As the sacred energy within Zhang Ruochen’s body circulated according to the eighth level of the **《九天明帝经》 (Nine Heavenly Emperor Scripture)**, something unexpected happened—the spread of the **镜花水月毒 (Mirror Flower, Water Moon Poison)** within his body was suppressed.
Each time the **《九天明帝经》 (Nine Heavenly Emperor Scripture)** advanced a level, the quality of the sacred energy would also improve.
Clearly, the eighth level of the **《九天明帝经》 (Nine Heavenly Emperor Scripture)** had reached a stage where it could resist all poisons.
However, the **镜花水月毒 (Mirror Flower, Water Moon Poison)** was exceptionally potent, which was why it had managed to corrode Zhang Ruochen’s body.
A hint of joy flickered in Zhang Ruochen’s heart. He quietly activated the **净灭神火 (Purifying Divine Flame)** at the **臣焰 (Subject Flame)** level from his dantian, allowing it to flow into his meridians and sacred veins to refine the toxins.
Elder Qi was extremely confident in the **镜花水月毒 (Mirror Flower, Water Moon Poison)**. He firmly believed that no creature below the Great Saint level could suppress the toxin.
Moreover, Elder Qi was a cautious man. He had already received news that Zhang Ruochen was not weak and could manipulate both time and space.
Therefore, he did not approach Zhang Ruochen but stood ten zhang away, waiting for the **镜花水月毒 (Mirror Flower, Water Moon Poison)** to fully take effect.
At that point, he wouldn’t even need to lift a finger—Zhang Ruochen would lose consciousness on his own.
**”Why… why do you want to kill me?”**
Zhang Ruochen pretended to be increasingly affected by the poison, leaning against the wall with his arm trembling violently. In reality, he was buying time.
Elder Qi’s smile grew even more smug. **”The targets of your orders were too obvious. It’s clear you wanted to deal with the most outstanding young talents of the Heaven Realm faction. How could I let you have your way?”**
**”Are you a core assassin of the Death God Temple, or are you a cultivator from the Heaven Realm faction?”** Zhang Ruochen asked.
**”Both,”** Elder Qi replied with a laugh. **”Is there a conflict? Haha! Young man, you’re still too inexperienced. You need to learn to hide yourself. The more you show off, the quicker you’ll die. Only by staying hidden can you strike unexpectedly.”**
Zhang Ruochen said in a deep voice, **”As far as I know, the Death God Temple doesn’t belong to any single realm. It’s a completely independent force. I am a distinguished guest of the Death God Temple. If you kill me, won’t the higher-ups of the Death God Temple come after you?”**
Elder Qi looked at Zhang Ruochen as if he were an idiot. **”I’ve been with the Death God Temple for hundreds of years. With my current status and position, I can easily come up with an excuse to cover this up. For example, you couldn’t afford the 1.6 billion saint stones and tried to escape. I intercepted you and accidentally killed you in the process. It’s a perfectly normal explanation, don’t you think?”**
Gradually, Elder Qi sensed something was amiss. His eyes narrowed as he shot a sharp glance at Zhang Ruochen. **”It’s been so long. The **镜花水月毒 (Mirror Flower, Water Moon Poison)** should have spread throughout your body by now. How are you still able to speak?”**
**”Swoosh!”**
Worried that something unexpected might happen, Elder Qi used his sword control technique to send the **水月剑 (Water Moon Sword)** flying toward Zhang Ruochen.
The sword moved like a silver serpent.
As the sword rotated, countless sword energies gathered, forming a circular barrier of sword light.
**”This old man is too decisive. I haven’t fully refined the **镜花水月毒 (Mirror Flower, Water Moon Poison)** in my body yet. What should I do?”**
Just as Zhang Ruochen was distracted, the **镜花水月毒 (Mirror Flower, Water Moon Poison)** surged back, causing half of his body to go numb.
**”Damn it, why is this poison so hard to refine? Mo Yin, hold him off for now.”**
Zhang Ruochen called out.
From Zhang Ruochen’s back, a mesmerizing figure flew out, materializing into a stunning beauty.
She held the **无尽刀 (Endless Blade)**, which glowed like a blood moon, and slashed forward.
**”Boom!”**
All the sword energies shattered.
The **水月剑 (Water Moon Sword)** and the **无尽刀 (Endless Blade)** collided head-on. The clash of silver and crimson light was like two massive metal mountains crashing into each other, causing the entire refining pavilion to tremble violently.
Mo Yin was forced back two steps, but a smile appeared on her crystal-clear face. **”Old man, your cultivation is quite profound. No wonder you dared to target my master.”**
Elder Qi hadn’t expected such a turn of events.
When he glanced at Zhang Ruochen, who was sitting against the wall, his expression changed again.
He saw that Zhang Ruochen’s semi-transparent arm was slowly returning to normal.
Could it be…
Was he actually refining and purifying the **镜花水月毒 (Mirror Flower, Water Moon Poison)**?
Elder Qi, who had cultivated for over a thousand years and had vast experience, quickly regained his composure. He decided to end the fight quickly. Dark demonic mist surged from his body, and his aura increased several times over, making him resemble a peerless demon. His voice was icy cold: **”Girl, the blade in your hand—isn’t that Wang Tian’s **无尽刀 (Endless Blade)**?”**
**”You’ve got a good eye, hehe!”**
Mo Yin showed no fear. Her black hair transformed into lightning-wrapped vines, extending outward like coiling pythons, filling the entire refining pavilion.
**”Wang Tian was such a formidable young talent, yet he died at your hands. It seems everyone has underestimated you, Zhang Ruochen. Today, I must kill you even more.”**
Elder Qi held the **水月剑 (Water Moon Sword)** and drew a circle in the air.
The sword light was blinding, like a dazzling full moon.
**”Swoosh!”**
The moonlight condensed into a single point and shot toward Mo Yin in an instant.
Mo Yin had already activated the **无尽刀 (Endless Blade)** to its full power, slashing out to meet the light point. The collision unleashed a devastating force, nearly knocking the blade out of Mo Yin’s hand.
**”This old man is too powerful. He must be at the seventh-step Saint King realm.”**
Mo Yin prepared to mobilize the Truth Rules to counter Elder Qi.
However, before she could activate the Truth Rules, the light point that had clashed with the **无尽刀 (Endless Blade)** suddenly veered to the side, shooting toward Zhang Ruochen, who was still sitting on the ground.
That light point was the tip of the **水月剑 (Water Moon Sword)**.
**”It’s so fast!”**
Mo Yin knew that speed was the assassin’s forte. It was too late to intercept the attack, so she could only send out a dense network of vines to attack Elder Qi, hoping to stop him from getting closer to Zhang Ruochen.
**”The Devouring Saint Flower is indeed powerful, but you’re only at the fifth-step Saint King realm. You can’t stop me.”**
Elder Qi severed all the vines and charged forward, thrusting his sword toward Zhang Ruochen.
As the sword tip drew closer to Zhang Ruochen’s head, Elder Qi’s smile grew wider. **”Zhang Ruochen, your life is worth a fortune. Now, all the bounty belongs to me. Haha!”**
**”Boom!”**
A black skeletal hand reached out and slapped the **水月剑 (Water Moon Sword)**, sending Elder Qi flying backward.
**”What is this…?”**
Elder Qi, mid-air, widened his aged eyes in shock.
A massive black skeleton stood in front of Zhang Ruochen, emanating a power aura no weaker than Elder Qi’s.
A seventh-step Saint King-level undead?
**”It’s the **易皇骨杖 (Yi Emperor Scepter)**. How did it become so powerful?”**
Elder Qi was filled with questions, but he had no time to ponder. Mo Yin activated the Truth Rules, unleashing triple the attack power, and slashed at him with the **无尽刀 (Endless Blade)**.
Elder Qi quickly gathered his saint energy, using the sword light of the **水月剑 (Water Moon Sword)** to form a mirror several zhang in size.
**”Boom!”**
Elder Qi crashed heavily to the ground, shattering the **玄冰圣玉床 (Mystic Ice Saint Jade Bed)** into pieces.
Kneeling on the ground, Elder Qi’s white hair was disheveled, and his eyes turned blood-red. He laughed, **”Impressive! Even after being poisoned by the **镜花水月毒 (Mirror Flower, Water Moon Poison)**, you’re still so hard to deal with. No wonder Young Master Zihang has failed to kill you multiple times. Fortunately, you’re trapped in my refining pavilion. Otherwise, you might have escaped again today.”**
Mo Yin twirled the **无尽刀 (Endless Blade)** and swayed her slender waist, walking over to stand beside the black skeleton. She smiled seductively, **”With me and Yi Emperor here, it won’t be so easy for you to harm my master.”**
Elder Qi sneered and raised both hands, pouring demonic energy into the refining pavilion.
**”Crackle!”**
The floor, walls, and ceiling of the pavilion lit up with intricate killing patterns, unleashing powerful waves of attack energy that struck Mo Yin, the **易皇骨杖 (Yi Emperor Scepter)**, and Zhang Ruochen.
The attacks aimed at Zhang Ruochen were all blocked by Mo Yin.
The attacks from the refining pavilion grew increasingly powerful, reducing Mo Yin’s vines to dust and forcing her into a defensive stance.
The **易皇骨杖 (Yi Emperor Scepter)** charged at Elder Qi, but the sixteen bronze lamps hanging in the air formed a formation, suppressing it completely.
**”Boom! Boom! Boom!”**
Inside the refining pavilion, lightning flashed and thunder roared as dense killing lights crisscrossed the space.
However, outside the pavilion, everything was calm. Ji Fanxin and Xie Chengzi had no idea that Zhang Ruochen was in danger and continued to wait quietly.
Elder Qi, holding the **水月剑 (Water Moon Sword)**, strode toward Zhang Ruochen and Mo Yin. **”I spent almost all my savings to build this refining pavilion. The formations inside are powerful enough to deal with eighth-step Saint Kings and can even trap ninth-step Saint Kings for a short time. Here, you’re at my mercy.”**
The **水月剑 (Water Moon Sword)** emitted four layers of saint energy, unleashing its full power.
The blinding sword light turned the space into a silver world.
Mo Yin was secretly anxious. She wanted to charge at Elder Qi, but the attacks from the refining pavilion kept her pinned down. As soon as she took a step forward, a thin light thread pierced through her body.
**”Ugh…”**
Mo Yin quickly retreated. From her feet, a wave of **净灭神火 (Purifying Divine Flame)** surged toward Elder Qi.
However, before the flames could reach Elder Qi, they were extinguished by the power of the pavilion’s formations. Instead, a bone-chilling cold rushed toward Zhang Ruochen and Mo Yin.
**”I’m tired of playing with you. Let’s end this now!”**
A fifth layer of saint energy erupted from the **水月剑 (Water Moon Sword)**, unleashing its full power. Elder Qi swung the sword, sending a devastating sword light toward Zhang Ruochen and Mo Yin.
The sword light was as sharp as a silver waterfall, causing the air inside the refining pavilion to churn violently.
Just as Mo Yin and Zhang Ruochen were about to be struck down, Zhang Ruochen, who had been sitting on the ground, suddenly opened a silver book.
Instantly, the space inside the refining pavilion was divided into multiple layers, and the direction of space was twisted.
The sword light that had been flying toward Zhang Ruochen suddenly reversed direction and shot toward Elder Qi.
**”Pfft!”**
Elder Qi, caught off guard, reacted too slowly. The sword light struck him, cutting his body in half.
In an instant, blood sprayed everywhere, and Elder Qi let out a blood-curdling scream.
Zhang Ruochen’s face was still pale, like a frail scholar. Supported by Mo Yin, he slowly stood up and said weakly, **”Hand over… the antidote for the **镜花水月毒 (Mirror Flower, Water Moon Poison)**… and I’ll let you die… painlessly…”**
