Jia Ma Empire, Holy City
Outside a luxurious inn in the southern district.
"This guy's way too paranoid. He's practically circled half the city!" Xiao Yan muttered, watching the gray-robed figure slip into the inn. Is he delusional or what? Who's this cautious?
Even Xiao Yan, ever prudent, felt outdone.
"He's got a guilty conscience," Xiao Bai said with a cold smirk. The man had stuck to crowded routes the entire way, leaving no opening to act.
"Guilty conscience?" Xiao Yan blinked, puzzled by the phrase.
"You'll see once we're inside."
Sensing the figure had entered a room, Xiao Bai stepped forward, striding into the inn.
Xiao Yan shook his head, suppressing his confusion, and hurried to keep up.
At the end of the second-floor corridor, Xiao Bai glanced at a translucent thread on the doorframe, ignoring it. He pressed his palm to the door, a surge of force erupting from his hand.
Bang!
A faint sound, and the inner bolt crumbled to dust.
"Who's there?!"
A furious, panicked shout erupted from within.
With a gentle push, the door creaked open.
Xiao Bai strolled in leisurely, his gaze sweeping the room.
Before the bed stood a youthful-looking boy, eyes wary, staring at him. The gray robe he'd worn was carelessly tossed onto the bed.
"Tch, really seventeen?" Xiao Yan stepped in, marveling at the young face.
"It's you!"
The boy's pupils flickered as he recognized Xiao Yan, sneering, "What, sore loser from the conference? Here for private revenge?"
"I—" Xiao Yan faltered, at a loss. By Brother Bai's plan, they were here to deal with this guy, and the thought brought a twinge of shame.
His eyes darted, then he puffed out his chest, arms crossed, and said haughtily, "That's right! We're here for payback. What're you gonna do about it?"
"You—"
The boy's eyes widened, finger pointing at Xiao Yan, rendered speechless by the shameless admission. Xiao Yan's smug expression fueled his outrage. This bastard's proud of it?
After a moment, the boy's gaze shifted to the black-robed youth beside him, a flicker of deep wariness in his eyes.
He'd seen this man at the conference, seated with Fa Ma—a figure of status. Has my secret been exposed?
"You think the Alchemist Guild won't be furious if you do this?" he asked, his mind racing, face calm but probing cautiously.
"The Alchemist Guild furious?"
A chair flew into Xiao Bai's hand, and he sat with deliberate ease, his playful gaze fixed on the tense boy. "Kill you, and they might thank me instead. Isn't that right… Yan Li?"
At the name, the boy's pupils shrank to pinpricks, his face paling. His heart pounded. Not only did he see through my disguise, he knows my identity!
Xiao Yan blinked, bewildered. Yan Li? Who's that? Wasn't Brother Bai here to help him deal with the "problem"? He'd just swallowed his shame, moved by Brother Bai's supposed loyalty, and admitted to underhanded tactics!
Is this jerk toying with my emotions again?
Ignoring Xiao Yan's glare, Xiao Bai watched the boy, whose panic made him seem at a loss.
In a flash, the boy swallowed a red blur—a pill.
"Youth Restoration Pill!" Xiao Bai noted.
"Cough, you—"
The boy's face twisted in shock, nearly choking on the pill as Xiao Bai named it outright.
"Who are you? Did Fa Ma send you?"
As he spoke, his youthful face began to distort grotesquely, his body stretching taller.
Soon, the "seventeen-year-old" boy transformed into a grim-faced middle-aged man before Xiao Yan's stunned eyes.
"There is a ghost…" Xiao Yan muttered, eyes wide, piecing it together. Brother Bai's words at the inn's entrance and this scene clicked—he'd known this guy was shady all along.
This bastard tricked me again!
He'd played the "heartbroken" card, claiming he'd tracked this guy for Xiao Yan's championship dream, making him feel all warm and fuzzy.
Xiao Yan whipped around, glaring daggers at Xiao Bai, teeth grinding. Give me back my emotions!
Just then, a powerful aura surged, forcing Xiao Yan back two steps. He turned, shocked.
Dou Ling… with a hint of Dou Wang's presence!
"Much better in my true form. At least I can use my full strength now," the middle-aged man said, cracking his neck with a sinister grin. "Heh, too late to realize now, isn't it?"
He didn't know how this youth uncovered his identity, but judging by his young face, Yan Li was confident he could take them both. "Foolish. Knowing who I am, you still came alone. And you waited until I restored myself with the pill. I should thank you!"
"Nine-Star Dou Ling gives you this much confidence?" Xiao Bai said with a faint smile, his soul force erupting from his consciousness.
Yan Li's smug expression froze, his grin stiffening.
The mountainous pressure crushed him. He struggled to lift his head, staring at the black-robed youth on the chair, disbelief flooding his eyes.
"This… soul force!"
"Who are you? Since when did Jia Ma produce someone like you?"
As a peak fourth-grade alchemist, his soul force surpassed most Dou Wangs. Yet this pressure was like facing a towering peak—his soul trembled, fragile as paper, ready to shatter at a touch.
Too lazy for chatter, Xiao Bai beckoned. The storage ring on Yan Li's finger flew off, streaking into his hand.
A tendril of soul force probed the ring, shattering the soul imprint with a brutal strike.
"Pfft!"
The mental backlash hit Yan Li hard. His already pale face turned ashen, dizziness overwhelming him as a metallic taste surged, and he spat a mouthful of blood.
"Haha, you didn't disappoint!"
A slight smirk curved Xiao Bai's lips as he flipped his hand, revealing a dark, three-leafed herb glowing with a dreamy, ethereal light.
"Phantom Spirit Grass!"
Yao Lao's voice rang with delight. He finally understood why Xiao Bai was here—to secure this herb!
"So that's the Phantom Spirit Grass!" Xiao Yan's eyes lit up, forgetting his grudge. He stepped closer to inspect the herb.
This was tied to his teacher's recovery—nothing mattered more!
"Cough… you came for the Phantom Spirit Grass?"
Yan Li felt as if a herd of magical beasts had trampled his heart. Why didn't you say it was for this damn grass?
It wasn't even valuable! In Chu Yun, it cost a few tens of thousands of gold coins. Did they need a powerhouse like this for it?
He'd thought the Alchemist Guild was after him! The red pill he'd just swallowed was worth dozens of Phantom Spirit Grasses!
"Tell me, what happened in the Nether Swamp? Why hasn't a single Phantom Spirit Grass been found in Jia Ma lately?" Xiao Bai asked, pocketing the herb and toying with the ring, his calm gaze fixed on Yan Li.
A few days ago, Ya Fei had mentioned the Nether Swamp, and he'd kept it in mind. As for the ring's contents, he'd checked—plenty of toxic herbs, but nothing particularly rare. Of course, "rare" was relative to his standards.
Yan Li, a notable figure in Chu Yun's Alchemist Guild, championed alchemist-poison master collaboration, earning him favor among poison masters and making him a strong candidate for the next guild president.
A flash of realization crossed Yan Li's eyes. This man must urgently need the Phantom Spirit Grass, couldn't find it in Jia Ma, and targeted him after learning his identity.
"Could my lord retract his soul force? I'm struggling to bear it," Yan Li said hoarsely, legs trembling as if he'd collapse any moment, relieved this wasn't about the Alchemist Guild.
This youth looked young but was likely some old monster in disguise. His cultivation was unfathomably eerie, surpassing even some Dou Huangs Yan Li had met. Even a sixth-grade alchemist's soul force couldn't match this intensity.
Xiao Bai waved a hand, and the pressure vanished. Yan Li wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
If this was the Jia Ma Alchemist Guild's doing, he had contingencies. But this man's strength and attitude showed no allegiance to the guild—he didn't seem to care about it at all.
The threats Yan Li had prepared died on his tongue, fearing he'd provoke this man into killing him.
"My lord, half a year ago, something unknown happened deep in the Nether Swamp. High-tier poisonous beasts and insects fled the depths, roaming outward. These creatures are powerful—some sixth-tier, and rumors even speak of a seventh-tier beast. Few dare venture deep now, causing a sharp drop in the swamp's herb supply," Yan Li explained.
"Phantom Spirit Grass, key for crafting hallucinogenic poisons, comes mainly from the Nether Swamp. Even in Chu Yun, it's scarce now, let alone sold to Jia Ma."
"Seventh-tier?" Xiao Bai frowned. A beast of that rank—equivalent to a human Dou Zong—roaming free didn't align with his initial guess.
Hearing "Nether Swamp," he'd thought of a Heavenly Flame: the Ghostly Poison Flame, ranked twentieth. But a seventh-tier beast fleeing suggested this wasn't about a flame that low on the list. It wouldn't inspire such fear.
"Hasn't Chu Yun sent experts to investigate?" Xiao Bai asked, puzzled. Chu Yun's roster of powerhouses likely outstripped Jia Ma's.
Even if wary, an anomaly in a treasure trove like the Nether Swamp should draw adventurers seeking opportunities. The world never lacked those driven by greed or daring, willing to risk their lives for great rewards.
Yan Li nodded. "They have. The Nether Swamp, steeped in ages of toxic miasma, is a paradise for poisonous beasts, rarely trodden by humans. No one knows what lies in its depths. But even the explored areas have yielded countless treasures and relics of fallen experts. With this anomaly, theories abound—some say a supreme treasure emerged, others that a dominant beast awoke, or an ancient expert's abode surfaced. Opinions vary."
"It's said the old Poison Sect leader, stuck at peak Dou Huang with his lifespan waning and no hope of breaking through, ventured in for a last gamble, hoping for a relic to reach Dou Zong. But there's been no word since, and the Poison Sect nearly collapsed as a result."
"The Poison Sect, huh?"
The familiar name stirred Xiao Bai's memories, conjuring a gentle, delicate face. That girl was nearing Dou Wang when I left.
"My lord… you know the Poison Sect?" Yan Li asked hesitantly, noting Xiao Bai's expression.
Xiao Yan glanced over, confused. When did Brother Bai get involved with Chu Yun's Poison Sect? He's never been there.
"No," Xiao Bai said, shaking his head under their skeptical stares.
Then why the nostalgic look?
"Good, because since their old leader vanished, the Poison Sect's practically done for. It's about to be swallowed by the Ten Thousand Poison Sect," Yan Li added.
"Heh, Ten Thousand Poison Sect," Xiao Bai said with a faint, noncommittal smile. He knew, due to Cai Lin, he'd likely cross paths with that sect eventually.
As for the Poison Sect, if it was gone, so be it. Xian'er wasn't their leader now, so their fate meant nothing to him.
His eyes flicked to Yan Li. This guy, as Chu Yun's guild vice-president, was well-informed, making him more valuable alive than dead.
After a moment's thought, Xiao Bai beckoned. "Come here."
Yan Li swallowed hard, staring into Xiao Bai's deep eyes, unsure of his intent. After a brief internal struggle, he shuffled forward reluctantly.
As he neared, Xiao Bai stood, his right hand forming a sword gesture, fingers aiming slowly yet swiftly at Yan Li's brow.
Yan Li's face paled, instinctively wanting to retreat, but that familiar pressure pinned him in place. Bracing his soul force to resist, he heard a sharp rebuke: "Don't resist unless you want to become an idiot!"
Startled, Yan Li dispersed his soul force, watching helplessly as Xiao Bai's fingers tapped between his eyes.
A foreign presence bloomed in his consciousness. Suppressing panic, he probed inward, finding a mysterious, intricately patterned seal floating there.
"What… what is this?"
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