyu got up several times to check the situation inside the medicine furnace, Ding Ze would open his eyes and look at him each time he got up.

When Ding Ze opened his eyes again, he saw Shang Xiangyu suddenly circulate his energy, raise his hand and guide the lid of the second-level medicine furnace to open with a bang. Shang Xiangyu also suddenly flew up and hovered at the furnace mouth, circulating his energy into the furnace and rolling out the pills at the bottom of the furnace.

Immediately, a dense cloud of bloody energy appeared above the opening of the medicine furnace.

Upon seeing the dense aura of blood, Ding Ze suddenly jumped up and landed not far from the medicine furnace, raising his eyes with a solemn expression as he looked towards the furnace opening.

The dense aura of blood dissipated, revealing nine blood-red pills, each no bigger than a little fingernail, suspended above the furnace opening.

The nine pills were perfectly round and smooth, gleaming with a faint blood-red light.

Ding Ze's eyes flickered slightly, and then he heard Shang Xiangyu say, "This furnace contains nine Blood Food Pills, all of which are of the highest quality."

After Shang Xiangyu finished speaking, he flipped his hand and took out a porcelain bottle. With a flick of his wrist, he channeled nine Blood Food Pills into the bottle, which then fell into his hand.

Shang Xiangyu then floated down, knelt before Ding Ze, and held up the porcelain bottle with both hands, saying, "Nine Blood Food Pills. Please personally deliver them to the sect leader to express our sincere gratitude."

The moment Duan Rong's divine sense captured the words "dedicated to the leader," his heart trembled.

He certainly knew the weight of those four words. This meant that as long as he followed this Ding envoy, he could track down Fu Yi, the leader of the Filthy Blood Cult.

Fu Yi was once a disciple of the Taiyi Sect, and even cultivated under the tutelage of the patriarch Lü Yinlin. He was also one of the promising talents for the Nascent Soul Realm.

In fact, Duan Rong had always been curious as to why this person would betray the Taiyi Sect because of the Bloodstained Divine Skill.

Duan Rong naturally knew that the Filthy Blood Divine Art had many wonders, but even so, the Filthy Blood Divine Art was still an evil art. Was it really worth betraying the Taiyi Sect and becoming an enemy of the patriarch Lü Yinlin for this art?

Lu Yinlin is a Nascent Soul Realm expert!

Moreover, Lü Yinlin had always regarded the Filthy Blood Sect as a thorn in his side and had used the power of his sect to suppress it to the extreme. However, the Filthy Blood Sect was not defeated and had been secretly growing in Qingzhou over the years.

Another thing Duan Rong couldn't understand was that if Fu Yi had betrayed the Taiyi Sect for the sake of the Bloodstained Divine Skill, he could have easily escaped from Qingzhou. The Nine Provinces are so vast, where couldn't he find refuge?
Why did he choose to establish himself in Qingzhou and go to the trouble of creating the Filthy Blood Sect, thus becoming an enemy of the Taiyi Sect?

Duan Rong felt that there was more to this than met the eye.

Inside the cave, Ding Ze took the porcelain bottle from Shang Xiangyu, opened the stopper, and took a gentle sniff. A subtle medicinal fragrance mixed with a faint scent of blood wafted into his nostrils.

Ding Ze nodded, put the stopper back on the bottle, and smiled, "This batch of Blood Food Pills was added on short notice. It wasn't part of the regular supply. It's truly remarkable that Pharmacist Shang was able to refine them in such a short time!"

Shang Xiangyu said, "I dare not take credit. The key to this batch of Blood Food Pills is not the refining process, after all, I have been refining this medicine for several years. The key lies in the acquisition of medicinal materials. I must thank the five Grand Altar Envoys for their great help, which enabled us to gather these rare medicinal materials in such a short time."

Ding Ze said, "They have their merits. But Pharmacist Shang has also worked hard and made great contributions over the years. When I go there this time, I will definitely report to the sect leader and ask Pharmacist Shang for credit. I think the fourth level of the Filthy Blood Divine Skill should be bestowed upon him soon."

Upon hearing this, Shang Xiangyu's cold face revealed a hint of greed and ecstasy. (End of Chapter)