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He was truly reluctant to divulge this matter, but his current circumstances forced his hand.

The Head of the Mo Family put on a smug expression, taking pleasure in others’ misfortune.

The County Magistrate sighed deeply, “Please, everyone, come with me.”

Everyone followed the County Magistrate to the ground level, heading directly for the mine.

“The mine collapse was false news for the public. The actual situation within is something else.”

The County Magistrate, familiar with the area, guided everyone into the narrower parts of the mine, pressed a hidden mechanism in the wall, and with a rumbling sound, a stone door opened, leading into the heart of the mine.

This was an internal passage known to only a few, secretly rigged with an Array Method that evades detection by one’s Spiritual Sense. If one were to scan the area with their Spiritual Sense, they would have been tricked by this scene.

The Head of the Mo Family became serious because this was exactly as his intelligence had revealed – a secret passage was indeed present.

The deeper they ventured into the passage, the stronger the pungent smell of blood became, as if a massacre had occurred ahead, with corpses piled high and blood draining away.

When Lu Yang emerged from the cave to an open area, the nauseating stench of blood was overwhelming.

Fortunately, Lu Yang quickly adjusted to the smell and took in the scene before him.

In the center of the open area was a large pit filled with blood-red water. Countless stones rose from the bloody pond, their vibrant hues identical to the quality of the Phoenix Blood Stone Meng Jingzhou had purchased.

A few individuals hovered around the edge of the pit, pouring blood into the bloody pond from time to time.

“What…what is this…?”

The County Magistrate explained reluctantly, “This is the ongoing production process of the Phoenix Blood Stones.”

“The Phoenix Blood Stones are fake?” Meng Jingzhou was shocked. Had he spent half a million on a sham?

Li Haoran shook his head, “No, the blood in the pit is real phoenix blood. I have seen my master use it during Refining, though the quality my master used is higher than what’s present here.”

“Sir County Magistrate, who are these people?” a red-eyed young man walked forward, his neck adorned with red feathers.

He frowned at the County Magistrate, clearly dissatisfied with the fact that outsiders had been brought in.

The County Magistrate sighed, “I had no choice. If I hadn’t brought them here, I would bear the brunt of the consequences.”

The red-eyed young man was about to lose his temper. Bringing outsiders meant exposure, and how was he supposed to explain this back home to the Clan Leader?

“These individuals are from the Seek Dao Sect. This individual here is my grandson, the Head of the Mo family.”

“Get lost!”

“Seek Dao Sect?” The red-eyed youth looked at Lu Yang and others in surprise, his expressions rapidly changing, as if recalling something unpleasant, his arrogant demeanor diminished significantly.

“What’s your relation to Yun Zhi?”

“She’s my Eldest Senior Sister.”

“And Gan Tian?”

“She’s my Third Senior Sister,” Lu Yang replied.

His unseen Third Senior Sister was named Gan Tian, and she was currently probing into the Demon Territory.

“So it turns out that fellow Daoists from the Seek Dao Sect are here for an inspection. Please, allow me to guide the way.” The red-eyed young man had a complete change of attitude, putting on a friendly and cordial demeanor.

The County Magistrate twitched at the sight. He had never seen the red-eyed youth behave so courteously before, “Allow me to introduce, this is Jiang Shan, a member of the Phoenix Tribe.”

“Elder Jiang Shan, do you know my Eldest Senior Sister and Third Senior Sister…”

“Ah, no need for formalities. Just call me Xiao Jiang from now on.” For some reason, Jiang Shan seemed exceptionally affable towards Lu Yang.

“As for Elder Yun Zhi and Elder Gan Tian, they have been very kind to our Phoenix Tribe. They even visited us and exchanged Cultivation experiences. I’ve also been fortunate to receive guidance from them.”

“Of course, if it’s possible, and I stress, IF, could you kindly ask your Eldest Senior Sister and Third Senior Sister to refrain from visiting our Phoenix Tribe? The Long Clan’s territory is extensive so they could go there instead.”

Lu Yang, “…”

Eldest Senior Sister, Third Senior Sister, what exactly did you two do in the Phoenix Tribe?

Su Yiren was also very curious. This seemed quite different from the alleged snobbish Phoenix Tribe.

“I came here specifically to find out the truth about the Phoenix Blood Stone.”

The County Magistrate explained, “This matter actually began four thousand years ago. A phoenix elder breathed its last here, and its blood seeped into the mine, causing the first batch of Phoenix Blood Stone to emerge. Our ancestors stumbled upon it accidentally, and overjoyed, established a camp here, which was the beginning of Luofeng County.”

“Around seven hundred years later, mining for Phoenix Blood Stones became increasingly difficult and less bountiful. The then County Magistrate realized that once the Phoenix Blood Stones were depleted, the economic pillar of Luofeng County would crumble, and the entire county would collapse.”

“So, he secretly approached the Phoenix Tribe and attempted to purchase some phoenix blood to manufacture a new batch of Phoenix Blood Stones.”

“Initially, the Phoenix Tribe refused as they were a proud, pure tribe that did not want to sell their blood.”

“Once the County Magistrate showed a record of the income from selling Phoenix Blood Stones over the years and promised to share thirty percent of the profit with them, the Phoenix Tribe’s attitude changed drastically.”

Everyone turned their gaze to the only representative of the Phoenix Tribe present, Jiang Shan.

Jiang Shan responded righteously, “With so many members in our Phoenix Tribe, how can we not need Spirit Stones for our necessities? If we can earn some extra to supplement our family expenses through our talents, what’s wrong with that?”

Lu Yang found that discussing blood selling in such an elegant manner was a first for him.

Lu Yang recalled Li Haoran’s words, “The Phoenix Tribe is the most proud among the Demon Race, their blood is invaluable, and for humans to obtain it is akin to a Herculean task.”

Yes, a Herculean task indeed.

The County Magistrate sneered at Jiang Shan, “If you guys from the Phoenix Tribe don’t feel guilty, then why do you insist on aging the Phoenix Blood Stones? Why is it necessary to make sure no one realizes they’re fresh produces?”

Jiang Shan dodged his gaze and didn’t dare look the County Magistrate in the eye.

“While the Phoenix Tribe agreed to sell phoenix blood, they insisted that it be kept secret and not let others see it. Hence, the then County Magistrate developed a method to make newly-created Phoenix Blood Stones look ancient.”

“Like so.”

The County Magistrate randomly picked up a stone from the blood pond and channeled a magic skill. The vibrant Phoenix Blood Stone in his hand became dull and lifeless, appearing as though it had weathered hundreds, if not thousands of years.

“Every few years, Luofeng County would receive a batch of blood from the Phoenix Tribe, soak the stones in it, and make Phoenix Blood Stones.”

“This has continued for more than three thousand years, and it’s the secret passed from one County Magistrate to the next.”

“Later, an accident occurred, and a Phoenix Blood Stone, not yet artificially aged, ended up on the market. After several transactions, it was eventually purchased by Meng Jingzhou, the young master of the Meng Family.”

“If an experienced Refiner saw that stone, they would have guessed that all of Luofeng County’s Phoenix Blood Stones were freshly made, thereby uncovering the arrangement between Luofeng County and the Phoenix Tribe.”

“If this matter were to leak, it wouldn’t be good for the reputations of both Luofeng County and the Phoenix Tribe. That’s why I’ve been wanting to recover this Phoenix Blood Stone. As for Mo, his intention was the same as mine.”

“However, with things as they are, you’ve all figured out the truth, so recovering it no longer holds meaning.”