"The Zombie Poison Gu is a parasite found on Flying Yakshas that harbors the ultimate corpse poison."
"The Immortal-Felling Feather is a shed plume from the ninth head of the ancient calamitous beast, the Guiche bird. Burning it produces an extraordinarily lethal poison capable of dispersing a cultivator's Nascent Soul. It is also known as Nine-Headed Poison."
"The Mother-Child Qianji Gu is refined from the heart's blood of nine hundred and ninety-nine mortal mothers and children, harboring an incomparably terrifying malice born of severed kin."
Inside the cave dwelling, Marquis Ziyi, having returned, spoke with ease and eloquence as he gave a general introduction to the three tier-four venomous Gu he was delivering to Luo Chen.
When he finished, he fixed his gaze on Luo Chen, eager to see his reaction.
Yet the anticipated ecstasy never came. Instead, the man merely furrowed his brows in silence.
Marquis Ziyi said in surprise, "Fellow Daoist Qi, such rare tier-four venomous Gu are personal treasures of Heavenly Master Li himself. Why do you seem so unmoved?"
Luo Chen spoke slowly. "It is not that I am unmoved, but that they are simply too precious."
Marquis Ziyi blinked in surprise, then chuckled. "No matter. You may take out equivalent resources from your own collection to trade for them. Even if their quality falls short, Heavenly Master Li mentioned that quantity can make up for it."
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow. "Heavenly Master Li treats me with such generosity?"
His words carried more or less an air of suspicion and scrutiny.
After all, could there truly be a free lunch in this world?
Yet the more bluntly he questioned it, the more relaxed Marquis Ziyi became.
"Of course Heavenly Master Li is reluctant to part with these three venomous Gu. He frankly admitted that with their assistance, you will surely advance your Hundred Poisons King Gu to tier four, and your body refinement realm will experience a qualitative leap.
"However, circumstances change. No matter how precious a venomous Gu is, it remains only tier four. What Heavenly Master Li truly desires is the tier-five Gu formula hidden within the Yin-Yang Fragmented Realm. Compared to that, these items are nothing at all.
"Therefore, the elevation of your strength is far more important to him!"
The Yin-Yang Fragmented Realm!
This was precisely the ancient secret realm Heavenly Master Li had mentioned before.
Rumor had it that it only appeared at twilight, when yin and yang intertwined. Over thousands of years, people had only managed to enter it a handful of times.
According to those who had emerged, it was the resting place where a great almighty figure had sat in meditation until death, and there was an immense likelihood that a tier-five Gu formula lay hidden within.
However, its interior was riddled with deadly mechanisms and perilous dangers.
Without astonishing capabilities, anyone seeking treasures there would scarcely make it far.
To this end, Heavenly Master Li had openly and covertly assembled what could be called a star-studded lineup solely to explore the Yin-Yang Fragmented Realm.
And Luo Chen held an extraordinarily vital role within that lineup.
It was said that there was a trial inside that required a pure body cultivator to overcome.
Viewing it from this necessity, the man's attentive hospitality toward Luo Chen made sense.
Furthermore, the two had never known each other before, so there was no reason for the other party to harbor personal designs against him.
In silence, Luo Chen received the three venomous Gu, then retrieved a large assortment of miscellaneous items from his storage pouch.
There were high-grade medicinal herbs, rare ores, magic treasures, and a modest sum of spirit stones.
After a brief inspection, Marquis Ziyi showed a look of awkwardness.
"The items Fellow Daoist offers are by no means inferior, but compared to the value of these three venomous Gu, there is still quite a disparity!"
Luo Chen waved a dismissive hand. "This is all I have. After all, if I truly possessed anything superior, a lone wanderer like me would have used it long ago; how could I have kept it until now? Marquis Ziyi, you are merely delivering them on his behalf, and any gain or loss here has little to do with you. Why must you haggle so meticulously?"
Marquis Ziyi froze.
"Just take them back. Heavenly Master Li will not mind," Luo Chen added.
Marquis Ziyi let out a wry smile. With a wave of his sleeve, the pile of treasures—which low-tier cultivators would cherish like life itself—was swept haphazardly into a storage pouch.
"It seems I was overthinking things. Then I shall take my leave. Farewell!"
"Farewell."
Luo Chen gestured politely and saw him out of the cave dwelling.
Only after Marquis Ziyi's figure vanished from sight did Luo Chen turn his attention back to the three venomous Gu.
Narrowing his eyes, he calculated continuously in his mind.
*Heavenly Master Li truly lives up to his reputation as the creator of the Hundred Poisons Body Refinement Technique and the Hundred Poisons King Gu. Even the bottleneck I encountered fell within his expectations.*
*With the aid of these three venomous Gu, I am indeed confident that I can promote the Hundred Poisons King Gu to tier four in short order and thoroughly break through my bottleneck.*
*It so happens that my research into natural spatial restrictions is nearly complete. The coming time can be devoted entirely to body refinement.*
***
Time flowed by quietly.
Nearly half a year had passed since Luo Chen arrived at Mount Mijie.
His body cultivation progress had reached the most crucial juncture.
The Zombie Poison Gu was already completely refined.
After devouring it, the Hundred Poisons King Gu had unleashed several times its own volume of corpse poison, saturating every corner of Luo Chen's body.
Under the corrosion of the terrifying corpse poison, massive amounts of flesh and blood rapidly transformed into an invulnerable zombie physique.
Had this continued unchecked, Luo Chen might well have embarked upon the ghostly body-refinement path of a Flying Yaksha.
Yet supported by his profound physical foundation, an unending surge of vital essence tore through the petrified flesh, reconstituting it into his naturally vibrant, living body.
Next came the Immortal-Felling Feather, also known as the Nine-Headed Poison!
Beams of pure white light, drifting like feathers, enveloped Luo Chen's entire frame.
If the host ingesting this venom possessed a Nascent Soul, it would surely collapse and cause their magic power to perish.
Heavenly Master Li had never imagined Luo Chen could have a Nascent Soul, believing him to be purely a body cultivator. After all, Marquis Ziyi had previously claimed that Luo Chen intended to turn to the path of refining essence into qi only as a final resort.
Against this hidden hazard, Luo Chen naturally had a solution.
The sturdy barrier of his Purple Mansion and the two divine flames concealed within were more than enough to shelter his Nascent Soul from being touched by this poison.
He simply permitted the Hundred Poisons King Gu to devour it, transmuting it into the Nine-Headed Poison to temper his physique.
Throughout this process, aside from his physical body, the only thing affected was likely the source power he had cultivated!
While the Nine-Headed Poison tempered his flesh, the circulation of his source power became sluggish and impeded, hitching at every turn.
Yet Luo Chen persevered.
For on his proficiency panel, he could clearly see his body refinement progress surging forward at a pace visible to the naked eye.
When he had first arrived at the Southern Border, the progress bar had sat around fifty.
Before reaching Mount Mijie, it had risen by only a modest margin.
Yet during these short six months at Mount Mijie, the progress climbed notch by notch with unimaginable efficiency.
By now, it had reached fifty-nine points!
Though it seemed like a mere nine points of progress, viewed across an entire major realm, this rate of advancement was terrifying.
Compared to the path of Qi refinement, it was nearly equivalent to rising from the fifth layer of the Nascent Soul stage to the sixth!
This was the very reason he was willing to endure such boundless agony and cultivate day and night without pause.
Cultivation that yielded immediate, visible feedback was truly intoxicating.
By Luo Chen's estimation, once his body refinement progress crossed the threshold of [Desolate Ancient Tier 4: 66/100], it should mark his entry into the late-stage realm.
This filled him with immense anticipation for the final Mother-Child Qianji Gu as he digested the Immortal-Felling Feather.
On this day.
Taking advantage of an interval between cultivation sessions, Luo Chen stepped out of his cave dwelling and visited Heavenly Master Li's residence.
There, he met the personnel bound for the Yin-Yang Fragmented Realm.
Heavenly Master Li was the organizer, supported by the Purple Blood Cult Leader Marquis Ziyi, the Master of the Hidden Sword Tower Fan Wujiu, and even Granny Hongye, whom he had met a few times before.
"There is one other person who is not currently at Mount Mijie. When the time comes to depart, they will rendezvous with us."
After introductions, Heavenly Master Li inquired about everyone's preparations.
Granny Hongye's formation arrangements, the refinement progress of Marquis Ziyi's secret treasures, and finally, Luo Chen's body refinement progress.
"Rest assured, Qi will not disappoint you!"
Leaving behind that single sentence, Luo Chen showed no interest in making conversation and took his leave.
Such an independent and aloof manner was somewhat surprising.
Yet what surprised everyone most was Luo Chen's outward appearance.
His complexion was an ashen iron-blue, his countenance fierce and menacing, his fingernails long and narrow, and when he spoke, fangs faintly protruded from his lips.
The Yaksha visage!
Having read the complete *Hundred Poisons Body Refinement Technique*, Marquis Ziyi naturally knew what this signified.
After Luo Chen departed, he could not help but sigh with emotion. "This Fellow Daoist Qi is truly a body refinement prodigy seldom seen in centuries! Though that technique is not complex, truly practicing it is arduous to the extreme. Even if I were given a century or two, I doubt I would achieve much. Yet in such a short span, he has attained such results. It is truly enviable."
Granny Hongye and Tower Master Fan Wujiu did not understand the difficulties involved.
Heavenly Master Li, however, smiled in agreement.
It was not merely his outstanding talent for body refinement, but even more admirable was his endurance against the horrifying agony inflicted by deadly toxins.
This was all for the best!
The stronger Luo Chen became, the greater his own assurance inside the Yin-Yang Fragmented Realm would be!
*He should have reached the stage of refining the Mother-Child Qianji Gu by now,*
Heavenly Master Li murmured inwardly.
With the Yaksha form manifest and the feather poison pervading his body, the man had clearly reached his bottleneck.
To cross this hurdle, he would need the final push provided by the Mother-Child Qianji Gu!
***
Just as Heavenly Master Li surmised, Luo Chen had indeed reached this stage.
Moreover, he had made every preparation to refine the Mother-Child Qianji Gu.
Inside the secret chamber, Luo Chen stared at the Gu insect in his palm, his eyes alight with eager anticipation.
He cared nothing for outward beauty or ugliness. Even if the Yaksha visage was unsightly, it was entirely tolerable given his rapid growth in strength.
Besides, once he crossed this stage and thoroughly refined the corpse poison and the Nine-Headed Poison, this so-called Yaksha visage would naturally come under his control.
That being the case, what was there to fear?
"Everything hinges on this final step!"
Murmuring softly, Luo Chen circulated the *Hundred Poisons Body Refinement Technique*, swiftly refining the restless Mother-Child Qianji Gu in his grip.
Instantly, a vicious miasma of resentful malice surged into Luo Chen's body.
The Hundred Poisons King Gu instinctively devoured it, only to regurgitate an even more horrifying venomous mist.
Following the circulation of the technique, this toxic mist gradually spread through Luo Chen's entire body, even beginning to creep toward his sea of consciousness...
Three days later!
"Get out!"
A low bark detonated like muffled thunder.
Blinding golden flames abruptly erupted from the motionless, black-armored man sitting cross-legged.
Under the pressure of the dazzling golden fire, massive plumes of resentful malice were forcibly spat out, strand by strand.
In the end, they coalesced into a Gu insect with wide-open eyes.
It was precisely the Mother-Child Qianji Gu!
Luo Chen's face was grim as he pinched the insect, muttering under his breath, "Heavenly Master Li!"
He had taken every conceivable precaution, terrified that someone might tamper with the Gu insects, and had inspected them with painstaking care before each refinement.
He had never expected that he would still fall into a trap.
The three Gu insects delivered by Heavenly Master Li were all entirely free of tampered tricks.
The problem lay in the fact that, having been refined in such close succession before the residual venoms could clear, the three toxins acting simultaneously had triggered an unspeakable chain reaction.
His physical body stiffened, his source power ground to a halt, and the force of resentful malice assailed his sea of consciousness!
At that instant, Luo Chen had nearly lost his self-awareness and his control over his own physical body.
Had the Spirit Illuminating Gu not been monitoring his body at all times, had his split soul not remained vigilant, had the Prison-Suppressing Soul Art not provided constant protection, and had his Purple Mansion not concealed two great divine flames...
Now, having used the Nirvana Holy Fire to force out the Mother-Child Qianji Gu and the Wither-Bloom Divine Fire to suppress the Hundred Poisons King Gu, the sensation of losing himself had vanished.
He had severed the cultivation process.
In doing so, he naturally thwarted Heavenly Master Li's designs.
Yet a price had to be paid for forcibly interrupting the process.
With its breakthrough broken and its subsequent power cut off, the Hundred Poisons King Gu was currently perishing at an alarming rate.
Even with the Wither-Bloom Divine Fire suppressing it, the decline was only slightly delayed.
Once the Hundred Poisons King Gu collapsed, the terrifying toxicity sealed within would erupt instantly, and Luo Chen's physical body would...
"Everyone says dealing with Southern Border cultivators is perilous. Now it seems that is entirely true!"
Luo Chen let out a cold laugh, yet not a shred of panic appeared on his face.
Having cultivated the *Hundred Poisons Body Refinement Technique* to the grandmaster level, his grasp of its profound principles far surpassed even that of Heavenly Master Li, the technique's creator.
He could see that the King Gu was collapsing because its momentum had faltered after its advancement was forcibly aborted.
As long as the Mother-Child Qianji Gu was tossed back in, that power could be replenished.
Yet it did not necessarily have to be this specific Gu!
What the Hundred Poisons King Gu required was an extremely toxic substance—the deadlier, the better!
And such a thing was something Luo Chen by no means lacked!
The only reason he had not used it earlier was that the King Gu had been too weak, and he had feared destroying it.
Now, the timing was just right...
"Heavenly Master Li, whatever your motive may be, I have noted this grudge for now!"
Murmuring to himself, Luo Chen suddenly produced a small jar.
With a flick of his finger, a single droplet of liquid drifted out.
Wrapped carefully in magic power, it sank into his body and was guided before the Hundred Poisons King Gu nestled in his stomach cavity.
As the magic power dispersed, a perilous aura immediately spread outwards.
Yet what was a lethal venom to ordinary mortals was supreme nourishment to the Hundred Poisons King Gu.
The Wither-Bloom Divine Fire suppressing the King Gu withdrew at once, and without the slightest hesitation, the King Gu swallowed the droplet whole.
Instantly, the insect began to thrash violently, its pale hue shifting gradually into a jade-like translucence, as though turning to stone.
At the same time, a massive volume of venomous mist billowed outward during this transformation.
Under the corrosion of this mist, Luo Chen's incomparably resilient body began to disintegrate inch by inch, melting into pools of bloody water.
Such a horrific spectacle forced Black King out of hiding, cowering in a corner with utter terror in his eyes.
"Did Master consume that Zhenling Millet?"
Zhenling Millet was a secret venomous wine passed down by the Dieyun Sect, a Nascent Soul upper sect of the Eastern Desolation.
Back when they first obtained it, even the poison-immune Black King had not dared to drink it, and when Luo Chen had merely tested a tiny sip, his flesh had suffered severe corrosion.
Now amplified by the Hundred Poisons King Gu, a single drop unleashed ten, even a hundred times its original potency.
Under this extreme dissolution, Luo Chen's physical body crumbled and collapsed, turning into a pool of blood.
Only a tiny Nascent Soul figure clad in black armor, clutching a cauldron in one arm and a sword in the other, hovered serenely in the air, gazing down at the scene with a countenance entirely devoid of sorrow or joy.
Chapter 953