Deadly Poison

Time flew by, and a few days passed in the blink of an eye.

Within the picturesque Golden Phoenix Mountain Range, the surface appeared to be a fairyland, but dangers lurked everywhere. Even Medicine Slave, a strong cultivator at the Innate Triple Stage, suffered multiple serious injuries over the next half month. As for Ye Tong, he nearly lost his life in these deep mountains and old forests several times.

Fortunately, Ye Tong still had two healing pills he had refined earlier, which ultimately saved his life. Because of this, the two dared not venture deeper into the Golden Phoenix Mountain Range and could only stay at the foot of the seventeenth mountain to recuperate.

"Medicine Slave, how are your injuries?"

Ye Tong twisted his body, the dried blood making him feel uncomfortable all over.

Medicine Slave nodded and said, "Although not fully healed, they are about eighty percent better. In another day at most, I'll be as good as new. Young Master, when do we leave?"

Ye Tong glanced at the materials collected from the pile of fierce beast carcasses before him, and said with some distress, "We've killed quite a few fierce beasts recently, but how do we bring these materials back? The carrying basket is full of precious medicinal herbs, and even the satchel is packed with rare and exotic fruits. After all the effort we put in, we can't just leave all these hard-earned materials here, can we?"

Medicine Slave gave a wry smile and said, "How about I take off my clothes and pack all these materials?"

Ye Tong said exasperatedly, "Even if you stripped yourself bare, you couldn't pack all the materials. Forget it, my outer clothes are also quite uncomfortable to wear. Plus our other two sets of clothes, let's use them all to carry the materials! But I'm saying this upfront, if we encounter fierce beasts again, we absolutely cannot fight them. If we spot any, we'll flee immediately."

"Alright!"

Medicine Slave had the same intention.

Four days later.

The two, carrying six or seven bundles and a carrying basket, looked like they were lugging two small mountains as they appeared on the summit of the thirteenth mountain.

Over these four days, they encountered dozens of fierce beasts, some weaker Level One Fierce Beasts, and even powerful Level Four Fierce Beasts. Fortunately, the two had no intention of fighting, and fled immediately upon spotting them, thus avoiding any battles with the fierce beasts.

Twelfth Mountain.

More than a dozen cultivators, dressed in fitted attire and carrying weapons, moved towards the depths of the mountain range while observing their surroundings. The middle-aged man leading them was clearly a strong cultivator in the Innate Realm, constantly releasing his aura as if to scare away nearby fierce beasts.

"Captain, is the information from the Tong Family accurate? We've been in here for so long, yet we still haven't found that kid surnamed Ye. According to the information provided by the Tong Family, that kid surnamed Ye is only at the Qi Refining Third Level. Even if he fought with all his might, it would be difficult for him to reach this far, right?" the robust young man asked, carrying a longbow on his back.

The Innate Realm expert sneered, "This Golden Phoenix Mountain Range is vast and boundless. Just from the twelfth mountain to the outside is hundreds of kilometers. In such a vast area, finding that kid surnamed Ye is like searching for a needle in a haystack. We accepted the Tong Family's mission casually; there's no need to take it too seriously. Our main objective is to hunt fierce beasts and sell them for money."

"Alright!"

The robust young man nodded helplessly.

Suddenly, he seemed to recall something and said, "We saw the War Tiger Adventurer Team from a distance earlier. Do you think they might have also casually accepted the Tong Family's mission to hunt down Ye Tong?"

The Innate Realm expert was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head and said, "The War Tiger Adventurer Team generally doesn't take on such missions. Their main targets are hunting fierce beasts, collecting medicinal herbs and rare ores. They even conduct transactions with other cultivators within the Golden Phoenix Mountain Range."

After speaking.

He glanced at the robust young man and asked with a half-smile, "What? Do you want to join the War Tiger Adventurer Team?"

"How could that be!"

The robust young man chuckled awkwardly. In his heart, he truly wished he could have the opportunity to join the War Tiger Adventurer Team.

The Innate Realm expert patted the robust young man's shoulder and said, "As far as I know, the third-in-command of the War Tiger Adventurer Team was bitten by a Level Four Fierce Beast, the Thousand-tailed Snake, and is now poisoned. If you can find a detoxification pill and save their third-in-command, you might have a chance to join them."

"Thousand-tailed Snake?"

The robust young man's expression changed, revealing a look of fear. He shook his head and said, "The Level Four Fierce Beast, the Thousand-tailed Snake, is highly venomous. Even an expert in the Innate Realm, if bitten and poisoned, would likely die within moments."

The Innate Realm expert sighed faintly, "The War Tiger Adventurer Team is known for being wealthy and powerful. They probably have quite a few detoxification pills in stock. However, detoxification pills are specific to different venoms, and they can't find a detoxification pill for the Thousand-tailed Snake's venom! At most, they can only use other methods to temporarily keep their third-in-command alive."

Dozens of kilometers away.

In a lush mountain valley, four large tents were set up among towering ancient trees, and dozens of strong men were busy in an orderly fashion. Within a kilometer radius, there were only about a dozen sentries, both overt and covert, and any disturbance could be detected immediately.

Inside one of the tents.

On a simple bed, covered with soft, colorful animal hides, lay a frail young man with dark circles under his eyes and purple lips. He was breathing weakly, like a flickering candle flame, on the verge of extinguishing at any moment.

His name was Ying Lei.

He was the third-in-command of the War Tiger Adventurer Team and the team's strategist. Even though he was a strong cultivator at the Innate Fourth Level, he couldn't withstand the potent venom of the Thousand-tailed Snake.

"The boss is back!"

A booming voice came from outside the tent. Immediately after, two young men lifted the curtain and looked at a woman with a voluptuous figure, her hair tied in numerous braids, exuding wildness as she strode into the tent.

"Boss, did you find it?"

Crazy War Heaven's gruff voice carried a sense of urgency.

Mou Xing shook his head and said, "We've searched a hundred-kilometer radius, but we still can't find any trace of that Thousand-tailed Snake. Among the groups of adventurers we encountered, none had a detoxification pill for the Thousand-tailed Snake's venom."

Crazy War Heaven paced anxiously, shouting in frustration, "What do we do then? We can't just watch our third brother die here! Where did that damned Thousand-tailed Snake escape to?"

The high-ranking members of the War Tiger Adventurer Team inside the tent remained silent.

Mou Xing was silent for a moment, then, carrying his steel-forged bow and arrows, gritted his teeth and said, "I'll take more people to search. If we can't find the Thousand-tailed Snake within a hundred-kilometer radius, then we'll turn over the area within a thousand kilometers. We must kill it and extract its gall to save our third brother."

Crazy War Heaven grabbed Ying Lei's left wrist and shouted, "There's no time! The venomous threads are only three inches away from his pulse. At this rate, it will spread to his palm within a day at most. By then, even if we get the Thousand-tailed Snake's gall, it won't be able to save our third brother."

One day, only one day left!

Mou Xing clenched his fist, despair flashing in his eyes.

Crazy War Heaven punched the side of the bed in frustration, lamenting, "If only I had known, I would have tied that kid up and brought him to our War Tiger Adventurer Team back in Cold Mountain City."

Mou Xing asked, "Who?"

Crazy War Heaven replied, "A young man skilled in using poison."

"What good would it do to capture me?" Mou Xing shook his head, a look of disappointment on his face. She didn't believe a mere youth could detoxify the Thousand-tailed Snake's venom, especially since this potent poison ranked within the top fifty of the Hundred Poisons Compendium.

Thirteenth Mountain.

Ye Tong stood on the mountain peak, gazing at the rolling mountain range in the distance. A surge of ambition rose in his chest. He didn't possess the ambition to dictate the course of nations, but he was filled with hope for life.

"Medicine Slave!"

"This old slave is here."

Ye Tong said, "Tell me, if we built a city here, one that could shelter adventurers from the wind and rain, and then establish a trade market, wouldn't that be a good idea?"

The Medicine Slave was stunned, as if he couldn't believe his own ears. He was utterly speechless at his Young Master's whimsical idea.

Here?

This was already the Thirteenth Mountain. Within a radius of tens of kilometers, at least a hundred fierce beasts roamed. Further out, there were even more. Who had the capability to build a city here? Who had the skill to transport vast amounts of construction materials from the outside?

And also!

What craftsman would dare to build a city here? Did they want to become food for the fierce beasts?

Seeing the Medicine Slave's expression, Ye Tong sighed inwardly. Although this world was incredibly exciting, he had discovered a problem: a lack of pioneering spirit.

Earth's humans.

Possessing ordinary flesh and blood, they could carve mountains and chisel rocks, using steel and concrete to erect massive cities. Their individual strength was extremely weak, yet they could build bridges and pave roads, forming incredibly convenient transportation networks. They could also conduct scientific research, exploring the vast universe beyond the stars.

And the people here?

They possessed immense strength. It was said that true powerhouses could overturn mountains and seas, and move through the air and earth with ease. But what kind of lives did they lead? Apart from cultivating their own strength, they were practically like people in China's ancient times – their thinking was outdated, their concepts simple, and they rarely possessed a spirit of innovation and pioneering.

Two worlds.

Humans stood at the top of the food chain in both. What did they rely on? Naturally, it was wisdom. If the crystallization of wisdom from this world could be combined with the crystallization of wisdom from Earth's humans, it should bring about earth-shattering changes here, shouldn't it? Even conquering the stars and seas wouldn't seem difficult, would it?

After a long while.

Ye Tong shook his head, expelling those unrealistic thoughts from his mind. In his current situation, the first priority was to survive. Only by living could he become stronger and find a way to resolve his physical condition. Otherwise, even if he could cultivate, the poison would still make his cultivation speed incredibly slow.

"Medicine Slave, you say that old man has already broken through to the peak of the Xiantian realm, yet he still couldn't find a way to resolve the poisoned body? He couldn't find a solution, so he turned me into a poisoned body like his, isn't that harming me!" Ye Tong shook his head with a wry smile, truly filled with sympathy for the difficult life of his original host.

"This..."

The Medicine Slave didn't know how to answer the question.