Seven-Colored Poison Scripture [Please keep reading!]

Chapter 26: Seven-Colored Poison Scripture!

Xiao Yi Xian's startled cry came from behind him. She unconsciously took half a step forward, her almond-shaped eyes fixed on the strange herb swaying in the flower bed beside the stone altar.

The Spirit Herb had an extraordinary appearance. A faint, frosty chill gathered along one side of its leaves, while a weak crimson warmth lingered on the other. The energies of ice and fire mingled without clashing, and a delicate fragrance drifted through the air.

The moment she entered the stone chamber, Xiao Yi Xian's gaze had been drawn to the flower bed in the corner.

As a physician, she found the sight of so many high-grade medicinal herbs growing before her irresistibly alluring.

Especially when she spotted the Ice Spirit Flame Grass at the very center of the flower bed, she could barely contain her excitement.

Xiao Yuan swept an indifferent glance over the Spirit Herbs in the flower bed, then turned his attention back to the stone platform.

He quietly spread his soul power throughout the chamber, examining every corner. Only after confirming that there were no triggered poison formations beside the skeletal remains did he slowly approach.

"No rush to look at the Spirit Herbs," Xiao Yuan said calmly. "The owner's remains are still here. Let's look at what's on the stone platform first."

He walked over to the platform and lowered his head to examine three antique wooden boxes. Their surfaces were carved with patterns of entwined poisonous vines. Despite the passing years, the wood had not rotted, clearly a specially treated, rot-resistant spirit wood.

Hearing him, Xiao Yi Xian suppressed her surging emotions and followed him. Her gaze settled on the three wooden boxes, though she still stole occasional glances at the Ice Spirit Flame Grass in the flower bed.

Xiao Yuan reached out and inserted the key into the lock. His fingertips rested on the leftmost box, gently catching its lid and slowly lifting it.

"Hm? Where did you get the keys?"

Xiao Yi Xian looked puzzled. Her attention had been entirely focused on the Ice Spirit Flame Grass in the center of the flower bed, and she had paid no attention to Xiao Yuan beside her.

When she turned her head, she saw that three jet-black keys had appeared in his hand.

"When I examined the chamber with my soul power just now, I sensed something hidden in the skeleton's palm."

Xiao Yuan explained casually, "Before dying, the owner of this cave abode hid the three keys inside his skeleton. They unlock these three wooden boxes. I took them out just now while I was at it."

The keys were not the only things inside the skeleton. A remnant map of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame was also hidden inside the bones of its arm.

That was why he had headed straight for the skeleton with a clear goal the moment he entered the chamber. While Xiao Yi Xian was still examining the flower bed, he had swiftly taken the Demonic Flame Remnant Map and tucked it into his Storage Ring.

Xiao Yi Xian followed his gaze and only then noticed that part of the skeleton's arm had fallen onto the floor ahead. Its palm lay slightly open, as though something had already been removed from it.

She marveled inwardly at how precise Xiao Yuan's soul power was. He could even detect objects hidden inside the bones.

"I see." Xiao Yi Xian nodded lightly, then turned her gaze back to the wooden boxes, full of anticipation.

Xiao Yuan inserted one of the keys into the leftmost box's keyhole and gave it a gentle turn.

Click.

The clasp sprang open.

Beneath the light of the moonlight stones inside the cave, the contents of the box came into view before them.

"A High Xuan Tier Flying Dou Technique, Eagle Wings?"

Xiao Yuan read the words on the black scroll one by one.

"A Flying Dou Technique?"

Xiao Yi Xian let out a startled cry, her almond-shaped eyes widening in disbelief.

She leaned half a step closer, her gaze fixed on the black scroll, her heart trembling with shock.

Xiao Yuan picked up the scroll and gently unrolled it. Written upon it were the cultivation methods for Eagle Wings, alongside diagrams of wing-shaped Dou Qi patterns.

A High Xuan Tier technique was enough to draw countless experts into a fierce struggle in a place like the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

"The very first mystery box gave us something this good?"

"Quick, let's see what's in the second one!"

Xiao Yi Xian's excited chatter rang beside Xiao Yuan's ear, brimming with anticipation she could not conceal.

Sure enough, no one could remain unmoved while opening mystery boxes.

After that inward reflection, Xiao Yuan carefully rolled up the Eagle Wings scroll and returned it to the box. He then picked up the second black-bronze key, inserted it into the middle box's keyhole, and turned his wrist slightly.

Click.

The clasp sprang open, and the lid slowly lifted.

Once the wooden lid was raised, another scroll lay inside.

"A Mid Xuan Tier sonic Dou Technique, Mad Lion's Roar.

"Once mastered, a single roar can shatter metal and shake stone."

Xiao Yuan slowly read the writing on the scroll, lightly pinching its edge and lifting it out.

The soft white glow of the moonlight stones fell across the scroll. Its surface bore diagrams of the meridians through which Dou Qi circulated, with notes alongside them detailing the methods for generating sonic vibrations.

"Damn, this senior had such a great collection? A Flying Dou Technique and a sonic Dou Technique?"

And a Demonic Flame Remnant Map...

"A sonic Dou Technique?" Xiao Yi Xian's eyes lit up again. She leaned forward slightly to study the scroll.

"It uses Dou Qi to vibrate the vocal cords and produce sound waves to attack an enemy. There's no need to fight at close quarters. It couldn't be better for forcing enemies back."

Xiao Yuan nodded slightly and briefly skimmed the Metal-Shattering Roar scroll. This Dou Technique might only have been Mid Xuan Tier, but its practical value in combat was extremely high.

Sonic attacks were invisible and intangible, making them all but impossible to guard against in an ambush. They could shatter an opponent's internal organs or frighten entire packs of magical beasts, making them immensely useful in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

"Not bad, I suppose." Xiao Yuan returned the scroll to the wooden box and turned his gaze toward the last one. "There's still one left."

Before Xiao Yuan could act, Xiao Yi Xian could no longer restrain her curiosity. She hurriedly urged him on, her face alight with eager anticipation.

"Quick, quick, quick! Open the last one and let's see!"

The appearance of two rare Dou Techniques in succession had made her heart beat faster. The senior who had owned this cave abode possessed an astonishingly rich collection. Who knew what supreme treasure might still be hidden in the final wooden box?

Seeing the girl's impatient expression, a faint smile flickered in Xiao Yuan's eyes.

"Why don't you open the last box?"

Xiao Yi Xian froze for a moment, then her eyes shone with delighted surprise. She hurriedly stepped forward and reached out with a slender hand to accept the third black-bronze key Xiao Yuan offered her.

Her fingertips gently closed around the cold key, her heart pounding. The previous two boxes had yielded two precious Dou Techniques in succession. What would this final treasure be?

"Then I'll give it a try!"

Speaking softly, Xiao Yi Xian lined the key up with the box's keyhole and slowly inserted it. She gave her wrist a gentle turn.

Click!

The crisp sound of the mechanism echoed through the stone chamber.

The antique lid slowly rose. What appeared before her was not a scroll, but an old volume whose cover shimmered with seven-colored light.

Seven colors intertwined, faintly exuding a deep, mysterious aura of the poison arts.

Four ancient characters stood out clearly on the cover—Seven-Colored Poison Scripture.

"Seven-Colored Poison Scripture!"

Xiao Yi Xian's pupils abruptly contracted, and she instinctively cried out under her breath.