At that moment, the Empress, the Palace Lord, and the others all sensed Xu Chen's aura.
They were secretly shocked. Wasn't this speed far too fast?
Especially Luoshen and Shangguan Luoyun. Back when they had been at the early Fifth Rank, it had taken them an entire year to break through to the middle stage.
Xu Chen's speed could be said to surpass theirs by a hundredfold.
Chi Lian, Huo Ling'er, and Li Ruoling were secretly clicking their tongues as well. His rate of improvement was indeed astonishing.
Even Bu Fengshuang could not help nodding when she saw it.
Her Chen truly was different.
Xu Chen shouted coldly, "Who is it?"
He remembered that the Demonic Cult had not come this time, but the Five Poisons Cult had.
This sect came from Southern Frontier and specialized in poison. Duan Qianyuan was the person the Five Poisons Cult had planted in Jixia Academy.
They had come now to help Duan Qianyuan seize the Young Headmaster token.
The Five Poisons Cult's Five Poisons Envoy, Han Xiruo, had come with them as well.
She was also one of the heroines.
However, in the Original Text, Han Xiruo had not first encountered Ye Xuan, but him, the villain.
After all, she loved killing people. They were a perfect match, you could say.
It was just that in the Original Text, the two had schemed against each other and developed a grudge. In the end, Han Xiruo had gone over to Ye Xuan's side.
"I just wonder whether this Han Xiruo has gone off-script."
"She absolutely must not go off-script, so the plot can stay somewhat normal."
Xu Chen prayed inwardly.
PS: Eight updates!!! Nearly twenty thousand words today, but I'm not very satisfied with the plot. I thought about it for ages, yet I had no choice but to update. My head is about to explode right now!! Please send all kinds of data!!!
According to Xu Chen's memories from his previous life, Han Ruoxi was the sort to hide a blade behind her smile.
She was just as ruthless as Bu Fengshuang when handling matters, except Bu Fengshuang killed without expression while Han Ruoxi killed with a smile.
With a sweet smile and sparkling glances, one corpse after another, tainted by poisonous fumes, fell to the ground.
Bu Fengshuang had learned to use poison after accidentally picking up a damaged copy of the Thousand Poisons Workshop's Thousand Formations Poison Scripture. She had simply kept reading it until she learned.
The Five Poisons Cult and the Thousand Poisons Workshop were two of the world's great poison sects, though each had its own strengths.
The Five Poisons Cult often placed poison on their hands, in medicine, in clothing, and even in the air.
As for the Thousand Poisons Workshop, it preferred fusing poison into formations.
However, both sides were skilled in all the methods mentioned above, proficient in everything.
According to his previous life's events, when the Five Poisons Cult entered Star Cloud Forest at this time, Jixia Academy still had no idea.
The Academy would only learn of it half an hour later.
Yet during that half-hour, the Five Poisons Cult did many things and nearly brought all the Academy's elite disciples under control.
"Not bad. Releasing spiritual energy at the early Fifth Rank—you, a new student, are truly impressive."
At that moment, an elder from the Five Poisons Cult clapped and laughed.
He was an elderly man of around sixty, his face covered in scars and his eyes sharp and vicious.
Black energy coiled around his body. Even his cult robes were black, giving him an overall dark and sinister appearance.
He held a vine cane in his hand, around which venomous snakes faintly coiled, their continuous hissing tongues flickering.
As far as Xu Chen knew, this was called the Myriad Snake Poison Staff, an imitation of the Five Poisons Cult Leader's weapon.
Still, it possessed half the power of the genuine Myriad Snake Poison Staff.
This man was the Sixth Elder of the Myriad Poisons Cult, Ghost Poison. As his name implied, his attacks were like ghosts and phantoms, impossible to guard against.
Ghost Poison looked at Xu Chen with a trace of admiration. "I heard you're the top new student?"
As he spoke, a Sixth Rank aura burst from his body.
The surrounding flowers, grass, and trees instantly withered and yellowed.
Xu Chen smiled. "A Sixth Rank aura, yet attacks comparable to the Seventh Rank. Not bad."
He did not underestimate Ghost Poison. At the same rank, a Sixth Rank Poison Cultivator could contend with a Seventh Rank martial artist.
Of course, that was provided they were not approached, since Poison Cultivators' bodies were rather fragile.
If a body cultivator got close enough to punch through their heart, then even if they poisoned the body cultivator to death, they themselves would not survive.
Ghost Poison opened his mouth, revealing a set of grim black teeth. "Boy, acknowledge me as your master and submit to me completely. I will grant you the position of Young Headmaster."
Xu Chen smiled. "You piece of trash. If I wanted the Young Headmaster position, would I need you to give it to me?"
Ghost Poison's face immediately darkened. "You're courting death."
With that, his body shook, and countless poisonous fumes began to spread.
Very quickly, the poisonous insects and beasts within Star Cloud Forest were slowly drawn over.
In an instant, countless poisonous insects and beasts surrounded Xu Chen, watching him with cold, sinister eyes.
When Shangguan Luoyun saw this, killing intent immediately appeared on her face. What a Five Poisons Cult Ghost Poison—he actually dared cause trouble in her territory.
If he did not die today, where would the Academy's dignity remain?
Buzz!
Having said that, Shangguan Luoyun was about to leave the Academy and rush to Star Cloud Forest.
Yet in the next second, she saw Chi Lian and the other two appear.
Chi Lian erupted with a mid-Seventh Rank aura. Holding the Crimson Fire Rope, which was like a venomous serpent itself, she charged straight at the surrounding poisonous insects and beasts.
Li Ruoling likewise erupted with a Sixth Rank Late aura and began using her unique martial arts to clear away these creatures.
Huo Ling'er's realm was slightly lower, but she was still at the early Sixth Rank, and the three struck together.
Shangguan Luoyun nodded. "Let's watch for now. If I need not act, then so be it."
After all, for her, the dignified Palace Lord, to act against an elder of the Five Poisons Cult would be somewhat like bullying the small with the big.
But nothing could happen to Xu Chen. Whoever dared touch Xu Chen would die today.
Luoshen likewise could not act personally, but her expression was equally icy as she had already dispatched the shadow guards.
"Go to Star Cloud Forest and keep watch. No matter what the Five Poisons Cult does today, don't let a single person escape."
"However, if possible, help Xu Chen seize the token and advance to the position of Young Headmaster."
Luoshen said coldly.
The female leader of the shadow guards immediately cupped her fists. "Your servant obeys the decree."
With that, she vanished from the imperial palace.
She secretly wondered whether Her Majesty was a little too concerned about Xu Chen.
After all, when had Her Majesty ever dispatched the shadow guards for anyone before?
The shadow guards were the Heavenly Venerate Dynasty's strongest spies. Once they acted, they had never failed.
At that moment, within Star Cloud Forest, swords were drawn and bows were bent.
Bu Fengshuang was also secretly setting up a Sixth Rank formation, though she was only at the Fifth Rank at present.
For someone at the Fifth Rank to set up a Sixth Rank formation, she needed at least a quarter of an hour.
Ghost Poison gave a sinister chuckle. "This little bit is not enough to shake this old man."
Chi Lian said coldly, "I'm afraid you won't know how you died later."
Ghost Poison's lips curled upward. "Go, my children."
In the next second, those thousands upon thousands of poisonous insects transformed into streaks of afterimages and charged toward Xu Chen and the others.
"Grind them to pieces."
But in the next second, the formation Bu Fengshuang had long prepared instantly shredded the countless poisonous insects.
After all, those poisonous insects were only at the Third or Fourth Rank.
"Oh? Sister Bu Fengshuang, your attainments in formations are quite good."
Just then, a crisp laugh like silver bells rang out.
Afterward, wisps of smoke gathered from all directions, eventually condensing into a blue figure.
She wore the ethnic clothing of Southern Frontier. Her smile was bright, her face peerlessly beautiful, and her skin flawless and smooth.
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