Although "Pill Poison" was formidable, it was rarely seen in the cultivation world.
By the same token, among the many poisonous pills and liquids, there was also a type of potent poison specifically designed to deal with Nascent Souls.
However, Nascent Soul cultivators already possessed heaven-defying abilities and had transcended some of the laws of nature. Potent poisons capable of killing them were exceedingly rare, at least in the mortal realm.
Just finding the raw materials to refine a "Nascent Poison" was undoubtedly like searching for a needle in a haystack.
In the mortal realm, poisonous pills and liquids that constituted "Pill Poison" might occasionally be sold, but "Nascent Poison" had only ever appeared in legends.
By now, the vast majority of cultivators believed that the raw materials for refining "Nascent Poison" had long vanished from the mortal realm.
Besides, even if you did manage to refine a "Nascent Poison," which Nascent Soul cultivator wasn't an old, cunning fox? Ninety-nine percent of them would never easily drink or eat anything offered by others.
Administering poison was also a sophisticated art!
Li Yan beckoned with his hand, and with a surge of magical power, he drew the blood thread back into his grasp.
'I wonder if my guess is correct. But if not, why did my Nascent Soul feel such trepidation and fear...'
Thinking of this, Li Yan beckoned with his other hand. In a small restriction on the ground before him, a second-rank "Void-Rending Swift" suddenly exploded into a cloud of blood mist without any warning.
It didn't even have time to let out a cry before a brown demonic core flew out from the midst of its flesh, blood, and shattered feathers.
In the next moment, it was caught by the expressionless Li Yan, who then immediately pressed the blood thread in his other hand onto it.
After a few breaths, Li Yan watched the struggling light continuously emerging from the surface of the demonic core. He waved his hand, and the blood thread instantly flew off the demonic core, which he then casually put away.
'Still no damage whatsoever. Does this poison only work on Nascent Souls?'
Li Yan fell silent again for a moment, resting his forehead in one hand. The poison was useless against demonic cores, which meant it was also useless against Golden Cores. And he didn't have anyone else's Nascent Soul to experiment on.
In that case, this poison's usefulness in the future would be quite limited, feeling somewhat like a "chicken rib"—of little value but a pity to discard.
He couldn't really just look for an opportunity to slip a blood thread into someone's tea, could he? Although the blood thread itself had concealing properties.
But a Nascent Soul cultivator would definitely inspect any tea or wine offered by others with extreme caution. What difference would there be then from seeing a red maggot in one's food?
Li Yan gently rubbed his brow with two fingers, a genuine headache setting in. Suddenly, a scene from just moments ago came to mind.
'That's not right. Have I become muddled from thinking for so many days? The moment my Nascent Soul appeared, this poison actively attacked. That's a completely different situation...'
Perhaps due to the mental and physical exhaustion from being tormented by this poison for days, he had been so focused on figuring out the blood thread's function that he had overlooked some things.
As the memory of the previous scene resurfaced, a look of joyful surprise appeared on Li Yan's face.
'If that's truly the case, then this art is a potent weapon against Nascent Soul cultivators who have lost their physical bodies!'
Li Yan was momentarily excited, but he couldn't be certain if this poison was truly a "Nascent Poison." He didn't dare test it on his own Nascent Soul; that would be gambling with his life.
Li Yan also speculated that the poisons produced by his "Fragmented Poison Body" might have mutated during the Nascent Soul stage, and this mutation began with its transformation into thirty-two pale green threads.
'The inner Five Elements in my body are also gradually approaching the power of rules. This poison can attack on its own; it can't possibly be sentient, I can sense that.'
'...The rules of heaven and earth, generation and restriction... this brings it back to the Five Elements again...?'
Li Yan had many questions, but even though he had successfully formed his Nascent Soul, he only had a hazy feeling about the power of rules, still far from truly comprehending it.
Since he couldn't confirm the final result, Li Yan could only set the matter aside.
Subsequently, Li Yan turned his Divine Sense to his Dantian. It was a vast, boundless sea of spiritual power.
In this sea where no living creatures should have existed, there were now two black fish floating up and down, drifting slowly.
Li Yan's Divine Sense entered the sea to observe for a while, then he sighed and withdrew it.
What had appeared in his Dantian sea was his natal magical treasure—the Gui-Yi Water-Parting Spike. It had been severely damaged during the heavenly tribulation, and after more than a year, it had yet to recover much of its spirituality.
He had initially estimated that it would require about a sixty-year cycle of nourishment. After spending a year stabilizing his realm and feeling the unexpectedly vast magical power, he now felt that perhaps thirty years would be enough to restore this pair of magical treasures.
But this meant that Li Yan was currently unable to cultivate the second layer of the "Wave-Hiding Soul-Slaying Art"—"Soul-Tugging Execution."
'This is good too. Being nourished by the magical power of the Nascent Soul stage is a great opportunity for the Gui-Yi Water-Parting Spike to upgrade.'
'Even without the magical treasure to practice with, I can still take this opportunity to comprehend the 'Soul-Tugging Execution.' After all, this cultivation method might involve one of the most mysterious laws—the law of life!'
The seated Li Yan's eyes flickered a few times. The Gui-Yi Water-Parting Spike was inherently a growth-type magical treasure, requiring constant nourishment from magical power at different stages.
And this time, it would be unusable for decades, completely dedicated to nourishment. Being nourished by a Nascent Soul cultivator's magical power for a long time might yield unexpected results.
To be honest, Li Yan felt a slight sense of regret about this. The late-stage cultivation methods of the Five Immortal Sects were something he had long looked forward to. For now, he could only postpone them.
'Fortunately, I still have 'The Five Elements Return to Primordial Genesis,' 'Demon-Sealing Needle,' and other methods to cultivate!'
He closed his eyes, and the final six or seven lines of small characters from "The Five Elements Return to Primordial Genesis" appeared in his mind. His breathing became steady and long, and the meridians on his body bulged like earthworms, raised and gnarled...
In cultivation, there is no sense of time. Spring comes and autumn goes, summer fades and winter deepens; year after year passed just like that.
During these nine years, Miao Wangqing gave birth to a baby boy, one who possessed the aptitude for cultivation and a very good Earth Spirit Root at that, which filled Miao Wangqing with joy.
This prompted Li Wuyi, who was in closed-door seclusion, to immediately come out. After confirming everything, he held the baby boy and clicked his tongue in amazement.
Finally, he started grinning and calling all his friends. However, he only appeared on Little Bamboo Peak for one day before being dragged away by the ear by Li Changting.
For the next few days, no one saw any sign of Li Wuyi. Then, one morning, someone encountered a hurried Li Wuyi returning to the peak outside Little Bamboo Peak.
His face was somewhat pale, and his eyes looked listless. He didn't speak to anyone and dove straight into his cave residence on Little Bamboo Peak.
Then, the formation and restrictions rose up once again...
...
One day, nine years later, a figure landed in front of Li Yan's courtyard on Little Bamboo Peak. The bamboo shadows were mottled, the green leaves vibrant, and the figure, in the morning light, was as round and perfect as a dewdrop.
It was a stunningly beautiful woman who appeared to be in her late twenties. Her curvaceous figure stretched her dark green robe taut and full, her body a captivating series of peaks and valleys.
After landing, she walked towards Li Yan's courtyard gate. As her well-rounded figure swayed gently, a large patch of smooth, bright white skin flashed intermittently at her swaying collar, exuding endless charm.
Her beautiful eyes glanced around, full of watery ripples, making her appear even more alluring.
The beautiful woman walked a few steps to the courtyard gate. She glanced at the restriction outside, and with a flash of light in her hand, a token appeared in her fair palm.
She gently held the token, her rosy lips moving silently for a few moments. Then, she stood there gracefully outside the courtyard.
Not long after, the courtyard gate opened inward, and Qian Ji, dressed in white, appeared at the entrance.
The moment he saw the beautiful woman, a look of amazement flashed in his eyes, but he immediately bowed in salute.
"Greetings, Senior Li. My master invites you in for a talk!"
"Giggle... Your master? Little fellow, your cultivation isn't bad. You're about to break through to the mid-stage Golden Core!"
The beautiful woman glanced at Qian Ji but did not enter immediately, instead giggling. She had long heard that Li Yan had two spirit pets with astonishing cultivation levels. Seeing him today, she noticed that Qian Ji possessed the power of extreme cold, a special type of magical power that could often augment a cultivator's combat power by several tenths.
Under the woman's smile, Qian Ji was momentarily entranced. A look of fascination appeared in his eyes, and he stood dazed at the doorway.
Just then, Li Yan's voice came from within.
"Peak Master Li, please come in!"
The voice was like a sharp rap on the head. Qian Ji shuddered violently and was instantly jolted back to his senses, his back drenched in sweat.
The other party had managed to trap him deeply with just a single sentence. At that moment, he finally understood how terrifying this woman was. He dared not raise his head again.
After so many years in the Malevolent Spirit Sect, he had long understood how terrifying such a super-sect was.
He and Zi Kun couldn't afford to provoke many of the Golden Core cultivators inside. Those people had insidious methods and didn't play by the rules when fighting, mostly resorting to underhanded tricks.
Even the handsome Li Wuyi was like that. Egged on by Wei Chituo, the two demons had fought with Li Wuyi several times.
Each time, they were beaten so badly they couldn't get out of bed for half a month. Li Wuyi didn't rely on brute force; he dabbled in poisons, formations, and even raising Gu-insects.
Don't be fooled by his usual gentle, smiling demeanor. When he attacked, he was truly ruthless and extremely sinister.
Later, the two demons finally learned of Wei Chituo's past. This guy had never gotten the upper hand against Li Wuyi since he joined the sect and was single-mindedly trying to seize the position of Peak Master.
This was clearly an attempt to drag them down with him. The two demons later ganged up and gave Wei Chituo a sound thrashing, which finally vented some of the anger in their chests.
The beautiful woman, on the other hand, gave the head-bowed Qian Ji a sideways glance before walking gracefully into the courtyard.
This little demon had looked at her with lustful thoughts the moment he saw her. She naturally had to teach him a lesson.
However, she was well aware of how alluring she was and was used to such gazes. Besides, this little demon was Li Yan's spirit pet, so she decided to let it go.
Qian Ji had no idea that in the past, the Peak Masters and various elders would flee as far as they could upon seeing this woman. Even when speaking to her, they would act as if they had encountered a viper, saying what they needed to say quickly before leaving.
...
In the reception hall, Li Yan, dressed in black, sat in the host's seat. On the tea table were two cups of tea from which wisps of green smoke curled.
Seeing the beautiful woman approaching gracefully like a willow or lotus in the wind, a sharp glint also flashed in his eyes.
Back when this great Peak Master Li was in the Golden Core stage, although her appearance was also stunningly beautiful, she gave the impression of a ripe peach in her forties.
Now, after successfully forming her Nascent Soul, the woman seemed to have become younger by more than ten years, growing even more radiant and beautiful.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Li Yan immediately stood up, a smile on his face.
"It is a rare honor for Peak Master Li to grace my humble abode today. Please, come in and have a seat!"
The beautiful woman who had come was none other than the former master of Never-Parting Peak, Li Yuyin.
Today, while Li Yan was still cultivating, the token at his waist had been flashing incessantly, waking him from his practice.
When he immersed his Divine Sense into it, Li Yuyin's voice transmission came through, asking if he was free to meet.
After a moment's thought, Li Yan roughly guessed the purpose of her visit. Counting the time, it was about when he should be coming out of seclusion.
In nine years, his cultivation of "The Five Elements Return to Primordial Genesis" had achieved some success. Although he had not yet succeeded in cultivating the first layer of the "Demon-Sealing Needle," he had at least entered the initial stage.
Li Yan was not surprised by this. The cultivation methods and divine abilities of the Nascent Soul stage were not so easily cultivated and broken through. A normal closed-door seclusion to cultivate a single divine ability could easily take ten, or even several tens of years.
"Yo, Wei Zhongran can come here, but if my visit is considered a 'great honor,' then Wei Zhongran would have to call me 'grandaunt' or 'martial uncle'."
Upon hearing Li Yan's words, Li Yuyin's beautiful eyes roved, and she spoke with some dissatisfaction.
Li Yan was speechless. He had been trying to avoid this topic. Just a moment ago, he was even pondering how to address her.