"You actually want the Myriad Demon Blood Prison Scripture!"
A flicker of surprise crossed Gu Yue's eyes. Then his expression changed drastically, and fear filled his gaze as he looked at Li Lianying.
"What enormous ambition you have! I never imagined you would dare scheme against the Forbidden Zone of Chaos!"
"In this age, you may be an unparalleled figure, but in the Forbidden Zone of Chaos as a whole, you're nothing special."
Li Lianying paid no heed to Gu Yue's words. His expression remained calm, and his tone was as steady as ever, without the slightest ripple.
"Old Demon Gu, that isn't for you to worry about."
"If you're willing to trade, I'll spare your life. If you refuse, then all of you will stay here!"
Gu Yue's expression shifted between gloomy and bright, but in the end, his instinct to survive won out.
Li Lianying took the Myriad Demon Blood Prison Scripture from Gu Yue and inspected it. Once he confirmed it was genuine, he did not linger.
With a flick of his Dust Whisk, he tore open the void. He stepped inside, and in the next instant, Li Lianying appeared in the Great Li Imperial Palace.
"Your Majesty, although I failed to obtain the map and the key to the Pill Immortal Secret Realm, this old servant has secured the Myriad Demon Blood Prison Scripture."
Inside the Purple Gold Pavilion, Li Lianying respectfully presented the scripture beside the Dragon Bed.
The Dragon Bed was surrounded by curtains. A hand, withered and covered in dead skin, reached through them and took the Myriad Demon Blood Prison Scripture.
"Good. This is indeed the Myriad Demon Blood Prison Scripture."
After a long while, an aged yet resonant voice came from within the curtains.
"By the way, Lianying, what happened with the Pill Immortal Secret Realm?"
"Your Majesty, those members of the Demon Sect were truly useless. They let a girl at the Innate Realm get away."
Li Lianying had not expected the Demon Sect members to be so useless. Otherwise, he would have acted personally long ago.
"It doesn't matter. As long as she's within our Dali borders, that little girl won't escape our grasp."
"Have that good-for-nothing son of mine issue an edict, claiming that Medicine Manor colluded with the Demon Sect. Order the Night Watch Division to capture that girl and bring her to justice, no matter the cost."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Li Lianying respectfully left the Purple Gold Pavilion, then turned to deliver the imperial decree.
At Ye Manor, inside a room.
Ye Jing emerged from his absorbed cultivation. It was already dawn, and roosters were crowing.
Ye Jing had absorbed every bit of the Top-grade Foundation Building Liquid's medicinal power. After feeling the changes in his body, he could not hide his delight.
Ye Jing felt surging power stirring within him. His physical strength had increased more than tenfold.
When he had first entered the Innate Realm, Ye Jing had felt little change in his physical strength. He was only slightly stronger than an ordinary mortal.
But now, Ye Jing felt that his body was as hard as metal and stone, and his defenses had improved by leaps and bounds.
Yet just one bottle of Top-grade Foundation Building Liquid had let him complete the first of the Three Innate Steps.
Still, Ye Jing did not let success go to his head. He had finished the first step of the Three Innate Steps, Body Refining, far sooner than he had expected.
But Ye Jing knew the first step was the easiest of the Three Innate Steps. As long as one had enough perseverance, almost anyone could complete it.
The hardest was the second step: Marrow Washing.
Marrow Washing meant purging the impurities from one's body. This step could be hard or easy, depending on the person.
For mediocre people, this step was just as easy. But for prodigies who wished to reach the Peak of the Great Dao, it was exceedingly difficult.
The more impurities one purged from the body, the higher the quality of the Innate Physique one could forge.
At this stage, many of Dali's prodigies would spend a long time in the Marrow Washing Realm, all to remove as many impurities from their bodies as possible.
That way, they could condense an Innate Physique of higher quality and go further in the Contention for the Great Dao.
Ye Jing's ambition was greater still. He wanted to reach the Pure and Spotless state during Marrow Washing, so he could condense the most perfect Innate Physique.
The Pure and Spotless state might be difficult for others, but for Ye Jing, it was hardly an obstacle.
The Pill King's Precious Mirror he had comprehended yesterday contained the recipe for the Marrow Cleansing Pill. The only real problem was finding the ingredients.
But compared to the benefits, the time spent on it was hardly worth mentioning.
After getting dressed and eating breakfast, Ye Jing prepared to report for duty at the Hanlin Academy.
As soon as he stepped into the Hanlin Academy, he heard its officials gossiping.
"Have you heard? Medicine Manor actually colluded with the Demon Sect. The court is furious, and His Majesty has ordered the Night Watch Division to capture Medicine Manor's surviving member, Yao Qingyin, and bring her to justice."
"Alas, I never imagined Medicine Manor would collude with the Demon Sect."
"Indeed. Yao Xingchen was an extraordinary figure. A thousand years ago, he joined forces with the Ancestor of Great Li to grievously wound the Devil Master. It was hailed as a great tale. Who could have imagined his descendants would be so unworthy?"
Medicine Manor colluded with the Demon Sect? Ye Jing sneered. Last night, Yao Qingyin had been hunted by members of the Demon Sect and nearly lost her life. If she had colluded with them, how could she have ended up like that?
It seems His Majesty was involved in what happened yesterday, too. Now he's ordered Yao Qingyin captured to wipe out every last trace.
"Brother Ye, you don't believe Medicine Manor colluded with the Demon Sect either, do you?"
As Ye Jing pondered, an indignant voice interrupted his thoughts.
Hu Jie looked at Ye Jing, his face alight with excitement, as though he had found a kindred spirit.
"Those fools actually believe the absurd claim that Medicine Manor colluded with the Demon Sect."
Hu Jie glanced at the Hanlin Academy officials chattering away, a hint of scorn in his eyes.
"Brother Hu, watch your words. You're always making shocking remarks. If the wrong people notice, you could find yourself behind bars. Remember, loose lips sink ships."
Ye Jing considered himself on good terms with Hu Jie, but Hu Jie often made bitter, resentful remarks that could easily be used against him.
So Ye Jing kindly warned him.
Hu Jie looked indignant and pointed east as he cursed. "Brother Ye, you're right, but I can't bear to see Medicine Manor treated this way!"
"Yao Xingchen was an extraordinary figure. No one knows how much he did for Dali. In the end, he even suffered Heavenly Dao backlash for the Lord of Great Li and died young."
"His descendants carried on his legacy of healing the sick and saving the world, bringing blessings to countless people of Dali."
"His Majesty is so ungrateful and unjust. He not only wiped out Medicine Manor, but also saddled it with an evil name that will endure for ten thousand generations."
"Brother Ye, I can't accept it. I can't accept a family as renowned throughout Dali as Medicine Manor bearing such a disgraceful name."
"No. I'm going to prove Medicine Manor's innocence and clear its name."
Hu Jie hated evil with a passion and could not abide even a grain of sand in his eye. Seeing him determined to clear Medicine Manor's name, Ye Jing cautiously glanced around, then lowered his voice.
"Brother Hu, His Majesty must be the mastermind behind what happened to Medicine Manor. If you try to clear its name, you could be putting yourself in danger."
At Ye Jing's warning, a smile appeared on Hu Jie's face. "Don't worry, Brother Ye. I appreciate your concern."
"But rest assured, I won't act recklessly. I'll spread the word and use public opinion to pressure them into pursuing the truth."
After hearing this, Ye Jing said no more. He turned and sat at his desk, picked up a book from the documents, and began reading it attentively.
Before you continue