Chapter 993: This Person Is Not Afraid of Poison?

"Could it be someone from the Demonic Sect?" Zu'an even wondered if Yun Jianyue had arrived. Sentries in such a crucial military location didn't necessarily need high cultivation, but their alertness and quick reactions were absolutely top-notch. For them to be killed simultaneously, with no time to raise an alarm, spoke volumes about the perpetrator's skill.

He immediately dismissed this idea, however, because Yun Jianyue wouldn't have made the scene so bloody. When she truly took action, it was sheer artistry.

Zu'an quietly left the sentry post at the valley entrance and hurried deeper into the valley. As he expected, the sentry posts within the valley had also been neutralized, and even the mountaintop lookout was deserted. It seemed highly probable that something terrible had occurred.

Zu'an was about to investigate the situation at the exit when his ear twitched. He heard the distinct sound of many footsteps approaching from a distance.

He quickly leaped into a tree, using its dense canopy to conceal himself.

Soon after, a group of figures in black quickly arrived. They began tidying up the overturned tables and chairs, cleaning bloodstains from the ground, and so forth. They sprinkled some unknown powder, and the bloodstains quickly vanished.

Zu'an naturally understood their objective, but he thought it was pointless. All the sentries were dead. Were these people planning to change into their clothes and impersonate them?

However, unless the Prefect's Mansion was incredibly foolish, they would surely bring someone familiar with the original sentries. Such a person would recognize at a glance that these imposters were not their colleagues. So, what would be the point of the impersonation?

To his surprise, however, after cleaning the scene, these individuals quickly departed. They didn't impersonate the sentries. Even stranger, they left all the sentries' bodies exactly where they were.

Zu'an was utterly bewildered.

But an even more astonishing sight awaited him. Not long after, the bodies on the ground actually stood up!

They swayed unsteadily at first, but quickly adapted. Soon, they were standing guard again, long spears in hand, though their faces were noticeably paler than before.

A chill ran down Zu'an's spine. If he hadn't personally confirmed moments earlier that they were truly dead, he would have suspected they hadn't died at all.

"Corpse Gu?" In this world of cultivation, Zu'an naturally didn't think he was witnessing a ghost; instead, his mind immediately went to a secret technique he had encountered previously.

This technique allowed for the control of corpses using Gu worms, making them move as if they were alive.

A spellcaster had to be nearby!

Zu'an scanned the vast, silent valley, which was lush with dense foliage. The black-clad figures had vanished into the forest, not a trace of them remaining. How could it be easy to find anyone?

What was impossible for ordinary people, however, was not impossible for Zu'an. He extended his left hand, and the pattern of the jade cong on his arm flickered into faint visibility. He began to control the small animals throughout the valley, tasking them with searching for him.

Soon, three-dimensional images consolidated in his mind, and the previously hidden black-clad figures became clearly visible, one by one.

Zu'an couldn't help but marvel that the jade cong was truly a divine artifact. While it possessed no offensive capabilities, wearing it was akin to having a radar map, providing him with a complete overview, as if he had full X-ray vision.

He quickly located his target: on the far side of a wolf-shaped boulder atop the mountain sat a gaunt old man, cross-legged.

As the old man sat, a dark aura imperceptibly spread from him, causing the nearby grass to wither and blacken.

"He's practically a human biological weapon," Zu'an muttered. He noted that every practitioner of similar cultivation methods he'd encountered had transformed themselves into such grotesque, inhuman figures. What joy could there be in living like that?

Imagine approaching a beautiful woman and poisoning her to death before even holding her hand, let alone engaging in anything more intimate. Such a life would surely mean no descendants.

Shaking his head, he stealthily made his way towards the mountaintop. The mental map showed him the precise location of every black-clad figure, allowing him to avoid them without alarming anyone.

Upon reaching the mountaintop, his aura concealed by the Bright Mirror Non-Platform, he quickly positioned himself in a tree several zhang away from the black-robed elder.

Given his current cultivation, a surprise attack from this distance would be sufficient to kill the man with a single blow.

However, Zu'an hesitated before deciding against the attack. Firstly, he was unsure if the man was a subordinate of Yun Jianyue and didn't want to accidentally harm an ally. Secondly, he still needed the old man to control the sentries below; otherwise, the Prefect's Mansion contingent would notice the anomaly outside the valley and refuse to enter.

And so, separated by several zhang, both men began to meditate.

Zu'an had previously absorbed the violent and blood-soaked true qi from the thick-browed Taoist priest but hadn't yet had time to refine it. This was the perfect moment to purify it of its malevolent energy; otherwise, it could cause issues if he had to fight later.

Without realizing it, several hours passed. The sun reached its zenith, and Zu'an opened his eyes, feeling the surging true qi within him. He had been at the eighth stage of the ninth rank; now he was at its peak, truly just a hair's breadth away from becoming a Grandmaster.

"It really does get harder to advance the further you go," he mused. The amount of primal energy required for each subsequent minor advancement was immense; even the thick-browed Taoist priest's entire cultivation had only been enough to help him advance one minor stage.

Just then, the black-robed elder, not far away, opened his eyes. He stood up and immediately concealed himself behind the boulder, quietly observing the valley floor.

"They're here," Zu'an murmured. From his vantage point, he could also see the situation at the valley floor.

A contingent of people slowly entered the valley. Leading them was a majestic martial general, astride a tall horse and wielding a long spear. His large, bell-like eyes constantly scanned his surroundings, vigilantly searching for any danger.

"This person has vigorous qi and blood, and an aura of battlefield killing intent. He must be Yang Sheng, the Commandant of Yi Commandery," Zu'an mused to himself. He sighed, realizing the imperial court truly boasted many talented individuals, with even a local commandant possessing such impressive cultivation.

Zu'an quickly scanned the scene. There was no prisoner cart or anything of the sort, only a tightly sealed carriage. Judging by its specifications, it appeared to be the Prefect's personal conveyance.

He surmised that the Prefect's Mansion was using the guise of a prefectural inspection tour to conceal the true purpose: escorting Qiu Honglei.

There weren't many accompanying soldiers, perhaps only about a hundred. This was likely a measure to avoid attracting attention and to allow for light, fast travel.

After all, if the Demonic Sect were truly alerted and their leader personally intervened, below the Grandmaster level, bringing a hundred or a thousand men would make little difference. Only an entire army would stand a chance.

He looked around but didn't spot the Lord of Yi Commandery, whom Sang Hong had mentioned. Zu'an figured the Lord was likely guarding the carriage, serving as the ultimate safeguard.

Zu'an had initially expected the figures in black to make their move, but after waiting a while, there was still no sign of an attack from them.

Zu'an frowned. He couldn't wait any longer, or there would be problems for Gold Medal Seven.

So, he directly employed his Great Wind Teleportation skill, appearing instantly behind the black-robed elder.

At that moment, the black-robed elder finally perceived the danger. A burst of black mist instantly surged from his body. Simultaneously, he swiftly raised his palm to form a hand seal, muttering incantations.

Although he was stunned that his opponent had approached so closely without detection, he had immense confidence in his poisonous mist. Ordinary cultivators would be reduced to skeletal remains upon contact.

Even those with higher cultivation than him would find the black mist's poison incredibly difficult to deal with, possibly taking a year or more to purge.

As long as his opponent evaded, he would gain enough time to summon his puppets. At that point, retreat or engagement would both be within his control.

However, his eyes instantly widened in shock. He saw a jade-white hand pass directly through the dense black mist in front of him and gently tap his chest.

His last thought before succumbing to unconsciousness was, "How is this person not afraid of my poisonous mist? Could he be a realm beyond Grandmaster?"

Zu'an frowned, distastefully lifting the man and tossing him aside. While he wasn't afraid of the old man's poison, poisons often had a foul stench, and the smell emanating from him was truly unbearable.

As the black-robed elder fell unconscious, the soldiers in the various sentry posts throughout the valley seemed to lose their very souls, collapsing bonelessly to the ground like cooked noodles.

A commotion also erupted within the escort team below, as they clearly noticed the anomalous sight.

Zu'an didn't hesitate. He slammed his palm directly onto the massive boulder in front of him, sending the multi-ton rock rumbling down the slope.

"Enemy attack!" A shrill warning cry echoed from below.

Yang Sheng, the Commandant of Yi Commandery at the front of the contingent, reacted the quickest. With a tap of his toes, he brandished his long spear and charged towards the descending boulder. If it struck the ground squarely, the contingent would undoubtedly suffer heavy casualties.

The long spear in his hand thrust out like lightning, directly intercepting the boulder's lower edge.

He didn't use brute force, but rather a skillful technique to deflect it to the side. Even then, the impact force from the multi-ton boulder, compounded by Zu'an's push, was tremendous. Though he channeled his full Ninth Rank cultivation, his long spear bent to its absolute limit, appearing as if it would snap at any moment.

"Rise!" he bellowed, forcefully deflecting the massive boulder several feet to the side. While this distance wasn't vast, as the rock continued its descent, its deviation from the original target would increase, granting the others sufficient time to react.

However, after that exertion, his qi and blood churned violently within him, and he even felt a faint, stinging pain in his meridians.

As he regulated his breath and glanced down to check on his contingent, a soldier behind him suddenly shot skyward with the speed of a meteor.

Yang Sheng's pupils constricted slightly. In that instant, he judged that the opponent's cultivation was no less than his own. The timing chosen was exceptionally ruthless: precisely when his old strength was spent and new energy had yet to emerge!