Chapter 323: Blood Gu Brain God Pill
Zhang Ruochen's Sword Intent Heart at his brow burst forth with brilliant radiance.
A surge of sword intent power spread through the surrounding space, forming countless invisible sword qi. Even the leaves on the ground trembled with a rustling sound, lifting off the earth.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen swung his arm, and the Abyssal Ancient Sword flew from its sheath, turning into a startling beam that streaked past above Chang Qiqi's head.
The invisible force binding Chang Qiqi's neck vanished instantly.
With a "thud," Chang Qiqi fell from over ten meters in the air, crashing heavily onto the sandy shore.
"Mother! A ghost... she's definitely a ghost! Senior Brother, Junior Brother Zhang, let's get out of here!"
Chang Qiqi shouted as he scrambled and crawled back, no longer daring to entertain any thought of opposing the Red Desire Star Envoy.
This opponent was far too terrifying, not even seeming human.
"She's not a ghost. She simply used her Martial Soul to mobilize the world's spiritual energy and bind you in midair," Zhang Ruochen said calmly.
Then, Zhang Ruochen turned his gaze toward the Red Desire Star Envoy. "Impressive. As one of the Seven Fiend Star Envoys of the Black Market, you've already cultivated your Martial Soul at such a young age."
"And aren't you even more remarkable? At the Earth Extreme Realm, you've reached the 'Sword Heart Illumination' level. I truly admire that," the Red Desire Star Envoy said with a smile.
The sword strike Zhang Ruochen had just used to sever the spiritual energy binding Chang Qiqi was precisely the power of "Sword Heart Illumination"—the art of sword control.
Zhang Ruochen had deliberately revealed his "Sword Heart Illumination" level for his own purposes.
Like a red-clad female ghost, the Red Desire Star Envoy moved without stirring her body, instantly drifting onto the island and hovering three zhang away from Zhang Ruochen, Si Xingkong, and Chang Qiqi.
A chilling true qi emanated from her body, shooting into the sky and causing the temperature on the entire island to plummet sharply.
Snowflakes began to fall from the night sky, drifting down like goose feathers.
A celestial phenomenon—a thousand-zhang snowfall.
Within a radius of a thousand zhang, everything was covered in ice and snow, turning into deep winter, all due to the influence of the Red Desire Star Envoy's true qi.
Under the suppression of the Red Desire Star Envoy's formidable power, Chang Qiqi immediately shrank his neck and muttered, "Still saying she's not a female ghost? I think she's clearly a soul come to claim our lives."
"Hehe! That's right! I have indeed come to claim your lives, especially Zhang Ruochen's."
The Red Desire Star Envoy pointed a finger at Zhang Ruochen.
Her red hair suddenly lengthened, turning into a blood-red waterfall dozens of zhang long. One strand of hair flew toward Zhang Ruochen, wrapping around his neck.
Zhang Ruochen immediately tried to circulate his true qi to counterattack, but as the true qi flowed from his Qi Sea, it was cut off at his neck.
The backlash of the true qi caused the veins in Zhang Ruochen's head to bulge completely, as if they were about to explode.
Realizing the danger, Zhang Ruochen quickly withdrew his true qi.
The Red Desire Star Envoy laughed. "Don't waste your effort. A martial artist's meridians extend from the Qi Sea and must pass through the neck. By sealing your neck, I've effectively sealed all the meridians in your body. If you continue to force your true qi, your meridians will burst, and you'll become a cripple."
No one could come to his rescue now; Zhang Ruochen had to save himself.
His mind raced as he gradually calmed down, gritting his teeth and forcing a smile. "If I were you... I definitely wouldn't kill me..."
"Why?" the Red Desire Star Envoy asked coldly.
Zhang Ruochen said, "As far as I know... the Seven Fiend Star Envoys are all top-tier prodigies, each with talent not much inferior to the young master of the Black Market First Class Hall. Yet you have to obey that young master, following his orders like servants. Are you truly content with that?"
The Red Desire Star Envoy laughed, revealing her white teeth. Her pink tongue lightly licked her red lips. With a slight pull of her hair, she dragged Zhang Ruochen into the air and brought him before her.
She extended a slender jade finger, traced it across Zhang Ruochen's face, and said in a seductive, soft voice, "Kid, you're not trying to get me to betray the Black Market, are you? Such petty tricks won't work on me."
The strength of the hair around Zhang Ruochen's neck grew stronger and tighter, as if it intended to snap his neck cleanly.
The gap in their strength was too vast. Even if Zhang Ruochen's true qi hadn't been sealed, he would be no match for the Red Desire Star Envoy.
Zhang Ruochen barely managed a smile. "I'm not asking you to betray the Black Market. I just want to make a deal with you."
"A deal? What kind of deal?" the Red Desire Star Envoy asked with a bewitching smile, her voice sweet, but her beautiful eyes filled with icy killing intent.
"Let us go today, and I can help you kill Di Yi," Zhang Ruochen said.
A hint of surprise flickered across the Red Desire Star Envoy's face. "Did I hear that right? Why would I need you to kill Di Yi?"
Zhang Ruochen said unhurriedly, "As far as I know, the young master of the Black Market First Class Hall will eventually become the master of the Black Market, ruling over all its forces and becoming the supreme overlord. But if the young master dies before he grows up, a new young master will be chosen from among the Seven Fiend Star Envoys. In other words, if I kill Di Yi, you'll have a chance to become the young master of the Black Market First Class Hall."
"Haha!"
The Red Desire Star Envoy let out a long laugh. "Do you even know how strong Di Yi is? Your strength probably isn't even worth mentioning before him."
Even as she said this, the hair around Zhang Ruochen's neck loosened slightly.
Clearly, Zhang Ruochen had guessed correctly. A proud daughter of heaven like the Red Desire Star Envoy would never willingly submit to another.
His words had indeed stirred something in her heart.
For certain reasons, the Seven Fiend Star Envoys could not act against Di Yi themselves; they had to protect him and obey his commands. But using Zhang Ruochen to eliminate Di Yi seemed like a good deal.
The only thing troubling the Red Desire Star Envoy was that Di Yi was practically invincible within the same cultivation level.
Could Zhang Ruochen really kill him with his strength?
Di Yi was only sixteen years old, already at the peak of the Earth Extreme Realm, and could break through to the Heavenly Extreme Realm at any moment. Once he did, even the Red Desire Star Envoy would be no match for him.
Could Zhang Ruochen contend with Di Yi?
Knowing that the Red Desire Star Envoy still doubted his strength, Zhang Ruochen continued, "You should know that I've already reached the 'Sword Heart Illumination' level. Di Yi hasn't achieved that yet, has he?"
The Red Desire Star Envoy's heart stirred slightly. She revealed her white teeth, smiled, and took out a vermilion pill, holding it between two fingers and pressing it to Zhang Ruochen's lips.
"If you swallow this pill, I'll believe you truly want to make a deal with me," the Red Desire Star Envoy said with a coquettish smile.
"Junior Brother Zhang, don't trust her. That pill is definitely not a good thing," Si Xingkong said.
The Red Desire Star Envoy rolled her eyes. "It's just a Blood Gu Brain God Pill."
Zhang Ruochen's expression changed slightly. "The Blood Gu Brain God Pill has no antidote in the world. Even if one reaches the Half-Saint realm, they can't refine the gu worm inside their body. Every month, they must take a blood pill made from the master's blood, or the gu poison will activate."
"When the gu poison activates without the blood pill, the gu worm devours the martial artist's brain. If no blood pill is taken for three consecutive months, the worm will eat the brain clean."
As expected of one of the Seven Fiend Star Envoys, she wasn't easily fooled. Neither emotional appeals nor tempting offers could make her lower her guard.
If he swallowed the Blood Gu Brain God Pill, even if he escaped today, he would be under her control forever.
Hearing Zhang Ruochen's explanation of the Blood Gu Brain God Pill, Chang Qiqi's face turned pale. "Such a sinister gu poison! Junior Brother Zhang, don't you dare swallow her Blood Gu Brain God Pill."
The Red Desire Star Envoy gently touched her hair ends, her bright eyes and white teeth fixed on Zhang Ruochen as she said with a smile, "Either all three of you die here, or you swallow the Blood Gu Brain God Pill. Think carefully. It's because of your talent that I'm granting you this pill. Those two wastes don't even have the chance to eat it."
"Witch, who are you calling a waste?"
Chang Qiqi stood up indignantly.
After all, he was a second-grade genius, ranked highly in the Martial Market Academy. How could he be a waste in her eyes?
"Slap!"
The Red Desire Star Envoy struck out with a palm from a distance, sending Chang Qiqi flying.
"You're not qualified to speak to me."
The Red Desire Star Envoy turned her gaze back to Zhang Ruochen. "A living dog is better than a dead lion. Either become my gu slave, or be killed by me. Those are your only two choices now. I'll count to three. If you haven't decided by then, no matter how much I value talent, I'll have to kill you."
"One."
"Two."
The Red Desire Star Envoy's eyes turned icy. "Don't say I didn't give you a chance. You didn't cherish it."
Just as she was about to say "three," the spiritual energy in the air exploded with a roar. Zhang Ruochen's Martial Soul flew out from the top of his head, mobilizing the power of heaven and earth to condense a lightning war halberd, stabbing toward the Red Desire Star Envoy's brow.
Her hair had sealed Zhang Ruochen's neck and all his meridians, making her believe he had completely lost the ability to resist.
But she hadn't anticipated that Zhang Ruochen had one meridian she couldn't seal.
That was the Soul Meridian.
The Soul Meridian was formless and intangible, invisible and untouchable, yet it truly existed, connecting Zhang Ruochen's Qi Sea and Martial Soul.
At this point, Zhang Ruochen had no choice but to reveal the secret of his Martial Soul.
"Martial Soul! You've actually cultivated a Martial Soul..."
The Red Desire Star Envoy was greatly shocked. She immediately raised her Protective Heavenly Shield while circulating her true qi, intending to use her hair to snap Zhang Ruochen's neck.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen's brow flashed, and the power of his Sword Intent Heart erupted once more.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword flew up from the ground, slashing down to sever that strand of the Red Desire Star Envoy's hair.
With the hair around his neck broken, Zhang Ruochen flipped over, grabbed the sword hilt, and swung it toward the Red Desire Star Envoy's waist.
At the same time, Si Xingkong and Chang Qiqi, who had been waiting nearby, seized the opportunity and attacked the Red Desire Star Envoy from two other directions.
...
(Recommend a friend's new work: "The Strongest Soldier King in the Three Kingdoms" by Author: Bu Jingyun; Left hand holds a charming beauty, right hand holds a vast empire. Soldier King Liu Xuan is reborn in the Three Kingdoms, vying for supremacy. Both the kingdom and the beauties must be firmly grasped.)