C238 Who Is That Young Man?
Gazes converged in an instant on the cave entrance that led underground.
Practitioners like Guan Xianyun, lured by the treasures of Chilly Wind Valley, found the situation inexplicable.
Who was Ann Jieshan?
Mei Qiurong of the Profound Sky Sect had delved into Chilly Wind Valley with a Heaven Palace Seal. Her quest was not for the Medicine Sect's treasures but for Ann Jieshan, a name previously unknown to her.
The revelation astonished everyone.
The gaunt girl with fan-shaped, crystalline bones protruding from her back and eyes of vibrant green betrayed no surprise.
Clearly, she was aware of a figure like Ann Jieshan in the subterranean cells of Chilly Wind Valley.
Able to command the Yin Wind and the Ghost Poisoning Array, she was the sovereign of numerous arrays and prohibitions within the valley.
Gifted with an exceptional sense for poisons, Qi, and blood, how could she be oblivious to another peculiar, hidden entity within the valley's depths?
Indeed, she had been keeping a close watch on Ann Jieshan, secluded in the earth's prison.
Ann Jieshan was, in fact, her ultimate objective.
Her initial strategy was to confront Ann Jieshan after dispatching Loong Tianxiao and Mei Qiurong, when she would be at her peak strength.
Unbeknownst to her, Ann Jieshan had once briefly collaborated with Yu Yuan in the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area.
She was also unaware that Ann Jieshan's escape from the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, and his successful evasion of the Heaven Sealing Soul Transformation Formation's confinement, was largely due to Yu Yuan's efforts.
"You?"
Mei Qiurong, previously concealed, was taken aback after Loong Tianxiao and Yu Yuan spoke up.
"How do you know of Ann Jieshan?"
She had been in seclusion within the Profound Sky Sect for a long time and was uninformed about the events in the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area. It was only because the sect's artifact had detected Ann Jieshan's movements outside the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area that she had been dispatched.
The artifact had pinpointed Ann Jieshan's activity to the Jade Peak.
Armed with the Heaven Palace Seal, she had set out for Jade Peak with the express purpose of finding Ann Jieshan.
Encountering the slender, dark girl in Chilly Wind Valley, along with Loong Tianxiao, Yu Yuan, and others, was entirely coincidental.
Her mission was neither to claim the hidden treasures of Chilly Wind Valley nor to antagonize the venomous, dark girl. Her true objective was to capture Ann Jieshan and, with the artifact bestowed by her sect, suppress and confine him once more.
The Profound Sky Sect was adamant that Ann Jieshan must not flee to the Quietus Continent and rejoin the Blood God Cult.
Ann Jieshan had pilfered numerous Spiritual Spell Secret Arts from the Profound Sky Sect. Despite his fragmented soul and his transformation into a non-human entity, the sect was resolute in preventing him from imparting these secret arts to the Blood God Cult's followers.
"Chi la!"
A crimson streak of blood shot through the underground like a bolt of red lightning.
An intense, refined surge of blood energy was detected by all, prompting curious gazes toward the mouth of the cave.
"Puff! Puff! Puff!"
Suddenly, twin beams of blood burst forth from the subterranean opening like swift blades, impaling two cultivators from the Kingdom of Driliwyr at the Penetrating Stage.
As the bloody light withdrew, it drained the life force and spiritual essence from their bodies.
The carnage didn't stop there; the bloody light soared through the valley, preying on the more vulnerable cultivators.
Chaos ensued once more as the valley plunged into disarray.
Cultivators, who had long feared the gaunt girl, now found themselves in the crosshairs of Ann Jieshan's relentless assault.
The bloody light swept through the air like the grim reaper's scythe, a vast arc of death.
Cultivators of the Yin God Stage and Penetrating Stage alike, from various nations, were powerless against the lethal beams of blood.
No spiritual artifact, no matter how sophisticated or powerful the Spiritual Spell or Soul Arts, could restrain the blood beams. They could only watch helplessly as the beams twisted and turned, reaping lives in their wake.
In mere moments, three more lives were extinguished.
Loong Tianxiao, Yu Yuan, and Mei Qiurong, the slight girl, were spared as initial targets of the bloody onslaught. They could only look on as the valley echoed with the anguished cries of their fellow cultivators, falling one by one to their grim fate.
Yu Yuan was perplexed; the soul aura of Ann Jieshan remained concealed.
Ann Jieshan's very essence—a fusion of soul and vitality—seemed to linger beneath the earth's surface.
Mei Qiurong, clamoring with threats to obliterate Ann Jieshan, clutched the yellow gourd in one hand and the Heaven Palace Seal in the other. She was poised as if bracing for a formidable foe, yet she refrained from immediate action.
Her gaze didn't fixate on the twin beams of bloodlight; instead, she scanned her surroundings.
As if a significant menace lurked unseen, hidden in the blind spots of her vision.
Meanwhile, outside the valley.
Lau Zaihe, who was supposed to have perished alongside the Hu family, stealthily produced a pellet from his clothing and ingested it.
The pellet was a grayish-brown hue, resembling a small, bearded heart with delicate, gray whiskers that had been softly undulating.
The pellet was visible only for an instant.
Yet, both Shi Yuxuan and Chen Qingyan felt an immediate reaction.
Several alchemists from the Medicine Sect also shifted their gaze to Lau Zaihe, their expressions altering. One exclaimed, "Where did you acquire that pellet in your hand?"
The typically haughty and indifferent Lau Zaihe now displayed a flicker of panic, replying, "It was bestowed by my clan!"
"Impossible!" Shi Yuxuan's expression grew stern, "The Dragon Whisker Poison Heart Pill could not possibly be a gift from your family. Nor would the progeny of the Mighty Spirit King dabble in poison pills! Lau Zaihe, with your exceptional talent in alchemy, you were meant to be under our Sect's recommendation to train at the Medicine God Sect. How did you veer off course?"
"I've been afflicted by a potent toxin within the valley; this pill is my only sliver of hope for survival," Lau Zaihe explained.
"I'm asking you one thing: who provided you with this pill?" Shi Yuxuan pressed.
Lau Zaihe bit down on his teeth, remaining mute.
"Uncle Shi, may I have a word with Lau Zaihe?" interjected Chen Qingyan abruptly.
Shi Yuxuan, taken aback, uttered, "What?"
Before he could grasp the situation, Chen Qingyan gestured with the snakeskin scabbard towards Lau Zaihe.
From within the scabbard, a soft yet resilient sword intent emerged.
Having consumed the Dragon Whisker Poison Heart Pill, Lau Zaihe found himself ensnared by the sword intent in an instant. With Chen Qingyan's tug, he was propelled directly towards her.
In a flash, Lau Zaihe found himself seized by her and pinned against the snakeskin scabbard.
The scene mirrored an earlier moment, with her leading the way and Yu Yuan trailing behind.
"Move!"
Chen Qingyan gave his shoulder a firm pat.
From Lau Zaihe's body emerged strands of grayish-brown dragon whiskers, wafting like tender willow branches.
These whiskers, ethereal in nature, were manifestations of Lau Zaihe's life force and spiritual energy, tainted with the toxic effects of the Dragon Whisker Poison Heart Pill.
Chen Qingyan, previously hesitant to venture deeper into the valley, now propelled Lau Zaihe forward like a spear, launching him toward Chilly Wind Valley.
As the dragon whiskers neared the Ghosts Poisoning Array, they wildly elongated, seemingly dragging Lau Zaihe and the snakeskin scabbard in an attempt to retreat.
With a scoff, Chen Qingyan's fingers converged into a sword-like gesture, and with a light tap, the unruly whiskers, once half a meter long, were subdued and stilled.
Lau Zaihe's cheekbones sharply receded, his appearance gaunt in an instant, as if the bizarre dragon whiskers had drained much of his vitality.
"Crackle!"
The bright yellow shield of the Ghosts Poisoning Array spat out flames toward Chen Qingyan.
Under her sword intent's command, the dragon whiskers reluctantly reached out, snuffing out most of the flames upon contact.
With Lau Zaihe in tow, the snakeskin scabbard plunged deeper into the valley.
Inside the valley, Yu Yuan's intuition flared, prompting him to furrow his brow and gaze toward a specific spot.
A notion took root in his mind.
A slight, dark-skinned girl, brows knitted in reluctance, tugged in that direction with a small hand.
A mere tug, and the dense toxic fog at that location silently cleared.
"Whoosh!"
In the next moment, Chen Qingyan, astride the snakeskin scabbard, burst into the valley with Lau Zaihe in tow.
As she entered, the toxic smoke that had been trailing her billowed once more, refilling the vacated space.
For a brief interval, everyone within and outside the valley had a clear view of one another.
Yu Yuan spotted Shi Yuxuan, along with the alchemists from the Medicine Sect just beyond the valley, and a host of cultivators from the Profound Sky Continent.
Shi Yuxuan and his companions also noticed the two streaks of bloody light darting through Chilly Wind Valley. They caught sight of Loong Tianxiao, Kuan Xianyun, and Mei Qiurong.
Additionally, there was a young man standing in the deeper reaches of the valley, right where the entrance to the underground prison should be. His demeanor was detached, his features strikingly handsome.
"Who is that young man?"
