After peacefully resolving the Sky Serpent Mansion matter, Liu Xi departed the next day with Qing Lin, Zi Yan, and Xiao Yixian, heading toward the Jia Ma Empire.
The journey was, in short, rather pleasant. Since Qing Lin joined the group, Xiao Yixian had stopped arguing or teasing—she simply doubled her care toward Liu Xi. For Liu Xi, this was a delightful change. Soon, his days were filled with ease—food served when hungry, clothes handed when needed—a life so comfortable it resembled that of a carefree noble.
A few days later.
At the border fortress of the Jia Ma Empire—Zhen Gui Pass.
High above the clouds, Liu Xi originally intended to pass directly into Jia Ma airspace, but an unexpected sight below made him pause. The entire fortress below was tense, as if on the brink of battle.
Liu Xi's brows furrowed. 'Before I left, I left them plenty of Zong Breaking Pills. Producing a few Dou Zongs should've been easy enough. Who would dare provoke Jia Ma Empire under these circumstances? Accident—or conspiracy?'
"We'll go down and take a look. Let's see what's going on."
Liu Xi's calm voice carried authority. Qing Lin, Zi Yan, and Xiao Yixian nodded wordlessly and followed him as they descended toward the fortress.
With the four of them fully attuned to spatial power, not a single patrolling soldier on the walls noticed their presence.
The higher the rank, the more they know. With that thought, Liu Xi extended his Spiritual Perception, quickly locking onto the strongest presence within the fortress.
Ripples spread beneath his feet, shimmering faintly with spatial fluctuations. In a blink, he and his group appeared outside a large study room.
The eight guards posted there were startled as figures materialized out of thin air. Their blades were drawn in an instant. "Who goes there?!"
Liu Xi barely gave them a glance. A faint surge of Spiritual Power washed out, and all eight soldiers' eyes rolled white before they collapsed like puppets with cut strings.
They were Jia Ma's own troops, so Liu Xi didn't harm them—just knocked them out gently.
"Who's there?!"
A loud, lion-like roar came from within, followed by a burst of violent Dou Qi. The door exploded into splinters as a burly figure charged through, sending shards of wood flying everywhere.
Before he could even see clearly, Liu Xi lifted a finger. A crushing aura, dense enough to make the heart stop, fell upon the courtyard like a mountain.
The armored man froze mid-stride, muscles bulging, veins standing out, his massive blade raised but unmoving.
"Calm down," Liu Xi said evenly. "I'm Liu Xi. You remember me, don't you? I'll release the pressure. Don't panic. You'll answer what I ask."
The warrior's eyes flickered, recognition dawning amid the shock. His earlier despair melted into wild relief. 'Liu Xi—the hero of the Jia Ma Empire—who wouldn't know that name?'
Liu Xi withdrew his aura and asked, "You're from the Mu Family, aren't you? What's going on here? Why is Zhen Gui Pass so tense? The defenses are far heavier than usual."
"Haah… Master Liu!" The man exhaled shakily, half kneeling on the floor. "I'm Mu Tie of the Mu Family, commander of Zhen Gui Pass. Jia Ma Empire itself is fine, Master Liu—no need to worry. The trouble comes from the neighboring Chu Yun Empire."
Liu Xi's gaze sharpened. The Chu Yun Empire—he remembered the Hall of Souls having a presence there. 'So their roots still aren't clean… and now something stirs again.'
Mu Tie slowly straightened, still visibly in awe. The aura from moments ago had nearly crushed his soul. He truly felt as if death had reached out to claim him.
"Here's what happened," he began respectfully. "Several years ago, after the battle at Black Mountain Fortress, when Xie Bi Yan was slain by you, sir, the strongest sect in Chu Yun Empire—the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate—collapsed entirely."
"But as you know, the poison masters of Chu Yun are never peaceful folk. Once Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate fell, countless sects and clans began fighting over its resources and territories. Chu Yun was already filled with poison cultivators, and their methods are cruel beyond belief—massacres, plagues, entire cities wiped out overnight. Within months, civilians and low-rank Poison Masters were dying by the thousands."
"As the weak perished, the survivors grew stronger. In constant slaughter, many poison masters advanced by leaps and bounds—several even broke through to the Dou Zong realm, becoming true masters of poison. But they hated one another deeply, and though they restrained themselves outwardly, peace was fragile at best."
"Then, one day, a new powerhouse appeared—defeating all other poison sects and uniting them by force. He founded the Poison Sect and crowned himself the Heavenly Poison King."
'Poison Sect… Heavenly Poison King.' Liu Xi's brow twitched slightly. He cast a sidelong glance at Xiao Yixian. 'No Heavenly Poison Lady, and now there's a Heavenly Poison King instead. So the sect still ended up being founded after all.'
Unaware of Liu Xi's thoughts, Mu Tie continued, "After Chu Yun stabilized under his rule, the commoners and lesser Poison Masters had already suffered nearly complete annihilation. Faced with such devastation, the Heavenly Poison King proclaimed he would avenge Xie Bi Yan and led Chu Yun's armies in a full-scale assault against our borders."
"They looted and burned everything in sight, even abducting civilians. The border descended into chaos until the imperial court ordered a counterattack. Elder Jia, Association Head Fa Ma, and Senior Hai Bodong joined forces. All three have since advanced to the Dou Zong realm—Elder Jia is a 3-Star Dou Zong, while Fa Ma and Hai Bodong are both 2-Star Dou Zongs."
Mu Tie's voice grew somber. "As you know, those who practice Poison Dou Qi pay a heavy price. It erodes both body and lifespan, though its power is undeniable. To counter the Heavenly Poison King—whose strength rivaled Xie Bi Yan—the empire invited Sect Master Yun. With her 6-Star Dou Zong cultivation, she managed to defeat the Heavenly Poison King."
'So Yun Yun's already reached 6-Star Dou Zong…' Liu Xi's lips curved faintly. Her progress is quite remarkable.
"And now?" he asked. "If the Heavenly Poison King was defeated, why is Zhen Gui Pass still on lockdown?"
At this, Mu Tie's tone grew more animated. "Because the four Dou Zongs believe the Heavenly Poison King isn't truly dead! They suspect he'll rise again someday. So they've led an army deep into Chu Yun Empire to eradicate him completely."
"Our orders are to maintain full alert at the border to prevent other nations from exploiting the chaos."
Liu Xi nodded slowly. 'So this time it's an accident of fate… Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate fell, the Poison Sect rose. The Heavenly Poison King—interesting. I wonder what secrets he holds.:
"Then Elder Jia and the others are still in Chu Yun Empire?" he asked.
"Yes, sir!" Mu Tie confirmed.
"In that case," Liu Xi said calmly, his eyes narrowing with resolve, "we won't return to Jia Ma Empire just yet. We'll take a detour—to Chu Yun Empire."
(End of Chapter)
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