Chapter 11

“This golden snake is the Bi Lin Five Poisons?” Qian Chen pulled the limp golden snake from the Long Que Ring.

“It’s the Bi Lin Golden Thread Snake, one of the Five Poisons—it’s my signature technique. After joining the Twelve Yuan Chen, I seized countless herbs and wealth… To obtain this golden snake embryo, I massacred an entire village in Miaojiang, even killed the only woman I ever loved…” As Qi Qiuzi spoke these words, his soul revealed a pained expression.

Yaozhidao even when bound by the Spirit-Sealing Talisman, he had never shown such heart-wrenching anguish.

Qian Chen had already planned to impersonate the Spirit of Misty Clouds, so he needed to learn every detail of Qi Qiuzi’s life—he wouldn’t miss such a crucial moment. Besides, over these past days, listening to travelers’ stories, he gradually understood: these human emotions he had never experienced could temper his Dao heart. He himself would never willingly endure such trials.

But to listen to stories, to feel the tangled passions of love and hate within them—both enjoyable and beneficial for cultivating his Dao heart—why not?

He immediately pulled up a small stool and began listening to Qi Qiuzi’s life story…

“Love and hate, grudges and sorrows!” Qian Chen sighed: “You said your most revered teacher was your master—did you have senior or junior brothers?”

“No one left. The Bi Ling Five Poisons Sect had only me.”

“What about your teacher?”

“I poisoned him.”

Qian Chen rose abruptly and shook his head: “Your life? You brought it all upon yourself.”

“Recite the Bi Ling Five Poisons Transformation Scripture again. Describe in detail your habits, tone, and gestures when meeting the Twelve Yuan Chen. Explain your poison techniques and recent experiences thoroughly.”

Qian Chen lowered the curtain of the tea stall and concealed its activity with a Hidden Image Talisman, then began studying and imitating Qi Qiuzi’s every movement, listening to his accounts of interpersonal relationships and disguise habits, while also studying the Bi Ling Five Poisons Transformation Scripture. This scripture indeed contained ingenious ideas.

Its creator had merely intended to draw analogies and forge a peculiar weapon using toxins as raw materials.

But unintentionally, he had surpassed the limits of a mere weapon, brushing against the edges of Zhongtu’s poison arts and soul-avatar left-path techniques. His Bi Lin Five Poisons possessed the traits of living creatures, capable of housing a soul—making them remarkable weapons in this world. The user commanding the five poisons was effectively commanding five peerless masters of deadly poison, moving in perfect unison. The creator even devised a combined assault formation.

He once unleashed all five poisons together, leaving behind a legendary tale in this world.

Qian Chen had no intention of separating his soul from his current vessel—the World-Anchor Treasure. To impersonate the Spirit of Misty Clouds, he had many methods. These toxins, meticulously refined by Qi Qiuzi, had already taken on the faint shape of a magic artifact; even in Zhongtu, they were rare creatures sought after by left-path cultivators.

After all, though Zhongtu’s resources were abundant, they could not compare to this world’s Twelve Yuan Chen, who had ravaged the land and plundered countless top-tier spiritual objects. One world was poured entirely into nurturing dozens of supreme weapon-wielders, whose weapon materials were flawless. This contrasted sharply with Zhongtu’s base cultivators, who lived in constant fear under the oppression of Golden Core and Nascent Soul experts, numbering millions of times greater.

Qian Chen meticulously polished the Bi Lin Golden Thread Snake, then retrieved the other four toxins Qi Qiuzi had kept in reserve, their refinement still incomplete. He poured a handful of Miao Kong’s spirit pills down their throats—within moments, the Five Poisons Avatars, forged over decades of Qi Qiuzi’s grueling practice, reached full maturity. In less than half a day, he had forged a prototype of a left-path restriction: the Five Poisons Banner.

In Qian Chen’s hands, the Five Poisons grew even more fearsome—far surpassing even Qi Qiuzi’s own control.

After all, Qi Qiuzi had never mastered the Five Poisons Combined Formation, for his spiritual sense was insufficient.

The creator of the Bi Ling Five Poisons Transformation Scripture must have been born with extraordinary spiritual sense. Thus, his technique required simultaneous control of five avatars—a hurdle he himself never solved… But Qian Chen’s spiritual sense was a million times more extraordinary than that gifted creator’s. This barrier meant nothing to him.

Thus, in only half a day, a reinforced version of the Spirit of Misty Clouds was freshly forged.

Qian Chen donned a green robe and a strange bronze mask shaped like a serpent’s face, speaking in a hissing tone: “I still cannot fully mimic Qi Qiuzi—he had too many acquaintances; every move was watched. Hiss… Though I can fool ordinary people, I’m not flawless—I must be cautious… Hiss… But the Spirit of Misty Clouds? That was Qi Qiuzi’s secret identity.”

“He always concealed his personal traits before companions—this disguise was like a natural shield.”

“Aside from the Dragon Head possibly holding some unknown clue that might expose me, the other Yuan Chen will never detect that the Spirit of Misty Clouds is an impostor.”

Qian Chen spun the Tian Luo Umbrella and reverted to his previous youthful scholar appearance: “I’ll still enter the Four Seas Hall under this identity. Only when secretly meeting the other eleven Yuan Chen will I use the Spirit of Misty Clouds persona. But there’s one problem… How do I even get into the Four Seas Hall? Not just any cat or dog can attend a birthday banquet!”

Qian Chen burned all of Qi Qiuzi’s other belongings, keeping only the Five Poisons inside the Long Que Ring.

He placed the poisons in his Qian Kun Bag, along with Qi Qiuzi’s medical pouch and other items tied to his identity as a physician—just in case he needed to use that persona.

Qian Chen closed the tea stall, pretending the shopkeeper had business to attend to, then entered Linhai City directly.

Linhai City was now bustling with activity; all who passed carried swords and spears—martial artists. The Four Seas Hall, as the local authority, welcomed them warmly but also remained vigilant, patrolling and maintaining order. In the short time Qian Chen had been entering the city, he witnessed three brawls among martial artists… Utterly chaotic.

“I’ve reached the Four Seas Hall… but how do I get in?” Qian Chen stared at the grand gate archway, lost in thought. The Four Seas Hall was certainly not open to just anyone. Guests of status would be announced, and senior members would come out to greet them.

“The Qi Tun Danxia! Master Liang Dou arrives!”

The Four Seas Hall’s welcoming disciples shouted loudly…

“Master Liang! If our Sect Master knew you personally came to celebrate his seventieth birthday, he’d be overjoyed. This hall is truly honored…” A middle-aged man with a flushed face—clearly a high-ranking leader of the Four Seas Hall—stepped forward warmly. Master Liang Dou was unremarkable in appearance, accompanied by several disciples, and walked hand-in-hand with the red-faced leader into the main gate.

The scene was grand, the atmosphere lively.

Qian Chen crouched in a corner near the Four Seas Hall entrance, dressed as a frail scholar, watching the spectacle with what seemed like deep admiration.