Chapter 1014: Hongyuan Poison Hall

The island, over a hundred kilometers in diameter, looked verdant from a distance, covered in various tall vegetation. Enveloped by a formation, its spiritual energy was dense, and powerful Saint Beasts occasionally soared through the sky.

"An island over a hundred kilometers, completely hidden! The person who set up this grand formation must be at least a seven-star expert!" Zhang Xuan's eyes were filled with shock, and he couldn't help but exclaim. As a peak six-star formation master himself, it would be incredibly difficult for him to create such a massive formation. Just how powerful was the senior who established the Poison Hall in this location?

"The founding grandmaster of the Hongyuan Poison Hall was not only a seven-star poison master but also a peak seven-star grandmaster of formations," Elder Xu explained, seeing his shock. "Even he spent over 50 years setting up this hidden grand formation!"

"Fifty years?" Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched. From the moment he transmigrated to the present, it hadn't even been a full year. To spend 50 years just for one formation? He wouldn't do it even if he were killed.

"Indeed," Elder Xu continued with pride. "This formation draws its power from an underground volcano, completely concealing the island within the vast ocean. If you can't find the entrance, even flying directly overhead, you'd only see an endless expanse of water. Many seven-star master teachers and even formation masters passed by here in the past and never discovered it! That's why the Poison Hall has maintained its legacy for ten thousand years without suffering a single attack."

"Amazing!" Zhang Xuan nodded, the patterns in his eyes subtly shifting as he gazed at the grand formation before him. It had to be said, the design was exceptionally clever. Leveraging the island's natural advantages and the surrounding ocean environment, the concealment formation was perfectly integrated. Even with his Eye of Insight, he could only perceive a rough outline and couldn't analyze the method to break it in a short time. If he truly wanted to decipher it, it would probably require at least ten minutes of study! For a formation to demand that much time from him was already incredibly impressive, even heaven-defying.

"Let's descend!" Seeing the shock on his face, Elder Xu smiled and piloted the flying Saint Beast slowly towards the island. About ten minutes later, they landed on a massive platform.

"Elder Xu!" Several young people came to greet them. Seeing an unfamiliar middle-aged man emerge from the building instead of Elder Xue, they were all very surprised.

"This Poison Master Sun is my savior. Please arrange accommodations for him first." Elder Xu turned and instructed, "I need to go see the Hall Master now!"

"Yes, Elder!" Hearing that he was Elder Xu's savior, the young people looked at Zhang Xuan again, their expressions showing respect, and they all nodded in agreement.

"Poison Master Zhang, please let them arrange your lodging. I'm going to see the Hall Master now to report the details of what happened in Jingyuan City." After taking a couple of steps, Elder Xu paused and sent a voice transmission to Zhang Xuan, "People in the Poison Hall can be a bit short-tempered, but everyone here respects strength. If anyone tries to cause trouble at your lodging, don't hold back."

"Understood." Zhang Xuan nodded. The death of an elder certainly warranted a report to the Hall Master. As for someone trying to cause trouble, he had no intention of playing nice.

"I will report your situation to the Hall Master and then help you apply for a Poison Master assessment slot!" With that, Elder Xu hurried forward and soon disappeared from sight.

"Poison Master Sun, please follow us!" After Elder Xu left, the young people approached him. Without another word, Zhang Xuan strode forward, following behind them.

Not far from the platform was a large town. Various buildings stood, looking somewhat ancient, retaining the architectural styles from thousands of years ago. The streets were bustling with people engaged in all kinds of activities, like a vibrant city. As they walked, they occasionally saw faint mists drifting from rooms along the roadside. The scent was pleasant, but a single whiff could induce dizziness and drowsiness. It was obvious without even looking that these mists contained potent poisons. Besides the mists, venomous insects and snakes, brightly colored and patterned, occasionally crawled along the roadside, menacingly eyeing pedestrians, as if ready to attack at any moment. Someone who wasn't a poison master might faint from fright at their first sight.

"Don't worry, these venomous creatures don't bite easily..." A young man, noticing his concern, smiled and began to explain. However, before he finished speaking, a pained shriek erupted ahead. A middle-aged man was hopping and running forward, a venomous snake dangling from his backside, its sharp fangs firmly embedded in his flesh, refusing to let go.

"Damn your grandma, whose snake is this?! If you don't speak up, I'm taking it home to skin and stew it today!" Immediately after, another roar echoed as a figure burst out, engaging in a brawl with the man who had been bitten by the snake.

"Uh, well... these venomous creatures are usually quite friendly..." Having just claimed they didn't bite, and then witnessing this scene, the young man looked slightly embarrassed. He hastily explained, "Don't worry, although the venomous creatures aren't entirely reliable, we poison masters generally respect each other and maintain harmonious neighborly relations. We don't easily attack..."

"Understood," Zhang Xuan nodded. Before he could take another step, an even louder roar erupted from deeper within the street.

"Damn it! Who poisoned my pillow?! You'd better hope I don't find out, or I'll kill you!" As the voice faded, a woman with a swollen, 'bun-like' face burst out of a nearby room. Her figure appeared decent, but her face was swollen to the size of a watermelon, with pus oozing from several spots, making her look as hideous as a zombie freshly risen from a grave.

"Who poisoned my soup?!"

"Who dares put venomous insects in my shoes? Are you tired of living?!"

"You stuffed medicine up my nostrils? Believe it or not, I'll chop off your hands!"

A cacophony of voices erupted, one after another, as strangely disfigured individuals, all clearly affected by poison, burst out of their rooms. Having just boasted about harmonious neighborly relations, the young man's face flushed with embarrassment at the sudden commotion.

"Ahem, they're just joking around," he stammered, "mostly experimenting with newly concocted drugs. It's harmless, really, quite harmless..."

"Harmless? Then why are they..." Zhang Xuan pointed forward, his face full of confusion. Everyone then watched as two poison masters fought fiercely, as if they wanted to tear each other to shreds and devour them.

The young man simply stood speechless.

After walking along the street for a while, Zhang Xuan understood. Unlike the Master Teacher Pavilion, poison masters had fewer rules. Whenever they concocted a new poison, they would invariably experiment on those around them. Sometimes, a person seen one way today might appear completely different tomorrow, or even have their gender altered by the poison. Due to this, living here meant you might find your neighbor to be an old man today, a middle-aged person tomorrow, and a delicate young woman the day after. It was even possible that in a few days, they might transform into a grotesque monster covered in lumps. Of course, if you asked their name, it would very likely be the same person; they simply ingested different substances that altered their physical form.

"Fortunately, they are all poison masters here," Zhang Xuan murmured, shaking his head with a helpless expression. "If they pulled these stunts in Hongyuan City, they'd probably be beaten to death in no time..." Such behavior was only possible here. Hongyuan City had the Master Teacher Pavilion and the Master Teacher Academy, where unauthorized poisoning was strictly against the rules. If discovered, even ten lives wouldn't be enough to atone for it. In such a chaotic environment, Elder Xu had the nerve to claim everyone was friendly. Constantly being poisoned beyond recognition, falling asleep today not knowing who might poison you tomorrow, living in perpetual fear… could this truly be called friendly?

"Alright, Poison Master Sun, you can stay here for now!" After walking for a while and seeing countless bizarre individuals, the young man stopped. Zhang Xuan looked. It was a clean courtyard. Although the buildings seemed old, the surroundings were much quieter than before, offering a sense of peace.

"Alright." He knew he wouldn't be staying long anyway, so he wasn't picky about the accommodations.

Just as he was about to push the gate and enter the courtyard, he saw several young people approaching.

"Li Yuan, this person looks very unfamiliar. Have we never seen him before?"

"This is someone Elder Xu just brought back from outside," Li Yuan, the young man who had brought Zhang Xuan, replied.

"Elder Xu brought him? Is he going to take him as a disciple? For that old stubborn man to be moved, his talent must be exceptional. Come, let me see if he truly has what it takes..." The young man chuckled lightly, flicked his finger, and a puff of dust shot straight towards Zhang Xuan.

"Liu Xu, don't be reckless! This Poison Master Sun is not Elder Xu's disciple..." Li Yuan tried to explain, but before he could finish, the smoke had already reached Zhang Xuan, too late to stop. Just as he was about to warn Zhang Xuan to be careful, he saw the unremarkable middle-aged man smile faintly and, like a phantom, appear directly in front of Liu Xu. The sound of bones shattering echoed, and before Liu Xu could even let out a shriek, he was sent flying backward, landing perfectly impaled on a nearby tree branch, where he promptly fainted.

"Ah..." Everyone present was dumbfounded. They were all poison masters. Under normal circumstances, if someone used poison to attack, one would retaliate with poison. But this guy, without a word, just punched someone flying… wasn't that a bit too violent?!

"You... as a poison master, to actually resort to such brute force to solve problems, it's a disgrace!" A young man from behind Liu Xu stepped forward, waved his hand, and declared self-righteously, "I challenge you to a poison duel! Do you dare accept..." Before he could finish speaking, a foot shot straight towards his face. Like Liu Xu, he didn't even have time to shriek before he was sent flying backward, landing perfectly impaled on a nearby tree branch.

"You..." The remaining young men's faces all blanched. They had clearly challenged him to a poison duel, yet this guy still refused to play by the rules.

"Everyone, attack together!" one of them shouted.

*Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!*

A few breaths later, all the young men who had so aggressively approached were now hanging from the trees.

"This..." Li Yuan and the others who had accompanied Zhang Xuan stood there, utterly dumbfounded.