"As a father, I would never go back on my word, but I fear for you, my child, whose ambitions are too lofty and whose standards are too high. I really shouldn't have sent you to Fusang Island. You hardly learned any abilities, but you perfectly picked up the Human Clan women's arrogance," the majestic voice sighed.

Golden Cloud Fairy chuckled and remained silent.

"Enough, you make your own decisions about your affairs. However, you must keep an eye on Yuan Ming; it's crucial. You can't afford any mistakes!" the majestic voice instructed again.

"Father, rest assured. Although my Golden Crow Fire Pupils are not as powerful as yours to probe all things and see through depths, I am still capable of keeping track of Yuan Ming," Golden Cloud Fairy said, fire sparking in her pupils, shooting out dazzling golden beams.

"That's good to hear," the majestic voice spoke and then fell silent.

Golden Cloud Fairy withdrew the golden light from her eyes and continued flying forward.

...

After moving a distance, Yuan Ming furrowed his brows suddenly, then regained his composure and looked down.

A canyon appeared in front of them, looking very deep, its bottom invisible to the eyes.

"This place is not bad, sufficiently secluded and abundant in nature's spiritual energy. Let's settle here," Yuan Ming declared.

Heeding his words, Long Chong and the other two looked down, nodded, and leapt downward.

All four of them had two Earth Core Fire Lotuses each. Inside this secret realm full of dangers, they were seeking a safe place to refine the Earth Core Fire Lotuses and transform them into tangible combat power.

The group quickly reached the bottom of the canyon. Although the rocks here were still red, the moisture increased at the valley floor, stimulating the growth of various plants.

The four of them each looked for a spot and started establishing temporary cave mansions for seclusion.

"Fellows, I just recalled some personal business I need to attend to. I'll have to leave for a bit," Yuan Ming suddenly slapped his head and stood up to say.

"Then be careful; make it quick and come back soon," Long Chong said urgently, eager to cultivate, without asking further.

Yuan Ming deployed the Ghost Shadow Escape Technique, turning into a shadow chasing in the direction Qing Tong had left.

Wulu watched Yuan Ming's disappearing figure, his eyes flickering.

Hundreds of miles away in a mountain valley, a green shadow descended from the sky, transforming into Qing Tong's figure.

"Damn it! Daoist Qian Bao, Long Chong, that Yuan fellow! You all deserve to die!" Qing Tong's face was full of malice.

As the Snake-man Clan's pride, he had never endured such humiliation before. Recalling the previous contemptuous and disdainful looks from the others, Qing Tong felt like cotton was stuffed in his heart, and it was suffocating. He wished he could kill them all to relieve his anger.

"Ah!" He roared as he punched the mountain wall.

A loud "boom" resonated, and the mountain wall had a huge hole blasted into it, with countless large and small stones falling like rain.

With that punch, Qing Tong's twisted expression eased somewhat, but the hatred in his heart deepened.

He pulled out a Communication Talisman and whispered a few words before crushing it.

On the other side of the Red Continent, Huan Ling Zi, accompanied by Bing Xin and Yun Jiuxiao, moved swiftly through a dense jungle, looking for a safe and peaceful place to consume and refine the newly acquired Earth Core Fire Lotus.

At that moment, a blue light glowed on Huan Ling Zi.

He stopped in his tracks, took out a Sound Transmission Talisman from his chest, and projected his Divine Sense into it.

"Qing Tong? Do you have a way to deal with Long Chong and the Yuan surname scoundrel?" Huan Ling Zi's eyes sparked.

Now that the Earth Core Fire Lotus was in hand, the immediate need was to consume and refine it to boost his strength. But Yuan Ming had destroyed his Lifebound Magical Treasure and killed his spirit beast, not to mention the recent public humiliation—Huan Ling Zi's hatred for Yuan Ming was also immensely deep, a hatred so vast that not even the East Sea could wash it away.

If there was a way to kill Yuan Ming, he would be exceptionally eager.

After weighing the options in his heart, Huan Ling Zi's hatred for Yuan Ming ultimately prevailed. He led the other two towards the distant mountains and quickly reached the valley where Qing Tong was speculated to be.

However, the valley was empty; Qing Tong had vanished without a trace.

"Eh, where is he? Look around," Huan Ling Zi directed.

Bing Xin and Yun Jiuxiao acknowledged and searched around, but found nothing.

However, Yun Jiuxiao discovered a purple Spiritual Flower at the end of the valley, which resembled a Spiritual Snake and emitted a faint fragrance, prompting him to call everyone over.

"This spiritual flower seems to be the Purple Snake Flower, containing a certain toxicity, yet also stimulating mana and potential unleashing effects. It can be used to refine elixirs to break through cultivation bottlenecks, quite precious indeed. Since you discovered it, keep it," said Huan Ling Zi.

Upon hearing this, Yun Jiuxiao was overjoyed and carefully stored the purple spiritual flower.

"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Huan Ling, you arrived so quickly." Just then, Qing Tong flew over from a distance.

"Brother Qing Tong invited us, so naturally I had to come, but why weren't you here just now?" Huan Ling Zi asked with a frown.

"I had just chased a rare snake demon outside the valley, which delayed me a bit. Have you been anxious, Fellow Daoist Huan Ling? Being hasty against Long Chong and that Yuan thief is not advisable," Qing Tong said with a smile.

As soon as these words came out, Yun Jiuxiao and Bing Xin exchanged glances, secretly lamenting in their hearts.

Huan Ling Zi had brought them here, and they thought it was to find a suitable place for secluded cultivation. They hadn't expected that Huan Ling Zi's purpose was to join forces with Qing Tong to deal with Yuan Ming and others.

After the previous volcanic battle, both were utterly reluctant to have any more conflicts with Yuan Ming and Long Chong. However, Huan Ling Zi had planted illusion seeds in their Sea of Consciousness, so where could they possibly have any freedom?

"Much obliged for your guidance, Brother Qing Tong. In your earlier communication, you mentioned a way to deal with Long Chong and others. What is it? Although I hate to admit it, that Yuan Ming, as well as Long Chong and Qiong Yun, have considerable divine skills. Even if we join forces, we may still not be able to handle them," Huan Ling Zi said.

"I am well aware of their toughness, but my Snake-man Clan has many methods. We don't need to confront them directly. Fellow Daoist Huan Ling, have you ever heard of our clan's One Rihong?" Qing Tong whispered.

"One Rihong? The one that's said to be colorless and odorless, undetectable even by Nascent Soul cultivators. After being poisoned, one's body turns red, and they endure pain intense as the marrow, suffering endlessly for a day and a night before death?" Before Huan Ling Zi could speak, Yun Jiuxiao, standing beside him, blurted out with a trace of fear in his voice.

Golden Lotus Island also had a legacy of poisonous divine powers, and they were somewhat familiar with the Snake-man Clan's One Rihong, extremely dreaded.

"Fellow Daoist Yun is well-informed," said Qing Tong, somewhat surprised.

"The reputation of One Rihong is well known in the East Sea to those with any insight. However, I heard that it's extremely difficult to refine, and even our entire Snake-man Clan doesn't possess many bottles. Do you have one, Brother Qing Tong?" Huan Ling Zi glanced at Yun Jiuxiao and asked.

Qing Tong remained silent, flipping his hand to produce a wine-red jade bottle, on which a large "一" character was written.

"Excellent, with this bottle of One Rihong, whether it's Long Chong or that Yuan, both are undoubtedly doomed!" Huan Ling Zi exclaimed excitedly.

"If they are poisoned by One Rihong, they are indeed doomed, but as you just mentioned, Fellow Daoist Huan Ling, the divine skills of Long Chong and others are not insignificant. If they are vigilant and don't get poisoned by One Rihong, the situation could revert back to the current state. To make sure nothing goes wrong, we should split up and proceed in two directions. I'll go and invite Xue Jiao and Hou Santong for assistance, and I'll leave the task of poisoning to you, Fellow Daoist Huan Ling," Qing Tong handed over the wine-red jade bottle.

"Me to act? I know nothing about poisoning; I'm afraid I might botch things up. It would be better if you, Fellow Daoist Qing, do it yourself. We will go to invite Xue Jiao and Hou Santong." Huan Ling Zi furrowed his brows, making no move to take the jade bottle.

"Fellow Daoist Huan Ling, don't worry; using this poison is actually very simple. Just open the stopper, throw it near Long Chong and the others. One Rihong's penetrative power is extremely strong. Regardless of whether they deploy a mana shield or conjure a protective magic treasure, they will be unknowingly corroded and penetrated," Qing Tong explained with a smile.

"If so, wouldn't it be better for you to do it yourself, Fellow Daoist Qing?" Huan Ling Zi countered, his refusal obvious in his words.

This poison was so formidable, colorless and odorless; one could be affected without notice.

Even if not poisoned, going to poison Yuan Ming and others meant a direct confrontation, and he was not willing to undertake such risky actions.

"Since we have decided to join forces, is Fellow Daoist Huan Ling really unwilling to handle even this simple task? That seems rather insincere," said Qing Tong.

"You jest, Fellow Daoist Qing. Since it's a simple task, it would be better for you to take action," Huan Ling Zi replied coldly with a sneer.

"So you really won't go?" Qing Tong asked again.

This time, Huan Ling Zi couldn't be bothered to reply and began walking toward the valley exit, Yun Jiuxiao and Bing Xin quickly following behind.

"Fellow Daoist Huan Ling, you are well-informed, having heard of our Snake-man Clan's One Rihong. Have you heard of another poison of our clan, the Hundred-day Drunk?" called Qing Tong from behind.

Huan Ling Zi did not stop walking, seemingly disinclined to listen to any more of Qing Tong's ramblings.

"This poison was created by our clan's ancestors, equally famous as One Rihong. Unlike One Rihong, Hundred-day Drunk is a chronic poison that slowly infiltrates the enemy's body, taking a full hundred days to manifest. When it does, it causes no pain; the target will die in a sleep-like drunken stupor, unaware, and afterward, no trace of poison can be detected. Thus, although Hundred-day Drunk is formidable, capable of killing imperceptibly, it's not widely known," Qing Tong continued, sitting there unmoved.

Upon hearing this, Yun Jiuxiao couldn't help but turn back and glance.

"Another difference between Hundred-day Drunk and One Rihong is that this poison cannot be stored in medicine bottles or gourds; it can only be kept in the pistil of the Purple Snake Flower, making it quite inconvenient to use." Qing Tong pulled out a wine flask and continued speaking indifferently.

Upon hearing this, Huan Ling Zi abruptly stopped in his tracks, his expression drastically changing. Yun Jiuxiao and Bing Xin also instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

"Those affected by Hundred-day Drunk show no unusual signs on their bodies; however, in those just poisoned, while the poison is still superficial, faint purple patterns will appear on the skin over their chest. Once the poison fully penetrates, the purple marks will vanish. You three might want to check your chests before deciding whether to proceed with the poisoning," Qing Tong leaned back, took a large swig of alcohol, and chuckled.

Huan Ling Zi suddenly pulled open his clothes, his face instantly turning ashen.

On his chest, several patterns resembling spirit snakes in purple were vividly visible, threatening as if proclaiming their presence.

Yun Jiuxiao and Bing Xin had similar marks on their chests as well, especially Yun Jiuxiao, whose markings were the most pronounced, his eyes filled with despair.

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