Chapter 278: Revisiting an Old Haunt: The Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley

“Yes.” Qin Haoxuan replied softly, then began to recount his story, from his encounter and pursuit by Master Chi Lian, to the slaying of the rogue cultivator, to being chased by the Mountain Hermit Yunhe and inciting a fight between the two of them, which ultimately even attracted Elder Yu. He then spoke of returning home to see his parents and visiting Senior Brother Pu’s family. As Qin Haoxuan’s story unfolded, Master Xuanji’s expression shifted between tension and relief.

Master Xuanji had learned from Ye Yiming some of the reasons for the animosity between Qin Haoxuan and Master Chi Lian. Now, hearing that his beloved disciple had been hunted by him, he felt a bitter taste in his heart and sighed internally. ‘Haoxuan, it is because your master is incompetent and cannot protect you. I have failed as your master…’

After a brief silence, Master Xuanji stood up and said, “I will take you to see the Sect Master and demand justice! Although Master Chi Lian doesn’t have much lifespan left, he has gone too far this time!”

Qin Haoxuan quickly blocked Master Xuanji’s path, saying, “Master, firstly, I don’t have a shred of evidence, so it would be useless to go. At most, he would only receive a warning. Secondly… if it’s because of me, I’m afraid the senior and junior brothers of the Nature Hall will be targeted afterward.”

Master Xuanji looked at Qin Haoxuan, and Qin Haoxuan looked back at him. The two stared at each other for a long moment before Master Xuanji finally sighed and said, “You are right, but… to just let it go like this… I cannot accept it…”

“This disciple will just be more careful…” Qin Haoxuan said, watching as Master Xuanji slowly sat back down. “Am I not still alive right now?”

“You must be extra careful when you are outside. Above all, remember, you must protect your own life.”

Master Xuanji’s voice was choked with emotion, and his eyes were filled with guilt as he looked at Qin Haoxuan.

Flustered, Qin Haoxuan waved his hands repeatedly to show that he understood.

Later, when Master Xuanji heard that Qin Haoxuan had gone to see his parents and the family of Senior Brother Pu Hanzhong, his expression dimmed slightly.

“Haoxuan, if you have the chance in the future, please go and see my descendants on my behalf. It has been so many years, I wonder how my family is doing!”

Qin Haoxuan looked at his master in surprise and asked, puzzled, “Master, you are the Hall Master of the Nature Hall. Hall Masters are permitted to leave the mountain. You could easily find some time to visit your descendants yourself.”

Master Xuanji smiled faintly, a smile of indescribable misery.

“All the people I knew have passed from this world. To return to my hometown now would only be to find that things are no longer as they were. My childhood playmates, my parents, my brothers… they are all gone. What else could I do by returning home but stir up more sorrow?” Master Xuanji’s gaze passed through the window and fell upon the crescent moon. He shook his head slowly, his expression desolate. “The path of the immortal is without sentiment. Once you enter the immortal gate, you sever all ties to the mortal world. From then on, the secular world becomes a scene from the past. It is too painful to look back, too painful! I believe my Dao Heart is strong, but even I dare not return to my old home, for fear of unsettling it.”

Qin Haoxuan stared in shock at the aged Master Xuanji. At that moment, a layer of tears misted his master’s dim, lifeless eyes.

“I don’t know what meaning there is in having lived longer than others. I have neither become an immortal nor attained the Dao. I have not fulfilled even a fraction of my filial duties to my parents and family; I wasn’t even there to care for the parents who gave me life in their old age and see them off. This master has nothing in this life, only the Nature Hall, and only you, my disciples.” Master Xuanji’s voice grew even more mournful as he lamented, “But alas, the Nature Hall has not prospered under my care either. Right now, the Nature Hall cannot be without me, so I will not go back. When you have time, go to my hometown and see. If my descendants are not doing well, then lend them a hand. If they are doing well, then let it be.”

Master Xuanji sighed softly, and then, as if remembering something else, he said, “If the descendants of my brothers have any promising talents among them, bring them to the Taichu Sect. At that time, with your status as Hall Master, you will be able to take on disciples. If there are no talents, then let it be.”

Seeing the look in Master Xuanji’s eyes, as if he were entrusting his last will and testament, Qin Haoxuan’s heart tightened, and his eyes couldn’t help but moisten. He opened his mouth but said nothing, only nodding heavily.

Master Xuanji smiled faintly. If it were any other disciple, they might have demurred, saying they were unworthy of the great responsibility. But Qin Haoxuan did not do so. He acted with sincerity and directness, not a hint of hypocrisy.

As the two of them were talking, Master Xuanji’s expression suddenly turned solemn, and he said seriously, “Haoxuan, after I pass away, the Nature Hall is yours.”

Qin Haoxuan was stunned for a moment, but his expression did not change much. He gathered his thoughts and said, “Master, if that day truly comes, this disciple is willing to take charge of the Nature Hall, to seek benefits for the senior and junior brothers, and to strive to make the Nature Hall stronger. If, in the future, there is someone in the Nature Hall stronger than me, I will also step down and yield the position to them.”

Qin Haoxuan took on the responsibility without any pretense, which greatly satisfied Master Xuanji. Especially when Qin Haoxuan said that if someone stronger than him appeared in the Nature Hall in the future, he would voluntarily step down, there was no hint of perfunctoriness in his expression. From his sincere gaze and earnest demeanor, it was clear that Qin Haoxuan genuinely had the best interests of the Nature Hall at heart. Entrusting the Nature Hall to him was absolutely the right choice.

‘It’s a pity I won’t get to see the day the Nature Hall flourishes in Haoxuan’s hands!’ Master Xuanji gazed at Qin Haoxuan, his heart filled with emotion. He was extremely weak after having just used the forbidden art and burned away his lifespan, but he was also very happy, thinking, ‘As long as I can retrieve the ancestor’s Dao legacy and pass it on to Haoxuan, the Nature Hall will surely have a brilliant future under his leadership! The Nature Hall, which has been impoverished and weak for so many years, will one day be able to hold its head high.’

Qin Haoxuan did not know what was on Master Xuanji’s mind. He only saw his master’s slightly emotional expression and his increasingly pale and aged face, and he felt a great sadness in his heart. He did not know that his master was burning what little lifespan he had left, striving to obtain the ancestor’s Dao legacy for him. At this moment, he was still planning to retrieve some Spirit Liquid to refine medicinal powder to extend his master’s life after he returned from his trip tomorrow.

Qin Haoxuan looked up at Master Xuanji, silently sensing the aura emanating from him, and thought to himself, ‘I don’t know why, but after returning from the sermon, Master’s aura has grown weaker, and he seems even older. I must refine some life-extending medicinal powder for him to take as soon as possible.’

He looked at the cabinet covered with the black cloth, which was filled with all the medicinal herbs given by the Nature Hall senior brothers. He had received so much care and attention from his master, and it was time he repaid him. He could not just watch as his master’s lifespan ran out and he passed away. Not only would his own conscience be troubled, but Senior Brother Pu would also blame him from the netherworld.

With their own thoughts in mind, after a while, Master Xuanji returned from his reverie and said to Qin Haoxuan, “Haoxuan, it is late now. You should stay on Nameless Peak tonight. Go back to your room, meditate for a while, and then rest well.”

Qin Haoxuan stood up, agreed, and left Master Xuanji’s room.

Returning to the guest room arranged by his senior brother, Qin Haoxuan sat cross-legged on the bed. He had been busy all day and had not yet started his meditation and qi cultivation to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Qin Haoxuan circulated his spiritual energy, activating the Qi-Circulating Pill in his dantian. Instantly, a massive spiritual energy vortex appeared above his head. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth around Nameless Peak surged madly toward him and entered his body.

Perfected Man Huanglong, who was standing on the summit of Emperor Peak looking towards Nameless Peak, shuddered. Sensing the terrifying speed at which Qin Haoxuan was absorbing spiritual energy, his brows furrowed slightly. He had been pondering some issue, but now he sighed softly and muttered to himself with a bitter taste, “If only Zhang Kuang hadn’t developed a feud with Qin Haoxuan when they first joined the sect, that would have been great. Or if Xu Yu and Qin Haoxuan’s relationship wasn’t so good, that would also have been fine.”

Standing behind Perfected Man Huanglong like a shadow, the Guiding Daoist bowed slightly and said, “Sect Master, Zhang Kuang’s cultivation speed is also very fast now. Even without the Qi-Circulating Pill, he is still steadily ahead of Xu Yu.”

“If only there could be harmony within the sect, how wonderful that would be.” Perfected Man Huanglong’s voice was full of melancholy. “I truly do not wish to see the three Purple Seeds, who could have brought infinite glory to the Taichu Sect, be consumed by internal strife after my time.”

The Guiding Daoist did not reply. Perfected Man Huanglong stood there, dazedly sensing the immense spiritual energy fluctuations from Nameless Peak, his mind still pondering how to improve the relationship between Xu Yu and Zhang Kuang.

After absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth with the Qi-Circulating Pill, Qin Haoxuan leaped off the bed and let out a long breath. His gaze passed through the window, looking in the direction of the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley, and he said to himself, “It’s been a while. I should pay a visit tonight.”

It was already late at night, and the disciples of the Nature Hall were all sound asleep. Qin Haoxuan lay on his bed and attached his soul to the small snake. The snake still did not reject his Spiritual Sense. During his months of cultivation in the mortal world, Qin Haoxuan would place his Spiritual Sense into the snake’s body to train whenever he had a spare moment. After several months of training, his Spiritual Sense had also improved.

Moreover, the snake had been constantly cultivating the ‘Tyrannical True Dragon Art’. Its own consciousness had grown much stronger, and Qin Haoxuan could feel that the small snake’s strength was not weak. However, he was still unable to communicate with the snake through their Spiritual Senses. The good news was that no matter how strong the snake’s consciousness became, it had never shown the slightest bit of rejection towards him.

The small snake swiftly left Nameless Peak. This time, it only took the time of a full incense stick to reach the entrance of the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley. The snake’s speed was much faster than before, likely thanks to its cultivation of the ‘Tyrannical True Dragon Art’.

Upon entering the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley, the sky was as gray and gloomy as ever. Under the dim light, Qin Haoxuan looked at the familiar yet strange surroundings and felt a sense of intimacy.

If the past generations of Taichu Sect ancestors, who had coveted the treasures of the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley, knew that Qin Haoxuan could enter the valley as easily and familiarly as returning home, and could come and go as he pleased with the help of the small snake, one wonders if they would have coughed up blood in anger.

With his much stronger Spiritual Sense, Qin Haoxuan not only felt no pressure in the outermost area of the valley but actually found it quite comfortable, much like how a blow that is too forceful is a beating, while one with just the right strength is a massage.

Qin Haoxuan felt as if his Spiritual Sense was being pleasantly massaged.

Time was tight, so he did not hesitate for long. He first headed towards the stalagmite forest to see if the Cockscomb Grass had matured. The last time he had entered the valley, based on the characteristics of the grass, he had deduced that it would mature in a few more months.

He wondered if the Cockscomb Grass had matured during the several months he had been in the mortal world.

As Qin Haoxuan left the outer area of the valley and moved deeper into its heartland, the pressure gradually began to manifest. But when he reached the stalagmite forest where the Cockscomb Grass and the buried Spirit Liquid were, he found that the pressure was no longer as suffocating as before. At most, his breathing was now only slightly labored.

Arriving next to the Cockscomb Grass, Qin Haoxuan confirmed that the Spirit Liquid was still buried safely. The color of the grass was a few shades deeper than before, but it still had a hint of green, indicating that it would need another two or three months to fully mature.

Since the Cockscomb Grass was not yet mature, Qin Haoxuan did not linger and continued to advance towards the heart of the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley.

(End of Chapter)

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