Standing outside the building, since the enemy had adopted a passive defensive formation, it was favorable for Mu Lin to take them down one by one. First, he extended his Yuan force into the first floor, attacking from the innermost part outward, striking each enemy individually. All the members of the Black Tiger Gang on the first floor were subdued without realizing what had happened. Naturally, he also punctured their Qi gates simultaneously.
Next, Mu Lin applied the same method to the enemies from the top floor down to the third floor, completing the task successfully. However, he now faced a challenge with the enemies on the second floor, as there were more people densely packed together, unlike the other floors where fewer people were present. Moreover, he wanted to subdue the Grand Elder without causing harm, so he could obtain the Grand Elder’s directional poison technique.
Judging from the Grand Elder’s poison technique, it was a skill Mu Lin had not yet mastered. The poison smoke could be fixed within a specific area and deployed in crowded places, indicating a high level of poison mastery and a secret family technique passed down exclusively. Mu Lin also knew poison techniques, but they were learned from ancient manuals left behind by others. If it weren’t for his profound knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine, and his early training in identifying and testing herbs to deeply understand their properties, he might not have been able to master poison techniques at all.
Other than the cultivation of Yuan force, basic physical techniques, and some medical skills taught by his great-uncle, everything else Mu Lin had acquired during his travels. Even the highest techniques of his sect were obtained in the secular world. Moreover, poison techniques and medical skills complement each other—improving poison techniques helps understand various herbal properties, which in turn promotes medical progress. Enhanced medical skills also improve the level of pill refinement, and superior pills are invaluable for advancing cultivation. Therefore, this time Mu Lin was determined to obtain this previously unheard-of poison technique.
His spiritual sense detected that the Grand Elder was in the same room as two other elders. The Grand Elder merely sat there in meditation, while the actual command was handled by the other two elders. Thinking of this, Mu Lin found a solution. He cast an invisibility spell and moved to a position on the first floor directly opposite the Grand Elder. Then, he extended his Yuan force upward, sealing the Grand Elder’s acupoints, and slowly sent his spiritual consciousness into the Grand Elder’s brain.
Although the Grand Elder could no longer move, his mind was not restricted by Mu Lin. Therefore, when Mu Lin’s consciousness entered the Grand Elder’s brain, it encountered fierce resistance. Mu Lin hadn’t expected that the Grand Elder, whose Qi cultivation had only reached the innate stage, could resist the spiritual consciousness generated by half of Mu Lin’s Yuan force.
Mu Lin set up a Yuan-gathering formation and a Dragon-trapping formation around himself, no longer caring about hiding his form. Stepping in a martial arts formation and forming magical seals with his hands, he cast the Five Ghosts Transportation Spell on the Grand Elder. As soon as he finished casting the spell, the Grand Elder vanished from his original spot and appeared before Mu Lin.
Then, Mu Lin cast a spatial restriction on the second floor and extended his Yuan force to strike two people’s acupoints, thereby preventing the two elders from effectively commanding. He placed his hand directly on the Grand Elder’s forehead and began using the Soul Searching Technique. Since he needed the complete directional poison technique, he required the Grand Elder’s entire memory. When the Soul Searching Technique was completed, Mu Lin’s forehead was slightly sweaty. One could imagine how fierce the Grand Elder’s resistance had been. Releasing his grip, the Grand Elder’s eyes were dull, drool dripping from his mouth—he had completely become an idiot.
From the Grand Elder’s memories, Mu Lin learned that he belonged to a southern poison sect, specifically the Liu family’s poison technique from Jiuli Mountain. The Liu family’s poison technique was said to have originated from the time of Chi You, passed down orally without ever being written down. In modern times, the Liu family had few descendants, only one daughter. The Grand Elder, when young, had married into the Liu family as a son-in-law and finally learned the Liu family’s secret poison technique, which had been passed down for over a thousand years.
Later, he grew dissatisfied with his wife’s unattractive appearance and dull demeanor, requesting a divorce. However, under the circumstances of that time, he couldn’t get one. Since he already possessed martial arts skills and had fully mastered the poison techniques, his father-in-law could do nothing to stop him, only cursing at him from time to time. Eventually, in a rage, he killed off the entire Liu family, fled to the United States after various hardships, and finally, under his nephew’s leadership, rose through the ranks using his poison techniques and martial arts, establishing the foundation of the Black Tiger Gang. Later, under the pretext of old age, he became the Grand Elder.
Mu Lin recalled that he had once visited Jiuli Mountain, where he had discovered many things, but had never found any poison techniques. Now he understood—the Liu family had been wiped out, yet he had still gone there trying to learn poison techniques. He never expected to learn them in a foreign land so far from home. Such was the will of heaven!
From the Grand Elder’s memories, Mu Lin discovered that this man had basically done nothing good, possessing a cold and indifferent nature, committing numerous acts of banditry and plunder.
The matter concerning Claire’s family also traced back to him. Originally, Claire’s mother had caught his eye, and upon first sight, he had been amazed by her beauty. Knowing at the time that he was old and unattractive, and that Claire’s mother would never look favorably upon him, he had ordered Ma Rulong, who was then still a sub-leader, to seduce her, but the attempt failed.
Finally, it was Ma Rulong who devised a plan—designing to bankrupt Claire’s family and then threatening Claire and her father’s lives to force her mother’s submission. As a result, Ma Rulong was promoted to the only non-clan deputy leader. Unfortunately, Claire’s mother died of severe depression a few years later.
Mu Lin took away some tools used in the poison techniques from the Grand Elder and left him aside. Considering that the Grand Elder had contributed the directional poison technique, he decided to let him fend for himself.
Standing outside the building, since the enemy had adopted a passive defensive stance, it was advantageous for Mu Lin to pick them off one by one. Extending his True Yuan Force into the first floor, he began attacking from the innermost areas outward, targeting each enemy individually. Unbeknownst to them, all the Black Tiger Gang members on the first floor were subdued. Of course, he also had to seal their energy gates.
Next, Mu Lin repeated the same process for the enemies from the top floor down to the third floor, smoothly completing his task. However, he found himself at a loss when it came to the second floor. The number of enemies there was significantly higher, and they were densely packed, unlike the other floors where the numbers were fewer. Moreover, he wanted to subdue the Grand Elder without harming him, in order to obtain his directional poison technique.
From the Grand Elder’s poison technique, Mu Lin could tell it was a skill he had yet to master. The poison mist could be confined to a specific area and deployed in densely populated spaces—a testament to the technique’s advanced level and its status as a closely guarded secret. While Mu Lin was also skilled in poison techniques, his knowledge came from manuals left behind by others. Had it not been for his profound expertise in traditional Chinese medicine, cultivated since childhood through identifying and testing herbs, he might not have even grasped the basics of poison techniques.
Apart from his True Yuan Force cultivation, basic physical techniques, and some medical knowledge imparted by his great-uncle, everything else Mu Lin had learned during his travels. Even the highest-level techniques of his sect were acquired in the secular world. Poison techniques and medicine were complementary; mastering poison techniques deepened his understanding of herb properties, which in turn advanced his medical skills. Improved medical skills then enhanced his alchemy, and high-quality elixirs were invaluable for his cultivation. Thus, obtaining this unprecedented poison technique was absolutely essential for Mu Lin.
Through his sensory abilities, Mu Lin discovered that the Grand Elder and two other elders were in the same room. The Grand Elder was merely meditating, while the other two handled the actual command. Realizing this, Mu Lin found a solution. Activating his invisibility technique, he entered the first floor opposite the Grand Elder’s position. Extending his True Yuan Force upward, he sealed the Grand Elder’s acupoints and slowly infiltrated his consciousness into the elder’s mind.
Though the Grand Elder couldn’t move, his mental faculties remained unconstrained, offering fierce resistance as Mu Lin’s consciousness probed deeper. Mu Lin was surprised—despite the Grand Elder’s True Qi only reaching the Xiantian realm, he could withstand half of Mu Lin’s True Yuan Force-powered consciousness.
Setting up a Yuan Gathering Array and a Dragon Trapping Array around himself, Mu Lin abandoned stealth. Stepping in celestial patterns and forming hand seals, he cast the Five Ghosts Transportation Technique on the Grand Elder. As the spell completed, the Grand Elder vanished from his spot and appeared before Mu Lin.
Mu Lin then cast a spatial confinement spell on the second floor and extended his True Yuan Force to seal the acupoints of two individuals, effectively neutralizing the other elders’ command. Placing his hand directly on the Grand Elder’s forehead, Mu Lin began the Soul-Searching Technique. To obtain the complete poison technique, he needed the elder’s entire memory. By the time the technique was complete, beads of sweat had formed on Mu Lin’s forehead—evidence of the Grand Elder’s intense resistance. Releasing his grip, the Grand Elder was left drooling and vacant-eyed, reduced to a complete imbecile.
From the elder’s memories, Mu Lin learned he belonged to a southern poison sect—specifically, the Liu Family Poison Technique from Mount Jiuli. The Liu Family’s techniques were said to date back to the era of Chi You, passed down orally with no written records. In modern times, the Liu lineage had dwindled to a single daughter. The Grand Elder, having married into the family in his youth, eventually mastered their millennium-old secret techniques.
Later, repulsed by his wife’s plain appearance and dull demeanor, he sought a divorce. Unable to obtain one under the societal norms of the time, and now armed with martial prowess and full mastery of the poison arts, he grew defiant against his father-in-law’s authority. In a fit of rage, he slaughtered the entire Liu family and fled to Country U. There, leveraging his skills, he fought his way to prominence within the Black Tiger Gang, eventually claiming the title of Grand Elder under the pretext of seniority.
Recalling his past visit to Mount Jiuli, where he’d found some artifacts but no trace of poison techniques, Mu Lin now understood why—the Liu family had been wiped out. Ironically, he had to travel far from his homeland to acquire their techniques. Such was fate!
From the Grand Elder’s memories, Mu Lin also gleaned that the man had led a life of villainy—cold-hearted and steeped in robbery and plunder.
The fate of Claire’s family was also tied to him. Claire’s mother had caught his eye, and he was instantly smitten. Knowing his advanced age and unattractive appearance made winning her affection impossible, he tasked Ma Rulong, then a mere incense master, with seducing her. When that failed, Ma devised a scheme to bankrupt Claire’s family and threatened the lives of her father and herself to force her mother’s submission. Ma was promoted to the sole non-bloodline Vice-Leader for his role. Claire’s mother, consumed by depression, died within a few years.
Taking the Grand Elder’s poison tools, Mu Lin left him to his fate—a small mercy for the gift of directional poison techniques.
Having crossed this line, Mu Lin saw no reason to hold back. Extending his consciousness into the minds of the remaining elders, he performed the Soul-Searching Technique, adding two more mindless husks to the world. Their memories confirmed they were no better than the Grand Elder, further exposing the Black Tiger Gang’s depravity.
With his conscience clear, Mu Lin proceeded to seal the energy gates of all second-floor lackeys and confiscated the three elders’ private stashes, leaving not even a pocketknife behind.
By the time he reached the gang leader’s building, the remaining members were already paralyzed by fear of the unseen arrays. Human selfishness and baseness were on full display as infighting erupted. Vice-Leader Ma Rulong, with his meager forces, was the first to fall. Only the leader and his brother remained, each leading a faction in a standoff.
Witnessing this, Mu Lin subdued the two brothers and transported them outside with the Transportation Technique. He still needed access to their hidden financial accounts and treasure troves for his own use. Eventually, they too joined the ranks of the mindless.
With the leadership completely dismantled, the remaining underlings were powerless. After withdrawing the arrays from the other buildings, Mu Lin made his exit.
This further emboldened Mu Lin’s actions. Next, he punctured the Qi gates of all the gang members on the second floor, confiscated the private treasures of the three elders in the building, and took away all weapons, not even leaving behind a small knife.
When Mu Lin arrived at the building where the Black Tiger Gang leader was located, these people had already been terrified by the invisible formations. Their selfishness and inherent vices were completely exposed. They began fighting among themselves within the building, and Ma Rulong, due to his smaller following, was the first to die violently. Now only the leader and his brother remained, each commanding their own faction in a standoff.
Seeing this situation, Mu Lin struck the two brothers, using the transportation technique to move them outside the building. Mu Lin still needed their secret money accounts and other treasure locations for his own use. Finally, these two also became vegetative beings.
With all the gang’s leaders already dealt with, what could the remaining underlings possibly do? After dismantling the formations in the other buildings, Mu Lin simply left!
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage