Absolute Poison Pill

"The only people who should be within Tianzhu Peak of Shushan are Shushan disciples. But this person's attire is strange and unsettling, exuding a sinister aura. He called Dan Lingsheng an 'old ghost,' yet he doesn't seem like a Shushan disciple at all. Judging by his expression, he doesn't seem to have good intentions."

Luo Bei's mind raced with these thoughts.

"Who are you?"

Luo Bei instinctively tensed his body and asked the black-robed stranger who had suddenly appeared.

"Who am I?" The black-robed stranger let out a sharp, eerie laugh. "As for who I am, that old ghost Dan Lingsheng knows best. The scar on his face was left by my Five Poisons Thunderlight Arrow."

"This person is definitely no good! He must have some ulterior motive!"

Upon hearing this, Luo Bei's hair stood on end. Without any hesitation, he bit down on the tip of his right index finger.

Luo Bei's actions could be described as incredibly brave and decisive.

Trusting his instincts, Luo Bei knew this person was far beyond his capabilities. Without a second thought, he immediately cast the Flying Flame Talisman.

"Flying Flame Talisman?"

But the black-robed stranger, wearing a white bone mask, merely sneered. A green, glowing line shot out and struck Luo Bei. Luo Bei felt a chill in his chest, and his body stiffened, unable to move.

"You're young, but you react quickly. If I had been a moment slower, it would have been quite troublesome." The black-robed stranger took two steps forward, his green eyes fixed on Luo Bei, scrutinizing him intently.

"Who exactly are you?" Although Luo Bei couldn't move, he could still speak. He called out.

"Excellent roots, calm in the face of crisis. Truly good aptitude, but it's a shame you became a Shushan disciple." The black-robed stranger's gaze shifted from Luo Bei to the cloth bag hanging at his waist. "It doesn't hurt to tell you. I am Lu Yu of the North Yin Sect of Mount Jiwang."

"The North Yin Sect of Mount Jiwang, Lu Yu?" Luo Bei looked at the black-robed stranger and asked, "You've infiltrated Shushan and subdued me. What exactly do you want?"

The black-robed stranger, Lu Yu, didn't answer Luo Bei's question for a moment. He reached out and grabbed the cloth bag from Luo Bei's waist. Opening it, he began to list the names of the herbs within: "Zhu Yu Grass, Coral Tree, Water Chestnut Fruit, Liudan Wood, Xishen Leaf..." After listing the names of these herbs, Lu Yu looked up at Luo Bei, his eyes flashing with cold light. "I have come to Shushan solely for revenge."

"Revenge? Revenge for what?"

"Revenge for what?" Lu Yu, shrouded in his black robe, stomped his foot and sneered. "Dan Lingsheng annihilated my entire North Yin Sect. Of the more than a hundred people in my North Yin Sect, only I remain. What do you think I'm here for revenge for?"

Luo Bei asked, "Are you here to kill some Shushan disciples for revenge?"

"I've always been clear about my grievances. My North Yin Sect has a feud with Shushan and Dan Lingsheng, but I won't target a child like you who has just joined, not even a formal Shushan disciple. The one I'm after is solely Dan Lingsheng." Lu Yu glanced at Luo Bei. "I'll let you move freely. Don't make any rash moves."

As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Bei felt a tingling sensation in his limbs. He could move again.

Before he could speak, Lu Yu coldly glanced at Luo Bei again. "Did Dan Lingsheng ever tell you why he had you collect these herbs?"

Luo Bei shook his head.

He truly didn't know.

"Then I'll tell you." Lu Yu held the five herbs, including Zhu Yu Grass, in his left hand. With his right hand, he repeatedly made hand seals. A ball of fire, about three feet in diameter, suddenly appeared out of thin air between Luo Bei and himself. It was white with a hint of blue and emitted an astonishing heat. Luo Bei felt as if his hair was about to char and instinctively took two steps back before the intense heat lessened slightly.

Lu Yu moved his left hand again, and one by one, he tossed the Liudan Wood and the other four herbs, along with the Poison Arrow Orchid – which had emerald green leaves but bore black flowers – into the ball of fire floating in front of Luo Bei and himself.

"Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!"

Each of the six herbs, when thrown in, instantly vaporized into balls of gas of different colors. However, surprisingly, the outer edge of the white and blue ball of fire seemed to act as an invisible restraint. These six balls of gas, each a different color, couldn't escape and instead swirled and slowly merged within the fire.

"This is a method your Shushan learned from the Emei Sect in the past. When your Shushan disciples undergo Foundation Establishment cultivation, they temper their muscles and bones using the Foundation Establishment Fist Technique, supplemented by pills to speed up the process. The herbs you collected are used to refine these auxiliary pills. The process of finding the herbs can temper one's character and will, and the pills refined then serve a supplementary role. It's truly killing two birds with one stone."

"These five herbs you have, plus this slightly rare Poison Arrow Orchid, when combined and refined, can produce a Purple Palace Pill. Taking it allows for three days of grain avoidance, circulates vital energy, and expels some internal illnesses and impurities."

As Lu Yu spoke, Luo Bei watched as the six differently colored gases slowly condensed together, forming a purple, gelatinous substance about the size of a fist. It continuously changed shape within the ball of fire, becoming smaller and smaller, clearly becoming more refined.

"You can refine pills without an alchemical furnace?" Luo Bei's face was filled with surprise.

"My North Yin Sect primarily cultivates the Outer Elixir Dao. Naturally, our alchemy techniques are beyond what your Shushan can compare to." Lu Yu seemed to sense Luo Bei's thoughts and explained coldly, "However, my Suspended Furnace Fire technique can only refine pills with simple formulas. The vast majority of pills require specific temperatures, times, and even specialized alchemical furnaces and containers. I cannot refine those."

"So, there are such profound principles to refining pills." Luo Bei was momentarily captivated by Lu Yu's words and couldn't help but comment.

"Outer Elixir, Inner Core. They are merely different cultivation methods. In the end, they all lead to the same destination." Lu Yu looked at the purple gelatinous mass slowly solidifying into a pill and sneered coldly. "The principles of alchemy are, of course, profound and complex. Take these few herbs as an example. If even one Liudan Wood is missing, the resulting pill will have no efficacy. If this Poison Arrow Orchid is missing, the potent medicinal properties of the other herbs cannot be neutralized, and consuming it will lead to severe diarrhea. While it won't be fatal, you'll certainly fall seriously ill. Even the order in which the herbs are added during refinement can greatly affect their medicinal properties."

Amidst his cold laughter, Luo Bei suddenly saw a strange, blood-red flower appear in Lu Yu's hand.

This blood-red flower was as large as a bowl, with seven petals. The area near the center was black, while the very center glowed purple.

The aroma was rich and fragrant, but as soon as Luo Bei inhaled it, he felt his head grow dizzy.

"What herb is this?"

"This is the Dan Du Flower." Lu Yu tossed the blood-red flower into the ball of fire. "This Dan Du Flower is hundreds of times rarer than the Poison Arrow Orchid. It was not easy to find. This will benefit that old ghost Dan Lingsheng."

"Benefit Martial Uncle Dan Lingsheng? What do you mean?"

Luo Bei felt there was more to Lu Yu's words and immediately looked up, his gaze fixed on Lu Yu.

"Hahahaha!" Lu Yu suddenly burst into wild laughter. The blood-red Dan Du Flower instantly vaporized. As the red gas merged into the purple gelatinous mass, the purple mass turned a dark, purplish-red. "The six herbs refined would produce an ordinary Purple Palace Pill, but by adding this Dan Du Flower, what is produced is an unparalleled potent poison. Ordinary people will die upon contact. However, someone with Dan Lingsheng's cultivation should be able to hold on for a moment. My North Yin Sect has named this potent poison the Absolute Poison Pill."

Amidst his maniacal laughter, Lu Yu quickly tossed a ball of white wax into the fire. The white wax melted as it reached the edge of the ball of fire. At this moment, the dark purplish-red gelatinous mass had already condensed and shrunk into a pill about the size of a thumb. Lu Yu flicked his hands in the air, and the ball of fire vanished. The dark purple pill fell perfectly into the ball of white wax, sealed by it.

"I always distinguish between grievances and kindness. Dan Lingsheng annihilated my entire sect, so I will use my North Yin Sect's Absolute Poison Pill against him." Lu Yu, who had completed refining this pill in less than the time it takes two incense sticks to burn, stared at Luo Bei. "I won't make things difficult for you. You just need to deliver this pill to Dan Lingsheng and say it's from an old friend."

"You want me to help you poison him?" Luo Bei finally understood Lu Yu's intention and immediately shook his head vigorously. "This is absolutely impossible!"

"Have you thought it through?" A cold, green light flashed in Lu Yu's eyes, and the temperature within a radius of dozens of feet seemed to drop. "You know I've revealed my identity to you, so you should understand the consequences of refusing me. I also know you're a Shushan disciple, but I won't have you do this for me for nothing."

Lu Yu slowly extended his right hand, which was holding a string of white bone prayer beads, from within his black robe. He presented a scroll of black leather-bound scripture to Luo Bei. "This is my North Yin Sect's Bei Yin Elixir Art. It contains methods for refining various pills, from the most basic to the most profound. Your Shushan has one thousand four hundred and twenty peaks, and just on this Tianzhu Peak, there are countless herbs. By learning my elixir art, you can refine pills yourself, progressing from simple to complex. Your Shushan cultivates Inner Core Dao methods, and their Outer Elixir pill refining is a hundred times inferior to my North Yin Sect's. If you cultivate Shushan's Inner Core techniques and simultaneously learn my elixir art, refining pills for yourself to consume, with internal and external complementing each other, your progress will undoubtedly be the foremost among Shushan disciples. I can guarantee that in the future, no Shushan disciple will be able to surpass you!"

Luo Bei was deeply moved.

This was, for anyone, an immense temptation.

If he refused Lu Yu, his life might be in danger!

Seeing Luo Bei hesitate, Lu Yu intensified his tone and said heavily, "Think carefully. You've just joined Shushan, what does Dan Lingsheng's life have to do with you? If you agree to my terms and hand over this poison pill, Shushan will at most assume I tricked you and won't make things difficult for you. In return, you'll gain my elixir art, and in the future, you could become the foremost person in Shushan, even among the most renowned in the world!"

Lu Yu seemed certain Luo Bei wouldn't refuse, but to his shock, he saw Luo Bei look him straight in the eye and shake his head, firmly refusing, "That is absolutely impossible!"

Undeniably, in that instant, Luo Bei felt the immense temptation and understood that this was a life-or-death choice.

But at this moment, all that echoed in Luo Bei's mind was Yuan Tianyi's single sentence, "My Luofu disciples must act according to their true hearts!"

Although he had been in Shushan for a very short time, asking Luo Bei to help poison one of his elders was something his true heart could never do.

"Have you truly thought this through?!" Lu Yu stepped forward two paces, facing Luo Bei directly, and said coldly, "Are you truly unwilling to accept my offer and hand this Absolute Poison Pill to Dan Lingsheng?"

Luo Bei nodded without fear.

With a "chī" sound, a red light shot into the sky, exploding into dozens of brilliant rays of light.

Judging by the sky and the direction, Dan Lingsheng was signaling all disciples to gather.

After glancing up at the ray of light, Lu Yu coldly lowered his eyelids. "Since that's the case, I can't have refined this pill in vain. I'll give you one last choice: either you take this pill to Dan Lingsheng, or you eat it yourself!"

"I will not hand this pill to Martial Uncle Dan Lingsheng!" Luo Bei looked directly at Lu Yu. "Judging by your actions, Martial Uncle Dan Lingsheng must have had a reason to annihilate your entire clan. Even if you kill me today, Shushan will surely avenge me!"

His words were resolute, his spirit unyielding!

At this moment, Luo Bei carried a hint of Yuan Tianyi's arrogance!

Luofu had never had a rule about negotiating with others!

"Good! Good! Good!"

Lu Yu, shrouded in his black robe, said "good" three times. Then he raised his hand, grabbed Luo Bei, who stiffened and couldn't move. With his other hand, he forced the Absolute Poison Pill he had refined into Luo Bei's mouth!

As soon as the pill entered his mouth, the wax shell shattered.

The pill dissolved instantly. Luo Bei felt a burning hot line shoot down his throat and into his abdomen.

With a "roar," it was as if a ball of fire exploded within Luo Bei's body. Accompanied by an uncontrollable cry of pain, Luo Bei spewed out a mass of purplish-black gas. The medicinal power, which was violently surging through his meridians, immediately overwhelmed Luo Bei, causing him to pass out.