[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star":3,"chapter-after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-chapter-17":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","After Fifteen Years of Secret Cultivation, I Start as a Top-Grade Ultimate Peak!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2282125,4464,"Chapter 17: Siege","after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-chapter-17",17,"\u003Cp>Judging by the current situation, if the opponent continues unchecked, the martial world will soon give rise to a great demon lord whose poison arts are overwhelming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cang Yinyue hesitated, unsure if she could handle that man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if they pressed forward, their chance of encountering him was undoubtedly very high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Li Muxian’s voice came from beside them; he sat atop his horse, looking at Yu Changlu and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Turning back is impossible—my horse has exhausted itself climbing this mountain path; now you want it to go back? See if it doesn’t kick you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, the mule beneath Li Muxian seemed to cooperate perfectly, pawing the ground with a loud snort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Cang Yinyue turned to glance at him, and a memory flashed in her mind—him instantly piercing her acupoints from afar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She thought for a moment, voiced her suspicion, then added:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pressing forward isn’t out of the question, but we’ll likely soon face that master-level expert skilled in poison arts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your abilities should be enough to protect yourself, and if I wished to leave, he couldn’t stop me—but the real danger lies in the poison arts he wields.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Muxian nodded, musing:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That man is indeed brutal, but he’s inadvertently cleared away the Blood Alliance’s obstacles along our path—so he’s done us a small favor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, he raised an eyebrow and looked at Yu Changlu, who stood motionless before the mule, and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you still standing there for? Keep moving.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, Yu Changlu’s face turned as grim as could be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had heard every word Cang Yinyue and Li Muxian had just spoken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So you two, facing that poison-wielding demon, both have ways to protect yourselves—but you’re just sending me ahead to die?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Changlu truly wanted to bolt right then and there, but his strength fell far short of Cang Yinyue’s, and he lacked any skill in lightness arts—fleeing now would be certain death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With no choice, he gritted his teeth, turned, and continued up the mountain path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, he prayed the Blood Alliance’s masters would finally do something useful—preferably eliminate the killer ahead, so he wouldn’t have to face him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the rest of the journey, the number of corpses they encountered decreased somewhat, no longer as frequent as before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this was likely because the Blood Alliance’s garrison here was limited, and most had already been slaughtered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the three traveled for over an hour, and the mountain sky gradually darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as they expected to cross one more ridge and exit this region, they passed through a mountain hollow and saw flames roaring skyward, with chaotic voices carried on the mountain wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Changlu, walking ahead, immediately halted and glanced back at Cang Yinyue; seeing her nod, he moved closer toward the blazing light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after, Yu Changlu reached a rocky outcrop, concealed his form, and peered toward the valley ablaze with fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, his face lit up with relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The valley held nearly a hundred men, each holding burning tung-oil torches, illuminating the surrounding woods as bright as daylight and completely sealing off the valley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, every single one of them was from the Blood Alliance!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Changlu’s heart surged with excitement—he was about to call for help—when a cold voice came from behind:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Before you make a decision, consider this: are you faster than my blade?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Yu Changlu felt as if doused in ice water; he stepped back two paces, frozen in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Cang Yinyue and Li Muxian dismounted and advanced, their gazes fixed on the valley, observing its situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Blood Alliance had fully encircled the valley, and seated upon a massive green stone at its center were four figures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them were the three from Mengshan; the fourth was a veiled woman in gray robes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Blood Alliance was led by a black-robed middle-aged man and two white-haired elders, who formed a triangle around the four.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet they made no further move, instead watching warily the three-foot zone surrounding the four, where curling tendrils of blackish-green mist hovered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who are you, sir or madam, from which martial sect? You’ve killed so many of our brothers with such cruelty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-robed man’s face, lit by the flames, was deeply grim; his gaze toward the veiled woman brimmed with unhidden murderous intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the veiled woman remained silent, sitting cross-legged with eyes closed, breathing calmly, utterly ignoring the black-robed man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, the black-robed man flew into a rage; his broad right hand, knuckles prominent, slowly twisted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, a violent whirlwind surged from the ground, gathering scattered dead leaves into his palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next moment, he thrust his palm forward sharply—a massive palm print, formed entirely of dead leaves, materialized in midair and slammed down toward the four at the center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did the veiled woman react; she snapped open her eyes, her pupils gleaming with a dark, eerie glow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her fingers, curled before her dantian, suddenly curved into a claw and shot upward toward the hovering palm print.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simultaneously, the blackish-green mist within the three-foot zone was violently drawn in, forming a dark claw shadow beneath the palm print.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Visible to the naked eye, the leaf-formed palm print rapidly rotted under the mist’s touch, dissolving into a pool of black sludge that dripped to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching this, Meng Shan and Yuan Mei felt a chill creep into their hearts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had never met this veiled woman before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, while fleeing from Blood Alliance pursuers, they had been outnumbered and nearly captured—but at the critical moment, this veiled woman suddenly appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her strength was profound; she effortlessly repelled the Blood Alliance’s masters. Yet she was also cruel, delighting in torture, and wielded poison arts that chilled even them to the bone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Shan and Yuan Mei had seen many victims of her poison—suffering worse than death, horrifying to behold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, she had aided them, escorting them as they fled, sparing them from her poison arts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only pity was that the Blood Alliance’s strength here was immense; before they could escape the region, reinforcements caught up and trapped them in this valley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, the Blood Alliance dared not launch a full assault, fearing her poison arts—both sides now stood in tense stalemate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Meng Shan knew this couldn’t last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elder, the longer we delay, the more reinforcements they’ll send. Shouldn’t we find a way to break out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After seeing the veiled woman block the black-robed man’s attack, Meng Shan summoned courage to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as he looked up, he saw a mocking smile curling at the corner of the veiled woman’s eye—a voice as cold and venomous as a serpent whispered in his ear:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why rush? The longer we wait, the deeper their poison sinks—and the more agonizing their deaths will be.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1144,"2026-06-20T01:43:38.503Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e28947bf929c2aae9f45091e70752adcde692cd83e03bac45565c20fb4953d76","after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-chapter-18","after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-chapter-16",259,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fafter-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-cover.jpg"]