The Immortal’s Poison

At that point, Red Pot croaked and bellowed with laughter rather oddly, "Although there aren't many of them, amongst all the lands of demon-suppressing in the world, there are more than just two places that you know of - Desert Rebel Mountain and the Black and White Island. However, you made Tuo Xie go on a killing spree to the Desert Rebel Mountain. This is giving me a headache, as you and I aren't on friendly terms. No matter how much I ponder over this, there is only one reason why you destroyed the Desert Rebel Mountain's magic formation. You diminished the Immortal Master Teacher's power and rescued me - I suppose you considered it killing two birds with one stone!"

Tian Yin raised his eyebrows and smiled briefly, without saying a word. 

Red Pot continued to laugh, "After understanding this, there are some new damned questions that keep popping up - How could you have known, two thousand years ago, that the Desert Rebel Mountain and the Black and White Island were designed by the same person?"

The Immortal Master Teacher, Kong Nuer, was not as talkative as Wen Buzuo, but after he succeeded in suppressing Xiang Liu, he still did not find it necessary to tell him that the Desert Rebel Mountain had also acted as a courtyard of his house. 

On the Goddess Peak, it was the descendants of the Heaven's Cone Nails who revealed themselves first, followed by the three unique lands, and then the heavily-mustached man who declared himself the Immortal Master Teacher's disciple. That scene resembled the leaders of the wasteland, Desert Rebel Mountain and spanned several other series of events that made everyone's head spin in confusion. Red Pot and the few demon immortals managed to analyze the events with great difficulty, and they concluded that these three unique lands were all designed by that same Immortal Master Teacher.

Zhui Zi too, continued the conversation from the sides in an ice-cold tone, "The heavily-mustached man from the wasteland was not acquainted with the disciples of the Heaven's Cone Nails. He was unaware of the events happening on the Black and White Island. As their leader, he was not even in the know of the relationship between these three unique lands, but strangely, even the suppressed Xiang Liu on the Black and White Island was aware of it." As she spoke, her expression subconsciously turned into a look of pity.

Suddenly, Red Pot's tone and manner grew grim, "I have always wanted to ask, all these years… When the great demons were rampaging around back then, I am not considered the evilest of them all, neither am I considered the easiest one to be bullied. So, why was I chosen to be one suppressed?" It widened its mouth as it asked, and revealed a smile, "If I were to swallow a soul, I would then possess the thoughts that once crowded its mind. Since I am not to believe in anything you have said, it would be much better if I only counted on my handful of little friends!"

Wen Leyang now understood that Red Pot was suspicious towards Xiang Liu; it suspected that the nine-headed monster had something to do with what led to Red Pot being suppressed back then. It was useless for Tian Yin to say anything else, as the toad would still insist on swallowing the true soul, to examine the truth.

What kind of creature was Red Pot? It was a monster, popular since ancient times. It would never bother to analyze, investigate or prove a point despite being suspicious of anything. Instead, it would uncover the truth on its own after swallowing a suspect, but if it accidentally killed the suspect while doing so, it would be unfortunate for Xiang Liu. 

Despite Red Pot's intention to swallow a true soul, its body was too weak to deal with the true soul's human body. That was the only reason it joined forces with demon immortals, bearing a smile on its face at all times.

In the final analysis, Red Pot wanted to swallow the core, but it needed to depend on Wen Leyang and the rest to peel away the skin first. 

Red Pot's intention to kill Xiang Liu was only because of a possibility that existed in theory. There was affirmatively no sufficient reasoning behind its intention. Perhaps, one could say the reason for Red Pot to swallow the true soul was not substantial enough for an ordinary person, but it was already more than enough for this enormous evil creature from the ancient land.

Qin Zhui failed to understand the sequence of events, but at least he knew that a fight was imminent. His ugly face was filled with color when he suddenly remembered an important matter. He turned around and questioned the monkey, "Didn't the true soul say it wanted to help Red Pot regain its strength? Once Red Pot regains its strength, only then can it kill the true soul. Would that not be akin to killing two birds with one stone?" Qin Zhui contemptuously gazed at Red Pot as he spoke…

The monkey forcefully laughed as it chided, "You confused child! How can Tian Yin possibly restore all of Red Pot's strength?" Before its voice faded away, a crisp 'thud' sound was heard, followed by the abrupt sight of the entire Nine Peaks Mountain enshrouded by a layer of frost. Thousands of sharp icicles suddenly appeared without warning, and mercilessly surged towards Tian Yin's true soul!

The moment the icicles appeared, four words echoed in midair from the Wen family village – Break the demon body!

A giant peak-like stone tower in the sky suddenly cracked into a harrowing fissure. Yin's Error and Yang's Mistake were accompanied by the sharp noise of a sonic boom, which struck Tian Yin from top to bottom at the same time Chang Li's right arm exploded into a mist of blood, and a demonic wind swept through the joyous night in an instant. Thousands of demon blades, accompanied by a hissing sound of startled laughter, chased after Tian Yin. Hanba Fifth Brother suddenly found himself shorter, as his legs disintegrated into foul-smelling rotting blood, from his ankles and below. Three monkey-like ghosts suddenly bored a hole through Tian Yin's body from behind and clawed onto his back. Decaying flesh could be seen hanging off their menacing claws!

Tian Yin was protected by the Distant Talisman; he could vanish into thin air and travel for a thousand miles in a flash. To make him stay, they could only launch a quick blow as powerful as thunder to destroy his dharma body, before allowing Red Pot to refine the true soul away. If they were to fail at killing him today, the three families, Wen, Miao, Luo would never be at peace anymore as the true soul had already appeared in the Wen family village. Everyone shared the same thoughts. The three demon immortals, Guo Huan, Chang Li, and Hanba shouted simultaneously, triggering their most incisive supernatural powers outrageously – the Demon Body Breaking spell!

Wen Leyang squalled at Zhui Zi, "Protect the people of our family!" Before his voice faded away, Wen Leyang's behavior was akin to a flood dragon; with Ning Jiao's sting swaying in his left hand, and Red Pot snug in his right hand. The dragon-shaped, bony Ning Jiao hissed and roared, while the Molten Metal Fire Bell was engulfed in raging flames. Its piercing and murderous intent reverberated with the thundering rhythm!

The moment Zhui Zi heard the four words, 'people of our family', she smiled as her eyes gently curved into the shape of a crescent moon. She answered with joy, and her graceful body flashed rapidly. Layers upon layers of icicles stood aloft, protecting the disciples of the three families within its circle of ice. The supernatural powers that were about to surge and explode into pieces were no less inferior than their combined demon power in the battle with the heavily-mustached man on the Goddess Peak. Without the protection of a top demon immortal, the ordinary disciples in the form of mortal bodies would have never survived. 

The golden monkey hesitated for a moment. While there was no deep enmity or great hatred between itself and Xiang Liu, it was still unwilling to launch the Demon Body Breaking spell in its heart. Throughout its hesitation, the Wen family village had already transformed unexpectedly. A group of top master cultivators had already launched their demonic primordial energy that gushed skywards, attacking Tian Yin's true soul! Tian Yin's expression turned savage instantaneously; he did not even possess a little of Sword Immortal's bearing, nor did he even have the time to launch the Distant Talisman. All he could do was to only protect the long and short divine swords. In a panic, his body leaped with the reverberation of the ghastly sword's energy. He was attempting to forcefully break out of the encirclement!

A group of demon immortals launched their attacks first, and no matter how swift Tian Yin's movements were, he could never escape the lightning-like supernatural powers. As he leaped, a loud noise suddenly detonated beside him. Yin's Error, Yang's Mistake, demon blades, icicles, Mourning Ghosts, bony Ning Jiao, Ning Jiao's sting, icy flames, and countless ultimate supernatural powers capable of shocking heaven and earth were launched all at the same time. Such tremendous force almost destroyed the long and short flying swords! The supernatural powers capable of destroying heaven and annihilating the earth never seemed to stop, as it engulfed Tian Yin with a loud bang...

Tian Yin was in the position of a crowing rooster when its neck suddenly snapped. He only managed to let out half a bitter and raging howl, before suddenly coming to a halt. The colorful yet terrifying divine radiance exploded once again with a shocking, explosive sound. Tian Yin's dharma body was suddenly blasted into thousands of blood mists, which splattered towards the sky! 

The ordinary cultivators at the scene screamed out in agony all at once. As compared to the tremendous force that surged and shattered the top master cultivators and demon immortals, their treasured weapons were not too different from that of a paper lantern. Each of them bawled in pain and were tossed out haphazardly.

In the blink of an eye, the layers of icicles conjured by Zhui Zi trembled continuously with a screeching sound. The icicles then continuously revealed streaks upon streaks of hideous fissures. 

Just as Tian Yin's dharma body exploded, a monstrous yet inaudible sneer pierced into Wen Leyang's eardrums ferociously, akin to an ice needle. A dim and dull shadow escaped quietly, with Red Pot squalling as loud as thunder, "Resign to your fate!", widening its mouth. 

After the true soul escaped, it did not even manage to move a step further. It resembled a dead leaf in the storm; it tossed and turned but there was no room for it to struggle before it was sucked whole, into Red Pot's stomach.

The radiance in the sky vanished. After the blast, the supernatural powers dispersed completely, leaving behind all sects' cultivators scattered around the entire mountain and icicles were left standing in the Wen family village.

As the few demon immortals calmed their startled souls, Chang Li could not care less about the severe injuries she suffered, when she conjured the Demon Body Breaking spell. Her face was frighteningly pale as she looked towards Wen Leyang, "How is it?"

Wen Leyang lifted Red Pot; with the latter bursting out in laughter, "I have swallowed it! It was an evil creature from the chaotic times - Its taste? Not my cup of tea!" Mid-sentence, its body crawled towards Wen Leyang's palm, "The effort to refine and dissolve the true soul will take a few days. In the meantime, do not disturb me!"

The toad then shut its eyes and spoke no more.

A group of top demon immortals stood still and exchanged glances; their expressions were a combination of surprise and shock. No one dared to believe that Tian Yin's true soul, that had impressed everyone all along, was able to be subdued so easily - much to everyone's surprise. 

Zhui Zi waved her hand and dispersed the icicles that shielded them from the assault of that tremendous force, with great effort. The three families' relatives were safe and sound. They calmed themselves down before hastily preparing to hunt for the guests that had been blasted away and left to scatter around the entire mountain and wilderness...

Darling Little Five hurriedly ran over to help Hanba Fifth Brother stand. A Dan was running around Hanba in feigned seriousness, appearing to be flattering him. Chang Li suddenly cried out in pain, and her body weakly fell into Zhui Zi's arms. Her gaze was very bright, yet her little face filled with uncontained mischievous excitement, "Suppress Xiang Liu once again… if we fail, we shall kill it immediately!"

Zhui Zi understood that this was the demon cat's concern. She smiled and nodded as she urged her life vitality to protect the demon cat's demonic foundation establishment. She diverted the topic of conversation and laughed, "When Red Pot has completed digesting the true soul in a few days, we could perhaps find out what happened back then. We might even discover Tuo Xie's whereabouts."

Chang Li giggled and cooed, like a kid with candy would. She seemed to have recalled the process of the violent battle earlier. She nodded to Zhui Zi and laughed, "Surprisingly, you are the quickest one to launch your supernatural power, even before I did..."

Zhui Zi did not wait for Chang Li to finish talking as she laughed loudly and shook her head, "I was not the first one to launch my supernatural power towards Xiang Liu!"

Chang Li was initially stunned, but was quick to realize as she turned around strenuously and shouted towards the newlywed's house, "Which bridal chamber's wife was that? Why are you in such a hurry?"

The first wave of icicles that attacked Xiang Liu was the icicles that covered the sky, but alas, the person who launched it was not Zhui Zi. It could only be the two new wives in their rooms, as they had just received the icicles with sealed supernatural power. 

Xiaoyi responded with a giggle. 

When Tian Yin first arrived, Xiaoyi had just drowsily awakened. The group of people was not speaking softly. Upon listening to the conversation, Xiaoyi knew that someone was looking for trouble. Moreover, the person came looking for trouble on her wedding day. Without hesitation, she headed directly towards the icicle to crush it. The supernatural power that was sealed in the icicle could have been launched even earlier, but Xiaoyi's hands were too weak. It took her some time before she successfully managed to destroy it.

A forceful, yet hardly noticeable smile appeared on Wen Leyang's other brother-in-law, Luo Wanggen's face. That icicle received by Mumu had been stuffed into his hands before she returned to the bridal chamber.

From Little Five, Mumu had learned what happened on Goddess Peak the night before the wedding. She found out that Wen Leyang had provoked the wrath of the Immortal Master Teacher, that the three families, Wen, Miao, Luo were from the same family tree, and when the incisive enemy appeared, all at once. The fact that she was already married did not stop her from worrying about her family. It led her to secretly give her brother something precious for self-defense, one that was capable of killing enemies, so that he could bring it back home to protect Crow Ridge. 

When the Wen family organized a wedding, with the village booming with thunderous sounds of fireworks and firecrackers, no one had expected the final explosion to be powerful enough to kill Tian Yin. It blasted away countless predictions. Fortunately, most of the cultivators were experienced this time. Without dashing forward, the crowd fell back the moment the supernatural powers were blasted, despite being flung to a distance. They did not suffer severe injuries, and thankfully, no one perished in the explosion. Some cultivators who were close to the Wen family immediately burst out laughing, as they had intended to only come for the wedding but somehow managed to witness this spectacle. It was well worth it.

The crowd too did not return to the village, but exchanged pleasantries from afar, and left after they had bid their farewells. 

The little supreme leader, Liu Zheng, was still drunk. Wen Leyang checked on Hanba and Chang Li to make sure their lives were not at stake. He passed Red Pot to Zhui Zi and was about to excitedly wake Liu Zheng up to inform him of the great news, about the true soul being executed, only to have Hanba, who was cultivating his power to heal his injuries, stop him. 

Hanba's expression depicted mild pain, but there was something unusual, not only to Wen Leyang. He spoke to the few demon immortals at the scene, "Is the true soul already dead?"

The rest was a little puzzled, yet Red Pot opened its eyes, and answered unpleasantly, "It is not dead yet; I am refining it now. It will not survive more than a few days."

Hanba nodded, "When Red Pot was swallowing the true soul earlier, the water element evil soul that I sealed was almost driven to madness, but it seemed to have quieted down now."

The crowd had only understood Hanba's words, for the true soul was supposed to be refined now; it should be plunged into an abyss of misery. The water element evil soul would not stay calm and quiet with the true soul suffering nearby. Hanba was puzzled as to how the evil soul could be this calm right now. 

Red Pot croaked and laughed, "The true soul will die without a doubt, and the evil soul ought to have resigned to its fate by now!"

Hanba pondered over it slightly; he was still uneasy. He looked at Red Pot and confirmed once again, "Is the true soul truly being refined now?"

Red Pot waved its front claw impatiently, "He isn't aware that the creature that is refining me is not this toad of his!" The moment those words spurted out of Red Pot's mouth, its bulging eyes suddenly revealed extreme fear.

Everyone's face, including Wen Leyang's, suddenly changed; Zhui Zi gasped with surprise, as she tossed out the toad. She held up Chang Li and fell back instantly. Not only was the true soul not dead, but it had also seized Red Pot's body instead!

Red Pot tumbled onto the ground, and burst into laughter, "Although Red Pot's body was born from the essence of the sun and moon, have any of you thought that merely crawling two steps forward could be too strenuous for it? How much of the essence is still left in its body? How can anyone depend on this little energy, and still attempt to refine me? Even he knows this in his heart."

Everyone retreated and gathered on the vast open space in the Wen family village. On one side, there was only one lonely red frog, while on the other side, there was a large group of unusual people with exotic skills. Anyone witnessing the scene would tremble in ice-cold horror.

Everyone felt slightly dumbfounded now; if Red Pot were to fail at dealing with the true soul, then why did it bother to blow its own trumpet with such pride?

Red Pot lay on the ground and laughed, "The toad is borrowing a precious item capable of refining souls." The toad suddenly panted loudly as it spoke. In between each breath, its body continuously expanded like a balloon. It took only a while before it turned into the size of a house. It then opened its mouth, bawled, and spat out an old cauldron the size of a millstone.

Qin Zhui furrowed his brows as he witnessed the scene. Red Pot was only the size of a child's palm, but it seemed strangely capable of containing a huge cauldron in its body.

The golden monkey Qian Ren was fixated on looking at the inscriptions on the old cauldron. It took a deep breath, "'Yin's Killer'? Even this cauldron is incapable of refining you?"

Qian Ren was an experienced cultivator; it had an even wider range of knowledge as compared to Chang Li, Guo Huan and the rest. This cauldron was named the 'Yin's Killer'. It was truly a divine asset from ancient times. Once they were sucked into the cauldron, primordial souls that were once sinister and domineering would end up as lost, scattered souls. This was why Qian Ren did not expect the cauldron to be useless in dealing with Xiang Liu's true soul. 

The true soul's laughter was extremely delightful, "This 'Yin's Killer' Cauldron is capable of refining all sorts of negative Yin's power; ordinary primordial spirits would not survive if it had come into contact with it."

Qian Ren squinted its eyes and nodded, it heaved a sigh of relief. The 'Yin's Killer' was capable of consuming all the primordial souls, specifically because it could possess any soul power under the heavens, no matter how domineering a soul was. However, the soul was still of the Yin's genus, so it would be perfect for the cauldron to be subdued. 

All the soul powers under the heavens were of the Yin's genus, except the true soul of Xiang Liu. 

Xiang Liu was not an evil creature created by heaven; it was an evil spell that had existed since the chaotic world, back in the prehistoric times. Essentially, the nine-headed monster, as well as heaven and earth, were all born out of chaos. In Xiang Liu's perception, heaven and earth were also an enormous and boundless monster, similarly, in the perception of heaven and earth, the nine-headed monster itself was also another form of heaven and earth!

Xiang Liu's true soul was different from the rest of the primordial spirits and souls under the heavens. Its soul power was a combination of Yin and Yang. Despite being incisive and domineering, the 'Yin's Killer' could only harm the true soul, but not kill it.

Red Pot was as large as a house now; its laughter too, grew louder and louder, "All of you thought that having the toad meant that you could harm me. That was the biggest mistake you've all made. I now dare to reveal myself. Naturally, I came fully prepared, with the idea that Red Pot was planning to deal with me. Whatever abilities and preciousness it had, I knew it like the back of my hand..." The true soul was halfway through its speech when it suddenly broke into a shiver. The shadow of a dark grey nine-headed snake came wriggling out of Red Pot's body, and pounced onto Wen Leyang out of nowhere!

The true soul's speed was countless times faster than that of Chang Li speeding at full force. Despite being fully prepared, Wen Leyang did not even stand a chance to fall back. At that moment, a streak of silver flare erupted suddenly. After it shattered Tian Yin's dharma body earlier, the Molten Metal Fire Bell that had been suspended in midair all along, exploded into a piercing and scorching glow. The tip of the sword that was capable of refining souls and exorcising evil, was condensed with the true fire of Heavenly Plow and had pinned down the nine-headed true soul ferociously before Wen Leyang's body. 

Everything happened in a flash; from the moment Tian Yin made a sudden move, to the point when the giant sword executed the demon. Wen Leyang could only feel the scorching heatwave radiating from the front of his body. He could not help but fall one step backward.

It was at this point that the crowd could take a clear look. They found that the true soul had the exact appearance of Xiang Liu's true body. Both had one tail and one body, yet had nine necks and nine heads. The giant sword Molten Metal Fire Bell firmly pinned onto the converging point between the true soul's body and the nine necks. Layers upon layers of silver-colored fiery snakes coiled around vigorously, and continuously flowed down from the gigantic sword's blade. It surged towards the true soul without a moment's pause. 

When seen from afar, Molten Metal Fire Bell seemed to resemble an enormous waterfall of silver flames. 

All of a sudden, the strange sound of squawking was heard continuously. Red Pot was possessed and dispossessed by the true soul; its true primordial spirit could not exercise control over its body. The toad opened and closed its mouth and spewed continuously. The open ground in Wen family village was enshrouded by the reflectiveness of shiny preciouses. A magic bottle gourd, a divine sword, a magic mirror and all sorts of colorful rare preciouses were being purged out from Red Pot continuously. 

Wen Leyang had only dodged the unfortunate luck of being possessed earlier, but he had yet to recover from the surprise now. He still pondered over it for a moment. It turned out that Red Pot had so many precious items hidden in its body, yet it refused to take out any one of them for a wedding gift...

When they were at the Goddess Peak earlier, the golden monkey's face was filled with uncertainty. The few top demon immortals could only see that the giant sword's true fire of Heavenly Plow was capable of refining the evil soul, but it was not enough to execute the true soul. However, before their eyes now, the true soul was genuinely pinned down by the giant sword. You've Got Me was ululating and cheering. It ran and jumped in front of the giant sword with its pitch black-colored eyes, beaming with indescribable pride. 

The few demon immortals had yet to recover from the surprise. The speed of Xiang Liu's true soul grew brighter and faster, and even if they came out uninjured from this event, they did not have the opportunity to run away. Now that Tian Yin's dharma body was already destroyed, there was no room for retreat or to avoid this matter anymore. It could only go two ways - either the giant sword succeeds at refining the true soul, or that the true soul succeeds at possessing a body!

On the nine heads of the true soul, all its eyes were tightly shut. Its expressions appeared to be in agony, and its body was shivering continuously from the true fire of Heavenly Flow's attack. 

Qin Zhui was the first one to exhale, "That 'Yin's Killer', still managed to injure the true soul, and that is why the Molten Metal Fire Bell is capable of subduing it now..." Before he could finish his sentence, all the eighteen eyes of the true soul suddenly opened. Nine mouths bellowed with the same laughter that was akin to the owl's hoot, "I even managed to plan for the toad. How is it possible that I didn't plan for the existence of this sword?" As it spoke, the nine heads shook strenuously with sudden sways of its heads, as they pounded repeatedly onto the Molten Metal Fire Bell pinned onto its neck. In a flash, the metallic sound of clanging echoed across the entire sky!

You've Got Me's tiny body abruptly somersaulted in agony in the air. The nine-headed true soul was still swaying its body gently within the rustling sound of its laughter but left the tip of the giant sword's blade at lightning speed. It then pounced into Wen Leyang's body without so much as a sound!

Wen Leyang could only feel like a puff of darkness accompanied by a thousand streaks of golden silks erupting before his eyes. It was as if he was punched on the face. Soon after, the only feeling he felt was the discomfort of emptiness, as if incubus suddenly befell upon him. Everything else in his surroundings was expanding and twisting continuously while he was slowly sinking into the depth of the boundless darkness. He did not have any strength left and could not even summon a sound.

Every demon immortal bore the expression of a clay doll, startled by the unforeseen event. They stood still in bewilderment; blood was drained from their faces. Only Zhui Zi hissed and roared; she waved her hand and condensed layers of icicles once again, and froze the three families' disciples that were about to pounce forward in rage. Soon after, she condensed a dash of icy flame that was the purest of white, which did not even shine on her fingertip, and ferociously stabbed Wen Leyang's glabella! 

Anyone could die in this world, but no one was allowed to pose as him in the entire universe!

Wen Leyang sniggered. Everyone was familiar with his voice which sounded a little heavy and seeping with slight self-righteousness inside. He did not move a muscle. Just as Zhui Zi's icy flames were about to pierce through his glabella, Ning Jiao's armor suddenly appeared, firmly protecting his skull. Ning Jiao's armor lived and died with Wen Leyang; it was strong enough to shield him from that top demon immortal's blow, even at full force.

Zhui Zi's strike was futile. She did not stop moving but spun around Wen Leyang, akin to a ghost. Countless layers of icicles formed with every move of her limbs. Zhui Zi's usual pitiful look had now turned resolute and unwavering!

His body was controlled by the true soul… while as for the real Wen Leyang, the strongest sensation he could feel now was numbness.