Chapter 68

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Chapter 68

As an alchemist, Tu Xuixin carried only a long sword for self-defense, and his physical skills were far from impressive.

He sensed that he couldn’t bring himself to stab his own beloved disciple, so after much deliberation, he decided to retrieve the precious poisonous core he had kept for years.

"Don’t underestimate this poison; if it were poured into well water, it could affect hundreds or even thousands of people," Tu Xuixin said cautiously as he opened the brocade box, revealing a thumb-sized worm core.

"The toxic creatures from Night Poison Mountain were all refined into this. If I dissolve it in water and coat my sword with it, the damage would increase significantly!"

The old woman sat nearby, resting. "Go ahead and eat, dear. By the way, she just drank half a pot of chicken soup; that shouldn’t be a problem, right?"

"It’s fine; let’s proceed!"

Gong Wu sighed as she held the worm core in her hand.

Even the slightest touch of its surface caused a faint, corrosive sting, a testament to the viciousness of its ingredients.

"Master, what happens to an ordinary person who eats this?"

"They’d suffer intestinal rupture and dissolve into a puddle of bodily fluid," Tu Xuixin answered without hesitation. Noticing the uneasy expressions around him, he added with a grimace, "I didn’t want to bring out the number one deadly poison… I was just afraid you’d die too slowly, enduring too much pain."

Gong Wu nodded, thanked her Master, and tilted her head back to swallow the core whole.

She had overestimated the width of her throat.

The thumb-sized pill was impossible to swallow, and as it began to dissolve slightly from her saliva, it clung stubbornly to the walls of her throat.

"Cough—cough—"

"Water! Get water!" Hua Tingxiao rushed over to pat her back, glaring as he said, "I told you to just give her a vial of Crane-Top Red; why use this thing?!"

"Wait," Tu Xuixin panicked. "Is it better to choke to death, cough to death, or poison to death?"

"Cough!! Cough—"

Kan Jixuan raised an eyebrow at the scene. "What’s going on here?"

She poured water into Gong Wu’s mouth to help her swallow the large poison pill. Instantly, Gong Wu felt her internal organs corroding and melting, causing her to curl up in agony on the soft couch.

"It’s almost over," Tu Xuixin soothed her gently. "You’re about to die; just endure it a little longer."

Gong Wu: "……"

About the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, Gong Wu’s face turned pale, and her breathing became faint.

Yan Fangji erupted in fury. "Tu Xuixin, are you even competent? Can’t you even concoct a poison properly?"

Tu Xuixin, holding her pulse with one hand and wiping sweat with the other, replied, "It should still take about half an hour for her to die completely. Her internal energy is constantly shielding her vital points, so there’s nothing I can do."

"Master, it hurts," the little girl murmured weakly. "Don’t wipe my sweat anymore; tell me a story instead, it really hurts."

"Alright, um," Tu Xuixin scrambled to recall, feeling as helpless as when he used to lull five-year-old Gong Wu to sleep. "Oh right, that wall, do you remember it?"

"In the Wuxuan Sect, there was a grand golden tapestry. After Hu Fengyu burned it through with his fox fire, people discovered a Magical Formation hidden behind the tapestry!"

"…And then?"

Tu Xuixin reached out to check her breathing, troubled. "How are you still alive?"

Gong Wu silently spat out a mouthful of poisonous blood.

"She… she isn’t going to recover soon, is she?"

"No, no, her pulse is gradually weakening; hurry and continue!"

"Then, we discovered that the spiritual item, that thing called ‘Dai something Ling,’ had already fused into the wall. Elder Kan shattered the Magical Formation with a single slap, and those who could ascend did so, while others broke through their limits. Spiritual energy filled the air!"

Gong Wu said weakly, "Master… I’ve heard this part before…"

"And there’s more," Tu Xuixin held her close, trying to tell some stories to the dying girl. "But this ‘Dai something Ling’ was passed down from the Celestial Ancestor of Zhi Bai Guan; according to tradition, it should be returned to its rightful owner."

"So the people present urgently discussed it, and we tried to pry that Ling from the wall, but it had truly fused into the wall, and we couldn’t extract it."

"Uh, in the end, Zhi Bai Guan took the entire wall away."

In that great battle, some left with their cultivation, some with their formidable Golden Cores, but only the people from Zhi Bai Guan carried away an entire wall, creating a scene of utter chaos.

"Oh, there’s more," Hua Tingxiao recalled something. "When your Master ascended, your leopard ate his robe."

"I figured it must have been because there was immortal aura on it. It’s funny, after eating it, Juju grew quite a bit; now he stands almost twice as tall as a person!"

Before Hua Tingxiao could finish, Tu Xuixin gently shushed him.

Yan Fangji watched in anguish from the side and quietly asked, "Is she dead?"

"Yes."

A group of people sat around Gong Wu’s body, silently waiting for her to revive.

The first time waiting like this was indeed eerie and unsettling.

But after the fourth or fifth time, it became less strange.

The poisonous core took considerable effort to breach Gong Wu’s heart, but what was supposed to dissolve her into a puddle of bodily fluid merely caused a few red spots to appear on her arm, as if she had been bitten by poisonous mosquitoes, with little overall effect.

Her internal organs were all corroded by the toxins, losing their shapes, but after waiting for about four hours, they gradually began to recover, and her heart once again beat with vigor.

As Gong Wu slowly awakened from the void, she heard her Master discussing the Original Demon with a few other Masters.

"It can’t be killed or destroyed, but what if we were to consume it?"

"That would require proper transformation; if it seizes control, that would be disastrous."

Cheng Ji held her hand tightly, noticing the little girl stir. He used a warm towel to wipe her forehead.

"Little Wu, does it still hurt?"

“…I’m so thirsty.”

Before Gong Wu could finish speaking, hot tea was brought to her lips.

She instinctively thanked her Master, but Cheng Ji awkwardly said, “It’s not me.”

In an instant, the handkerchief in Cheng Ji’s hand transformed into a blue-and-white porcelain teacup, filled with freshly brewed yellow tea.

Gong Wu was momentarily stunned, realizing her thoughts had unconsciously manipulated it. She quickly took a sip of the hot tea, transformed it back into a handkerchief, and returned it to her Master.

“For most people, it takes at least sixty to seventy years to reach the Jade Balance Realm, and sometimes even centuries,” Cheng Ji remarked with awe. “Moreover, the imperial court grants special titles for such cultivation, and the Heavenly Soldiers and Ghost Generals can be summoned.”

“Little Wu, you’ve endured great suffering, and now you can enjoy great blessings. This is your destiny.”

Kan Jixuan came over to take a look and smiled warmly. “She won’t remain in the Jade Balance Realm for long; she’s about to break through.”

In just one day, she had already reached the brink of a breakthrough, surrounded by an aura resembling a solar corona, radiant and intense.

It was almost unimaginable; an ordinary cultivator would never dare to dream of such progress!

Just a day ago, Gong Wu had ascended to this stage, and now she was on the verge of ascending again—it was truly extraordinary!

Gong Wu was astonished to hear this and glanced at the faint immortal aura surrounding her, feeling deeply inspired.

“Master, stab me with your sword again!”

“I’m afraid I can’t do it,” Tu Xuixin replied slowly. “I’ll go ask Master Ancestor.”

Hao Chengzi was still copying scriptures and cultivating when he heard his disciple’s request. It was the first time in his centuries of cultivation that he had encountered such a situation.

Killing a deviant villain was one thing, but striking Gong Wu, whom he had watched grow up, was unthinkable.

The Old Immortal pondered deeply, but with his disciples pleading, he had no choice but to take up his sword.

When the old man saw Gong Wu, he was equally startled.

“In just one day, you’re about to ascend again? Does that mean you’ll achieve immortality in another two or three days? Can this happen so quickly?”

“I’m just waiting for your sword,” Gong Wu said, suppressing a smile as she stood ready. “Please!”

Hao Chengzi took a deep breath and channeled his energy to strike.

“Ha!”

The immortal sword sliced through the air, its intent sharp and fierce, piercing her chest in an instant.

“Just a bit more, Master! My heart isn’t broken yet!!” Tu Xuixin pulled out a handful of pills. “Little Wu, hurry and take some; there’s more than one way to die.”

Hua Tingxiao stifled a laugh from the side, encouraging, “Relax, Little Wu, relax!”

The Old Celestial Ancestor felt a bit embarrassed; after withdrawing his sword, he suddenly added another strike: “Hah!”

Gong Wu gasped. “Ugh!”

She pushed the sword aside with her hand, coughing a few times, nearly choking again.

“Master, this is a Poison Pill, not a sugar pill; could you make them smaller next time?”

Cheng Ji stepped forward to take a look and stomped his foot.

“Oh no, even the flesh wound has healed.”

Hao Chengzi remained silent for a few seconds before waving his sleeve and departing.

Master Hua followed closely behind, calling out, "Master, where are you going—"

"Practicing!!"

Kan Jixuan let out a snicker. "You’re not that old, but you have a thin skin."

Gong Wu coughed for a long time, sipping water and catching her breath; at this moment, she also recognized the reality.

“After three times like this, I’ve become completely immune to sword scars.”

“I’ll set off for training tomorrow. Wherever it’s dangerous, I’ll go there. Masters, you all have worked hard. Rest early tonight.”

Tu Xuixin said without a second thought, “I’ll go with you. If you fall, I’ll be here to guard you.”

“I’ll lead the way,” Kan Jixuan said. “I drew the map; I know the place best.”

Hua Tingxiao eagerly added, “Um, I want to tag along to watch the show…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Cheng Ji pulled him back.

“You stay here and teach well! Thousands of disciples are waiting to learn the medicine scriptures!”

After having a late-night meal with them and bidding each farewell, she set off alone, carrying a Food Box filled with dumplings to the Demon Realm.

Kan Jixuan had given Gong Wu a locust wood waist token in advance, allowing her to move freely anywhere in the Demon Realm.

—But now, nothing could really obstruct her.

The night in the human world was silent, the bright stars obscured by long clouds, with the occasional sound of flowing water breaking the quiet as she traveled alone.

Once she ventured deeper into the Demon Realm, the sky became dark and bloody, and the ground had little plant life, everything coated in a shade of deep red.

Gong Wu warmed the Food Box with her palm and flew to a deep chasm while sitting on the umbrella handle.

This place was deserted, even forlorn spirits wouldn’t linger here; it felt like a spot forgotten by the world.

Taking a deep breath, she dove down to find him in the deepest, darkest place.

In the dim light, a phoenix sensed her arrival and called out in surprise.

Ji Yang had been meditating and was momentarily stunned by the sound, not turning around immediately.

“You came?”

“I brought you a late-night snack,” Gong Wu said. “Also, I want to ask you something.”

Ji Yang remained silent, lowering his head to wipe the dust off his face, still not looking at her.

"Go ahead and ask."

“You like me, right?”