He slammed the high platform’s armrest with a mighty blow. The entire hall’s floor suddenly cracked open. Countless dark green poisonous vines emerged from the fissures, like agile venomous snakes, wrapping towards the three of them.
Mo Chen drew his long sword. Sword qi crisscrossed, severing the approaching poisonous vines one by one. “Be careful. These are ‘Heart-Corrupting Vines’. The fine hairs on the vines will burrow into the skin and corrode the heart meridians.”
Hu Mazi then summoned a golden large net. The net’s meshes flickered with rune light, blocking the poisonous vines outside. “Chen Ping, this old thing is at the peak of the seventh rank in the Earth Immortal realm. Beware of his natal poison technique.”
Chen Ping ignored the surrounding poisonous vines. His gaze locked firmly on Wan Du Zi. “Your opponent is me.”
He pressed forward again. This time, his sword moves were no longer fierce chops but incorporated the eerie body techniques comprehended from the sword tomb.
The Dragon-Slaying Sword in his hand seemed to come alive. At times, it transformed into a golden snake dancing wildly; at others, it became a black dragon extending its claws. Every strike aimed straight at Wan Du Zi’s weaknesses.
Wan Du Zi clearly had not anticipated Chen Ping’s swordsmanship to be so bizarre. He retreated repeatedly. His green robe was slashed open in several places by the sword qi, revealing skin underneath like tree bark.
“You little beast. Do you really think this old man fears you?” Wan Du Zi was driven to fury. He tore open his green robe, exposing a black snake-shaped tattoo coiled on his chest.
As he muttered incantations, the tattoo came to life, turning into a two-foot-long small snake. It crawled along his neck to the top of his head, opened its mouth, and flicked out its tongue.
“This is my natal poison gu, the ‘Spirit-Eroding Snake’,” Wan Du Zi revealed a cruel smile on his face. “It will burrow into your sea of consciousness, gnawing at your divine soul bit by bit, making you wish for life but unable to live, and wish for death but unable to die.”
The Spirit-Eroding Snake turned into a black line, shooting towards Chen Ping’s forehead at a speed barely discernible to the naked eye.
Mo Chen and Hu Mazi exclaimed in shock simultaneously. They wanted to rescue him but were tightly entangled by the poisonous vines.
Chen Ping, however, seemed to have anticipated it. He advanced instead of retreating. A brilliant golden light suddenly burst from his forehead; that was the dragon might shield formed after refining the dragon essence.
“Hiss…”
The Spirit-Eroding Snake collided with the golden light, emitting a shrill hiss. It was actually shaken back, with wisps of white smoke rising from its body.
“How is this possible!” Wan Du Zi screamed in disbelief. The Spirit-Eroding Snake was his natal gu cultivated with a hundred years of effort, specialised in countering divine souls, and had never failed before.
In that moment of his distraction, Chen Ping’s sword arrived.
The tip of the Dragon-Slaying Sword stopped an inch before Wan Du Zi’s forehead. The intertwined gold and black sword qi had already pierced a blood hole in his skin.
“You… you can’t kill me!” Wan Du Zi finally felt fear. “I am the valley master of Ten Thousand Poisons Valley. If you kill me, you will be hunted by all the poison cultivators in the Fifth Heaven.”
Chen Ping’s eyes were ice-cold, without the slightest waver. “Did the people of the Hu clan beg you like this back then?”
These words were like a sharp blade, piercing through Wan Du Zi’s last psychological defence. His face drained of colour; he collapsed limply on the high platform.
“Slash!”
Chen Ping exerted force with his wrist. The sword light flashed and vanished.
Wan Du Zi’s head rolled to the ground. Dark green blood spurted from his neck but was thoroughly purified the instant it contacted the baleful aura around Chen Ping.
With Wan Du Zi’s death, those wildly growing poisonous vines withered instantly. The poisonous mist in the hall also began to dissipate.
Hu Mazi looked at Wan Du Zi’s corpse on the high platform. He suddenly knelt on the ground, kowtowing heavily three times towards the direction of the Hu clan. “Ancestors, your descendant has avenged you.”
Mo Chen patted his shoulder, his eyes filled with lament.
Chen Ping walked to the bronze cauldron. The dark green liquid still churning inside had turned into clear water.
He reached out and wiped the bottom of the cauldron, retrieving a jade pendant engraved with the character ‘Hu’. The jade pendant still retained a faint spiritual aura.
“This should belong to the Hu clan.” Chen Ping handed the jade pendant to Hu Mazi.
