# Chapter 1320: Poison Path Saint Master
The drunkard wore wrinkled clothes and a tattered gray cloth hat, his face flushed red, looking thoroughly intoxicated.
Gu Songzi glared at the drunkard and said, "Old drunkard, were you already nearby all along, deliberately not making a move, just to watch this old man make a fool of himself?"
"Aren't you known as 'nothing grows within ten miles'? I just wanted to see if your skills had become more formidable over the years. Unfortunately, it was a great disappointment."
The drunkard stroked his beard, mocking mercilessly, while also letting out a burp, the smell of alcohol on him growing stronger.
"My most formidable skill is using poison, but he isn't afraid of poison—what can I do about it?" Gu Songzi's eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets, feeling that the drunkard was just picking a fight.
If not for the black figure still standing nearby, Gu Songzi would have already used a poison agent to take down the drunkard first.
Just as the two old fellows were bickering, the black figure shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring, fleeing rapidly into the forest. Clearly, he had sensed that the drunkard's cultivation was extremely profound and beyond his ability to defeat.
The only option was to flee.
"Stay right there."
The drunkard put down his wine gourd, his entire aura shifting. Instantly, the entire forest trembled slightly, and leaves fell continuously.
In the forest, the residual formations left from the medieval period were all activated, forming beams of light that shot straight up into the sky.
"Whoosh."
With just a movement of his body, the drunkard had already caught up behind the black figure, pressing down with one palm. This move was not meant to kill him but to capture him alive.
"Clink, clink."
A wind chime flew out, spinning rapidly, growing larger and larger. It collided with the drunkard's palm and then exploded into pieces.
"Boom."
After the wind chime exploded, a world-shaking destructive force surged forth, destroying a large swath of forest, turning it into scorched earth, and even shattering the residual formations into pieces.
Fortunately, the one who made the move was the drunkard. If it had been any other saint, they would have surely died.
"With just this little bit of strength, do you think I can't capture you?"
The drunkard was so angry his beard and mustache bristled, feeling deeply embarrassed. With his level of cultivation, he had actually failed. So, he reached out again to capture the black figure.
The black figure continuously threw out wind chimes one after another, which exploded to block the drunkard.
Unfortunately, the gap in cultivation was too great. All resistance was futile. After the drunkard shattered ten wind chimes in a row, he finally suppressed the black figure beneath his palm imprint.
The black figure's hands held up a giant palm imprint dozens of zhang wide suspended above his head, his legs bending continuously until, with a bang, he knelt in the forest.
"Speak. What exactly is the origin of the so-called Death Clan? And what secret is hidden deep within Xianji Mountain?" The drunkard's expression was very serious, a cold aura emanating from his eyes.
"Heh heh."
The black figure just laughed once and said nothing.
The drunkard said, "This old man once swore never to kill again. But the deathly aura on you is too heavy—you don't look like a living being at all. Do you believe that today, I will beat you until your soul is scattered?"
"Kill me if you want. Why so much nonsense?" The black figure showed no fear at all.
Suddenly, a violent cold wind swept through the forest, uprooting towering ancient trees one after another. Boulders, mud, and leaves all flew into the air, as if the very earth were about to be turned over.
The sky grew dark, and the temperature in the air dropped sharply.
All kinds of strange sounds echoed through heaven and earth—some like a child crying, some like a vengeful spirit wailing, some like the clamor of a battlefield...
Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred. Thinking of the finger bone that had escaped from the bottom of the Daoist temple, his expression changed sharply, and he warned the drunkard: "Be careful, a peerless ferocious creature has come nearby..."
The black figure let out a sinister laugh.
From the forest, a vast swarm of black shadows surged forth, countless and innumerable, like an army of the dead charging out from the underworld.
The deathly evil aura they carried was countless times stronger than that of the black figure, causing even the drunkard to sense danger. He quickly withdrew his palm and retreated rapidly backward.
"What is this?"
With each step the drunkard took, he covered several li of distance, not wanting to be touched by the black shadows.
But those black shadows had no intention of letting him go. They pursued him even faster, wanting to devour the drunkard.
"Three-Leaf Nine-Life Flower."
The drunkard took out a jade three-leaf flower, held it in his palm, and channeled sacred qi into it. Immediately, the Three-Leaf Nine-Life Flower emitted nine rings of cyan sacred light, surging outward in nine layers, like waves of water.
The black shadows chasing behind had barely touched the cyan sacred light when they let out screams and disintegrated one after another, turning into wisps of black smoke.
The light emitted by the Three-Leaf Nine-Life Flower was extremely bright, and the sacred dao energy it produced was also very intense. Even someone standing a thousand li away would feel its dazzling brilliance.
From deep within Xianji Mountain, a sharp sound rang out, shaking the mountains.
Hearing that sound, the remaining black shadows grabbed the black figure kneeling on the ground, transformed into a black hurricane, and charged toward the depths of Xianji Mountain.
The leaden clouds in the sky also dispersed.
The drunkard did not pursue. His eyes gazed into the depths of Xianji Mountain, his expression solemn. That sharp sound just now was too terrifying—it had nearly shaken his sacred soul out of his body, as if it were a warning.
"What kind of existence is that?" the drunkard muttered to himself.
"Deep within Xianji Mountain lies a terrifying secret that we cannot provoke. However, during the medieval period, human greats left behind forbidden measures to prevent them from leaving Xianji Mountain. For now, we don't need to fear them," Gu Songzi said.
The drunkard asked, "You've been in Xianji Mountain for hundreds of years. You must know quite a bit. Tell me quickly."
"Why should I tell you? Who do you think you are? Of course, if you're willing to hand over the Three-Leaf Nine-Life Flower, I might still tell you a few things." Gu Songzi said with a sinister smile.
The drunkard bristled with anger. "I went through nine deaths in Yin-Yang Sea to bring out the Three-Leaf Nine-Life Flower, and you want it? Are you dreaming?"
"Fine, don't give it then. Who cares? But Xianji Mountain doesn't welcome you. You'd better leave immediately, or I'll have to use some means to drive you away."
Gu Songzi said coldly, not sounding like he was joking.
Then, Gu Songzi put his hands behind his back and walked into the forest. When he reached Zhang Ruochen's side, he tossed out a single sentence: "If you want to reconnect your three meridians, follow me."
Qing Mo helped Zhang Ruochen up, blinked at the drunkard, and followed.
The drunkard was momentarily stunned. He shouted at Gu Songzi's retreating back: "Old Withered Freak, what do you mean? If I hadn't made a move just now, you would have been killed. Do you have to burn the bridge so quickly?"
Behind Gu Songzi, Zhang Ruochen's eyes flickered with a strange light.
Why did the drunkard call Gu Songzi "Old Withered Freak"? Could it be that Gu Songzi wasn't his real name?
As a Sacred Alchemy Saint Master, he must be a figure renowned throughout the world.
Zhang Ruochen analyzed and pondered carefully. Suddenly, his expression froze slightly, and he thought to himself: "Could Gu Songzi be that Poison Path Saint Master, Young Master Ku, from the Demon Sect back then?"
Eight hundred years ago, Zhang Ruochen had heard of Young Master Ku's name. He was half a generation older than Zhang Ruochen.
When Zhang Ruochen was sixteen, Young Master Ku was about thirty and had already become famous throughout the world, hailed as the number one alchemy prodigy under heaven.
Eight hundred years later, Zhang Ruochen had read many records about those people from back then. When he looked up the chapter about the decisive battle between the Demon Emperor and Empress Chi Yao, he happened to come across a record about Young Master Ku.
The records stated that five hundred years ago, Young Master Ku was called the "Poison Path Saint Master" and became an elder of the Demon Sect.
After the great battle between the imperial court and the Demon Sect, the Demon Sect's experts were almost all killed or wounded, and there were no more records about Young Master Ku. Zhang Ruochen had assumed he died in that battle.
Originally, Zhang Ruochen had suspected that the drunkard was once a member of the Demon Sect. Hearing him call Gu Songzi "Old Withered Freak," he naturally connected it to Young Master Ku.
"Gu Songzi, Young Master Ku—could they really be the same person? If Gu Songzi is a Demon Sect elder, why doesn't he stay at the Demon Sect's headquarters but instead live in seclusion in the perilous Xianji Mountain? Is he in seclusion, or is he hiding from something?"
Zhang Ruochen's heart was full of questions. He suddenly realized that Gu Songzi was also a man with many stories.
Gu Songzi led Zhang Ruochen and Qing Mo to a forest shrouded in white mist. The trees in the forest were enormous. Some ancient trees had grown for who knows how many years, standing on the ground like mountain peaks.
Among the weeds between the trees were some broken walls and ruins, showing that this place had once been glorious. It was very likely the former site of Xianji Sect. One hundred thousand years ago, tens of thousands of sect disciples had probably trained, refined alchemy, and comprehended the sacred dao here. But now it had become desolate, even the stone steps covered in moss.
Zhang Ruochen said quietly to Qing Mo: "Be careful. Follow Gu Songzi's footsteps exactly and don't step wrong. There are many ancient residual formations here. If you're not careful, you might encounter great danger."
Gu Songzi led Zhang Ruochen and Qing Mo to the foot of a spiritual mountain.
"Rustle, rustle."
On the cliff of the spiritual mountain, a spiritual spring flowed out, gathering at the foot of the mountain into a cyan lake, emitting ethereal, hazy mist.
The lakeshore was planted with all kinds of precious spiritual medicines—some were medicinal herbs, some were colorful medicinal flowers, and there were also spiritual fruits emitting a captivating fragrance.
The scenery here was beautiful, the spiritual qi abundant, and the atmosphere peaceful and harmonious. Compared to other places on Xianji Mountain, it was like a sacred immortal land.
"This place was once the largest cultivation spiritual land for the outer disciples of Xianji Sect. Even now, the spirit-gathering grand formation underground is still operating," Gu Songzi said.
Qing Mo set Zhang Ruochen down and let him rest by the lakeshore.
Gu Songzi glanced into the distance and snorted coldly: "That old drunkard didn't leave Xianji Mountain. He's still sneaking his way here. Does he really think I can't deal with him?"
Gu Songzi released his spiritual power, transforming it into dozens of light shuttles that flew into the forest and struck the ground.
"Rumble."
The ancient residual formations in the forest were all activated and began to operate, sealing off that area so that no living being could break in.
Zhang Ruochen lifted his eyelids and said: "Senior, you and the drunkard don't seem to have any deep hatred. Why shut him out? Can't you sit down and talk things over properly?"
Gu Songzi showed no kindness toward Zhang Ruochen. "Who told you there's no deep hatred? If you want to heal your injuries, don't ask so many questions you shouldn't ask."
Clearly, Gu Songzi didn't want to continue this topic. He added: "Now, take out the Thousand-Leaf Sacred Heart Grass and put it into the spiritual lake."
(End of Chapter)