171: Chapter 171 Bringing out all the family's wealth, preparing to fight to the death.

At the summit of Qingyun Peak, the night was as dark as ink.

A streak of light tore through the clouds, slamming heavily onto the plaza in front of the main hall with a piercing sonic boom.

"Boom!"

The hard bluestone slabs cracked instantly. Before the dust and smoke had cleared, Gu Yan's figure had already rushed out of the deep crater.

His black robe was disheveled, torn by the Protective Aura. The ferocious beast-head armor on his left shoulder glinted with a chilling, dark-gold light under the moonlight, and it was still dripping the blood of that red-robed Cultivator.

The hall doors were violently kicked open.

Elder Su Ming, who was savoring Tiger Bone Wine inside the hall, had a trembling hand, spilling the precious liquor all over his crotch.

"What's going on? Is your ass on fire?"

Elder Su Ming put down his wine gourd, but before he could flare up, a human-skin map thrown by Gu Yan plastered onto his face.

"Stop drinking."

Gu Yan's voice was cold and hard, carrying an unspent Killing Intent: "The big one is here."

Elder Su Ming pulled off the map and glanced at the scarlet light point still moving on it; his originally turbid old eyes instantly narrowed into slits.

"This aura... the Blood River Sect?"

He stood up abruptly, his drunkenness instantly evaporating: "The location is at the Sect's border, and the speed is very fast... This Spiritual Pressure fluctuation, it's at least Golden Core Mid-Stage! Are these little devil spawn crazy? Daring to provoke the Yunlan Sect at this juncture?"

"He is coming for me."

Gu Yan walked to the long table, grabbed a pot of cold tea, and gulped it down to suppress the bloody taste in his throat: "The matter at the Fallen Demon Valley wasn't cleaned up properly. This is a 'Blood Scion' of the Blood River Sect, here to collect a debt."

"Blood Scion?" Elder Su Ming gasped. Being an experienced veteran of the Jianghu, he naturally knew the weight of those two words: "That's a monster cultivated by the Blood River Sect with all its resources; each one has the ability to challenge those of a higher Realm. How did you, brat, provoke such a star of disaster?"

"There's no point in discussing that now."

Gu Yan interrupted him, slamming his palm heavily on the table: "He has a special tracking Magical Artifact; I can't hide. If we fight within the Sect, the commotion will be too great, and there are some things I cannot easily use, as it's easy to be exposed."

He was referring to the blood river bead inside his body. Once the high-level members of the Sect discovered he had privately embezzled such a treasure of the Demonic Path, he feared he wouldn't even need the Blood Scion to act before Sect Master Ye Guyun cleaned up the Sect.

"What do you want to do?" Elder Su Ming looked at him.

"Return to Baifeng City."

A ruthless glint flashed in Gu Yan's eyes: "That is my territory. Formations, Puppets, and death squads—I have everything prepared. There, I am confident I can ensure he never returns."

"Are you crazy? That's a Golden Core Mid-Stage!" Elder Su Ming was anxious: "Even if you have that asura armguard, you are only in the Foundation Establishment Stage after all. There's a huge gap in Realm!"

"That's why I need your help."

Gu Yan stared at Elder Su Ming: "Approve a pass for me, make up any reason—visiting relatives, inspecting properties, whatever. In any case, I need to take people down the mountain immediately. Also..."

He took out a Top-Grade Spirit Stone he had looted from Lin Canghai from his storage ring and placed it on the table.

"Help me divert the attention within the Sect. I don't want a fool like Little Sword God Ye Gucheng stabbing me in the back while I'm fighting to the death with that Devil Head."

Elder Su Ming looked at the Top-Grade Spirit Stone, then at Gu Yan's face, which was written with determination.

After a long while.

He sighed and grabbed the wine gourd, taking a big gulp.

"Fine. I'll approve the pass for you, and I'll keep an eye on Little Sword God Ye Gucheng for you."

Elder Su Ming pushed the Spirit Stone back: "But keep this money yourself. Whether it's to buy a coffin or Medicinal Pills for healing, just come back alive."

"Thanks."

Gu Yan put away the Spirit Stone and turned to walk toward the back hall.

There, Jiang Wanrou was practicing Alchemy.

Inside the Pill Refining Room, flames soared to the sky.

Jiang Wanrou was fully focused on controlling the Green Lotus Fire, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat.

"Clang."

The door was pushed open. Gu Yan strode in, bringing with him a strong gust of night wind and the scent of blood.

"Don't stop."

Gu Yan walked to the Pill Furnace and dumped all the auxiliary Materials from his storage ring onto the table—the Evil-Sinking Mud dug from the Fallen Demon Valley and the Heart-Clearing Jade Marrow moved from the Lin family's warehouse.

"I need 'Evil-Breaking Pills.'"

Gu Yan spoke extremely fast: "Not that mild, generic stuff. I want an enhanced version. The effect needs to be potent, capable of completely isolating Devilish Qi erosion within a quarter of an hour. The side effects don't matter, as long as it doesn't kill the person taking it."

The hand seals in Jiang Wanrou's hands paused, and she turned to look at Gu Yan. She saw the ferocious armor on his left shoulder and smelled the scent of gunpowder that had not yet dissipated.

She didn't ask why, nor did she ask who the enemy was.

As the former Chief of the Pill Pavilion, she knew better than anyone what it meant when a man started pursuing medicinal efficacy regardless of cost, ignoring side effects.

It was the prelude to fighting for one's life.

"Give me half an hour."

Jiang Wanrou took a deep breath, the exhaustion in her eyes swept away, replaced by a nearly paranoid focus.

She bit her fingertip and flicked a drop of her essence blood into the Pill Furnace.

"Green Lotus Fire, explode!"

The originally gentle flames instantly turned violent, transforming into a cyan fire dragon that devoured those Materials in one gulp.

Gu Yan didn't speak, just stood silently to the side, acting as her Protector.

At the same time, he was making final adjustments.

He raised his left arm, and the beast head on the asura armguard seemed to come alive, emitting a low roar as he injected his Spiritual Qi.

Although this equipment was powerful, its consumption was astonishing. Just that single strike earlier to kill the red-robed Cultivator had drained two-tenths of his Spiritual Qi.

"System, extract all the remaining 'Sub-Blood Marrow.'"

[Host, those are prepared for the death squads...]

"Leave me three bottles." Gu Yan interrupted the System: "I want to use the rest to recharge the soul-shattering knuckles and the armguard."

[Understood. Injecting...]

Gu Yan placed the black soul-shattering knuckles on the table and poured bottle after bottle of dark red liquid onto them.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.

The soul-shattering knuckles, like a long-parched land meeting sweet rain, greedily sucked up the blood marrow. The originally dull surface began to show streaks of blood-red patterns, the spikes became sharper, and it faintly exuded a chilling, ferocious glint.

Half an hour later.

"It's done."

Jiang Wanrou, pale-faced, tapped open the furnace lid.

Nine dark-gold Medicinal Pills flew out and were snatched by Gu Yan. Black Evil Qi swirled on the surface of the pills; although they were still hot, the domineering medicinal power had already transmitted through his skin.

"And this."

Jiang Wanrou took out a pouch embroidered with a Green Lotus from her bosom and handed it to Gu Yan: "This is the 'Exploding Flame Bead' I improved over these past few days; I added my Green Lotus Fire seed inside. As long as it touches even a little, it can burn a hole through even the Protective Aura of a Golden Core Stage Cultivator."

Gu Yan took the pouch and looked at her deeply.

"Wait for me on the mountain."

"No." Jiang Wanrou stepped forward and grabbed his sleeve: "I am your exclusive Alchemist. Wherever you are, the Pill Furnace is."

Gu Yan looked at her firm gaze and was silent for a moment.

"Fine."

He held her hand in return, with great force, as if he wanted to crush her bones, or perhaps as if he wanted to knead her into his body.

"Then let's go together."

"Go and turn that bastard who dared to come and smash the place into ash."

An incense stick of time later.

A black flying boat without any markings left Qingyun Peak silently, taking advantage of the night.

The flying boat operated at full speed, its tail emitting a long trail of Spiritual Qi flames, like a meteor traveling in reverse, speeding toward Baifeng City.

On the deck.

Gu Yan stood facing the wind, the beast head on his left shoulder emitting a whimpering hiss in the wind.

He looked at the land in the distance shrouded in darkness, the corners of his mouth curling into a cruel arc.

Since you like playing with blood, then I will turn Baifeng City into a real meat grinder.