The Poison Pill?

Guan Liang, who had turned around in midair, saw the figure behind him and cried out in surprise. He took a long breath before his pounding heart finally settled.

He had heard his superior say that Zhao Ping'an's Lightness Skill was impressive, but he hadn't expected it to be this good.

If Zhao Ping'an could appear silently behind him without being detected, he could just as easily plunge a knife into his heart.

"Just as expected of a Perfected Human-grade Lightness Skill. Truly impressive!"

Guan Liang exclaimed in admiration after regaining his composure. Zhao Ping'an hadn't moved a muscle.

"Stay behind me. The superior is waiting inside!"

Guan Liang appeared a zhang in front of Zhao Ping'an and stopped. He gave the young man, who looked far too young, a curious once-over, then left those words behind and turned to walk into Thousand Guts Valley.

"The superior? A Great Grandmaster?"

Watching Guan Liang walk away, Zhao Ping'an immediately followed, muttering about the so-called superior Guan Liang had mentioned.

The lowest rank of anyone capable of ordering around a Grandmaster Peak was a Great Grandmaster. And the strongest people in the entire Profound Water Dynasty were only Great Grandmasters. Even if this so-called superior was a Martial Venerable, Zhao Ping'an had nothing to fear.

As for a Martial King, forget it. Setting aside whether someone that powerful would even care about the art he possessed, how could a person of such standing stoop to kidnapping a Houtian Martial Artist? That would be humiliating. He could simply descend upon Wu'an Mountain and take it from Zhao Ping'an by force.

Inside the mist, a flash of purple light flickered through Zhao Ping'an's eyes. In an instant, the fog that had been so thick he couldn't see his own hand became translucent. Everything within a thirty-zhang radius came into clear view.

What he had used was the Yellow-grade Martial Art Purple Light Ghostly Eyes, already perfected.

It not only allowed him to attack opponents with his eyes, but also greatly enhanced his vision.

Following behind, Zhao Ping'an could clearly see the figure ahead checking his palm every so often, then adjusting his direction.

"Is that... a bug? Interesting..."

Zhao Ping'an murmured to himself, making no move.

The two walked over a thousand meters through narrow passageways that twisted and turned, eventually arriving in front of a huge bonfire.

The intense heat of the flames drove away the mist within twenty meters, creating a clearing free of fog.

There, more than a dozen figures stood silently. To be precise, there were thirteen of them; including Guan Liang, who had led the way, there were fourteen.

They had reached their destination.

In Zhao Ping'an's eyes, there were three Grandmaster Peaks, one Great Grandmaster at the sixth level, and ten Black Underworld Guards.

The only woman in the group, Scorpion Woman Qian Yingying, and the remaining ten Black Underworld Guards were nowhere to be seen.

Apparently, they had stayed behind at the Stone Cave to watch over Zhao Ping'an's Mistress, Zhao Xiuyun.

"Superior, I've brought Zhao Ping'an."

When Guan Liang saw the firelight, he visibly relaxed. He hurried to the bonfire and respectfully bowed to the Great Grandmaster among them.

"Mm, well done!"

The Great Grandmaster nodded at Guan Liang, then waved him aside.

Zhao Ping'an followed close behind and strode up to the group. He fixed a cold stare on the Great Grandmaster at the front and asked loudly, "Who are you? Where's my Mistress?"

"Zhao Ping'an? As expected, heroes emerge in youth. You're only eighteen, yet you've already reached Grandmaster Peak. In another two years, you'll probably make the Latent Dragon Ranking's main list. By then, countless factions will be scrambling to recruit you!"

The Great Grandmaster gave Zhao Ping'an a careful once-over, then praised him without answering the question.

But the envy in his eyes burned so fiercely it looked ready to consume Zhao Ping'an.

Shui Gaoge was the foremost of the Profound Water Dynasty's four princes. His entire life had been smooth sailing, with no worries about food or clothing.

He had enjoyed an endless supply of rare treasures, Divine Weapons, money, and beautiful women. The one thing he had never had was a top-tier cultivation art.

Now he was over a hundred years old, and he had been stuck at the peak of the sixth level of the Great Grandmaster realm for thirty years, unable to advance an inch. The reason was simple: the art he cultivated was merely a defective Yellow-grade Art.

How many centuries did a person have in their life? A Great Grandmaster's lifespan capped out at just two hundred years, and any injury or illness could shorten it. Few people lived to one hundred and seventy. He didn't have much time left.

He couldn't accept it. He had always been clever, and his martial talent had been the best among his brothers. But because he was born of a concubine, he had only been taught the incomplete Startled Emperor Art, leaving him no hope of ever reaching the seventh level of the Great Grandmaster realm.

But now, at last, his chance had come—and it was better than anything he could have hoped for.

"Where's my Mistress?!!"

Looking at the old man droning on in front of him, Zhao Ping'an asked again in a frigid voice.

"Young people are always so impatient. Not a shred of patience. Very well. Did you bring what I want?"

"Is this what you mean? I won't hand it over until I see my Mistress. Otherwise, we'll both go down together!"

Zhao Ping'an took the copy of the Four Symbols Gathering Essence Art from inside his robe. It was completely encased in Qi, condensed from the Heavenly Qi he had temporarily absorbed. He looked ready to shatter it into dust at the slightest provocation.

Seeing the crude-looking art in Zhao Ping'an's hands, Shui Gaoge's eyes gleamed with startling intensity. This was a Profound Grade Art countless people dreamed of possessing, leagues beyond the incomplete Startled Emperor Art he cultivated.

"Good! Hahahaha! Give it to me! Quickly!"

"Don't move. I won't give it to you until I see my Mistress. Take one more step and I'll destroy it!"

Seeing the old man move forward, Zhao Ping'an took a step back and shouted.

Human nature couldn't withstand a test like this. Zhao Ping'an was ten out of ten certain that the moment the other man got his hands on the art, he would turn on him. Then his Mistress would be in danger.

"Wait, wait! Guan Liang, send a message to Scorpion Woman. Tell her to bring her here!"

Shui Gaoge hurriedly waved his hands, then turned to Guan Liang and gave the order.

"Yes, superior!"

Guan Liang immediately took out an exquisite whistle, put it to his lips, and began to blow a rhythmic tune. The notes rose and fell, winding and lingering as they rapidly carried in every direction.

Soon, a figure sped toward them. Slung over her back was the unconscious Zhao Xiuyun.

"Mistress! What have you done to my Mistress?"

Seeing his Mistress lying motionless, Zhao Ping'an glared at Shui Gaoge, his face darkening, and demanded in a cold voice.

"Don't worry. She was just being difficult, so we gave her a little knockout drug. I can hand her over to you right now, but first, you need to swallow this!"

A black, round pill about the thickness of a thumb appeared in Shui Gaoge's hand. He smiled at Zhao Ping'an.

"A poison pill?"

Frowning at the clearly abnormal pill, Zhao Ping'an asked.

"That's right. This is the Thousand Strands Soul Attachment Pill. After you swallow it, you simply won't be able to use your Qi to its full extent. If you do, the poison will seep into your dantian and sea of qi, destroy your dantian, and turn you into a cripple!"