Chapter 223: The Origin of the Phoenix Blood Stone

The Prefect glared at Lu Yang, gritting his teeth, but there was nothing he could do. He truly didn't want to reveal this matter, but things had reached a point where he had no choice but to speak. The Mo family head watched the unfolding drama with schadenfreude.

The Prefect sighed heavily. "Please come with me," he said.

Everyone followed the Prefect to the surface and headed straight for the mine.

"The mine collapse was a false report spread to the public; there's a hidden truth internally."

The Prefect, familiar with the route, led everyone to the end of the mine shaft. He pressed a hidden mechanism on the wall, and with a rumbling sound, a stone door opened, leading into the heart of the mine. This was an internal passage known only to a select few. It was secretly equipped with formations designed to evade spiritual sense scans; any such scan would only reveal a simulated scene created by the formation.

The Mo family head grew serious; it was just as the intelligence he had gathered suggested—there truly was a mysterious passage.

The deeper they walked into the passage, the stronger the pungent smell of blood became, as if a major massacre had occurred ahead, with corpses piled high and all their blood drained. When Lu Yang emerged from the cave into an open area, the scent of blood intensified, engulfing them. Fortunately, Lu Yang quickly adjusted to the smell and was able to discern the scene before him.

In the center of the open area was a large pit, filled with a crimson liquid. Countless vivid, brightly colored stones protruded from this blood-red lake, all of a quality similar to the Phoenix Blood Stone Meng Jingzhou had purchased. A few people moved around the edge of the pit, periodically pouring blood into the crimson lake.

"This... this is..."

The Prefect explained helplessly, "This is Phoenix Blood Stone currently being produced."

"The Phoenix Blood Stone is fake?" Meng Jingzhou exclaimed in shock. "Did I buy a fake for five hundred thousand?"

Li Haoran shook his head. "No, the blood in the pit is all phoenix blood. I've seen my master use it when refining artifacts, though the phoenix blood he used was of higher quality than what's here."

"Prefect, who are these people?" A red-eyed youth with red feathers on his neck walked over. He frowned as he approached the Prefect, clearly displeased that outsiders had been brought here.

The Prefect sighed. "There was no choice. If I hadn't brought them here, I would have been the one in trouble."

The red-eyed youth was about to erupt. Bringing outsiders meant exposure, and how was he supposed to explain this to the Clan Leader upon his return?

"These are from the Wen Dao Sect," the Prefect began, then gesturing to the other man, "and this is my grandson, the Mo family head."

"Get lost!"

"Wen Dao Sect?" The red-eyed youth looked at Lu Yang and the others in surprise, his expression constantly shifting as if recalling unpleasant memories. His arrogant demeanor vanished. "What is Yun Zhi to you?"

"She is my senior sister."

"What is Gan Tian to you?"

"She is my third senior sister," Lu Yang replied. His third senior sister, whom he had never met, was named Gan Tian and was currently undergoing training in the Demon Realm.

"Oh, so it's fellow Daoists from the Wen Dao Sect visiting and inspecting! Please, come this way." The red-eyed youth's attitude underwent a complete 180-degree shift. He put on a friendly and cordial smile.

The Prefect's eye twitched; he had never seen the red-eyed youth act so cordially towards him. "Allow me to introduce you," he said. "This is Jiang Shan, a member of the Phoenix Clan."

"May I ask if Senior Jiang Shan knows Senior Sister Yun Zhi and Senior Sister Gan Tian..."

"Oh, please, calling me 'Senior Jiang Shan' is too formal. Just call me Little Jiang from now on." For some reason, Jiang Shan's attitude towards Lu Yang was exceptionally amiable. "As for Senior Yun Zhi and Senior Gan Tian, they have been exceptionally kind to our Phoenix Clan. They even came to our clan to spar and offer guidance on our cultivation. I, too, was fortunate enough to receive their instruction."

"Of course, if it's at all possible—and I mean *if* it's possible—could you please ask your senior sister and third senior sister to stop coming to our Phoenix Clan? The Dragon Clan has a large territory; perhaps they could go there instead."

Lu Yang was speechless.

"Senior Sister and Third Senior Sister, what exactly did you do to the Phoenix Clan?"

Su Yiren was also curious; this behavior was quite unlike the legendary proud Phoenix Clan.

"I came here simply to understand what's truly going on with the Phoenix Blood Stone."

The Prefect said, "Jiang Shan doesn't know the details as well as I do; allow me to explain."

"The story begins four thousand years ago. Four millennia ago, a phoenix elder passed away here, and its blood permeated the mine, leading to the emergence of the first Phoenix Blood Stones. Ancient people accidentally discovered these stones and were ecstatic, setting up camp here, which formed the precursor to Luofeng County."

"After about seven hundred years, Phoenix Blood Stones became increasingly scarce and difficult to excavate. The Prefect at the time realized this situation was unsustainable: without Phoenix Blood Stones, Luofeng County's economic backbone would vanish, leading to the collapse of the entire county."

"So, he secretly approached the Phoenix Clan, hoping to purchase some phoenix blood to produce a new batch of Phoenix Blood Stones. Initially, the Phoenix Clan disagreed. They were proud and unblemished, unwilling to sell their blood to the Prefect. However, when the Prefect presented the historical revenue from Phoenix Blood Stone sales and promised to share thirty percent of the profits with the Phoenix Clan, their attitude immediately shifted dramatically."

Everyone looked at Jiang Shan, the only Phoenix Clan member present. Jiang Shan said, self-righteously, "Our Phoenix Clan has so many members! Who doesn't need spirit stones for food, clothing, housing, and travel? What's wrong with earning some money through our own means to support our families?"

It was the first time Lu Yang had heard selling blood described in such a "refined" manner. Lu Yang recalled Li Haoran's words: "The Phoenix Clan is the proudest race among the demon clans; their blood is extremely precious, and it is as difficult as ascending to heaven for humans to obtain it."

"As difficult as ascending to heaven," indeed.

The Prefect glanced at Jiang Shan. "If your Phoenix Clan is so self-righteous, why do you insist that the Phoenix Blood Stones be artificially aged, ensuring outsiders cannot tell they were freshly 'brewed'?"

Jiang Shan's gaze shifted evasively; he dared not meet the Prefect's eyes.

"The Phoenix Clan was willing to sell phoenix blood, but demanded secrecy, ensuring no one could discover it. So, that senior Prefect researched methods to quickly age the Phoenix Blood Stones. Just like this." The Prefect casually picked up a stone from the bloody pool. He cast a spell, and the originally brightly colored Phoenix Blood Stone in his hand immediately grew dull and faded, as if it had endured hundreds or even thousands of years.

"Every few years, Luofeng County would obtain a batch of blood from the Phoenix Clan, which they used to soak stones and create Phoenix Blood Stones. This practice continued for over three thousand years, remaining a secret passed down among successive Prefects."

"Later, an unknown accident occurred, and a Phoenix Blood Stone that hadn't been aged somehow circulated out. After several transfers, it was purchased by the young master of the Meng family. Any experienced artifact refiner who saw that stone could deduce that all Phoenix Blood Stones produced in Luofeng County were freshly made, and from that, infer the agreement between Luofeng County and the Phoenix Clan."

"If this matter were exposed, it would bring disgrace to both Luofeng County and the Phoenix Clan. That's why I've always wanted to retrieve that Phoenix Blood Stone. As for this person named Mo, he shares my objective. However, now that things have come to this, and you all know the truth, there's no longer any point in retrieving it."