Crisis

Lu Li lay in bed, sleeping soundly.

He suddenly jolted awake, his head spinning as the muscles and organs throughout his body sprang into action.

A sense of danger stirred in Lu Li's heart. Something was wrong.

His ears twitched. Outside, all he could hear was the howling wind and snow. Everything seemed normal.

He couldn't help frowning. Feeling something inside him, his pupils abruptly shrank.

No wonder his body felt strange—he had been poisoned!

Lu Li quickly took a bottle of Detoxification Powder from his robe, poured out an amount the size of a fingernail, and swallowed it.

At once, the poison in his body began to dissipate. Before long, it had vanished completely.

"The poison must be Green Snake Saliva Powder. It's colorless and odorless, and ordinary Detoxification Powder can't counter it."

"But the Detoxification Powder I improved really does work wonders."

Detoxification Powder could counter only a limited range of poisons, so Lu Li had gotten the idea to improve its formula.

His earlier painstaking study of poisoncraft had only produced a rough draft, and he hadn't tested it.

But learning one thing by analogy had greatly improved his skill at concocting poisons.

After his improvements, Antidote Powder could counter a far wider range of poisons.

"Green Snake Saliva Powder can only be made with the venom of a demonic Ghost-Eyed Green Snake. Looks like Green Snake has arrived!"

A sharp glint flashed in Lu Li's eyes. He quickly put on his black robe and mask, then slipped outside.

He first went to Li Qing and the others' room. They were sleeping like logs—clearly poisoned as well.

But they hadn't been given much Green Snake Saliva Powder, so it wasn't a serious problem. At worst, they'd feel weak and listless for a while. They only needed to rest until their bodies naturally purged the poison.

Lu Li left them alone and moved swiftly to the front hall. On a beam, he spotted a black-clad figure pinching up powder and scattering it through the air.

"He isn't wearing a Green Snake mask. He's not Green Snake. Tsk, so Green Snake didn't come alone. Looks like another fierce battle awaits tonight!" Lu Li thought grimly.

Suddenly, the black-clad figure darted out of the medicine shop. Lu Li quietly followed.

He saw a large group of black-clad figures bounding across the rooftops toward the front.

And where they were headed was none other than Huang Mansion!

Lu Li watched them coldly. Judging by their movement techniques, every one of them was a skilled fighter.

The weakest had only just entered the Tendon-Refining stage!

There were around twenty of them.

Only after they entered Huang Mansion did Lu Li slowly follow.

He had made an enemy of Green Snake, so he had to eliminate this formidable foe before he caused trouble in the future!

Before long, a string of screams and clashing blows rang out from Huang Mansion, one after another.

Huang Rongyue was still awake. Sitting on the roof, she gazed up at the stars and felt that the winter sky was unbearably bleak.

Just like her future.

She had never known Blood Ghost, and he had rejected her.

Was she really supposed to cast aside her dignity and body and cling to him desperately?

She held out her hand to catch a snowflake, but it quickly melted in her palm, leaving her feeling bored.

She was up in the middle of the night, worrying over the biggest decision of her life.

Suddenly, she heard loud crashes coming from all over Huang Mansion. Her brows furrowed.

From her high vantage point, she suddenly saw a large group of black-clad figures sweeping into Huang Mansion.

Quite a few guards had been caught off guard and killed on the spot!

She sprang to her feet, her brows drawn together in fury.

Just then, a figure flashed before her eyes, appearing out of the darkness.

He wore a Green Snake mask. His eyes showed through the holes, cold and sinister, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike.

"Who might you be?" Huang Rongyue asked, her brows knitting slightly.

For some reason, she felt a chilling aura radiating from him, pressing down on her. He seemed immensely powerful.

It left her deeply uneasy.

"Green Snake." The corner of Green Snake's mouth curled into a cruel smile.

The next moment, Huang He's furious roar suddenly rang out, exploding through the night and carrying far into the distance.

He had clearly encountered a formidable foe and was struggling to hold his ground.

Huang Rongyue was frantic with worry. She immediately tried to leap into the air and evade Green Snake.

But then her feet went weak, and the strength drained rapidly from her body.

"I've been poisoned!" Terror seized her.

Seeing this, Green Snake sneered and leaped into the air.

He slapped Huang Rongyue out of the air, sending her back where she'd started.

"Miss, I hear you've been trying to curry favor with Blood Ghost."

"Your family is on the brink of ruin, and I can't bear to see you die a miserable death along with them."

"Why not give yourself to me? I'll spare your life. What do you say?"

Green Snake's eyes roamed over Huang Rongyue, greed glittering in them.

Huang Rongyue flushed with shame and anger. "Pah! I'd sooner burn myself alive than let you have your way!"

Green Snake shook his head. "What a shame. I meant well. I couldn't bear to watch a flower wither."

"But you... insist on forcing my hand!"

His voice suddenly turned dark.

As the final word left his mouth, he lunged without warning.

A flash of cold light burst forth as a dagger stabbed straight at Huang Rongyue's throat.

Huang Rongyue narrowed her eyes and quickly found the right angle to knock it aside.

Then she clenched her left fist. Blood-Qi Wolf Smoke rose around her.

She swung a fierce punch straight at Green Snake's chest.

Green Snake moved too. He seized Huang Rongyue's fist, and Blood-Qi Wolf Smoke rose around him as well.

Its color was almost identical to Huang Rongyue's. They were evenly matched.

Huang Rongyue was horrified and hurriedly retreated. A chill rose from the soles of her feet and spread throughout her body.

If their strength was equal, and she was poisoned on top of that, didn't that mean she was doomed if the fight dragged on?

She could feel the poison spreading from her dantian throughout her body.

Her feet were already as heavy as if they'd been filled with lead.

Desperation seized her. She unleashed Mountain-Sinking Peak-Breaking.

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

Its techniques were broad and powerful, fierce beyond compare.

And Mountain-Sinking Peak-Breaking was an especially domineering move.

It devoted everything to attacking the enemy, leaving nothing in reserve. It was never to be used lightly, only as a last resort!

She sank her waist, bent her knees, and clenched both fists. Though she hadn't moved, gusts of wind were already circling around her.

Her tendons stretched taut as bowstrings, snapping and popping, while every muscle in her body tensed, rising like towering peaks.

She let out a mighty shout. An invisible shock wave surged in every direction, shaking frost and snow loose to patter down from the beams.

She rose and advanced, her momentum surging like a rainbow as she drove her strength to its absolute limit.

Even from far away, the punch made Green Snake's whole body tingle. Its force was fearsome.

A single blow would leave him dead or gravely wounded!

But Green Snake's expression only shifted slightly. Instead of showing the terror of a man facing death, the greed in his eyes grew fiercer.

"Hahaha! So you have a secret technique like this, too. Now I'm even more determined to capture you and have my fun!"

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

But it was already too late.

A green snake shot up from below and slammed into her. She crashed to the ground, spitting blood.

Green Snake wrapped tightly around her, opened its bloody maw, and bared fangs as sharp as swords before biting hard into her arm.

Venom flooded into her as agony tore through her. Huang Rongyue struggled violently, but little by little, she weakened, her body drained of strength.