Chapter 2376: Conditions

Zu An flicked his sleeve, sending the women far away with a surge of power.

Black mist, centered around Ji Xiaoxi, spread outwards in layers. Any plants or trees it touched withered instantly. Snakes, insects, rodents, and ants burrowing underground desperately scattered in all directions, but most died after only a few steps. Everyone was horrified by what they saw.

The elders of the True Demon Tribe blinked. "What's going on?" they wondered. "Did a casual curse of ours just come true? When did we gain the power of grand prophecy?" Several of them hastily made more wishes in their hearts: Zu An dropping dead, themselves becoming invincible, or having the poisons in their bodies completely neutralized... Unfortunately, there was no reaction whatsoever.

"Xiaoxi!" Jiang Luofu cried, rushing forward. Ji Xiaoxi was now lying motionless in the grass, her condition unknown.

"Stay here," Zu An said, holding her back. "Your cultivation won't be able to withstand that poison."

After speaking, he flew directly towards Ji Xiaoxi, a golden light shimmering around his body, temporarily shielding him from the black poisonous mist. Even so, as he approached Ji Xiaoxi, his golden protective light still sizzled as it was corroded by the black mist. He was secretly alarmed; this poison was more potent than any he had ever encountered, capable of corroding everything as if it were a physical substance.

He quickly pulled Ji Xiaoxi into his arms, only relaxing after sensing her breath and heartbeat. He hastily channeled his primal qi into her body to help her suppress the runaway toxins within. His expression quickly changed; the poison in her body was so overbearing that it could even spread to him through his primal qi. If not for his profound current strength and the inherent detoxifying properties of the Grandmist Genesis Scripture, he might have also fallen victim.

But no matter how he tried to guide it with his primal qi, the poison in her body seemed enraged, continuing to surge endlessly. A fine sweat beaded on his forehead. At this rate, Ji Xiaoxi would truly transform into a poisonous entity, eventually leading to her complete destruction.

Just then, Pei Mianman flew to Salome's side and placed a sword directly at her throat. "Tell me," she demanded, "what exactly is going on?"

"Release our lady!" Mogad cried, rushing to save her. However, Yun Yuqing, Jiang Luofu, and Sorenshi had already arrived and simultaneously attacked. Mogad was already severely wounded and had barely recovered. He couldn't withstand the combined efforts of these three; he gasped, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and soon had a blade at his throat too.

Salome's face twisted into a grotesque smile. "Hahaha," she cackled, "you love to deceive me, don't you? Well, I finally got to deceive you too! Hahaha!"

"It was you all along!" Jiang Luofu, filled with anger and urgency, couldn't resist thrusting her sword directly at Salome.

Pei Mianman hastily stopped her. "Principal sister," she said, "let's wait until Xiaoxi is saved first." Jiang Luofu immediately came to her senses. Yes, this woman was behind all of it; she might know how to save Ji Xiaoxi. So she quickly pressed her for answers.

To her surprise, Salome sneered and looked directly at Zu An, her expression clearly indicating she was waiting for him to beg her.

Zu An suddenly had an idea. He reached into Ji Xiaoxi's embrace, retrieved the poison-warding bead, and placed it into his storage space. Sure enough, after the bead disappeared, the agitated toxins in Ji Xiaoxi's body seemed to lose their target and were no longer as rampant as before. He then used his powerful primal qi to expel the scattered toxins from her body, while temporarily gathering and suppressing the many remaining ones entwined with her own being.

After Ji Xiaoxi slowly regained consciousness, her eyes tearfully looked at Zu An. "Brother Zu..." she whispered.

Zu An squeezed her hand tightly. "Don't be afraid, Xiaoxi," he said. "I'm here."

Ji Xiaoxi hummed softly. In truth, she hadn't been completely unconscious; although her body couldn't move, she still had some awareness. Brother Zu truly was as he had promised: no matter what happened to her, he would always be by her side. It's just that in her current state, she would likely become more and more poisonous in the future. How could she be so selfish as to stay by Brother Zu's side and harm him then?

Seeing her awaken, Jiang Luofu rushed over. "Xiaoxi!" she exclaimed.

Zu An knew that most of the poison in Ji Xiaoxi's body had been suppressed. Although some residual poison remained, Jiang Luofu's cultivation should be able to withstand it, so he felt relieved enough to entrust Ji Xiaoxi to her care.

Then, his figure flickered, and he appeared before Salome, looking at her coldly. "It seems you knew that using the poison-warding bead would actually trigger her Primordial Calamity Poisonous Sacred Body," he stated.

In truth, Ji Xiaoxi's Primordial Calamity Poisonous Sacred Body had been relatively stable before, still quite a distance from erupting. But the other party had deliberately given her a special poison-warding bead. This bead was indeed a treasure, capable of granting its wearer immunity to many poisons. But the more powerful it was, the more fiercely it suppressed Ji Xiaoxi's constitution. A constitution as formidable as the Primordial Calamity Poisonous Sacred Body could not tolerate such provocation, so it erupted prematurely, vowing to teach this arrogant bead a lesson. The poison-warding bead quickly retreated, unable to suppress the fierce toxicity any longer, which truly tormented Ji Xiaoxi. She was currently unable to control such a powerful constitution; if not for Zu An's ability to mobilize the power of the entire world to help her suppress it, she would likely have perished long ago.

A slight smile appeared on Salome's face. "Correct!" she said.

A crisp slap echoed. "Bitch!" Yun Yuqing cursed. "Big Brother Zu already gave you a way out, yet you're still so malicious."

Salome glared at her venomously. "I'll remember that slap," she vowed. "I'll make you repay it tenfold in the future."

Yun Yuqing was startled by her vicious gaze. Just then, two more slaps echoed. It was Pei Mianman, who also couldn't hold back. "Now I've hit you too!" she declared. "Try to get your revenge!"

"You!" Salome hadn't expected her to also act. Seeing Pei Mianman's icy gaze, she was momentarily unable to lash out.

Yun Yuqing's gaze towards Pei Mianman softened slightly. It seemed that while sisters might bicker and compete amongst themselves, they still united against external enemies. "Hmm, this feeling is truly good."

Sorenshi, on the other hand, found herself in a dilemma. Should she also slap Salome? If she didn't, it would seem like she wasn't supporting Yun Yuqing. But if she did, it would look too deliberate...

"Don't hit our lady! If you have the guts, come at me!" Mogad cried frantically, desperately trying to stand up.

Sorenshi's eyes lit up; she had just been worrying about missing an opportunity. Seeing this, she directly kicked him behind the knee, making him kneel again. "Don't move!" she ordered.

Zu An now held a sword in his hand and looked at Salome with icy eyes. "I generally don't kill women," he said, "but it seems I'll have to make an exception today."

Feeling his tangible killing intent, Salome's heart flustered slightly. She quickly cried out, "Although you've temporarily suppressed the toxins in Ji Xiaoxi's body, this isn't a long-term solution. When the Primordial Calamity Poisonous Sacred Body erupts again, will you still be able to suppress it?"

Zu An frowned slightly. What she said was indeed true. Throughout the entire process, he had noticed how exceptionally overbearing the Primordial Calamity Poisonous Sacred Body was. It was only because it was still in its nascent, not-yet-powerful state that he had been able to suppress it. But as this constitution gradually grew over time, he might not be able to suppress it indefinitely.

Salome didn't keep him in suspense this time. She quickly said, "Take me to that sealed world, and I'll tell you how to suppress the Primordial Calamity Poisonous Sacred Body!"