Yang Guo: I'm invincible in the opening battle against Aunt Guo!

The stone chamber door deep inside the ancient tomb slowly slid open.

As soon as Yang Guo stepped into the passageway, two figures flashed out from the side and blocked his way.

"Brother Yang!"

It was Lu Wushuang and Hong Lingbo.

"Master…" Hong Lingbo's voice tightened, "Is she truly alright?"

"The poison has been neutralized." Yang Guo stopped and said gently, "She's just too exhausted and is asleep now. Miss Long is inside watching over her; don't go in and disturb her, let her rest well."

Upon hearing this, the two women visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

But then, Lu Wushuang bit her lip, looked up at Yang Guo, her small face full of hesitant struggle:

"Then...Brother Yang, how did you detoxify Master? We seemed to hear something outside just now..."

Her ears turned red halfway through her sentence.

Hong Lingbo couldn't help but whisper in response:

"Yes, we heard Master... calling out many times. That voice... sounded strange, like... like a sob, but not quite like he was in pain..."

Both girls were young and inexperienced, completely ignorant about matters between men and women.

Although the commotion inside the stone chamber was not significant, the unique structure of the ancient tomb allowed some faint sounds to escape, which sounded rather ambiguous.

It sounded like pain, or perhaps a sob, and ended with a muffled groan that trembled.

They assumed that their master was in great pain while being treated for poison, but upon closer reflection, they felt that there seemed to be something else inexplicable mixed in with that sound.

Looking into those two pairs of eyes filled with innocence and curiosity, Yang Guo felt a sense of amusement.

He deliberately sighed, a somewhat troubled expression on his face:

"The detoxification process... is indeed somewhat special."

"Special?" Lu Wushuang blinked.

"Hmm." Yang Guo lowered his voice and spoke nonsense with a straight face, "That old poisoner Ouyang Feng's palm strikes are vicious, and the poison has seeped deep into the meridians. Ordinary methods of expelling the poison won't work. We need to use the most yang internal energy to pour it into the major acupoints throughout the body to extract the poison bit by bit."

"Get it out?" Hong Lingbo was taken aback.

"Exactly." Yang Guo nodded seriously. "In the beginning, when the meridians are opened by pure Yang internal energy, there will be a burning and stinging sensation, which is why your master inevitably cried out in pain. But later, as the Yang energy circulates and the toxins are eliminated, the meridians feel as if they have been irrigated with warm water, and the whole body feels comfortable. That feeling..."

He paused, a mocking smile flashing in his eyes:

"It's like soaking in a hot spring in the dead of winter, or having someone massage you to relax your aches and pains. It feels so good that you can't help but hum out loud."

"Comfortable?" Lu Wushuang's eyes widened. "But Master's voice... it sounded like he was about to cry..."

"This is the meaning of 'extreme pain leads to joy, and extreme joy leads to tears'."

Yang Guo shook his head and said, "It's like someone scratching your itch. At first, it's unbearably itchy, but when the itch is touched, it feels so good that you want to laugh and shout. Master Li was deeply poisoned, and when he was being detoxified, the pain and pleasure were intertwined. He couldn't help himself and made some strange noises, which is understandable."

His words described the ultimate feeling brought about by the fusion of internal energy and the surge of blood and qi during dual cultivation to heal poison.

Describing it in this ambiguous way isn't entirely a lie.

Lu Wushuang and Hong Lingbo only vaguely understood what they were hearing.

Yang Guo appeared calm and composed, speaking with certainty.

Then he remembered that when his master was practicing his skills and reached a critical moment, he would occasionally let out a suppressed groan, so he believed it to some extent.

"So that's how it is." Lu Wushuang murmured softly, her face turning even redder.

She inexplicably recalled the feeling she had when Yang Guo massaged her feet, a feeling that made her weak all over and her soul fly away.

Could it be that Master just experienced that kind of feeling...?

Hong Lingbo thought about it more deeply: This young master Yang is young, but his medical skills and martial arts are unfathomable. Even his proud master listens to him.

The commotion inside the stone chamber just now was probably some extraordinary healing technique...

"Alright." Yang Guo chuckled inwardly as he saw that the two women were completely bewildered by his words, but he put on a serious face.

"Your master has just been cured of the poison and is very weak. If you want to see him, you can go in and take a look."

"Yes, Brother Yang," the two women replied quickly.

Yang Guo then turned around and walked towards the exit of the ancient tomb.

As he walked, the playful and languid expression from before gradually faded, and a chill quietly gathered deep in his eyes.

Outside the ancient tomb, under the old pine tree.

Zhao Zhijing and Zhen Zhibing were tied up tightly.

His Taoist robes fluttered wildly in the wind, making him look disheveled.

What terrified them even more was the cold, numb feeling of their blood and qi stagnating after their acupoints were sealed.

And... a desperate premonition of the impending fate.

As the ancient tomb's stone door creaked open and the figure in the green robe slowly stepped out, the two men's pupils constricted, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.

Yang Guo walked up to them and squatted down.

"It's time to settle accounts."

He said softly.

The sound was not loud, and could even be described as gentle.

But to Zhao Zhijing and Zhen Zhibing, it was more biting than the cold wind of December.

"Young...Young hero..." Zhen Zhibing's teeth chattered, and he managed to squeeze out a smile that was more like a grimace.

"Misunderstanding...it's all a misunderstanding! We...we know we were wrong, and we are willing to apologize to the Ancient Tomb Sect. We are willing to offer gold and silver treasures, just begging for forgiveness..."

"Spare us?" Yang Guo interrupted him, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "If we were the ones poisoned today, would you spare the woman in the ancient tomb?"

Zhen Zhibing was speechless.

Zhao Zhijing suddenly hissed, "The victor is king, the loser is villain! Today I've fallen into your hands. Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you! I only regret... I only regret that the Dissolving Power Powder didn't poison you all! I only regret that I couldn't raze the ancient tomb and destroy those vile people..."

Before the words were even finished!

Yang Guo flicked his finger.

A wisp of wind pierced the air and struck a precise acupoint on Zhao Zhijing's throat!

"Uh... Hehe..."

Zhao Zhijing suddenly lost his voice, only able to make strange hoarse noises, but his eyes burst forth with extreme resentment and pain.

Yang Guo's finger strike not only destroyed his vocal cords, but also sent a surge of yin energy into his throat, causing him excruciating pain as if his throat were on fire!

Yang Guo withdrew his hand and turned his gaze to Zhen Zhibing:

"When you harbored lustful thoughts towards Miss Long, did you ever consider that she was also a living, breathing human being? When you poisoned the water source, intending to harm the entire Ancient Tomb Sect, did you ever consider that they also had relatives and teachers?"

Zhen Zhibing was terrified and frantically begged for mercy:

"I was wrong! I really know I was wrong! Young hero, spare my life! Spare my life!"

Yang Guo, however, stopped looking at him.

He stood up and looked up at the Zhongnan Mountains in the twilight.

The mountains rise and fall, and the clouds and mist change constantly.

Such scenery should be an ideal place for quiet contemplation and enlightenment.

Unfortunately... there are always some despicable people who have tainted this land.

"The Quanzhen Sect has been established for a hundred years. Wang Chongyang was once the foremost of the Five Greats in the world. How glorious he was!"

Yang Guo suddenly spoke, his voice carried on the wind, "But in your generation, you have produced nothing but narrow-minded, despicable, and filthy people."

He lowered his head, his gaze returning to the two of them.

That calm gaze sent a chill down Zhao Zhijing and Zhen Zhibing's spine.

"I could have crippled your martial arts, letting you live a wretched life, despised by all," Yang Guo said slowly. "But—"

He paused, then spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Some mistakes, once made, must be paid for with one's life."

As soon as he finished speaking, he pointed a finger out from mid-air!

The wind cuts through the air silently.

Zhao Zhijing's pupils contracted sharply; he tried to dodge, but couldn't move.

"puff."

With a soft sound, a red dot appeared between his eyebrows.

The resentment, fear, and unwillingness in Zhao Zhijing's eyes... all these emotions froze at this moment.

Then, it gradually dimmed and eventually turned into ashes.

His body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

"Senior brother..." Zhen Zhibing trembled violently, his crotch already soaked.

Yang Guo turned his gaze to him.

"No...don't kill me...I don't want to die...I don't want to die!" Zhen Zhibing cried out, tears streaming down his face.

Yang Guo, however, remained expressionless and raised his hand again.

This time, the wind was even stronger.

"Bang!"

Zhen Zhibing shuddered, and a finger-sized hole appeared in the chest of his Taoist robe.

He looked down at the small hole in his chest from which blood was gushing, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Then, he slowly raised his head, looked at Yang Guo, and his lips moved as if he wanted to say something.

But in the end, it failed to make a sound.

His body swayed and he fell beside Zhao Zhijing's corpse.

Yang Guo stood still, watching quietly.

Killing is no longer a burden for him.

A master's mindset, decisive in killing.

When he is merciful, he can heal and save lives.

When ruthlessness is necessary, he will not hesitate.

If we spare these two lives today, it would be irresponsible to everyone in the ancient tomb.

Being kind to the enemy is cruel to yourself.

He understands this principle.

After digging a hole nearby and burying the two people, they...

Yang Guo turned and walked towards the ancient tomb.