Chapter 1111: The Patriarch Has Arrived

“The Tome of Worldly Poisons?”

Bai Ting and Hai Mingjin were startled simultaneously.

It was said that this tome was personally written by the sect’s Grand Patriarch, containing all the secret poison techniques he had researched throughout his life. It was considered the most coveted treasure by poison masters, but it had vanished long ago after the Grand Patriarch’s passing.

After the Grand Patriarch’s death, many successive hall masters took over, but none of them managed to gain full respect or control due to the lack of proper inheritance, leading to greater chaos within the Poison Hall.

They had thought this item would be impossible to find again, but to their surprise, Right Protector Shen Que had recovered it!

“Yes, with this, he can indeed legitimately inherit the position, and no one would dare object. It’s just… never mind, let’s not talk about it now. You’ll understand when you see Master!” Yuan Ling, about to say more, paused, swallowed her words, waved her hand, and flew forward first.

The two followed closely.

As powerhouses exceeding the Fourth Layer of the Saint Domain, they were incredibly fast. In a short time, they arrived at a spacious mansion near the center of the city.

Yuan Ling led the way. As soon as they entered the grand hall where their master used to teach, they heard a chorus of arguments.

“He’s just acting like a tyrant! Why should Master be forced to do this? We might as well fight them!”

“This is absolutely outrageous! We can’t just sit here and wait!”

“He claims it’s the Tome of Worldly Poisons, but how can anyone confirm that? I remember he and Master never got along. He’s probably saying this intentionally to eliminate dissidents and successfully usurp power!”

“Right Protector Shen Que is inherently petty. Now that he has such a powerful backing, he’s definitely going to act…”

Entering the room, they immediately saw dozens of poison masters standing there, each filled with righteous indignation.

Bai Ting looked around, recognizing them as his senior and junior martial brothers from his training days. Almost all of them had reached the strength of an eight-star poison master.

In the center of the hall sat an old man dressed in plain clothes. His aura was as still as a deep well, and his breathing was almost imperceptible, as if he didn't exist.

Hai Mingjin secretly probed him with his divine sense and was immediately horrified.

Under the perception of his divine sense, there was nothing in front of him; he detected absolutely nothing.

“Such formidable strength…”

His pupils constricted.

The old man’s strength surpassed imagination, reaching an unfathomable realm where divine sense of Hai Mingjin’s level simply couldn’t detect him.

Facing such a powerful expert, the opponent wouldn’t even need to lift a finger; a mere thought would be enough to shatter his soul, rendering him utterly incapable of resistance.

Let alone using poison!

Terrifying!

“Master, Junior Martial Brother Bai Ting has arrived!”

Ignoring the ongoing arguments, Yuan Ling stepped forward.

“Hmm!” The old man nodded and looked over. “After that incident, you became disheartened. I thought you’d never be able to make a breakthrough again, but to my surprise, you’ve become an eight-star poison master. My teachings weren’t in vain!”

“Master…”

Bai Ting’s eyes reddened, and he took a step forward, kneeling before him.

Having been away from the headquarters for so long, he had felt ashamed to return. Now, seeing his master in person, he could no longer suppress his emotions.

“Alright, you’re both eight-star poison masters now, stop acting like children!” The old man chuckled.

“Yes!” Bai Ting stood up and looked up questioningly. “Master, what did the senior and junior martial brothers mean when they said… you had to come…?”

With everyone so indignant, it certainly wasn’t good news.

“It’s nothing major. Since you’re back, just complete your assessment calmly, then go back! The Poison Hall is no longer the peaceful place it once was. From now on, there will likely be bloodshed. Escape as far as you can!” The old man waved his hand and sighed.

“This…”

Bai Ting frowned, completely bewildered.

His master was one of the Four Venerables. For him to sound so despondent, what could have possibly happened?

Under normal circumstances, shouldn’t Shen Que obtaining the Tome of Worldly Poisons and becoming the new hall master be cause for celebration?

“You must already know that Protector Shen has obtained the Tome of Worldly Poisons and is about to succeed as hall master, right?” Seeing his confusion, an eight-star poison master approached him.

“Yes!” Bai Ting nodded.

Poison Master Yuan Ling had just mentioned this.

“The Tome of Worldly Poisons, left by the Grand Patriarch, is highly poisonous. To open it, it must be ‘fed’ with human lives! Protector Shen is forcing Master to do this…” The eight-star poison master gritted his teeth.

Bai Ting’s pupils contracted sharply.

Many of the poison masters’ secret manuals were sealed with potent toxins. To break the seal, one needed corresponding detoxification skills. If not, lives had to be sacrificed.

In other words, people would be needed to absorb the potent poison. If one wasn’t enough, then two, or three, and so on. With enough people, the limited amount of poison could eventually be completely absorbed.

This was the so-called ‘feeding with human lives’!

‘Feeding with human lives’ was extremely cruel and bizarre, utterly disregarding the dignity of life. It was precisely why poison masters were categorized as heretics and scorned by righteous professions.

“Why Master…?” Bai Ting gritted his teeth.

His master was one of the Four Venerables. Why should he be forced to do such a thing?

“Back then, Master and Protector Shen had a conflict. The poison on the Tome of Worldly Poisons is so incredibly potent that ordinary people can’t even get close. To neutralize its toxicity, only a nine-star poison master can do it… That’s why he’s deliberately targeting Master, to establish his authority. Even before taking the position, he wants everyone in the Poison Hall to know his power!”

The poison master gritted his teeth.

While ‘feeding with human lives’ could neutralize toxicity, it also depended on one’s strength. If one’s strength was insufficient, even ten or twenty thousand people rushing forward would be useless.

The Tome of Worldly Poisons was left by the Grand Patriarch, and the potent poison on it could only be neutralized by a nine-star poison master. Anyone else, no matter how many, would be useless.

“Since he’s using public office for personal revenge, Master doesn’t have to agree at all!” Bai Ting quickly interjected, full of urgency.

“He doesn’t have to agree, but he’s… using the pretext of the greater good to threaten him!”

“The greater good?”

“Yes, he promised all the poison masters that once the Tome of Worldly Poisons is opened, he would select the easily learnable content and teach it, causing the overall strength of the Poison Hall to skyrocket… Using this as leverage, he directly cornered Master! Now, all the poison masters from the headquarters are here, ostensibly to observe the succession ceremony, but in reality, many are monitoring him, fearing Master might escape…”

The eight-star poison master’s eyes were bloodshot.

Loyalty is tested in adversity.

The poison masters who usually got along well with Master, and even constantly fawned over him, were now fleeing as far as they could, leaving only these students to guard him.

Bai Ting clenched his fists.

Indeed.

With such a condition tempting other poison masters, their master would become a sacrifice. If he refused to sacrifice himself, he would instead become the target of everyone’s scorn.

“Enough, I’ve already made my decision regarding this matter. After I die, don’t come here again. Escape as far as you can, lest the inheritance be cut off…” Interrupting the poison master, the old man in the center waved his hand.

As long as he was alive, no one would dare do anything. But once he died, most of these disciples would surely be massacred.

The Poison Hall didn’t abide by rules as strictly as the Master Teacher Pavilion; everything depended on strength. Without strength, one could only be killed.

“Master…”

Hearing these words, everyone felt a pang of sorrow, and Yuan Ling’s eyes also reddened. Just as she was at a loss for words, Bai Ting’s voice rang out.

“Actually… Master, you don’t have to sacrifice yourself. Protector Shen, becoming the Hall Master… won’t be that easy!”

“Hmm?”

Hearing this, everyone simultaneously turned their heads, and even the old man couldn’t help but furrow his brows.

“Junior Martial Brother Bai, why do you say that?” Yuan Ling asked.

“It’s nothing. In the past, with Protector Shen finding the Tome of Worldly Poisons, he could indeed become the Hall Master, and no one would dare object. But now… I’m afraid he won’t be able to!”

With a faint smile, Bai Ting revealed a look of confidence.

“He can’t become the Hall Master even with the Tome of Worldly Poisons? This… how is that possible?” Yuan Ling froze on the spot.

The others were equally bewildered and disbelieving.

What was the Tome of Worldly Poisons? It was an item left by the Grand Patriarch, akin to Master Kong’s Spring and Autumn Annals—a supreme treasure. Whoever found it would gain absolute authority and receive the recognition of all poison masters. Forget becoming the Hall Master; they could even order someone to commit suicide, and there would be no way to refuse.

Their master was currently facing such coercion.

Yet this person was saying that even this wouldn’t make him the Hall Master… So what *would* qualify him?

“Yes, what’s going on? The Tome of Worldly Poisons is a supreme treasure left by the Grand Patriarch. Possessing it grants one absolute authority…”

The eight-star poison master who had just spoken couldn’t help but shake his head. “For him not to become the Hall Master, you’d have to invite the Grand Patriarch himself!”

“Senior Martial Brother Lu is right. I indeed invited… the Grand Patriarch!” Bai Ting chuckled softly.

“The Grand Patriarch?”

“Junior Martial Brother Bai, are you joking? The Grand Patriarch passed away tens of thousands of years ago. Where would you find him?”

“That’s not funny at all…”

Everyone was momentarily stunned, then shook their heads.

If he had said he found some treasure of the patriarch, they would believe it. But finding the patriarch himself… wasn’t that just a dream?

“It really is the Grand Patriarch. Only a remnant soul of hers remains, attached to this girl…” Bai Ting pointed behind him.

Only then did everyone notice the girl he had enveloped in his *qi*. He gently set her down and withdrew his *qi*. Immediately, the toxic *qi* within Wei Ruyan dispersed, causing everyone to instinctively step back a few paces.

“This is… a Congenital Poison Body?”

Before the others could react, the old man in the center, Lin Jianghai, changed his expression, his face filled with disbelief.

The Congenital Poison Body was the supreme physique for cultivating as a poison master. Since the Grand Patriarch’s departure, not a single case had appeared in the entire Poison Hall for tens of thousands of years. They never dreamed it would appear here.

“Yes, not only is it a Congenital Poison Body, but also a Poison Soul Body!” Bai Ting nodded.

“This…” Lin Jianghai’s body trembled. “What exactly happened? Why is this girl unconscious?”

“It’s like this…”

Bai Ting then recounted in detail how he had encountered the “Grand Patriarch,” and how he had promised to bring the girl.

“You mean… this girl is possessed by the Grand Patriarch’s soul? And she’s only unconscious because she can’t withstand the pressure of the Poison Soul Body?”

Lin Jianghai’s body stiffened, finding it hard to believe.

“That’s right. If you don’t believe me, you can look at this pill she gave us!”

With a flick of his wrist, Bai Ting took out a jade bottle.

With a slight smile, Bai Ting flicked his wrist and handed over an antidote pill given by the “Grand Patriarch.”