Teacher, We're Back

Teacher, We're Back

The pitch-black lake water closed behind them, once more concealing the cave dwelling's secrets ten thousand feet below.

Han Feng led Yaoxin upward like an arrow, shooting swiftly toward the lake's surface.

A streak of black light followed closely behind them. It was Ao Li, the seventh-rank venom wyrm that had just sworn loyalty. He no longer had even a trace of the arrogance of a local overlord. He looked like a servant terrified of losing his master.

When the three of them burst from the lake and returned beneath the sky shrouded in seven-colored poisonous miasma, Han Feng's steps paused slightly.

He did not turn around, merely saying in an amused tone, "I thought you were planning to stay at the bottom of the lake and not leave."

The black light behind him stiffened, and Ao Li immediately revealed himself. His sinister face was piled with a fawning yet terrified smile.

"You jest, Senior! How could that be?" He shook his head like a rattle drum. "I merely... merely lost myself for a moment. Your heaven-shaking methods earlier left me so stunned that I still haven't recovered!"

This flattery was surprisingly heartfelt.

Han Feng chuckled and said nothing more to him.

He tore open space. A gentle surge of battle qi swept Yaoxin and Ao Li inside, and with one step, the three vanished from the skies above Death Marsh.

Within the spatial passage, Ao Li experienced this kind of high-speed journey across the continent for the first time.

Watching the mountains and land race past beyond the passage, the last remnants of pride he possessed as a seventh-rank magical beast were utterly crushed.

Is this the world of the strong?

The Ten Thousand Poisons Lake, where he had ruled for nearly a thousand years, was nothing more than a backyard that true experts could reach with a single raised foot.

When he looked again at the green-robed figure before him, only pure reverence and submission remained in his eyes.

To follow such an unfathomable master, let alone for twenty years—even two hundred years would be an immense blessing!

Meanwhile, Yaoxin stood quietly beside Han Feng.

She did not look at the scenery outside. Her violet-gray eyes merely stole occasional glances at Han Feng's profile.

Her heart was filled with an unprecedented peace and anticipation.

The Calamity Poison Body—the curse that had plagued her all her life, the nightmare that had made her afraid to grow close to anyone—was it finally... about to be completely ended?

She looked at the man before her. He had pulled her from despair in Qingshan Town and given her a name. Now, he had found hope for breaking her curse.

This kindness weighed as heavily as Mount Tai.

When the three set foot on solid ground once more, the familiar majestic outline of Sacred City had already appeared before them.

"Mo Shan."

Han Feng's voice rang out above the City Lord's Manor.

The next moment, Mo Shan, the chief law enforcer, appeared in the plaza like a ghost and dropped to one knee.

"City Lord."

"This is Ao Li." Han Feng pointed at the venom wyrm beside him, who had taken human form. "From today onward, he will be Yaoxin's protector. Arrange a quiet residence for him near the spirit beast garden in the eastern part of the city and see that he is properly settled."

Mo Shan glanced at Ao Li. He naturally saw through the venom wyrm's strength, but since he had been brought back by the City Lord, he asked no questions.

"Yes, City Lord."

Ao Li was secretly alarmed. He likewise could not sense Mo Shan's cultivation, yet the other man's deep and mountainlike bearing instinctively filled him with fear. He knew perfectly well that this black-armored man was an expert far beyond him.

Even such an expert treated this young City Lord with such respect and obedience.

Just how terrifying was this master's power?

"You may go with him." Han Feng waved at Ao Li.

"Yes, Senior! Miss!" Ao Li respectfully bowed to them both before carefully following Mo Shan away.

After settling Ao Li, Han Feng led Yaoxin directly to Soul-Gathering Hall, where Medicine Elder was staying.

Inside the hall, Yao Chen's soul body sat cross-legged at the center of an array, meditating and breathing. He was noticeably more solid than before Han Feng had departed.

"Teacher, we're back."

Yao Chen slowly opened his eyes. Seeing Yaoxin following behind Han Feng, surprise flashed through them.

"Oh? You returned so quickly? It seems you found a suitable substitute?"

Han Feng smiled but did not immediately take out the item, choosing instead to keep him in suspense.

"Teacher, we were quite fortunate this time. What we found is no ordinary substitute."

Only then did he take out the jade box sealing the Profound Nether Poison Pearl and hand it to Yao Chen.

Yao Chen accepted the jade box and opened it.

Buzz! An incomparably pure strand of Primordial Poison Qi, as though it were the source of all poisons, burst from the box.

The aura was so terrifying that even the temperature throughout Soul-Gathering Hall seemed to drop.

Sensing that aura, the Calamity Poison Body within Yaoxin immediately erupted in uncontrollable resonance. A powerful urge to devour rose from the depths of her soul.

"Such... such pure Primordial Poison Qi!"

A brilliant light burst from Yao Chen's eyes!

He extended an illusory hand and carefully cradled the purple poison pearl. His soul force seeped into it like mercury as he inspected it closely.

"This power... it is simply a supreme treasure tailor-made for the Calamity Poison Body! It is countless times better than the Heaven-Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast's magic core! Feng'er, where did you obtain this?"

Only then did Han Feng recount the ruins beneath Soul-Breaking Poison Marsh Lake and the matter of the Profound Nether Poison Venerable in full detail.

"...That was what happened. This poison pearl is the crystallization of that Nine-Transformation Battle Venerable's lifelong efforts."

After hearing Han Feng's account, Yao Chen finally understood, then burst into ecstatic delight.

"Hahaha! A Nine-Transformation Battle Venerable's source crystallization! What fortune! This is truly tremendous fortune!"

He looked at Yaoxin, his eyes full of admiration and expectation.

"This girl Yaoxin truly is blessed!"

"Her Calamity Poison Body is still in its early stages and has yet to undergo a true outbreak. Its poison power is pure, but comparatively easy to control. And now, she has obtained the foundation of a Poison Pill condensed from a Nine-Transformation Battle Venerable's lifelong efforts..."

"Tsk, tsk. Just how far this generation's Calamity Poison Body will go in the future is truly something to look forward to!"

Listening to the conversation between master and disciple, Yaoxin understood many parts only vaguely, but she could sense that the curse within her truly seemed about to become an immense opportunity.

Her heart was filled with excitement and nervousness.

Seeing her simultaneously hopeful and uneasy expression, Han Feng smiled gently.

He stepped forward, raised his hand, and softly ruffled Yaoxin's smooth long hair.

Yaoxin's body stiffened slightly. A warmth flowed down from the top of her head, immediately calming her anxious heart.

"Go and rest well for a few days. Bring yourself to your peak condition."

Han Feng's voice carried a power that inspired absolute trust.

"Three days from now, at noon, we'll meet at Starwatch Tower."

"I will help you condense your Poison Pill."

Looking into Yaoxin's clear violet-gray eyes, he made a solemn promise, word by word:

"When that time comes, you will no longer need to live in constant fear. You can cultivate without worry and live without worry, just like anyone else."

At those final words, Yaoxin could no longer hold back. Her eyes instantly reddened.

She lifted her head and looked at the man who had given her a name and given her hope. Her lips trembled, but she could not utter a single word.

In the end, she nodded heavily, and the tears in her eyes finally fell.

She did not wipe them away. She merely turned and hurried out of Soul-Gathering Hall, as though she feared that if she stayed even a moment longer, she would break down sobbing before him.