Heavenly Lies

"Xun'er has a Divine Bloodline... Since the Gu Clan's Coming-of-Age Ceremony has not yet taken place, she should only have an Eighth-grade Bloodline. Still, that is enough to serve as a catalyst for manifesting a Dou Di Bloodline. At worst, I can spend some Truth Points."

A glimmer flashed through Su Yun's eyes.

There was another issue: cultivation.

"For the next Heavenly Lies, I need to choose a place where powerful experts gather. Otherwise, it will be difficult to manifest a Dou Venerable's cultivation. But I probably cannot draw in a genuine Dou Venerable.

"After all, there are barely any Dou Venerables on the Northwest Continent..."

Bang.

Su Yun closed the book and returned it to its original place.

A rough outline had already formed in his mind, but completing the arrangement would still require long-term preparation...

Su Yun walked out of the pavilion, where Yao Ye was quietly waiting outside.

"Have you finished reading?"

"Mm."

Su Yun nodded faintly.

Yao Ye could not discern anything from Su Yun's expression.

She truly wanted to know which texts Su Yun had read and had even entertained the thought of probing him, but she quickly extinguished it.

Her great-grandfather's fate was still vivid in her mind. Offending Su Yun was not a rational choice.

When the two returned to the imperial palace hall, they saw Jia Xing Tian and Hai Bodong seated on gilded couches on opposite sides. Jia Xing Tian wore an angry expression, while Hai Bodong's face held a strange look.

Yao Ye keenly sensed that something unspeakable seemed to have happened between her great-grandfather and the Ice Emperor, and that her great-grandfather had been the one to suffer?

Su Yun found it rather amusing. He knew perfectly well what had happened between the two.

With his perception, even while reading in the Library Pavilion, he could spare attention to observe what was happening outside.

After he left, Hai Bodong had impatiently challenged Jia Xing Tian to a spar.

But how could Hai Bodong have known that Jia Xing Tian was afflicted by the thousand-year-old poison within the Nether Poison Flame? Once he made a move, the deadly poison would retaliate.

At the time, the aura of two Dou Emperors clashing in the sky had drawn the attention of the entire city.

In other words, the whole Imperial Capital knew that Jia Xing Tian had been beaten without fighting back.

Some clever people had likely already guessed that something had gone wrong with Jia Xing Tian's body after his battle with Su Yun...

"Hai Bodong, let us go."

"Yes."

Su Yun spoke calmly. The poison in Jia Xing Tian's body had indeed been deliberately left there by him.

It was not that Su Yun held a grudge. Emperors were naturally suspicious. If Jia Xing Tian had not been crippled by the poison and unable to stir up trouble, who knew what covert schemes he might have devised against Su Yun? How could he be as well-behaved as he was now?

Whoosh.

Su Yun and Hai Bodong rose into the air and flew out of the imperial city.

"Great-grandfather, you and the Ice Emperor..."

Under Yao Ye's puzzled gaze, Jia Xing Tian wore a bitter expression. "The trouble is huge!"

Just as Jia Xing Tian had expected, several days later, rumors that his injuries would not heal, that he had been poisoned, that his cultivation had fallen, and so on spread through the Imperial Capital without wind, drawing the attention of every major force.

"Have you heard? The Ice Emperor returned and sparred with Old Jia, but Old Jia was no longer a match for the Ice Emperor!"

"What a strange thing. Old Jia is a Peak Dou Emperor, and even if he could not defeat that man, he had maintained the upper hand over the Ice Emperor for the past century. How could this happen now..."

"Could it be?"

The eyes of those harboring ill intentions flickered.

Whatever storms and undercurrents stirred within the Imperial Capital had nothing to do with Su Yun.

What concerned him was how much poison the Mite'er Family could gather for him now that Hai Bodong had strengthened their efforts.

Several months later.

Su Yun looked at the poisons and poisonous herbs filling ten Storage Rings and nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad."

"This is what your subordinate ought to do."

Hai Bodong smiled.

Over the past few months, Hai Bodong had personally led a merchant caravan to the Chu Yun Empire. As outsiders, they had inevitably been targeted by local factions, and only after enduring countless hardships had they managed to gather decent poisons.

Fortunately, Su Yun was satisfied with the results, so their suffering had not been in vain.

"Next time, I will have the Amethyst Winged Lion King go with you."

Su Yun said leisurely.

That liondog did nothing outside all day except eat and sleep. This was a good chance to put that waste to use.

"Yes."

Hai Bodong nodded. His cultivation had not fully recovered yet. In fact, the Amethyst Winged Lion King was now stronger than he was and could be of considerable help.

Mittel Tengshan stepped forward. "My lord, Nalan Jie requests an audience."

"Oh? Let him in."

A smile flashed in Su Yun's eyes.

It seemed that the Scorching Poison had caused Nalan Jie quite a bit of suffering. Judging by the time, it should be about time for it to flare up.

Nalan Jie soon entered the hall. His face was pale, his aura weak, and he no longer possessed his former vigor.

His voice was hoarse as he cupped his fists. "Lord Su."

"Mm. Judging by your condition, you can no longer suppress the Scorching Poison."

"My lord is correct. I beg you to remove the poison for me!"

Nalan Jie let out a sigh.

At first, he had been able to suppress the Scorching Poison with his powerful Dou Qi, but as he aged, he became increasingly unable to do so.

Even so, it should not have worsened this severely.

The problem was that three years ago, his granddaughter Nalan Yanran had acted on her own and gone to the Xiao Family to break off her engagement, setting the Three-Year Agreement with Xiao Yan.

At the time, he had been furious, feeling that he had let down his old friend beneath the Yellow Springs. In his rage, something had gone wrong with his cultivation, and he had gradually become unable to suppress the poison, until it reached its current state.

Su Yun tapped his fingers lightly against the armrest, calmly watching Nalan Jie.

Understanding his meaning, Nalan Jie took a strange herb from his Storage Ring. The herb was entirely azure, as though carved from the finest green jade, and seven flowers of different colors bloomed at its tip, dazzlingly brilliant.

"My lord, this is Seven Illusory Azure Spirit Saliva. Would it be sufficient as payment for your assistance?"

Nalan Jie felt uneasy. It was not easy to hire a Sixth-grade Alchemist to treat him.

Yanran had used her connections in the Misty Cloud Sect to invite Pill King Gu He to treat his injuries, but Gu He had been helpless against the Scorching Poison as well...

And if even Pill King Gu He was at a loss, then in the Jia Ma Empire, Su Yun was likely the only one who could save his old life!

"It is enough."

A faint smile appeared on Su Yun's lips.

The Dou Qi Continent was rather lacking in research into the soul. The Alchemist Tower and Soul Hall had delved the deepest into the field.

In such an environment, medicinal ingredients capable of enhancing Soul Power were exceptionally precious. Even in the Central Plains, this Seven Illusory Azure Spirit Saliva would provoke a scramble among alchemists.

He had gotten a bargain this time.

Su Yun made a grasping motion, and an invisible force pulled the Seven Illusory Azure Spirit Saliva into his hand before he placed it in his Storage Ring.

Nalan Jie felt his hand grow light as the Seven Illusory Azure Spirit Saliva arrived in Su Yun's hand.

Taking the payment first... So be it. I only hope this ancient expert can truly cure this Scorching Poison.

He had no choice. Their positions were inherently unequal, and he was the one asking for help.

Su Yun rose to his feet and said calmly, "Come forward."

"Yes!"

Delight appeared on Nalan Jie's face as he hurriedly stepped before Su Yun.

Su Yun struck out with his palm, pressing it against Nalan Jie's chest as surging poison-attributed Dou Qi poured into his body!