Chapter 225: Poison Shakes All Living Beings, Banned for Ten Thousand Generations

Xu Qing gazed at the wish box, his eyes gleaming with an unusual light. He had heard Wu Jianwu mention that anything could appear inside the wish box; it could yield something as valuable as an imperial-level inheritance or as trivial as a withered leaf. What exactly would appear depended entirely on luck.

For this first opening to contain a pill and a jade slip, Xu Qing knew this was already exceptionally good luck. He calmly composed himself, just as he was about to pick up the jade slip for a closer look.

But at that very moment, Xu Qing's expression abruptly changed. He swiftly raised his hand, snapping the wish box shut to seal off its contents. Simultaneously, his entire body visibly began to darken.

"Poison," Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. Not only his flesh, but even his internal organs felt as if they were decaying. What truly astonished Xu Qing was the complete absence of pain. No abnormalities were detected within his body or flesh; it was as if this blackening and decay were mere illusions. Even his instincts and internal magical power remained completely oblivious. Yet, both visual inspection and his profound understanding of poisons left Xu Qing unequivocally certain that the toxin affecting him was extraordinarily potent.

"What kind of poison is this?" Xu Qing murmured as chunks of flesh, soaked with blood, began to peel from his face. Not just his face; his entire body was similarly affected. Despite this, he still felt nothing.

Xu Qing pondered, looking down to visually inspect his entire body. The whole process lasted for the duration of an incense stick. Although his body was decaying, the purple crystal's regenerative power ensured his recovery was equally swift. After an incense stick, the sensation of decay vanished. Another incense stick later, Xu Qing's body glowed with purple light as he gradually recovered, until, after half an hour, his body was completely restored.

Xu Qing held his breath, looking down at the wish box, a faint light in his eyes. "This is a poison pill," he thought. "A poison pill sealed for countless years. The mere emanation of its aura can cause one's body and spirit to perish." Xu Qing mused before cautiously reopening the wish box.

Despite the presence of the purple crystal, the poison's effects were so startling that Xu Qing hesitated to pick up the pill directly for examination. He feared that if the purple crystal's recovery were even slightly slower than the poison's rapid onset, the situation would become perilous. However, his expertise in the Way of Poison was profound, and he knew how to handle such a predicament. After a moment of thought, he looked down at the open wish box, then closed it a short while later. Immediately, his body began to decay once more.

"Generally, repeated exposure to a poison can lead to a certain degree of resistance." Xu Qing murmured, paying no heed to his decaying body. He reached out, grabbed a large quantity of herbs from a nearby shelf, and began concocting pills specifically formulated to address his current symptoms. Not knowing the primary ingredient of the poison, Xu Qing couldn't formulate an antidote. Instead, he opted for symptomatic treatment; since the poison caused decay, he created medicines to enhance vitality and blood to counteract it.

Soon, the medicinal liquid was ready, and Xu Qing swallowed it, waiting for the current wave of poisoning to subside. He repeated this process multiple times, opening the wish box and enduring the effects. Eventually, as night gave way to dawn, Xu Qing finally developed some resistance to the poison.

Only then, donning gloves, did he cautiously retrieve the jade slip. As his magical power infused it, an ancient, faint voice soon resonated within Xu Qing's mind.

"What is the Great Dao? Among the Three Thousand Great Daos, all can lead to sainthood. Can the Way of Poison be one of them? The world disdains the malevolent and the poisonous, viewing them as minor paths incapable of achieving greatness. I once shared this view, despising all methods of poisonous evil. That was until I encountered and slew an alien from the Divine Realm. This cultivator possessed astonishing combat power, and the path they followed was utterly sinister. Before dying, their poisoned gaze caused my cultivation to plummet by a major realm each day, until I became a mortal after ten days. I spent sixty years in the mortal world, enduring unimaginable pain and torment, expending countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures, just to survive. Ultimately, I managed to refine this poison from my body, transforming it into a pill.

From then on, I dedicated myself to studying this pill, a pursuit that continued until the great calamity, though I never achieved complete success. What remains is this half-finished product, left for future generations. This pill is both a poison and a forbidden art! Should a high-level cultivator obtain it, they must not use it themselves, or they will face eternal damnation and certain death. Instead, one must find a low-level cultivator who has reached the Golden Core stage in their Heavenly Palace and compel them to replace their existing Golden Core with this poison pill, thus becoming a unique cultivator of the Poison Golden Core. Only through this method can one transform their divine soul and embark upon the path of this Forbidden Pill! Based on my deductions, the path of the Forbidden Pill—shaking all beings with poison, annihilating all ages with prohibition—is terrifying and dreadful. It may even be a method from the unfathomable Divine Realm, which will ultimately prove to be the great enemy of all races!"

Xu Qing's mind reeled. Staring at the jade slip in his hand, his eyes narrowed as his body once again showed signs of decay. Xu Qing closed his eyes, silently processing the contents of the jade slip. Meanwhile, the purple crystal pulsed, actively combating the poison within his body. As the day faded into night and the bright moon rose, Xu Qing opened his eyes.

As his body continually fought against the strange poison from the wish box, his resistance improved further. He then cautiously reopened the box, gazing intently at the black pill. Even with gloves on, Xu Qing still dared not touch it. "This is a peerless poison pill from a previous epoch, not meant for consumption, but to be refined and assimilated into one's own Golden Core."

A sharp glint appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. He observed it carefully, repeatedly covering the box until his body recovered and adapted, then reopening it to continue his study. By the time daylight returned, after countless hours of nocturnal research, Xu Qing finally discerned some crucial insights. In his estimation, this poison pill represented a profound opportunity, a unique path to the Golden Core stage entirely different from the current era's methods. Should he truly cultivate with it, its destructive power would undoubtedly be terrifying. However, the process itself was extremely perilous and arduous.

Xu Qing pondered thoughtfully, recalling the descriptions within the jade slip. Although he hadn't yet reached the Golden Core realm, it wasn't an unattainable distance. "Unfortunately, this pill is merely a semi-finished product, and having endured the passage of countless years, it now shows signs of deterioration." Given Xu Qing's mastery and comprehension of poisons, he naturally recognized that the black pill was in a degraded state. To make it usable, it would require re-refinement. Moreover, this re-refinement process would also serve as a crucial stage for him to further research and understand the pill.

"Re-refining and activating this poison pill will require vast quantities of other poisons!" Xu Qing sealed the jade box and carefully put it away, then breathed a sigh of relief, his heart brimming with anticipation. He believed that the item he had obtained from the wish box this time was undoubtedly of the highest caliber. This realization fueled his growing interest in the other wish box, which was not yet fully nurtured.

"I wonder when the war rewards will be distributed." To re-refine the pill, immense quantities of spirit stones would be needed to acquire various poisonous herbs and for the refining process itself. This made Xu Qing, whose funds were currently low, anticipate the upcoming war rewards. However, the Sea Corpse Clan's war reparations had not yet arrived, so the sect had not yet distributed the rewards. With no other option, Xu Qing reluctantly took out his identity jade slip to review the sect's recent dossiers.

A quick glance caused Xu Qing's eyes to narrow instantly. He had been so engrossed in studying the forbidden poison pill these past few days that he hadn't paid attention to external events. Unbeknownst to him, several momentous incidents had shaken the sect, alarming all disciples and even stirring emotional unrest across the various peaks. These significant events were all connected to the visiting prodigies of the Seven Sect Alliance!

Days earlier, the prodigies from the Seven Sect Alliance had arrived with an imposing aura. Their very presence had already drawn the attention of the Seven Blood Eyes disciples from all peaks, but their dramatic entrance and exceptional abilities garnered even greater notice. Then, on the second day of their arrival, these seven prodigies, seemingly burdened with a mission, began to successively challenge the leading disciples of Seven Blood Eyes' various peaks! It was as if they were asserting their dominance!

Among them, Sheng Yunzi of the Lingyun Sword Sect was particularly noteworthy. As the foremost prodigy and chief successor of the Seven Sect Alliance's current generation, his cultivation suppressed all other cultivators at the same realm. His reputation was immense, not only in Yinghuang Prefecture but also spreading to other prefectures within Fenghai Commandery. He chose to challenge the First Peak. Interestingly, Seven Blood Eyes' First Peak was originally founded by members of Sheng Yunzi's own Lingyun Sword Sect.

On that very day, Sheng Yunzi ascended the First Peak. After paying his respects to the Grand Ancestor and the First Peak Master, he issued a challenge to the First Peak's leading disciple. However, the First Peak's leading disciple was in secluded cultivation, attempting to break through to the Golden Core realm, and thus could not participate. Therefore, the Second Disciple of the First Peak, who had achieved great perfection in the Foundation Establishment realm, accepted the challenge. In that battle, Sheng Yunzi defeated the Second Disciple of the First Peak with a single strike, shattering every bone in their body. The Second Disciple not only nearly died but also had their cultivation foundation largely crippled. Even a Golden Core Elder who intervened could not save the Second Disciple. After a brief clash with Sheng Yunzi in mid-air, the elder was similarly repelled over a hundred zhang away.

This display sent shockwaves through the entire Seven Blood Eyes sect. Especially during his clash with the Golden Core Elder, Sheng Yunzi fully unleashed his four life fires and ignited his life lamp, generating a formidable five-fire combat power. Combined with his imperial-level cultivation technique, he instantly achieved a horrifying six-fire combat strength. Such combat power was legendary among Foundation Establishment cultivators, something countless individuals could only dream of. He could rightly be called one of the supreme prodigies among all races' Foundation Establishment cultivators, a rarity in this age. The notion of him possessing the potential of an ancient emperor spread throughout Nanhuang Continent due to this battle, instilling a profound sense of helplessness among the disciples of Seven Blood Eyes' various peaks. He was simply too powerful.

Meanwhile, other prodigies from the Seven Sect Alliance also challenged the branch peaks associated with their respective sects. However, none of them possessed Sheng Yunzi's overwhelming aura, capable of single-handedly dominating an entire peak. In these challenges, victories and defeats occurred on both sides, but overall, the Seven Sect Alliance's prodigies proved superior. Notably, not all peaks were challenged; the Seventh Peak, unusually, was left untouched. Yet, one peak did not represent the entire sect. Thus, despite Seven Blood Eyes having clearly won the war against the Sea Corpse Clan and being amidst celebrations, a palpable sense of indignation settled upon them.

This series of challenges was also witnessed by various passing clans, revealing the formidable power of the Seven Sect Alliance. It was abundantly clear to everyone that the Seven Sect Alliance had come to assert their dominance and establish their authority. They weren't contending in terms of high-end combat power. There was no need to compare high-end combat power. Even if Blood Refiner possessed astonishing talent and unfathomable opportunities, having broken through from the Spirit Storage realm to the Great Void Return realm—a level comparable to any of the Seven Sects' Grand Ancestors—he was still but one individual. The Seven Sect Alliance had more than seven high-end combatants, and most crucially, each of these seven sects possessed forbidden magical artifacts! Therefore, the disparity in high-end combat power was self-evident. This time, the Seven Sect Alliance's high-ranking figures did not attend; instead, they dispatched their prodigy disciples. Their objective was to subdue all of Seven Blood Eyes' current generation of disciples, planting an irresistible seed of inferiority in their hearts.

Xu Qing clearly understood this situation, but it didn't concern him. He wasn't a leading disciple, and although he had accomplished significant feats and become a sequence, he wasn't the primary instigator of that particular event. With so many prominent disciples, he naturally attracted no attention.

Days passed. As the Seven Sect prodigies continued their challenges and their momentum grew, a sense of suppression settled within the hearts of the Seven Blood Eyes disciples. Late one night, as Xu Qing was engrossed in studying the poison pill, he suddenly looked up. His communication jade slip vibrated with a message from the Bureau of Evil-Catching, requesting orders.

"Sir, at Port 79, a large number of Night Ravens are gathering for a transaction. The individual suspected of engaging in this trade is Sima Ling, a prodigy from the Hunt-Variant Gate of the Seven Sect Alliance! How should we proceed? Please give your command, Sir!"