The sight of him falling stunned everyone in the hall. The celestial lord closest to Lan Shu gasped, attempting to help him, only to find himself unable to move, also spitting blood as he collapsed to the floor.
As if some dark enchantment had been triggered, celestial and demon disciples throughout the hall, including Nan Wan, coughed up blood and dropped to the floor, helpless.
“What’s happening?” Bei Chen and the others looked pale, dizzy.
Strangely, Bai Shuo was unaffected; she felt a gentle power swiftly flowing into her delicate spiritual meridians, significantly strengthening her spiritual energy.
Hearing a sound beside her, Bai Shuo turned to see her young disciple, face darkened, forehead against the ground.
“Mu Mu?!” Bai Shuo quickly pulled a bottle of medicine from her Qiankun bag and tried to give it to Fan Yue, but it had no effect. Alarmed, she turned and shouted toward Chong Zhao, “A-Zhao, it’s the Yiren King!”
Even before Bai Shuo finished, Bei Chen, Chong Zhao, and Mu Jiu had already raised their spiritual weapons and aimed them at the Yiren King.
Mu Jiu’s handsome face was ghostly pale as he struggled to swallow back the blood rising in his throat, his hand shaking as he held his small, trembling Wheel of Oblivion. “Yiren King, what have you done?”
On the throne, the Yiren King remained expressionless. With a casual wave, a surge of wild force struck down, and the three of them could no longer hold out. They spat blood and fell to the ground, slipping into unconsciousness.
“A-Zhao!” Bai Shuo rushed toward Chong Zhao, only to be halted by a force blocking her path. She found herself immobilized, staring in shock as the Yiren King descended from the throne. Her hands clenched tightly.
“There was clearly no poison in the wine! How were they all drugged?” she thought, bewildered. These celestial and demon disciples, though stripped of their spiritual powers, were elite young talents from both clans, having consumed countless celestial pills and spiritual herbs. Ordinary poisons wouldn’t affect them. So how had the Yiren King managed this? And why was she the only one unaffected?
The Yiren King slowly approached her, stopping right in front. He seemed curious about her clarity of mind, reaching out to examine her forehead. “Ah, I see. So you haven’t even formed a spirit platform. Girl, you’re a half-immortal, built up through pills, aren’t you?”
No spirit platform? What did he mean? Bai Shuo was even more confused.
“You’re curious about how I managed this?” he asked.
Glaring at the Yiren King in anger, Bai Shuo nonetheless nodded.
“I didn’t use poison at all.”
Perhaps because his plan was nearing completion, the Yiren King displayed unusual patience with her.
No poison? Then what had happened to them? A thought suddenly struck Bai Shuo as she felt the gentle energy within her, and she spoke in a choked voice.
“You made them consume the last Wu Tong Heart Fire?”
The Wu Tong Heart Fire was a priceless treasure of the Phoenix clan, of near-demigod level. Besides its use in forging spiritual artifacts, it could be cultivated for spiritual power. However, the Heart Fire’s power was too intense, only barely manageable by those at the peak of the supreme lord rank, who could refine it within their spirit platform.
There was no poison that could slip past the awareness of these celestial and demon disciples, but if they had ingested something refined by the Yiren King—like the Wu Tong Heart Fire itself—it would explain everything. The Heart Fire’s strength was overwhelming; upon entering their spirit platforms, their bodies simply couldn’t endure it, causing their platforms to shatter, resulting in their vomiting blood.
Bai Shuo was the only half-immortal present, lacking a spirit platform, which meant that the Wu Tong Heart Fire, rather than overwhelming her, acted as a nourishing elixir.
“Smart as expected, though it’s a pity you’re only a half-immortal. Girl, to be sacrificed for my Yiren clan’s sake is a worthy end for you.”
Sacrifice? What sacrifice? Bai Shuo’s eyes widened in horror. What was the Yiren King planning?
Bai Shuo felt as if she’d stumbled into a colossal conspiracy, but she had no chance to ask further. The Yiren King raised his palm, and as darkness overtook her vision, she crumpled softly to the ground.
Just before she lost consciousness, Bai Shuo recalled the Yiren princess who had been protecting Fan Yue. Ever since they left the hot spring, she hadn’t seen her again.
As Bai Shuo fell, Wu Zhao appeared silently in front of the Yiren King.
“Your Majesty, everything is ready.”
“Proceed.”
A trace of hesitation flickered in Wu Zhao’s eyes. “Your Majesty, are you truly going through with this? The Celestial Lord Tian Yu is not trustworthy. If we really kill these celestial and demon disciples, there will be no place for our Yiren clan in the three realms.”
“Don’t worry. After tomorrow, our Yiren clan will no longer be confined to this solitary city.”
The Yiren King gazed into the depths of the night sky, speaking in a slow, deliberate tone.
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