Journey to the Western Continent! The Poison Fairy!

Half a year passed leisurely like that.

In the imperial palace, Chu Muyang had now advanced to Late-Stage Half-Immortal.

At the moment, he was reviewing memorial after memorial, and his head was aching terribly.

Every year, the people sent to the Western Continent to investigate its internal situation had disappeared without anyone knowing whether they were alive or dead. Now, contact with the latest group had also been lost, and they were suspected to have died in the Western Continent.

"What should I do? Can't even Half-Immortals make it out alive?"

Chu Muyang paced, turning in anxious circles.

"Should I go ask that lord for advice?"

After thinking it over again and again, Chu Muyang made up his mind and rushed out the door.

At the medicine shop,

The shop was closed today, and Liao Yunxiao was the only one there, cleaning.

Chu Muyang gently pushed the door open. Seeing only the child inside, he asked softly, "Excuse me, young friend, is your senior master here?"

"Huh? You look awfully familiar. Senior master isn't here, and we aren't seeing patients today. Is there something you need?"

Liao Yunxiao asked.

"I see... Then I'll come back another time." Chu Muyang gently closed the door and left.

"I wonder where his lordship has gone..."

Chu Muyang sighed, hoping the lord had already anticipated what he was going to anticipate.

At this moment, Ye Zichen and Long Han were at the border between the Western Continent and the Central Continent.

"Young Master Ye, the Western Continent lies just ahead. Because of the encroaching death Qi, the Human Race now holds less than a quarter of the Western Continent's territory. The rest has been occupied by corpse kings."

Long Han gave him his assessment, though he no longer remembered how things were distributed within the continent.

Rumor had it that, five hundred years ago, a mistake by the holy maiden of the Poison Control Holy Land had allowed poisonous gas to engulf the Western Continent and the corpse kings to be released.

At the final moment, everyone in the Holy Land had fought with all they had until the very end to seal off the Western Continent, preventing the poison from spreading to the outside world.

Ye Zichen listened without a care. He had come today precisely for those corpse kings.

To a collector like him, a corpse king was a treasure from head to toe.

Besides, he had heard a little about the sights of the Western Continent. After lazing around for more than half a year, he might as well treat this as a trip.

Ye Zichen pressed his index and middle fingers together and traced them across Long Han's body. An invisible barrier formed, protecting him from the poisonous gas until he reached Human Race territory within the Western Continent.

Of course, something of this level had no effect on Ye Zichen whatsoever.

"Thank you, Young Master Ye!"

Long Han cupped his hands in thanks.

"Let's go. We'll see the people here first."

With that, the two entered the Western Continent.

"Young Master Ye, those are the clothes of the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty."

Long Han pointed to a disfigured corpse not far away, its clothes rotted away until only a few scraps remained.

"It seems the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty is taking the matter of the Western Continent quite seriously."

Ye Zichen looked at the corpses. One of them had even been an Early-stage Half-Immortal, yet he had still died on the way back.

The Great Chu Imperial Dynasty placed great importance on the Western Continent's situation, enough to send experts of this caliber to investigate.

Long Han stepped forward and examined them. After confirming that nothing was amiss, he was just about to leave.

Suddenly!

The corpse actually attacked Long Han. Strengthened after death by the poisonous gas in the air, it had directly become a Middle-Stage Half-Immortal.

"It seems this stuff is deadly to the Human Race, but quite useful to corpses."

Seeing this, Ye Zichen began to ponder.

Long Han reacted swiftly, turning his hand and crushing the corpse's bones to dust. But exposed to the poisonous gas, they would soon be restored.

It can't die? Long Han was surprised.

The disturbance drew a vast horde of corpses from the surrounding area.

Ye Zichen was in no hurry to act, because...

"Poison Separation!"

A masked woman suddenly rushed out, then quickly shouted, "Go, quickly! I've temporarily dispersed the poisonous gas in this area!"

Long Han was surprised that the woman possessed such an ability, and that her cultivation had also reached Late-Stage Half-Immortal!

Ye Zichen's lips curled up, and he said, "Thank you for saving us, heroine."

He had already noticed the woman just now and had been waiting for her to act.

"She follows the path of poison? Interesting."

Ye Zichen and Long Han followed her out of the area. Under her lead, the three arrived at the Western Continent's last remaining major city, Poison Control City.

Once inside the city, the woman removed her veil first and let out a long sigh. "Phew! That was exhausting. Hey, you two aren't wearing veils or masks to block the poisonous gas. You're from outside, right?"

Long Han answered, "That's right, miss. We came from the Central Continent to have a look around."

"Have a look around? Hahahaha, that's the first time I've heard of anyone coming to the Western Continent for a look around. You must be really capable."

The woman laughed delightedly, without the slightest concern for her image.

"I am Long Han. May I ask your name, miss?"

"So formal. My name is Zhao Qianxue. The people in the city also call me the Poison Fairy. Call me whatever you like."

"What is that veil?"

"Oh, this? It's a little thing that keeps poisonous gas out. It doesn't last long, though-you can only stay outside for less than half a day. I made it. Not bad, right?"

The Poison Fairy spoke proudly.

"Something like that really is a fine thing for the people in the city. Miss Poison Fairy, you are truly remarkable."

Long Han gave her an admiring salute.

Passing over Long Han, the Poison Fairy came up to Ye Zichen and asked with a teasing note, "What is your name, young master?"

She had noticed this unbelievably handsome man earlier.

Now that they were safe, she naturally wanted to ask his name.

Ye Zichen ignored her, dodged the hand she was about to place on his shoulder, and walked farther into the city.

"Sorry, Miss Poison Fairy. The young master prefers quiet."

He then followed after Ye Zichen.

"Hmph, so cold. It's not like I like him anyway."

The Poison Fairy grumbled, then followed them as well.

Inside an inn, the three sat together.

Long Han asked, "Miss Poison Fairy, the people on the street all seemed to hold you in great esteem. What position do you hold in this city?"

"Oh, that? It's nothing much. I suppose I'm half a city lord!"

The Poison Fairy shrugged, as if it were no big deal.

"How could the Poison Fairy's reputation be undeserved? Even with only minor mastery of the Poison Control Technique, combined with your Myriad Poison Immortal Physique, won't the future burden of the Western Continent rest in your hands?"

Ye Zichen's voice was neither loud nor soft, but his words greatly surprised Long Han! The Poison Fairy also went on guard, as if facing a formidable enemy.

"You... how did you know?"

Her usual manner gone, the Poison Fairy stared at Ye Zichen with utter seriousness.

"Wasn't your mother the very culprit?"

Ye Zichen spoke words that would shock the world in a calm voice.

"Nonsense! My mother was framed!"

The Poison Fairy suddenly flew into a rage and slapped the table. Long Han immediately stepped in front of Ye Zichen.

After calming down a little, the Poison Fairy slowly sat down and asked softly, "May I ask where you heard that, senior?"

"From your heart."

Ye Zichen answered truthfully. He had indeed obtained the answer from her heart.

Poison Fairy: ?

The Poison Fairy simply assumed that the young master didn't want to tell her, so she didn't press him further.

The atmosphere was terribly awkward. In the end, Long Han spoke up. "Might I ask whether you can quell the turmoil in the Western Continent in the future, Miss Poison Fairy?"

The Poison Fairy shook her head and replied, "I don't know either. As this young master said, I've only ever attained initial mastery of the Poison Control Technique. Even with the Myriad Poison Immortal Physique, I'm afraid it will be difficult to dispel this poisonous gas within a hundred years."

The more the Poison Fairy said, the more dejected she became. How could she not want to bring this sin to an end as soon as possible?

But no one could help her. On her own, it was too slow, too difficult.

"But there's something I've always wanted. Now that you two are here, I might be able to get it ahead of time!"

The Poison Fairy chuckled, looking quite crafty.