Poison Cultivation

"Liu Wei? It's you?!"

Chen Luo narrowed his eyes, feeling puzzled. He never expected that the attacker would be him.

They thought that they had known each other for many years and that they not only had no enmity but had also been kind to each other.

Even if things turned sour later, Chen and Luo only intended to never see each other again and go their separate ways.

Unexpectedly, the tiger intended to harm the man, even though the man had no intention of harming him.

Liu Wei conspired with Hu Bao and others to harm him.

Sniffing the scent emanating from the bone nail, Chen Luo's expression turned cold, a surge of killing intent rising within him. He said disdainfully:

"Using bone-corroding, heart-rotting grass to deal with me is a bit too disrespectful."

As a poison cultivator, the second type of poison he refined was "Bone-Corroding and Heart-Rotting Grass," so he was completely unaffected by it.

Moreover, the "Five Poisons True Qi" is specifically designed to refine and melt poisons, which has already made his poison resistance extremely high.

Liu Wei's attempt to threaten him with such a tactic was a miscalculation.

the most important is,

"Bone-Corroding and Heart-Rotting Grass" is a type of mid-grade first-level poison with extremely severe effects, and there is no effective medicine available on the market.

Those poisoned can only rely on some basic antidotes and their own physical strength to resist the poisoning.

Liu Wei's words were clearly a lie; he was probably just trying to buy time for the poison to take effect.

In fact, that was exactly what Liu Wei thought.

He has already lost today, and the tide has turned. He can only do his best to delay, hoping to drag things out until both sides perish together.

This way, Chen Luo would at least have no chance to take revenge on his wife and children.

But he never expected that Chen Luo would be unafraid of even the poison of the bone-corroding, heart-rotting herb.

What he found even more incomprehensible was how the other party managed to spread the poison to the sea in such a short time.

The ocean is vast and boundless; a single drop of poisonous water falling into it should be diluted and dissipated instantly.

If one wants to force out one's hidden self through poison, one must pour out an immeasurable amount of poison, polluting the entire sea.

But such a commotion would surely be earth-shattering, and anyone who saw it would flee for their life as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, Chen Luo's poisoning was swift and undetectable, yet its effects were potent and undiminished.

"Cough...cough cough..."

Realizing he was doomed, Liu Wei raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, trying to leave himself some dignity before he died.

To everyone's surprise, the more blood was smeared, the more it gushed out, and his internal organs felt as if they were being repeatedly slashed and burned by poisoned blades and raging fire.

He endured the excruciating pain, his breath weak, and asked with difficulty, word by word:

"How... exactly... did you poison him?"

Chen Luo sneered; he used his internal energy, not venom, to poison the fish.

The true energy forms a dense net, which is pushed and spread by the seawater, naturally poisoning the opponent.

However, there's no need to tell him this.

"It's useless for a dying person to know."

His gaze was stern, and his voice was cold:

"I just don't understand. Even though our relationship is distant, I have never bothered you in the slightest. Why do you insist on putting me to death?"

Do you think I'm so easily bullied just because you see me as patient and tolerant?

Liu Wei gave a bitter smile, his strength slowly draining away, his life force almost completely gone, clinging to his last breath:

"I just...want to find out...the secret you're hiding..."

His voice trailed off, his body grew weaker, and with his last ounce of willpower, a pleading look appeared in his eyes:

"Please... spare... my wife and children..."

Having said that, with bloodshot and pleading eyes, he finally collapsed onto the sea.

Watching his old neighbor being poisoned to death, Chen Luo's expression shifted slightly, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

Every husband is not guilty, and he is guilty of his crime.

He couldn't hide the fact that his cultivation had recovered, so he had already prepared an excuse, only saying that he was cured by a Foundation Establishment senior.

Before the news could even spread completely, it attracted covetous eyes and assassins.

The first to take action was his "good" neighbor.

"Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor; don't worry, I won't harm your wife and children."

Chen Luo lowered himself down, searching Liu Wei's storage bag while muttering to himself.

The cultivation world is a dog-eat-dog world. Without Liu Wei's support and protection, Liu Wei's wife and children will eventually be devoured by others.

After all, there are quite a few thugs and hooligans like Hu Bao.

So there's no need for him to do it himself.

Chen Luo removed all five people's storage bags and inspected them one by one.

Liu Wei's storage bag was mostly filled with herbs and elixirs, with only seven spirit stones. However, the bone-piercing nail he obtained was a first-grade high-quality magic weapon, and after years of refinement, it was full of spiritual energy.

If sold in the market, it would fetch at least 120 low-grade spirit stones.

However, Chen Luo would not sell such a good thing.

The Bone-Piercing Nail belongs to the category of concealed weapons, specifically designed to break through protective shields and true qi; it perfectly complements Chen Luo's identity as a poison cultivator.

Moreover, as a first-grade high-quality magic weapon, its materials are of the highest quality.

He could use the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect's techniques to refine it again, making it even stronger.

Besides Liu Wei, the next richest person was Hu Bao.

The other party generously sponsored a mid-grade first-tier magic weapon called "Dragon-Locking Net," along with twenty-four low-grade spirit stones.

Perhaps due to his lending business, this young man had accumulated quite a bit of savings, which made Chen Luo overjoyed, and he almost wanted to clasp his hands together in gratitude.

"Thank you for nature's bounty!"

The remaining two henchmen, Ah San and Ah Si, each contributed eight low-grade spirit stones and several first-grade low-grade talismans.

Zhang Sheng was the poorest.

Despite being at the same level of Qi Refining, his gambling habit may still be unchanged, as he only had three low-grade spirit stones and sixty-four broken spirit stones in his pocket.

There were only a few talismans, and they were all low-grade.

As for elixirs and magical artifacts, there wasn't a single one.

After removing the miscellaneous items, Chen Luo obtained a total of forty-two low-grade spirit stones and sixty-four broken spirit stones.

"Indeed, murder and arson bring wealth, while building bridges and repairing roads leaves behind corpses. If one were always honest and upright, how could one accumulate so much money?"

The temptation was too great, and for a moment, Chen Luo couldn't help but think of becoming a full-time calamity cultivator.

However, he quickly suppressed the thought as soon as it arose.

Robbery may seem like a quick way to make money, but in reality, it involves extremely high risks.

Living on the edge of a knife every day, with no hope of tomorrow, is not a sustainable solution.

Rather than risking one's life for a pittance, it's better to be an honest alchemist.

"It's just spirit stones," Chen Luo firmly believed. "Once the 'Blood Invigorating and Body Tempering Pill' is refined, I can snatch it even more fiercely and quickly than a Tribulation Cultivator."

With this belief, his passion for alchemy grew even stronger.

They hurriedly set fire to the five corpses and flew back towards the market.

Upon arriving at the city gate, one would see that the area in front of the archway and notice board was already packed with a dense crowd of people.

This notice board has always been the place where the Sanxia Sect issues orders and publishes documents. In the past, it was also used to post execution notices, publicly executing those who robbed cultivators and displaying their names to maintain order in the mountains and seas.

Chen Luo rode the wind, landed gracefully, and silently blended into the crowd, glancing up at the notice.

Originally a newly issued edict from the Sanxia School, the calligraphy was vigorous and the characters were weighty:

"A proclamation to all cultivators of Qingxia Pavilion in Seven Star Sea:"

A deep-sea hurricane has already formed 125,000 li south of Fangnan, its power overwhelming the vast ocean, and it will soon pass through and make landfall.

When this typhoon strikes, the islands will be flooded and the waves will be towering. Countless sea creatures will take advantage of the chaos, forming ferocious tides that will wreak havoc on all frontiers.

All cultivators at the fifth level of Qi Refining or above are welcome to register at the hall to jointly defend the coast and protect the island.

The Sanxia Sect rewards meritorious service with generous gifts of spiritual stones and elixirs, never failing to honor its commitments.

"We are all in the same boat, working together to safeguard our foundation, so that all may know of this."

Upon hearing the imperial edict, the group of independent cultivators frowned deeply, whispering amongst themselves, their voices filled with sorrow.

Someone sighed in a low voice:

"The hurricane attracts sea monsters, which is a rare ferocious tide that occurs only once every few decades. This time it is another life-or-death calamity. Truly, the way of heaven is full of trials."

A cultivator standing nearby, his face ashen, interjected:

"Last time, during the beast tide, my brother perished in the jaws of whales, his remains never recovered. I truly have no desire to remain in Qingxia Manor any longer; it would be better to leave for distant lands."

Someone else sneered:

"Where can you go? The Seven Star Sea is inhabited by sea beasts. Without the protection of the cultivators' formation, drifting alone on the ocean, you will eventually die."

Another person, filled with compassion, slowly said:

"If we stay here, we can still be protected by the array; but the thousands of ordinary people on the island are helpless and alone. If we cultivators all flee, what will become of the common people?"

The last young cultivator looked helpless and sighed bitterly:

"I just married my virtuous wife in the mortal world the day before yesterday. We are still deeply in love. If I leave, I will be reluctant to leave my wife and children; if I stay, I fear that disaster will befall me. I am truly torn between two options."

For a moment, sighs echoed from the crowd, and a layer of unyielding sorrow hung between the brows of all the cultivators.