Fairy Red Candle racked her brains but could only recall a few poisons similar to this one, yet they were all significantly different. She could only curse the cultivator who concocted this poison in her heart for being sinister and shameless.
Although Fairy Red Candle's actions had been brief, she had used her strongest methods and pills from the very beginning.
Even though her use of Spirit Power seemed like a simple attempt to force out the poison, when the Spirit Power entered Zhong Mengyin's body, it had already transformed in more than ten different ways.
Each transformation contained the principles of immortal arts, but still, she couldn't force a single speck of the poison out of Zhong Mengyin's Dantian.
On the contrary, some of her own Spirit Power was devoured by the unknown gray mist, further strengthening it. How could this not shock and frighten Fairy Red Candle?
"Sect... Sect Master, my... pur... purpose in coming... here..."
"Alright, you don't need to say it. I understand what you mean. If Venerable Wan were here, he would likely save you."
"But Senior Mu... I hope Senior can act out of respect for Venerable Wan..."
Fairy Red Candle naturally didn't dare to speak recklessly about the senior. But since a decision had been made, she immediately turned and bowed gracefully towards the center of the valley.
"Senior, Elder Zhong has been afflicted with a potent poison. This junior is incompetent. I implore Senior to show mercy..."
The female cultivator surnamed Mu had just clashed her Divine Sense with the Nascent Soul cultivator from Windy Cool Mountain. After her own Divine Sense was blocked, the other party had immediately retreated.
She was pondering this matter, feeling that the other side's strong reaction today might signify something was amiss.
Suddenly hearing Fairy Red Candle's voice, she swept her Divine Sense back slightly and understood the situation. Annoyed, she immediately interrupted.
"What does her life or death have to do with me?"
She herself had little fondness for the cultivators of the Desolate Moon Continent, especially these two female cultivators who pleased others with their bodies.
In her heart, female cultivators were no worse than any male cultivator; it was only a matter of whether you were willing to strive for self-improvement.
Although Andong had arranged for these people to assist her, which did relieve her of some trivial matters, it didn't mean she had any good feelings towards them.
Upon hearing this, Zhong Mengyin's face became even more wretched and pale.
She had struggled so hard to fly here, having deliberated and decided that only "being near the water can quench thirst," placing all her hopes on this. She never expected to be rejected so bluntly.
If she could have found Venerable Wan, she certainly wouldn't have come here so rashly. Her chances of being saved by Venerable Wan were much greater.
Zhong Mengyin struggled to her feet and prostrated herself on the ground. Her body was already extremely weak. Just this one movement left her panting for a moment, unable to speak.
Fairy Red Candle did not stop her. She immediately knelt down beside her.
"Senior Mu, we have served the lords with all our hearts and sincerity."
"For so many years, to open the passage between the two realms, we have not only shed blood and sacrificed our lives, but have also not hesitated to sell our own purity in exchange for information that could not be obtained through normal channels."
"Elder Zhong was ambushed this time while ensuring the safety of the valley. Now, a great battle is imminent. Although our spirit power is humble, we are still pawns on the front line. We hope Senior Mu can intervene this once."
As she finished, her beautiful eyes were already glistening with tears. Her words were spoken with such resonance that they carried a sense of righteous indignation.
If Li Yan had heard this, he would have thought that selling one's looks and body could be spoken of with such righteous force.
Hearing this, the frost on the female cultivator Mu's face instantly thickened.
"Oh? According to you, if I don't save her, it would be my Demon Clan that is treacherous? Are you threatening me?"
As she spoke the last words, a pressure filled with killing intent crashed down on the two of them.
Zhong Mengyin was already on the verge of collapse. Before the pressure even reached her, she was crushed into a miserable groan, prostrating herself completely on the ground.
Although Fairy Red Candle's cultivation was higher and she was unharmed, she also let out a muffled grunt and her head slammed directly onto the ground. Blood immediately streamed from her fair forehead.
It was clear that her words had angered the female cultivator Mu, and her punishment was a degree heavier.
But then, she bit her silver teeth and remained with her head to the ground, hands braced, without making a sound.
They both knew that the female cultivator Mu had only released a trace of her pressure out of respect for Venerable Wan. Otherwise, that pressure alone could have killed them both outright.
"Hehe, I didn't realize you were so tough..."
Just like that, after three silent breaths, the cold voice of the female cultivator Mu echoed in the air.
The second half of her intended sentence was, "Since you are so tough, why did you still betray your own race?"
In her bones, she utterly despised cultivators who betrayed their own kind.
But such words could not be spoken aloud. Otherwise, if it reached the ears of those human cultivators, it would be detrimental to the overall situation.
She only spoke half the sentence, but to others, it sounded like praise for Fairy Red Candle.
Fairy Red Candle remained with her head touching the ground, letting the blood flow, her mouth tightly shut, no longer pleading.
The commotion here had already attracted the attention of many people. The female cultivator Mu's eyebrows twitched, and suddenly, she let out a light laugh.
Fairy Red Candle and Zhong Mengyin suddenly felt their chests lighten. The mountain-like weight that had been pressing down on them was gone.
"You and Elder Zhong are both Venerable Wan's trusted aides. You have truly contributed greatly to opening the passage between the two realms. I have also heard of this merit. Out of respect for Venerable Wan, you may bring her over."
The female cultivator Mu's mind raced, weighing the pros and cons. Then she calculated the time; there was still half an hour until the attack.
She considered that the force Venerable Wan had turned was not to be underestimated, and they currently had no backup forces to support them.
Even if she had no good feelings for traitors and female cultivators who sold their bodies, for the sake of the bigger picture, she still had to win them over.
Hearing this, Fairy Red Candle was overjoyed and hurriedly kowtowed repeatedly. Meanwhile, Zhong Mengyin, having been suppressed by the pressure just now, had already entered a semi-conscious state.
The female cultivator Mu had long since detected the potent poison on Zhong Mengyin. To her, it shouldn't be a difficult matter.
As long as the poison had not invaded the Golden Core, her essence soul could still be saved. As for whether Zhong Mengyin's physical body could be saved, that would depend on her own fortune.
After the female cultivator Mu waved her hand to open the restriction, Fairy Red Candle quickly wrapped up Zhong Mengyin and flew to the vicinity of the altar.
Just as she was about to step onto the altar with Zhong Mengyin, the female cultivator Mu, sitting cross-legged on the altar, suddenly changed her expression and shouted angrily.
"You old fool, do you really think I'm afraid of you? How dare you spy on this place!"
As she spoke, a terrifying power erupted from her body, shooting straight into the sky.
This sudden change stunned all the cultivators in the entire valley.
With a deafening "BOOM," two Divine Senses collided high in the sky above the valley, stirring up what looked like a sandstorm, and the very earth trembled.
Then, a resonant laugh echoed from the sky above the valley. "Hehe, you're allowed to spy on my Windy Cool Mountain, but I can't come and have a look?"
It was Xiao Yaoyuan's voice.
Just as Xiao Yaoyuan's voice fell, another voice rolled like thunder. "Are you trying to bully the few with numbers? Do you really think my Demon Clan has no one?"
Then, another "BOOM" echoed above the valley, and a huge, blurry, phantasmal figure appeared in mid-air.
The cultivators in the valley, whose minds were still reeling, were once again struck by that oppressive feeling in their chests. Some with lower cultivation had already tumbled to the ground, their life or death unknown.
Following that, a middle-aged woman's voice drifted faintly. "Even if you are Tie Dong, you are nothing special!"
A similarly blurry, phantasmal figure appeared in the sky and collided with the previous giant figure.
The thunderous voice snorted coldly. "You all are only good at lip service. It seems there's no need for our subordinates to fight anymore. Why don't we have a battle right now?"
"Also, that Fellow Daoist who has been acting in secret, why don't you come out as well? Let Tie have a go at all of you together?"
Tie Dong's voice carried an unparalleled dominance.
"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Tie Dong, you truly live up to your reputation as a Great Cultivator infinitely close to the Late-stage Nascent Soul. How can my meager skills be a match for you?"
Mo Qing's light and airy voice also echoed in the sky, sometimes distant, sometimes near, elusive and unpredictable.
"To deal with a cultivator at the peak of Initial-stage Nascent Soul like you, there's no need for Brother Tie to act. I alone can kill you instantly!" Another powerful voice rang out, and the Divine Sense of another Demonic General appeared.
In just a moment, six of these mighty Nascent Soul cultivators, who were usually as elusive as divine dragons, had appeared in this small valley.
Three Nascent Soul cultivators from Windy Cool Mountain, and three Demonic Generals, faced off against each other. For a time, the area within a thousand li became dead silent.
Whether it was the cultivators on both sides or the beasts that had not yet gained intelligence, all trembled in their hearts, filled with inexplicable terror.
'The final battle, is it finally here?'
This thought arose in the minds of most people almost simultaneously. There was fear, excitement, worry, and anticipation.
Li Yan felt the pressure increase immensely. He didn't dare to even breathe loudly and could only circulate his "Stealthy Night Art" to its absolute limit.
His heartbeat almost came to a standstill, his life force nearly vanished, with only a thread of consciousness, faint and ethereal, keeping him awake in his mind.
'As expected, the other side was prepared for this nameless valley. It's not just this one Nascent Soul cultivator guarding it.'
'Windy Cool Mountain produced three Nascent Soul cultivators, and the other side matched them with three Demonic Generals. How many more Demonic Generals and Nascent Souls are hidden in the shadows is an unknown number.'
Whether they were in the open or in hiding, to Li Yan, any one of them was a flood or a fierce beast, capable of killing him beyond death with a single thought.
On the side of the Windy Cool Mountain cultivators, one person seemed to have intentionally or unintentionally sealed the area where Li Yan was located immediately after their Divine Sense invaded.
In Li Yan's perception, it felt more like they were looking out for him.
If it weren't for this Nascent Soul cultivator from Windy Cool Mountain intentionally or unintentionally blocking the other side's Divine Sense from probing in other directions, Li Yan felt he would have already been exposed.
Li Yan had never met Ancestor Mo Qing, so he was not familiar with Mo Qing's voice or Divine Sense.
He just had a feeling that the last Nascent Soul cultivator from Windy Cool Mountain to appear had a wisp of Divine Sense that had been constantly circling around him.
It was unlike Xiao Yaoyuan's Divine Sense, which was just broadly preventing the opponent's Divine Sense from passing through. In comparison, this last Nascent Soul cultivator seemed a bit more deliberate.
Moreover, the other party had no intention of hiding it at all, clearly telling Li Yan not to worry, as if he had his protection.
Otherwise, if a Nascent Soul's Divine Sense didn't want him to know, Li Yan would be completely unable to detect it.
'Who is this senior? To take care of me like this.'
Li Yan pondered in his heart. He had heard Ancestor Dacen's voice transmission from the back mountain, but this was not the same person.
Regardless of what Li Yan thought, that wisp of Divine Sense would circle for a moment before moving away, then return after a short while.
From this, Li Yan judged that the other party was extremely cautious. While protecting him, they were trying their best not to arouse any suspicion from the enemy Demonic Generals.
In the sky, six somewhat blurry phantasms stood proudly among the clouds of the ninth heaven. Both sides had only used the power of their Divine Sense; their true bodies had not appeared.
Even the female cultivator Mu, while her true body was guarding the "Heaven-Shaking Thunder," had only sent out a phantasm conjured by her Divine Sense into the sky.