The Burial Ground of the Woeful Poison Body

Dou Qi Continent, Qingshan Town, cliffside cave.

The surroundings were desolate, the night bleak and cold. The howls of magical beasts echoed through the mountains, faint yet ever-present.

Xiao Yan could not help shivering as he ventured deeper into the cave alongside the graceful figure beside him.

"Hey, are you sure there's treasure here?"

Xiao Yan could not help asking, his finger lightly brushing the ring on his hand.

Xiao Yi Xian raised her delicate brows.

"You're a grown man, yet you're more timid than I am?

Exploring the abode of a senior means risks and opportunities go hand in hand. Who can guarantee a bountiful return? If you're afraid, you can leave right now."

The girl gave a soft rebuke, though she was uncertain herself. Xiao Yan could hardly be blamed for wanting to retreat; this place was simply too eerie.

The cave was filled with withered vines and carried a gloomy aura. Venomous snakes and lizards occasionally darted out from the stone walls. Beneath their feet lay purple earth, like the soil exposed after a poisonous swamp had dried up!

Xiao Yan sighed and asked inwardly, "Teacher, this place is strange in every way. Should I keep going deeper?"

Following his teacher's instructions, he had come to Qingshan Town to gain experience. By chance, he had met the woman beside him, Xiao Yi Xian, and followed her into this hidden cave. Who could have imagined that this place would be so bizarre?

"What, are you scared the first time you've gone cave exploring?"

Old Yao's teasing voice rang out in Xiao Yan's heart.

Xiao Yan secretly groaned. "Teacher, just give me a straight answer. Can we enter this cave or not?"

At those words, the amusement faded from Old Yao's voice, and he became more serious. "This place is indeed extraordinary.

In my opinion, it is the burial ground of a powerful poison master. It may contain everything that poison master accumulated in life, so it cannot be missed. As for danger... don't worry. I will act when it matters!"

"Alright!"

Reassured, Xiao Yan carefully ventured deeper into the cave dwelling.

Both of them remained tense, constantly alert for sudden danger. Yet perhaps fate was watching over them, for neither Xiao Yan nor Xiao Yi Xian encountered the slightest danger until they reached the end of the cave.

Xiao Yi Xian's brows relaxed. "It seems the senior who carved out this cave was a kind person. They didn't leave behind any trials."

"Oh?"

Xiao Yan shook his head and stared at the stone walls on either side of the cave. Tiny mechanism holes covered them, nearly invisible to the naked eye. If he had not been an alchemist with such sharp senses, he would not have noticed them.

"This place should have existed for many years. Even the mechanisms inside the cave have corroded and become obsolete, losing their function. Otherwise, we would never have entered so easily."

As for exactly how many years, Old Yao had already reached an answer based on the degree of corrosion on the stone walls.

A thousand years!

Unconcealed shock filled Xiao Yan's eyes. This cave had actually been built by a powerful existence from a thousand years ago!

What kind of treasures would a powerful expert from a thousand years ago have left behind?

Xiao Yan's heart could not help burning with excitement.

At that moment, Xiao Yi Xian lit a torch, illuminating part of the cave. Then, as though she had seen something unbelievable, her pupils widened and she cried out softly, "Look!"

Xiao Yan hurriedly looked in the direction Xiao Yi Xian pointed. Right in front of them stood a crystal Ice Coffin, and within it lay an ancient corpse resembling a young man, with a handsome profile and elegant bearing!

"Could he be the owner of this cave?"

Xiao Yan swallowed. Could this person still be alive?

As though aware of Xiao Yan's thoughts, Old Yao gave a surprised sound. "There is actually still a trace of life within that Ice Coffin."

Xiao Yan nearly turned and ran for his life.

Old Yao's tone carried helplessness. "Don't panic. I'm here. Go closer to the Ice Coffin. There seems to be something carved on it."

Xiao Yan stopped. The past few months of training had given him some courage. He slowly approached the Ice Coffin, crouched down, and carefully scanned its crystal wall. Sure enough, he saw lines of tiny writing.

"Descendant, by the time you see these words, This Sect Master is already dead."

Xiao Yan softly read the words on the crystal wall aloud.

Old Yao spoke gravely. "This person calls himself This Sect Master. Before his death, he was likely a Dou Zong expert."

A Dou Zong!

Xiao Yan clicked his tongue. There was not even a single Dou Zong in the entire Jia Ma Empire, yet the master of this cave dwelling had actually been a Dou Zong expert!

If he revived from death, the entire Jia Ma Empire would likely fall beneath his feet!

Seeing Xiao Yan's expression, Xiao Yi Xian moved closer as well.

Xiao Yan continued reading. "This Sect Master's name is Su Yun. I possessed a special constitution seen only once in a hundred years: the Woeful Poison Body.

The Woeful Poison Body is blessed by heaven itself. Consuming poison can raise one's cultivation. However, when the poison body matures, there is also the danger of poison power devouring the body, causing one to explode and die."

"The Woeful Poison Body... there is actually such a constitution in this world?"

Xiao Yan sighed in amazement.

Xiao Yi Xian pressed her lips together, a trace of unease flickering in her eyes. She vaguely felt that this Woeful Poison Body had a deep connection to her.

Old Yao was similarly astonished. "No wonder Poisonous Substances run rampant here, and even the air is filled with old, decayed toxins. So it was all arranged by the owner of the Woeful Poison Body."

Xiao Yan asked curiously, "Teacher, you know about the Woeful Poison Body?"

"Yes. A person with the Woeful Poison Body once appeared in the Central Plains. She was temperamental and could easily turn a region spanning a thousand li into poisoned land. Her poison power was formidable, and few at the same level could rival her.

I once came into conflict with her over a medicinal herb."

Xiao Yan's eyes widened. "What happened?"

Old Yao chuckled, a nostalgic expression appearing on his face. "I suppose I won by a slight margin."

Xiao Yan looked doubtful, feeling that his teacher was bragging.

Xiao Yi Xian ignored Xiao Yan. Eager to learn more about the Woeful Poison Body, she continued reading along the inscription.

"After This Sect Master broke through to the Dou Zong realm, I noticed that the poison body showed signs of slipping beyond my control, and I began considering how to resolve the danger of its eruption.

Heaven does not disappoint those who persevere. This Sect Master suppressed my cultivation and spent ten years pondering bitterly before finally finding a solution!

That was to find the Nether Poison Flame, ranked twentieth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking!

This flame was born within the ancient Nether Poison Swamp. It fed upon endless poisonous miasma. It gains intelligence after a hundred years and takes form after a thousand. It is a supreme poison flame, capable of containing every poison in the world.

The calamity of the Woeful Poison Body lies in the fact that as one's cultivation grows, the toxins accumulated within the body become increasingly potent and dense, until the human body can no longer endure them, resulting in death by explosion.

But if one can subdue the Nether Poison Flame and use it to contain the deadly poison of the Woeful Poison Body, not only can the danger of the poison body erupting be resolved, it can also nourish the poison flame's growth and even feed back into the poison body. It is truly a solution that benefits both!"

"Brilliant!"

Old Yao could not help praising it. This method shared the same underlying principle as the Poison Pill Method he had acquired.

The Poison Pill Method involved condensing a solid pill within the body and using it to contain toxins, preventing excessive toxins from accumulating in the body until the poison body erupted.

The Poison Flame Method of the Ice Coffin's owner followed the same principle. It could even use poison to nourish flame, then use flame to nourish the body, creating an endless and beneficial cycle! It was superior to the Poison Pill Method!

"The only question is whether the owner of the Ice Coffin succeeded..."

Old Yao said this, though he already faintly had an answer in his heart.

Because the moment he approved of the Ice Coffin owner's Poison Flame Method, he sensed the aura of a Heavenly Flame within the Ice Coffin!