Arc 34The Poison Duel

Li Yan advanced to Golden Core, traveled to Sacred Devil City, and became entangled in Falling Star Valley’s dispute with the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan. He defeated their poisons in a three-on-one contest, but the duel remained unresolved as he rose to face the weakened survivors.

  • Li Yan discovered that his breakthrough had transformed his Dantian and advanced his Qiongqi Purgatory Art, then tested his new strength and investigated his Disjointed Poison Body.
  • Li Yan experimented with the body’s illusory white mist and began studying the Guiyi Water-Parting Spike and its companion soul art.
  • After stabilizing his Golden Core, Li Yan agreed to deliver Falling Star Valley’s goods to Holy Demon City and learned that a guarded array there connected the Lost Continent to the Verdant Continent.
  • Li Yan traveled to Saint Demon City with fifteen Falling Star Valley disciples and worked with Su Yuan and Xie Tongyi on the sect’s business and potential ties with Sacred Demon Palace.
  • When Jiao Wuxing attacked Su Yuan over the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan’s trade dispute, Li Yan beat him and accepted a duel at Chain Pearl Peak.
  • Elder Dragon Wyrm changed the duel into a poison contest, and Li Yan proposed facing Jiao Wuxing, Xi Ye, and Old Dragon Floodwyrm together with their remaining trade share at stake.
  • Li Yan survived the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan’s poisons and his concealed toxins killed Jiao Wuxing, while Old Dragon Floodwyrm used a nameless pill to save himself and Xi Ye.
  • Li Yan recognized that the pill had weakened his poisons and that Old Dragon Floodwyrm and Xi Ye were still vulnerable, then stood as the onlookers waited to see what he would do.
Chapters 826–850 Vol. 9 Read

Ch. 826Washed in clear ripples, yet never gaudy

Li Yan inspected his newly formed golden core, discovering a five-colored, five-petaled lotus and a vast Dantian sea after advancing to the Golden Core Realm. He also found that the Qiongqi Purgatory Art had reached its third level and tested his greatly strengthened body before turning his attention to the Disjointed Poison Body.

  • Li Yan examined his Dantian and found a five-petaled, five-colored lotus surrounding his golden core, along with five spiritual-power channels and an enormous Dantian sea.
  • Li Yan reflected on the resources behind his breakthrough, including the Gui Water True Scripture, the Qiongqi Purgatory Art, and two drops of Undying Underworld Phoenix blood essence.
  • Li Yan discovered that the Qiongqi Purgatory Art had advanced to its third level and tested his physical strength, sending a powerful strike into his cave residence's barrier.
  • Li Yan compared his strength with Gong Chenying's and believed he could now defeat Teng Wuji through physical strength alone.
  • Li Yan directed his divine sense toward his chest to inspect how the Disjointed Poison Body had developed after his breakthrough.

Ch. 827You'll Know Once You Try

Li Yan tested the newly separated pale mist from his Fragmented Poison Body and discovered it had no apparent effect on objects, creatures, or souls. He realized it affected the Flying Scythe Blood Mantis’s perception, then summoned the Snow Mosquito King, whose boast about its strength ended with Li Yan effortlessly beating it into submission.

  • Li Yan found that the pale mist neither corroded a wooden sword, drained a spirit stone, harmed a butterfly, nor injured the Flying Scythe Blood Mantis’s soul.
  • Li Yan noticed the Flying Scythe Blood Mantis felt happy in the mist and seemed to see others of its kind, then summoned the Snow Mosquito King to investigate further.
  • The Snow Mosquito King woke from its daze, mistook Li Yan’s unchanged aura for a lack of progress, and boasted that its own cultivation had advanced greatly.
  • The Snow Mosquito King challenged Li Yan to test its strength, but Li Yan slapped it down, caught its proboscis during a sneak attack, and overwhelmed it.
  • The Snow Mosquito King realized Li Yan’s cultivation had advanced far beyond its own and wondered whether Li Yan had formed a Golden Core.

Ch. 828The uses of poison

Li Yan tested the illusion poison produced by his Disjointed Poison Body and learned to control its mist and shape the illusions it created. Afterward, he received the Golden Core Realm cultivation formulas and discovered the Subduing Wave Soul-Killing immortal art, which complemented his Guiyi Water-Parting Spike.

  • Li Yan warned the Snow Mosquito King against betraying him and sent it into the white mist to test the poison.
  • Li Yan realized the mist caused an illusion after the Snow Mosquito King repeatedly spoke to empty space.
  • Over three days, Li Yan tested the poison on Snow Mosquitoes and found that its illusions followed their thoughts and wore off at different rates depending on their mental strength and cultivation.
  • Li Yan learned he could change the mist's density, make it colorless, and shape its illusions, though doing so consumed Divine Sense and soul power.
  • Li Yan accessed the Golden Core Realm Qi Refinement formulas in his sea of consciousness and found the Subduing Wave Soul-Killing immortal art, which he recognized as a companion art for the Guiyi Water-Parting Spike.

Ch. 829Golden Core Zhang Ming

Li Yan cultivated after forming his core, while Falling Star Valley announced Zhang Ming’s advancement and held a ceremony that drew attention from across the cultivation world. At the ceremony, Li Yan quietly dissolved Feng Tao’s oath and met with Golden Core cultivators, who recognized Zhang Ming as a formidable young body cultivator.

  • Li Yan studied the Guiyi Water-Parting Spike and began cultivating with the Golden Core Realm formula of the Gui Water True Scripture.
  • Xing Ming announced that a Falling Star Valley cultivator had formed a core, distributed invitations, and allowed speculation about the mysterious Zhang Ming to spread.
  • At the Elder Heaven-Worship Ceremony, Li Yan briefly appeared and nodded to Feng Tao, releasing her from their oath.
  • Feng Tao felt her inner turmoil disappear and gratefully saluted Zhang Ming, while Zhu Luomu and his junior martial siblings recalled how he had saved them.
  • Li Yan joined Xing Ming and visiting Golden Core cultivators in the rear hall to exchange cultivation insights; they learned of his body-cultivation prowess and young age.

Ch. 830Star Mantis's Matter

Three years after becoming a Grand Elder, Li Yan had stabilized his Golden Core, advanced his cultivation, and increased his strength while waiting for a chance to investigate Zhao Min’s disappearance. Star Mantis asked him to escort valuable sect goods and several disciples to Holy Demon City, and Li Yan agreed, gaining an opportunity to pursue his own inquiries there.

  • Li Yan spent three years in seclusion stabilizing his realm, cultivating Fubo Soul-Slaying, refining Undying Nether Phoenix essence blood, and practicing the Qiongqi Purgatory Art.
  • Star Mantis visited Li Yan at Starlit Cave and praised his qi-concealing method after sensing his elusive aura.
  • Star Mantis explained that he needed to refine four Fire-Washing Pills for Six Coil Hall and could no longer escort a Buddhist kasaya and two Seven Dragon Bone-Forging Pills to Holy Demon City.
  • Li Yan agreed to deliver the sect’s goods to Holy Demon City in Star Mantis’s place.
  • Star Mantis asked Li Yan to bring several disciples along, and Li Yan agreed.

Ch. 831Cross-Realm Teleportation Array

Li Yan asked Xing Ming about the cross-realm teleportation array and explained that he hoped to find news of his missing master and grandmaster. Xing Ming revealed the array’s history, location, and restrictions, leaving Li Yan to consider why only Nascent Soul Realm cultivators could realistically use it.

  • Li Yan told Xing Ming he wanted to investigate whether the Lost Continent had an array connecting it to another realm.
  • Li Yan explained that his master and grandmaster had come from another realm and that he hoped the array might provide clues to their whereabouts.
  • Xing Ming revealed that the array connected the Lost Continent to the Verdant Continent and had been built during the ancient war between the primitive Devil Race and the Verdant Continent.
  • Xing Ming explained that the array stood on a subsidiary peak in Holy Devil City, where Nascent Soul Realm cultivators guarded it.
  • Xing Ming said Spirit Transformation cultivators could not use the array and that, despite the permission for lower realms, only Nascent Soul Realm cultivators could actually travel through it.

Ch. 832The Question Li Yan Asked (Part One)

Li Yan learned that cross-realm teleportation demanded rare spirit stones and a body strong enough to survive, making it unlikely his master had left the Lost Continent without protection. Xingming then began explaining a secret account of why the Black and White Devil Races divided their lands, ending with a mysterious Human Race cultivator’s intervention.

  • Xingming told Li Yan that cross-realm teleportation required two thousand high-grade spirit stones or one Supreme-Grade Spirit Stone, as well as a Nascent Soul-level body or protection.
  • Li Yan asked why the White Devil Race and Black Devil Race treated humans differently and why the White Devil Race seemed to be distancing itself.
  • Xingming warned Li Yan to keep the account private and reviewed how the Xiahou Aristocratic Clan became the Black Devil Race after withdrawing from its war with the primordial Devil Race.
  • Li Yan recited the common explanations for the withdrawal: the threat of Spirit Transformation cultivators self-destructing and the destructive treasure inside Holy Devil Palace.
  • Xingming described another account in which an unknown, powerful Human Race cultivator accepted a bargain from a primordial Devil Race elder and left Xiahou Shangxie a letter urging the two sides to divide the land.

Ch. 833Li Yan's Question (Part Two)

Star Ming explained how a powerful Human Race cultivator had saved the White Devil Race and why the Holy Devil Palace’s stance toward Human Race cultivators had become uncertain. Li Yan realized the cross-world formation was beyond his reach for now, decided to find Senior Sister, and went to the sect master’s hall the next morning.

  • Star Ming told Li Yan that Xiahou Shangxie had linked the rebuilt Holy Devil Palace formation to a mysterious Human Race expert and had failed to infiltrate it.
  • Star Ming explained that the expert had ordered the White Devil Race to conceal his role, but Xiahou Shangxie’s deduction helped turn Human Race cultivators into targets of the Black Devil Race.
  • Star Ming described the factions within the White Devil Race over whether to protect Human Race cultivators and warned Li Yan not to spread the uncertain account.
  • After Star Ming left, Li Yan worried that the cross-world formation required vast high-grade spirit stones and a Nascent Soul Cultivator to protect him during transport.
  • Li Yan decided to find Senior Sister first, cultivated overnight, and flew to the sect master’s hall the next morning.
  • When four guards challenged Li Yan at the hall, he revealed a pale-blue token marked with five stars.

Ch. 834Setting Off

Li Yan arrived at the sect master's hall and was appointed to lead fifteen Falling Star Valley disciples to Sacred Devil City. He departed with them aboard the Cloud-Piercing Willow, leaving Xing Ming impressed by the treasure and more confident in Li Yan's background.

  • Li Yan showed his Elder Zhang token to the guards, learned that Xing Ming and fifteen disciples were inside, and entered the hall.
  • Xing Ming warned the disciples not to provoke cultivators in Sacred Devil City, explained that the White Devil Race usually favored humans when they had reason on their side, and named Li Yan as their leader.
  • Li Yan recognized Feng Tao and an Affairs Hall steward among the five Foundation Establishment cultivators, while Feng Tao worried that he might hold a grudge over their past encounters.
  • Xing Ming gave Li Yan a Storage Pouch, and Li Yan summoned the Cloud-Piercing Willow and invited the disciples aboard.
  • Li Yan flew toward Sacred Devil City with the disciples, while Xing Ming recognized the treasure's exceptional quality and reflected on Li Yan's likely background.

Ch. 835An unexpected acquaintance

Li Yan brought Falling Star Valley disciples to Saint Demon City on the Cloud-piercing Willow, while Xing Ming inferred Zhang Ming’s sect came from the Qingqing Continent from the treasure’s aura. At the sect’s shop, Li Yan reunited with the former Shattered Star Chamber steward Su Yuan, who recognized him as the newly appointed Elder Zhang.

  • Xing Ming recognized the Cloud-piercing Willow’s artifact-refining methods and deduced from it that Zhang Ming’s sect had originated on the Qingqing Continent.
  • Li Yan flew to Saint Demon City with fifteen Falling Star Valley disciples, reaching the city in three days while thinking of his senior sister.
  • Li Yan followed Xing Ming’s jade slip to Falling Star Valley’s shop and led the disciples through it to the rear courtyard.
  • Su Yuan and another Foundation Establishment cultivator came out to greet Li Yan, and Su Yuan recognized him from the Shattered Star Chamber.
  • Su Yuan recalled that a sect message had identified Li Yan as the newly advanced Golden Core Realm Elder Zhang.

Ch. 836Su Yuan and Xie Tongyi

Su Yuan and Xie Tongyi welcomed Li Yan and the sect’s fifteen trainees to Holy Demon City, where Li Yan handed over the sect’s supplies and instructions. After reading Xing Ming’s message, Su Yuan planned lodging and a banquet while preparing to follow Li Yan’s arrangements.

  • Su Yuan’s skill managing Falling Star Valley’s shop in Holy Demon City earned him the position for years, and he reached the False Core Realm with benefits from the post.
  • Su Yuan recognized Li Yan as Elder Zhang and welcomed him alongside Xie Tongyi, while Xie Tongyi grew envious of their apparent old connection.
  • Su Yuan and Xie Tongyi arranged for Feng Tao and the other cultivators to settle in, then escorted Li Yan to the pavilion’s sixth floor.
  • Li Yan gave Su Yuan the Storage Pouch and jade slip, leaving Su Yuan and Xie Tongyi uncertain whether to inspect the supplies in front of him.
  • Su Yuan read Xing Ming’s instructions to arrange lodging, obey Li Yan’s decisions, and ensure Elder Zhang attended the transaction with Master Wanxiang of Longhua Temple.
  • Su Yuan decided to host a banquet for the arriving cultivators and focus on serving Li Yan well.

Ch. 837Xie Tongyi's Complaint

Li Yan questioned Su Yuan and Xie Tongyi about the shop and Sacred Demon City, then asked them to compile information on Sacred Demon Palace cultivators. Su Yuan revealed he was nearing a connection with the palace, leaving Li Yan cautiously interested but unconvinced until the arrangement was finalized.

  • Su Yuan showed Li Yan the crimson kasaya, and Su Yuan and Xie Tongyi inspected it together and found no flaws.
  • Su Yuan and Xie Tongyi briefed Li Yan on the shop and the factions in Sacred Demon City.
  • Li Yan asked about making connections with Sacred Demon Palace, and Xie Tongyi said their attempts had made little progress beyond reaching some Golden Core Realm cultivators.
  • Li Yan told the two Deacons to compile descriptions of every Sacred Demon Palace cultivator they knew and promised them credit for useful discoveries.
  • Su Yuan revealed that he had been negotiating with the Sacred Demon Palace and that the matter was nearing a decision, surprising Xie Tongyi and prompting Li Yan to tell him to speak freely.

Ch. 838News That Stirred the Heart

Su Yuan revealed that Falling Star Valley could win a major pill-supply contract with the Holy Demon Palace, and Li Yan agreed to support him while seeking a chance to enter the palace. Two days later, Li Yan received the information he had requested from Xie Tongyi and continued watching him closely.

  • Su Yuan told Li Yan and Xie Tongyi that the Holy Demon Palace might award Falling Star Valley a twenty-percent share of its low- and mid-grade pill supply if two fourth-grade pills passed testing.
  • Li Yan confirmed that the Seven Dragon Bone-Forging Pills met the impurity requirements and asked Su Yuan about the palace’s suppliers, delivery arrangements, and the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan’s role.
  • Su Yuan explained that the contract share would be taken from the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan, which had not agreed to surrender it, and asked Li Yan for guidance.
  • Li Yan ordered Xie Tongyi to assist Su Yuan fully, avoid prying into confidential matters, and report any problems to him.
  • Over the next two days, Li Yan failed to approach the Holy Demon Palace, while Su Yuan handled the contract and Xie Tongyi gathered information for Li Yan.
  • Xie Tongyi gave Li Yan a jade slip, and Li Yan noted that he had kept watch over Xie Tongyi with a Divine Sense mark.

Ch. 839Master Wanxiang

Li Yan reviewed intelligence on Holy Devil Palace cultivators but found no convincing lead on Zhao Min, then met Master Wanxiang to discuss refining a kasaya. Their conversation turned to body cultivation before a disturbance erupted in the shop, leaving its cause unknown.

  • Li Yan searched the jade slip's records for Zhao Min and copied the names of twenty-three female cultivators at the false core and early Gold Core stages for later investigation.
  • Xie Tongyi announced Master Wanxiang's arrival, and Li Yan received the Longhua Temple monk in a side room.
  • Li Yan handed Master Wanxiang the crimson kasaya, sensed the monk's powerful Buddhist awareness, and learned that yin fire from Falling Star Valley's earthfire vein suited its final refinement.
  • Master Wanxiang and Li Yan discussed body cultivation for six hours while Xie Tongyi waited outside.
  • An unexpected disturbance broke out in the shop as Li Yan and Master Wanxiang continued their conversation.

Ch. 840Master, can we kill people in the city?

Li Yan and Master Wanxiang ended their discussion of body cultivation just as Jiao Wuxing attacked Su Yuan in Falling Star Valley’s shop. After learning Jiao Wuxing’s identity and the likely cause of the assault, Li Yan asked whether they could kill people in Saint Demon City, leaving the assembled cultivators stunned.

  • Li Yan and Master Wanxiang exchanged cultivation insights, then prepared to part on friendly terms.
  • Jiao Wuxing burst into the shop and struck Su Yuan, leaving him bloodied and the stone floor cracked.
  • Li Yan and Master Wanxiang appeared between Jiao Wuxing and Su Yuan, while Xie Tongyi identified Jiao Wuxing as a member of the Ghost Flood Dragon Race.
  • Jiao Wuxing accused Su Yuan of interfering with his race’s business and warned Li Yan not to meddle.
  • Li Yan inferred that Su Yuan’s dealings involved the Holy Devil Palace and asked Master Wanxiang whether they could kill people in the city, shocking everyone present.

Ch. 841Explosive Shock

Li Yan violently defeated Jiao Wuxing after the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan cultivator mocked him and challenged him in Master Wanxiang’s shop. As Demon Guard Army members arrived to restore order, Li Yan faced the trouble his attack had caused.

  • Jiao Wuxing mistook Li Yan for Falling Star Valley’s sect master Xing Ming and mocked him, while Master Wanxiang warned that fighting in the city could be settled with spirit stones.
  • Li Yan ignored Master Wanxiang’s attempt to mediate and kicked Jiao Wuxing, shattering his knee and sending him flying out of the shop.
  • Li Yan pursued Jiao Wuxing and struck him in the face, leaving him bloodied and badly injured on the stone street.
  • Master Wanxiang, Su Yuan, Xie Tongyi, and the gathered onlookers were stunned by Li Yan’s strength as Jiao Wuxing struggled to his feet.
  • Master Wanxiang identified the approaching figures as the Demon Guard Army, which enforced order in the city.

Ch. 842An Arranged Duel (1)

Li Yan, disguised as Zhang Ming, fought Jiao Wuxing after the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan cultivator attacked the shop, and both men were fined by the Devil Guard. Jiao Wuxing proposed a duel to settle their dispute over a client, and Li Yan accepted for the next day despite warnings that the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan might bring powerful reinforcements.

  • Li Yan introduced himself to Jiao Wuxing as Zhang Ming of Falling Star Valley after their clash, and the Devil Guard fined both sides five thousand spirit stones for fighting in the city.
  • Jiao Wuxing accused Zhang Ming's sect of backing Su Yuan, but Li Yan insisted that clients could choose whom to do business with.
  • Jiao Wuxing challenged Li Yan to a duel, with the loser withdrawing from the business dispute; Master Wanxiang explained that duels were held on the Holy Devil Palace's subsidiary peaks.
  • Li Yan accepted Jiao Wuxing's challenge for the next day, ignoring Su Yuan's and Xie Tongyi's alarm that the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan could bring reinforcements.
  • Master Wanxiang asked whether Sect Master Xingming was also in Saint Demon City.

Ch. 843A Duel (2)

Li Yan arranged a witnessed duel with Jiao Wuxing at Chain Pearl Peak after insisting that Master Wanxiang and other cultivators observe the outcome. The next day, Li Yan arrived with Su Yuan and Xie Tongyi to face Jiao Wuxing and his powerful allies, as the contest was about to begin.

  • Li Yan agreed to meet Jiao Wuxing at Chain Pearl Peak at the hour of the Rabbit, on the condition that Master Wanxiang witness the duel.
  • Master Wanxiang accepted after Li Yan explained the conflict between Falling Star Valley and the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan, and promised to bring trusted cultivators as witnesses.
  • Li Yan told Su Yuan and the other managers to stop discussing the matter, then set out the next morning with Su Yuan and Xie Tongyi.
  • At Chain Pearl Peak, Su Yuan identified Jiao Wuxing's allies, including the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan's Great Elder, Old Man Dragon Flood, and its elder Xi Ye.
  • Old Man Dragon Flood questioned Jiao Wuxing's injury, and Xi Ye openly mocked him for being hurt by Li Yan.

Ch. 844Elder Dragon Wyrm

Elder Dragon Wyrm interrupted the agreed fight between Li Yan and Jiao Wuxing and proposed a poison contest instead, hoping to secure the Ghost Wyrm Clan’s interests and torment Li Yan. The chapter ended with the Holy Devil Palace soldiers watching as Li Yan faced the choice of accepting or refusing the challenge.

  • Li Yan waited with Su Yuan and Xie Tongyi while Elder Dragon Wyrm’s group assessed him and the two sides prepared to fight.
  • Master Wanxiang arrived with Master Wanzang and Xie Fengkai to support Li Yan, and the group exchanged introductions.
  • Jiao Wuxing and Li Yan agreed to begin their fight, but Elder Dragon Wyrm stopped Jiao Wuxing before he could take the platform.
  • Elder Dragon Wyrm proposed settling the dispute through a contest related to pills, arguing that both sides should compete in their area of expertise.
  • Elder Dragon Wyrm specified a poison contest in which each side would make the other consume a toxin and then attempt to neutralize it.

Ch. 845Not the One Who Planted the Flowers

Li Yan accepted Elder Dragon Jiao’s proposed poison contest but demanded that all three Ghost Jiao Clan cultivators face him together, with an additional twenty percent of their Holy Devil Palace trade share at stake. Elder Dragon Jiao agreed, confident that his rare Pill-Obliterating Powder would kill Li Yan.

  • Su Yuan and Wanzang warned Li Yan that Elder Dragon Jiao and the Ghost Jiao Clan were skilled at refining deadly poisons.
  • Li Yan objected to changing the agreed contest, then offered to accept a poison contest if all three Ghost Jiao Clan members faced him and risked their remaining trade share.
  • Xi Ye protested Li Yan’s terms, but Li Yan challenged the Ghost Jiao Clan’s confidence and urged them to keep the original agreement if they refused.
  • Xie Fengkai and the monks recognized that Li Yan’s proposal could weaken or kill the Ghost Jiao Clan’s strongest fighters, while Elder Dragon Jiao realized Li Yan was making a calculated counterstroke.
  • Elder Dragon Jiao accepted the three-on-one poison contest and prepared to use one of his two remaining Pill-Obliterating Powder pills.

Ch. 846Spirit-Recovery Pills

Li Yan and the three members of the Ghost Floodwyrm Clan swore a heart-demon oath and began their poison duel. Li Yan poisoned them through Spirit-Recovery Pills, while the Old Dragon Floodwyrm and his companions unleashed a coordinated attack on Li Yan; the chapter ended as they swallowed his pills.

  • Li Yan recorded the poison duel's rules in a rune, and the Old Dragon Floodwyrm, Jiao Wuxing, and Xi Ye sealed the wager with their blood.
  • The Old Dragon Floodwyrm prepared Dan Annihilation Powder while Jiao Wuxing and Xi Ye readied their own poisons.
  • Li Yan tossed three identical Spirit-Recovery Pills to his opponents, concealing several deadly poisons inside each one.
  • The Old Dragon Floodwyrm sent Dan Annihilation Powder into Li Yan's mouth, Xi Ye splashed poison onto his neck, and Jiao Wuxing made him inhale a poison that attacked his sea of consciousness.
  • After Li Yan staggered from the combined attack, the Old Dragon Floodwyrm, Jiao Wuxing, and Xi Ye inspected his pills and swallowed one each.

Ch. 847A bright moon in the ripples of a water mirror

Li Yan was struck by three deadly poisons, but his Disjointed Poison Body and the Undying Underworld Phoenix’s blood essence fought them off. He hid his recovery from the onlookers, leaving them to believe he was still locked in a desperate struggle against the poison.

  • Old Dragon Wyrm and his companions poisoned Li Yan with attacks aimed at his body, sea of consciousness, and golden core.
  • Li Yan’s Disjointed Poison Body surrounded and devoured the Core-Annihilating Powder in his dantian.
  • The blue-and-red cord in Li Yan’s sea of consciousness destroyed the ghost-faced wyrm-serpent and absorbed the gray mist.
  • The poison in Li Yan’s neck stopped spreading, and the wound began healing under the Undying Underworld Phoenix’s blood essence.
  • Li Yan took pills and sat motionless, deliberately making his recovery appear slow while the onlookers believed the poison and antidote were at a stalemate.

Ch. 848Onset

Li Yan endured the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan’s three poisons while Old Man Long Jiao, Xi Ye, and Jiao Wuxing suffered the effects of the poison pills he had given them. The wager remained unresolved as the spectators watched to see who would last longer.

  • Li Yan used his Fragmented Poison Body to absorb the toxins, then pretended to take pills and meditate while the three Ghost Flood Dragon Clan members watched.
  • Old Man Long Jiao, Xi Ye, and Jiao Wuxing realized that Li Yan had survived their poisons, but each began suffering a different poisoning effect from the pills he had given them.
  • Jiao Wuxing’s skin broke out in red patches and his spiritual power faltered, so he swallowed several more pills to ease the pain.
  • Xi Ye struggled to breathe while Old Man Long Jiao fought the poison by striking points on his body and spraying green mist from his mouth.
  • Old Man Long Jiao identified his poison as one that attacked the three souls and seven spirits, while the Azure Water Crocodile Clan patriarch asked how long Zhang Ming could endure.

Ch. 849The Change in an Instant

Zhang Ming’s poison overwhelmed Jiao Wuxing, destroying his body and demon core despite Old Dragon Floodwyrm’s attempt to save him. Old Dragon Floodwyrm moved Xi Ye away from the spreading blood mist, then saw Jiao Wuxing’s remains and cried out in grief.

  • The observers debated the poison duel as Jiao Wuxing’s condition worsened and Old Dragon Floodwyrm appeared to be purging the poison.
  • Old Dragon Floodwyrm shouted for Jiao Wuxing to open his mouth and flicked him a pill, but Jiao Wuxing’s head burst before he could take it.
  • Jiao Wuxing’s body rapidly rotted away, and his demon core fled from the remains.
  • The bloody mist corroded Jiao Wuxing’s demon core, which fell onto the platform and dissolved into green fluid.
  • Old Dragon Floodwyrm carried Xi Ye away from the spreading mist, then turned back and cried out when he saw Jiao Wuxing’s remains.

Ch. 850Nameless Pill

Old Dragon Flood used the nameless pill to survive Li Yan’s poison and save Xi Ye, but he exhausted the pill’s remaining half in doing so. As both sides remained weakened, Li Yan began testing whether Zhang Ming had recovered enough to act.

  • Old Dragon Flood swallowed half of his nameless pill, neutralizing the poison attacking his soul.
  • When Xi Ye began to petrify and suffocate, Old Dragon Flood demanded an antidote from Zhang Ming, but Li Yan warned him that attacking would forfeit the spell duel.
  • Old Dragon Flood gave Xi Ye the last half of the nameless pill, and her petrification quickly receded.
  • Li Yan realized the pill had blunted his Fragmented Poison Body’s poison, then judged that its supply was likely exhausted while Old Dragon Flood and Xi Ye remained weak.
  • Li Yan stood up, prompting Su Yuan and Xie Tongyi to wonder whether Elder Zhang had detoxified himself as the onlookers watched for what would happen.
Arc 34 of 126