Chapter 67: “That Pill Furnace… It’s Gone.”

Cries of alarm erupted throughout the Medicine God Sect’s Main Hall.

Daoling stared fixedly at Nangong Yin, who had appeared out of thin air over ten feet away. Every muscle in his body was taut, and his back was soaked with cold sweat.

If Nangong Yin had aimed to kill him just now instead of Xie Xinrong, what then?

What were his chances of dodging? How likely was he to survive?

Daoling found the thought terrifying.

Seeing Xie Xinrong dead, Daoling flew backward, rapidly putting distance between himself and Nangong Yin.

At the same time, he took out a Teleportation Jade Talisman and crushed it without any hesitation.

His conflict with Nangong Yin wasn’t new. Since she dared to kill Xie Xinrong, she naturally wouldn’t pass up the chance to kill him either.

Before leaving, he narrowed his eyes and spat out a vicious threat: “Nangong Yin, this old man will report your actions today to the Immortal Alliance in full detail!”

Nangong Yin treated him like nothing but gas, unwilling to even spare him a glance from the corner of her eye.

The void behind Daoling split open, and a massive suction force pulled him in. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from everyone’s sight, his whereabouts unknown.

Nangong Yin’s hands were covered in blood, but she shook them off carelessly and cleaned them with a casual spell.

Her nonchalance and composure stood in stark contrast to the tense, stiff faces of the human cultivators at the auction.

Yao Shenzi shielded Yan Zhao, his old face scrunched up, his squinting eyes almost invisible from frowning.

But after killing Xie Xinrong, Nangong Yin made no further move. Her sudden attack had been without warning, as if driven purely by personal whim—she found him disagreeable, so she killed him.

Behind Yao Shenzi, Yan Zhao’s gaze traveled through the crowd and met Nangong Yin’s from afar.

She had met Nangong Yin just earlier, so she recognized her immediately.

The atmosphere was like an ice cellar in the depths of winter; the swirling wind cut across faces like knives.

With Nangong Yin simply standing there, all cultivators present felt as if an Immobilization Spell had been cast on them. They dared not make any large movements, nor even blink too many times.

Moments ago, there had been a clamor of discussion, but now, all talk had vanished into silence.

Facing Nangong Yin, the human cultivators secretly banded together, yet none dared to be the first to act.

At that moment, Nangong Yin finished wiping her hands and tossed away the bloodstained silk handkerchief. She lifted her eyelids and calmly swept her gaze over the faces of the crowd, each harboring its own secret motives. “The highest bidder is already dead. Does anyone else wish to make an offer?”

A wave of cold dread rose in everyone’s hearts.

To their ears, Nangong Yin’s words were an explanation for her motive in killing the Immortal Alliance Deputy Envoy.

It was simply because the Deputy Envoy had driven up the price, hindering her from obtaining the Yang Marrow Pill. Therefore, she had struck him down.

If anyone else dared to raise the bid, would they become the next Xie Xinrong?

Rumors said the Devil Venerable Cangli was temperamental and unpredictable—one moment laughing and chatting with you, the next, your head could fall to the ground. The saying was truly not in vain.

In Yan Zhao’s arms, Ren Qingyue’s heart trembled too, a mix of anger and an irrepressible sliver of fear.

Thankfully, Nangong Yin held no malice towards Yan Zhao.

The faces of the Medicine God Sect members were ashen. Elder Wu cautiously approached Yao Shenzi and asked in a low voice, “Sect Master, what do we do now? Are we really going to give her the Yang Marrow Pill?”

Nangong Yin’s actions had brazenly violated the auction’s rules. If they swallowed their anger and handed over the pill, how would the world view the Medicine God Sect once word of today’s events spread?

But if they didn’t hand over the Yang Marrow Pill to settle the matter, who knew what Nangong Yin would do next?

In this tense, hair-trigger moment, a shadowy figure suddenly flashed through the crowd.

Everyone instinctively raised their hands in a defensive posture. Yao Shenzi also locked his gaze onto Nangong Yin. But moments later, nothing happened.

“?”

Nangong Yin was still in her original spot, but her expression was odd.

The cultivators outside the hall followed the direction of Nangong Yin’s shifted gaze and saw two people appear out of nowhere on the roof of the Sect Main Hall.

One was a tall woman with sharp, heroic features, possessing a confident and swift bearing.

The other was being held by the scruff of her neck. The crowd looked closely—it was actually Yan Zhao!

Yao Shenzi whipped his head around. Yan Zhao, who should have been behind him, had vanished into thin air.

“Infuriating!” Yao Shenzi tugged at his beard and glared.

He had been focusing his entire mind on Nangong Yin, giving this little thief the chance to slip through!

Nangong Yin narrowed her eyes, her expression displeased, but she did not attack.

In a corner, Bi Lan stared dazedly at the upright, tall woman on the roof ridge.

After a brief silence, the crowd suddenly came alive, starting to murmur about the identity of the newly appeared woman.

“Xuanyuan Mu!” someone whispered. “There were rumors a couple of days ago that Xuanyuan Mu came to the Taiyan Immortal Domain. Today, she’s indeed appeared!”

Dangling in Xuanyuan Mu’s grip, Yan Zhao uncomfortably twisted her neck.

She didn’t understand why everyone liked grabbing her collar. Did she really look like a little cat or dog?

“Pardon me for interrupting the festivities.” Xuanyuan Mu stood on the roof ridge, her gaze directed at Yao Shenzi, her expression stern. “I’m not here for any other reason today. I ask Senior Yao Shenzi to return what was lost to me.”

Lost items? What lost items?

Most people were still bewildered. Among the crowd, those with partial knowledge of the grudge between Xuanyuan Mu and the Medicine God Sect glanced at Nangong Yin. Seeing no reaction from her, they quietly began to recount the old ties between the Xuanyuan Clan and the Medicine God Sect.

The Xuanyuan Clan and the Medicine God Sect were originally on good terms, with frequent mutual exchanges. Xuanyuan Mu’s parents had even wanted her to learn alchemy from Yao Shenzi.

But later, for reasons unknown, Xuanyuan Mu betrayed the Xuanyuan Clan, turning against her parents and becoming bitter enemies.

A furnace-opening ceremony, yet unexpected incident after incident occurred. The cultivators felt the urge to withdraw, but none dared to sneak away.

Nangong Yin’s face was like frost, her hands clenched into fists behind her back. She almost moved to seize the girl.

This development wasn’t what was previously agreed upon.

She stared coldly at Xuanyuan Mu, making a firm mental note: anyone who dared to fool her would naturally pay the price.

Yao Shenzi frowned, his expression grave. “Mu’er?”

The moment Xuanyuan Mu appeared, he understood her purpose.

Years ago, the Xuanyuan Clan Head, Xuanyuan Mu’s biological father Xuanyuan Song, was accidentally injured in a sudden event. When his life hung by a thread, he had sought medicine from him.

At that time, that batch of pills required a rare type of Spirit Beast blood, and by coincidence, Xuanyuan Mu’s contracted Spirit Beast met the requirement.

Xuanyuan Mu’s mother, ignoring Xuanyuan Mu’s objections, killed her Spirit Pet and handed it over to the Medicine God Sect.

Afterwards, upon learning the truth, Xuanyuan Mu had a huge fight with her parents. She stormed the Medicine God Sect alone, wanting to take back the Spirit Beast’s corpse.

But Yao Shenzi was in closed-door meditation making pills at the time. By the time the pills were done and he emerged, he learned that Xuanyuan Mu had been severely wounded by the sect’s Elders and thrown down the mountain.

Yao Shenzi sent people to search, but the wounded Xuanyuan Mu had been taken away by unknown persons, so the matter had to be dropped.

From then on, Xuanyuan Mu betrayed her family and never associated with the Xuanyuan Clan members again.

This woman coming to the Medicine God Sect today was surely for this matter.

Yao Shenzi’s heart was heavy.

Because he was afraid he couldn’t produce what Xuanyuan Mu wanted.

Facing the hostility in Xuanyuan Mu’s eyes, Yao Shenzi sighed. “What you seek, is it the Colorful Phoenix Demon Core?”

Xuanyuan Mu’s gaze focused sharply, and she said in a deep voice: “Exactly! Give it back! You only used its blood for that pill back then; where is its Demon Core now?!”

“Mu’er, it’s not that I am unwilling to return it.” Yao Shenzi helplessly chose his words. “It’s that this item is not currently in my possession.”

“Hahahahaha!” Xuanyuan Mu laughed maniacally, suddenly hoisting Yan Zhao up. “I knew you’d say that! When my mother claimed she didn’t know where Huang’er was, its body was laid out right in her room!”

In the crowd, Bi Lan felt a sharp pang in her heart seeing Xuanyuan Mu so frenzied.

There had been a time when Xuanyuan Mu had a harmonious relationship with her parents, a close-knit, happy family without quarrels.

That juvenile Colorful Phoenix beast was something Xuanyuan Mu had chanced upon during her travels. It shared a deep bond with her and was deeply cherished by Xuanyuan Mu. Who knew such a thing would happen later…

Yao Shenzi hurriedly explained: “Every word this old man speaks is the truth. After refining the medicine for your father back then, this old man’s mental energy was excessively drained, and I rested for a while. Who would have expected a villain within the sect to steal the Demon Core?”

“Later, although I captured him, the Demon Core had already been refined by an Evil Cultivator’s Pill Furnace and its whereabouts are unknown…”

Xuanyuan Mu’s eyes nearly split with rage. “You lie!”

She was emotionally agitated, making Yan Zhao’s neck uncomfortable as she tugged.

And her voice was loud, making Yan Zhao’s ears buzz.

Seeing Xuanyuan Mu’s emotional turmoil, she reversed her grip, seizing Yan Zhao’s neck and shouting: “You old scoundrel, if you don’t return Huang’er’s Demon Core, I’ll kill her!”

She had been observing secretly for a long time. Daoling had identified Yan Zhao as Yan Yuanqing’s daughter. Yao Shenzi cared for Yan Zhao’s life. Only by capturing Yan Zhao could she have any leverage.

Yao Shenzi’s face changed dramatically, and he hurriedly persuaded, “That evil cultivator’s Pill Furnace was sealed by this old man, but it should still contain lingering traces of the Colorful Phoenix’s aura. Let me have someone bring it here; once you examine it, you’ll know if I’m lying.”

Xuanyuan Mu said nothing. Yao Shenzi immediately signaled Elder Wu to go fetch the Pill Furnace.

Elder Wu nodded and turned to leave. The crowd outside the hall, unable to escape, could only wait around.

During the wait for Elder Wu to bring the Pill Furnace, Nangong Yin spoke, her tone displeased: “Xuanyuan Mu, you have quite the nerve.”

Xuanyuan Mu thought Nangong Yin was referring to her using Nangong Yin to stir up chaos, intimidate the Sword God Sect members, and thus achieve an additional personal goal.

Hence, she reacted quickly, saying, “This Junior knows my crimes are unforgivable. Once the matter is settled today, I’ll submit to your judgment, whether it be death or dismemberment.”

Getting the Demon Core back from Yao Shenzi was her personal plan all along; Chen Er was still tied up in the relay station room right now.

Nangong Yin gave a cold snort, noncommittal.

A moment later, Elder Wu returned to Yao Shenzi’s side.

But his hands were empty, and his expression was dark enough to drip water.

Seeing this, Yao Shenzi’s heart lurched violently.

Sure enough, Elder Wu spoke: “Sect Master, grave news, that Pill Furnace… it’s gone.”