Chapter 167: Dragon Blood Treasure Pill
“Young Master Feng, we have arrived at my young master’s room. Is there anything else Young Master Feng requires?” The guard led Yun Che to Murong Yi’s door, bent at the waist, and spoke with extreme reverence.
“Your young master and I have extremely important matters to discuss. You will stand guard here and allow no one to enter. Understood?”
Without waiting for the guard’s response, Yun Che walked straight forward, pushed the door open, and entered.
Murong Yi lay sickly in bed. With the severe injuries he had sustained, he wouldn’t be able to get out of bed for at least half a month. Hearing someone enter, he opened his eyes and was about to vent his anger. But as soon as he saw Feng Baiyi, his eyes lit up. Struggling to sit up, he said, “Baiyi, coming so late… has the matter been accomplished?”
“Xue Lang and I both struck together. How could we possibly fail?” Feng Baiyi walked over with a beaming smile.
“So, Yun Che is dead now?” A gleam of excitement and satisfaction shone in Murong Yi’s eyes.
“No.” Yun Che walked up to Murong Yi’s bedside, his smile mysterious and unfathomable. “He is not dead. Not only is he not dead, he is alive and well. But as for you, Murong Yi, you will soon be dead.”
Feng Baiyi’s words instantly stunned Murong Yi. But before he could make a sound, his throat was tightly clamped by Yun Che’s lightning-fast hand.
“Urgh…” Murong Yi’s eyes bulged to their widest. He grabbed Yun Che’s wrist with both hands, a dry, pained sound rasping from his throat.
Yun Che knew exactly how severely Murong Yi was injured. In his current state, Murong Yi posed no threat to him whatsoever, especially since Yun Che had made another breakthrough under the effects of the Golden Scale Dragon Transformation Pill. Even the hands gripping his wrist were weak and limp.
Watching Murong Yi, who could no longer utter a sound and could only howl in agony, Yun Che gave a cruel smile. With his left hand, he wiped his face, and Feng Baiyi’s features vanished, revealing his own. At the sight of Yun Che so close, Murong Yi’s pupils instantly dilated. His eyeballs bulged outward in utter shock and terror, nearly popping out of their sockets.
“Your good brother Feng Baiyi and that Xue Lang you hired tried to kill me. Unfortunately, I survived, and they died—died without even a body left behind.” Yun Che looked at Murong Yi and chuckled lowly. “As for you… tsk tsk, being beaten to such a state and having to lie in bed must be agonizing. Why don’t I do you a favor, put an end to your suffering, and send you straight to meet Yama. That way, you and your good brother can be reunited soon!”
“Urgh… urgh…” Murong Yi’s dilated eyes were filled with fear, then gradually overflowing with pleas for mercy.
“In your next life, don’t ever provoke me again!”
As Yun Che’s icy words fell, he abruptly increased the force in his hand. With the strength to wield the Overlord Giant Sword freely, twisting Murong Yi’s neck was as easy as turning over his hand. With a crack, Murong Yi’s throat bones and windpipe were completely crushed. His eyes bulged once more, his entire body stiffened abruptly, and then there was no further movement.
“You truly kill with ruthless decisiveness. And after killing someone, your heart rate didn’t change at all… Before you met me, had you killed many people?” Mo Li suddenly asked coldly.
“Mm, many.” Yun Che withdrew his hand and replied calmly. “Perhaps even more than you have killed.”
“Hmph, you are too naive.” Mo Li snorted disdainfully, then fell silent.
“Naive? Naive is a word used to describe children, like an adorable little girl such as Mo Li.” Yun Che said in a very low voice.
When he walked out of the room, Yun Che had already changed back into Feng Baiyi’s face. The guard he had ordered to wait at the door had not left. Seeing him emerge, the guard quickly lowered his head and said, “Young Master Feng, are you leaving now?”
“Mm.” Yun Che answered impatiently. “Brother Murong has gone to sleep. It’s best you don’t disturb him anymore.”
“Yes. Take care, Young Master Feng.”
Having disposed of the eldest son of the Northern Pacification General’s household and strolling away confidently as the young master saw him off—what a satisfying feeling that was.
————————————
The next day, news that the son of the Northern Pacification General had died in his home swept through the entire imperial city like a storm.
And the murderer of Murong Yi was identified as Feng Baiyi!
Murong Yi had died last night. The only person who had visited Murong Yi’s room that night was Feng Baiyi! But when the Murong family searched everywhere for Feng Baiyi, they found he had vanished as if from the face of the world—no trace of him could be found anywhere. This was clearly suspicious of “fleeing to escape punishment.” Unable to locate Feng Baiyi, the Northern Pacification General flew into a rage, leading thousands of troops in a massive blockade at the gates of the Western Pacification General’s mansion. Two longstanding allied military-political families had thus turned against each other.
After failing to find Feng Baiyi by any means, the Western Pacification General began to suspect that Feng Baiyi had been secretly killed by the Murong family. The two colossal clans plunged into a chaotic, life-and-death struggle…
As for the real culprit, Yun Che… not a single person suspected him.
It was possible that Murong Yi had been assassinated by someone other than Feng Baiyi, but what kind of place was the Northern Pacification General’s mansion? To kill Murong Yi silently under heavy guard, one would have needed at least the strength of the late Earth Xuan Realm. In any case, it couldn’t have been Yun Che.
Thus, while the imperial city was turbulent with storms, Yun Che, who had returned to the Cangfeng Mystic Palace, remained calm and undisturbed.
After one night, Yun Che’s internal injuries had mostly healed. Now, he shut himself in his room. On the wooden table in front of him, he laid out over a dozen different herbs and spirit crystals. At the forefront were three Azure Mysterious Crystals he had bought from the Black Moon Merchant Guild two months ago. In the center, on a small emerald-green leaf, rested over a dozen drops of dark-colored Flame Dragon Blood.
Time to start refining the Dragon Blood Treasure Pill!
He had originally planned to begin refining the Dragon Blood Treasure Pill two months ago, which was why he had gone to the Black Moon Merchant Guild and encountered Xiao Xiannü. But at that time, his Great Dao Pagoda Art had not yet reached the first realm, and the amount of Flame Dragon Blood he could withstand was very limited. At most, he could incorporate three drops of Flame Dragon Blood per pill, which would waste some of the Azure Mysterious Crystal. After careful consideration, he had temporarily abandoned the plan.
Now, he had extracted twelve drops of Flame Dragon Blood from the Flame Dragon’s corpse—twelve drops of King Xuan dragon blood! That meant he would infuse four drops of dragon blood into each of the three Dragon Blood Treasure Pills!
For a True Xuan Realm body to withstand four drops of King Xuan Flame Dragon blood at once—that would be suicidal for anyone else. But with the Great Dao Pagoda Art, Yun Che’s physical resilience far surpassed ordinary people. He was confident he could handle four drops of dragon blood.
Yun Che arranged the ingredients in order, placed his hands over them, and half-closed his eyes. After a short while, he activated the refining power of the Heavenly Poison Pearl. A green light enveloped the Flame Dragon Blood and all the materials… A long time later, when Yun Che removed his hands, the table was covered with various colored fragments. In the very center lay three round, red-gleaming pills, as translucent and glittering as three crimson pearls. A strange medicinal fragrance slowly spread out.
“Perfect quality. Flawless.”
Yun Che picked up the three pills, satisfied, and muttered to himself.
The centuries-old foundation of the Xiao Sect branch was no joke. Refining a Dragon Blood Pill required many ingredients, most of which were extremely precious. In the treasure vault of the Xiao Sect branch, besides the core ingredients of dragon blood and Azure Mysterious Crystals, all fourteen other materials were available in sufficient quantity to refine three pills. Otherwise, if Yun Che had to gather these materials himself, it would cost him a large number of Purple Mysterious Coins and, even under favorable circumstances, would take at least two to three months.
Refining one pill would take about two days, so three pills would be fully refined in six days. By then, his profound strength should increase by at least two levels… And the increase in profound strength was secondary. The King Xuan dragon blood would bring immeasurable benefits to his Qi and blood, physique, profound veins, and bones.
“What kind of pill is this?”
Just as Yun Che was appraising the pills he had refined with the Heavenly Poison Pearl, a clear, melodious, yet somewhat cold voice came from behind him.
A faint smile curled at the corner of Yun Che’s mouth. He turned around with a face full of pleasant surprise. In his line of sight stood a stunning woman dressed entirely in snow-white. Her skin was as bright as snow, and her aura was transcendent, otherworldly. A pair of beautiful eyes, like star diamonds, were fixed on the pills in his hand. Those eyes were so beautiful that even their icy coldness was enough to make one’s heart tremble and spirit wander.
“Xiao Xiannü, you’ve finally agreed to see me. Last time, you suddenly left…”
“I asked you, what pill are you holding?” Xiao Xiannü ignored his words and asked coldly. “Why do these pills carry the aura of the King Xuan Realm?”
An ordinary pill’s aura would never have drawn her out voluntarily.
Yun Che wore a disappointed expression and had to explain, “This is called the Dragon Blood Treasure Pill, refined with dragon blood. Taking it not only increases profound strength but also strengthens the body and grants immunity to all diseases. As for why it has the aura of the King Xuan Realm…” He thought for a moment and answered truthfully, “Because the dragon blood used to refine it came from a King Xuan dragon.”
Xiao Xiannü’s gaze flickered slightly, and a deep surprise flashed across her face. She stepped closer, glanced again at the pills in Yun Che’s hand, and parted her lips to speak. “You can also refine pills? And you’ve produced pills of such a high-level aura. Even in the entire Cangfeng Mystic Palace, there isn’t a pill more advanced than the ones in your hand. Moreover, the method you used to refine pills is something I’ve never even heard of!”
She had clearly observed the entire process of refining just now. There was no cauldron, no flame, no mixing, no gathering of profound energy… He simply covered the materials with his hands, and after a dozen breaths, the pile of ingredients had turned into three pills. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn’t have believed it. In her knowledge, pills with such a high-level aura were something that fewer than ten people in the entire Cang Feng Empire could refine, and the refining process was extremely lengthy and difficult. What Yun Che had just done wasn’t like alchemy—it was more like performing a magic trick.