Crisis

Lu Li lay tucked in his bed, sleeping soundly.

He jolted awake, suddenly dizzy, feeling his muscles and internal organs stir with a strange, frantic energy.

Lu Li's instincts flared; something was wrong.

He twitched his ears, but outside, there was only the sound of snow whipping through the air. Everything seemed normal.

He couldn't help but frown, focusing on his body, and his pupils instantly constricted.

No wonder he felt off—he had been poisoned!

Lu Li hurriedly pulled a bottle of antidote powder from his robes, shook a fingernail's worth into his palm, and swallowed it.

Almost immediately, the poison within him began to dissipate, vanishing completely in moments.

"The poison I was hit with must be Green Snake Saliva Powder. It's colorless and odorless; ordinary antidotes wouldn't touch it."

"Still, the antidote I refined really does have miraculous effects."

Since standard antidotes could only handle so much, Lu Li had been struck by a sudden inspiration to improve the formula.

He had spent time deep in thought over the path of poisons, but that was just a rough draft, untested until now.

However, by drawing parallels from other arts, his skill in concocting poisons had improved significantly.

Consequently, his refined antidote now covered a much broader range of toxins.

"Green Snake Saliva Powder requires the venom of the demon Ghost-Eyed Green Snake to produce. It seems the Green Snake has arrived!"

Lu Li's eyes sharpened. He quickly donned his black robe and mask, then slipped out of the room.

He first checked on Li Qing and the others, finding them sleeping like the dead—they had clearly been poisoned as well.

However, the dose of Green Snake Saliva Powder used on them was minimal, so there was no real danger. At most, they would feel weak and sore for a while; they would recover once their bodies naturally purged the toxin.

Leaving them be, Lu Li darted toward the front hall. He spotted a figure in black perched on a rafter, scattering powder into the air.

He isn't wearing the green snake mask, so he isn't the Green Snake himself. Tsk, the Green Snake didn't come alone. It looks like tonight will be a major battle! Lu Li felt a chill of apprehension.

Suddenly, the man in black slipped out of the pharmacy, and Lu Li followed silently.

He saw a large group of men in black leaping across the rooftops, heading forward.

Their destination was none other than the Huang Mansion!

Lu Li watched them with cold eyes. Judging by their light-foot skills, every single one of them was an expert.

The weakest among them was at least at the initial stage of Tendon Tempering!

There were about twenty of them in total.

Once they entered the Huang Mansion, Lu Li followed at a measured pace.

Since he had already crossed paths with the Green Snake, he had to eliminate this dangerous enemy to prevent future trouble!

Soon, a series of screams and the sounds of clashing weapons erupted from the Huang Mansion, echoing incessantly.

Huang Rongyue had not yet retired for the night. She sat on the roof, gazing at the starry sky, feeling that the winter night was truly as bleak as her own future.

She was a stranger to the Blood Ghost, and he had already rejected her.

Did she really have to abandon her dignity and her body just to grovel for his favor?

She reached out to catch a snowflake, but it melted instantly in her palm, leaving her feeling only a sense of futility.

Just as she was wallowing in the worries of her life, she heard loud crashes erupting throughout the Huang Mansion, causing her to knit her brows.

Standing at her vantage point, she suddenly saw a swarm of black-clad figures raiding the mansion.

Many of the guards had been caught off guard and were already lying dead on the ground!

She sprang to her feet, her willow-leaf brows arching in anger.

At that very moment, a figure blurred into view, emerging suddenly from the darkness.

He wore a green snake mask, his eyes exposed—cold and venomous, like a viper lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike.

"Who are you?" Huang Rongyue asked, her brows furrowed.

For some reason, she felt a cold, oppressive aura radiating from him, giving her the impression that he was immensely powerful.

It left her feeling deeply unsettled.

"Green Snake." The Green Snake's lips curled into a cruel arc.

The next moment, Huang He's roar erupted, shattering the silence of the night and carrying far into the distance.

Clearly, he had encountered a formidable foe and was being pushed to his limits.

Huang Rongyue was frantic; she immediately tried to leap into the air to bypass the Green Snake.

But suddenly, her legs went weak, and her strength began to drain away rapidly.

"Poisoned!" she cried in alarm.

Seeing this, Green Snake let out a cold laugh and leaped up.

With a slap, he sent Huang Rongyue, who was using her movement technique, crashing back to where she started.

"Young Miss, I hear you've been showing favor to Blood Ghost."

"Now that your clan is in peril, I can't bear to see you die a miserable death alongside them."

"Why not offer yourself to me? I'll spare your life, how about it?"

Green Snake's serpentine eyes roamed over Huang Rongyue, a greedy glint flashing within them.

Huang Rongyue, filled with shame and rage, spat, "Bah! I'd rather burn myself to death than let you have your way!"

Green Snake shook his head. "Pity, pity. I originally had good intentions, not wishing to see a flower wither."

"But you... you're forcing my hand!"

His tone suddenly turned grim.

As the last syllable fell, he suddenly attacked.

A cold light burst forth, a dagger thrusting straight for Huang Rongyue's throat.

Huang Rongyue narrowed her eyes, quickly finding the angle to deflect it.

Then, clenching her left fist, a surge of blood qi materialized around her.

She threw a punch, aimed directly at Green Snake's chest.

At this moment, Green Snake also moved, grabbing Huang Rongyue's delicate fist. His body also manifested a surge of blood qi.

The color was nearly identical to Huang Rongyue's; they were evenly matched.

Huang Rongyue was startled and quickly retreated, a chill rising from her feet and spreading through her body.

If their strength was equal, and she was poisoned, wouldn't that mean she was doomed if this dragged on?

She felt the poison spreading from her dantian outwards.

Her feet felt as heavy as lead.

Her heart hardened, and she unleashed the Mountain-Sinking Peak-Breaking technique.

Her sect was the Broken Mountain Sect, the foremost sect in Qingfeng Prefecture.

Their techniques were grand and powerful, unmatched in their ferocity.

And Mountain-Sinking Peak-Breaking was an extremely overbearing move.

It attacked with ten parts of its strength, leaving none for itself, and should only be used in dire emergencies!

She lowered her stance, bent her knees, and clenched her fists. Though she hadn't moved, wind and waves swirled around her.

Her meridians tensed like bowstrings, emitting crackling sounds. All her muscles tensed, bulging like peaks.

With a sudden roar, an invisible shockwave spread in all directions, shaking loose frost and snow from the rafters, which fell in a rustling cascade.

She rose and advanced, her momentum like a rainbow, channeling her full strength to its limit.

Even from afar, this punch made Green Snake's entire body tingle; the offensive was incredibly fierce.

One hit would leave him dead or severely wounded!

However, Green Snake's expression only shifted slightly. There was no look of mortal terror, but rather the greed in his eyes intensified.

"Hahaha, you possess such a secret technique! I must capture you and have my fun!"

Hearing Green Snake's increasingly rampant words, she sensed something was wrong and tried to retreat.

But it was too late.

A green snake shot out from below, slamming into her and sending her crashing to the ground, spitting blood.

Green Snake coiled around her tightly, opening his cavernous maw and revealing fangs as sharp as swords, biting down hard on her arm.

Venom poured in, and searing pain struck. Huang Rongyue struggled violently but gradually weakened, her body becoming listless.