“You!”
Lin Xiao’s expression changed drastically.
In that instant, he sensed a surge of sixth-grade high-level spiritual power emanating from Wen Ruo’s head. The red scale was now infused with the full force of sixth-grade high-level spiritual power.
Wen Ruo was actually a sixth-grade high-level spirit controller!
And she was trying to kill him!
He had just saved her, treated her kindly, and only mentioned the object casually, yet Wen Ruo had directly attacked with lethal intent.
“Swish!”
In this critical moment, Lin Xiao’s spiritual power surged in his mind, attempting to control the small red scale.
At the same time, he quickly turned his body.
Although his spiritual power was equivalent to a seventh-grade junior spirit controller, surpassing Wen Ruo in both speed and strength, her attack was too sudden, and the scale was too close. Lin Xiao couldn’t fully control the red scale, only managing to divert its trajectory slightly.
At that moment, his body had just turned slightly, and the scale, originally aimed at his heart, grazed past the side of his chest.
Pfft!
A spray of blood burst out as a wound, half an inch deep and two inches long, was carved into Lin Xiao’s chest.
Lin Xiao was shocked.
If the scale were an ordinary object, even if he stood still and let her attack, it might not have pierced his current body.
After all, his physical body had reached an extremely tough state.
But this scale was too sharp, cutting through his flesh as if it were tofu. If he hadn’t diverted it in time, Lin Xiao was certain the scale would have pierced his heart.
After the scale passed, Lin Xiao reached out, his palm instantly grabbing for Wen Ruo’s throat.
At the same time, the red scale, which had flown several meters, was fully controlled by his spiritual power. It spun around him and shot back toward Wen Ruo.
“What!” In that instant, Wen Ruo’s expression changed drastically. She never expected that, besides his essence power, Lin Xiao also possessed spiritual power.
A sixth-grade mid-level spiritual power, and this mid-level power was far stronger than her sixth-grade high-level spiritual power.
Wen Ruo tried to retreat, but the distance was too close, and the reversal was too sudden. She had no time to react before Lin Xiao’s hand, brimming with immense force, gripped her throat.
Wen Ruo tried to use her spiritual power to break free, but the scale was now fully under Lin Xiao’s control. In an instant, it flew to the side of her head, hovering by her eye. If she moved, the scale would pierce her skull the next moment.
“You, how do you have such powerful spiritual power?” Wen Ruo, not resisting, said to Lin Xiao in utter shock.
“I’d like to ask you the same!” Lin Xiao said angrily, his eyes glinting with icy coldness.
He had nearly died under Wen Ruo’s attack.
“Why did you suddenly try to kill me?” Lin Xiao demanded in a low voice.
“If I said I had no choice, would you believe me?” Wen Ruo said with difficulty, her throat constricted.
“No choice? I had no intention of harming you. I saved you, treated you as a friend, and you tried to kill me? This is your ‘no choice’?” Lin Xiao questioned furiously.
Her words made no sense to him.
“This object must not fall into anyone’s hands, including yours. Not a single detail can be leaked,” Wen Ruo said slowly. “If you knew what it was, you’d understand why I did this.”
“What is it?” Lin Xiao’s eyes darkened. No matter what it was, under the circumstances where he showed no hostility, there was no justification for attacking him.
If it was truly important, she could have simply not taken it out.
“The scale of a Black Tortoise Poison Scale Fish!” Wen Ruo answered, though in truth, she was merely stalling for time.
“Black Tortoise Poison Scale Fish?” Lin Xiao’s heart jolted.
The Poison Scale Fish was a rare spiritual fish species found in deep seas or pools, named for its hard scales that contained deadly poison.
Even a warrior several realms higher would be instantly poisoned to death if scratched by its scales, making it a rare toxic material.
The Black Tortoise Poison Scale Fish, rumored to be a descendant of the divine beast Black Tortoise and the Poison Scale Fish, possessed Black Tortoise bloodline. Its scales were far harder and more toxic than those of the Poison Scale Fish.
It was said that this poison could even kill a Martial Saint.
Moreover, few high-grade spirit controllers had access to an antidote formula for this poison.
Lin Xiao only knew of this spiritual fish because of the Devouring Heaven Spirit Emperor’s memories.
The more he knew, the more he understood the terror of this poison.
“You!” Lin Xiao’s anger surged, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.
A scratch from this scale could potentially kill even a Martial Saint, let alone him, with a two-inch-long wound.
He couldn’t refine an antidote immediately, nor was he confident he could find the necessary materials in time.
“Swish! Swish!”
At this moment, Lin Xiao felt intense pain at the wound, spreading through his body.
Looking down at his chest, he saw the wound had turned black, with the surrounding area dark and purple, clear signs of poisoning.
Lin Xiao slightly circulated his essence power, trying to block the poison through his meridians.
However, he found that the more he circulated his essence power, the faster the poison spread. His essence power couldn’t contain it at all.
“Heh, the poison in the Black Tortoise Poison Scale is said to kill even a Martial Saint, let alone you. The more you use your essence power, the faster the poison spreads, and the quicker you’ll die. Only I can provide the antidote,” Wen Ruo said with a cold laugh as she saw the poison taking effect.
“I told you, you’re an unlucky guy. The moment you met me, I knew it would come to this,” she added.
“What a venomous woman!” Lin Xiao’s eyes flashed with cold fury, an urge to kill Wen Ruo rising within him.
He had shown her kindness, yet she was so vicious, plotting against him, a stranger with no enmity, with such ruthlessness and cruelty.
Possessing sixth-grade high-level spiritual power, she had hidden it all along, letting him kill the Jiang family members, pretending to be friendly to lower his guard, and then taking out the Black Tortoise Poison Scale to strike.
At such close range, anyone else would likely have died instantly, with no chance to react.
Even though Lin Xiao’s stronger spiritual power allowed him to avoid a fatal blow, the poison of the Black Tortoise Poison Scale was enough to kill him.
She left him no chance of survival.
Such a scheming and vicious woman was only the second Lin Xiao had encountered.
The first was Feng Lanyue.
This woman’s cunning was likely on par with Feng Lanyue’s.
He had mistakenly associated her with Chen Qing’er, but their characters were worlds apart.
Only now did Lin Xiao understand why Wen Ruo faced threats with such calm and indifference. With her strength and mindset, the danger was only to the Jiang family, not her.
He also understood why Jiang Yue called her a venomous woman and wanted to kill her outright.
A woman like this, kept close, could be deadly at any moment.
