5: Yunyun's Curiosity

The crimson sun fruit entered her stomach, transforming into a warm current that dispelled some of the coldness lingering in her meridians.

Yun Yun's pale complexion regained a touch of color.

She quietly circulated her Dou Qi and found that the stubborn poison had indeed been suppressed a bit.

She looked up at the silent figure in front of her.

He still walked steadily, as if having just punched a Wind Shadow Leopard to death was merely brushing dust from his clothes.

This effortless composure was far more startling than any deliberate display.

"Young Master Li," she quickened her pace to walk beside him, her voice carrying a hint of inquiry she hadn't even noticed herself, "Thank you just now.

That crimson sun fruit... it worked very well."

Li Ao turned his head to glance at her, his gaze lingering for a moment on her face, which had regained some color, and nodded: "Mm, it can suppress it for three days."

His answers were always so concise, direct, and devoid of any superfluous emotion.

Yun Yun found that she was actually getting used to his way of speaking.

"Young Master Li seems to be very proficient in pharmacology as well?" she couldn't help but ask again.

To be able to identify her poison at a glance and precisely find the corresponding spiritual fruit to alleviate it was certainly not something an ordinary martial artist could do.

"Slightly," Li Ao's answer was still terse.

Slightly?

Yun Yun smiled bitterly in her heart.

If this counted as 'slightly proficient,' then those so-called Alchemist masters in the Jia Ma Empire probably hadn't even entered the door.

She stopped pressing him and simply followed silently.

The light in the forest grew dimmer, the air became more humid and stuffy, and colorful poisonous miasma began to appear around them, silently spreading.

Li Ao's steps remained steady.

He didn't even deliberately avoid the poisonous miasma; it was as if an extremely faint, invisible force field enveloped his body, and the colorful toxic gases would dissipate on their own as they approached within a foot of him, as if encountering their nemesis.

Yun Yun was secretly alarmed.

She needed to circulate her Dou Qi to barely resist the miasma's erosion, yet Li Ao seemed immune to all poisons with just his physical body and vital energy?

What kind of terrifying cultivation technique was this Black Iron Hegemon Body?

"Stay close," Li Ao suddenly spoke, his voice a little deeper than before, "There's a swamp ahead, and something is there."

Yun Yun's spirit tensed, and she immediately cleared her mind of distractions, focusing on vigilance.

Following Li Ao's gaze, she saw the trees thinning ahead, and a boundless black swamp appeared before her eyes.

A thick, grey-green miasma hung over the swamp, and gurgling bubbles constantly rose from the mud, bursting and emitting a nauseating stench of decay.

In the center of the swamp, a plant, entirely emerald green and shaped like a lotus seat, grew quietly.

Its seven leaves, like carved jade, guarded a pigeon-egg-sized fruit in the center, shimmering with a seven-colored halo.

A strange fragrance wafted, forming a stark contrast with the surrounding foul odor.

"Seven-Leaf Poison Emperor Grass! seven-colored poison emperor fruit!" Yun Yun exclaimed softly, a look of surprise flashing in her beautiful eyes.

This was a main ingredient for refining high-grade poison pills and even certain special detoxifying sacred medicines, extremely rare, and its guardian magical beast was bound to be incredibly formidable.

Before her words finished, the seemingly calm mud in the center of the swamp suddenly exploded!

A colossal creature shot into the sky!

It resembled a giant python but had four short, thick claws.

Its body was covered in viscous, pitch-black mud, and its vertical pupils were blood-red, staring intently at the two figures on the edge of the swamp.

A ferocious aura, far exceeding that of the previous Wind Shadow Leopard, and even several times stronger than Centipede Scar, swept out like a storm!

A third-tier magical beast, the Poison Swamp Dragon Python!

Equivalent to a peak Great Dou Master, or even an initial Dou Spirit!

Moreover, being in the swamp, it held a geographical advantage, making it even more troublesome!

"Humans! Get out of my territory!" The Poison Swamp Dragon Python actually managed to utter some indistinct human words, its voice hoarse and unpleasant, carrying a cold killing intent.

Yun Yun's face changed drastically, her jade hand gripping her long sword tightly, her internal Dou Qi circulating at full power, emitting a brilliant green light.

Facing such a being, she might have been able to fight at her peak, but with her injuries unhealed, her chances of victory were slim.

She looked at Li Ao, but saw that his face was still expressionless; only in his calm eyes did a hint of... interest finally flash?

"Do you want that fruit?" Li Ao suddenly turned and asked her.

Yun Yun was startled and instinctively nodded: "The seven-colored poison emperor fruit is one of the main ingredients for refining the 'Po E Pill,' and it's very useful for my detoxification."

The Po E Pill, a sixth-grade medicinal pill, could cure all manner of strange poisons in the world.

"Good," Li Ao replied with just one word.

Then, he moved.

No wasted words, no probing.

Stepping with Thunder Sound Steps, his figure was like a bolt of lightning tearing through the gloom, charging directly into the swamp!

Wherever he passed, the mud beneath his feet was actually pushed aside by an invisible force, creating a temporary path!

"You're courting death!" The Poison Swamp Dragon Python roared in fury, its massive body churning the swamp, sending a rain of highly toxic mud like arrows towards Li Ao.

At the same time, its huge mouth opened, and a highly condensed, dark-green stream of venom, like a javelin, shot out, striking Li Ao's chest!

This venom was enough to corrode Dou Qi armor and pierce through refined steel!

Yun Yun's heart leaped to her throat, and she couldn't help but exclaim: "Be careful!"

Facing an attack that would make even a Dou Spirit expert flustered, Li Ao's eyes remained unchanged.

Black Iron Hegemon Body operated at full power!

The bronze color beneath his skin instantly transformed into a deep, dark iron hue, his muscles bulged, and his entire body seemed to swell, exuding an indestructible, heavy aura!

He neither dodged nor evaded, clenching his right hand into a fist, and with his dark-iron-colored fist, he met the incoming venom, unleashing a punch!

"Sizzle—!"

The venom collided with his fist, emitting a grating corrosive sound.

But the venom, capable of piercing refined steel, was unable to break through the dark iron luster on the surface of Li Ao's fist; instead, it was shattered and splashed by the terrifying immense force contained within the punch!

At the same time, Li Ao's left hand, with fingers together like a blade, slashed through the air!

"Buzz!"

A pale-white blade qi, condensed as if solid, shot out from his hand, not towards the Poison Swamp Dragon Python, but towards the base of its tail, which was churning the swamp and raising giant mud waves!

The blade qi passed silently, faster than thought!

"Puff!"

Blood splattered!

The Poison Swamp Dragon Python's tail, thicker than a water bucket, was actually severed at the root by this seemingly unremarkable blade qi!

"Roar—!!!"

The pain of losing its tail made the Poison Swamp Dragon Python let out an earth-shattering shriek, its massive body thrashing wildly in the swamp, raising monstrous mud waves.

Li Ao seized this opportunity, his figure flashing again, appearing like a ghost beside the Seven-Leaf Poison Emperor Grass.

He reached out and plucked the seven-colored poison emperor fruit, storing it in his system space.

The entire process, swift as a rabbit and falcon, took only two or three breaths!

By the time the Poison Swamp Dragon Python recovered from the intense pain and realized its treasure had been stolen, it fell into even greater madness, its single eye filled only with savage killing intent, rushing towards Li Ao regardless of everything, its foul-smelling maw wide open, intending to swallow him and that section of the swamp whole!

Li Ao looked at the charging behemoth, his eyes cold.

He did not retreat; instead, he took a deep breath, and the dark iron glow all over his body suddenly retracted, condensing entirely onto his right fist.

An aura far more terrifying and oppressive than before rose from him.

The air around his fist began to twist and collapse!

"Hegemon Fist, Mountain Collapse!"

A low voice, like a clap of thunder, exploded!

He threw a punch!

There was no grand display of power, only a destructive force condensed to its extreme, like an undercurrent, erupting with a roar!

The fist and the python's head collided violently!

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

The next second—

"Bang!!!!!"

A muffled, yet earth-shaking roar, echoing throughout the entire swamp, erupted!

The Poison Swamp Dragon Python's massive body, charging forward, suddenly halted.

Its head, as hard as refined iron, began to shatter inch by inch from the point of contact with the fist, like glass struck by a thrown boulder!

Cracks instantly spread across its entire head, then it exploded with a crash!

Red, white, green... mixed with shattered bones and scales, splattering everywhere like fireworks!

The headless python's body twitched violently a few times, then crashed heavily into the swamp, splashing mud everywhere, and fell silent.

One punch, to kill a peak third-tier magical beast!

On the edge of the swamp, Yun Yun stood with her sword, her entire being like a jade sculpture.

She stared blankly at the young man standing beside the headless python's corpse, slowly retracting his fist, watching the dark iron glow gradually fade from his body, watching his still calm and unruffled face.

The strong wind ruffled his slightly disheveled hair, but could not stir the deep, still pool in his eyes.

At this moment, Yun Yun felt her heart being violently struck by some invisible force.

It wasn't gratitude, nor shock, but a more complex emotion, mixed with awe, curiosity, and a hint of stirring she couldn't even define herself, quietly burgeoning.

She had traveled the Fighting Qi Continent for many years, seen countless talented youths, including the once astonishingly brilliant Xiao Yan, but never had anyone given her such a powerful impact.

Overbearing, powerful, mysterious, calm... and that unintentional display of indifference and... loneliness, as if from his very bones?

Li Ao shook his fist, walked up to Yun Yun, and handed her the seven-colored, shimmering poison emperor fruit.

"Here you go."

It was still that indifferent tone.

Yun Yun reached out a slightly trembling hand and took the fruit, which still carried a hint of warmth (perhaps from the residual energy of the battle?).

This time, her fingertips did not touch Li Ao's hand.

She looked up, her beautiful eyes fixed on Li Ao, her voice slightly hoarse in a way she didn't even notice: "Who... exactly are you?"

Li Ao looked at the undisguised ripples in her eyes, and the corner of his mouth seemed to twitch almost imperceptibly, then vanished.

"Li Ao," he replied, then turned and looked deeper into the swamp, where a faintly more dangerous aura emanated.

"Let's go.

The commotion here will attract more things."

He led the way.

Yun Yun held the seven-colored poison emperor fruit, watching his retreating figure, and this time, without the slightest hesitation, she quickly followed him.

The doubts in her heart had not vanished, but something more resolute seemed to have taken root and sprouted.

Meanwhile, far away in Wutan City, Nalan Yanran finally made a decision.

She slowly tore the annulment letter into pieces.

"Elder Ge," she looked at the old man beside her, her eyes firm, "Help me find out all of Li Ao's movements.

Also... don't mention the annulment to the Xiao Family for now."

She wanted to know how far that young man, who had risen like a comet, could go.

In the Xiao Family's back mountain, at the cliff's peak.

Xiao Yan sat cross-legged, a faint pain still coming from his severed wrist, but the despondency and anger on his face had been replaced by a nearly obsessive determination.

Yao Lao's soul body floated beside him.

"Teacher, let's begin," Xiao Yan opened his eyes, a fire of vengeance burning within them, "No matter how bitter, I can endure it!

I want to become strong!

Strong enough to trample Li Ao underfoot!"

Yao Lao looked at the familiar stubbornness and ruthlessness in his disciple's eyes and nodded with satisfaction.

"Good!

Then let's start with this 'Poison Devouring Body Refinement!' Endure it!"

A strange, dark-green venom was carefully guided by Yao Lao and dripped onto Xiao Yan's intact arm.

"Sizzle—!"

A chilling corrosive sound rang out, accompanied by Xiao Yan's extremely suppressed groans of pain.

The gears of fate, driven by hatred and ambition, began to accelerate.