295: Chapter 294 Stealing

The entrance to the Poison Sand Abyss was a narrow crack, with hundred-meter-high sand walls on both sides, covered in black patterns—traces left by a thousand years of erosion from toxic miasma.

Dark yellow mist filled the crack, so thick it felt substantial; with every breath, one could feel it burrowing into the nostrils and surging along the trachea into the lungs, bringing a burning sting.

Jiang Hanzhou activated the ice soul jade talisman. The talisman erupted with a blinding icy blue light, and a surge of freezing Qi poured out, condensing into a translucent barrier around him and Princess Yueli. Wherever the barrier passed, the toxic miasma was frozen by the cold, turning into fine ice crystals that slid off the surface. Simultaneously, he circulated the Spirit Concentration Art, transforming the spiritual energy within his body into a layer of Protective Aura to isolate the infiltrating poison.

The two traveled through the toxic miasma. The sandy ground beneath their feet was soft and damp, making a rustling sound as they stepped on it. Silence reigned around them; no sound of wind, no chirping of insects, only their footsteps and breathing. A thick, fishy-sweet scent permeated the air—the unique smell of Gu poison, identical to what Jiang Hanzhou had smelled at the Black Witch Cult headquarters, but more than ten times as intense.

After walking for about half an hour, a blurry silhouette appeared in the toxic miasma ahead. It was a black city wall, about fifteen meters high, built from massive black stones. Faint green light flowed across the stone surfaces—traces of poison erosion. At the top of the wall, Poison Sand Cult banners hung limply in the miasma every few steps, a hideous skull embroidered on each.

Dozens of Poison Sand Cult Disciples stood at the city gate. They wore earthy yellow robes with yellow cloth covering their faces, and the scimitars in their hands reflected a ghostly green light in the miasma. Behind them was a massive black castle. The castle walls were covered in runes flickering with dark red light, enveloping the entire structure in a blood-colored barrier.

Jiang Hanzhou stopped and sensed the aura around the castle. The power of those runes intertwined into a vast Formation; its fluctuations pulsed from the ground like countless venomous snakes slithering beneath the surface. He sensed the location of the Formation eye deep under the castle, where a violent, fishy-sweet aura surged like a living thing.

The Ten Thousand Poisons Great Array.

The moment the two approached the wall, the ground shook violently. The runes on the wall lit up simultaneously, and dark red light poured from them, spreading across the ground in all directions. Countless fine black shadows darted out from underground within the miasma—these were Gu, the size of fingernails, dark green all over, covered in fine scales, with numerous thin tentacles extending from their mouthparts.

Those Gu were everywhere, densely packed, surrounding Jiang Hanzhou and Princess Yueli. They opened their mouths and spat out dark green poison mist, which merged with the toxic miasma in the air to form an even thicker, lethal poison cloud.

Princess Yueli immediately channeled her Shamanic Power, holding her jade sword before her as icy blue light flowed along the blade. She bit the tip of her tongue and spat out a mouthful of essence blood, which transformed into a mysterious rune in the air. The rune flickered a few times, and then the yellow sand on the ground began to surge.

Yellow sand converged from all directions, condensing into a massive guardian beast in front of Princess Yueli. The guardian beast was about nine meters tall, shaped like a lion, covered in golden sand armor with crimson-gold eyes, breathing out scorching heat. It opened its massive maw and let out a world-shaking roar. In the wake of the roar, countless Gu were blown away, crashing into the city walls and turning into pools of green pus.

Jiang Hanzhou struck at the same time.

He activated the Li Fire Golden Body, and crimson-gold flames emerged from the surface of his skin, wrapping his body in layers. The jumping flames burned the approaching Gu to ash with a sizzling sound. He drew the tiger soul saber, and the dark gold patterns on the blade erupted with blinding light. With one slash, he cleaved a meter-wide path through the toxic miasma ahead.

At the end of the path stood an old man in dark red robes with his hands behind his back. The old man's face was gaunt, covered in dense black patterns that crawled slowly beneath his skin like living things. In his hand, he held a pitch-black Poison Sand Scepter, topped with a fist-sized dark green orb within which countless tiny Gu could be seen swimming. He was surrounded by a layer of thick poison mist mixed with fine sand grains that swirled in the air with a rustling sound.

The Poison Sand Cult Leader. An evil cultivator at the Early Stage of the Dragon-Elephant Intersection Realm.

His gaze fell on Jiang Hanzhou, a flash of killing intent in his dark yellow eyes. He raised the Poison Sand Scepter, and the orb at its tip erupted with blinding dark green light. The light sank into the ground, and the entire power of the Ten Thousand Poisons Great Array surged into his body. His cultivation rose rapidly, climbing from the Early Stage of the Dragon-Elephant Intersection Realm to the Middle Stage, and then to the Late Stage.

“Jiang Hanzhou, you killed Yi Qianfan, took the formation core, and yet you dare to barge into my Poison Sand Cult headquarters.” His voice was raspy, like sandpaper rubbing together, filled with unspeakable resentment. “Today, I will have your blood as repayment!”

He waved the Poison Sand Scepter, and countless poison needles shot out from the orb. These needles were as thin as cow hair, dark green all over, with ghostly green light flowing at the tips, moving at extreme speeds and leaving afterimages in the air. The poison needles covered the sky, sealing off all of Jiang Hanzhou's paths of retreat.

Jiang Hanzhou did not retreat. He activated the Tidal True Intent, drawing the air currents to form an invisible barrier around him. The surging currents deflected the poison needles, and not a single one could harm him in the slightest. He took a step forward and slashed the tiger soul saber horizontally. The blade light shone with four colors, containing four types of True Intent: Tide, Pure Yang, Metal Sharpness, and Heavenly Fire, aiming straight for the Poison Sand Cult Leader's neck.

The Poison Sand Cult Leader snorted coldly and waved his Poison Sand Scepter. A thick poison mist poured from the scepter, condensing into a dark green shield before him. The blade light struck the shield with a piercing boom; poison mist splattered everywhere, and a deep crack appeared on the shield, but it did not shatter.

Jiang Hanzhou gave him no room to breathe. He pushed the Wave-Treading Step to the limit, his figure darting rapidly through the poison mist. The tiger soul saber slashed repeatedly, each strike faster and more ruthless than the last. The four types of True Intent merged perfectly at the blade's edge, the four-colored blade light forcing the Poison Sand Cult Leader to retreat continuously.

Gritting his teeth, the Poison Sand Cult Leader drew all the power of the Ten Thousand Poisons Great Array into his body. His body began to swell, and the black patterns under his skin grew denser and deeper, as if something were about to burst out. His eyes turned crimson, and he spat out black poison mist mixed with countless tiny Gu.

At this moment, his cultivation broke through to the Peak of the Dragon-Elephant Intersection Realm.

“Ten Thousand Poisons Devouring the Heavens!” He let out a world-shaking roar and slammed the Poison Sand Scepter into the ground. The ground split open, and countless dark green lights surged from the cracks, transforming into massive pythons made of condensed Gu that lunged at Jiang Hanzhou.

Jiang Hanzhou's pupils constricted. He didn't meet the attack head-on but flashed away, dodging a python's strike. However, he knew this couldn't continue. The Poison Sand Cult Leader's cultivation already exceeded his by two minor stages, and the power of the Ten Thousand Poisons Great Array was inexhaustible. The longer this dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for him.

He had to end this quickly.

He sensed the dao seed inside the Poison Sand Cult Leader. The dao seed was lodged deep within the Dantian, larger and more mature than the one in Yi Qianfan. The dao seed was deeply bound to the power of the Ten Thousand Poisons Great Array; the Formation's power flowed into the leader's body through the dao seed, supporting his cultivation beyond its limits.

But this was also his weakness. The dao seed was the relay station for the Ten Thousand Poisons Great Array; if the dao seed was severed, the array's power would spiral out of control.

Jiang Hanzhou extended his Divine Sense into the storage space of the heavenly secret mirror, drawing upon the Buddha Power within the Western Desert teleportation formation core. That Buddha Power poured out from the jade talisman, flowing through his Meridians into his Dantian and merging with the Dao-Slaying Blade Intent. The pale gold of the Buddha light and the dark gold of the Dao-Slaying Blade Intent intertwined, condensing into a simple, unadorned blade light at the edge of the tiger soul saber.

That blade light was not blazing or violent; it could even be called dim. But it contained power specifically meant to counter the dao seed and the Dragon-Slaying True Intent—a hidden trump card left in the Western Desert by the Innate One Qi Sect, a killing move prepared a thousand years ago.

Sensing the aura within that blade light, the Poison Sand Cult Leader's expression changed drastically. He frantically activated the Ten Thousand Poisons Great Array, recalling all the Gu to condense into a wall of Gu over three meters thick before him.

Jiang Hanzhou swung his saber.

The blade light silently vanished into the wall of Gu. Under the purification of the Buddha light, those Gu instantly turned into nothingness. The wall split down the middle as if torn by invisible hands. The blade light passed through the wall and sank into the Poison Sand Cult Leader's Dantian.

The Poison Sand Cult Leader's body suddenly froze. His eyes widened, his mouth opened, and an incoherent roar came from his throat. Deep within his Dantian, the dao seed shattered inch by inch under the dual impact of the Buddha light and the Dao-Slaying Blade Intent. The moment the dao seed shattered, the power of the Ten Thousand Poisons Great Array lost control, and dark green light surged wildly from the ground, enveloping the entire castle.

His cultivation began to plummet rapidly, falling all the way from the Peak of the Dragon-Elephant Intersection Realm, past the Dragon Fetus Realm and the Primal Form Realm, until he was finally a Mortal. During the process of his cultivation dissipating, his body aged rapidly; his skin shriveled, his hair fell out, his teeth loosened, and his entire being shrank into a lump, like a dried corpse.

The Poison Sand Scepter slipped from his hand and hit the ground with a dull thud. The orb at the top of the scepter shattered, and the Gu inside scurried in all directions, but they were soon purified by the Buddha light and turned into nothingness.

Jiang Hanzhou sheathed his saber, turned around, and looked at Princess Yueli.

Princess Yueli was leading the yellow sand guardian beast to clear out the remnants of the Poison Sand Cult. The guardian beast rampaged through the crowd, each pounce taking the lives of several Disciples. Her jade sword was stained with black blood, but her expression was calm, without a single ripple.

Half an hour later, the Poison Sand Cult headquarters was completely destroyed. Hundreds of Disciples were either dead or had surrendered. The Gu pools in the castle were purified by the Buddha light of the buddha bone jade pendant, and tens of thousands of dao seed insect eggs were destroyed. Those dark green eggs let out sharp screeches in the Buddha light before shattering one by one, turning into black pus that was absorbed by the yellow sand.

Jiang Hanzhou stood on the ruins of the castle, looking at the southern horizon. There, the silhouette of the Flame Mountains was faintly visible, and deep within the mountains, in the direction of the Yanhuo Valley, a crimson glow flickered.

Princess Yueli walked to his side and tucked the buddha bone jade pendant into her robes. Her face was covered in sand and dust, and her pale gold eyes were full of exhaustion, but a faint smile hung on the corner of her lips.

“The Poison Sand Cult is gone. The tumor of the Western Desert has finally been removed.”

Jiang Hanzhou nodded: “The rest is up to you. You need to personally clear the hidden agents within the Ancient Kingdom of Yellow Sands.”

Princess Yueli smiled and took out a pale yellow jade pendant from her robes, handing it to him. The pendant was dark yellow all over, its surface engraved with fine runes in the shape of flames that flickered slightly in the twilight. A surge of warm power flowed within the pendant—a protective talisman passed down through generations in the Ancient Kingdom of Yellow Sands, capable of resisting fire poison in the high temperatures of the Yanhuo Valley.

“This is the Yellow Sand Jade Pendant, crafted from thousand-year sand crystals and ice soul spiritual liquid.” She pressed the pendant into Jiang Hanzhou's hand. “The Yanhuo Valley is filled with earth fire and lava, with temperatures high enough to melt refined iron. This pendant can protect your heart vessels, preventing you from being burned by the high heat. If you encounter danger, crush the pendant, and I will do my best to come to your aid.”

Jiang Hanzhou took the pendant, tucked it away close to his body, and cupped his hands in a salute: “ Thank you, Princess..”

Princess Yueli looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then said softly: “Young Master Jiang, take care on your journey. I hope we can soon gather all five formation cores and completely stop the Dragon Slaying True Person's plot. At that time, I will accompany you back to the East Sea.”

Jiang Hanzhou nodded and said solemnly: “Princess, rest assured, I will definitely find the third formation core. Once I have resolved the matters in the Southern Border, I will come back for you.”

He turned around, walked to a thousand-mile camel, and mounted it. The camel knelt submissively on the ground, and after he was settled, it slowly stood up and began walking toward the south.

Princess Yueli stood on the castle ruins, watching his retreating back. Yellow sand filled the sky, and the setting sun stretched his shadow very long, dragging a black line across the sand. The thousand-mile camel's pace was not fast, but every step was steady, making a dull sound on the sand.

She didn't speak, just stood there until that figure disappeared at the end of the horizon.

Then, she turned and walked toward Yellow Sand City.

Behind her, the toxic miasma of the Poison Sand Abyss gradually dissipated under the purification of the Buddha light, revealing a blue sky unseen for a thousand years. Sunlight spilled from the clouds, shining on the ruins, the shattered insect eggs, and the fallen corpses.

Everything was laid bare under the sunlight.

Meanwhile, in the distant East Sea, deep within the Dragon Abyss Palace, Wei Wuya sat cross-legged in a secret chamber, a dark red Thought-Transmission Jade Talisman placed before him. Within the talisman, Yi Qianfan's Divine Soul imprint had completely vanished, replaced by a deathly gray darkness.

A cold glint flashed in Wei Wuya's eyes. He raised his right hand, took a Jade Slip from his sleeve, and carved several lines of characters on it:

“Jiang Hanzhou has killed Yi Qianfan, seized the Western Desert formation core, and is heading for the Southern Border. Order Li Tianxing to be fully prepared and to reclaim the formation core and kill Jiang Hanzhou at all costs. Also, dispatch the Seven Blood-Fiend Eagles to the Yanhuo Valley for support. Ensure the third formation core is moved to a safe location before Jiang Hanzhou arrives.”

He sealed the Jade Slip and handed it to the black-clad attendant at his side: “Deliver this to the Yanhuo Valley in the Southern Border immediately, and hand it to Li Tianxing personally.”

The attendant took the Jade Slip and vanished from the secret chamber in a flash.

Wei Wuya stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the boundless East Sea. On the sea's surface, the moonlight was like silver, with shimmering waves—a scene of tranquility.

But beneath the tranquility, dark undercurrents surged.

A cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth: “Jiang Hanzhou, you cannot escape. The Cult Leader's great undertaking will not fail because of you alone.”

Outside the window, the night wind howled, scattering his words into the night.