The poison takes hold

With the demon slain, the final trial was over.

The stone chamber opened, and a stream of pure vital energy descended from above to mend Liu Xiaowen's wounds. It was neither too much nor too little, just enough to restore him.

Liu Xiaowen had no attention to spare for this. Hot blood surged through him as though he had been struck by a burning poison. His heart would not settle, his vision began to blur, and it felt as though a fire had kindled inside his chest.

The demon's bloody stench left him unsteady on his feet. His whole body trembled as though wracked by chills. In his daze, he seemed to see a Centipede, crimson as fire, crawling toward him and burrowing into his flesh little by little.

His state of mind began to change. The corpses of demons he had killed kept appearing before him. He began to imagine what would happen if the sword in his hand struck a person. Surely a single stroke would cleave them clean in two?

Dense Black Curse Script emerged beneath his skin, crawling like insects and beginning to writhe as though alive.

He seemed to grasp some revelation, and a smile of liberation and enlightenment appeared on his face. One by one, things he had never dared or allowed himself to think surfaced in his mind, filling his expression with boundless joy.

Xu Xuan sensed this disturbance clearly. On the White Jade Ancient Stele, the Ancient Seal Script for [Sun-Flint Descent of Fire] began to dim. A wisp of black energy appeared, and the characters looked as though insects were gnawing at them. Their crimson flames died out little by little, replaced by a layer of verdigris.

"Xiao Wen is in trouble."

These seal characters were linked directly to Liu Xiaowen. Now that they were showing an abnormal change, something must have happened below. With people from the Longevity Monastery all around, Xu Xuan dared not make any conspicuous move. He merely asked Liu Qiuqi in a low voice:

"Can this Underground Palace trial be abandoned? Can my disciple come out?"

Liu Qiuqi looked somewhat surprised, but still replied:

"This is no game. The Immortal Sect isn't offering us an opportunity; it issued an order requiring us to bring younger members of our direct lineages here. It only guaranteed there would be no casualties."

"Once the Underground Palace is opened, it cannot be stopped. Otherwise, we would be ruining their undertaking."

Xu Xuan said nothing more. Instead, he focused entirely on sensing the White Jade Ancient Stele, drawing all the Clear Qi surrounding him into the four Ancient Seal Script characters for [Sun-Flint Descent of Fire]. He held the insect-gnawing phenomenon at bay, while his expression remained perfectly ordinary.

Inside the stone chamber, Liu Xiaowen's transformation had reached a critical point when a stream of Clear Qi rose from his Spirit Platform, clearing his mind somewhat and bringing him back to himself.

"Master."

He did not know what was happening to him. He merely recalled the faces of everyone in the Sect, and those memories drew his consciousness back a little.

Although Xu Xuan was doing all he could to stop the transformation, it was still only a cup of water against a burning cartload of firewood. He could only watch as the Ancient Seal Script linked to Liu Xiaowen grew dimmer little by little.

Under everyone's watching eyes, Xu Xuan feared that the people from the Longevity Monastery would notice something amiss, and dared even less to make any conspicuous move.

The old Daoist in the pavilion also sensed the disturbance. He could feel only that the poisonous creature had found a host, but did not know whom it had chosen.

Just as Xu Xuan was at his wits' end, the blood-colored flower beneath the [Mystic Prayer Thunderwood] in his Qi Sea stirred.

The flower quivered gently. The black specks Xu Xuan had previously seen in the spirit medicine appeared again, aligning with the insect-gnawing phenomenon and drawing that wisp of black energy elsewhere, where it vanished from sight.

The abnormalities on Liu Xiaowen's body gradually faded, and the Black Curse Script on his skin dispersed. A red-armored centipede crawled out of his back, the flesh parting with a ripple like water. Tiny black specks appeared on the Red-Fighting Centipede's head, too small for the eye to see.

The centipede trembled a few times, then headed toward the exit and the Refinement Grounds, as though it had found somewhere better to go.

In the Refinement Grounds stood a High Terrace, with [Heaven-Bestowed Blessing] carved into the stone wall.

Two people had already arrived ahead of the others. The young Daoist from the Longevity Monastery and the Zhu Clan's junior each occupied one side. The place was spacious, with a pool in front and blue-brick paving overgrown with moss.

The pool was dry, with no spring water in sight. Only four masses of Clear Qi hovered there, shedding rays of bright light.

The Zhu Clan's junior was named Zhu Chenglu, and his cultivation had already reached late-stage fetal breath. He was currently meditating to regulate his breathing.

He had fought his way here and endured many hardships. His breathing was unsteady and his clothes were torn. Although the vital energy had healed his wounds, he still looked exhausted.

Opposite him, Xiao Cunsi of the Longevity Monastery had already drawn over the densest mass of Clear Qi. It was as large as the other three combined, and his monastery had reserved it for him.

He had encountered no hardship whatsoever along the way. Even the hems of his clothes were unsoiled.

A pack of remnants clinging to the old order, creatures who will die at demons' hands sooner or later. What right do they have to compete with me?

This thought suddenly arose in his mind. Extreme contempt and a desire to fight welled up within him. His blood surged, and it felt as though fire were burning in his heart.

Throughout the journey, he had silently recited the Pure Heart Mantra, not daring to entertain even the slightest urge to fight, precisely because he feared that the poisonous creature would settle on him.

Yet now, the thing he feared most had happened all the same.

Dense Black Curse Script emerged on his skin, writhing ceaselessly. He dimly felt something burrow into his back and press tightly against his spine.

Nearby, Zhu Chenglu cried out in alarm when he saw the change come over the Longevity Monastery disciple.

But Xiao Cunsi had already snatched up his magic artifact and attacked, letting out hoarse, beastlike cries. His eyes burned red, yet his spell gestures remained perfectly steady. A ray of spell light shot toward Zhu Chenglu, forcing him to fight in earnest.

"Have you gone mad?!"

Zhu Chenglu shouted. The Longevity Monastery had already claimed the finest stream of refinement energy. He had no idea what madness had seized Xiao Cunsi.

The two quickly became locked in battle. At first, they still traded attacks, forming spell gestures and bringing out several magic artifacts. Before long, however, they were grappling like wild beasts.

Within moments, both were sent out together.

Outside, everyone was speculating about whether their own disciples could win this opportunity for refinement. They had not expected two people to be transported out at once.

They were none other than Zhu Chenglu, who had the highest cultivation, and Xiao Cunsi, the Longevity Monastery's direct disciple.

Xiao Cunsi still refused to let the matter drop. He lunged forward, raising a Jade Sword and thrusting it straight out. By now, the Black Curse Script on his body had completely vanished. Only his slightly reddened eyes remained, making him look possessed.

Zhu Chenglu refused to keep tangling with this madman and ran straight toward the Cloud Ladder.

Seeing his senior brother's crazed expression, the boy attendant who had guided them in moved to stop him. He never expected his ordinarily gentle senior brother to thrust a sword straight at his heart.

"Enough!"

Daoist Xi Ming descended on the wind and restrained Xiao Cunsi, his expression dark as cold iron.

"What exactly happened? It was clearly about to succeed. Why did it suddenly move into Cunsi?"

Daoist Xi Ming knocked Xiao Cunsi unconscious with a palm strike, then took out a Golden Rope and bound his maddened disciple. He told the boy attendant to deliver him to his own master.

The blue-robed Daoist looked at the representatives of the various clans with a hostile expression. He was only a step away from drawing his sword and demanding to know who had interfered.

"Who was it? Who dared harm my disciple?!"

As for Xu Xuan, he still showed no sign of anything unusual. The White Jade Ancient Stele had concealed every disturbance. The old Daoist inside the treasure pavilion spent a long time divining, but found only a tangled skein of confusion, unable to discern the slightest hint of what had happened.

Inside the Underground Palace, beside the Spirit Pool, four masses of Clear Qi quietly awaited the next arrivals, their radiance illuminating the surroundings.

(End of chapter)