Chapter 325: Poisoning the Root Demon
Night fell, darkness surging in from all directions, but as it reached the great tree formed by the Root Demon’s true body, divine light radiated from around the tree.
This was the Root Demon’s true form. To avoid the dark invasion of the Great Wasteland, it had gone to great lengths to protect itself, stealing or plundering divine statues from other places to shield its own safety. Its root system covered a vast area, but its true body was a tangled mass of roots. During the day, it would spread its roots in all directions, transforming into a woman to lure prey to its doorstep. At night, it could retract its roots and hide within the range of the divine statue’s light to survive.
The White Bat brothers, Dragon Qilin, Xiong Xiyu and her mother, and the others were all near its roots, within the light’s coverage, so the night was relatively safe.
However, everyone was either poisoned or paralyzed by the Lost Fragrance Incense, unable to move, forced to lie there obediently.
That night, outside, ghosts wailed and spirits howled. Massive shadows moved in the darkness, demonic whispers constantly echoing, as if murmuring in their ears. Some divine statues suddenly came to life, speaking incomprehensible words.
There were also flashes of light in the darkness, where the dark suddenly receded, revealing a world of lush mountains and clear waters—likely the Great Wasteland overlapping with another world, where curious beings from that other realm peered into the darkness of the Great Wasteland.
There were also worlds as silent as rusted iron, gray and hazy, suddenly appearing around them, devoid of any life.
A night of bizarre and eerie phenomena kept everyone under the tree on edge, their hearts in their throats.
Finally, the sun rose, climbing high into the sky. Dragon Qilin lay on his back, limbs in the air. He had been poisoned by Mu Yingxue’s toxin but could still speak, muttering, “The Sect Leader hasn’t fed me today…”
Another day passed, and by evening, Qin Mu arrived, dusty and travel-worn, refining medicine as he walked. He had gathered some fine jade and forged a Bagua Five Elements Furnace, more exquisite and complex than the sealed furnace at the Imperial Academy.
As a master of artifact crafting, forging such a furnace was not difficult.
Qin Mu reached the tree and continued refining pills without pause.
With a sealed furnace, the toxic gas wouldn’t leak out. His methods were entirely different from before. After his contest with the Little Poison King, he had made great strides in the art of poison refinement.
This time, the poison pills he crafted were based on fundamental poison pills.
Just as swordsmanship had fourteen basic techniques, his poison refinement produced 1,024 basic poison pills. Different combinations of these basic pills would evolve into different poisons. Varying the dosage and ratio of each pill yielded different toxins.
Not only that, but he also refined many basic restorative elixirs to amplify the potency, allowing the poison’s power to increase dozens of times!
He finished refining these basic poison pills and restorative elixirs, then took out a few seeds and a dozen insect eggs. He planted the seeds under the tree and used techniques like the Creation Earth Element Art and Creation Spirit Art to accelerate their growth, turning them into medicinal herbs.
At the same time, he hatched the insect eggs, and many small bugs emerged.
Qin Mu fed the poison bugs with restorative elixirs, fattening them up, then had them crawl onto the herbs and gnaw at them, enhancing the bugs’ toxicity.
Although the Medicine Master’s pharmacology was extraordinary, he hadn’t deliberately taught Qin Mu poison techniques. These skills Qin Mu had learned from the Little Poison King, Fu Yuanqing, and then merged the poison path with the medical path.
Qin Mu had the poison bugs fight among themselves, devouring each other until only one insect king remained. Then he mixed different poison pills to create various highly toxic pills and fed them to the insect king.
Before dark, Mu Yingxue finally returned.
This woman rode a white elephant, which swayed leisurely as it walked, followed by a host of flowers, grasses, birds, and beasts.
Qin Mu was stunned, watching as these flowers, grasses, birds, beasts, and even insects followed the woman closely, never straying.
“All things have spirit, even poisons. Her method of gathering herbs is far superior to mine—she can make the poisons follow her on their own.”
This was indeed a formidable opponent with profound skill in the poison path!
Qin Mu felt the pressure. Two days ago, their contest had ended in a draw, both suffering losses. This time, it would be a true showdown!
Mu Yingxue arrived at the tree, and the flowers, grasses, poisonous birds, beasts, insects, and fish also gathered beneath it.
The people lying under the tree shuddered with terror, their eyes filled with fear as they looked at Qin Mu and Mu Yingxue.
These poisonous creatures were ordinary to Qin Mu and Mu Yingxue, but to others, they were like floods and beasts to be avoided at all costs.
Mu Yingxue immediately set to work, activating her technique. The poisonous creatures grew on their own, and when their toxicity reached its peak, each one offered its most venomous part to her.
The girl was very serious, meticulous, and focused on cultivating her poisons.
Her poison was somewhat different from that of the Central Lands, primarily targeting primal energy. Primal energy was the initial energy of life; if it was insufficient, the body would weaken, blood, spirit, and complexion would decline, bones would weaken, and if primal energy was depleted, death followed.
The same applied to cultivators.
Her poison theory delved into the origin of life, aiming to poison that very source—a highly sophisticated approach.
Qin Mu raised an eyebrow and began to focus on cultivating his own poison. The two competed, refining through the night. The tree beside them trembled, its trunk swaying back and forth all night, but it couldn’t escape.
Finally, dawn broke. Qin Mu finished refining his poison, and Mu Yingxue straightened up. Both held small jars in their hands, looking at each other.
“Sister, what poison did you refine?” Qin Mu asked curiously.
Mu Yingxue didn’t open the jar, smiling, “Your poison is very potent, but your mouth is as sweet as honey, warming my heart. This poison of mine originally had no formula; it’s a new creation I developed targeting the blood of gods and demons, and I haven’t named it yet. Its benefit is that it dissolves the blood of gods and demons, destroying the origin of primal energy. After taking it, within a short time, primal energy empties, the spirit fades, energy disperses, and death follows!”
Qin Mu’s eyes lit up. “Sister, since your poison has no name, let me name it. How about ‘Spirit Dissolving Three Marvelous Powder’?”
Mu Yingxue was overjoyed, glancing at him happily, praising, “Good little brother, I didn’t expect you to be so learned. I couldn’t have come up with such a good name myself. What poison did you refine?”
Qin Mu patted his jar, laughing, “My poison is also unique. My master didn’t teach me poison formulas, only pharmacology. I learned poison refinement from my senior brother. This poison has a special property: it reverses yin and yang, disrupts the five elements. Great nourishment becomes great poison; great nourishment feeds great poison, corrupting the body and the spirit. After taking my poison, first the body breaks, then the spirit breaks. My poison also incorporates the witch poison from the Loulan Golden Palace, causing the soul to scatter. Hence, it has three breaks.”
Mu Yingxue said, “Why not call it ‘Three Break Powder’? The name isn’t pleasant, but it fits.”
Qin Mu smiled, “Sister’s name is interesting enough. Let’s call it Three Break Powder.”
The people lying on the ground were at a loss whether to laugh or cry. These two were clearly mortal enemies, both wanting to poison the other, both wanting to surpass the other in the poison path, yet now they were flattering each other, calling each other “sister” and “little brother,” acting so warmly.
Moreover, hearing them praise their own poisons, it seemed as if they weren’t poisons at all, but sacred elixirs that would grant godhood upon consumption.
“Good sister, will you administer the poison first, or shall I?” Qin Mu asked.
Mu Yingxue hesitated. There were nuances to going first or second.
If she went first and failed to kill the Root Demon, it would be severely weakened, and the one going second would gain an advantage. But going first also meant seizing the initiative—if she killed the Root Demon, she would win, and the other would have to concede defeat.
She was torn.
Qin Mu noticed her dilemma, opened his porcelain jar, and smiled, “How about I go first?”
As his jar opened, a wisp of black smoke drifted out. Within the smoke floated a poisonous insect, its body shimmering with streaks of light. It resembled a spider but wasn’t—eight legs, a long body, a belly like a bee’s, and eight eyes, all tightly shut.
This wasn’t a real insect but a manifestation of the poison’s power, as if opening its eyes would unleash earth-shattering toxicity!
Mu Yingxue glanced at it, shuddered, and quickly said, “I’ll go first!”
Qin Mu stepped back, and Mu Yingxue stepped forward, opening her jar. A wisp of green smoke rose, and within it, the Spirit Dissolving Three Marvelous Powder took the form of a green seed.
Mu Yingxue channeled her power, and the green seed shot forward with a whoosh, vanishing into the great tree ahead.
Faintly visible, the seed took root and sprouted within the tree, growing rapidly.
Mu Yingxue performed her technique, fully activating the toxicity of the Spirit Dissolving Three Marvelous Powder. Suddenly, the earth trembled. The Root Demon seemed to feel an excruciating pain, its trunk shaking violently. Thick, dragon-like roots snapped with cracking sounds, and tentacle-like root tendrils rapidly rotted. The flower buds at the ends of the tendrils emitted piercing screams, the women inside swaying wildly. Then, one by one, the flowers withered, many buds falling to the ground, the women inside turning into chunks of charcoal!
High above, the tree’s first canopy collapsed with a thunderous roar, crashing down onto a distant hill, splitting it apart!
“Potent poison! Excellent medicine!” Qin Mu exclaimed in admiration.
Mu Yingxue, however, frowned slightly. Although the tree’s first canopy had collapsed and the bark showed signs of decay, one change had defied her expectations: the Azure Dragon Pearl.
The Root Demon had swallowed the Azure Dragon Pearl, which, while suppressing its mobility, also provided it with unparalleled vitality!
Moreover, the power contained within the blood of gods and demons had exceeded her estimates. Her Spirit Dissolving Three Marvelous Powder likely couldn’t kill this Root Demon.
Mu Yingxue waited an hour. The Root Demon gradually stopped struggling, and new roots began to grow. The canopy regrew, and the withered bark shed, replaced by new skin.
“I lost.” Mu Yingxue’s expression dimmed as she shook her head.
Qin Mu stepped forward, smiling, “I might not necessarily beat you either.”
His primal energy erupted, forming an altar. Qin Mu placed his porcelain jar at the center of the altar and performed rituals around it. The insect on the jar grew larger, then suddenly flew up with a whoosh, landing on the tree, and gradually seeped into it.
Qin Mu paced in the steps of the Big Dipper, his hair loose, continuing his rituals on the altar. His Three Break Powder contained witch poison, so he had to perform the ritual to activate Bancuo’s witch poison.
The Root Demon remained unmoved. Suddenly, the toxicity erupted. The great tree rumbled, cracking and snapping, countless splinters raining down like a storm of wood.
Then, the earth churned as if boiling, countless roots leaping out of the ground like giant snakes, thrashing about with thuds.
Boom!
A massive black ball composed of countless roots burst from underground. The roots withered and snapped, scattering across the ground, piling up into a mountain of black wood!
—Recommend a female-oriented book, “Melbourne, Calculated Love.” Reader accounts have two types of recommendation tickets; the female-oriented tickets are often unused. If it’s not too much trouble, you can vote for this book~