C9 Counterattack

Out of nowhere, Yinn Jue was seized by an intense itching sensation that seemed to permeate his entire body!

And this wasn't just a surface itch—it felt as if it was deep within his flesh and blood!

He instinctively scratched at his skin, to no avail.

"How odd," he murmured, attempting to manipulate the Qi and blood within his dantian to alleviate the internal itch.

At the Profound Break Stage, cultivators could unlock the middle dantian, known as the "door of the profound," allowing them to harness the power of life energy—Qi and blood.

Located in the chest, the middle dantian connected to eight extraordinary meridians, funneling the refined Qi and blood into the body's flesh, blood, and organs, fortifying the physique.

Only upon reaching the Profound Break Stage, with abundant and robust life energy, could a cultivator extend the natural limits of their lifespan.

Below this stage, whether mortal or cultivator, one could expect to live just over a century at most.

Entering the Profound Break, however, could significantly boost longevity, making it effortless to add several decades or even a century to one's life.

With further advancement in cultivation and life energy, additional years could be gained—living a millennium or even ten thousand years was within the realm of possibility.

"Ah!"

As Yinn Jue tried to use the power of Qi and blood in his middle dantian to combat the itch, he suddenly emitted a low howl.

The howl cut off abruptly!

Covering his mouth in horror, Yinn Jue realized that as he had opened his middle dantian, a tiny foreign object had surged into it through the eight extraordinary meridians!

A tumultuous upheaval rocked the sea of blood in his middle dantian!

His blood became uncontrollable!

An excruciating pain radiated from his middle dantian, swiftly engulfing his entire body!

His blood flow accelerated exponentially, his Qi and blood rampaging like untamed steeds, wreaking havoc and inflicting unbearable agony.

Yinn Jue could no longer sustain the casting of the "green glow fire" spell.

Drenched in a cold sweat, he curled up and, trembling, slowly crouched down.

"Awoo!"

A pained howl, akin to that of a dying beast, seeped through the gaps between his fingers—mournful and tinged with terror.

As the pain clouded his consciousness, he caught sight of the room's tightly closed door being gently pushed open.

Bathed in moonlight, a figure both familiar and strange approached him with a leisurely gait.

The corners of the person's mouth curled into a detached smile, and the gleam in his eyes shone as brightly as the cold moon hanging in the night sky.

"Yu Yuan!"

Yinn Jue, despite the searing pain, couldn't believe his eyes.

The newcomer was the very young master he had plotted against since joining the Yu family, whom he believed he had successfully eliminated.

Yet, the simpleton who should have been long dead in his mind was not only alive but also casting a gaze that unsettled even the ruthless Yinn Jue.

"Why would I fear this fool?!"

Yinn Jue inhaled sharply, his anguished face suddenly contorted with a savage grimace. "It must be the disordered flow of my blood and the bizarre pain I'm enduring that's conjuring these odd emotions!" he reassured himself.

"The toxins of the Lizard Blood Pill are particularly potent against those at the Profound Break Stage who have opened the Profound Gate."

Yu Yuan spoke, then cast a meaningful glance at Ann Ziqing, encased in frost. His experience told him the chill hadn't reached her organs, indicating Yinn Jue's intent wasn't immediate death but something else.

With a moment's reflection, Yu Yuan reached a conclusion.

"The Lizard Blood Pill corrodes the vital force of Qi and blood. Once its toxins infiltrate the middle dantian, they can swiftly spread to the five viscera and six bowels via the eight extraordinary meridians. The resulting pain is only going to intensify!"

At these words, Yinn Jue's eyes widened in horror, staring at Yu Yuan as if he'd seen a specter in full daylight.

He shuddered, summoning his spiritual power in a bid to strike Yu Yuan dead there and then.

But suddenly, a more excruciating pain tore through his insides!

Yinn Jue crumpled to the ground, shivering uncontrollably as the Qi and blood from his middle dantian and the spiritual energy from his lower dantian surged violently, ripping through his flesh and organs.

Terrified out of his mind, he desperately tried to scream with the last of his strength, hoping to alert the rest of the Yu family.

But in an instant, he sensed Yu Yuan materializing behind him, quietly crouching down.

A pair of slender, pale hands swiftly appeared beneath his nose and clamped over his open mouth.

"Mmmph! Mmmph!"

His cries for help were muffled by the firm grip of those hands, rendering him mute, his voice unable to carry.

Though his mouth was sealed shut, he could still draw breath through his nose.

"The night is deep. Let's not have any commotion," Yu Yuan spoke from behind him, his grip on Yinn Jue's mouth tightening, his tone deceptively gentle. "I suspect the toxin from the Lizard Blood Pill has permeated your organs. Tiny venomous insects must be gnawing away at them, causing excruciating pain, right? Mmm, yes, I know, I know you're beginning to wish for death."

"But don't rush. Take your time. Really feel it."

"See, I didn't cover your nose. I didn't let you suffocate to death in a flash. Isn't it to grant you a bit more time to savor the experience?"

Yu Yuan's words were a soft whisper in his ear, but to Yinn Jue, each syllable was a devil's blade, piercing his heart and soul with precision.

The agony coursing through his body seemed to amplify with Yu Yuan's every utterance.

His organs felt as though they were being ripped apart, the stabbing pain in his blood vessels and meridians growing increasingly severe.

Blood began to seep from Yinn Jue's eyes, nostrils, ears, and mouth uncontrollably, his appearance becoming ghastly.

Then, the bulging veins in his neck burst forth.

Crimson blood drenched his face and neck in an instant, his once swollen chest deflating as if his organs were being devoured from within.

At that moment, Yinn Jue, powerless to end his own life, inhaled sharply through his nose, enduring an agony beyond words.

Time passed slowly.

Eventually, Yu Yuan removed his bloodied hands from Yinn Jue's face. He then expertly gathered wood and lit it with a "Flame Crystal," incinerating the body poisoned by the Lizard Blood Pill.

A short distance away, Ann Ziqing, encased in ice, remained oblivious to the horrors that had unfolded.

"Yinn Jue is dead!"

"Last night, Yinn Jue met his end outside Yu Yuan's loft, struck down by a potent poison."

"Yu Yuan and the Yu family claim that Yinn Jue had a run-in with a Poisoner, who then fatally poisoned him."

"They say the poison ignited within Yinn Jue's body, reducing him to ashes."

"The Yu family's young master and the maidservants witnessed it themselves. They also mentioned that the Poisoner was drawn to Yu Yuan's potential and had secretly come to take him on as an apprentice."

Under relentless scolding, Han You, Lim Zhuyun's maidservant, finally regained her composure and accurately relayed the message from the Yu family.

Once she finished, Han You looked on uneasily, gauging her mistress's reaction.

Lim Zhuyun, after the initial shock, quickly regained her composure, her brows knitting together in silence.

Yinn Jue's presence at Yu Yuan's residence in the dead of night was suspicious, to say the least.

She was well aware that Yinn Jue was likely sent by the Cold Yin Sect's elders to seek out Yu Yuan with ill intent.

As Yinn Jue's master, she couldn't deny her connection to his actions.

But now, Yinn Jue was dead.

Dead from a lethal poison, administered by an enigmatic Poisoner?

Could it be that the Poisoner truly saw promise in Yu Yuan and sought him out under the cover of night to discuss an apprenticeship?

Was it really just a coincidence?

What secrets lay beneath the surface?

Lim Zhuyun's mind raced with thoughts, yet no answers came. Given the suspicious circumstances of Yinn Jue's nocturnal visit, she lacked the moral high ground to confront the Yu family for justice.

"Suddenly resurrected, and now a Poisoner shows interest—it's odd, very odd." An unexpected thought struck her, "Could it be you who killed him? No, that's impossible! You couldn't possibly have the means to take down Yinn Jue!"

...

After another extended session of focused meditation.

Yu Yuan exhaled a murky breath, and the ninth meridian within him was abruptly saturated with the essence of heaven and earth.

"It's complete! The ninth heaven of the Pulse Opening Stage!" He could feel the Spiritual Qi coursing through him, and with a wide grin, he exclaimed, "The Channel Opening Pill really does the trick!"

In the wake of that night's events, his urgency to advance his cultivation level had intensified.

Three days had slipped by since the news of Yinn Jue's death reached his betrothed. As he had anticipated, there was no significant upheaval from her end.

Yet, he was acutely aware that this was merely the calm before the storm.

"Huh?"

Out of nowhere, a stunning red lotus drifted towards him, blazing like a flame—without any prior indication.

As he focused intently on the red lotus, a wave of dizziness overcame him, his vision blurred, and he inwardly cursed, "This is bad."

The red lotus abruptly swelled, engulfing him like a gaping crimson maw.

Seconds later, the red lotus contracted, dimmed its glow, and vanished without a trace, as if it had never been there at all.

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