Chapter 334: Dark Complexion, Clear Eyes

The Poison God was already an old man.

This sudden deception and ambush caught him off guard.

The seven-tailed centipede was the most poisonous creature in the world; once it latched on, a mere light bite could kill the victim—even a cultivator of profound cultivation would be severely restrained. But now, when the seven-tailed centipede reached the enemy's body, the man paid it no mind and struck fiercely—this was beyond the Poison God's expectations.

All weapons in the world were wielded in the air, yet the demonic weapon suddenly struck from beneath the ground—this too was beyond the Poison God's expectations.

The Poison God's title carried poison, and he was the head of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect; everyone respected him with three parts caution. Yet this man attacked in close combat—this was the third time the Poison God was caught off guard.

In an instant, the Poison God's body drifted, and before his eyes bloomed a sea of crimson; the Soul-Eating Rod swept past, and in that moment of evasion, Gu Qing's palm seal was already at his side.

The Poison God flipped his hand to block, feeling Gu Qing's palm seal land lightly upon his arm.

Without a sound, an extraordinary force surged forth.

A terrifying spiraling qi erupted along his arm; the Poison God saw before him a gray Taiji expanding outward in all directions.

The demonic sect's techniques were ferocious in offense, the Buddhist sect's were as solid as a rock, and the Daoist sect's were supple yet resilient. When these three merged as one, it was like a perfume: the top note fierce, the middle note steady, the base note soothing. This perfect fusion of the three qi currents allowed the Poison God to block—but not fully block—and the surging qi immediately flooded his entire body.

"Boom!"

A Taiji spiral exploded in midair; even as Gu Qing retracted his technique, the Poison God still felt a suction force, hindering his evasive maneuvers.

"Boom!"

Gu Qing struck the Poison God with another punch.

Gu Qing had now brought the Taiji Xuanqing Dao, the Great Brahma Samadhi, and the Yin Ghost Qi all to the "Shangqing" realm—a level few in the world could match. With these three overlapping, plus Gu Qing's two volumes of the Heavenly Books and the demonic weapon Soul-Eating Rod in hand, his techniques and battle experience were more than enough to rival the greatest masters of the age.

Struck by this punch, heavy and powerful, the Poison God felt as if an elderly man had been trampled by a mad bull—here was a mastermind of world-shaking wisdom and supreme authority, now brutally crushed by raw force.

This was an outright insult to his intellect!

"Does he fear my seven-tailed centipede?"

"Does he fear my poison?"

Blood streamed from all seven orifices of the Poison God!

"Don't harm my master!"

Qin Wuyan drew the Sword of Parting Thoughts and slashed toward Gu Qing.

Gu Qing's movements were arcane; he seized the blade bare-handed and pressed down on Qin Wuyan, while the Soul-Eating Rod in midair reversed course, tracing the two circular rings left by Gu Qing's punch toward the Poison God.

This was precisely the "True Through False" technique of the Seven Nether Phantasms.

The Poison God shifted his body, and as the Soul-Eating Rod passed through the two rings, its speed surged—it pierced straight at the Poison God's chest!

"Ten Thousand Poisons Return to Source Sack!"

The Poison God's front pouch opened wide, engulfing the Soul-Eating Rod. At the same time, the Poison God's heart brimmed with fury—inside the Ten Thousand Poisons Return to Source Sack lay many living poisons; should the Soul-Eating Rod enter, its blood and malevolence would surely be drained dry.

"Someone!"

The Poison God shouted, raised his hand, and chanted a spell to control the seven-tailed centipede. He saw Gu Qing's robes fluttering, the centipede crawling over his body—but hesitating to bite. Only under the spell's compulsion did the centipede finally bite hard.

But it didn't break the skin.

The Poison God stared at Gu Qing's skin—it gleamed like gold and jade, faintly luminous.

"Duo!"

Qin Wuyan felt Gu Qing's sleeve flick lightly, his hand gesture flashing—the Sword of Parting Thoughts had not even reached full power when his wrist throbbed and his throat tightened; Gu Qing had seized him by the wrist. The famed poison dagger, Sword of Parting Thoughts, clattered to the ground.

"Master!"

Qin Wuyan gripped Gu Qing's arm tightly with both hands and shouted urgently: "Attack from within!"

At first glance, Gu Qing had seized Qin Wuyan—but in Qin Wuyan's view, he had also seized one of Gu Qing's arms.

This was the perfect opening for the Poison God's attack.

The Poison God's body drifted swiftly to close range; his hands shifted, forming a chain of linked grips. After over thirty transformations, he suddenly locked Gu Qing's other arm—and the famed seven-tailed centipede crawled along Gu Qing's clothing toward his nose!

In an instant, the seven-tailed centipede had reached Gu Qing's neck.

Victory was within reach!

Both the Poison God and Qin Wuyan wore smiles of triumph.

At that very moment, the Poison God and Qin Wuyan heard Gu Qing mutter a single phrase.

"Do you know where the ignition points of the Eight Fiendish Flame Array are?"

The Eight Fiendish Flame Array!

Crimson, translucent flames erupted from Gu Qing's body; three fire dragons roared forth at once. This essence of supreme yang fire possessed the power to burn all things—this was the Eight Wilderness Fire Dragon, once used in ancient times to forge the Beast God, now appearing in the mortal world.

Qin Wuyan felt every drop of moisture in his body evaporate. At that moment, many parts of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect ignited spontaneously—even the ground beneath their feet began to melt into magma.

"The Flame Mirror…"

Qin Wuyan, having traveled widely with the Poison God, recognized the fire dragon. His throat went dry; he opened his mouth to speak—but his body collapsed downward. In his fading vision, he saw his limbs had already turned to ash, and endless flames consumed his body. In agony, he faintly glimpsed a fire dragon bursting from within him…

"Surprised?"

Gu Qing held the Poison God firmly in both hands, locking eyes with him.

The reason Gu Qing dared to storm the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect and assassinate the Poison God was that he had learned the Flame Mirror's usage from Six-Tail, and had absorbed part of Li Xun's power via the Absorption Technique, mastering some of the Burning Incense Jade Manual's workings.

With this enhancement, Gu Qing had skillfully activated the Flame Mirror and summoned the Eight Wilderness Fire Dragon. Now that he had seized the Poison God, he intended to completely refine him.

"Sizzle… crackle…"

Flames roared over the Poison God's body; the terrible heat of the Eight Wilderness Fire Dragon was evaporating his life, and as the dragon's jaws opened to swallow him whole, the Poison God felt utter annihilation.

This was the one thing the Poison God had never anticipated…

"Gaa…"

The Poison God was swallowed whole and fully refined.

Gu Qing held the Flame Mirror, letting the flames spread outward, plunging the entire Ten Thousand Poisons Sect into chaos. In the darkness, several elder figures emerged—but seeing the Eight Wilderness Fire Dragon, none dared move. Gazing into the flames, they faintly saw a man riding the fire dragon, flying farther and farther away.

Around the flames, smoke churned wildly; no one could say for certain what the man truly looked like.

Cang Song slipped away quietly from within the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect. Watching the inferno consume it, he felt the broken piece in his heart slowly heal. With the Poison God and Qin Wuyan dead, that lingering threat was utterly eradicated—Cang Song could now cleanse himself.

Yet…

Cang Song caught up to Gu Qing, watching him heal, his expression deeply complex. "How did you come to possess the Flame Mirror?"

"What Flame Mirror? That's the Southern Bright Dispersing Sword of Qingyun Sect—or the Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover. Don't speak nonsense."

Gu Qing immediately cut him off.

Cang Song's eyes flickered. If Qingyun Sect could control the power of the Eight Wilderness Fire Dragon, its strength would surge—but if mishandled, it could destroy Qingyun's millennia-old reputation.

"Did the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect see my true face?"

Gu Qing asked.

Cang Song shook his head. "The Ten Thousand Poisons Sect only saw a strange man with a dark complexion and clear eyes. The flames danced too wildly—they couldn't make out his features."

Dark complexion, clear eyes…

"I fucking…"

Gu Qing nearly swore aloud.

(End of Chapter)