Chapter 1022: I Am the Founder of Your Sect

The purpose of coming to the Poison Hall was not to fight them, nor to show off by spilling blood everywhere. Instead, it was to treat Wei Ruyan, a student with an Innate Poison Body.

Now, before even finishing the books, he had already killed a dozen elders and beaten the Hall Master into such a state. If this were to delay the treatment, how could he face her father, who had died for her sake?

He had considered releasing his clone to protect his physical body, but that guy was even more unreliable. If he had let him out, it was likely that not a single elder would be left now, and even the Hall Master would have long been killed.

As for releasing the Purple Leaf King or the Purple Yang Beast, he had come alone. Having an extra living being would be incredibly troublesome to explain and would only cause unnecessary conflict.

He had originally thought that he would just go and read some books, and that they, given their status, wouldn't cause trouble. He never dreamed that step by step, things would escalate into this irreparable situation.

Seeing the numerous murderous poison masters before him, Zhang Xuan's scalp tingled.

If worst came to worst, should he release the Purple Leaf King, Purple Yang Beast, and others to kill all these poison masters and eliminate this social scourge?

As soon as the thought emerged, he couldn't help but shake his head.

He was a master teacher, not an executioner. Although they were poison masters, they hadn't caused harm to any region. If he were to eliminate them all, putting morality aside, he simply couldn't bring himself to do it psychologically.

After a moment of thought, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but ask, "Where is Elder Xu?"

Perhaps Elder Xu could help mediate and explain the situation.

"Elder Xu brought a wolf into our house, leading to the deaths of our elders. His crime is heinous. I have already sent men to detain him, awaiting judgment," the Hall Master said through gritted teeth.

If Elder Xu hadn't brought this unknown fellow, the Poison Hall would not have suffered such grievous losses. Regardless of how this Sun Qiang was dealt with, Elder Xu himself had to face punishment!

"Betraying the Poison Hall? This... Elder Xu has always been loyal and devoted. Isn't this decision a bit biased?" Zhang Xuan stood up immediately, unable to help but defend him.

It was fine if they targeted him, as the disaster was indeed caused by his physical body, but... it truly had nothing to do with Elder Xu!

Elder Xu had painstakingly brought him here and kindly explained things along the way. If Elder Xu were to be implicated because of this, Zhang Xuan would genuinely feel terrible.

"Your strength is formidable, but the hatred for the deaths of so many elders cannot go unavenged," the Hall Master roared. "Even if only one person remains in my Poison Hall after this fight, we will not back down!"

Regardless of whether the opponent killed them in a trance or intentionally, so many elders had died because of him. The hatred had already been forged and was now irreparable! Otherwise, if he were allowed to escape justice simply because of his strength, killing indiscriminately, where would the Poison Hall's dignity stand? How could they face their ancestors?

"Guards! Bring Xu You here!" the Hall Master shouted, waving his hand. "Kill him first, then we'll deal with this fellow together!"

"Yes!"

Two elders hesitated for a moment before turning and flying out. Before long, they returned with Elder Xu.

Xu You's restraints had already been removed. Upon seeing the mess on the ground, his lips trembled, his eyes were dull, and he was filled with self-reproach.

In his opinion, if he hadn't brought Sun Qiang here, this situation would never have occurred. Had he known this, he would rather have died himself instead of Elder Xue!

"Do you have anything to say?" the Hall Master asked, looking over.

"I..." Xu You's body stiffened. After a moment, he sighed and said, "Having caused such a great disaster, I accept any punishment..."

It was his poor judgment that led to this situation. As a poison master, even a myriad deaths wouldn't be enough to atone for his sin.

"Good that you acknowledge your crime!" Turning his head, the Hall Master ordered, "Do it!"

He didn't want to kill Xu You either, but a disaster had occurred. Without making a firm decision, how could he command respect? And how could he then deal with this "great devil" before them?

"Yes!"

The other elders nodded, looking at Xu You with troubled expressions.

"You don't need to do it, I'll do it myself..."

Knowing that his old friends would find it difficult to act, Elder Xu gritted his teeth and circulated his true qi, preparing to sever his own heart meridian and commit suicide, when he heard Sun Qiang's voice from in front of him.

"Wait..."

He looked up and saw Sun Qiang, who had been full of anxiety just moments ago, now with a calm expression. His head was slightly raised, his hands clasped behind his back, exuding an air of superiority and undisturbed serenity.

"Since things have escalated to this point, it seems there's no need to hide my identity anymore..."

"Identity?"

Everyone frowned. The Hall Master couldn't help but look over too.

"Indeed!" Zhang Xuan nodded, his voice calm and indifferent. "Do you know what kind of physique the Poison Hall's founding ancestor possessed?"

"The founding ancestor had an Innate Poison Body. He was naturally unafraid of poisons, which allowed him to establish the profession of poison master and gain fame throughout the world..." Even though he truly wished to kill this fellow before him, he knew that a rash move would only cause him to suffer. Thus, suppressing his rage, the Hall Master explained. As poison masters, they were all familiar with the deeds of their founding ancestor.

"Indeed, an Innate Poison Body!" Zhang Xuan nodded and continued, "Do you know why all the poisons you administered to me earlier had no effect whatsoever?"

"This..."

Everyone was stunned. This was indeed what puzzled them. Not even the Hall Master's beetle could harm him. What kind of antidote could be so potent?

"Could it be... could it be... you also have an Innate Poison Body?" the Hall Master asked, his body stiffening as he looked over.

The other party first spoke of their founding ancestor, then mentioned his own immunity to poisons. If they still couldn't figure it out, they would truly be fools.

"I am not!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

"Not?"

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances. If not, then why was he talking about this nonsense?

"Actually, whether I possess it or not, I can't confirm," Zhang Xuan continued. "I only know that once I cultivate, I enter a special state, as if my soul has been swapped, and my body is no longer under my control! The consciousness that controls my body at that time is immune to all poisons; no toxin will have any effect on it..."

"Soul swapped?"

"Immune to all poisons?"

Everyone was stunned. "Are you telling ghost stories?"

"Indeed!" Zhang Xuan shook his head with a bitter smile. "Perhaps you don't believe it, but that is the truth... When I was fighting with you just now, despite the danger, I didn't open my eyes, did I?"

Everyone nodded. This fellow had indeed not opened his eyes since the fight began, acting as if he were sleepwalking.

"Actually, it's not that I didn't want to open them, but I was controlled by another consciousness and didn't know anything... And this consciousness, if my guess is correct... is precisely the Poison Hall's founding ancestor!"

"Another consciousness within the body... is the Poison Hall's founding ancestor?"

"What a joke..."

Everyone frowned. The Poison Hall's founding ancestor was a contemporary of Kong Shi, existing tens of thousands of years ago. Even if he were still alive, he would have long since passed away. How could his consciousness be attached to this fellow?

"I know this claim sounds absurd, but it's the truth," Zhang Xuan said, shaking his head with a troubled expression. After a moment of hesitation, he gritted his teeth and sat cross-legged on the ground once more. "How about this: I'll continue cultivating and let him control my body. Perhaps then you'll know the answer!"

*Rumble!*

The moment he sat down, everyone immediately felt the grand formation of the entire island roar as if it had been brought under control.

Immediately afterward, "Sun Qiang," with his eyes tightly shut, slowly spoke. His voice carried an air of ancientness and profoundness.

"What? You doubt my identity?"

This voice was completely different from Sun Qiang's previous one. It seemed to carry a hint of savagery and slaughter, and while not as terrifying as those of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, it still gave off an extremely frightening sensation, as if it had been suppressed for too long and could collapse at any moment, with the soul being the first to shatter.

Everyone's pupils contracted. Both the voice and the aura were completely different from before, making it clear that these were definitely two different individuals! Furthermore, this aura was far heavier and older, giving one a feeling of transcending history itself.

"Senior, you claim to be... our founding ancestor. What evidence do you have to prove it?" the Hall Master still couldn't help but ask, despite his growing doubts, cold sweat dripping from his forehead under the oppressive aura.

"Do I still need to prove it to you? What are you?" the "Sun Qiang" who was sitting cross-legged roared in displeasure.

"It's not that we doubt your identity, Senior, but... our founding ancestor disappeared tens of thousands of years ago... and now you claim to share a body with this Sun Qiang, which is truly difficult for us juniors to comprehend..." the Hall Master said, gritting his teeth.

"I know you must find it hard to understand, never mind!" Hearing his words, "Sun Qiang" didn't retort as fiercely as before. Instead, he paused, seemingly recalling something sorrowful, and said calmly, "I am actually just a remnant soul that coincidentally resided within a Hell Seven-Heart Lotus, which allowed me to survive! It was this Sun Qiang who brought me out of the ancient ruins!"

"From then on, I have resided within his body, only appearing when he cultivates... Otherwise, do you think a brat with his Half-Saint cultivation could see through this grand formation, be immune to all poisons, and even easily defeat you?" the "Sun Qiang" snorted.

The Hall Master was stunned. To be honest, he himself had found it hard to believe all along. The other party's cultivation was indeed only at the Half-Saint level, while he himself was a true Saint 3-dan pinnacle expert! Even if his life poison bug had been killed and his body injured, preventing him from exerting his full strength, he still possessed the cultivation of a Saint 2-dan pinnacle expert! Yet, a Half-Saint had fought him to a standstill, only slightly weaker... He had never heard of such a formidable genius in his entire cultivation career. Most crucially, the other party's zhenqi seemed endless. He had killed a dozen elders, injured a Vice Hall Master, and fought him for so long, yet he still appeared calm and composed... It was simply inconceivable. Furthermore, this fellow simply didn't care about poisons at all. When his poison bug bit him, not only was the other party unharmed, but the poison bug itself died... He would refuse to believe that there wasn't something bizarre at play. As for the grand formation... The other party had easily gained control over it, which was definitely not something a Half-Saint could achieve.

"Senior, you claim to be the remnant soul of our founding ancestor. What evidence do you have to prove it?"

"Hmph, normally, I wouldn't need to explain anything to you juniors. I would just kill anyone who dared to question me... However, this Sun Qiang doesn't wish for lives to be ruined, and he has pleaded with me several times, so I won't go on too much!" the "Sun Qiang" snorted. "Your founding ancestor was not only an Innate Poison Body but also an Innate Poison Soul Body. As poison masters, need I elaborate on how to verify an Innate Poison Soul Body?"