Heavenly Poison Scripture

"Then stay here! I'll go take a look, and I'll come get you when I leave."

Xiao Xuan naturally had no objection. Mo Xuan had the fighting strength of a true Dou Sheng. Could he really come to grief here so easily?

"If you've got nothing to do, check whether there are any traces of the Hun Clan nearby."

Xiao Xuan pondered for a moment and gave Mo Xuan this task. He had nothing better to do anyway. Then Xiao Xuan simulated the Hun Clan's presence so Mo Xuan could familiarize himself with it.

"No problem. Leave it to me."

Mo Xuan readily took it on, but soon realized the gravity of the matter. "The Hun Clan? Don't tell me they're still flourishing today!"

Even though Mo Xuan was only a medicinal pill, he still knew of the Emperor Clans and their fearsome reputation.

Whether he could beat them was another matter, but there were bound to be plenty among them with exceptionally high cultivation.

Their cultivation levels alone would be enough to suppress him.

Not to mention the various Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills passed down from their founding emperor. They were hard to deal with.

"This is the northwest, not the Central Plains!"

Xiao Xuan rolled his eyes in exasperation. Mo Xuan's brain, formed from a medicinal pill, just wasn't nimble enough.

If the Hun Clan really were powerful enough to station Dou Sheng at will even in a barren place like the northwest, that would mean the resources they had seized could produce several more Peak Dou Sheng, even if they couldn't help Hun Tiandi achieve a breakthrough.

But that was clearly impossible.

"The northwest? Right."

Realizing where he had gone wrong, Mo Xuan was a little embarrassed. In a small place like this, where he could barely sense even a few Dou Zong, there was no need to worry about provoking an enemy he couldn't resist.

Besides, with Xiao Xuan nearby, he would presumably have support soon enough even if a fight broke out.

He really had been like the man of Qi who feared the sky would fall.

"I'm off!"

After calling out to Mo Xuan, Xiao Xuan left with the two women.

"Why aren't you saying anything, Qing Lin? If we don't find anything in the Chu Yun Empire, we'll visit the Heavenly Snake Empire. I hear the Heavenly Snake Mansion there is quite good."

Xiao Xuan looked at his other little disciple, who had been quiet, and took the initiative to speak.

Had her disposition still not changed after all these days?

"Thank you, Master."

Qing Lin's timid voice was as endearing as ever.

"Oh, why are you being so polite with Master? Give him a hug to thank him." Xiao Yi Xian even gave her a push, deliberately teasing her.

"Senior Sister!"

The atmosphere began to liven up.

Poison Mountain Marsh.

It was a forbidden land famous even in the Chu Yun Empire. Countless poisonous beasts made their home there year-round, and even a Dou Zong might not fare well inside.

But for that very reason, it had become a paradise for poison masters.

Poison-attribute natural treasures appeared there one after another.

The trouble was that nearly all of them were guarded by terrifying poisonous beasts. Anyone who wanted to obtain them would have to pay a considerable price.

"A swamp?"

After Xiao Xuan stopped, Xiao Yi Xian frowned at the surroundings. She didn't like damp places; even her clothes had picked up moisture.

But there were traces of poison in the surrounding air. Though faint, they made Xiao Yi Xian feel like a fish in water.

"Would the Nether Poison Flame be born in a place like this?"

Xiao Yi Xian didn't know much about Heavenly Flames. She only knew their general attributes and rankings.

"Heavenly Flames aren't born only in magma. Many can only be nurtured under exceptionally favorable conditions."

Xiao Xuan stroked her little head as he explained.

"I see." But Xiao Yi Xian still only half understood.

Was it an incomparably vast formation?

After taking another look, Xiao Xuan noticed some clues.

It was a remarkably ingenious technique, making extensive use of the surrounding natural environment. Combined with a profound mastery of poison, it showed that the original owner of this place had attained considerable heights in the art of poison.

It was a pity that the owner hadn't possessed a Woeful Poison Body.

Xiao Xuan hadn't sensed a presence like his little disciple's within it.

Even so, it was impressive. Having cultivated the art of poison to such a level, the owner could offer Xiao Yi Xian plenty to learn from.

Poison Mountain Marsh contained more than 130 peaks, but just under half were merely decoys.

The heart of the formation lay in the eighty-one peaks arranged at special locations.

The fluctuations hidden within it were powerful enough to suppress a High-Level Dou Sheng if someone controlled the formation.

Perhaps even a somewhat weaker controller could use the power of a seven- or eight-star Dou Sheng to contend with a Peak Dou Sheng!

But that was as far as it could go. Away from this place, the controller would still be no match for one.

Even so, it was remarkable.

Unfortunately, no one had visited in ages, and the great formation had gradually fallen into disrepair. Now it could only give a Dou Zun some trouble.

Besides defense, the great formation also gathered the vital Qi of heaven and earth.

Interesting!

Xiao Xuan took a step with his two little disciples, following the spatial fluctuations into the central peak.

A simple cave dwelling stood at its summit.

Inside were only a few jade slips, with the remnants of plants and flowers beside them. A few poisonous herbs still grew scattered around.

"The Heavenly Poison Scripture?"

Xiao Xuan was somewhat disappointed. The owner had long since departed, leaving nothing behind except the cultivation method.

Rather stingy.

Had the owner wanted to find a successor and simply left a cultivation method behind at that?

But after briefly looking through the Heavenly Poison Scripture, Xiao Xuan's expression grew more serious.

It was very interesting, but unfortunately, the path of poison was not suited to Xiao Xuan.

It involved expending great effort to manipulate the power of heaven and earth to nurture sufficiently extraordinary natural treasures, or even applying that power to oneself and cultivating oneself as a natural treasure.

The creator of the Heavenly Poison Scripture had at least used this method to become a High-Level Dou Sheng.

But it revealed nothing whatsoever about what came afterward.

It stopped abruptly!

Xiao Xuan sighed, still wanting more.

Every Peak Dou Sheng who had cultivated normally, without relying on a bloodline, was exceptionally gifted. Each had reached the pinnacle in at least one field.

"It's an excellent cultivation method, far better than the one I gave you. Xiao Yi Xian, take it and cultivate it alongside the other one! They don't conflict."

Xiao Xuan handed the jade slip containing the Heavenly Poison Scripture to his little disciple, speaking highly of it.

Rather than a cultivation method for Dou Qi, it was more like an unconventional secret cultivation art, though very few people could make use of it.

But Xiao Yi Xian was certainly not among them. The Woeful Poison Body truly was a top-tier physique.

Reading between the lines of the Heavenly Poison Scripture, Xiao Xuan could tell that its owner had also wanted to evolve into a Woeful Poison Body. He just didn't know whether the owner had ultimately succeeded.

If only he could find what came next.

But the owner had most likely failed. Most Peak Dou Sheng were not as mysterious as Yun Yangtian of the Misty Cloud Sect; they at least left some reputation in the outside world.

Perhaps time had erased their traces.

But Xiao Xuan had learned nothing at all about the owner from his clan, so the owner had likely fallen before reaching the peak of the Dou Sheng realm.

Even so, the Heavenly Poison Scripture had the potential to bring someone to the peak of the Dou Sheng realm.

A predecessor had already failed, but there were still those who came after.

"The Heavenly Poison Scripture?"

Xiao Yi Xian accepted it carefully. She could tell they had entered some kind of ruins. Although the owner seemed rather poor, her master had such high praise for this cultivation method?

Before long, Xiao Yi Xian was absorbed in it.

After a glance, Xiao Xuan turned his gaze to the other parts of Poison Mountain Marsh.

But surely cultivation and natural treasures weren't enough reason to expend so much effort!

Besides, people at the Dou Sheng level had pursuits of their own.

Was the owner trying to cultivate a Nether Poison Flame?

Deep underground, where countless toxins had accumulated,

a deep green flame burned quietly!