Chapter 1005: Waterleaf King

By now, he was certain that the other party had recognized his identity. But... he had left no trace of his disguise, so how had they seen through it? Could it be that this guy was even more formidable than him?

"Just drinking, you're overthinking it..." With a faint smile, the other-worldly being managed to hide his earlier lapse. He gently smiled, reached out for the wine gourd, and narrowed his eyes as he took it. The other party had recognized his identity and was still offering him wine; he wouldn't believe there was no problem even if he were beaten to death. His gaze sharpened, his spiritual energy spread, and he quickly scanned the wine, making him frown involuntarily. According to his scrutiny, the gourd indeed contained only ordinary wine, nothing else, just a relatively strong spiritual aura.

"I'm not quite used to this wine; I'll stick to mine..." He paused, still feeling uneasy, and handed the wine gourd back before taking out a jade bottle. This was something he carried with him, so there was definitely no problem. He raised the jade bottle, intending to open the stopper and take a sip, when he saw Sun Qiang opposite him reach out and take the bottle. "You're not used to mine? Come, let me see what this is?" With that, he pulled out the stopper. A rich aroma of wine poured out, fragrant and indeed much better than the wine in the gourd earlier. "It is indeed good wine, no wonder you don't care for mine. Here..." He glanced at it, made no other movements, and handed it back.

"Hmm!" Seeing that he had only taken the jade bottle for a moment and made no other move, the other-worldly being breathed a sigh of relief, took the jade bottle, and took a sip. "Now we can go to a tavern together and drink until we drop, right?" He smiled faintly. "Of course!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"My lord..." The two guards looked at each other, seeing their lord, whom they were escorting, about to drink with someone else. Weren't they here for an auction? How come it hadn't even started, and they were going drinking instead? "You go in first; I'll be back shortly..." The other-worldly being waved his hand confidently. "Yes!" Seeing him make the decision, the guards hesitated for a moment but still nodded. Even their own master had to obey this person, so they naturally dared not defy his command.

"Let's go!" Seeing him finish giving instructions, Zhang Xuan immediately walked out, quickly leaving the Moyun Pavilion. They walked along the street for a while until they reached a quiet alley.

"Who exactly are you?" His body swayed, blocking the way forward. The other-worldly being could no longer contain himself, his gaze chilling. "Me? Just an ordinary person. But you... as an Other-worldly Demonic Being, openly disguising yourself as a human and coming here, your nerve is truly great!" A smile played on Zhang Xuan's lips, and he raised an eyebrow: "Isn't that right, King Shuiye?"

"You... who exactly are you?" Narrowing his eyes, King Shuiye clenched his hand, and a surge of true qi immediately sealed off the surroundings, making the entire street seem to turn into hell. Having been identified, he was already planning to strike. "Who am I?" Zhang Xuan shook his head: "My identity is not something you are qualified to know yet!" "Won't say? Then don't leave!" King Shuiye roared and lunged forward. Violent true qi surged like tidal waves, and the entire street seemed on the verge of collapse under the immense pressure. His first move instantly revealed his power: he was not at Saint 1-dan, nor 2-dan, but... 4-dan! The Primordial Spirit Realm!

"Trying to kill me?" Facing the opponent's attack, Zhang Xuan was neither surprised nor did he evade; instead, he let out a laugh: "Sorry, whether I leave or not isn't up to you... As for you, lie down first!" Saying that, he snapped his fingers, just as he had done earlier in Moyun Pavilion. As his words ended, King Shuiye, who had just been so aggressive, suddenly stiffened, fell, his entire body's power draining away like a tide, and he curled up on the ground, spitting blood in large mouthfuls. "You... you poisoned me?" His pupils constricted as he looked at the person not far away, King Shuiye filled with disbelief. He had been extremely careful, yet he had no idea when the other party had administered the poison.

"Indeed! How else could I subdue a formidable king like you without poison?" Zhang Xuan said, a smile playing on his face. His Eye of Insight could only discern that he was an Other-worldly Demonic Being, but confirming his true identity relied on his subsequent actions. By deliberately feigning an embrace, he caused the opponent to circulate true qi, which was equivalent to performing a martial technique, and he immediately obtained detailed information and weaknesses. This individual, disguised identically to a human, was actually an Other-worldly Demonic King, just like King Jinye and King Qingye whom he had killed in the underground chambers... King Shuiye! A super expert at Saint 4-dan! A dignified king of such power, disguised as a human, appearing here, would undoubtedly cause immense chaos if not stopped. It was even possible he could wipe out Jingyuan City!

Most crucially, even with his increased strength, fighting him directly would be highly risky. While he could kill him with the help of a puppet, it would certainly cause a huge commotion. For safety, he had lured the opponent into drinking the "fine wine." His Heaven's Path True Qi was hidden in the wine; once it entered the body, it could instantly transform into a potent poison. Although this guy was clever enough not to drink his wine, he never dreamed that the moment the jade bottle touched his palm, he would be struck. Heaven's Path True Qi was incredibly pure; while holding the bottle, he had subtly infused a few strands into it, undetected by anyone, even if scanned by divine sense. The main point was... it was unimaginable! Even the most formidable poison master needed poison powder, various venomous insects, or similar items as a medium for poisoning. True qi containing potent poison... this was something no one would dare to imagine.

"You... let's die together!" Seeing the other party admit it so frankly, King Shuiye's face flushed red. With a roar, he slapped the ground, leaped into the air, and lunged at Zhang Xuan. Seeing him still attempting to attack, Zhang Xuan wasted no words: "Down!" Zhang Xuan pointed forward with his finger, and King Shuiye let out a miserable cry, falling from the air once more, crashing heavily onto the ground, cold sweat pouring from his head. The Heaven's Path True Qi had invaded numerous acupoints throughout his body; with just a thought, it could instantly kill him. Its potency was unparalleled, even by Level 7 poisons. Even with his immense strength, he couldn't withstand it.

"What kind of poison is this?" Realizing something was seriously wrong, King Shuiye gritted his teeth, full of disbelief. For this mission, he had specifically prepared by taking many antidote pills. By rights, ordinary poisons should have no effect on him. It was one thing not to see when the other party administered the poison, but not being able to detect what kind of poison it was, that was truly terrifying. Could it be that he had encountered a 7-star poison master even before the mission began? The strongest poison master in the Hongyuan Empire's Poison Hall was only 6-star, wasn't he?

Without answering his question, Zhang Xuan took two steps forward, pointed his fingers repeatedly, instantly sealing off the opponent's cultivation. Knowing the opponent's weaknesses, coupled with the Heaven's Path True Qi already in his body, subduing him was not particularly difficult. After sealing his cultivation, Zhang Xuan opened his five fingers and grabbed forward. A small pill, wrapped in wax paper, flew out of King Shuiye's mouth. Normally, keeping it there would be no issue. "You..." Seeing him remove the item from his mouth, King Shuiye's face changed. It was nothing else but the suicide pill he carried to prevent leakage of secrets if captured. This item was extremely well-hidden. Apart from the few Other-worldly Demonic Kings on this mission, virtually no one knew about it. Who exactly was this person? Not only did he know his name, but he was also completely aware of such classified information!

"Alright, now I should be able to get some answers!" Destroying the wax-paper-wrapped poison, Zhang Xuan looked at King Shuiye with a smile. King Jinye and King Qingye had died from this very poison after he subdued them. Having learned his lesson, he naturally wouldn't repeat the same mistake. "Speak. Where are you from, and what do you intend to do in Jingyuan City?" With everything ready, Zhang Xuan asked. "Make me talk? Dream on!" King Shuiye gritted his teeth. "Won't talk? Simple..." Raising an eyebrow, Zhang Xuan pointed a finger, and several strands of true qi penetrated the opponent's acupoints, entering his body. The moment the true qi entered his body, King Shuiye immediately felt as if he were being gnawed by thousands of venomous insects, experiencing bone-piercing pain. If it were just physical pain, he could still endure it, but the aura flowing into his body also exerted immense pressure on his soul, making it feel like it could collapse at any moment.

"Make me yield to a lowly being like you? Impossible..." Forcing himself to endure the pain, King Shuiye gritted his teeth and suddenly roared. His entire body swelled up like a balloon. "Hmm?" Seeing his appearance, Zhang Xuan's expression changed. He quickly reached out, a surge of profound true qi emerging, intending to suppress the opponent's power. Then, he saw the opponent's physical body visibly shriveling, followed by a soul, identical to King Shuiye, flying out from between his eyebrows. "A Witchcraft Soul?" Feeling the opponent's powerful aura, Zhang Xuan was startled, then his pupils contracted: "No, not a Witchcraft Soul, but... a Primordial Spirit!" At Saint 4-dan Primordial Spirit Realm, the nascent soul within the body condenses into a primordial spirit, which, like a Witchcraft Soul, can leave the physical body, exist independently, travel thousands of miles overnight, and even take someone's head with a single thought. With his physical body and cultivation suppressed by Heaven's Path True Qi, in desperation, this guy actually abandoned his body and all his cultivation, and his Primordial Spirit directly rushed out. However, without reaching Saint 5-dan, a forcibly manifested Primordial Spirit would not only struggle to survive but also cause the physical body to die completely, leaving no path for retreat.

"I'll take you down with me..." With his Primordial Spirit separated from his body, King Shuiye roared frantically, his expression ferocious, as he charged towards Zhang Xuan. His current situation was certainly fatal; since that was the case, he would drag this guy to hell with him! The opponent was merely a Half-Saint with a weak soul; as long as his Primordial Spirit rushed into the opponent's body, he could easily tear it apart! Before he could even react, the maddened Primordial Spirit entered his glabella, and Zhang Xuan's body stiffened. Filled with madness, King Shuiye, who had entered the body, was just about to devour the opponent's soul when he suddenly saw a Witchcraft Soul resembling a mountain. "I'll devour you... Holy moly, what is this?" His pupils constricted, and his whole body went rigid.