C1011 The Poisonous Madam
Whoosh!
Two orbs of colorful smoke burst forth from either side of Peach Madam as she waved her sleeves. Each cloud, as large as a millstone, shimmered with radiant light, and within them, Hu Caiyun's pained visage could be faintly discerned.
Yu Yuan scrutinized the smoke once more and noticed many faces, identical to Peach Madam's, writhing in agony within the clouds surrounding her, as if they were being tormented by cruel devices.
The two mutated monsters, spawned from Asura Clan warriors and female demons, were similarly wracked with excruciating pain.
With a theory forming in his mind, Yu Yuan gave a dismissive snort and, with a calm flourish of his sword sheath, unleashed a crimson arc of sword energy.
The blade's light cleaved through the air, slicing the oncoming colorful smoke clouds in half before shredding them into even finer fragments with its piercing intent.
Yet, in the blink of an eye, the dispersed smoke coalesced once again.
Peach Madam, her face alight with a radiant smile, stood amidst the swirling mists. She brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead with slender fingers, her eyes sparkling as she spoke, "Hong Qi, I appreciate your assistance. I'm in excellent health."
More clusters of colorful smoke detached themselves and drifted away from her.
The smoke silently morphed into various forms: another Peach Madam, mutated female demons, mutated Asura warriors, and even vicious beasts unknown to Yu Yuan. These included formidable demons with notorious reputations in the Boundless Land and human practitioners.
A procession of over a dozen entities, each distinct in appearance—humans, great demons, and mutated monsters—emerged from the miasmic smoke.
These beings, transformed from the miasmic smoke, were once victims of Peach Madam's lethal poison, consumed and absorbed by the virulent miasma she cultivated.
Previously, in the subterranean prison, the miasma could not stray far from her body, tethered to her by an invisible bond.
But now...
"I truly owe her an apology," Yu Yuan murmured, bowing deeply to the miasma that had taken the form of Hu Caiyun, his tone laden with regret.
In that moment, he understood that the inner demon, long oppressed and harmed by Hu Caiyun, had turned the tables, supplanting her and seizing control of her physical form.
Hu Caiyun herself had been cast out, relegated to an external force, reduced to a mere wisp of miasma.
After the Mental Demon and miasma had emerged victorious, the power and combat capabilities at their disposal were significantly enhanced compared to their original state.
Hu Caiyun was the embodiment of her own Mental Demon, representing the shadowy recesses of her soul and the embodiment of her negative psyche.
Yu Yuan was determined to awaken Hu Caiyun, which meant he had to confront and vanquish her demon. Understandably, she would not simply await her demise.
A piercing shriek that could rend the eardrums and tremble the soul emanated from the mutated female demon.
Yu Yuan experienced a momentary bout of vertigo.
The Asura warrior, enslaved and controlled by the miasma, wore an expression of agony. His eyes betrayed a struggle against his bondage, yet he was unable to command his own body and will, and he charged at Yu Yuan without hesitation.
Boom!
Above Yu Yuan, a miasma cloud burst like a mushroom, showering him with a dazzling light laced with a bizarre toxin.
The venom fell gently like rain, and Yu Yuan instantly discerned its effects.
"The decay of flesh and the corruption of the soul pose a formidable threat to the Life Altar within me. Peach Madam is an evil cultivator from the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea. It's said that she once had a companion, a warrior of the Primordial Spirit Stage, who later perished in the depths of the Outland Star River..."
These thoughts raced through Yu Yuan's mind in an instant. His first priority was to evade the toxic downpour.
Out of nowhere, from beneath the earth, emerged Baruch and Singh, two deceased brothers from the Crypt Clan.
The brothers were no longer the true members of the Crypt Clan they once were. They had been consumed by the female demon and the Asura warrior, now a mutated monster, and had been transformed into something else by the miasma.
They sprang up unexpectedly, each latching onto one of Yu Yuan's legs.
The diminutive, transformed Crypt Clan members dangled from Yu Yuan's legs, rendering them numb and powerless as his flesh was eroded and his muscles were torn asunder in an instant.
Yu Yuan, intent on escaping, found himself immobilized by the two Crypt Clan aberrations, unable to move.
In that moment, the female demon's soul unleashed a harrowing wail, initiating another vicious onslaught. The Asura warrior, now a mutated monster, swooped down upon him, shrouded in a mist of poisonous rain.
His hands were like sharp blades of ice, glinting coldly as they thrust toward Yu Yuan's neck.
"You're asking for it!"
Yu Yuan sneered menacingly, channeling his robust Qi and spiritual energy into his legs like a cascading waterfall. He unleashed the "Demon Desolation Great Strength," and the explosive energy violently shook his legs.
The two impostors from the Crypt Clan, conjured from the miasma, burst into a spectacle of colorful smoke.
The residual force of the twin powers morphed into two tornado-like magnetic fields, pulsating with twisted, chaotic streams of light. They swiftly closed in on Peach Madam's figure, shrouded within the smoky rainbow.
Yu Yuan brandished the scabbard in his hand, and a crimson sword glow burst forth, leaving the Asura with a chest wound so deep that the bones were visible.
The mutated monster, a mere ten meters away, was wounded by the sword's force and plummeted from the sky.
At that moment, Peach Madam had transformed into some kind of abomination, her body emanating an even denser cloud of rainbow smoke.
This cloud had expanded into a vast sea, spanning dozens of acres and hovering midair, continuously drawing in the toxic and varied energies from the Nirvana Realm.
Puff! Puff!
Yu Yuan's twin whirlwinds of power, upon entering the cloud sea, were effortlessly crushed like bubbles by her.
Peach Madam's laughter tinkled through the air.
A rain laden with deadly toxins fell upon Yu Yuan, his clothes and flesh sizzling as if doused in sulfuric acid, his skin and muscle dissolving in the corrosive downpour.
"Hong Qi, you're merely at the Soul Wandering Stage. How did you end up in the Outland Star River?"
Once Hu Caiyun assumed her new form, she abandoned the name Yu Yuan in favor of "Hong Qi." "Why didn't you stay put in the Boundless Land, honing your poison techniques? Instead, you've taken up cultivation like the rest. Isn't that putting the cart before the horse? Hong Qi, in your past life, you lacked the aptitude for cultivation, but your mastery of poisons instilled fear in many at the Unrestrained Stage."
"After your successful reincarnation, shouldn't you have continued to delve into your poison arts? I'm well aware that the Voodoo Cult's secret arts now draw heavily on the arcane knowledge that Luo Yue pilfered from you. You had the potential to achieve great success on that path. Why bother following others in their methodical cultivation practices?"
"No matter how robust your physique, it pales in comparison to the infiltration of a deadly poison. A body of flesh and blood remains just that, and when it encounters a potent enough toxin, death is the only outcome," Peach Madam said, her smile blooming as she spoke. With another graceful wave of her sleeve, dozens of miasma clouds burst forth from the expansive, colorful sea of clouds, coalescing into ferocious and bizarre beasts that lunged at the bandits led by Benin and Hart.
The remaining bandits had barely reached the outskirts of the secluded valley and, before they could even take a second glance, they were consumed by the miasma clouds. Their resistance to the poison was incomparably weaker than Yu Yuan's. In a mere ten seconds, the bandits were reduced to puddles of blood.
Touzet of the Dark Elfkind shivered as he witnessed the demise of the bandits and the blood-soaked, pitiful state of Yu Yuan under the relentless assault of the toxic rain. His deep-seated hatred for Peach Madam was now overwhelmed by fear, and any thoughts of vengeance crumbled in the face of his terror. His teeth chattered uncontrollably.
"We're alive... it seems she finds us somewhat useful," Hart and Benin said, standing together in a state of despair. They had thought Yu Yuan was a formidable opponent, but they had not anticipated that Peach Madam, who had appeared so gentle and refined, would transform into a bloodthirsty executioner, baring her dreadful fangs. Not only had Yu Yuan suffered grievous injuries, but even the two mutated monsters had fallen to her might.
"Touzet of the Dark Elfkind, you two youngsters from the alien races, when I exit the Nirvana Realm, you will take command of the Ancient Black Iron Ship for me," she declared, her voice relaxed and content within the iridescent sea of clouds. At this moment, she felt invincible within the Nirvana Realm, yet she was aware that even if she usurped Hu Caiyun's place, safety was not guaranteed upon venturing into the depths of the galaxy. With the Ancient Black Iron Ship as her cover and the guidance of Touzet, Benin, and Hart, she could sidestep many hazards.
As for the Medicine God, Hong Qi... She cast a sidelong glance at Yu Yuan, whose flesh was dissolving under the onslaught of the miasma. To her surprise, she noticed an unusual energy emanating from the green and black bracelet on Yu Yuan's wrist.
Yu Yuan flashed a grin and chuckled at her.
The dried blood on Yu Yuan's face had formed a silent crust, which, as he laughed, flaked away to reveal his still immaculate and unscarred handsome features.
Her smile froze in response.
