“The poison from the Myriad Poison Ancestor sure is vicious. Do you have any good ideas, senior tree king?” Ru Xin asked with her arms crossed, rubbing her chin.
They were inside one of the tree holes beneath the great banyan tree, created from the huge, twisting tree roots. It was extremely spacious in there, and it was filled with the refreshing smell of tree resin.
Yin Qing laid on a platform composed of roots. Her body had been reduced to just a humanoid figure from the poison, and her aura was extremely weak. A drop of yellowish-green poison dripped onto the ground from her body and produced a plume of smoke.
As an asura, her body and vitality far surpassed regular cultivators or even Daemon Commanders, but she did not have an extraordinary cultivation method like the Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine or the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty after all. She could not withstand the Myriad Poison Ancestor’s poison.
“I can only keep her alive. The poison is still deeply rooted in her, constantly spreading and growing as it devours her vitality. Nothing can be accomplished without the necessary means. The secret techniques unique to the Myriad Poison cult require a corresponding antidote. All we can do is see if he can bring back the Myriad Poison Ancestor’s sumeru ring.”
The Great Banyan Tree King’s voice echoed through the tree hole. A verdant aerial root drooped down and channelled the tree sap into Yin Qing.
“He’s as petty as he can get. Even if someone glares at him, he has to glare back at them. Myriad Poison has offended him, so what good outcome could he face?” Ru Xin smiled.
……
Li Qingshan talked nonsense with the Myriad Poison Ancestor as he flew over the sea of trees. Compared to the nervousness and intensity of the situation when he came, it was much more relaxed now that he returned, except the Myriad Poison Ancestor’s existence was like a fishbone in his throat. He could not find relief until he spat it out.
It was getting late, and Savage mountain was in sight.
The hole blasted in the clouds had already closed up and vanished, currently pitter-pattering with rain.
Xiao An stood on the top of the tower on the main peak. Her black hair was like mist as if it merged with the night rain. Only when she saw Li Qingshan did she smile, flying up to receive him.
Li Qingshan told Xiao An what had happened, and even Xiao An struggled to come up with a good idea. “You better ask the Great Banyan Tree King for ideas!”
“How’s Yin Qing doing?” Li Qingshan asked as he passed through the sea of mist.
“Ru Xin has already stabilised her condition. She’s currently thinking of a way to cure her,” said Xiao An.
“Ru Xin? I almost forgot! She’s a disciple of the school of Medicine. C’mon, let’s go take a look!”
Li Qingshan was still quite amiable towards those that worked for him and assisted him.
Passing through the Mist Sea Formation of Eight Directions, the drizzle filled the valley, and the towering tree was drenched, which made it seem particularly deep and dark in colour. Even the mountains had been dyed black. Seeing this familiar landscape, Li Qingshan could not help but ease up and smile in relief. Although a great problem still persisted, he was still the final victor of this battle!
His ears twitched as if he had heard something.
“I could hear you talking behind my back when I was still five kilometers away!” Li Qingshan lifted up the vine curtains and made his way in, shooting a vicious glance at Ru Xin.
“Like I said!” Ru Xin laid out her hands.
“How did you go?” the Great Banyan Tree King asked.
The fate of a great cultivator bore great significance. If the Myriad Poison Ancestor died, he definitely would have sensed it, but since he had sensed nothing, the Myriad Poison Ancestor must have escaped. This made sense too. After all, great cultivators of the third heavenly tribulation could not be killed so easily.
But if that were the case, he would have to start considering. If the Myriad Poison Ancestor managed to escape into the Myriad Poison cult, then Li Qingshan would definitely be publicly exposed. The response of the Hawkwolf Guard and the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga would all be of lesser concern. The endless pursuit of the Dragon King of Ink Sea—now that would be called a real problem. The Great Banyan Tree King had to consider how to mediate this situation.
“I’ve dealt with him,” Li Qingshan said calmly.
“You’ve dealt with him!” The Great Banyan Tree King’s voice gave off a hint of surprise too.
“But there’s still some small problems. The old bastard’s soul nascence has entered my sea of consciousness, and he refuses to come out. I’ve suppressed it for now, so I still have to ask you for guidance on how to deal with this. Let’s heal Yin Qing first!”
Li Qingshan waved his hand and used the Watermirror’s Image again, retrieving the two sumeru rings. However, opening the sumeru ring was quite troublesome. In the end, he even had to ask for the Great Banyan Tree King’s assistance before cracking it open.
Li Qingshan’s mind was utterly exhausted from the battle, and he still had to split his focus to suppress the Myriad Poison Ancestor’s soul nascence. Through this simple task, he discovered just how annoying it was to have the Myriad Poison Ancestor in his sea of consciousness.
Normally, it would be fine, but if he became wrapped up in a large battle again and this old bastard made trouble in his sea of consciousness, it would reduce him to half his strength at the very least. If he were careless, the Myriad Poison Ancestor might even grasp an opening and turn the tables. Cultivation went even more without saying. This bastard was well and truly an “inner demon”.
No wonder this old bastard is willing to continue like this calmly. His existence directly blocks my future.
The Myriad Poison Ancestor’s sumeru ring was filled with various bottles and jars. Li Qingshan had no idea where to even start if he was supposed to find the antidote. It was all thanks to the Great Banyan Tree King and his great knowledge that they managed to find a glazed bottle. An aerial root extracted some of the fluid and sprinkled it onto Yin Qing. The poison immediately became much thinner.
Li Qingshan and Xiao An also followed the Great Banyan Tree King’s method and ingested the cure, completely eliminating the threat of the poison.
The Great Banyan Tree King sprinkled some more sap, and Yin Qing’s wounds healed rapidly. Before long, she woke up slowly. Her eyes that had been blinded by the poison recovered their light too. She murmured, “I’m still alive! This isn’t the Asura realm!”
She had thought she would be reborn in the Asura realm. This battle had once again proven how dangerous it was to provoke existences an entire major realm of cultivation above hers!
“I haven’t given you permission to die just yet!” Li Qingshan laughed.
The Great Banyan Tree King said, “Thankfully, she’s an asura. Her life is finally out of danger, but her strength will be affected. You’ll need to prepare yourself a little mentally.”
Yin Qing nodded, expressing that she understood. This was not the Asura realm after all. Even if she was injured, she could slowly recover.
“You’ve done great this time, so I’ll reward you heavily. I’m willing to pledge myself to you, so what do you think?” Li Qingshan patted Yin Qing’s shoulder with a smile.
A cool, moist breeze blew into the tree hole. Ye Liusu lifted up the curtain and made her way in, glancing at Li Qingshan and pursing her lips. Ru Xin smiled silently, while Xiao An was expressionless and emotionless, giving absolutely no response.
“Cough, cough. I’m just joking to lighten the mood. What kind of expression is that? You don’t have any sense of humour!”
Even with how thick-skinned Li Qingshan was, he felt a little embarrassed. Of course, it was only a little. For the sake of his great ambition, he was willing to keep subordinates around through “other” means.
Yin Qing burst out laughing. This king of hers sure was lacking in charm and romance. She soon recovered her solemnity. “My king is valiant in battle, which fills me with admiration, but the reward is far too great. I am but a lowly figure with limited good fortune, so I really can’t bear to accept something as great as that. It would be best if you changed the reward!”
Li Qingshan ignored Ru Xin’s sneers and instructed her gently. “You can return to the Asura Field to recuperate. I’ll find a way for you to recover your strength.”
He sent Yin Qing into the Asura Field before handing the Myriad Poison Ancestor’s sumeru ring to Ru Xin. “Check if there’s anything you require.”
Ru Xin did not hold back and searched through it carefully. The possessions within the Myriad Poison Ancestor’s sumeru ring were extremely plentiful, holding the cultivation methods and the resources of the entire Myriad Poison cult. It would be of great help to her plan.
Then Li Qingshan sat down with the Great Banyan Tree King to discuss how to destroy the Myriad Poison Ancestor’s soul nascence. Only after a long conversation did he realise just how troublesome this was…
