The man remained silent, his expression fixed in place. Whether the shock of this inquiry left him stunned or he had long given up, Qin Yun couldn't tell either way. He could only press further, hoping to elicit the reaction he had hoped for.

  "Any toxin has a cure," he said, gauging the man's expression closely. "Did no one offer you any remedy?"

  A muffled chuckle emerged from Elder Guo's mouth, only to become a loud laughter soon after. However, Qin Yun could clearly feel the origin of this laugh. It lay in desperation and resignation as if he had already given up all hopes, and Qin Yun had only brought back unhealed wounds to the surface.

  “You think you can buy my loyalty with false promises?” Elder Guo said, a slight trace of anger now within. Still, his gaze was filled with pain rather than indignation.

  "I spent my whole life researching poisons, mixing many exotics and virulent substances in the hopes of creating something unique—something that had never been birthed to this day," he added. “All of it was for the Cult—all of it for what the Emerald Lord represented.”

  His voice then grew much calmer and sombrer, yet there was also a slight trace of pride within.

  "I succeeded," he said. "A poison so potent that not even I was spared. Of course, the Cult wished to get their hands on it, but this was my masterpiece, the culmination of my life's work. It burrows through a cultivator's flesh, nesting in their core, only to be fully unleashed upon their demise, killing all exposed. How could I let something so miraculous be used for their petty power struggles."

  Qin Yun's eyes opened wide, remembering what he had witnessed within the depths of the burial chamber deep within the desert sand below the city. It described exactly how the Forgotten One had perished. A poison fatal to even Peak Soul Formation Cultivator was potent but also rare. In fact, the materials alone would be worth a fortune. Yet, another thing caught Qin Yun's attention.

  "Is that why you were sent here, a mere outer sect elder?" Qin Yun asked, only for the man to remain silent, eyes slightly narrowed. Yet, from his expression alone, Qin Yun could infer some things.

  “I’d assume the cult was less than enthralled to be denied its use after the investment they made into its creation,” he added. “They took everything you had and banished you away to this forsaken city, yet they couldn't kill you outright, only hoping you'd capitulate. Am I wrong?"

  Qin Yun noticed the man's hand turning white as he grasped the tea cup firmly, even making creaks as if it was on the verge of shattering, yet his expression remained calm, almost as if he had cut the memory of such a time from his mind, yet the flesh remembered.

  “That’s quite the tale,” the man replied, yet there was a quiver in his tone. “How would you even know?”

  “It’s only too common,” Qin Yun shrugged. “Besides, your poison has already been used—in this very city, no less.”

  The man rose, pushing his chair away, only for outrage to flash on his face. He banged the cup on the table, shattering it in the process, splinters exploding in all directions as the elder's Nascent Soul might spread within the room, covering every inch of the place.

  Qin Yun felt a massive pressure on his skin as if he were on the sea floor with an ocean above his head. However, it was much lighter than he expected. In fact, as the elder exerted this pressure, Qin Yun could see the black on his fingers propagate toward his heart, turning his veins black, which made for an eerie contrast against his pale skin.

  Less than a moment later, the pressure receded, alongside Elder Guo’s fury, only to be replaced with an unending cough which resulted in blackish grey blood being spilled from the man’s mouth, staining the floor, only for the grey part of it to sublimate into the air and disappear.

  Qin Yun lost his calm for the first time, looking at the man in complete shock. Unlike He Zihao's condition, which resulted from corruption, this was clearly done through poisoning. Yet, a trace of corruption lingered within the man's blood, almost as if to use him as a vessel, hiding in plain sight. It had even escaped the detection of his tribulation qi, which always reacted strongly against the corruption as if it was its antithesis.

  “You actually did this?" Qin Yun muttered before adding aloud, almost in a rage. "Did you not think of the consequences of creating such a thing? Did you think you could control it?"

  While a slight trace of anger remained, Qin Yun's outburst prompted the elder to regain most of his calm. As he finally regained his breath, a slight trace of blackish blood remained at the corner of his mouth, which he wiped away with a handkerchief, only for it to dissolve almost immediately into the corrosion. Even the room's stone floor now had a slight indentation where the blood had fallen, producing traces of dark smoke dissolved within the atmosphere.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “I’m a scholar by nature,” the man said, yet Qin Yun could feel the sneer in his tone. “Nothing is sacred, just as nothing is taboo, only the truth matters.”

  "Did you turn your research over to the Cult?" Qin Yun asked, weighing each word.

  "My research's findings are mine and mine alone," the man replied after a slight pause. "Whether I share them is up to me. Still, I can't believe they would use it in this way. They saw firsthand what it did to me..."

  “What did you expect?” Qin Yun scoffed. “Did you think they wouldn’t be attracted to a way to wield the corruption to achieve their heart’s desire? How naive can you be?”

  "I do not have to explain myself to you," Elder Guo said, his aura surging as it spread within the room. However, it was much more subdued and controlled this time than during his earlier outburst. "I do not know who you are or where you came from, but even if Zou Lan favours you, you cannot escape the fact that you are merely a trespasser within these halls. I offered you courtesy as a gesture of goodwill, but that is all you are entitled to. Now, I should punish you for your insolence!"

  A thin green mist spread from the man's body, like waves on a stormy sea, crashing onto Qin Yun with such force that he had to take a few steps back, if only to resist them, his hands raised to protect his head.

  Yet. Qin Yun stood tall under the pressure, undaunted even as the might of an ocean crashed upon him. His body withstood it all without breaking, allowing the pressure to flow through him. However, he couldn’t stop the thin green mist from seeping into his pores.

  It flooded his system, wreaking havoc in its wake, seeking to destroy all in its path as if a miniature army armed with countless microscopic bladed instruments, slashing away with abandon at each and every cell, wishing to tear them apart.

  What a potent poison! Qin Yun thought, yet showed no urgency.

  His body, forged into an artifact by the Heavens themselves, was extraordinary. While it couldn't prevent the poison from spreading or the damage from being incurred, it could slow down the damage but also repair it faster than it would accumulate. However, sustaining such regeneration took a massive amount of qi. While he possessed more than the average Qi Refining cultivator, and its purity was massively higher, he knew he couldn't contend against it for long.

  Without wasting a second, Qin Yun brought out his black blade, slashing away at the mist, creating a gale that pushed it backwards away from him. Yet, as the fog was formed from qi, physical wind alone wasn't enough to fully affect it; a large portion of it remained, actively gnawing at his qi reserves.

  His mind raced, seeking the best course of action. While he could quickly deal with this with his current means, he would rather avoid others learning of this recent escapade. He had hoped to be a spectator until his existence was uncovered, but it seemed his opponent also grew tired of conversing.

  There was one path he could choose—a contingency he had prepared for just such an eventuality. Yet, before it came to that, he would try to reason again.

  "Does the Emerald Lord deserve such loyalty that you would forgo your one chance at survival?" Qin Yun said, his voice firm and steady despite the pressure and the poison assaulting him.

  The elder couldn't help but frown, unable to comprehend how this young man could oppose him. While he was weakened substantially, he still possessed enough strength to deal with a few dozen Void Core cultivators, much less a Qi Refining one.

  "Again, with your lies," the man said with a sneer. "How could anyone know better than I what my creation can do? If a cure existed, I would have already found it. I gave you a chance, but you will tell me what you hoped to accomplish by coming here. I don't believe you truly expected me to abandon my Lord on such baseless claims!”

  The green mist suddenly turned blackish grey, assaulting Qin Yun with renewed vigour. Qin Yun's veins turned black and ran rampant within his flesh, rampaging like a stampede. While he could stop its spread, were he to be so inclined, he had no time to do so. The battle was fierce as waves of power and clouds of poison and corruption continuously ran through him, keeping him at bay. It was like trying to run upwind through a storm. Every ounce of his strength was used to cut through the gale.

  On the other side, Elder Guo didn't fare any better. Even he wasn't immune to the poison he released. While minuscule, a slight amount infiltrated his own flesh, further deepening the poison's hold on him. Yet, there were no signs of him slowing down. If anything, it only seemed to grow worse from there.

  Consternation appeared on the elder's face, unable to believe his own eyes. He wondered how Qin Yun could stand against the torrent, even as his flesh was corroded by the grey substance. Still, the more he watched Qin Yun struggle, the more he felt his own will rise, ignoring his body's collapse. Somehow, he wished to prevail in this collision.

  Whether it was his pride speaking or his survival instinct finally kicking in after so many years on the edge, he didn't know. He knew that victory was within his grasp as long as he kept Qin Yun at bay. Yet, there was a single detail on his mind. Why hadn't that intruder sought to run away yet?

  As if a waterfall, a torrent of power crashed onto him, yet Qin Yun used his black sword to slash through it, carving a path toward his target. Still, he had to be careful to keep his power in check. He couldn't risk those outside this room knowing what was occurring. Thankfully, the room's formation was fully activated, isolating them from the outside world. Still, it seemed much more fragile than he had hoped. One misplaced cut, with just the right angle, might be enough to collapse it entirely.

  After much thought, Qin Yun chose the most barbaric and safest options for his needs. He stopped slicing and sheathed his sword, only to let the waves crash onto him unobstructed. He felt the elder's whole power ram into him head-on. His body creaked, only for the golden symbols to appear on his skin, shining bright, but also within his core, protecting his vitals from the deadly corruption.

  With only his own flesh to protect him, Qin Yun used himself as a battering ram, breaking the boundary separating them apart, only to finally reach the man. While he didn’t come out completely unscathed, Qin Yun could finally reach his target.

  With a swift motion, Qin Yun clenched his fist and punched, putting most of his weight behind the blow, yet the use of his qi was minimal. The blow tore open the revolving qi around Elder Guo, blasting away the cloud of blackish smoke, revealing a sickly middle-aged man on the verge of collapse, his eyes wide with disbelief.

  His world faded to black as Qin Yun's fist collided with the man's stomach, shattering all his defences in the process, yet Qin Yun didn't reap his life. The green-robed elder fell limply on the floor with a thud, as did Qin Yun shortly after, on a single knee, black veins bulging on his skin, but also the mysterious golden characters pulsing with light.