Chapter 996: Poison Sage Sect

With two “poof” sounds, a flash of light appeared about thirty zhang away from the stone pavilion, and the purple mist materialized once again.

This time, however, the creature within the mist seemed thoroughly enraged.

With two furious roars, the mist abruptly dispersed, revealing a monstrous avian with a lion’s head, an eagle’s body, and four wings.

The beast spread its massive wings, spanning over fifty to sixty feet, its entire body wreathed in purple light, its appearance utterly ferocious.

“Lion-Hawk Beast!”

The moment the strange man recognized the creature, he blurted out in shock.

The scholar’s expression also shifted. With a flick of his sleeve, a black-red flying dagger shot out, slashing fiercely toward the beast.

Strangely enough, the previously aggressive avian immediately showed fear upon seeing the dagger. It opened its bloody maw wide and spewed out rings of purple light, intercepting the incoming blade.

A series of thunderous explosions followed. Amidst the black and purple radiance, the dagger cleaved through over a dozen rings with unstoppable force. However, with each strike, the black glow of the dagger dimmed slightly. By the time it neared the beast within a few zhang, it had lost all brilliance and was forcefully blocked by several purple rings.

Seeing this, the beast rejoiced and was about to unleash another technique to fully trap the dagger when—

The scholar in the distance suddenly spat out a mouthful of vital essence blood. He then formed a series of hand seals and rapidly pointed at the blood.

Instantly, the blood transformed into crimson runes that vanished into thin air.

The dagger erupted with a blinding scarlet glow, shattering all nearby purple rings in an instant. In a flash, it reached the beast and slashed down with devastating force.

Startled, the beast flapped all four wings and shot backward, barely managing to raise a massive claw to block the attack.

Green blood splattered. Though the dagger was momentarily halted, the claw was sliced cleanly in half by the blade’s edge.

Enraged, the beast threw back its massive head and let out an earth-shaking roar. The sound was like thunder on a clear day, stunning both the scholar and the strange man, their bodies swaying unsteadily.

But what followed was even more astonishing.

With the roar, a translucent golden ripple erupted from the lion’s maw, directly colliding with the dagger.

Upon contact, the black dagger was sent tumbling backward as if struck by an immense force. The few yellow sword rays assisting the dagger, controlled by “Uncle Seven,” fared even worse—scattering into fragments upon the slightest touch, vanishing without a trace.

After unleashing the golden ripple, the beast’s vigor visibly waned.

It glared viciously at the scholar before suddenly flapping its wings, producing thunderous cracks. Its form blurred, vanishing amidst arcs of lightning—only to reappear over thirty zhang away, demonstrating mastery of Thunder Evasion.

Without hesitation, the beast transformed into a streak of purple light and fled into the distance, disappearing beyond the horizon in moments.

Seeing this, the strange man finally exhaled in relief. However, noticing the scholar’s pale complexion, he asked with concern, “Third Young Master, are you alright? Controlling the Black Blood Dagger already consumes immense spiritual power. Why did you expend your vital essence to forcibly enhance its power?”

“I’m fine, just a bit drained. The Lion-Hawk Beast was a notorious predator even in ancient times, its abilities surpassing even late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. If we hadn’t driven it away quickly, prolonged combat would have been disastrous. Now that it’s suffered some injuries, it shouldn’t trouble us again anytime soon.” The scholar took a deep breath and shook his head.

“That’s true. Such ancient beasts typically have bodies harder than refined iron. Without our Ye Family’s Black Blood Dagger, damaging it with ordinary treasures would have been nearly impossible.” The strange man nodded, visibly relieved.

The scholar smiled faintly and glanced down at the green mist below. The Ye Family cultivators, previously startled by the Lion-Hawk Beast’s arrival, had now settled back into their routines.

Nodding in satisfaction, he exchanged a few more words with the strange man before descending to the stone pavilion, where he closed his eyes and began meditating.

Having expended considerable spiritual power wielding the ancestral Black Blood Dagger, the scholar naturally took the opportunity to recover.

—

While the Ye Family and Han Li were deep within the colossal mountain, near the Ten Thousand Poisons Valley, in an inconspicuous ravine at the foot of a towering peak, five white-robed figures stood side by side at the entrance. Opposite them, two black-robed cultivators bowed respectfully as they reported something.

“An astonishing celestial phenomenon?” A voice, neither clearly male nor female but carrying a magnetic tone, echoed from an unknown source, sounding slightly surprised.

“Yes, Grand Elder. Near an unnamed lake in Puyun Prefecture. Seven massive beams of light shot straight into the sky,” one of the black-robed cultivators replied.

“When did this happen? Any discoveries?” The voice seemed intrigued.

“Four days ago. Our disciples reported it immediately via transmission talisman. It’s said that beneath each beam lies an enormous seal—so vast that its exact nature remains unclear. However, many sects in the Southern Border have been alerted, and several Nascent Soul cultivators are already en route.”

“Seven beams of light… It sounds like a seal being broken, causing spiritual energy to leak. But for it to be so intense, it’s worth investigating. However, you previously mentioned that Old Man Fu of the Netherworld Sect was spotted near the Ten Thousand Poisons Valley, yet there’s been no trace of him since. Are you certain you didn’t make a mistake? If you can’t even find him, how can you expect to locate that Han fellow?” The voice abruptly turned icy.

“Grand Elder, please forgive us! We received reports that cultivators indeed saw Old Man Fu heading this way before vanishing near the Ten Thousand Poisons Valley,” one of the black-robed men stammered, sweat beading on his forehead.

“There are signs of activity in the valley, but aside from the Yin-Yang Cave—which I haven’t entered—we’ve searched everywhere else. Unless Old Man Fu decided to retire inside that accursed pit, he should have shown himself by now.”

The two black-robed men exchanged nervous glances, unsure how to respond.

“Enough. Given the time constraints, you’ve done reasonably well. Keep monitoring the valley. I’ll head to Puyun Prefecture first. Inform Elders Wu and Xiao to meet me there. The more hands, the better.”

“Yes, Grand Elder!” The two men bowed deeply in relief.

Without another word, the five white-robed figures blurred before shooting into the sky as one, their escape lights merging as they vanished into the distance.

—

Meanwhile, above a desolate plain near the border of Puyun Prefecture, a group of over twenty blue-robed cultivators, their heads wrapped in red cloth, flew toward the small lake.

Leading them were four Nascent Soul cultivators, among whom a middle-aged man with emerald-green facial markings exuded an aura of chilling danger, his cultivation at the peak of mid-Nascent Soul stage.

“Senior Brother Hua, is mobilizing most of our Poison Saint Sect’s disciples truly necessary? If anything goes wrong, our sect could suffer irreparable losses,” an early-stage Nascent Soul elder fretted as they flew.

“Were this an ordinary treasure, I wouldn’t take such risks. But this… this might very well be the legendary Kunwu Mountain. For the secrets hidden within, the gamble is justified,” the green-marked man declared gravely.

“Kunwu Mountain? The spiritual peak our sect has sought since its founding?” a gray-haired elder gasped.

“Precisely. As I’ve mentioned to you all upon reaching Nascent Soul, this mountain was one of the most renowned spiritual sites of the ancient era. Though the reason remains unknown, ancient cultivators sealed it away with immense power. Yet its treasures are undoubtedly vast. Our sect’s founder was a descendant of one such ancient cultivator, though even he knew little of the seal’s exact location—only that it lay somewhere in the Southern Border. Hence, he established our sect here, dedicating generations to its search. Sadly, he never succeeded, leaving it as a secret passed down among elders.”

“But how can you be certain this phenomenon heralds Kunwu Mountain’s emergence? Could it not be another treasure?” the thick-browed elder pressed skeptically.

“Because our founder left behind a Spirit-Sensing Pearl, crafted by his ancestors specifically to detect Kunwu Mountain’s legendary Flying Immortal Stone. Days ago, the pearl in our ancestral hall began resonating—proof the mountain has surfaced. Even without reports of celestial phenomena, I’d have ordered a search.”

“Ah!” The three Nascent Soul elders finally understood, their faces alight with excitement.

“A pity Elder Yuan isn’t here. With all five of our sect’s elders united, this venture would be far safer,” the gray-haired elder sighed.

“Elder Yuan returned from a recent trip acting strangely and is now unreachable. But I’ve left orders—if any disciple spots him, they’re to summon him immediately. For now, we must act before other sects catch wind of Kunwu Mountain’s return. Whether the seal broke naturally or was tampered with, we proceed with caution.”

The green-marked man’s expression darkened as he spoke.