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

After understanding the various causes and conditions of Fu Yi's past and present lives, Duan Rong couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for his plight.

This man is indeed a man of true character. For a woman, he was willing to betray his sect and become an enemy of the patriarch, Lü Yinlin. Unfortunately, he has now been captured by Lü Yinlin and brought back to the sect; his fate is likely grim.

Duan Rong jumped down from the stone platform and slowly walked out of the cave.

Outside the cave, it was already broad daylight.

The matter here was settled. He stood at the bottom of the valley, glanced at the sky above the valley, then transformed into a streak of black light and shot out of the valley, heading southeast.

Like a shooting star, it sped across the sky, passing through counties and prefectures, and disappeared in an instant.

Along the way, Duan Rong kept calculating the journey in his mind. Through the clouds, he could vaguely see the city below. With a thought, he sent his divine sense down.

A quick scan with his divine sense revealed that the city was indeed Quyang County.

He determined the location and shot an arrow into the deep mountains more than ten miles east of the city.

Duan Rong was high in the sky, his divine sense probing down, covering the surrounding mountains and fields.

Soon they discovered a group of people lying in ambush among the rocks and trees on the outskirts of the mountain pass.

With a thought, Duan Rong's divine sense suddenly became more refined, taking in everyone's faces and figures. Then, he smiled unconsciously, his figure suddenly disappeared, and the next moment, he appeared in the shadow of a huge rock.

Two people were hiding in the shadow of the boulder, whispering and discussing something, when Duan Rong suddenly appeared, startling them both.

In fact, the people hiding in the shadow of the boulder were none other than Zhu He and Wu Shidao.

While Duan Rong was devouring the miscellaneous artifact spirits left behind by Fu Yi in the cave in that valley, Chu Wushang had already returned to the sect. He handed the silk that Duan Rong had given him to Zhu He and also told Zhu He that Fu Yi, the leader of the Filthy Blood Sect, had been captured by the patriarch and brought back to the sect.

Zhu He was naturally shocked. As the sect leader, he had no idea about this, yet such a big thing had happened. Afterwards, Chu Wushang told Zhu He that Duan Rong had discovered Fu Yi's hiding place and reported it directly to the patriarch. The patriarch then personally orchestrated the capture of Fu Yi.

As for the instructions Duan Rong gave to Chu Wushang, Chu Wushang relayed them to Zhu He. Zhu He, seeing the locations of the outposts and the alchemy workshop marked on the silk, naturally dared not neglect them.

In particular, Duan Rong noted that the place where the medicine was refined was where Shang Xiangyu, the traitorous alchemist from the sect, was located. Zhu He then personally led his men there, while Fan Hongjiao, Lu Geng, Wang Yue, and others led their troops to besiege and suppress the other strongholds.

Upon seeing that it was Duan Rong, Zhu He immediately raised his hand and lightly shoved him on the shoulder, laughing, "You little rascal. You kept quiet all this time, but you pulled off such a big move."

Duan Rong had promised him about ten days ago on Yunfu Peak that he would give him an explanation regarding the Filthy Blood Sect in the Elder Council. Zhu He thought that as long as Duan Rong destroyed one of the Filthy Blood Sect's strongholds, it would be a commendable achievement, which would give him leverage in the Elder Council.

Unexpectedly, Duan Rong wiped out the Filthy Blood Sect in one fell swoop and captured its leader, Fu Yi, making a stunning debut!

Duan Rong said, "I didn't expect this either. Master, this was actually an accident."

Zhu He said, "What accident?! Duan Rong, this is your unparalleled achievement."

Duan Rong chuckled slightly, not taking the matter to heart at all. Zhu He might value these worldly achievements quite a bit, but Duan Rong was only concerned with how to further enhance his spiritual power so that he could achieve the Nascent Soul Realm by devouring the spirit of the divine statue.

Duan Rong's eyes flickered. He noticed that while he and Zhu He were talking, Wu Shidao was standing respectfully to the side, looking down at the ground with his eyes slightly lowered, not daring to interrupt at all.

Duan Rong smiled and looked at Wu Shidao, greeting him, "Senior Brother Wu is here too."

Upon hearing this, Wu Shidao immediately clasped his hands in a respectful gesture and said, "Yes, Your subordinate pays respects to Commander Duan. This place of alchemy is of utmost importance. The sect leader has instructed me to come along to help capture them and prevent any from escaping."

Wu Shidao naturally knew that Duan Rong had entered the Elder Council and become the Deputy Director of the Court of Judgment. It was only then that he learned that Duan Rong had actually reached the Cave-Ming Realm.

At this moment, Wu Shidao stood in the shadow of the boulder, staring blankly at Duan Rong. His respect for Duan Rong was genuine. Now, thinking back, it had only been a few years since Duan Rong came to Yunfu Peak and became Zhu He's personal disciple, and they addressed each other as fellow disciples.

It seemed like only yesterday that their junior brother had reached the Cave Realm and entered the Elder Council, leaving all his fellow disciples far behind.

Even more remarkably, he achieved such great accomplishments so soon after entering the Elder Council and becoming the Deputy Director of the Court of Judgment.

Destroy the Blood Cult!

Could there be a greater achievement than this?!

Zhu He's description of his unparalleled achievements is not an exaggeration.

Not to mention Wu Shidao, even Zhu He admired Duan Rong very much.

Zhu He glanced at Duan Rong and said, "Duan boy, you personally surveyed this place. How should we plan our attack to ensure a complete sweep, leaving no one behind? And who is this traitorous pharmacist Shang Xiangyu you mentioned?"

Zhu He had already discussed the plan with Wu Shidao, but Duan Rong came over, and Zhu He wanted to hear Duan Rong's opinion.

Duan Rong smiled slightly and said, "This is, after all, a desolate mountain wilderness with complex terrain, which is why I came here."

Zhu He said, "Stop keeping me in suspense. What's your plan?"

Duan Rong touched his nose and said, "My method is very simple. We just need to go down there and capture those scoundrels from the Filthy Blood Cult one by one."

Zhu He was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and said, "Don't joke around. If we continue like this, those scoundrels from the Filthy Blood Cult will scatter in all directions. Do you think they're like sugarcane in a field, waiting for us to cut them down one by one?"

Duan Rong smiled and said, "Master, your analogy is quite good. That's exactly what I meant."

Zhu He and Wu Shidao were taken aback upon hearing this, as they both realized that Duan Rong was not joking.

“Master, look at the village.” Duan Rong said, and suddenly a thought struck him. Immediately, patches of light, like fireflies, appeared in the village deep in the mountain valley.

The light spots flickered and shone, remaining luminous even in broad daylight.

"Yinghuo!?"

Upon seeing the large patch of light, Zhu He couldn't help but cry out. Over the years, he had diligently cultivated the Womb Treasury Sutra and was now able to perform this soul illusion technique, so he could recognize the light spot as Mars at a glance.

However, Zhu He could only use the "Yinghuo" technique on one person at a time, meaning he could only control one spot of light.

But at this moment, the light spots that appeared in the village were like a sea of ​​light, with countless tiny points of light.

At that moment, Zhu He felt a chill run down his spine. He turned to look at Duan Rong beside him, as if he had seen a ghost. "Is this still Yinghuo?!"

With a thought, Duan Rong caused the scattered points of light to disperse like a swarm of bees, each disappearing into the foreheads of the people in the village. Duan Rong's divine sense swept over them, and apart from the cave in the mountain wall, every single member of the Filthy Blood Cult in the village was captured, instantly entering a divine soul illusion.

Duan Rong's mind raced again, and he saw that all the people in the village were starting to walk stiffly from all directions, gathering at the main gate of the mountain stronghold.

Duan Rong laughed, "These people are still better than sugarcane. Sugarcane just stays in the ground, waiting for us to cut it down. These people, on the other hand, can gather together!"

Zhu He and Wu Shidao looked at the large, dark crowd that had gathered at the entrance of the mountain stronghold, and the many other dark figures around the stronghold, slowly making their way toward the gate. Both of them felt a chill in their hearts; they had never heard of such a bizarre method before.

This is a technique from the twenty-second level of the Womb Treasury Sutra. Although Zhu He is the sect leader, he has not received the complete inheritance of the Womb Treasury Sutra.

Duan Rong smiled and said, "Master, Senior Brother Wu, let's go down."

The two men snapped out of their daze and nodded in agreement. Wu Shidao mustered his men, and the group darted into the ravine and arrived at the gate of the stronghold.

Many of the people in this group were experts from the Inner History Bureau. Apart from Wu Shidao, who was at the Qi Cyclone Realm, there were more than ten others at the Yuan Qi Realm. However, these experts were temporarily unable to use their skills because they were facing a dark mass of "sugarcane".

The group stood at the entrance of the mountain stronghold, looking at the Filthy Blood Cult members gathered there. The members all stood there blankly, motionless, just like sugarcane in a field.

Seeing that everyone was stunned, Wu Shidao said, "What are you all standing there for? Lock up all these members of the Filthy Blood Cult and take them back to the sect."

"Yes." Immediately, the clanging of iron chains rang out, and figures flashed through the crowd as chains locked up the "sugarcanes."

Duan Rong turned to Zhu He and said, "Master, Shang Xiangyu is still in a cave deep in the mountain stronghold. I'll go and meet him."

Zhu He said, "Go."

Duan Rong then vanished from the mountain stronghold's gate in a flash.

Zhu He stared at the spot where Duan Rong's figure had disappeared, his eyes flickering slightly. He knew that when Duan Rong was a disciple, he had followed Shang Xiangyu.

Duan Rong's divine sense had already locked onto Shang Xiangyu. Instead of going through the cave tunnel, he directly penetrated the rock strata and arrived at the stone door of the cave where Shang Xiangyu was resting.

In fact, the cave had numerous alarm systems connected to the mountain stronghold outside. Unfortunately, none of these alarms sounded because Duan Rong used the area-of-effect attack "Yinghuo" to control everyone in the stronghold in an instant. Who could possibly activate the alarms in time?

Duan Rong stood in front of the stone gate and gently knocked on it.

Inside the cave, an oil lamp was lit, and Shang Xiangyu was sitting on a futon, meditating and resting. He was exhausted from rushing to refine that batch of Blood Food Pills. However, being able to get Ding Ze to petition the sect leader for him and be granted the fourth level of the Filthy Blood Divine Skill made all the exhaustion worthwhile.

As Shang Xiangyu was thinking, Ding Ze had met with the sect leader and estimated that he would send over the manual for the fourth level of the Filthy Blood Divine Art in a few days. Just then, a knocking sound came from the stone door.

Shang Xiangyu's eyes narrowed slightly. He had instructed his guards not to disturb him unless it was urgent. He had only come in to rest late last night, and had only been resting for a few hours when someone came to knock on the door.

Shang Xiangyu felt a surge of anger. He leaped up from the futon and landed in front of the stone door. He turned the mechanism on the stone door, looked at the open door with an icy expression, and asked coldly, "What is it?"

Shang Xiangyu's expression faltered slightly. The dim light illuminated the person standing at the stone gate. He was a young man in his twenties or thirties, dressed in a blue robe, with a serene face. But this person was neither his guard nor anyone from the mountain stronghold.

"Who are you!?" Shang Xiangyu's face turned ashen, his vigilance rising, and he couldn't help but turn his head to look at another stone door in the distance.

Duan Rong said, "No need to look. I've already taken care of those guards."

As Duan Rong spoke, he walked into the cave and stood there, using the dim light of the oil lamp to examine the cave where Shang Xiangyu lived.

Shang Xiangyu's expression changed. This person's ability to arrive here so quietly was already incredible. Not to mention the heavy guards in the village, there were two experts at the second level of the True Qi Realm guarding just outside that stone gate. Each of these guards could trigger an alarm. However, he did not hear any sound.

Duan Rong glanced around and suddenly sighed, "I didn't expect that after all these years, Master Shang still lives so simply?"

According to Shang Xiangyu, there was indeed nothing of value inside this cave.

Upon hearing this, Shang Xiangyu looked at Duan Rong with astonishment, momentarily puzzled as to why the young man had uttered such a remark.

Duan Rong turned his head and looked at Shang Xiangyu's bewildered and astonished gaze, and smiled slightly: "It seems that Master Shang is indeed a forgetful person. After not seeing you for more than ten years, Master Shang has completely forgotten me!"

Shang Xiangyu stared at Duan Rong with a puzzled expression. After a long while, his eyes suddenly widened, and an incredulous light appeared in them.

"Duan Rong!?"

"You're Duan Rong!?"

Duan Rong suddenly chuckled and said, "That's right. Master Shang has finally remembered me as his disciple. Our time as master and disciple has not been in vain."

Shang Xiangyu stared at Duan Rong as if he had seen a ghost, and shouted in a shrill voice, "Impossible! You can't possibly still be alive!?"

Duan Rong coldly replied, "I am indeed still alive, but Pan Yong and the others are already dead."

"Pan Yong?!" Shang Xiangyu felt a little unfamiliar with the name.

Seeing Shang Xiangyu's expression, Duan Rong couldn't help but sneer, "It seems that Master Shang is not only ruthless and vicious, but also has a bad memory. Well, I originally wanted to catch up with Master Shang, but since you have a bad memory, let's just talk about the Filthy Blood Sect."

"The Filthy Blood Cult!?"

Shang Xiangyu's eyes suddenly turned cold, and his body tensed. He remembered that Duan Rong had become his disciple only about ten years ago. In those ten years, even if Duan Rong had worked hard and had great talent, he would probably only have reached the Yuan Qi Realm. Shang Xiangyu was also at the Yuan Qi Realm, and in recent years he had also cultivated the Filthy Blood Divine Art. If it were to suddenly erupt, he might still have a chance.

Shang Xiangyu suddenly smiled and said, "I was forced to join the Bloodstained Cult..."

As Shang Xiangyu spoke, he suddenly flipped his hand, but the moment he raised his hand, his expression changed drastically, because in that instant, he suddenly realized that he could not move at all.

Duan Rong smiled and said, "Master Shang, there's no rush. Let's not discuss the matter of the Filthy Blood Sect here. Let's talk about it slowly when we return to our sect."

Shang Xiangyu's face had turned a deep purplish-red; extreme fear and physical stiffness made his breathing rapid. He stared at Duan Rong with horrified eyes, only now realizing how much he had underestimated Duan Rong.

Duan Rong was definitely not at the Yuan Qi Realm, and even if he were at the Qi Cyclone Realm, it would be impossible for him to directly imprison Duan Rong's entire body in this way.

"Could it be?! It is..." Shang Xiangyu was well-read and had extraordinary knowledge. Such a strange method made him think of the power of laws, but he immediately rejected the answer.

impossible? !

It's only been a mere ten years. How is that possible?! (End of Chapter)