Six hundred Blood Cloud Cavalry were enough to sweep battlefields. A thousand cavalry could stand against a major sect like the Shangxiao Sect and remain undefeated.

To gather five hundred Blood Cloud Knights in just one year was actually quite an achievement. With the current prosperity of the Qiantian Mountain, they estimated reaching a thousand might take another five or six years. Considering the influx of spiritual energy, that timeline might even be shortened.

Yet, Zong Shou remained somewhat unwilling, persistently asking, "One hundred thousand? Can't we get any more? If I toss more refined beasts down there, can we extract more?"

Hearing this, Xuanyuan Yiren regarded Zong Shou with the look one reserves for an idiot. "We certainly could, but even a sixth-tier refined beast would take at least seven years before it could potentially resist the toxicity of the essence blood from the Spirit Newt."

Zong Shou frowned, then let out a sigh, realizing his own mindset had become unbalanced. He hadn't even considered such basic common sense.

But the next moment, Xuanyuan Yiren continued, "There is another method: directly extracting the blood from the Spirit Newt's severed tail. I studied it closely earlier. Although the Spirit Newt is one of the ancient divine beasts renowned for its poison, it shouldn't inherently possess toxicity. Therefore, I deduce that the Spirit Newt's blood only becomes poisonous after it encounters air—"

Zong Shou’s eyes brightened; it felt like finding a hidden village after walking through dark woods. He understood that what Xuanyuan Yiren meant by 'encountering air' was contact between the Spirit Newt's blood and the atmosphere.

Xuanyuan Yiren trailed off mid-sentence, then knitted her brows again. "It probably won't work. Even if we could obtain the Spirit Newt's blood, it might not be suitable for alchemy. Legend says the Spirit Newt is an ancient Sacred Realm being, rumored to still exist today. Even a severed tail segment contains its potent will. If we draw its blood without purifying and refining it, we might be inviting disaster."

Zong Shou had already risen to his feet, but as he reached the mouth of the cavern, something struck him, forcing him to turn back with a forced resolution. "Right! I forgot to mention. About ten days ago, I destroyed the physical body of your senior martial brother."

Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Yiren pursed her lips, initially refusing to believe it. Zong Shou was only at the Huan Ling Master stage; how could he possibly defeat her senior martial brother, who had advanced to the seventh tier several years ago?

However, in the next instant, she saw the utterly serious expression on Zong Shou’s face. Recalling how he had once used the union of spirit and martial arts, combined with his Kingly Martial Arts, to borrow Wei Xu’s power and defeat an eighth-tier expert atop Mount Xuan, her eyelids twitched, a mixture of shock and uncertainty in her gaze. "You actually killed him?"

Zong Shou didn't answer, merely nodding with profound sincerity. Xuanyuan Yiren instantly sucked in a sharp breath, then, after a moment of thought, asked again, "Then, do you feel any guilt?"

"None whatsoever!" Zong Shou shook his head. "He and the Cold Inverse Water Dragon conspired to kill me. In the end, along with Ruo, their physical bodies were destroyed by me—"

Strictly speaking, the Pill Spirit Sect had been destroyed by Elder Long Ying. Zong Shou preferred not to let Xuanyuan Yiren redirect her resentment toward Long Ying.

Hearing the names Han Ni Shui Long and Ruo, the three women in the cave couldn't help but turn pale with fright.

Xuanyuan Yiren was also slightly moved, then shook her head again. "Then my senior brother was in the wrong, and Zong Shou, you are blameless. My senior brother has always been overly ambitious and resorted to despicable methods; he is not a gentleman. It is actually good that he received a lesson this time. Since he’s dead, he’s dead. When we return to the sect, I will certainly report this to our Master and the elders and ask them to discern right from wrong."

She fell silent after that, a trace of worry clouding her beautiful face.

Seeing this, Zong Shou actually smiled, knowing this righteous girl held no real blame toward him.

As for the Pill Spirit Sect, if it weren't for Yiren, he wouldn't have taken them seriously at all. Even without the Blood Cloud Cavalry, Qiantian Mountain was now powerful enough to contend with them.

Riding his sword, he soared into the dense fog once more. This time, he flew directly toward the very center of the valley floor.

Chuxue, Ruoshui, and Xuanyuan Yiren followed closely behind. Surprisingly, Xue'er could now manage sword flight, though her form wavered precariously, nearly falling several times before Ruoshui steadied her.

The hundred-mile distance was covered in an instant. In less than half an hour, the white mist began to turn scarlet. The deeper they ventured, the denser the blood mist became, carrying an illusory power that subtly tried to steer them off course.

An increasingly potent and vast will permeated the area. Yiren and the others could keep up initially, but soon they were forced to land and proceed on foot.

Zong Shou, however, navigated with practiced ease, his speed undiminished. Only when he judged they had reached the valley’s center did he casually cast a spiritual art. A violent gust of wind instantly swept the mist away.

Before him stood a colossal stone pillar, over five hundred zhang tall and wide enough for a hundred men to encircle.

The pillar was curved, tapering to a sharp point at the bottom where it plunged deep into the earth. The surroundings were covered in rocks resembling scales. The very top ended in a flat, clean cut, as if sliced by a blade. Every so often, dark crimson fluid oozed out, and upon contact with the air, it instantly boiled and churned, releasing countless plumes of vapor that dissipated into the surroundings.

Not far from here, about ten li away, was another cavern entrance, also emitting wisps of vapor—a mix of abundant water vapor and the unique black fog from the Abyss of Evil.

"This is the Spirit Newt's Tail!"

Xuanyuan Yiren stopped when she was eight hundred zhang away. Though this was only a remnant segment of the Spirit Newt, after ten thousand years, its immense will could still suppress everything.

This was her absolute limit; she could only gaze from afar, yet her eyes were filled with awe.

For the past month, although they had hunted refined beasts throughout this misty valley, they never knew the location of the Spirit Newt's Tail. Only now, following Zong Shou, did they finally see it. Zong Shou flew silently to the void above the cliff, looking down. The top of the smooth stone pillar, despite oozing scarlet fluid, emitted a foul stench, clearly saturated with potent poison.

This was within his expectations. With a flicker of thought, he summoned his Yin Fire Sword.

He affixed several talismans to the blade, then plunged it downward toward the pillar.

Behind him, nine dragon shadows suddenly materialized, emitting fierce roars. The Thunder Winged Flood Dragon manifested, its body flickering as its primordial spirit left its flesh and submerged itself into the Fiery Yin Sword.

It acted almost like a sword spirit, causing the sword's aura to surge dramatically.

"Clang!"

With a heavy impact, when the sword met the stone, countless sparks erupted. The Fiery Yin Sword, whose sharpness rivaled second-tier magic tools, only managed to carve a thin, pale scratch before being violently flung back by an immense force.

The vast will latent within the stone pillar swelled at that moment, rebounding autonomously.

Zong Shou's body immediately swayed, nearly plummeting to the ground. His entire face was covered in beads of cold sweat.

This was the will of a Sacred Realm being! This single impact from the remnant tail section nearly shattered his soul!

Taking several deep breaths, he swallowed a few pills.

It took several breaths before Zong Shou regained some composure. Without hesitation, he brought the sword down again!

Another muffled "Clang" sounded, still generating sparks, only deepening the white scratch slightly.

Then, sword stroke followed sword stroke. After each strike, Zong Shou felt the strain increase. His Sea of Chaos Vortex was on the verge of collapse under the intense pressure. Fortunately, with the seventh strike, the nine-story pagoda suddenly emitted a yellow light, suppressing his primordial spirit once more.

He persisted relentlessly until the thirteenth strike landed. The white scratch had finally penetrated half a cun into the stone, and a drop of bright crimson suddenly seeped out from within.

Zong Shou rejoiced inwardly. He immediately deployed his magical power, completely isolating the surrounding air and spiritual energy. Then he began drawing out this fresh Spirit Newt blood. However, just as he extracted the fifth drop, the scratch he had made completely healed, and no more scarlet blood seeped out. The entire process had taken barely ten breaths.

Zong Shou shook his head; the Spirit Newt’s self-healing ability was monstrously strong.

Others believed the Spirit Newt was still alive in the world. He, however, knew that this divine beast was now half-dead, hidden deep in the void, very close to death. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare target it.

But even so, the power remaining in this severed tail was impossibly great. He had targeted the wound directly; any other part protected by scales would likely remain uncut even if his Fiery Yin Sword shattered completely.

His consciousness was already fading. He dared not continue. He hastily ascended on his sword, but at four thousand zhang, the sword light could no longer support him, and he began to fall towards the ground. Fortunately, Xuanyuan Yiren and Chuxue, affected by the wave of will, had already retreated nearby and were able to hastily fly up to catch him, preventing an embarrassing fall.

Xuanyuan Yiren’s face was ashen.

"I think you're insane, Zong Shou! That was the Spirit Newt!"

She had felt her own spirit on the verge of collapse when she was still a thousand zhang away from that divine pressure. Zong Shou had charged directly into the offensive; it was a miracle he wasn't dead. Zong Shou smiled awkwardly and offered no reply. After recovering slightly, he presented the item in his hand.

It was the Spirit Newt’s blood. Even as he was about to lose consciousness, he hadn't forgotten to use True Qi to bind the fluid, completely isolating it from the air and spiritual energy.

These few drops of fresh blood seemed to possess life, constantly shifting shape.

Xuanyuan Yiren didn't even look, coldly snorting with a stern face. "I didn't tell you to risk your life for it! Besides, that Sacred Realm will is fundamentally impossible to eliminate. Even if it weren't poisonous, it couldn't be used for alchemy."

Zong Shou let out a wry laugh and suddenly activated his Heaven Devouring Primordial Transformation Art, sucking the drops dry in one go. The few drops of blood immediately transformed again, becoming much more docile and losing their vitality.

Xuanyuan Yiren’s eyes were now filled with disbelief. Yet, she could clearly sense that while much of the vital energy within the blood was lost, the Spirit Newt’s will had also been reduced to its absolute limit.

If that were the case, using it for alchemy might indeed be feasible. Frowning in thought, Xuanyuan Yiren spoke again.

"If that’s the case, I have a method to increase the number of Spirit Newt Blood Essence Pills to five hundred thousand, requiring only enough fourth-tier alchemists. However, only three drops of this Spirit Newt blood are needed; any more is useless—"

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