For all the years since Lei Dong departed, Ouyang Rong'er had never relaxed the habits and philosophies he had instilled in her. Especially regarding alchemy, it was as if a taut string was constantly drawn in her mind, relentlessly reminding her that she must strive with all her might to become an Alchemy Grandmaster. It felt as though only by achieving that status could she truly escape the shadow of Lei Dong.

In truth, the philosophy Lei Dong had passed down wasn't particularly advanced; it boiled down to four simple words: practice makes perfect. Many people, even those with modest aptitude, could achieve remarkable results if they focused intently on one thing for a long time, let alone Ouyang Rong'er, who already possessed considerable talent in this area.

Originally, Lei Dong had estimated that over these past two decades, the effort Ouyang Rong'er expended to reach the level of Alchemy Master would equate to an astronomical number of pills. However, the reality was that Ouyang Rong'er had actually earned a significant amount of money for Lei Dong during these years. Dedicating herself to fundamental alchemy, never reaching for unattainable heights, Ouyang Rong'er, upon reaching a near one hundred percent success rate in refining low-grade elixirs, refused to stop there. Instead, she began implementing a series of improvement plans specifically targeting those low-tier pills.

And wouldn't you know it, she actually managed to stumble upon some remarkably effective discoveries. For instance, some of the low-grade elixirs she developed were consistently a cut above the quality of identical pills on the market, possessing exceptional efficacy.

This batch of elixirs flowed into the apothecary shops established by Lei Dong and quickly opened up the market, causing Lei Dong's apothecaries to gain increasing renown, drawing in throngs of low-level cultivators. Lei Dong had analyzed long ago that the largest demographic in this world consisted of Qi Refining stage cultivators. While they might appear perpetually impoverished, lacking in spirit stones, once their sheer numbers accumulated, the resulting profit margin was extraordinarily lucrative.

And one must admit, Old Qian, the manager Lei Dong had left behind at the apothecary shop, truly was an exceptionally astute man. Lei Dong had merely casually imparted a large set of advanced philosophies to him at the start and then left him to his own devices. Yet, Old Qian took every concept Lei Dong had imparted, "compiled it into manuals, and digested it bit by bit." Not only that, but he also significantly expanded upon Lei Dong's foundational theories.

In just over two decades, the single apothecary shop Lei Dong had invested in had now spread throughout the entire sphere of influence of the Yin Sha Sect, growing from one location to twenty. The total asset value had reached over fifty million spirit stones. While there was a suspicion of predatory pricing undercutting competitors, the annual profit still managed to reach several million spirit stones no matter how you looked at it. This outcome naturally prompted Lei Dong to laugh heartily several times; it was equivalent to acquiring a goose that laid golden eggs, completely for free.

Of course, Old Qian’s success wasn't solely due to his mastery of business philosophy. In fact, if this entire enterprise hadn't been situated within the Yin Sha Sect's territory, operating under the banners of Lei Dong, Ding Wanyan, and the Myriad Ghost Cave, it's highly likely that during this rapid ascent, it would have been devoured whole by rivals.

It was for this reason that Zuo Chao never interfered significantly with the operation of the apothecary shops, merely fulfilling his master's orders to oversee the administrative flow on Lei Dong’s behalf—lest this golden-egg-laying goose be snatched away by outsiders.

With such a favorable foundation in place, Lei Dong couldn't help but start contemplating. Should he extend the apothecary shops throughout the entirety of Kang Province? Previously, the elixirs procured from Zhao Province were sold to large merchants, and then he lost interest. But now, with such a solid base established, it would be a tremendous waste not to utilize it. According to what Lei Dong knew, his core team had also helped him preliminarily establish a small force.

Describing it as 'small' was only relative; only Lei Dong knew that this force was no longer insignificant. The reason was simple: many of the individuals brought into this force were controlled via Ghost Puppets. And the Ghost Puppet technique was something so terrifying that even Nascent Soul stage cultivators would feel immense dread if entangled with it, unable to resist. Furthermore, every Golden Core puppet selected had undergone repeated deliberation, with Lei Dong deeply studying their temperaments before executing the binding process. For instance, those with fiercely resolute personalities, prone to fighting at the slightest provocation, Lei Dong wouldn't even consider touching.

Naturally, while these were all significant future plans, the Blood Demon had not yet returned, meaning they were waiting for the right opportunity. The most pressing matter at hand was resolving the affair of the Eight Children of Ling Xiao. After re-establishing control over Ouyang Rong'er, Lei Dong brought Zuo Chao, Ouyang Rong'er, and the other Foundation Establishment cultivators directly toward Star-Plucking Peak, simply to gain some perspective.

Star-Plucking Peak was located within a mountain range inside the Yin Sha Sect's domain; its terrain was precipitous, soaring high into the clouds. Gale-force winds constantly howled around the summit, making the environment bitterly cold. Forget ordinary mortals; even Qi Refining cultivators could not withstand it. Only those who had achieved the Foundation Establishment stage could barely enter the peak, and even then, without a Golden Core cultivator nearby to shield them and bear the brunt of the gale, they probably couldn't linger for long.

Because of this inherent danger, the battle at Star-Plucking Peak was restricted to Golden Core cultivators for observation only. As for Foundation Establishment cultivators, they required someone willing to actively shield them.

Such was Lei Dong’s speed that the journey only took three or four days. This was at least ten days earlier than the planned final battle. However, events had unfolded beyond Lei Dong’s expectations. Along the way, it was truly a "sea of people." Especially once they entered within a few thousand miles of Star-Plucking Peak, the area could practically be described as overflowing with inhabitants.

In the sky, various streaks of light crisscrossed and shone brilliantly. Observing the momentum, there were undeniable Golden Core powerhouses, as well as mid-tier cultivators at the Foundation Establishment level, but the vast majority were Qi Refining cultivators covering the mountains and plains. Countless Qi Refining cultivators, seemingly driven by some collective madness, had traveled distances of hundreds of thousands or even a million li, spending half a year just to reach Star-Plucking Peak.

Granted, Star-Plucking Peak was too high and too terrifying to ascend, but simply waiting at the foot of the mountain was not an issue.

This was no exaggeration by Lei Dong; upon arriving, he truly had no desire to push into the denser crowds. He simply suppressed his aura, making his appearance resemble that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and landed with Chen Ge, Ouyang Rong'er, and the others on an unremarkable small slope.

Even this small slope was already occupied by seven or eight groups of people, each group consisting of three to five, or seven to eight individuals. Most were Qi Refining cultivators, interspersed with a small number of Foundation Establishment cultivators. It was only through eavesdropping on their casual conversations that Lei Dong discovered Qi Refining cultivators had traveled hundreds of thousands of li just for this. Their goal was simply to catch a glimpse of the Heavenly Demon's beautiful face.

Lei Dong felt speechless. A million li was a considerable distance even for a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator like himself, let alone Qi Refining cultivators whose flying speed was barely faster than a snail. It was sheer luck that they hadn't died en route.

Lei Dong’s estimation was correct: this duel involved the entirety of Kang Province. As countless cultivators rushed toward the area upon hearing the news, innumerable brawls and murders had already occurred along the travel routes. Many cultivators had vanished from the world without a trace. Of course, quite a few cultivators also encountered unique opportunities, such as finding a worthy master or stumbling upon some precious treasure.

This was not a joke; once any phenomenon reaches a certain scale, even unbelievable occurrences begin to seem commonplace.

Where there are people, there is naturally conflict. After settling down for less than half an hour, within the range of Lei Dong’s divine sense, he detected no fewer than five instances of conflict. In one of those incidents, someone actually died. Gazing at the multitude of cultivators spread across the mountains like ants, camping wherever they pleased, Lei Dong couldn't help but feel a sense of profound melancholy. In his lifetime, he had never seen so many cultivators gathered in one place. Fortunately, no one dared provoke Lei Dong's group; although they were few in number, every single one was a master at the Foundation Establishment stage. Quite the opposite, the seven or eight groups of Qi Refining cultivators previously occupying the hilltop wisely retreated elsewhere, preferring to squeeze in with others, risk conflict, or even fight to the death.

The raw reality of the weak being preyed upon by the strong was displayed here without reservation.

Fortunately, Lei Dong and his group did not wait long. In less than an hour, a powerful streak of red light sliced through the sky. The various colored lights flying overhead quickly dodged to make way. That streak of light clearly indicated a Golden Core cultivator. If they couldn't afford to provoke it, the only option was to respectfully yield the path.

That light descended directly in front of Lei Dong. As a subtle, delicate fragrance drifted into Lei Dong's nostrils, the woman in red, whose face was covered by a silk scarf, let out a light, silvery laugh and transmitted her voice, "Senior Brother Lei, are you playing the pig to eat the tiger again?" Her sharp eyes swept across the surroundings, spotting the throngs of low-level cultivators filling the nearby hills and ravines, and she chuckled again.

However, when those low-level cultivators felt the gaze of Qi Feifei sweep over them, they instantly lowered their eyes and averted their gazes; no one dared meet her eye. Who knew what disposition this powerful woman in red possessed? In this world, simply looking at someone for too long could result in instant death, an event that was depressingly common.

The reason Lei Dong had chosen to wait here was precisely because he didn't want to wander about aimlessly. Moreover, he didn't wish to expose his Golden Core cultivation. Only those who understood how to conceal their sharp claws could survive longer in this world. So, after landing here, he dispatched a ghost messenger to notify Wanyan.

"Feifei, have Wanyan and the others arrived as well?" Lei Dong casually transmitted.

"Senior Brother Lei, Sister Wanyan is accompanying the Heavenly Demon and could not come to meet you." Qi Feifei replied with a captivating smile. "So, only your humble maidservant came. But looking at the faint joy in Senior Brother Lei's brow, the refinement of the magical treasure must have gone exceptionally smoothly."

Seeing Qi Feifei so relaxed, Lei Dong also let out a slight sigh of relief. It seemed the Heavenly Demon was quite confident about this impending battle. Just as Lei Dong was about to ask Qi Feifei to transport them away, a slow-moving streak of light flew toward them from a neighboring small hill, accompanied by a crisp, childlike voice: "Golden Core Sister, save me!"

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