The First Sage of Military Strategists

Upon hearing this, Tan Yuanming felt a surge of excitement. As long as this Heavenly Demon Blood Soul Pill was successfully refined, he could use it to absorb a vast amount of blood and energy, and quickly temper himself into a demonic body.

The demonic body is extremely powerful, even more so than the demonic body, and comparable to the dragon body.

In ancient times, dragons and demons could defeat many powerful races with their bare hands.

"Brother Tan, Brother Ma, has it been successfully refined?"

As they were pondering, a young man's voice drifted from afar. He was wearing an earth-yellow robe, had thick eyebrows and large eyes, and exuded a majestic aura as heavy as a mountain.

This person is named Zhao Yueqiu, a peerless genius of the Zhao family in this generation. He has been in seclusion and cultivating diligently. Now that the tide of humanity is about to arrive, like most people from aristocratic families who cultivate in seclusion, he has also chosen to emerge from seclusion, hoping to seize benefits in this transformation of the tide of humanity and consolidate the Zhao family's position.

"Brother Zhao, rest assured, we're almost there. This is the final step!"

As Ma Meng spoke, he pulled out a palm-sized square jade box from somewhere. Upon opening it, he found a ball of deep purple blood inside, which resembled a precious pearl and emitted a faint glow.

Moreover, this "precious pearl" seemed to have a life force, constantly twisting and writhing, emitting surging demonic energy, and the three could even hear faint cries.

"Brother Ma, what is this thing? Why does it exude such strong malice?" Zhao Yueqiu frowned.

"This is the essence blood of an ancient demon. It's normal for Brother Zhao to feel uncomfortable. Demons are the common enemy of all races. Anything related to demons will make normal people feel uncomfortable. However, this drop of demon blood is the core ingredient for refining the Demon Blood Soul Pill."

"Look closely, both of you! The Demon Core is about to be completed!"

As Ma Meng spoke, he flicked his finger, and the constantly twisting and writhing drop of demonic blood shot into the huge alchemy furnace in front of him.

hum!
The alchemy furnace trembled, and the thousands of medicinal herbs seemed to undergo a strange reaction. Accompanied by a loud buzzing sound, a monstrous demonic aura surged out of the furnace, instantly enveloping an area of ​​a hundred miles in radius.

Jie Jie Jie!

Then, the three heard a piercing, high-pitched laugh echoing through the world.

"What's going on?" Zhao Yueqiu frowned.

He was surrounded by black mist, and saw the shadows of many demonic beasts appearing and disappearing in the mist, some galloping, some roaring, and some howling to the sky.

"This is the most crucial and difficult step. The demonic energy in the demonic blood has been fully activated. We must suppress or even completely eliminate it so that we can safely take the precious pill. Otherwise, if there is any demonic energy left, the precious pill will become a poison pill. If we swallow it rashly, it is easy for our minds to become distorted and our bodies and souls to be infected and transformed into demons."

Ma Meng spoke quickly, then placed his palm on the alchemy furnace, channeling his magical power into it. The furnace shone brightly, and instantly, some of the demonic energy permeating the world was gathered and sealed away, though a considerable portion remained.

Ma Meng frowned: "This is bad! My strength is limited, and I can't suppress this surging demonic energy. I beg Brother Zhao for help!"

The Nine Peaks Returning to Origin Furnace was originally the Zhao family's most treasured possession, and Zhao Yueqiu was its true owner. Ma Meng wanted to refine pills but lacked a good furnace, so he went to great lengths to find Zhao Yueqiu to help him. The three of them contributed money and labor, which gave them hope of refining the precious pills.

Zhao Yueqiu didn't hesitate and immediately struck, slapping the alchemy furnace with her palm. The furnace trembled and shone brightly, instantly enveloping a large area around it, transforming into layers of mountain shadows.

In an instant, the overwhelming demonic energy was gathered and suppressed, and the noisy, shrill laughter disappeared.

"Brother Zhao's intervention was truly effective," Ma Meng exclaimed.

"I have been refining this alchemy furnace at home for decades, and I can now unleash its full power and functions. What you just saw was only one of its abilities, called Nine Mountains Suppressing the Origin. It can not only suppress demonic energy, but also suppress everything in the world. It is no less powerful than the famous Taiyin True Realm and Taiyang True Realm." Zhao Yueqiu's face showed a hint of pride.

"Is the pill finished?" Tan Yuanming changed the subject. He didn't want to hear Zhao Yueqiu's boasting and just wanted to finish refining the precious pill as soon as possible.

"There's only one last step left. Right now, we've only gathered and suppressed the demonic energy. We still need to find a way to completely eliminate it. Don't worry, Ma Meng has already made preparations."

As he spoke, he flipped his palm, revealing a hexagonal blood crystal. The crystal shimmered with a blood-red light and was about the size of an adult's arm.

"This is an ancient Heavenly Dragon Blood Crystal. I will use the power of the Heavenly Dragon to eliminate the demonic energy, and the precious pill will surely be formed."

As Ma Meng spoke, he threw the blood crystal into the Nine Mountains Suppressing Furnace.

After a few breaths, the entire alchemy furnace began to shake violently again.

All three of them clearly felt a tremendous force surging within it.

Suddenly, the surrounding mountain shadows distorted and became extremely unstable, as if they were about to collapse at any moment.

"Damn it! I can't suppress it anymore!" Zhao Yueqiu let out a strange cry.

"What? Brother Zhao, hold on! It's almost done!" Ma Meng was sweating profusely. If it failed, thousands of precious materials would be destroyed, and who knows when they would be able to gather them again.

Zhao Yueqiu frantically activated her magic technique, pouring a massive amount of magical power into the alchemy furnace.

The next instant, with a loud boom, a deep purple beam of light shot into the sky from the alchemy furnace, and the surrounding mountain shadows suddenly collapsed and dissipated.

Zhao Yueqiu's body trembled, she staggered backward, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

This sudden burst of power was so terrifying that he couldn't suppress it at all and was even backfired, suffering serious injuries.

Just when he thought the alchemy had failed, Ma Meng suddenly cried out.

"The pill is done! Oh no, it flew away! Quick, after it!"

Tan Yuanming looked up and saw a miniature purple dragon suddenly soar upwards and fly away at high speed into the distance.

Wherever it passed, a pale purple haze spread, which was not blown away by the sandstorm.

As wisps of mist drifted over, all three smelled a delicate fragrance, causing their blood and energy to surge violently.

"Such potent medicinal power! Just a wisp of its aura has greatly increased my physical strength. If I were to actually ingest it, I wonder how much stronger my body would become?" Tan Yuanming's eyes were filled with barely concealed excitement.

"Didn't you say that one furnace would produce nine pieces? Why is there only one now?" Zhao Yueqiu suddenly asked.

It was agreed before that there would be nine pieces in one batch, to be divided equally among the three people, but now we only see one piece.

"There must have been a problem during the refining process. However, even if only one pill was successfully refined, it's still a success. Hurry and chase after it! We can't let this precious pill escape!" Ma Meng took the lead and flew up to chase after the demon pill.

Upon hearing this, Tan Yuanming and Zhao Yueqiu both had a sudden thought. There was only one pill, so they couldn't distribute it. They would have to see who was more capable and whoever could snatch it would get the precious pill.

The two of them took to the air one after the other, each using their own techniques to chase after Bao Dan at top speed.

...

Bao Dan flew at an extremely fast speed. In just a few breaths, she had already flown out of the ancient city of Loulan, and then sped forward, not knowing where she was going.

Wherever it passed, wisps of medicinal vapor spread between heaven and earth, and the entire desert was in an uproar. Countless animals and plants underwent transformation under the nourishment of the medicinal vapor.

"This is bad! The pill is flying towards the Sand Island camp. There are many powerful experts in the camp. Once they discover it, a great battle will definitely break out." Ma Meng's expression changed drastically. He chose to refine the pill in the ancient city of Loulan to prevent anyone from interfering, but he didn't expect things to turn out this way. He gritted his teeth and suddenly used a forbidden technique, burning his magical energy to increase his speed dramatically. He chased after the precious pill in a flash.

He understood that he couldn't delay; he had to take the precious pill away as soon as possible, otherwise, many experts from the Shazhou camp would arrive soon.

However, he thought he was fast enough, but he didn't expect that someone was faster than him, and that was Zhao Yueqiu.

The latter, using some unknown secret technique, instantly surpassed him, soaring to the forefront and rapidly closing the distance between himself and Bao Dan.

"Jiuyue Zhenyuan, take him in!"

He held the alchemy furnace in his hand, pointed it out into the air, and a vast power of Dharma energy surged between heaven and earth.

In an instant, layers of mountain shadows appeared, suddenly transforming into a wide cage, trapping the precious pill that was soaring in the sky within.

Baodan trembled violently and let out a series of cries, like a baby crying.

This time, however, it was unable to break free.

Zhao Yueqiu originally just wanted to give it a try, but she didn't expect to be trapped. Just now, the precious pill had some unknown force that was able to break through the Nine Mountains Suppressing Yuan Formation in one fell swoop, but now that force was gone.

Without a moment to think, he lunged forward, eager to claim the precious pill.

Unexpectedly, the situation changed drastically.

A low shout suddenly came from behind him.

"Two stars fall!"

In an instant, a vast starry sky appeared above everyone's heads, and two meteors suddenly fell from the sky, carrying blazing white light, and crashed into the layers of mountain shadows at extremely high speed.

Boom boom boom!
A massive explosion erupted in the sky, causing two meteorites to shatter and shower down fiery trails. The towering mountain shadows collapsed as a result, allowing Bao Dan to break free and continue soaring into the distance.

Zhao Yueqiu's face darkened, and she turned around with a sharp gaze, staring intently at Tan Yuanming, who was flying rapidly from behind.

"Tan Yuanming, what do you mean by this? We agreed to form an alliance, and you suddenly attacked me, betraying your promise. You are truly a despicable person!"

Tan Yuanming smiled knowingly: "Zhao Yueqiu, there's only one precious pill. What's the point of forming an alliance? Whoever is more capable and snatches it first gets the pill. Don't pretend. You're just as cunning and treacherous. If the precious pill were to fall into my hands, you would also try to stop it!"

As he spoke, a pale blue jewel held in his palm suddenly shone brightly.

Above, the stars swirled and formed a vortex, their light suddenly converging into a giant star hand that descended from the sky and grabbed at the flying elixir.

Seeing this, Zhao Yueqiu was dissatisfied and immediately wanted to take action, determined not to let the precious pill fall into Tan Yuanming's hands.

Just then, the situation changed again.

Suddenly, a long sword flew from afar. The sword was ancient and had a grayish luster. It was dozens of feet long and had a sharp sword light. In just a moment, it crossed the sky and covered hundreds of miles, and stabbed the solidified star hand hard.

Bang!
The giant hand was suddenly pierced by the flying sword, and in just a moment, the starry hand collapsed and dissipated.

"Who?" Tan Yuanming shouted sharply, his eyes narrowing as he looked in the direction from which the flying sword had come.

Then, he saw an old woman with white hair and wrinkled skin flying over at lightning speed. Her face was full of wrinkles and she looked very old, but a powerful surge of energy flowed through her body.

"Heavenly Demon Blood Soul Pill! I never expected that a casual outing would lead me to such a stroke of good fortune. It must be ordained by Heaven that this precious pill should fall into my hands!"

The old woman gazed at the precious pill soaring into the sky, licked her lips, and her eyes were filled with excitement.

She could smell the rich medicinal aroma in the air, and her blood and qi surged within her body.

"So it's Elder Luo Yueying. This precious pill was refined by the three of us together. It's not an unclaimed item. We hope you'll leave immediately." Tan Yuanming suppressed his dissatisfaction and shouted loudly.

He refrained from intervening only out of respect for the Luo family. If it were anyone else, he would never have negotiated so amicably.

Unexpectedly, Luo Yueying showed no mercy. Before he could finish speaking, she took the initiative and waved her hand. A surge of magical power appeared in the sky, and a large number of chains suddenly coiled into a large net, locking up a large area of ​​the sky in front of her, as well as the Heavenly Demon Blood Soul Pill.

"Luo Yueying, what do you mean by this?" Zhao Yueqiu also caught up from behind, her brows furrowed.

"Hmph, you say this precious pill has an owner? But I only saw this pill flying in the sky, so it is an unclaimed object. Whoever is more capable can snatch it and it will be theirs. This has been the rule since ancient times!" Luo Yueying's voice was hoarse, and her yellowish-brown eyes gleamed with a turbid light.

"You're asking for death! I've given you some face because you're from the Luo family, but you're ungrateful. Don't blame me for what I'm about to do!" Tan Yuanming roared.

"Hmph, little brat from the Tan family, such arrogance is not a good thing. You may have some ability, but the Impermanence Sword in my hand is no less sharp." Luo Yueying sneered and brandished the sword in her hand.

All three of them turned their gaze to the sword. This sword, the Impermanence Sword, was a supreme magic sword with an extremely famous reputation. It originally belonged to the Heavenly Wolf Fortress, then fell into Han Yi's hands, and now it was in Luo Yueying's hands.

As they stood in this standoff, Luo Yueying made another move. Suddenly, she reached out and grabbed at the supreme precious pill from a distance. The chains tightened in the air and then dragged the pill toward him at high speed.

"Be bold!"

"Stop him!"

The three attacked one after another, but Luo Yueying was prepared and took the lead, unleashing endless sword light forward.

The sword light surged like waves, like a rushing river, moving forward at great speed. In just a moment, it intercepted all three attacks in mid-air.

Just when it seemed that the precious pill was about to fall into his hands, the situation changed again.

Suddenly, a colossal creature flew rapidly through the sky, its wings spread wide, casting a vast shadow over the desert.

Luo Yueying glanced around and discovered it was a mechanical behemoth, the Vermilion Bird Giant Spirit.

The behemoth suddenly flapped its wings, unleashing a torrent of flames that swept across the heavens and earth in an instant, shattering the heavy chains formed by Luo Yueying's magical powers.

"The Mohists are joining in the fun too?" Luo Yueying's eyes flashed with murderous intent.

"The Heavenly Demon Blood Soul Pill is a supreme treasure. Now that I've come across it, I can't let it slip away. Whoever gets the pill, it belongs to them. It's all up to their ability!" Lin Motong, wearing a mask, spoke coldly from on the back of the Vermilion Bird.

As he spoke, he was already controlling the Vermilion Bird Beast, rushing towards the Heavenly Demon Blood Soul Pill at top speed.

The Vermilion Bird Giant Spirit was extremely fast, and caught up with Baodan in the blink of an eye.

However, Ma Meng, who had been watching the battle attentively, suddenly made his move. His brow twitched, and he abruptly opened a vertical eye. With a whoosh, a deep purple beam of light shot out from it, traversing the sky and striking the Vermilion Bird's true spirit.

With a deafening roar, the latter was immediately blasted back. This brief delay allowed the Blood Soul Pill to soar over a thousand miles away. (End of Chapter)