228: Chapter 228 Three Poisons

Zhang Yuxi gently raised her hand, her fingertips peeking out from beneath her sleeve. The cuff slid down a few inches, revealing a fair, snow-white wrist.

Her tone was calm and gentle, as if engaging in casual conversation, yet it carried the composure and certainty unique to someone of high standing:

"There is no need for such formality. I heard from Yunfeng that you've made new progress in the Dao of Poison recently?"

As she spoke, her cool eyes slowly fell upon Liu Yangfeng.

Her gaze was not sharp, and though her expression was distant, it betrayed a hint of genuine curiosity and scrutiny. Like a cold pond, there were clear undercurrents surging beneath the calm surface, showing that she was clearly quite interested in the results of his latest poisons.

Liu Yangfeng straightened up as bidden, lowering his head and eyes. Beneath his respectful demeanor, he could not conceal the suppressed excitement in his eyes over his achievements in the Dao of Poison.

His shoulders and back were stiff and straight, and his hands unconsciously clenched lightly inside his sleeves, his knuckles turning slightly pale from exertion. It was as though he were striving to suppress his inner excitement, or perhaps afraid that speaking would cause him to say too much out of pride.

Zhang Yuxi observed this and nodded inwardly. Ever since Li Changqing first subdued Liu Yangfeng and saw his truly extraordinary talent in the Dao of Poison, he had poured vast amounts of resources into him, never showing the slightest stinginess.

Not only had the couple collected various manuals on poison creation and research for him to study, but they also allocated an extra three hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones worth of poison-attribute Materials—such as poisonous plants and beast components—each year for him to purchase freely.

Such generosity was beyond the reach of even many Core Disciples of small Families.

Liu Yangfeng was originally a Martial Artist whose skeletal structure favored the path of Body Refining. After entering the True Essence Realm, although the origin energy in his body was not as pure and long-lasting as the Spiritual Qi of a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, it was dense and solid enough to support his study of most potion-making and poison-brewing texts, making him no inferior to ordinary poison masters in the Dao of Poison.

It was precisely through this talent, coupled with Li Changqing's steady stream of resources, that his mastery of the Dao of Poison deepened day by day, often yielding unexpected fruits.

At times, even Zhang Yuxi had to admit that he possessed an almost instinctive sharpness when it came to using poison.

Upon hearing her words, a grave look immediately crossed Liu Yangfeng's face.

Taking a deep breath to suppress his surging emotions, he drew out a half-foot-square green jade medicine box from his sleeve.

The medicine box was warm and lustrous green all over, engraved with fine, dense sealing runes that glowed faintly with spiritual light, exuding a subtle aura of Restriction—clearly specially set up to prevent the poison gas from leaking and its potency from dissipating.

He carefully opened the medicine box with both hands, his movements as gentle as if opening a fragile treasure.

Inside, lined with soft velvet, three items were fixed in secret slots, separated from one another so they wouldn't contaminate each other: a dark green jade bottle, three gray-white incense sticks, and a small red-copper bottle.

"Replying to Mistress, these three items are the poisons I have recently refined over the past few years. Each takes a completely different approach, but if used against a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator at the right moment, all have lethal capabilities."

As Liu Yangfeng spoke, he first picked up the dark green jade bottle, his long fingers gently pulling out the stopper.

Inside the bottle were grayish-green powders as fine as morning mountain mist, yet they did not scatter or drift, settling quietly at the bottom.

A faint, fishy herbal scent slowly wafted from the mouth of the bottle, so subtle that unless one focused intently, it was nearly impossible to detect.

He said slowly, "This poison is named Essence-Melting Spirit-Rotting Powder. Its main ingredient comes from the poison gland of a Rank-2 Yao Beast, the Jade Phosphor Centipede, supplemented by seven types of Spirit-Rotting Grasses that grow in damp, dark areas. The medicinal properties are slowly roasted dry over earthfire, then sealed in an ice-jade bottle to nurture its cold nature. The most fearsome aspect of this poison is that it melts upon contact with Spiritual Qi; it is colorless, odorless, and extremely difficult to guard against."

"If poured into spiritual tea or wine, or sprinkled into the Spiritual Qi that a Cultivator breathes in while meditating, it will merge into their Meridians along with their breath and spiritual power circulation in a matter of moments."

"At first, the victim will only feel a slight sluggishness in their spiritual power, assuming it is merely a minor glitch in their Cultivation, and will never suspect poison."

"After several days, the toxin will quietly invade the Dantian along with the circulation of spiritual power, eroding bit by bit the spiritual power the Cultivator painstakingly cultivated over many years."

"The spiritual power that was once thick as syrup and clear and lively will gradually turn muddy like silt, dull and lifeless, impossible to mobilize in the slightest."

"By then, if the poisoned individual tries to forcibly mobilize their spiritual power to defend against an enemy or attempts to circulate their inner energy to expel the poison, the corroded spiritual power will instantly backlash out of control. At best, their Meridians will shatter and their cultivation will be completely ruined, leaving them a cripple; at worst, their Dantian will explode, causing their spiritual power to rage wild and killing them on the spot."

Zhang Yuxi's gaze settled on the dark green jade bottle. She nodded slightly without rushing to interrupt, merely signaling for him to continue. Her fingertips tapped lightly on the armrest of her chair, her eyes growing a bit more cautious and thoughtful.

Understanding her prompt, Liu Yangfeng set down the jade bottle and picked up the three gray-white incense sticks.

"This incense is called Thousand Illusion Soul-Devouring Incense," he said. "Its main ingredient comes from the scale powder of a Rank-2 Nightmare Butterfly, supplemented by the juice of Yin Soul Grass and several types of Heart-Rotting Fungi, refined using a secret method. Once lit, it produces no flame, no smoke, and no odor, making it nearly imperceptible to the naked eye."

"It does not harm the Physical Body, but targets the Divine Sense directly. As long as it is lit, within half a cup of tea's time, the scent will spread to cover a radius of a hundred zhang. Once an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator inhales it, random thoughts will swarm their minds and illusions will arise before their eyes, mostly reflecting their deepest obsessions and fears."

"If one tries to forcibly dispel it relying solely on willpower, it is nearly impossible without the aid of specialized mind-clearing and soul-soothing Medicinal Pills."

When Zhang Yuxi heard the words "Divine Sense," her gaze flickered almost imperceptibly.

Ever since she began Cultivating the Soul Condensation Spike, her understanding of the power of Divine Sense far surpassed that of ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators, so she naturally understood better than anyone the true value of poisons that targeted Divine Sense.

Finally, Liu Yangfeng picked up the small red-copper bottle. He did not open it completely, only unscrewing the stopper just a sliver, and an intense, nauseatingly sweet and scorched scent immediately leaked out, as if an invisible heatwave surged forth, causing the surrounding air to abruptly grow several degrees warmer.

"I have named this substance Red Blood Purple Scorpion Fluid, and currently I have only obtained half a bottle."

He carefully pressed the stopper back down firmly, terrified of leaking even another trace of its potency. "The main ingredient consists of a few drops of venom left behind by Master's Spirit Beast, the Flying Purple Nether Scorpion, supplemented by Bone-Rotting Flower juice and Blood-Drying Grass, repeatedly boiled into a paste over earth-vein fire, then dissolved and sealed inside this red-copper bottle."

"It cannot be cast into Spiritual Qi, nor can it be lit and used like incense; it must make contact with blood to enter the body."

"It can be smeared onto arrowheads or various Magical Artifacts and Spiritual Artifacts. Once it touches a wound or enters through the mouth or nose, the poison will instantly invade the blood and Qi, using the Cultivator's essence blood like firewood to ignite."

"The victim's flesh will wither at a speed visible to the naked eye, their Meridians shriveling, and their essence blood becoming exhausted. The faster their spiritual power circulates, the fiercer the blood and Qi burn. If it enters the body of a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, in at most half a cup of tea's time, they will be turned into a dried corpse, with even their Divine Soul unable to escape."

"It does not fear a Cultivator trying to suppress it with spiritual power, because the poison uses spiritual power as fuel; the more one circulates energy, the fiercer the flames grow. Attempting to forcibly expel it with spiritual power will only lead to a quicker death."