Departure, at the Peak of Dou Zong with a Heaven Class Cultivation Technique (Continued)

Such delicate work demanded extraordinary control over Dou Qi. Qin Chen had wasted plenty of medicinal ingredients to master it, but that waste had become the foundation of his precise control.

Qin Chen closed his eyes and formed a cultivation seal with his hands. As he breathed, scorching heat swirled around him, burning the surrounding air until it faintly warped.

Only after regulating his breathing for half an hour did he open his eyes again. His gaze was deep and calm, like an ancient well with no visible bottom.

Then Qin Chen pulled open his robe, revealing the Demon Poison Mark on his chest, a black, vortex-like blotch.

The mark was about the size of a thumb, pitch-black throughout, with dark red patterns faintly flowing within it. Like a living thing, it gave off an eerie aura that made the heart tremble.

Qin Chen brushed his palm over the mark on his chest. Feeling the immense energy contained within it, he smiled.

He changed his hand seal. The gray-brown flame inside him immediately roared to life and surged toward the Demon Poison Mark.

Following the method Heavenly Flame Venerable had left behind, Qin Chen controlled the Green Lotus Core Flame and struck a precise point on the rune seal.

Once, twice, three times...

In mere moments, the Heavenly Flame's relentless erosion tore a tiny slit in the seal.

The slit was just right: too small to unleash the Demon Poison Mark in full, yet wide enough to draw out some of its power.

As the slit appeared, the mark throbbed violently, as though something inside it had awakened.

The next instant, black threads as fine as hair spread from the crack. They reeked, and wherever they passed, the air hissed as it corroded.

As the Demon Poison Mark dispersed, Qin