Chapter 894: Heavenly Poison Unites
"Hong'er has another treat. This sword... even I feel a bit tempted to eat it."
After touching the jade-white Dragon Sovereign Sword taken from Mu Yingchan, its blade glistening white like a young girl's skin and releasing an extremely rich aura of true dragon, Yun Che muttered a few words, placed it into the Heavenly Poison Pearl, and then flew downward.
A dozen miles of ice had sealed everyone from the three sects present, from thrones to emperor lords—not a single one could break free, and not even a single person could make a sound. Under normal circumstances, Yun Che would have left a field of corpses, with no guarantee of intact bodies. But now, these frozen people were merely sealed, without a single death.
The bodies of Zuo Hanshuo, Duan Heisha, and Mu Yingchan were piled together, their states almost identical—vacant eyes, drooling mouths, their entire beings like piles of boneless mush, with only occasional twitching of hands and feet.
They, too, were not dead, but the profound power that had once dominated the entire Cang Yun Continent was completely and utterly wasted.
In other words, after all the trouble Yun Che had gone through today, not a single person had died.
If the vengeful spirits of, say, the Fen Tian Gate knew of this, they would surely jump out of the Nine Netherworld without hesitation and roar: Why!!
They had been among the chief culprits in forcing Yun Che to his death back then. If not for his arrival today, Yun Gu would have certainly perished as well. Among them, the Seven Star Divine Mansion had wiped out the Tai Su family and nearly caused him and Su Linger to be separated again by life and death—yet Yun Che hadn't killed a single one.
All of this was solely because of Yun Gu.
Not only could Yun Gu not accept killing, but if they were killed here, Yun Che was certain that his master Yun Gu would blame himself for their deaths. Perhaps it would become a burden of guilt that he could never let go of for the rest of his life.
Since killing was not an option, he might as well let master Yun Gu be the one to forgive them... Perhaps, this could barely count as something he did for him.
Summoning the Primordial Mystic Ark, Su Linger and Yun Gu walked out together. The sight before them stunned them both.
"This..." Yun Gu looked around, his expression rippling.
"Brother Yun Che, are you alright?" Su Linger hurried over, examining him with great concern, checking him up and down. When she found not a single drop of blood on him, she let out a heavy sigh of relief.
"Of course I'm fine. The ones in trouble are them." Yun Che looked completely relaxed and at ease. He took Su Linger's hand and approached Yun Gu: "Senior, rest assured. These people are only sealed by ice profound energy; none of them are dead. As for the three leaders, I merely crippled their profound power so they can no longer continue their evil deeds. As for how to deal with them... they all came for you, Senior. I'll leave the decision to you."
Yun Gu stared at Yun Che for a while, his eyes filled with deep confusion and complexity. Then, he shifted his gaze, glanced at the three people at his feet, sighed softly, and closed his eyes: "Let them go."
A completely unsurprising answer. Yun Che didn't immediately release the ice but followed up: "Let them all go? Senior, you should know that behind each of them are enormous powers. You are kind-hearted enough to let them leave alive, but they will definitely not let this go. Sooner or later, they will come to trouble you again, perhaps with even fiercer retaliation. Even so, you still want to let them go?"
"And if you just nod, I can make them all die here right now, getting the retribution they deserve, without leaving a trace. Afterward, no one will ever pin this on you. Perhaps even the secret that the Heavenly Poison Pearl is on you will remain unknown."
Though everyone trapped in the ice could not move or speak, they could clearly hear the voices outside. Yun Gu's words filled them with joy, while Yun Che's words plunged their hearts into the abyss, their eyes growing fearful and desperate.
"Alas," Yun Gu sighed deeply. "My old life's mission has always been to save lives. How could I let so many lives perish because of me? They are merely driven by greed and do not deserve death. Now that they have been punished, let them go."
Not deserve death? Does Master deserve death?
And how can these people possibly "not deserve death"? The Zhetian Sect, the Seven Star Divine Mansion, the Flying Immortal Sword Sect—they are all at the very top of the food chain in the Cang Yun Continent, the ones who set the rules for the entire continent. They have lived for a hundred years at the shortest, over a thousand at the longest. Every single one of their hands is stained with the blood of countless innocents.
Letting one of them go, allowing them to live for a few more centuries, might result in hundreds or even more innocent people dying at their hands... that's equivalent to killing hundreds of lives.
Conversely, killing one might save hundreds of innocent people.
Such a great principle—if it were someone else being so merciful, he might lecture them. But facing Yun Gu, he couldn't say it.
Moreover, with Yun Gu's experience and wisdom, how could he not have thought of all this...
"Very well then, as you wish." Yun Che smiled faintly, sweeping his hand. Instantly, all the ice quickly melted. The elders and disciples of the three sects, who had been sealed for a long time, regained their freedom. They collapsed to the ground, hugging their shoulders, shivering in the cold and fear, still unable to believe that they were really being let go.
Yun Che swept his gaze over them and said coldly, "I originally intended to kill you all, but the Medical Saint Senior, repaying evil with good, has chosen to forgive you. Since it is the Medical Saint Senior's command, I will spare your lives for today. Now, get lost!!"
The shivering crowd looked up, finally believing they could truly leave alive.
"Thank you, Medical Saint Senior, for your great kindness... Thank you, both seniors, for sparing our lives..."
They tremblingly dragged the three sect masters' limp bodies and fled in three directions, their speed increasing as their bodies warmed, terrified that the terrifying demon behind them might change his mind.
"Young friend, I have no way to repay the great kindness of saving my life today. I will cherish it in my heart for the rest of my life." Yun Gu said gratefully, bowing heavily toward Yun Che and Su Linger.
"I~!@#$%..."
Yun Che grabbed Su Linger and dodged away with lightning speed, narrowly avoiding Yun Gu's bow. Yun Che's head broke out in a cold sweat, and he stammered, "Master... no, no, Senior, I absolutely cannot... how can I accept such a grand salute from you? Senior is the Medical Saint of this era. Being able to help you is my honor."
"This..." Yun Che's strange behavior left Yun Gu slightly stunned. Then he sighed, "Young friend possesses world-shaking profound power, yet has such a pure heart. Truly a great blessing to the world. What you saved today is not just my humble life. If the Heavenly Poison Pearl had fallen into the hands of those greedy people, who knows how many innocents would have suffered from the calamity of heavenly poison."
Yun Che's heart stirred, and he took the opportunity to ask, "Medical Saint Senior, what exactly is this Heavenly Poison Pearl you speak of?"
Seeing the deep confusion in Yun Che's eyes, Yun Gu said, "It seems you truly don't know. This Heavenly Poison Pearl appeared about four years ago. It is said to have been discovered by a merchant family in Huanluo City of the Zhu Zhen Kingdom in the south..."
When Yun Gu said the name "Zhu Zhen Kingdom, Huanluo City," Yun Che's entire body tensed up, and Su Linger's hands gripped Yun Che's arm tightly.
Zhu Zhen Kingdom, Huanluo City—one of the cities he had annihilated with the Heavenly Poison Pearl back then. The entire city, one million seven hundred thousand people, and every living thing, all died under the heavenly poison!
Because in Huanluo City were two massive sects that he hated to the bone but were too powerful for him to contend with.
It was the greatest blood debt of his two lives.
And it was that time that the poison power of the Heavenly Poison Pearl was completely exhausted, never to release any poison power again.
"The family that picked it up thought it was just a pretty bead and placed it in their home. Unexpectedly, a few days later, the house suddenly emitted a green glow. When people discovered it, more than a dozen family members had all died, killed by an unprecedented poison."
"After that, every time the Heavenly Poison Pearl appeared, it caused a poison disaster, and the disasters grew more and more terrifying. Because of this, its poison power began to be coveted by those with ulterior motives, who wanted to harness it for their own use. After the Jinghong Villa of the Southern Heavenly Kingdom obtained the Heavenly Poison Pearl by chance, they harbored such intentions and brought great calamity upon themselves—an entire sect... alas."
"Brother Yun Che, could that Heavenly Poison Pearl be..." Su Linger whispered.
Yun Che: "..."
Yun Gu didn't notice the change in Yun Che and Su Linger's expressions and continued, "A few months ago, I personally obtained the Heavenly Poison Pearl at Jinghong Villa and realized that its terror far exceeded rumors. Besides, I have a feeling that its current poison power is only just awakening. If its power fully recovers, I truly don't know..."
Yun Gu's voice suddenly stopped, and his expression drastically changed.
Yun Che was also startled: "Medical Saint Senior!?"
"This... how can this be? It was already..." Yun Gu suddenly looked up and shouted, "Leave quickly! Both of you, leave now!!"
"Senior... what's going on?" Yun Che refused to leave and instead stepped forward.
"It's the Heavenly Poison Pearl! Its poison power suddenly shows signs of going out of control... Leave quickly! If you don't, it will be too late!" Yun Gu said with increasing urgency.
Yun Che quickly shielded Su Linger behind him, rushed several steps to Yun Gu's side, and said with utmost seriousness, "Senior, quickly take out the Heavenly Poison Pearl! I happen to have a special detoxification ability. Perhaps I can help you control the poison... Trust me, Senior!"
Given Yun Gu's nature, how could he let an innocent person share his danger? He was about to urge them to leave again, but thinking of his shockingly powerful profound strength, Yun Gu finally gritted his teeth and took out the Heavenly Poison Pearl.
A dark green orb appeared before Yun Che's eyes, emitting a somewhat violent green light.
That dark green poison light shone into Yun Che's pupils, and a soul connection quickly sprouted in his heart.
This feeling...
Could it be...
"I thought I had it under control and that it wouldn't go out of control for at least a year. I never expected..." The violent green poison light filled Yun Gu with anxiety. "It seems I have overestimated myself after all... Hmm!?"
To Yun Gu's astonishment, the Heavenly Poison Pearl in his hand suddenly flew up on its own, straight toward Yun Che. Yun Che did not dodge, staring blankly as it approached, until it reached his chest.
"Young friend!" Yun Gu instinctively reached out, about to warn him to be careful, but suddenly found that the Heavenly Poison Pearl flashed with light, like a stone falling into water, merging into Yun Che's body and completely disappearing.
A green light flashed faintly across Yun Che's entire body, but it vanished in an instant. Yun Che slowly raised his hands.
In his left hand was the familiar emerald green light—the light of purification.
And in his right hand, a dark green light also lit up.
The light of deadly poison!!
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Congratulations! You have obtained the item [Poison Gas].
. : .