The Holy Tower's Foundation Is Forged, Dragon Qi Surges; the Hidden Hand Returns, Burying the Immortal's Trail

The octagonal foundation of the Ten Thousand Dragon-Phoenix Pagoda resembled a sleeping giant god, firmly rooted at the heart of the oasis. Its earthy-gold metallic sheen flowed freely beneath the blazing sun, like the blood of ages coursing through the giant's body. Naturally formed dragon-scale patterns across the foundation flickered with the ebb and flow of Earth Vein Dragon Qi, like the faint rise and fall of the giant's breath in its sleep, exuding a mysterious and boundless power.

At the center of the foundation, a phantom Dragon Qi Vortex pulsed like a beating heart, each revolution brimming with boundless life and strength. It drew the eight branching pillars of dragon qi into a faint tremble, producing a low, resonant hum, as if the giant god were murmuring in his sleep. Like rushing rivers, the pure and vast Earth Vein Dragon Qi poured ceaselessly toward the heart of the oasis. The air around it warped slightly under the energy, so dense it was almost tangible. With every breath, the fragrance of soil mingled in their nostrils with a profound sense of power.

Under the elders' direction, the Snake-People Tribe's warriors, who had survived the calamity, worked like industrious ants, carrying more Star Steel and Earth Vein Stone engraved with defensive array patterns to the edge of the foundation. Yue Mei oversaw the work in person. Her graceful bearing and resolute gaze made her look like a general commanding a vast army. She directed several Snake-People elders skilled in arrays as they carefully guided the dragon qi to wash over and smelt these precious materials. Under its baptism, the materials gradually fused and changed shape, allowing the foundation to rise and take form at a slow but steady pace. Each brick and stone that landed was accompanied by a low rumble, like the sleeping giant's faint snore. Hope burned ever brighter in the Snake-People's eyes. This was their temple, reborn from the flames; it was the true backbone of their people's future, bearing all their dreams and expectations.

Yet at the edge of this place of hopeful, vibrant reconstruction, the atmosphere in the pit on the Spirit Gathering Pavilion plaza was entirely different, as if it belonged to another world.

Xiao Zhan sat cross-legged at the bottom of the pit, pale golden mist steaming from his body and enveloping him like a mysterious halo. The charred hole between his brows had stopped bleeding. Golden sprouts of flesh stubbornly covered its edges, healing most of the wound like a ray of dawn piercing the darkness. But at its deepest point, a tiny speck of black, no larger than a needle's tip, remained stubbornly embedded in his skull, like a poisoned thorn lodged in his flesh, radiating a bone-chilling cold. His newly born Dragon-Phoenix Power continued to scour and burn away this trace of Nirvana Extinction Residual Poison, like the most tenacious of craftsmen. Each collision of power made Xiao Zhan's body tremble faintly. A pain that pierced to the marrow stabbed between his brows, as though countless needles were pricking him all at once. At the same time, a chill seeped into his soul, as if he were trapped in an ice cellar, making him shiver.

"Whew..." Xiao Zhan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, so hot it seemed about to set the surrounding air alight. He opened his eyes at an unhurried pace. Two golden rays welled up from their depths, more profound and steady than before, like a deep, ancient pool hidden within them. Still, faint traces of exhaustion lingered at the very bottom of his gaze, as if he had just endured a long and grueling campaign.

At this moment, he had stabilized at the Peak of Two-Star Dou Zong. His aura was powerful and solid. Under the extreme pressure of the Nirvana power, the Dragon Phoenix Tyrant Body Art had successfully broken through to 60%. The passive trait of his newly born Dragon-Phoenix Will had cloaked his soul in a sturdy suit of armor, greatly strengthening its defenses and purifying power. Yet the Nirvana Extinction Residual Poison, like a persistent parasite clinging to his bones, remained a dark cloud over his heart. It originated from a Dou Sheng Expert's power of the laws, a level far beyond imagination. Even the peerless might of his Dragon-Phoenix Power could only wear it away at an extremely slow pace, like water dripping through stone.

[Residual Nirvana Extinction Poison: 1.5%... Purification speed: 0.01% per hour... Estimated time to complete purification: 625 days (requires continuous circulation of the Dragon Phoenix Tyrant Body Art to suppress it)]

The system's notification was cold and realistic, like a sharp dagger stabbing straight into Xiao Zhan's heart.

"Hun Mietian... What a vicious move..." Xiao Zhan gently brushed his fingers over the wound between his brows. The touch was cool, as if reminding him of the grievous injury he had suffered. His gaze turned icy in an instant, like icicles in the depths of winter. That single finger had not only gravely wounded his body; it had planted a bomb on his path, one that could detonate at any moment. Six hundred and twenty-five days? Would Soul Hall really give him such a long reprieve?

"Father!" Just then, Xiao Yan's voice came from the rim of the pit, thick with worry and threaded with barely restrained excitement. "How are you feeling? The foundation is finished!"

Xiao Zhan slowly raised his head and looked past the edge of the pit toward the distant metallic foundation radiating a boundless, majestic aura. It stood silently in the oasis like a dormant giant beast, exuding a power that inspired awe. A trace of relief flashed in his eyes, as if he could see the light of hope for his people's future.

Then he forced himself to gather his strength. His aura surged, and his figure blurred like a ghost before appearing at the edge of the pit. Though he still seemed weakened by his injuries, as if a gust of wind might topple him, the weighty pressure belonging to a Dou Zong Expert had already coalesced around him once more, tangible and impossible to dismiss.

"The foundation is laid. Good." Xiao Zhan's voice rang through the air, steady and powerful as a great bell. His gaze swept across the busy Snake-People in the distance. Watching them scurry back and forth like industrious bees filled his heart with emotion.

"Yue Mei!" Xiao Zhan suddenly called.

"Here, Elder Xiao!" Yue Mei immediately flew over like a swift swallow and bowed respectfully. Her gaze brimmed with awe and admiration. In her heart, Xiao Zhan had taken a Dou Sheng Expert's finger head-on and survived. He was almost a god, a peak she would forever look up to.

"Now that the foundation is forged and dragon qi is surging, this is the perfect time for the oasis to transform." Xiao Zhan spoke in a deep voice, his tone carrying unquestionable authority. "Organize a team at once to build a Spirit Gathering Array around the foundation. Guide the escaping dragon qi like threads to every corner of the oasis, nourishing the plants and filling them with life. Strengthen the defensive barrier as well, and build an impregnable shield around the oasis. Also, select those with outstanding talent from among the tribe and send them to cultivate in the area around the foundation, where dragon qi is concentrated. Let them use the wondrous power of Earth Vein Dragon Qi to temper their bodies and raise their strength, so we can prepare for our people's future!"

"Yes! I'll carry out your orders!" A sharp gleam flashed in Yue Mei's eyes like a blade. Her aura surged, and she immediately hurried off to carry out his instructions, her quick steps full of resolve and competence.

"Yan'er," Xiao Zhan said, turning slowly. His gaze rested warmly and solemnly on his son before settling on the ancient-looking ring on his left hand. "How is Senior Yao Lao doing?"

At the mention of his teacher, Xiao Yan's usually composed face lit up with excitement, and his eyes shone. "The fragments' energy has nourished his sleeping soul, and its light has grown a little brighter! He still hasn't fully awakened, but his aura is much steadier now. It's like a warm current about to break through the ice in winter, giving us hope!"

"Good. That's good news." Xiao Zhan nodded faintly, but a heavier look quietly crossed his eyes, as though he foresaw the storm to come. "But Yan'er, remember this: the Bronze Immortal Palace fragments are a double-edged sword. The ancient information they contain is like a vast ocean, far too massive and chaotic. Until your soul is strong enough to control this power, you must not try to piece the fragments together again or deeply probe their mysteries. Otherwise, if the backlash turns on you, it will be like playing with fire and setting yourself ablaze. By then, regret will come too late!"

Xiao Yan remembered the pain of having his soul torn apart the previous two times, as though countless needles had pierced its depths. Even now, the memory still made his heart tremble. He straightened his expression and nodded firmly. "Yes, Father! I understand the dangers. I'll remember your warning!"

"Also," Xiao Zhan continued, his voice suddenly dropping like a deep bell in the dead of night, filled with unprecedented gravity, "what Bone Erosion said before his destruction about 'Lord Hun Mietian' and 'the Saint's true body descending' was no empty threat. It was a real danger. Soul Hall has suffered a tremendous loss this time. Like a beast driven into a rage, it could unleash its true retaliation in a storm at any moment! The oasis's location has probably been exposed, making it a target in their eyes. For now, you and Xiao Yi Xian must stay in the core area. Tuck yourselves away like two turtles in their shells, and don't leave without permission, even for a single step. Your safety comes first!"

Xiao Yan's heart tightened as if a basin of cold water had been poured over him. He immediately felt the mountain of pressure in his father's words. "Yes! I'll obey your orders to the letter!"

Just then, a cool, calm voice drifted over from nearby like a mountain spring. "Uncle Xiao."

At some point, Xiao Yi Xian had quietly approached. She still wore her light-purple Snake-People combat outfit. Her slender, graceful figure swayed like a purple bamboo stalk in the breeze. But her aura had changed completely. The pallid, fragile look she once had was gone, replaced by smooth, jade-like skin seemingly veiled in a soft glow. Her eyes, as deep as a purple starry sky, were calm and still, yet glimmered with a restrained, mysterious light, as if concealing endless secrets.

Her gaze fell on the wound between Xiao Zhan's brows, where a tiny black mark remained like a discordant dark star in the night sky. Xiao Yi Xian's brows drew together ever so slightly, her movement almost imperceptible.

"Uncle Xiao's injury... doesn't seem like an ordinary Dou Qi wound." Xiao Yi Xian's voice was soft as the breeze, yet carried a keen insight that seemed to pierce through every disguise. "That remaining black aura... does it contain a law that... erases existence?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Xiao Zhan's eyes like a ripple on a still lake. The girl's perception of the nature of energy was astonishingly sharp, far beyond his expectations. He nodded faintly, his tone grave. "That's right. It's a trace of Nirvana Extinction Residual Poison left from a distance by Soul Hall Master Hun Mietian. It comes from the level of laws and is extremely difficult to remove, like a parasite clinging to the bones."

Xiao Yi Xian fell silent for a moment, as if considering something. Then she slowly raised her right hand. A Dragon-Eye-sized Poison Pill appeared soundlessly in her palm, perfectly formed like a carved purple crystal. Within it, a deep purple nebula turned slowly like a mysterious universe, while a hint of dark-gold light flickered at its core, seemingly concealing immense power.

"My Poison Pill... seems to react to that cold, filthy power..." Xiao Yi Xian's voice held a hint of uncertainty, as if she were groping her way through darkness. "Perhaps... I could try?"

Xiao Yan and Yue Mei were both stunned by Xiao Yi Xian's words, and they exchanged surprised looks. Even Elder Xiao, a powerhouse like him, could only wear away the Nirvana Extinction Residual Poison slowly, drop by drop. How could she, a seemingly delicate young woman, consider trying to remove it?

Xiao Zhan's gaze was as deep as an abyss. He stared intently at the Poison Pill in Xiao Yi Xian's palm, then slowly raised his eyes to her calm, violet ones. The Woe Poison Body was the source of all poisons and could transform every poison under heaven. Though the Nirvana Extinction Residual Poison came from a Dou Sheng Expert, its essence was still an extremely sinister, filthy power... Perhaps... there really was a sliver of hope?

"Be careful." Xiao Zhan did not refuse her attempt. He spoke gravely, then slowly sat cross-legged. The Dou Qi around him receded like a tide, exposing the stubborn black speck between his brows as clearly as a stone.

Xiao Yi Xian drew a deep breath, as though pulling the surrounding air into her lungs. Her gaze instantly focused, as if nothing else in the world existed but this one task. She curled a finger and gently tapped the Poison Pill, her movement delicate yet imbued with an inexplicable force.

Buzz!

The Poison Pill trembled faintly, as though awakened. Then an exquisitely condensed wisp of deep, dark-purple poisonous mist slowly reached out from within it like a living thread. It was no longer violently rampaging as it had in the past. Instead, it carried a restrained, tranquil air of command, like a composed sage coolly surveying all things.

Under Xiao Yi Xian's control, precise to the finest hair, the wisp of poison mist approached the black speck between Xiao Zhan's brows as cautiously as a probe picking its way across treacherous ground. Each fraction of a step seemed to cross an invisible precipice.

Sss... hiss...

The moment the dark-purple thread finally touched the Nirvana Extinction Residual Poison, a sudden change took place! It was as if two utterly opposite forces had collided, stirring up layers of invisible ripples.

There was no earth-shaking clash of energies, nor any piercing sound of dissolution. The stubborn black speck, as solid as bedrock, seemed to have met its destined nemesis and abruptly contracted inward! The sinister law that formed the Nirvana Extinction Residual Poison had touched the Woe Poison Pill's original poison power. Like a subject confronted by a more exalted sovereign, it was mercilessly suppressed by a higher-level will of destruction and assimilation. It began to break down and dissolve at an extremely slow, almost imperceptible pace...

The pace was as slow as grains of sand falling through an hourglass, almost impossible to see with the naked eye. Yet Xiao Zhan clearly felt the piercing pain between his brows and the ever-present chill in the depths of his soul diminish by a fraction! The Nirvana law, clinging to his bones like a persistent parasite, was being forcibly broken down and transformed by the higher-level law of poison, as if two powers were engaged in a silent but fierce contest.

"It's working!" Yue Mei couldn't help crying out. Disbelief and delight shone in her voice like a lamp suddenly lit in the darkness.

Xiao Yan's eyes widened as he stared at the dark-purple thread. It was devouring the black speck inch by inch, like a maggot gnawing through bone. He was deeply shaken. The power Xiao Yi Xian displayed after mastering the Woe Poison Body was truly strange and formidable, as though it came from another mysterious world.

Fine beads of sweat gradually appeared at Xiao Yi Xian's temples like morning dew on flower petals. Manipulating this original thread of poison with such precision was an enormous drain on her, each exertion seeming to empty her strength. But her gaze remained focused and calm as a bottomless lake. The dark-gold glimmer deep in her violet eyes flickered faintly like the brightest star in the night sky, also steadying her spirit and allowing her absolute control over the poison.

Time flowed away like a murmuring stream, little by little, in silence. Under the unrelenting corrosion of the dark-purple thread, that needlepoint speck of black finally shrank by a clearly visible margin, like ice melting beneath the blazing sun! At the same time, the mountainlike pressure between Xiao Zhan's brows eased by a fraction, as though an invisible boulder had been lifted from him.

"That's enough." Xiao Zhan spoke at just the right moment, his voice steady and gentle. His sharp gaze had already noticed that Xiao Yi Xian was nearing her limit. Her face had paled, and the sweat at her temples had yet to dry, proof of the strain she had just endured. He continued, "This poison is exceptionally stubborn. It won't be removed in a single day. The fact that you can weaken it is already a welcome surprise. Don't exhaust yourself."

Xiao Yi Xian understood at once and decisively withdrew the poison thread. The wisp of dark-purple mist darted back into the Poison Pill like a bird returning to its nest. The pill's light seemed to dim slightly, as though exhausted after a great battle. She breathed faintly, her breath a little hurried, then nodded gently to Xiao Zhan. Her cool face remained expressionless as a deep lake, but the faintest hint of relief seemed to pass through her eyes, like someone who had completed an important duty.

"Thank you," Xiao Zhan said solemnly, every word filled with sincerity and gratitude. He had etched this debt of kindness deep in his heart, like a precious gem tucked away for safekeeping.

"You're too kind, Uncle Xiao." Xiao Yi Xian shook her head with graceful composure. Her gaze drifted toward the heart of the oasis, where several wounded people who still looked listless despite the nourishment of dragon qi were resting. "I'll go check on the others." With that, she departed as lightly as a purple butterfly merging with the wind, leaving only a faint trace of purple behind.

"That girl..." Yue Mei watched Xiao Yi Xian's departing figure, filled with emotion, her eyes full of amazement and admiration. Who could have imagined that the Woe Poison Body, once regarded as a calamity and avoided by everyone, would now become an indispensable guardian of the oasis, a dazzling star lighting the way to hope for this land?

Xiao Zhan slowly rose, standing tall and straight like a proud pine. He closed his eyes briefly and carefully felt the relief as the pressure between his brows eased. His Dragon-Phoenix Dou Qi flowed smoothly through his body like a murmuring stream, with the echoes of a dragon's roar and a phoenix's cry reverberating through his blood. A moment later, he opened his eyes, his gaze bright as a torch, and looked resolutely toward the foundation being forged in the distance. "Continue building the tower! We... don't have much time left."

A hundred miles from Snake Abyss Oasis, in a desolate land, a massive pillar of weathered rock rose from the ground, piercing the clouds. At its peak, two figures stood silently like ghosts, seemingly fused with the rock beneath them, its surface furrowed and mottled by the passage of countless years. They were as still as spirits haunting the world.

One of them was thin and hunched, like a dried corpse from which the ravages of time had sucked every last trace of life. He was wrapped in an enormously loose black cloak that seemed to swallow every ray of light, concealing him in endless darkness. The hood cast a heavy curtain over his face, leaving it completely hidden. Only two ghostly green soul flames burned slowly in the dark, their icy light utterly cold, their silent hunger for living flesh radiating a casual indifference. He leaned on a twisted bone staff shaped like a slithering serpent, its tip set with a skull howling in agony. Threads of frigid death qi spread from the staff, and wherever they passed, tiny black ice crystals formed in the scorching air, like a silent dance of death.

The other was exceptionally tall and powerfully built, like a moving iron tower that radiated overwhelming pressure. He, too, was shrouded in a black robe, but it could barely conceal the knotted, bulging muscles beneath, hard as rock. He carried no weapons. His great fanlike hands emerged from under the robe, their skin a strange blue-gray, as if cast from metal. His knuckles were enormous, and his curved black nails gleamed with a chilling sheen like an eagle's talons. Within the hood's shadow, only a pair of eyes glimmering with a violent red light could be seen, like a ferocious beast ready to devour its prey, radiating a terrifying aura.

These two were the Nether Duo dispatched by Hun Mietian: You Lao, the gaunt one, and Elder Ming, the burly one!

"Ke ke ke..." You Lao's hoarse, dry voice rasped like bones scraping against each other. Through the gap in his hood, the two ghostly green soul flames fixed on the pillar of Earth Vein Dragon Qi that still hung in the sky above the oasis a hundred miles away, like a dragon soaring into the heavens. They also took in the massive metallic foundation rising beneath it. He spoke ominously. "The Ten Thousand Dragon-Phoenix Pagoda... Quite a grand undertaking! How does this little Snake-People Tribe have such deep foundations? Or was this done by that human named Xiao Zhan?"

"Hmph! It's all just flashy nonsense!" Elder Ming's voice rumbled like thunder, thick with scorn. His crimson eyes swept across the busy Snake-People around the oasis, roving over them as though they were lambs awaiting slaughter, without the slightest pity. "They're only Snake-People, along with one lucky Dou Zong who survived. Are they really worth sending the two of us? The Hall Master is being far too cautious! We should just charge in, capture that Woe Poison Body, take the Heavenly Flame, then crush the foundation to dust. Why go to all this trouble?"

"You utter fool!" You Lao rebuked him coldly, his voice as chilling as one from an ice cellar. He lightly tapped his bone staff against the ground. A visible black ripple spread outward like a wave, forcibly suppressing the violent aura leaking from Elder Ming, as if shackling a frenzied beast. "Did you forget the images Bone Erosion sent back before his clone collapsed? That human Xiao Zhan took a trace of the Hall Master's Nirvana Finger intent head-on and survived. He is no ordinary man, and you'd better not underestimate him! And that Woe Poison Body... She managed to condense a Poison Pill under Bone Erosion's Netherworld Soul Capture. She's extraordinary too! More importantly..."

The ghostly green soul flames beneath You Lao's hood flickered faintly like two cold stars. His voice carried a hint of grave concern, like a heavy lead weight pressing on one's heart. "When Bone Erosion collapsed at the end, he seemed to have sensed an aura... that shouldn't exist in this lower realm. Though it was so faint it could barely be detected, the Hall Master confirmed it himself... It bore the traces of the 'Bronze Immortal Palace'!"

"The Bronze Immortal Palace?!" Elder Ming's crimson pupils contracted abruptly, as if two burning gems had suddenly been chilled. It was as though he had heard a forbidden name. Even the violent aura around him froze for an instant. His voice rang with incredulous suspicion, like an echo from the abyss. "A legendary thing like that... could it really appear in this godforsaken desert?"

"Better to believe it than to leave room for wishful thinking!" You Lao's voice rang like metal striking stone, unyielding and authoritative. "The Hall Master's orders weigh heavier than a mountain. They are not to be questioned! Our mission is clear: capture that Woe Poison Body alive, seize the Green Lotus Core Flame, and investigate the Immortal Hall's whereabouts! As for Xiao Zhan... the Hall Master wants him alive. Don't act recklessly and ruin our mission!"

With that, his withered fingers lightly tapped the empty air, as if destiny's brush were sketching something into the void. A tiny black rune, meticulously formed from pure soul power, soundlessly slipped into the air like a drop of ink falling into a vast lake. It vanished without a trace, yet contained countless mysteries.

"Let these Snake brats... tear themselves apart first." You Lao let out a sinister cackle, like the hoot of a night owl, making one's blood run cold. "The Soul-Devouring Lure has already been planted... Soon, this oasis, seemingly impregnable and orderly, will begin to rot from within, like a tree eaten away by worms, until it collapses!"

At one corner of the oasis stood a temporary shelter for the seriously wounded. The air was thick with the smell of medicine, the breath of hope for those receiving treatment; mixed with the sharp tang of blood, the cruel mark left by battle; and the faint, distinct odor of the Snake-People, the scents mingling into something complex and oppressive. Dozens of Snake-People warriors who had been poisoned by sinister soul power or gravely injured in the earlier battle lay quietly on rough stone beds, their breaths faint as dying candles. Gray-black energy clung to their wounds and refused to disperse, like evil claws gripping them tight, drawing out intermittent groans of pain that seemed to speak of war's cruelty and mercilessness.

Xiao Yi Xian moved soundlessly among the wounded like a quiet purple butterfly. Her expression was cold as frost, but her gaze burned with concentration, seeming to pierce every outward appearance and reach straight to the heart of each injury.

She walked up to the bed of the most severely injured Snake-People warrior. Half his body was a strange, hideous blue-black, as though shrouded in darkness. His skin had shriveled like ancient bark, its deep furrows laying bare the fragility of life. His wound was deep enough to expose the bone, as if savagely carved by a merciless blade. The blood oozing from it was a viscous dark purple, exuding a cold, foul stench that made one want to retch. His eyes were shut, his breathing unsteady, like a candle in the wind. He was clearly at death's door, his life flame liable to go out at any moment.

Beside him, an elderly Snake-People apothecary was sweating profusely, his face anxious and helpless. He tried to draw out the poison with herbs, his hands moving swiftly as he handled them, but with little result. All he could do was shake his head and sigh, his eyes filled with frustration and helplessness.

Xiao Yi Xian leaned slightly forward and extended her pale, slender fingers, as smooth as white jade. She gently pointed toward the warrior's brow from a distance. The signature Poison Pill did not appear in her palm. Yet an invisible, exquisitely pure suction spread quietly from her fingertip, like an unseen net enveloping the space.

Sss, sss...

The gray-black, sinister soul energy clinging to the warrior's wound seemed to be pulled by an invisible hand. It instantly twisted in the air into threads of black vapor, writhing and struggling, letting out faint but piercing shrieks like beasts fighting for their lives. But it could not resist the powerful suction. It was drawn toward Xiao Yi Xian's fingertip and vanished, as if swallowed by the darkness.

As the sinister soul energy was drawn away, a miracle occurred. The warrior's blue-black skin began to regain a hint of color at a visible pace, like parched earth welcoming long-awaited rain. He remained terribly weak, but his unsteady breathing grew a little more even, as if a glimmer of hope had appeared in the darkness.

"Th-this..." The old apothecary stared in astonishment, his eyes as round as brass bells. The herbs fell from his hands, but he didn't even notice. The sinister poison they had been helpless against was being drawn away with ease by this seemingly delicate human girl, as docile as a lamb. Such a method was simply beyond his imagination!

Xiao Yi Xian paid no mind to the onlookers' astonishment. The invisible suction from her fingertip continued without pause, drawing out the sinister poison entrenched in the warrior's body, strand by strand. Her face gradually turned pale, like a plum blossom dusted with frost in winter. Clearly, this painstakingly precise procedure, which required her to control the poison with total concentration, took a considerable toll.

Yet when she saw the warrior's breathing grow steadier, like a candle flickering in the wind but no longer on the verge of going out; when she saw a hint of color return to his skin, as though the first breath of life had reached parched earth, the dark-gold glimmer deep in her violet eyes shone briefly like a shooting star.

"Next." Her cool voice rang clearly through the noisy surroundings like a mountain stream. Then she moved with light steps toward another patient, who was being tormented by Soul Poison and roaring in agony like a wounded beast trapped in a cage.

Just then!

"Ughhh—!!!"

An unbearably shrill, inhuman scream suddenly exploded from the other side of the stone hall like a bolt of lightning! It was followed by the dull, chaotic clatter of overturned tables and chairs, then terrified shrieks, their voices distorted by fear, like countless startled birds flapping their wings in the dark.

Xiao Yi Xian's pupils contracted in an instant. Her figure blurred like a ghost, and she appeared at the source of the sound.

A Snake-People warrior whose injuries had been stable, and who had been lying quietly on a stone bed receiving treatment, was now rolling frantically off it like a rabid beast possessed by a demon. His eyes were bloodred, laced with a spiderweb of veins, and the whites had been completely swallowed by an eerie ink-green hue, like two unfathomable pools concealing boundless madness. A guttural, rasping sound came from his mouth like a whisper from hell, while saliva mixed with black blood dribbled down like broken beads. Countless twisted black lines writhed beneath his skin, bulging like living things, as though black snakes were slithering beneath it. A violent, chaotic aura, filled with the desire to destroy, burst from him like a raging tide!

"Kill... kill you all... die!" he roared, his voice hoarse and crazed, his reason entirely gone, like a puppet controlled by darkness. His arms had sprouted sharp black bone spurs. Waving them like blades of death, he lunged madly at the stunned companions and apothecaries beside him, as if he meant to tear everything before him to shreds.

"A-Tu! What's wrong with you? Have you gone mad?!"

"Quick, hold him down together!"

The Snake-People warriors around them were shocked and furious, their faces full of disbelief and alarm, and rushed forward to subdue their out-of-control companion.

But then something changed.

Thud!

Caught off guard, a Snake-People warrior who had approached was brutally impaled through the shoulder by the frenzied warrior's black bone claw, sharp as a blade. In an instant, gray-black energy spread through the wound like the mark of an invasion by darkness. The warrior cried out and staggered backward, his face rapidly turning ashen, as if all the blood had drained from it. He swayed on the verge of collapse.

"Bad! He's been completely corrupted by Soul Poison! Everyone, be careful!" someone cried in terror, their voice trembling as if the shadow of death were closing in.

"Get away!" At that critical moment, Xiao Yi Xian snapped. Her voice was crisp, yet carried an unquestionable authority. She shot forward like a streak of purple lightning, instantly blocking the frenzied warrior. Her eyes were cold as frost, as if they could freeze all evil. She did not dodge the black bone claw hurtling toward her with a gust of foul wind, standing firm like a lofty mountain.

Her right hand shot out like lightning, and a pinpoint of deep, dark-purple light suddenly blazed at her index finger, like the brightest star in the night sky, radiating a mysterious and powerful aura.

Sss!

Her fingertip struck the frenzied warrior's brow with pinpoint accuracy, like the judgment of fate striking straight at the depths of his soul.

Buzz—!!!

A pure, domineering dark-purple poison power, imbued with an unparalleled will to purify and suppress, surged into the frenzied warrior's mind like a breached floodgate. It was as if this force had come from another world, carrying the mandate to purify every evil.

"Grrraah—!!!" The frenzied warrior let out an even more agonized scream, like a lament from hell. His body convulsed violently, and his movements froze abruptly, as if time itself had stopped. The black lines writhing beneath his skin charred and withered at once, like evil burning under the fires of justice. The ink-green faded rapidly from his bloodshot, deranged eyes, replaced by boundless pain and a fleeting moment of clarity, as if a glimmer of hope had appeared in the darkness.

The dark-purple light at Xiao Yi Xian's fingertip suddenly blazed, like violet fireworks bursting across the night sky, brilliant and dazzling. She unleashed the Poison Pill's power with all her might. Like a raging tide, it swept toward the frenzied warrior's violent Soul Poison Will, bearing an unstoppable force of purification and suppression, as though it would annihilate the evil completely.

Yet in the instant the last glimmer of clarity in the frenzied warrior's eyes, like a candle in the wind, was about to be swallowed by endless darkness and pain, Xiao Yi Xian's keen soul perception caught something deep within the very core of his soul. It was an extremely subtle black mark, buried there like a seed. It lay dormant, yet constantly released a cold, despairing aura, a fluctuation like an invisible hand luring people toward the abyss of madness.

"The Soul-Devouring Lure?!" Cold light shot from Xiao Yi Xian's violet eyes like twin bolts of purple lightning cutting through the darkness. In an instant, she understood! This was no simple worsening of his injuries or loss of control over Soul Poison. Someone had used a vicious trick from the shadows, planting a wicked spark to incite madness, like a bomb buried beneath a calm lake, ready to explode at any moment.

Boom!

The final trace of Soul Poison in the frenzied warrior's body, held down until that moment, broke free like a demon escaping long imprisonment and erupted! His body swelled as though filled with boundless air. The veins beneath his skin bulged one by one, writhing like hideous earthworms and radiating a terrifying aura.

"Careful! He's going to self-destruct!" Xiao Yi Xian shouted a warning, her voice ringing through the chaos like a great bell. At the same time, she shot backward like lightning, trying to evade the deadly blast.

But she was half a step too late!

Thump—!!!

A muffled boom suddenly rang out, but it was not the kind of earth-shattering explosion that ruptured the eardrums. Instead, it sounded like an overripe watermelon being crushed, soft and wet, with an utterly revolting, sticky quality. Once the frenzied warrior's body had swollen to its apparent limit, as though it were about to burst through the sky, it suddenly collapsed inward, then exploded like a detonated boil!

Thick, foul blood and chunks of flesh sprayed everywhere like a torrential downpour. Broken organs were mixed in the blood, releasing a pungent stench of rot, while dense gray-black Soul Poison curled among it like clouds of icy black mist, making the scene all the more horrifying and sinister.

Two Snake-People apothecaries and a warrior standing closest were drenched in the foul blood and flesh. Filth covered them from head to toe. The gray-black Soul Poison burrowed frantically into their mouths, nostrils, and wounds like maggots gnawing at bone, or hungry ghosts eager to devour their life force.

"Ah—!!" Shrill screams instantly tore through the stone hall's silence like the cry of a night owl, making one's hair stand on end. The three contaminated victims convulsed violently, as if countless invisible hands were pulling them apart. Their skin rapidly turned ashen, like leaves drained of color, while the same ink-green madness that had filled the frenzied warrior's eyes began to surface in theirs, a mark of corruption.

"T-toxin explosion! Retreat!" Terrified cries rang throughout the stone hall like a series of piercing alarms. The orderly treatment area erupted into chaos. People fled in every direction like startled beasts, and panic spread like a plague, leaving fear wherever it went.

Xiao Yi Xian had retreated at incredible speed, darting through the chaos like a nimble purple butterfly, but a few drops of foul blood still splattered onto her arm. The gray-black Soul Poison tried to burrow into her skin as soon as it touched her, like a living thing. Yet the dark-purple poison power naturally flowing across her body erupted at once, burning the Soul Poison away like a raging flame and leaving only wisps of smoke.

She looked at the scene, plunged into chaos in an instant, and felt the fear and despair filling the air weigh on her like a physical force. At the same time, she sharply sensed a sinister malice manipulating everything from the shadows, as if countless icy eyes were watching her from the dark. For the first time, cold fury appeared on her usually composed face, like winter frost, making one's blood run cold.

"Soul Hall... you're asking for death!" Xiao Yi Xian's voice was cold as frost, her words carrying an unshakable resolve.

She no longer hesitated. Her hands formed an intricate, mysterious seal, as if communing with the poison power between heaven and earth. In an instant, the Woe Poison Pill in her dantian blazed with light like a dark-purple sun suddenly rising, making the surrounding darkness seem dim.

"Return of Ten Thousand Poisons to the Source! Purify!" Her cool voice rang out, like a horn sounding for the poison power of heaven and earth.

Buzz—!!!

An invisible yet unimaginably powerful suction erupted from her like a roaring gale. It was like a starving giant beast opening its maw, or an enormous vortex spinning madly through the stone hall. The gray-black Soul Poison filling the hall was pulled away like threads caught by an invisible hand and swept toward her. The filthy flesh and blood that had splattered everywhere seemed to lose its weight and was forcibly torn toward the center. Even the Soul Poison raging inside the three newly contaminated Snake-People, who had fallen into a state of madness, met its nemesis and was drawn little by little from their bodies.

Streams of gray-black vapor rushed toward Xiao Yi Xian like rivers flowing into the sea. An invisible dark-purple field unfolded three feet around her, like a finely calibrated filter. The instant the filthy impurities touched it, they vanished, turning into wisps of smoke that dissipated into the air. The pure Soul Poison energy, however, was drawn in like iron filings to a lodestone and greedily swallowed by the Poison Pill, as if it were feasting at a glutton's banquet.

The three contaminated Snake-People warriors collapsed to the ground like puppets with their strings cut. Their bodies were desperately weak, as though a gust of wind could topple them, but the madness and ink-green color in their eyes receded like the tide, leaving only the bewilderment and fear of those who had survived a disaster.

In that instant, the chaos was forcibly brought to an end. The atmosphere in the stone hall, which had been roiling like boiling water, gradually settled, like the calm after a storm.

Xiao Yi Xian stood alone amid the wreckage, dark-purple light continually flowing around her like the brightest star in the night sky. She was like a poison queen who held life and death in her hands, standing high above as she surveyed all she commanded. Her icy gaze seemed to pierce through everything, passing through the stone hall's walls and countless obstacles, as if she could see the two figures concealed in the shadows a hundred miles away—the source of this evil and the targets she would soon hunt down.

"I've found you..." Xiao Yi Xian murmured, her lips parting slightly. Her voice was like an icy blade gliding through the dead of night, cold to the bone. A wisp of gray-black Soul Poison, refined to purity, curled around her fingertip like a nimble yet deadly snake. At its core was an extremely faint aura, as weak as a candle in the wind, yet tightly connected to the source of the evil, radiating a cold, uncanny fluctuation. Xiao Yi Xian's keen gaze locked onto it like an eagle spotting its prey, as though she had caught hold of the evil's tail.

Xiao Zhan was discussing the many details of the tower's construction with Yue Mei and several elders as they sat together. Every step reflected their wisdom and hard work. Xiao Yan was listening quietly nearby, a thoughtful, focused look in his eyes.

Suddenly!

[Warning! Detected high-intensity malicious Soul Imprint fluctuation (Soul-Devouring Lure)! Source: Wounded area! Associated target: Unknown Soul Hall powerhouse (suspected Peak Dou Zong)!]

[Warning! Associated target has locked onto the host's location! Threat level: High!]

The system's [Crisis Foresight (Beginner)] module flashed frantically with blinding red light. Its sharp alarms exploded in Xiao Zhan's sea of consciousness like successive peals of thunder, instantly putting him on high alert.

At almost the same moment!

"Father! Something's happened to Xiao Yi Xian!" Xiao Yan suddenly raised his head, his face changing drastically as though shrouded in gloom. His soul power was not as profound as Xiao Zhan's, but he had still vaguely sensed the sudden chaos in the wounded area, along with a chilling, persistent malice surging toward them from that direction.

"Soul Hall!" A cold gleam shot from Xiao Zhan's eyes like twin bolts of lightning cutting through the dark. He reacted as fast as lightning. Before he could explain, powerful spatial energy erupted within him like a volcano. He grabbed Xiao Yan firmly by the shoulder, his grip seeming to pierce through time and space. In the next instant, they vanished from where they stood as if by teleportation, leaving behind only a faint ripple in the air.

Yue Mei and the elders saw a blur before them. It was as if time had suddenly sped forward, and Xiao Zhan and his son had vanished without a trace. Then they heard the commotion and screams from the wounded area, the shrill sounds shattering the peace.

"Enemy attack! Raise the alert to the highest level!" Yue Mei roared, her voice like the war drums of a battlefield, full of unquestionable authority and urgency. In an instant, the mighty aura of a Dou Wang erupted from her like a green storm, sweeping out in every direction. She became a brilliant flash of green and shot toward the wounded area like an arrow loosed from a bow, setting the air howling in her wake.

At the same time, the alarm that had only just fallen silent across the oasis rang out again, sharp and mournful as a night owl's cry. Everyone's heart leaped into their throat.

When Xiao Zhan teleported there with Xiao Yan, the sight tightened their hearts. Xiao Yi Xian stood alone in the hall, dark-purple light flowing without end around her like the brightest star in the night sky. She was using all her strength to suppress the chaos and devour the rampaging Soul Poison. The hall was in shambles, with overturned tables and broken objects everywhere. A foul stench filled the air, making the stomach turn. The surviving Snake-People warriors were still shaken, their eyes filled with fear and helplessness.

"Xiao Yi Xian! Are you all right?" Xiao Yan was frantic with worry. He rushed forward without hesitation, his eyes full of concern.

Xiao Yi Xian slowly withdrew the Poison Pill's power, and the dark-purple light around her gradually faded. She gently shook her head, then looked at Xiao Zhan with her cool violet eyes. A hint of icy killing intent edged her voice. "Uncle Xiao, it was Soul Hall! Someone planted a Soul-Devouring Lure from afar, detonating the Soul Poison lying dormant in the wounded and creating this chaos! The source... is a hundred miles to the northwest! There are two of them! They're powerful!"

As she spoke, she flicked a finger. The wisp of gray-black Soul Poison she had refined and purified, still carrying a trace of the sinister source, floated slowly toward Xiao Zhan like a nimble snake.

Xiao Zhan's gaze turned icy as two sharp blades of ice. He reached out, and the wisp of Soul Poison settled steadily into his palm. His powerful soul energy, mixed with the Dragon-Phoenix Will, instantly penetrated it like an invisible key opening the door to the truth.

Buzz!

An extremely blurry fragment of an image, yet one imbued with a strong sense of spatial coordinates, shot into Xiao Zhan's mind like lightning. In it, at the top of a massive wind-eroded pillar of rock a hundred miles away, two figures shrouded in deep black robes flickered into view. One was gaunt and hunched, carrying a Skull Bone Staff whose ghostly green soul flame flickered like hellfire. The other was as burly as an iron tower, his crimson gaze radiating boundless violence like an enraged beast.

The Nether Duo! Soul Hall's true enforcers! Their strength had reached at least Peak Dou Zong. They were infamous enough to make people tremble at the sound of their names!

"Good! Very good indeed!" Xiao Zhan laughed furiously, his laughter like a cold wind blowing from the depths of the Nine Hells, chilling to the bone and making one's blood run cold. He had been furious that he couldn't find those Soul Hall vermin, and now they had been brazen enough to come right to his doorstep. Not only that, they had used such a vicious, underhanded trick to harm the oasis's wounded. It was an unforgivable crime!

"Yan'er, Xiao Yi Xian, you must protect the oasis!" Xiao Zhan left them with a single sentence, his tone decisive and unquestionable. In an instant, space twisted and rippled violently around him, as if an invisible hand were kneading it at will. His overwhelming Peak Two-Star Dou Zong aura erupted without restraint, like an ancient beast that had slumbered for ages suddenly awakening. Mixed with his newly born Dragon-Phoenix Will, it was like a peerless, vicious weapon drawn from its sheath, radiating a chilling edge.

"You old dogs! Get out here—and die!!!" Xiao Zhan roared. His voice rolled through the heavens like crashing thunder, making the surrounding air tremble.

Boom—!!!

Xiao Zhan's figure tore through space in an instant, as though crossing the boundaries of time itself. Carrying a sky-incinerating fury and icy killing intent, he transformed into a streak of crimson-gold light that split the heavens. Like a meteor streaking across the night sky with the power to destroy the world, he charged toward the wind-eroded pillar of rock a hundred miles away! A thrilling battle was on the verge of erupting!

"Hm? We've been discovered?" Atop the wind-eroded pillar a hundred miles away, the ghostly green soul flames beneath You Lao's hood flickered faintly. He had sensed that the Soul-Devouring Lure he had planted had been forcibly removed, and that their position had been traced back from it. A surprised sound escaped him.

"And what if we have? That saves us the trouble of going to find them!" Elder Ming sneered. The violence in his crimson eyes blazed like twin fires, ready to incinerate everything around him. His black robe billowed despite the lack of wind as a terrifying aura erupted from him like that of a prehistoric beast. Under its impact, spiderweb cracks instantly spread across the rock pillar beneath his feet, as though it could collapse at any moment.

"A brat who's only just entered the Dou Zong realm dares to come right to us? I'll tear him apart!" Elder Ming said viciously, his words filled with contempt and murderous intent.

His voice had not yet faded into the wind—

Rumble—!!!

The space ahead shattered like a mirror struck by an invisible, terrifyingly powerful hand. It exploded in an instant! A figure wrapped in crimson-gold flames, like a blazing sun plummeting from the sky, burst through the spatial barrier with terrifying force enough to shatter the void and appeared above the wind-eroded pillar.

It was Xiao Zhan! Crimson-gold light burned fiercely in his eyes, his anger surging as if it had taken physical form. The black mark between his brows, though still dormant, had been suppressed for now, yet it made his face seem all the more fierce and imposing, like a god of war risen from hell. The Seven-Colored Little Snake coiled around his wrist sensed its master's murderous intent and let out a piercing, mournful hiss, as if cheering on the battle to come.

"You harmed my people and brought chaos to the oasis... Soul Hall vermin, today I'll offer your soul flames as a sacrifice to the tower!" Xiao Zhan's voice boomed through the sky above the wind-eroded pillar like thunder from the ninth heaven, filled with boundless fury and resolve. The air trembled as his words echoed all around.

He wasted no words. His right fist, wreathed in Dragon-Phoenix Dou Qi, carried the terrifying force to shatter mountains. That power seemed able to tear through every obstacle, ignoring the distance between them as it surged forward with unstoppable momentum and slammed toward the two black-robed figures atop the stone pillar!

"Dragon Phoenix Tyrant Body! Void Breaker!"

With a furious roar, the space before his fist crumpled inch by inch like fragile paper, vanishing and leaving behind jagged black rifts. His target was the towering, iron-built Elder Ming!

"Arrogant!" Elder Ming bellowed, his voice deafening as a beast's roar, brimming with scorn and challenge. He didn't dodge. A massive blue-gray metal hand shot out from beneath his black robe, fingers spread wide as if ready to seize everything. A viscous, ink-black sphere of energy condensed in his palm. Within it, countless tormented, twisted ghostly faces silently wailed, as though they were a gathering of resentful spirits from hell.

"Nine Nether Death Soul Wave!"

Boom—!!!

The crimson-gold fist imprint and the black death-soul wave collided atop the stone pillar like two stars engulfed in blazing flames! The shock wave erupted from their impact and swept wildly in every direction like a surging tsunami. Wherever it passed, stone pillars crumbled and sand and rock flew.