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The mountain wind blew, and the mist rolled around. On a bare rock at the Summit, Chu Hai was covered in blood, his clothes tattered, and his hair tangled like grass. A swirling red sword light circled around him.
Looking down at the abyss shrouded in mist below, Chu Hai's heart sank, but he laughed loudly, "You turtle sons of bitches! If you have the guts, show yourselves and come at me with a sword!"
Several dark figures flashed onto the mountain path behind him. Dressed in typical Demon Sect attire, they were cloaked in black hooded capes even in broad daylight. As they appeared, the temperature at the Summit dropped sharply, as if boundless spirits from hell had been summoned.
The leader spoke in a sinister tone, "If you surrender, we won't kill you! If you resist further, don't blame us for swallowing your Golden Core!"
"Bah!" Chu Hai spat fiercely, "I wouldn't let you benefit from my self-destruction of the Golden Core!"
Resolutely, Chu Hai began to perform the Nine Separation Technique. Tears shimmered quietly in his eyes as he whispered, "I never expected to fall into that villain's scheme after all. Sixth Senior Brother, I can't clear your name now; we'll meet again in our next life!"
Just one step away from completing the technique, an unexpected change occurred.
The leading Demon was about to fly forward when suddenly he exploded into a cloud of blood mist without a sound. Chunks of flesh and broken bones splattered everywhere, with a few drops of hot blood even hitting Chu Hai's face.
A Black Light screamed as it shot out from the blood mist but was immediately enveloped by a Crystal Light that came from nowhere. The Black Light darted left and right but couldn't escape! With a whoosh, it was sucked into the Crystal Light. Soon after, a spinning crystal-clear jade bottle appeared in its place.
The three remaining Demons were horrified; their leader, who had already reached the late stage of Golden Core cultivation, had died silently without even seeing his enemy's face! They turned to flee quickly in three different directions.
But then a flash of golden light passed by, followed by three screams that merged into one. The upper halves of their bodies flew into the sky while their lower halves remained standing on the mountain path—cut in half on the spot!
Blood sprayed everywhere, turning the mist pink as colorful internal organs rolled chaotically. The golden light flashed again and completely reduced them to powder. The upper halves of several Demons were shattered along with their Golden Cores.
Chu Hai was already stunned. Looking at the spinning Crystal Light jade bottle before him, a sense of joy surged from within him, growing larger until it felt like his entire body would burst with happiness. Chu Hai shouted, "Which brother is here?"
"It’s me, your Sixth Senior Brother."
A familiar face appeared before Chu Hai, with warm, dark, elongated eyes looking at him. He patted Chu Hai's shoulder and sighed, "It’s been twelve years since we last met. How have you been, Chu Hai?"
Chu Hai could hardly believe his eyes and exclaimed, "Sixth Senior Brother!" He rushed forward and tightly grasped Li Hong's hand.
As the saying goes, a man does not easily shed tears unless he reaches a sorrowful point.
Chu Hai burst into tears, releasing all the sadness and resentment he had accumulated over the years.
Twelve years ago, the Demon Sect attacked Nine Li Mountain Gate. At that time, the Six Veins were fighting separately amidst the chaos. Chu Hai was originally a Disciple of Jiu Zhu Peak, but due to his high talent in alchemy, he spent most of his time learning and assisting in the Heavenly Pill Hall rather than cultivating. When the Demon Sect invaded the Mountain Gate, Chu Hai had just reached the Golden Core Stage and had recently become an elder in the Heavenly Pill Hall. He was in the alchemy chamber refining his first batch of pills when he heard the terrible news. He abandoned the Dan Furnace and rushed out, only to witness the horrifying scene of fires raging and sounds of slaughter echoing throughout Nine Li Sect.
His first thought was for the safety of Elder Yao, the chief elder of Heavenly Pill Hall. He hurried to the main hall, intending to persuade Elder Yao to retreat with him, but what he saw was even more terrifying.
Elder Yao's body had turned into a strange translucent form, surrounded by a chilling aura. Realizing what Elder Yao had been doing recently, all his thoughts came together, and Chu Hai suddenly understood that Elder Yao was a traitor!
Seeing that Chu Hai had uncovered his secret, Elder Yao wasted no time and attacked without hesitation. Chu Hai had just formed his Golden Core and was no match for him. Just then, a disciple named Cousin rushed in. This unfortunate disciple was killed on the spot by Elder Yao, giving Chu Hai a brief moment to escape without looking back.
Chu Hai was already timid by nature; learning about Elder Yao's shocking secret made his heart race with fear. At that time, Ling Xuzi had already issued a retreat order. Chu Hai immediately fled into the Li Fire Formation to leave. He was not alone; several other disciples who managed to escape through the Li Fire Formation also fled from Mountain Gate and became lost in the Mortal Realm.
Chu Hai and his companions dared not return to Mountain Gate and hid in various places in the Mortal Realm while trying to gather news about Nine Li Sect. The news they received was increasingly grim. After much difficulty, they finally learned that the Demon Sect had retreated from Nine Li Sect and that Nine Li Cave Heaven had not fallen into their hands. Just as Chu Hai was preparing to return to Mountain Gate, he heard an even more terrifying piece of news.
Li Hong was accused by Elder Yao of colluding with the Demon Sect and was expelled from Mountain Gate with no known whereabouts. Meanwhile, the real traitor who colluded with the Demon Sect, Elder Yao, still held his high position as the chief elder of Nine Li Sect's Heavenly Pill Hall.
The only person who knew Elder Yao was a traitor was Chu Hai himself; he dared not take any rash actions. However, several fellow disciples could not resist wanting to return to Nine Li Sect. Despite Chu Hai's futile attempts to dissuade them, he did not dare accompany them back and could only linger alone in the Mortal Realm.
Indeed, after those senior brothers returned, they vanished without a trace. Not long after, the Demon Sect Monsters came knocking. For the next ten years, no matter how Chu Hai tried to hide or escape, these four Demons clung to him like a parasite that couldn't be shaken off. They had been hunting him for a full decade!
The years of wandering had tempered Chu Hai; he was no longer the timid and fearful person he once was. Although his cultivation hadn't increased, his state of mind had improved significantly. At this point, he grasped Li Hong's hand and declared loudly, "Sixth Senior Brother, let's head to Kunlun! I will bear witness that the true traitor is Elder Yao, who colluded with the Demon Sect! I want to prove your innocence to everyone and restore justice for you! And I want to relieve myself of the torment and grievances from being hunted for ten years!"
Li Hong was deeply moved by this and choked up, unable to say a word as he patted Chu Hai's back.
A clear voice interjected from the side, "No need for that! Everyone knows Li Hong is not the traitor colluding with the Demon Sect! Going to Kunlun would only be walking into a trap!"
Yan Luo approached with a cheerful smile.
"This young lady is..." Chu Hai asked in confusion, "You seem somewhat familiar."
"Hehe, I'm Yan Luo from Qixia Palace. Remember me from the Newcomer Competition at Heavenly Grain?"
Chu Hai slapped his forehead in realization. "It's you! The little cat that doesn't eat raw fish! You've grown up into a beautiful young lady!"
Yan Luo giggled shyly, covering her mouth.
Chu Hai smiled as well, finally relaxing his expression.
With Yan Luo's interruption, Li Hong's mood lightened considerably. He said with a smile, "This place isn't suitable for staying too long; let's leave here first."
Although Jin Song's two nations were still at odds at the border, they had been at peace for many years now, and the people had somewhat regained their vitality. They found a relatively prosperous small town and headed straight for an inn, with Yan Luo naturally refusing to leave their side.
Chu Hai still felt uneasy and whispered, "Are we going to fall into the eyes of the Demon Sect Monsters?"
Li Hong coldly smiled, "Kill one if they come, kill two if they come in pairs! They are definitely just a bunch of small fry. Right now, the higher-ups of the Demon Sect are all busy trying to 'rescue people' in the Southern Wilderness. Hmph! Even if we storm into the Fengdu Hidden Palace, we won't run into the main target. What is there to be afraid of?"
Yan Luo was taken aback by Li Hong's unprecedented curse and widened her eyes. Just as she was about to mock him a bit, she caught sight of Li Hong's cold and stern face and swallowed her words. With a quick thought, she murmured to herself that he could indeed be quite intimidating when he got riled up, but she wasn't afraid of him!
Thinking of this made Yan Luo feel quite pleased. She cheerfully said, "You all go ahead and book a room. I'm going out to buy a new outfit for Senior Brother Chu Hai; otherwise, those commoners might look down on him."
"Thank you," Chu Hai sincerely replied.
Watching Yan Luo's slender figure walk away, Chu Hai smiled again and said, "Sixth Senior Brother, Yan Luo has grown up so beautifully and is so considerate. You truly have good fortune wherever you go! I can only look on in envy."
Li Hong felt he had no complaints to voice and awkwardly touched his nose, saying, "I have nothing going on with her; we're just ordinary friends. And let's not mention 'considerate'—if that gets out, everyone will laugh."
"Why is that? Is it because Miss Yan Luo isn't a good person?" Chu Hai asked in surprise.
Li Hong didn't want to speak ill of Yan Luo in front of Chu Hai, so he deflected the question and pulled Chu Hai into the inn.
Indeed, the shopkeeper looked down on them at first, but Li Hong couldn't help but admire Yan Luo's foresight. However, once a large silver coin was tossed over, everything was settled immediately.
Under the bright moonlight and gentle breeze, the three of them enjoyed drinks in the inn's small garden pavilion while recounting their experiences since parting.
Chu Hai listened with great emotion and finally transmitted a serious message, "Sixth Senior Brother, do you know how Elder Yao poisoned? I know it very clearly. To be honest, Elder Yao is indeed quite a talent; even today I still have some admiration for him."
Li Hong perked up, "What do you mean?"
"Do you know about Soul Medicine?"
Soul Medicine? Li Hong had never heard of this term before.
Chu Hai slowly transmitted, "The Soul Medicine is actually related to the Demon Sect. Specifically, it concerns the Yandao Demon Lord. This Old Demon is truly a rare talent; he actually devised a way to use the souls of mortals to enhance his cultivation. All the Demon Sect Monsters' Soul Summoning and Spirit Refining Banner contain deadly poison. This means they have found a way to imbue even the ethereal souls with poison. Over the years, the Demon Sect has been refining this poison, continuously upgrading it, making it increasingly formidable, which has caused great headaches for all of us at the Heavenly Pill Hall. Therefore, the Heavenly Pill Hall has been researching methods to counteract it. Until one day, I accidentally came across a few lines in a top-secret record at the Scripture Repository, and finally understood how the Demon Sect manages to poison souls."
Chu Hai paused for a moment and said solemnly, "The secret is to use living souls as a catalyst. In other words, it requires a living person whose separated soul serves as the catalyst to refine the Soul Medicine."
"Go on," Li Hong listened intently.
"Using a living person as a catalyst, using their separated soul as the guide, only then can one refine the Soul Medicine. The Soul Medicine can have many uses; it doesn't necessarily have to be poisonous, but if it is toxic, it becomes one of the hardest poisons to cure. Because poisoning with souls leaves no antidote. The biggest trouble with this method is that the living person used as a catalyst must have a high level of cultivation—high enough to separate their soul without dying. Once their soul is separated, they will undergo changes; for example, their body may become transparent and unable to withstand sunlight, resembling a ghost."
"My research was supposed to end there because it was impossible to use our own people for the first experiment, and all the necessary herbs were hard to gather. Some rare herbs that grow in the depths of the Underground, in places of Extreme Yin, I could only find in the Demon Sect's Hidden Palace. So while I knew how to produce Soul Medicine, I had no way to verify it. Only those Demon Sect Monsters, who do not care about their own people, could create such a strange poison. At that time, Elder Yao also lamented about it and said he wanted to study it further, taking all my records with him. After that, there was no further news; I thought he had given up too. But that day when I saw that Elder Yao's body was half-transparent, I suddenly realized he had already refined the Soul Medicine, using himself as the catalyst!"
"Moreover, when I heard that someone had invaded the Underground Array Hall, opened the Heaven and Earth Platform, and placed a Demon Sect Monster inside, I understood even more that Elder Yao's Soul Medicine had definitely succeeded! The Soul Medicine has many uses; not only can it poison people with no antidote available, but it can also control them or even temporarily control a certain place using one's own soul—like controlling mechanisms within the Array Hall. I don't know the specific methods of operation, but it's definitely not far off."
Li Hong listened with rapt attention and sighed deeply after a long while.
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