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

While Shang Xiangyu was still in shock, a strange firefly suddenly appeared. As soon as it appeared, it shot straight toward his face.

The cave was dim, but the firefly was quite bright, and Shang Xiangyu was shocked when he saw it. But he naturally knew that this must be Duan Rong's doing, otherwise how could a firefly suddenly appear in this dim cave?

Unfortunately, he was completely restrained and could not move at all, and could only watch helplessly as the firefly disappeared into his brow.

The firefly disappeared between Shang Xiangyu's brows, and in an instant, Shang Xiangyu's frightened eyes turned blank.

Duan Rong then took him along and used the power of the laws to drill into the rock strata.

The two, one after the other, emerged from the rock wall like ghosts and then darted towards the gate of the mountain stronghold.

Duan Rong used the power of the laws to wrap Shang Xiangyu and landed on the open ground in front of the mountain stronghold gate. At this moment, he saw a large group of people in black at the gate, all of whom were chained. The dark iron chains weaved through the crowd, gleaming with a cold and sharp light.

Zhu He stood there, glanced at the person beside Duan Rong, and asked, "Is this the sect traitor Shang Xiangyu?"

Duan Rong replied, "That's right."

Zhu He didn't recognize Shang Xiangyu, but simply nodded.

Duan Rong then pushed Shang Xiangyu toward the dark crowd and said, "Lock this person up too." Upon hearing this, one of the men came over, pulled a chain as thick as a child's arm from the waist of a cult member, and wrapped it around Shang Xiangyu's waist.

Duan Rong glanced around the gate and then asked, "Where is Senior Brother Wu? Where is he?"

As soon as he asked the question, the cry of an eagle came from the clouds above his head, as if it were tearing through the clouds.

Duan Rong looked up and saw two cloud-feathered eagles descending like two gray clouds, their speed astonishing.

As the hawk flew by, the clouds were scattered and a fierce wind swept through.

In an instant, the cloud-feathered eagle swooped down, its outstretched wings resembling clouds hanging from the sky.

As the wind raged, sand and stones flew, and broken branches and leaves scattered everywhere, causing everyone at the entrance of the mountain stronghold to squint.

As the gust of wind subsided, two cloud-feathered eagles, each as large as a small mountain, folded their wings and landed a few feet away. Wu Shidao jumped off the back of one of the eagles, walked to the gate, and clasped his hands in greeting to Zhu He and Duan Rong, saying, "Sect Master, Chief Duan, the two cloud-feathered eagles have arrived."

Duan Rong looked at the two Cloud Feathered Eagles, his eyes flickering slightly. These Cloud Feathered Eagles had obviously arrived long ago and were hiding in a nearby mountain hollow. When he went into the cave to discuss the symbolic language earlier, Wu Shidao had gone to summon these two Cloud Feathered Eagles.

Zhu He said, "Put all these Bloodstained Cult members on the back of the Mad Eagle, and we'll return to the sect!"

"Yes," the men at the entrance shouted, then escorted the Bloodstained Blood Cult members onto the back of the Mad Eagle.

Duan Rong glanced at the approaching crowd, then his eyes lit up. He turned to Zhu He and said, "Master, there is one more thing."

Upon hearing this, Zhu He asked, "Is there anything else?"

Duan Rong said, "There is a personal envoy of the sect leader named Ding Ze. Not long ago, he obtained the secret manual of the fourth level of the Filthy Blood Divine Art from Fu Yi and is on his way here to bestow that level of the technique upon Shang Xiangyu."

"The sect leader's personal envoy!?" Zhu He pondered for a moment. The sect leader's personal envoy was definitely not an ordinary member; he might be involved in many secrets. If he were just an ordinary person, Duan Rong wouldn't have pointed it out.

Zhu He asked, "Do you know what level of cultivation that person possessed?"

Duan Rong said, "The fourth level of the True Qi Realm."

Zhu He pondered for a moment upon hearing this, then looked at Wu Shidao and said, "That person is the sect leader's personal envoy, so he must know a lot. Shidao, you stay here and make sure to capture that Ding Ze."

"Yes, Sect Leader, rest assured." Wu Shidao clasped his hands in response, then his eyes flickered as he looked at Duan Rong and asked, "May I ask, Commander Duan, when will that person arrive here?"

Duan Rong said, "I estimate the journey will take two or three days."

Upon hearing this, Wu Shidao said, "In that case, I will lie in ambush here and wait."

After they finished discussing their plan, the sect members on the other side had already taken all the Bloodstained Cultists and put them on two Cloud Feathered Eagles. Zhu He and Duan Rong then bid farewell to Wu Shidao and each jumped onto a Cloud Feathered Eagle.

Everyone had already boarded the eagle. The sect's eagle trainer stroked the feathers behind the eagle's head and shook the bell in his hand.

The wings of the two cloud-feathered eagles suddenly spread out, flapping as they took flight.

Cloud Feather Mad Eagle led everyone into the clouds. In the open space at the entrance of the mountain stronghold in the valley, only Wu Shidao stood there alone, watching the two gray clouds above his head disappear into the clouds...

Once the Cloud Feathered Eagles were high in the sky and flew at full speed, their speed was astonishing. By evening, everyone had arrived at the sect. Zhu He ordered the two Cloud Feathered Eagles to go directly to Iron Stone Peak, where the Judgment Department of the Sect was located.

For no other reason than the astonishing number of Filthy Blood Cult members arrested this time; only the dungeon of the Judgment Division within the sect could hold so many criminals.

Moreover, this matter was ultimately Duan Rong's responsibility. He was the deputy director of the Court of Judgment and Clan Affairs, so it was perfectly legitimate for him to be imprisoned in the Court of Judgment and Clan Affairs.

There was originally an Eagle Resting Platform on Ironstone Peak, not far from the dungeon.

As soon as the two Cloud Feathered Eagles landed, the people from the Judgment and Clan Affairs Division immediately came to greet them. Duan Rong jumped down and said, "Go and call Steward Yang over."

When the officials from the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs saw that it was Duan Rong, they addressed him as "Lord Chief Clan Officer" while staring in astonishment at the densely packed prisoners on the two cloud-feathered eagles.

Some people had already gone to find Yang Yi. The rest of the judges from the Imperial Clan Court present were all speculating about what case Chief Judge Duan was handling, that he had arrested so many criminals.

Just then, Zhu He jumped down from another Cloud Feathered Mad Eagle. As soon as the people from the Judgment and Justice Division saw Zhu He, they immediately knelt down and repeatedly called him Sect Master.

Zhu He seemed not to hear, but Duan Rong whispered in his ear, "You stay here first. I need to go see the Ancestor. We need to get his instructions on how to handle the Bloodstained Sect case."

Duan Rong said, "Master, please go ahead. I will lock these prisoners in the dungeon first." He knew that Zhu He was right. This was not an ordinary case of the Filthy Blood Cult. It was a sweep that almost eradicated the entire cult. For such a case, it was indeed necessary to hear the patriarch's opinion first before proceeding.

Zhu He then transformed into a streak of black light and shot into the sky.

Before long, Yang Yi rushed over. By then, the sky was getting darker, but even in the dim light, one could see a large, dark mass on the two Cloud Feathered Mad Eagles, which was indeed quite a few people.

Upon seeing Duan Rong, Yang Yi quickly approached, clasped his hands in greeting, and bowed, saying, "This subordinate greets Commander Duan."

Duan Rong said, "Manager Yang, you have always been in charge of the dungeon. I am now requisitioning the dungeon and all the prisoners on the eagles' backs must be locked up there."

Yang Yi exclaimed, "May I ask, sir, what kind of case is this, and why have so many people been arrested?"

Duan Rong said, "The case of the Filthy Blood Cult."

Duan Rong's voice was calm, but everyone present felt their hearts tremble. "The Bloodstained Cult case!?" Yang Yi couldn't help but swallow hard. Arresting so many people—what a massive Bloodstained Cult case this was! In the year and a half that Duan Rong had served as the Deputy Director of the Judgment and Justice Department, he had almost never shown his face. Over time, everyone in the Judgment and Justice Department considered him merely a figurehead.

But who would have thought that his first move would be such a grand gesture?

Duan Rong said, "The people currently imprisoned in the dungeon, except for those who are very dangerous, have all been transferred to the upper floors and are guarded by dedicated personnel."

Yang Yi pondered for a moment and said, "Reporting to Chief Duan, although I see there are quite a few prisoners, the dungeon of the Court of Judicial Review is large enough. Is it really necessary to transfer the other prisoners?"

Duan Rong said, "This is just one batch. There are others, which will be escorted here soon."

"There are still criminals!?" A commotion immediately broke out in the crowd.

Duan Rong was right; these were just the prisoners at the alchemy site, but there were several other strongholds as well.

Duan Rong said, "This case involving the Filthy Blood Cult is quite serious and needs to be handled as a special case. If we imprison them with other criminals, it will easily lead to all sorts of unnecessary problems. Let's move them."

Yang Yi clasped his hands in a fist and replied, "Yes, I will take care of it right away."

Yang Yi then jogged back towards the dungeon. As soon as he entered, before he could even begin to transfer the prisoners, he called over a trusted aide and whispered, "Go to the bamboo building and tell the Chief Inspector that Duan Rong seems to have solved the Bloodstained Blood Case and arrested countless prisoners."

The man responded, turned and left the dungeon, running through the shadows towards the bamboo house where Yang Sixuan lived in seclusion.

Seeing that the man had left the dungeon, Yang Yi began to count the prisoners, register them, and then transfer them to the upper floor for further confinement.

Zhu He transformed into a streak of black light and landed in front of Chu Wushang's thatched hut. By then, it was already pitch black.

Normally, Chu Wushang would go to sleep as soon as it got dark, but today was different; he was sitting in front of the dark thatched hut. Because he had expected Zhu He to come.

As soon as Zhu Hefang landed, he noticed a dark figure sitting in front of the door. He immediately clasped his hands and said, "Mr. Chu, I request an audience with the Ancestor. I would like to ask the Ancestor for guidance on the case of the Filthy Blood Sect."

A voice then rang out from the darkness.

"The Ancestor has already given instructions. He will personally handle the case of Fu Yi, the leader of the Filthy Blood Sect, and you need not concern yourselves with it. As for the case of the Filthy Blood Sect, it will be handled by Duan Rong, and all personnel from the Inner History Department and the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs will be at his disposal."

Upon hearing this, Zhu He's eyes flickered slightly, and he replied, "Yes."

In the past six months, the Court of Judicial Review has not handled any major cases. The dungeons are filled with insignificant prisoners. Yang Yi knows every case in the dungeons very well because he handled most of them. Even if he didn't handle them, he reviewed the final files.

After Yang Yi registered the prisoners clearly, he selected two teams of men to escort the prisoners to the pavilion for imprisonment.

As prisoners in their uniforms were being led out of the dungeon in single file, Yang Yi was already jogging towards the Eagle Resting Platform. When he arrived, he saw that under the lights, the two Cloud Feathered Eagles had already been taken away, leaving only a large group of prisoners in chains standing on the Eagle Resting Platform.

Yang Yi said, "Commander Duan, all the prisoners in the death row have been registered and transferred to the pavilion for further detention."

Duan Rong laughed and said, "Manager Yang is indeed decisive and efficient."

Duan Rong knew that Yang Yi was quite capable and familiar with the affairs of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs and the dungeons, so entrusting this matter to him was just right. He naturally knew that Yang Yi was Yang Sixuan's nephew, but he had always been upfront about this and had no intention of hiding it from Yang Sixuan.

Yang Yi asked, "Commander Duan, how should these criminals be detained?"

Duan Rong pulled a man out of the crowd and pushed him in front of Yang Yi, saying, "Manager Yang, do you know this man? Put him in solitary confinement. The rest of you, ten to a cell."

Using the dim light, Yang Yi looked at the person Duan Rong had pushed in front of him. He immediately recognized the face, but couldn't quite place who it was.

"This person!?" Yang Yi searched his memory.

Duan Rong reminded him, "His name is Shang Xiangyu."

"Shang Xiangyu!?" Upon hearing this, Yang Yi felt a chill run down his spine, as if struck by lightning.

Back then, Shang Xiangyu left the sect and disappeared without a trace. Yang Yi was in charge of handling this case.

At that time, several books about the Filthy Blood Cult were found in Shang Xiangyu's secret room, and he suspected that Shang Xiangyu had joined the Filthy Blood Cult. But that was just speculation. A single piece of evidence is not enough. A few books were not enough to confirm the case, and Shang Xiangyu was never found. So the case became an unsolved mystery.

Seeing Shang Xiangyu again at this moment further confirmed his suspicions from back then, and one can imagine the shock Yang Yi felt at this moment.

The appearance of Shang Xiangyu further confirmed Yang Yi's suspicion that Duan Rong had indeed cracked the major case of the Filthy Blood Cult. Previously, when Yang Yi sent his confidant to secretly report to Yang Sixuan, he used the word "seems".

A large group of people escorted the prisoners, following Yang Yi toward the dungeon, with Duan Rong also following behind the dark mass of people.

Upon arriving at the dungeon, everyone busied themselves with locking up the prisoners in batches.

Duan Rong stood outside the dungeon door, watching the figures moving inside. He believed Yang Yi could handle these matters. After watching for a while, Duan Rong's eyes suddenly lit up. He looked at the guard beside him and said, "Go find Ximen Kankan and Shen Mizhi."

Ximen Kankan and Shen Mizhi came with Duan Rong and have been working in the Court of Judicial Review for a year and a half. Shen Mizhi has even solved several cases. The guards are familiar with the two of them.

The guard accepted the order and left.

Just then, Duan Rong suddenly heard a sweet voice behind him calling out, "Junior Brother, how long has it been? I've missed you terribly!"

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong turned his head and saw Fan Hongjiao looking at him with seductive eyes.

Duan Rong smiled and said, "Senior Sister Fan, how have you been?"

"What do you mean, 'How have you been?' You're really fooling your senior sister. You've followed the patriarch and climbed to a higher position, and you've completely forgotten about your senior sister." As Fan Hongjiao spoke, her hand reached out and caressed Duan Rong's chest.

Duan Rong immediately stepped aside, saying awkwardly, "Senior Sister, business is more important."

Fan Hongjiao said, "Don't bring up serious matters. It will only make me angrier. Junior brother, you've accomplished such a great feat, even capturing the leader of the Bloodstained Sect, and you didn't even think of taking your senior sister with you. Your senior sister has really spoiled you for nothing."

As Fan Hongjiao spoke, she gave Duan Rong a coquettish glare.

The two were talking at the entrance of the dungeon. Inside the dungeon, Yang Yi had personally imprisoned Shang Xiangyu and was about to come over to report to Duan Rong when he suddenly heard Fan Hongjiao's words. He froze on the spot, as if petrified.

Yang Yi stood in the shadows inside the dungeon door, his face filled with astonishment, his scalp tingling as if struck by lightning. He thought to himself, "They even captured the leader of the Filthy Blood Cult!?"

Over the years, the sect hadn't achieved any significant success against the Bloodstained Blood Cult, but Yang Yi had always known that Yang Sixuan had been relentlessly pursuing them. Simply attacking one stronghold after another was meaningless to Yang Sixuan. He had already discovered the Bloodstained Blood Cult's three-tiered system. Yang Sixuan was racking his brains day and night on how to use this system to his advantage, casting a long line to catch a bigger fish, and ultimately find the cult leader, Fu Yi.

It's lamentable that despite decades of painstaking efforts, Yang Sixuan hasn't even caught a glimpse of Fu Yi. (End of Chapter)