The Immortal’s Poison

The Second Mother spoke quickly in a crisp and clear voice. She could not help but laugh as she spoke but, in the end, it was the high-spirited Second Elder Luo who had laughed so hard that the roof shook and rustled, “The Wen family’s five elements! Not only that, the moment that person broke their meridians, the element they cultivated in was immediately revealed. The person who had cultivated with Water Poison turned blue, the person who cultivated with Wood Poison turned green…”

Wen Leyang did not dare to laugh along with them. He then hastily looked at First Grandfather, “So, Second Grandfather and the other’s cultivation base…” After the elites of the Wen family had broken their meridians, even though their lives were salvaged by the old demon rabbit Bu Le, their Art of Poison’s cultivation base was considered useless from then on. Perhaps Wen Bushuo would be fine with that, as long as his mouth was still there everything was well. However, for the arrogant and unyielding elites like Second Grandfather and Third Grandfather, life without a cultivation base would be sadder than death.

Chang Li answered Wen Leyang’s question from the side, “Bu Le had used his life vitality to help them protect their internal organs and to disperse the strong poison. I will then help them reforge their meridians after the strong poison has been completely dispersed off!” She then rubbed her palms together in anticipation and her eyes were filled excitement as if it was a fun opportunity to forge someone else’s meridians once again.

Wen Leyang was initially relieved when heard that his Martial Ancestral Grandmother would use her skills to help but judging from her expression, he felt that this matter was slightly undependable as he gazed into First Uncle’s eyes with concern.

The four master cultivators of Wen family had risked their lives to attempt to perform the magic art but, as a result, they had all been defeated. First Grandfather then gave the idea up as he summoned Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen. Together with the elites from the Miao and Luo families, they followed Grand Master Tuo Xie’s final testament and launched the secret technique of fusing the three Arts into one, managing to accomplish with success on two occasions.

Little Chi Maojiu’s birth year spell was cultivated into the poison cultivator’s body to protect the cultivator’s so-called heart’s soul. The spell’s bug itself was also tainted with exceedingly strong poison power. Under the refinement of the corpse dance, they drew in Yin power which was then returned to the bodies of the Miao clansmen so their witchcraft power would increase exponentially. Similarly, Mumu had used the corpse control spell to control the half-dead Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen. Between herself and the two silly uncles as well as Ah Dan, the Yin power and the birth year spell continuously melted and exchanged with one another. Finally, Mumu too enjoyed the great benefit.

After the three Arts have been fused into one, not only has the two silly uncles’ Art of Poison improved profoundly, Little Chi Maojiu’s power of witchcraft spell and Mumu’s Art of Corpse too achieved vast improvement simultaneously. If they were placed in the cultivation world now, they would be considered as outstanding elites.

First Grandfather finally spoke and he declared in a manner which was filled with admiration, “Grand Master’s cultivation method is to combine the three powers of Yang’s poison, Yin’s corpse energy, and the power of witchcraft spell until each person would have a balance of three powers in their body. We might never understand the principle behind it despite our extensive studies but, at long last, the cultivation method is now firmly in our grasp!”

As for the Wen, Miao, Luo families’ disciples, they would only need to understand that one plus one was equal to two. As for why it was equal to two, it would be best if they could understand it but it would not be absolutely necessary for them to master their craft.

After the three Arts have been fused into one, the disciples who had participated in the process have made astonishing progress in their cultivation power. They would cultivate on their own in the future and their accomplishment would be unlimited, one could tell just by looking at their three Grand Masters from two thousand years ago. However, it was still the disciples of the Art of Poison who had received the greatest advantage, the process of remolding their meridians was almost equal to being reborn, the Art of Witchcraft and the Art of Corpse’s disciples had turned out slightly weaker by comparison.

Even though there were only four good hands from the Wen, Miao, and the Luo families who had achieved success, there were still two silly men amongst them. Still, once they had clarified their Grand Master’s divine art of cultivation, it was not difficult for them to imagine that in the next decade or decades, the three families’ disciples would flourish for generations. With the combination of three and three, they could then take a look at the Five Blessings or they could ask the World Sect, no one would dare to bully them anymore.

Wen Leyang exhaled a long breath and released his worry. However, before he could speak, First Grandfather had burst into laughter and stood up. He then pulled Wen Leyang along and walked out, “There’s still one more great matter; Gongye’s family from Mount Pan are not just good at eating, their workmanship in refining weapons is amazing too!”

Wen Leyang felt elated. The Ning Jiao had been divided into two portions; its blood, flesh and internal organs had been passed to the Wen family to be used to refine poison while its skin and bones were given to the Gongye family from Mount Pan to be used to refine weapons. From First Grandfather’s words, old man Gongye’s side should have achieved some good results.

The large group in the big house followed First Elder Wen and entered the village. There was a bronze furnace around four to five stories high on the open space behind the village. Its brass-colored walls were engraved with a densely-dotted ancient script which appeared simple and unsophisticated while a red-colored fiery glow reflected from within the mouth of the furnace. There were dozens of bellows the size of tents which surrounded the bottom part of the furnace. There was also a crystal-clear water channel which encircled the furnace. Logs from an unknown type of tree with an unusual scent had been piled up into a small hill near the furnace…

Wei Mo was standing next to the furnace but he paid absolutely no regard to his surroundings. He held a little stone tablet in his hand as he drew and wrote honestly; he did not even realize that Wen Leyang was there.

Old man Gongye was pondering on something with his head lowered when he realized that a large group of people has approached him. His face was filled with impatience but after he saw Wen Leyang, his expression suddenly turned elated. The joy on his face was like a young student who had just scored a hundred marks in his exam. The old man laughed as he tugged Wen Leyang, “The only thing missing was you!” Soon after that, he roared loudly at his disciples, “Young lads, increase the furnace’s fire!”

Wen Leyang was startled by Gongye’s appearance; the initially healthy and vigorous old man has become withered and shriveled. His face was grey and hideous while his gaze was dimmed and murky as if he had just recovered from a big illness.

Over a hundred burly men from the Gongye family had been sitting around but the moment they heard their family elder’s command, they responded in unison. They each took off their shirts, revealing their brass-colored upper body. The rock-like muscles between their shoulders, arms, chests, and abdomens rolled in a rigid yet strong manner.

In a short moment, gigantic flames a few meters high soared out from the gigantic furnace abruptly. It looked like a greedy giant snake which shook its head and wagged its tail as it soared straight up, attempting to taste the moon that had just risen to the corner of the sky.

The rest of the Gongye disciples too bustled about as they placed the unknown logs into the furnace chamber without ceasing. Wen Leyang’s hearing was exceptional, he could distinctively hear those sweet-smelling logs give out the sound of joyous laughter the moment they entered the giant furnace. That sound was also accompanied by the howling of the wind. Within the crackling sound of fire, the noises made Wen Leyang feel a numbness all over his scalp.

Waves upon waves of heat roared and spread out of the furnace, making the air shimmer. It was unknown when the air had secretly condensed into a transparent yet misty weed which entangled onto the gigantic furnace. The flames were burning stronger and more vigorously now, turning from red to yellow and finally into a dazzling silvery-white. The brass-colored furnace, on the other hand, has turned completely red as if it would erupt into a river of molten bronze at any time. Countless ancient scripts were struggling in agony until all of a sudden, a blaring sound of a ‘clank’ echoed from within the furnace!

Each strong man who had been pumping the bellows were shaken until they spat out a mouthful of blood in unison!

Old man Gongye straightened his back as the lifelessness in his mannerism vanished. He shouted along with that blasting sound in the furnace chamber, “Forge the blade!”

The strong men immediately reacted as if they had just heard God’s will. Their gaze appeared enticed yet determined as their movements at the bellows turned from coordinated and strong into wild and crazy!

Wen Leyang has never witnessed the process of iron forging in the past. He stood in front of the furnace as he stared in bewilderment. ‘You’ve Got Me’ on the other hand, was ululating profusely from his chest as its entire body stiffened in excitement.

Another blasting sound echoed from within the furnace chamber once again! Unlike the blasting sound earlier which had sounded loud and tyrannical, this one sounded a lot heavier and thicker. The men who had been pumping the bellows shouted as they spat out mouthfuls of blood which splashed onto their chests and arms ferociously.

Old man Gongye raised his head and roared into the sky once again, “Forge the armor!” Everyone’s expression turned savage and terrifying. It was as if the furnace had turned into a devil which absorbed a human’s spirit and soul and the Gongye disciples were a flock of wild ducks which remained unrepentant to the end!

It was until the third forceful and sonorous blasting sound that old man Gongye’s voice abruptly turned sharp. He roared in a hoarse and exhausted voice, “Gain the soul!” As he said that, he gestured for Wen Leyang to move forward. Wen Leyang blinked his eyes, he was dumbstruck and he asked softly, “Go where?” Before his voice could die away, a tremendous thrust of irresistible force pushed him into the furnace in one go. Gand Master Chang Li giggled, “Scoop some good stuff out of the furnace! The young lad who knows nothing!”

Even though he knows very well that Chang Li would never harm him, Wen Leyang was still startled and frightened out of his wits. He had heard the story of the knife-forging master who used his body to nourish the knife until he had leaped into the furnace but he had never heard of tossing regular people into a furnace…

The enchanting and fiery fire snake was still swaying strenuously as if it was trying to struggle free from the furnace chamber with great efforts so it could fly into the sky. When Wen Leyang was tossed into the furnace, that fiery snake had erupted into a million sparks with a loud and vigorous bang. Following that, a voice which could not be distinguished if it was an agonizing howl or a cheerful yell was heard before it soon disappeared without a trace.

Wen Leyang could feel as his telegnosis ability, vision, and hearing were all burned into nothingness in a flash by the high temperature which could melt even the heavens and the earth. His entire body was filled to the brim with the poison power of Life and Death yet there was no way he could struggle or twist his body even once. He had dived head-first into the furnace chamber and the heavy warmth had wrapped itself around his entire body in a moment.

The piercing brightness vanished abruptly. The Wen family village which had been illuminated by a glow as bright as the sun regained its prior silence and darkness in the blink of an eye.

Everyone was feeling rather parched too, all they could hear was the thudding sound of their own heartbeats in their ears. Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen’s expression were solemn and sorrowful. They raised their noses and tried to sniff strenuously but they could not smell the scent of barbecued meat at all. It was unknown whether the both of them would cry their hearts out or run to the kitchen to pick up cumin and chili instead if they had smelt barbecued meat…

The furnace was being used to refine the Ning Jiao’s skin and bones. The Ning Jiao’s skin was used to make armor while the Ning Jiao’s bone was refined into a blade.

Because Wen Leyang does not possess any primordial spiritual power, he would not have been able to refine his own treasured weapon like the other cultivators. However, the Ning Jiao was no ordinary creature and the Gongye family’s Art of Weapon Crafting was even more of a master skill. Old man Gongye had racked his brains before he finally thought of a spell known as the Magic of One Heart which connected the treasured weapon to its master. Inside the furnace, the essence of the Ning Jiao’s bones which was called the ‘Ning Jiao’s Sting’ was being nourished by Wen Leyang. It would protect its master Wen Leyang from being burned by the furnace’s fire. At the same time, Wen Leyang’s Art of Poison circulated in his body and was refined together with the Ning Jiao’s bones and skin. As he pulled through the final fire of true reflection which refined the spirit, the task would then be accomplished with success.

First Grandfather had heard old man Gongye explain this process earlier but he still felt uneasy in his heart. First Elder Luo suddenly laughed and said to his brother, “I wonder if old man Gongye had learned this skill from reading Journey to the West?”

Chang Li giggled as she shook her head, “The magic art of refining the person together with the weapon has existed in the past. All is well as long as the smelting level is well controlled.”

The strong men who were pumping the bellows now looked dull and tired. They then stopped pumping as they looked at their family’s leader anxiously.

Old man Gongye, who was usually confident, now seemed slightly distracted to everyone’s surprise. He peered at Chang Li hesitantly and she nodded. Her charming chin moved under the moonlight in an enchanting manner as she laughed and said, “I will protect the magic spell. I will save the young lad if he cannot endure anymore so be at ease and cast the spell!”

It was only then that old man Gongye nodded in determination. He turned around and roared loudly at his disciples, “Continue!”

A loud, muffled bang sounded and the fire within the furnace burned vigorously and enchantingly once again. Over a hundred men of the Gongye family howled as they exerted the last ounce of strength in their bones, risking their lives as they pumped the bellows!

It only took several seconds yet it felt longer than a lifetime for First Elder Wen. Finally, with a thunderous noise amidst scorching hot flames which were bursting with explosive sounds, a great fissure appeared on the furnace. When old man Geongye realized that the furnace has exploded, not only was he not surprised, he cheered with a passionate cry instead. His shout caused every single one of the Gongye disciples to act like monkeys which had been splashed with hot water as they yelled and scattered!

With a wave of Chang Li’s hand, the exuberant demonic power condensed into a formless yet well-proportioned air partition which blocked everyone behind it. At the same time, the magic spell was activated. It was accompanied by the sound of a wild explosion which echoed within the furnace’s chamber. Finally, the piercing molten stream splashed and splattered everywhere as Wen Leyang stamped through the exploded furnace chamber into. His face was ashen as he jumped out…

A raging fire was burning around him yet Wen Leyang’s form was shaky and unsteady.

Chang Li was overjoyed as she stretched out her hand and tore Second Elder Luo’s long robe off him before she tossed it to Wen Leyang, “Put on some clothes!”

Old man Gongye, who has been left with half a life, shrieked, “You’re not allowed to wear clothes!” As he said that, he immediately jumped in front of Wen Leyang like an old monkey. His eyes glimmered as he sized the boy up and down continuously.

Wen Leyang attempted to put the robes on several times but it was pulled away by the old man every time. Finally, he managed to turn the long robe into a skirt somehow and wrapped it around his waist.

Everyone gathered forward and they looked at Wen Leyang before looking at the shattered furnace and the countless bonfires around it. First Uncle Wen Tunhai could not stand it anymore and he asked with a sonorous and forceful voice, “Where is the treasured weapon?” There was nothing in Wen Leyang’s hands and his body was completely naked. On the contrary, ‘You’ve Got Me’, which had been curled on his chest had turned into an even more exuberantly red color after the refinement of the raging flames. Its color was so vibrant it was spellbinding.

Suddenly, old man Gongye hugged Wen Leyang as he cried out repeatedly. They could not tell whether he was crying or laughing. He looked like a madman and his entire face was covered with mucus and tears.

Wen Leyang was the proudest work of art in old man Gongye’s entire lifetime!

Wen Leyang was feeling slightly calmer now. With the help of his grandfathers, he managed to free himself from old man Gongye. He was slightly bewildered as he explained to the rest of them, “The Ning Jiao’s skin has been turned into armor, the Ning Jiao’s bones have been turned into a blade… These weapons are all refined into my body…” As he was saying that, he inhaled a deep breath and, under the incredulous gaze of the crowd, a layer of mottled black and white-colored thin armor wrapped around his entire body suddenly, revealing only his head and face. The group of people looked at one another, it was unknown who was the first one who laughed out loud but everyone followed soon after. When Wen Leyang had revealed his skin armor, he looked very similar to a diver who was not wearing a helmet.

Wen Leyang was aware that he does not possess a remarkable image and he scratched his head as he laughed. Chang Li pursed her lips as she stretched out a finger and pressed it gently to his chest. Her gentle press appeared soft and fragile but Wen Leyang could feel a tremendous force capable of overturning a mountain and upsetting the sea rushing towards him. He could not help but retreat between the surging of the Poison of Life and Death as he looked at Chang Li in confusion.

The corners of Chang Li’s eyes and the area between her brows were flashing with joy, “Young lad, that touch of mine earlier is almost equal to one of Po Tu’s full force punch.”

Wen Leyang exclaimed in understanding. He was then suddenly knocked out by enormous happiness… His actual power was now almost on par with Po Tu’s but Chang Li’s one strike earlier had been equal to striking ferociously towards the vital part of his chest when he was caught off guard. Wen Leyang speculated that without this skin armor which protected his body, he would certainly be severely injured with his bones and muscles crushed in one go.

After a few seconds, Wen Leyang finally regained his sense of self and he beamed with joy as he pleaded his Grand Master, “Please try again with a stronger force!”

Chang Li shot him a look as if she was looking at a fool. She then gave a forced laugh as she shook her head, “Since when did you turn slightly more intelligent? Your skin armor will help you to bear the force of seventy to eighty percent of Po Tu’s hit now. That is its limit, no matter how strong that force is, when you get hit, the amount that your skin armor can block will never change.”

Wen Leyang was suddenly enlightened, the skin armor was just a skin armor so the force that it could block was a constant value. The Rainbow’s leader who had kept quiet all along suddenly sighed in deep admiration, “So, when a cultivator whose supernatural power is slightly weaker hits him, he should not feel anything at all, right?”

Chang Li was in a fine mood now and she was kinder towards them. She laughed as she nodded, “That’s right! That hit would not be considered a tickle or even a scratch!” She paused for a moment before she asked Wen Leyang, “Is it comfortable for you to wear this? Can you take it off?”

“I don’t feel like I’m wearing anything at all.” Wen Leyang laughed joyously. Following that, his body twisted like a swimming fish and the skin armor fell limply onto the ground like a thin snake slough. It did not look like anything was special about it. After almost everyone had passed the skin around and tested it by tugging and probing at the skin, Wen Leyang shimmied back into it and the armor fused into his skin once again and faded into his body. It was very easy and free for him to hide, reveal and remove the Ning Jiao’s skin armor.

Chang Li laughed and waved her hand, interrupting Wen Leyang’s joy as she said, “Try out the Ning Jiao’s sting now!”

Wen Leyang responded in kind as he turned his wrist over and brandished a Lethal Knife which no one had ever seen from an unknown place!

The knife’s blade was long and narrow. It was of the usual length similar to Qin Zhui’s Tang Knife. However, the blade was curved in a malevolent manner which made one uneasy to look at it for a prolonged period of time. Instead of a regular blade’s sonorous hum, it hissed like a poisonous snake when it was waved around.

Everyone on the scene, including Chang Li, felt the pores on their bodies tighten the moment the Lethal Knife appeared. They felt only one sensation in their heart, that knife there was a snake!

Wen Tunhai was slightly surprised at the shape of this lethal weapon. He narrowed his eyes as he asked old man Gongye, “I thought that the Ning Jiao’s sting was supposed to be a sting? How did it turn into this?”

Old man Gongye’s face was filled with pride, “The sting had been in the form of a bone, now that it has been refined into a weapon with a soul, it was transformed into the form of a weapon and that is its appearance now!” Before the Ning Jiao’s sting had taken form, even old man Gongye did not know how it would appear after the refinement. However, but based on the look of the Ning Jiao’s sting right now, it was genuinely in a snake’s form as its namesake.

Chang Li chuckled as she urged Wen Leyang, “Charge at me with it!”

Wen Leyang answered delightfully in response. His body swayed once as he backtracked to an area about a stone’s throw away. He then inhaled a deep breath. The moment the Poison of Life and Death in his body started to circulate, the Lethal Knife in his hand also immediately echoed back and vibrated gently with an audible snake’s hiss!

After receiving Chang Li’s signal, the Snake Knife in Wen Leyang’s hand soared up high into the air. The wicked noise of a snake’s hiss suddenly vanished into thin air while everyone on the scene simultaneously yelled out in fright!

Hundreds of ghastly pale bones have appeared out of thin air. As Wen Leyang wielded his Snake Knife, the bones then shot out into the sky. It was only then that the crowd discovered that the pile of entangled white bones was actually the skeleton of a large snake, it was the Ning Jiao Bone Snake!

With a ghastly and savage roar, the Bone Snake shot towards Chang Li with lightning-fast speed!

Chang Li crossed her hands in front of her chest with a smile on her face. She remained unmoved as the Ning Jiao Bone Snake circled around her repeatedly in the cold wind. However, it was unable to surge past the formless barrier around her. It was at this point that Wen Leyang laughed gently and his body abruptly disappeared without a trace.

Chang Li’s expression then changed slightly as she raised a hand and flicked rapidly before her body. A crisp, clanking sound echoed continuously and only Qin Zhui could see with great effort that Wen Leyang was reverberating between the Ning Jiao’s sting and the Bone Snake as they attacked Chang Li simultaneously. Still, no matter how hard they tried, they could not break through Chang Li’s fair-skinned and fine little hand.

Each of Chang Li’s fingers firmly flicked on a seven-inch spot on the Ning Jiao’s sting. Finally, after countless clanking sounds, Wen Leyang yelled as he somersaulted to the ground. The Bone Snake which was like a silver dragon in midair too vanished.

Wen Leyang turned over and jumped up. He then looked at Chang Li eagerly, awaiting her comments.

Chang Li’s eyes were shimmering and filled with joyous radiance as she nodded at Wen Leyang with certainty, “The Ning Jiao’s sting is the soul of Ning Jiao’s bones. That is why when the Ning Jiao’s sting is wielded, the Bone Snake could be summoned for ambush and reinforcement.” She then paused for a moment as she calculated slowly, “The Ning Jiao’s bones are capable of resisting Po Tu’s wild attacks. If we include you and the Ning Jiao’s sting, that would be equal to three Po Tu’s!”

Before her voice could die away, two thuds were heard simultaneously. Wen Leyang and Qin Zhui had sat on the ground in unison. However, while Wen Leyang’s face was filled with wild joy, Qin Zhui’s was filled with a headful of worries.

Chang Li put on a slightly stern countenance and pulled Wen Leyang up in one go. She then pointed at old man Gongye who looked so excited that he was about to pass out as she said to Wen Leyang, “You should worship him on your knees. Salute that man with respect as the lineage of Gongye from Mount Pan is your great benefactor!”

Wen Leyang did not say a word as he immediately walked in front of old man Gongye and saluted him on his knees earnestly.

Old man Gongye, on the other hand, was acting like a child. He suddenly hugged Wen Leyang and burst into loud sobs. However, he had not even sobbed twice before his eyes rolled back. He had suppressed himself so much such that he forcefully fainted.

Chang Li was startled as well as she hastily jumped over and passed a strand of life vitality into the old man’s body. She then shook her head at the crowd, “There’s no need to save him, his heart fire is burning fiercely still. He will become better once he has rested for a while.” After that, she turned to face Wen Leyang once again, “The Ning Jiao’s body is from the primal chaos of the prehistoric times. Its toxicity is similar to yours too, this was why you could have fused with it in the Gongye family’s fire of soul refinement! These two treasures here do not only serve as your armor and weapon but have also become a part of your body.”

She paused halfway and made sure that Wen Leyang understood her. Only then did Chang Li continue to speak, “It’s not only that, these two treasures had been grown in your body so the weapon will be moistened by the Poison of Life and Death at all times. If you were to cultivate your power diligently, their powers will be enhanced as well. From today onwards, this one knife and armor will be treasures which will remain with you for the rest of your life!”

Wen Leyang’s mouth opened wide but it took him a while before he could exhale a heavy breath. He repeated her words out of disbelief, “If I was to cultivate my power diligently, the powers of the Ning Jiao’s sting and the Ning Jiao’s armor would be enhanced as well?”

Chang Li nodded her head in a steadfast manner, her voice was so crisp that it made one feel uneasy, “That’s not bad at all!”

Old man Gongye regained consciousness at this moment. He opened his eyes and looked to the left and to the right. When he saw Wen Leyang, he suddenly recalled the earlier incident and burst into loud sobs once again…

By refined the weapon into one’s soul and channeling the spirit to one’s will, the Ning Jiao’s attributes and Wen Leyang’s Poison of Life and Death was a match made in heaven. They were the best match in the world and that fulfilled old man Gongye’s masterpiece in his Art of Weapon Crafting. In the future, even if there were others like Wen Leyang who appeared in the world, they would not be able to find something as compatible as the Ning Jiao from anywhere else!

This old man has successfully managed to refine such treasured weapons once in his entire lifetime. Even if he was to die now, he would die fully satisfied.