Chapter 131: Claiming Ownership

The Pill King Palace has lost more than just a disciple this time; they have forfeited their reputation, their image, and the hearts of their people.

This is because the act of using one's status to bully subordinates and seize their belongings is the behavior of common thieves—a practice that invites nothing but scorn. This incident will inevitably become an indelible stain upon the Pill King Palace.

Most importantly, after this ordeal, the current disciples of the Pill King Palace will likely remain on guard against their own superiors. After all, no one wants to have the items they worked so hard to acquire snatched away by others. This is the nature of a chain reaction.

***

Martial King Palace.

Led by the elegant woman, Qin Feiyang stepped into the council hall and saw Elder Wan sitting with a man in purple robes before a tea table, chatting while they drank tea.

The woman frowned, her voice laced with annoyance: "I’ve offended both Old Man He and Old Man Jia on your behalf out there, yet you two are sitting here sipping tea so leisurely? Isn't this a bit too much?"

"Hehe." Elder Wan looked up and chuckled. "It's better for one person to do the offending than for all of us to be involved!"

The man in purple added, "Exactly. Yan City is only so big, and we see each other every day. We cannot afford to have a complete falling out with the Pill King Palace."

The woman rolled her eyes at them and guided Qin Feiyang over.

Qin Feiyang cupped his hands in salute. "Greetings, Elder Wan."

"Mm." Elder Wan nodded, stood up, and smiled. "Little one, our disciples have already told us of your performance outside. I truly did not expect you to be such an all-around prodigy."

"You flatter me, Elder." Qin Feiyang shook his head, feeling a bit sheepish. He turned to the man in purple and smiled, "I presume you must be the Chief Palace Master?"

"That I am." The man in purple nodded. He studied Qin Feiyang with curiosity for a moment before asking, "Can you tell me why you are unwilling to become a disciple of the Martial King Palace?"

"I fear trouble," Qin Feiyang replied.

The man in purple asked, "If that is the case, why did you join the Pill Palace in the first place?"

Qin Feiyang sighed. "I had no other choice at the time."

"I know about that," Elder Wan interjected with a laugh. "This kid offended every major figure in Black Bear City and was basically an enemy to the whole world. Luo Xiong wanted him to join the Pill Palace, so he extended a helping hand by claiming he was already a member. The kid was sharp enough to seize the opportunity and accept the identity of a Pill Palace disciple."

The man in purple’s face twitched. If he’s already this much of a troublemaker at such a young age, what will happen when he grows up? He’ll probably turn the world upside down.

Qin Feiyang felt rather embarrassed.

The man in purple straightened his expression, set down his teacup, and said, "Enough. Sit down; let’s discuss business. How shall we cooperate?"

Qin Feiyang nodded. Without standing on ceremony, he sat opposite the man in purple, gathered his thoughts, and said, "You provide the pill formulas and medicinal ingredients, I handle the refining, and we split the resulting pills fifty-fifty."

"We provide the formulas and the ingredients, and you just do the refining, yet you want a fifty-fifty split? Isn't your appetite a bit too large?" The man in purple frowned.

Qin Feiyang replied, "Is it? I don't think so. After all, what I produce are top-grade pills."

"I am aware they are top-grade, but this deal is not cost-effective. Our Martial King Palace does not possess these formulas; we have to find ways to obtain them, which will surely come at a significant cost. Furthermore, purchasing the ingredients requires capital. Most importantly, without my help, you cannot control the Netherworld Demon Flame. Do you really think it’s realistic to take half when you aren't contributing anything else?" the man in purple asked.

Qin Feiyang’s brows furrowed tightly.

The man in purple continued, "If you insist on a fifty-fifty split, then you must handle the pill formulas yourself. The Martial King Palace will only provide the ingredients and ensure your personal safety. If you agree, I will assign a Nine-Star Battle King to be your personal bodyguard."

Qin Feiyang’s eyes flashed.

Right now, his greatest fear was retaliation from the Pill King Palace. Furthermore, he had to remain wary of Lin Han. If he had a powerful expert by his side at all times, he would undoubtedly be much safer. But the problem was that most pill formulas were strictly controlled by the Pill King Palace and rarely circulated outside. Where could he possibly find them?

"Fine, I agree."

Finally, Qin Feiyang nodded. As for the formulas, he couldn't rush them; he would just have to find a way later.

"A young man should be this decisive." The man in purple smiled. "Take out the Netherworld Demon Flame."

Without any visible movement, Qin Feiyang merely focused his intent, and the Netherworld Demon Flame shot forth from the center of his forehead.

The three of them exchanged glances, a look of astonishment simultaneously appearing in their eyes. The man in purple reached out, and the flame hovered before him in the void. The pitch-black fire flickered, emitting a truly eerie sensation.

The woman said in a deep voice, "It really is the Netherworld Demon Flame!"

Elder Wan sighed, "For these past eight years, we all thought Zuo An was dead. Who would have thought he not only survived but has reached the level of an Eight-Star Battle Emperor? When he returns to wreak havoc, the Yan Prefecture will likely run red with blood."

"He is improving, but so are we. We failed to kill him eight years ago, but the next time he appears, we shall see him sent to the King of Hell!" The man in purple offered a cold, sharp smile.

His palm surged with battle energy, forming a raging tide that lunged toward the Netherworld Demon Flame! Simultaneously, the woman waved her hand, and a barrier of battle energy instantly formed, shielding Qin Feiyang within.

***

In a certain mountain cave, Zuo An and Lin Chen were sitting with eyes closed, refining Blood Fiend Pills.

*Pfft!*

Suddenly, Zuo An spat out a mouthful of blood! His aged eyes snapped open, two terrifying glints of cold light shooting forth!

Lin Chen opened his eyes in confusion, and upon seeing Zuo An's condition, his expression changed drastically. "Master, what happened?"

"Someone has erased the blood contract on the Netherworld Demon Flame!" Zuo An hissed.

"Who?" Lin Chen asked, stunned.

Zuo An sneered, "Who else could it be? It must be those four old dogs of the Yan King. Looking across the entire Yan Prefecture, they are the only ones with such ability."

Lin Chen frowned. "Does that mean Jiang Haotian has already gone to Yan City?"

"Yan City..." Zuo An let out a sinister laugh. "I will come for you!" He closed his eyes and returned to his cultivation.

***

Back in the council hall, the room had turned into a furnace, filled with astonishing heat. Had it not been for the battle energy barrier, Qin Feiyang would have been burned to ashes. This was because once a blood contract is erased, the flame becomes an ownerless object and immediately releases its high temperature.

The man in purple flickered his long sleeve, and a massive wave of battle energy surged toward the flame. Before long, he had forcibly suppressed the terrifying heat.

He then turned to Qin Feiyang and said in a low voice, "To have a pill fire recognize a new master requires a large amount of blood for nourishment. Are you ready?"

Qin Feiyang nodded, stepped out of the barrier, and stood before the Netherworld Demon Flame. The man in purple waved his hand, and a sliver of battle energy flew out, instantly slicing a wound into Qin Feiyang’s wrist.

Blood gushed out! Qin Feiyang hurriedly raised his arm and placed it over the flame. His blood flowed like a pillar, continuously merging into the Netherworld Demon Flame. Gradually, the pitch-black flame began to turn a blood-red color. By the end, it looked as if it had been soaked in blood, appearing incredibly demonic.

Qin Feiyang had already lost half the blood in his body and began to feel dizzy.

*Hum!*

Finally, the flame trembled in the void, the blood-red color rapidly fading away until it turned pitch-black once more. Simultaneously, Qin Feiyang felt a sense of blood-kin intimacy; he felt as though the Netherworld Demon Flame had become a part of his own body.

The man in purple lowered his arm and smiled. "The blood contract is complete. You are now its master."

Qin Feiyang was overjoyed. After bandaging his wrist, he looked up at the flame, his expression filled with excitement.

A blood contract is equivalent to a binding agreement. Any treasure that recognizes a master through blood creates such a contract hidden within its core. Only once a contract is formed can one control it at will. If one encounters an object that already has a master, one must first erase the previous owner's contract before a new one can be formed. However, erasing such a contract is no easy feat; one's cultivation must be at least equal to that of the original owner.

Qin Feiyang had originally planned to wait until his cultivation matched Zuo An’s before attempting to erase the contract. He had not expected the Martial King Palace to assist him. However, the strength of the man in purple had truly shocked him. To be able to erase Zuo An’s contract proved that this man was also an Eight-Star Battle Emperor!

"The matter is settled," the man in purple said. "I must return to my cultivation. You three can discuss the rest."

The three nodded. Once the man in purple left, Elder Wan smiled. "Jiang Haotian, don't just be happy. Now that the flame has recognized its master, when do you plan to start refining?"

Qin Feiyang moved his thoughts, and the flame vanished back into his ancient castle. He asked, "What pills do you want me to refine?"

"What pills can you refine?" the woman countered.

"Healing pills, Bone-Mending pills, Body-Tempering pills, and Energy-Gathering pills," Qin Feiyang listed.

The woman frowned. "How are they all such low-level pills?"

"Uh!" Qin Feiyang was taken aback; that was quite a blow to his ego.

Elder Wan shook his head with a laugh. "Don't forget, he has only just started learning alchemy. It is already quite rare for him to be able to refine four types of pills."

The woman pursed her lips, looking somewhat unimpressed.

*Looks like I have to pull out my trump card,* Qin Feiyang muttered to himself. He smiled, "Senior, I can refine Red Fire Glazed Pills. Do you have the ingredients?"

"Really?" Both of them were stunned.

"Of course." Qin Feiyang nodded.

They looked at each other in disbelief. He could even refine such a rare pill as the Red Fire Glazed Pill?

"Kid, did you steal those formulas?" Elder Wan asked in a low voice.

"Steal?" Qin Feiyang’s face twitched. Did he look like that kind of person? He cleared his throat and said, "Don't worry about that. As long as you have the ingredients, I will refine them for you. But per our agreement, we split them fifty-fifty."

If the Martial King Palace truly had the ingredients, he would make a killing this time.

"List the ingredients for us to see," the woman said.

Elder Wan quickly brought over paper and ink, even grinding the ink himself. Qin Feiyang took the brush and rapidly wrote down the names of the various ingredients on a blank sheet.

After he finished the list, the woman and Elder Wan each took a copy and scrutinized it carefully.

"Well?" Qin Feiyang asked. "Do you have them?"

Elder Wan set down the list and chuckled, "Of course we do. Furthermore, we can provide enough ingredients for six batches."

"That many!" Qin Feiyang was ecstatic. Once refined, he would get three Red Fire Glazed Pills! This was truly an unexpected windfall!