C1231 Poisonous Tumor

Chu Yao was no longer afraid.

Lifting his head, he gazed directly into Yu Yuan's eyes. This rising star in alchemy, known as the Little Medicine God, spoke with due respect, yet his words were piercingly critical.

But there was also an undeniable sincerity and earnestness in his tone.

The golden characters that had been cascading down suddenly solidified, transforming into a resplendent golden wall.

The wall bore an enchanting array, adorned with symbols of auspicious birds and mystical creatures, intricate river systems, and the majestic, sacred peaks of Holy Mountain.

In an instant, Yu Yuan realized that he and Chu Yao were inside a palace created by the sixth Heaven Palace Seal.

The grand hall beneath them was as if paved with golden tiles, with only Chu Yao and Yu Yuan standing.

Above, Fu Xuanwen from the Profound Sky Sect sat suspended in the air, his hands tucked into his sleeves, eyes narrowed as he observed them from above.

The battle between Wai Zhuo and Gheirat, Beru's peculiar condition, and the whereabouts of Leo and Xu Jingyao had all vanished.

It seemed as though this palace was the only world that remained.

Yu Yuan sheathed the Optimus Sword and gripped the Dragon Slash Platform firmly with both hands.

Merely with the sheath of the Divine Sword, he stood no chance of escape in Fu Xuanwen's divine abode, nor could he inflict any harm on him.

His only hope lay with the Dragon Slash Platform.

Holding the Dragon Slash Platform, it felt like greeting an age-old friend, which gradually steadied his restless spirit. Without anger, he continued to lock eyes with Chu Yao.

In Chu Yao's gaze, there was no longer any trace of fear.

"The time before my reincarnation..."

He whispered to himself, straining to remember, but a searing pain shot through his mind, as if his brow was splitting open, the agony nearly unbearable.

He gasped sharply, attempting several more times, only to find each effort fruitless.

The memories from before he took the Reincarnation Pill were inexplicably sealed, eluding his grasp when he needed them most.

It seemed as though a hazy, unknown force was shrouding the river of his memories, keeping them from surfacing.

Even as their master, he was powerless to break through the veil concealing his past in that moment.

"Do you not dare to remember, or do you not wish to?" Chu Yao's gaze was piercing as he observed the confusion on his face. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke, "In your final days, the slightest carelessness from our sect's alchemists would set you off in a rage. We all understood that you felt your end was near, that you were terrified of dying, so..."

"People outside have perished from the poisons you concocted. Within the sect, resentment brewed due to your erratic moods and brutal deeds. Everyone feared you, avoided you, dreading your wrath, fearing the torment, and the possibility of being used to test your poison pills."

Chu Yao's voice carried a weight of sorrow and helplessness, punctuated by his sighs.

"The three upper sects, the Devil Palace, and the Demon Palace, came to regard the Medicine God Sect as akin to the nefarious Blood God Cult because of your external actions. They even covertly sought out... Master Zhong. The choice was clear: either the sect would deal with you internally to restore order, or they would take matters into their own hands and eliminate you themselves."

Bitterness and resignation were evident on Chu Yao's face.

"Master Zhong acted out of necessity for the sake of the sect. It wasn't just me; the two senior brothers shared these sentiments. Their fear of you surpassed mine; they couldn't even bear to meet with you."

Chu Yao refrained from delving into specifics, yet the details he disclosed said it all.

Upon hearing this, Yu Yuan's mind thundered tumultuously, as if struck by lightning.

The sealed memories did not burst forth; the troubling past Chu Yao alluded to remained shrouded in mist.

Yu Yuan was lost, his mind adrift, struggling to distinguish between past and present.

Fragments of memories and the accounts of others informed him of the heinous acts he had committed in his previous life.

Yet he had never consciously reflected on them, always sidestepping and ignoring them.

Until this moment.

According to Chu Yao, knowing his life was drawing to a close, he had transformed into a capricious fiend.

Externally, he had brought about untold deaths. Internally, he ruled like a despot, instilling fear and loathing in his own disciples.

He had only himself to blame for his disciples abandoning him; it was unfair to fault anyone else.

Senior Brother Zhong Chichen had been coerced into tampering with the Reincarnation Pill, a move that delayed his rebirth by three hundred years, due to the immense pressure from the three upper sects, the Devil Palace, and the Demon Palace. Could this have been an act of protection?

The more he dwelled on it, the more unsettled he became, his mind a whirlwind of confusion, unable to discern truth from illusion.

"How utterly dull!"

Atop the palace dome, Fu Xuanwen listened to Chu Yao's account and, seeing Yu Yuan lost in his past, unable to move on, he huffed with impatience.

He had been eager to witness the spectacle of master and disciple turning on each other. The absence of such a scene displeased him greatly.

"If you believe my words to be false, you're welcome to verify them in your own time," Chu Yao said, his demeanor remaining respectful. The sight of Yu Yuan had significantly lightened the weight on his heart. "I confess that after Master Zhong persuaded me, I made some changes to the herbs you instructed me to gather for the Reincarnation Pill."

"Master Zhong assured me that you wouldn't die from the Reincarnation Pill; it would only put you into a prolonged slumber."

With Yu Yuan present, he no longer addressed Zhong Chichen simply as 'Master,' but prefixed his surname with respect.

"You may leave now."

Fu Xuanwen let out another cold snort. Enveloped in a golden glow, Chu Yao vanished from the hall in an instant.

In the next moment, Fu Xuanwen took Chu Yao's place before Yu Yuan.

Snapped out of his reverie, Yu Yuan's focus sharpened, and he gripped the Dragon Slash Platform with renewed determination.

His life force and soul power flowed into the microcosm within the Dragon Slash Platform as he silently practiced the Ghosting Arts.

Fu Xuanwen, at the late Unrestrained Stage, was notoriously challenging to confront in the Outland Star River, harboring deep animosity towards the Medicine God Sect and the Artifact Sect. Had Yu Yuan remained Hong Qi of the Medicine God Sect, Fu Xuanwen might have hesitated to strike him down due to various concerns.

But now, as a renegade of the vast seas and an ally of the Divine Soul Sect, Yu Yuan had no such protections.

Fu Xuanwen had every reason to kill him!

"That kid Chu Yao wasn't entirely wrong," Fu Xuanwen said with a twisted grin. "Three hundred years ago, while I was in the Outer Star River, I received a telepathic message from the Sect Master. He inquired if I would be interested in making a trip back to the vast expanse to secretly eliminate someone."

"Heh!"

"Indeed, the person in question was you, Hong Qi! On that day, three hundred years ago, I nodded in agreement and prepared myself to take your life."

"The reason they chose me is because they knew of my deep-seated hatred for your Medicine God Sect. They were confident that there would be no slip-ups if I were the one to strike!"

"Hong Qi, oh Hong Qi, are you taken aback? Did you ever imagine that after three hundred years, having been reborn and transformed into someone else, you would ultimately meet your end at my hands? Destiny is truly mesmerizing. The event I so eagerly awaited three hundred years ago, yet failed to accomplish, has finally come to pass today."

Fu Xuanwen's laughter boomed.

Yu Yuan was profoundly shaken.

In that moment, he sensed someone's gaze upon him from a far-off corner of the cosmos. Despite the vast distances and the opulent palace that surrounded him, this person seemed to observe every detail of his actions, down to the subtlest expressions on his face.

He instantly deduced the identity of the observer, and with that realization, a wave of calm washed over him.

"Come then, and kill."

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