Chapter Twenty: No Cure

Yi Tianling was utterly shocked, and then even more astonished as he watched Lady Longyue collapse to the ground.

He wanted to check on her, but to his horror, the once youthful Lady Longyue suddenly began to wither.

Yes, wither—her entire form shriveled like a flower, fading swiftly.

Her vibrant appearance vanished in an instant, replaced by that of an old woman, her face wrinkled and spotted, her figure diminished.

“She’s… dead?”

Yi Tianling stared at the unmoving Longyue, cautiously edging closer, craning his neck to take a better look.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan ignored him, not even casting him a glance.

Yi Tianling no longer dared to threaten him, but couldn’t help his curiosity. “Did you kill her?”

Could it be possible?

Surely not?

But if even he could be chosen by something called a system, then someone in the Qi Refining stage might be able to kill a Void Realm cultivator like Longyue, right?

He pressed the system in his heart: [What’s the deal with this person? Why didn’t you warn me?]

The system used to reply instantly, and at length, but today it said nothing, no matter how many times he asked.

Unable to get any answers, Yi Tianling dared not inquire further, standing awkwardly before his opponent.

He carefully took a step back.

What if this woman wanted to kill him to silence him?

Given the situation, he knew he was no match.

Yi Tianling retreated cautiously, feeling the urge to flee.

But he hadn’t taken two steps before bumping into someone.

Startled, he spun around, only to see a tall figure. Before he could see clearly who it was, he was shoved aside.

“Filthy man, I don’t like you.”

What?

Yi Tianling stared at the tall man before him in shock, feeling perplexed.

Who was this?

The man was rather handsome, well-built, with a seductive voice, but his expression was odd.

As Yi Tianling puzzled over this, the quiet little fairy finally revealed a helpless look, turned around, seized the tall man by the scruff of his neck, and dragged him away like a kitten.

Then, with a forbidden technique, she sealed the tall man’s mouth.

He protested, trying to open his mouth, mumbling unintelligibly in his throat.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan felt a headache coming on.

Previously, it was his heart’s fire tormenting him, burning constantly.

Now, with a new body, the torment was gone, but his head started to ache.

It must be this body—something was wrong with it.

He wanted to toss Ning Xianyu aside, but feared she’d wander off looking for women, so he simply wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her like a sack.

Even so, Ning Xianyu didn’t sit still, climbing all over him, trying to cling to him.

She was tall and imposing, yet acted like a child, leaving Yi Tianling thoroughly confused.

These two… what was their story?

Yi Tianling was still wondering when someone else arrived.

This time, it was Su Yun’er.

Su Yun’er was incredibly beautiful, dignified and elegant, her eyes full of charm—a presence so memorable that a single glance lingered.

She approached, first stunned by the scene, then saw that Longyue was truly dead.

She went over to check, then suddenly let out a sigh of relief.

“Master has fallen.”

Wonderful! Farewell, Master!

Yi Tianling wanted to say something, but Su Yun’er quickly urged, “Don’t move. The disciples will arrive soon. I’ll seal this place. Follow me.”

She found the core of the formation, reinforced it, and hurriedly led the three away.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan considered briefly, then followed.

With Ning Xianyu in her current state, he could not control her; it seemed he’d have to ask someone from Flower Melody Isle for an antidote.

Su Yun’er brought them to her residence, set up a barrier, summoned several trusted disciples to stabilize the situation outside.

Once everything was settled, she returned and bowed deeply.

“In desperate circumstances, I beseeched Brother Yi for assistance. Thank you all for your support.”

“On behalf of the disciples of Flower Melody Isle and the other victims, I thank you three heroes for your aid. Thank you.”

She bowed again, sincerely.

Yi Tianling felt puzzled. He glanced at her. “Yun’er, they…”

They’re not my helpers; I don’t know them at all.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan noticed Su Yun’er’s misunderstanding but didn’t bother to explain, simply tossing Ning Xianyu forward.

“Antidote. Passion Flower Poison.”

Su Yun’er noticed something amiss with this person, looked closer, and suddenly realized it was Patriarch Xuan Yuan.

So, Master nearly succeeded.

She felt embarrassed. “For Passion Flower Poison, there is no antidote.”

Her voice grew quieter, for the woman before her was instantly furious, and Su Yun’er seemed to hear something crack.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan drew a breath and asked coldly, “How long does the poison last?”

If nothing else, this woman could simply endure it.

Su Yun’er became even more embarrassed.

“This poison is persistent. It will not dissipate until the victim couples with the opposite sex. Moreover…”

“Moreover, what?”

“Moreover, once they couple with the first opposite sex, they will be utterly devoted—for life, unwavering… I’m sorry!”

The more Su Yun’er spoke, the greater the pressure she felt, as if a thousand blades hovered above her head, searching for ways to sever it.

She was blameless—the poison wasn’t hers, but her Master’s.

Nor had she researched it; her Master had devised it to control the cauldron candidates.

Once a cauldron had coupled with Master, they would willingly submit, never resisting.

She simply didn’t want to perpetuate such evil, nor see the disciples of Flower Melody Isle further victimized, so she sought Yi Tianling’s help to kill Longyue during the cauldron ritual.

But now, though the matter was resolved, a great problem remained, and she was both ashamed and troubled.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan’s anger only grew. “Is there truly no solution?”

Su Yun’er lowered her head. “There is truly no solution.”

Yi Tianling, hearing of such a sinister poison for the first time, couldn’t help but ask, “Yun’er, is there really no other way?”

It was too cruel—if he were poisoned like this, he’d want to die.

Su Yun’er blushed deeply. “There really isn’t.”

She looked at the woman before her, then at Xuan Yuan Tunhan, and tried to console, “Actually, Patriarch Xuan Yuan is powerful, elegant, and…”

Boom!

She meant to suggest that if the two of them coupled, Xuan Yuan Tunhan would be devoted to her for life, which wasn’t a bad outcome.

But before she could finish, the woman before her raised a hand and, with a thunderous crash, Su Yun’er was startled.

She turned to look, and saw that the tallest little island beside Flower Melody Isle was gone.

That island, adjacent to Flower Melody Isle, was an auxiliary isle of crimson rocks, tough and barren, with nothing growing on it—so no one ever lived there.

But now, it had vanished.

No, not vanished—the summit was gone.

Such a solid island, yet she hadn’t seen how the woman struck, and the mountaintop had been sheared flat.

What terrifying power was this?