A sage master under the pine tree imparted the Dao and taught longevity.

The black bead shot out silently.

A local militiaman caught a glimpse of the dark light out of the corner of his eye, his pupils contracted sharply, and he opened his mouth to shout.

But before the word "small" could be uttered, the black bead had already sank into Xiao Jin's back.

"puff--"

A soft sound, like a needle pricking thin silk.

Xiao Jin's body suddenly stiffened.

He felt a chill in his back, as if an ice pick had pierced his skin and gone straight into his bone marrow.

He wanted to turn around and draw his sword.

But my body was no longer under my control.

The world before my eyes began to spin, heaven and earth turned upside down, the white snow and the dark crowds swirling into a turbid vortex.

He heard someone shouting.

"Master Xiao!"

"Immortal Xiao has fallen!"

He tried to respond, his lips moved slightly, but no sound came out.

Everything was plunged into darkness.

……

The gaunt old man withdrew his hand, subtly shrinking his body into the crowd, like an eel silently slipping into the depths of the commotion.

The refugees were already in complete disarray.

"The immortal has fallen!"

"A person has died! A person has died!"

"If we anger the immortal, we'll all die!"

The local militia hurriedly carried Xiao Jin back to the fortress. The fortress chief was sweating profusely. He sent someone to Songjian Gate to report the news while ordering his men to lay Xiao Jin flat on the bed in the stone chamber.

……

Chen Chuan arrived half an hour later.

Upon receiving the news, he didn't even have time to put on his cloak; wearing only a thin Taoist robe and attaching a talisman, he rushed down the mountain.

The wind and snow lashed at his face, seeping into his collar and cuffs, but he was completely unaware.

The moment he stepped into the stone chamber, he abruptly stopped.

Xiao Jin lay motionless on the couch.

The boy's face was already thin, but now it was completely bloodless, pale to the point of being almost transparent.

The wisp of black energy between his brows had spread to his eye sockets, accumulating into a thick, dark bluish-black mass.

He rushed to the bedside in three quick steps and grabbed Xiao Jin's pulse point.

A chilling aura rushed into his body through his fingertips, causing him to tremble slightly.

What a potent poison!

He closed his eyes, and a wisp of his divine sense probed into Xiao Jin's body.

Within the meridians, a jet-black, poisonous aura passed through, eroding the meridian walls and leaving them riddled with holes.

Xiao Jin's own spiritual energy was desperately resisting, but the black energy was too ferocious, and his spiritual energy was completely devoured as soon as it came into contact with it.

This is no ordinary poison.

It's a demon pill!

He had seen relevant records in the Qingyuan Sect's library—a vicious magical artifact made by demonic cultivators using yin spirits, corpse poison, and resentment as a catalyst, supplemented by dozens of poisons, in yin times and yin places.

Once it enters the body, it's like a bone-deep infection, and within seven days it will inevitably spread to the heart.

At that time, at best their cultivation will be completely destroyed, and at worst they will die and their cultivation will be destroyed.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the surging fear in his heart, and raised his hand to form a hand seal.

A warm, earthy-yellow light shone from his fingertips; it was the [Thick Earth Protecting Meridian Technique] activated by his Earth Spirit Root.

Although this technique is not a specialized healing method, it can use earth-elemental spiritual energy to protect the injured person's meridians and temporarily slow the spread of toxins.

Chen Chuan gritted his teeth and continuously channeled his spiritual energy into Xiao Jin's body.

A stick of incense.

Two incense sticks.

Half an hour.

His Taoist robe was soaked with sweat on the back, the veins on his forehead were slightly bulging, and the yellow light at his fingertips gradually became flickering.

Finally, the spread of the black mist was barely contained.

The dark bruise between Xiao Jin's brows stopped spreading, and his breathing became slightly more even.

He remained unconscious, his lips tightly pressed together, his brow furrowed, as if he were waging a desperate battle against something invisible.

Chen Chuan slowly withdrew his hand and exhaled a long breath.

With his cultivation level, he simply couldn't eradicate the poison of this demonic pill.

who is it?

Who laid a hand on Xiao'er?

Refugees?

impossible!

Where would ordinary refugees get magic pills?

Countless thoughts raced through his mind.

The group of demonic cultivators who wandered into the Great Wilderness Mountain a few days ago, the threat from Wu De, the deacon of the Xuan Yin Cave, the tens of thousands of refugees who suddenly flooded the border, and the demonic core that struck Xiao Jin...

These fragments, like beads, are strung together by an invisible thread.

Chen Chuan's gaze gradually darkened.

What a clever scheme!

The advance party spread rumors in the Jin Kingdom, leading the refugees to the Great Wilderness Mountain.

They then planted spies among the refugees to incite them to attack the checkpoints.

Finally, taking advantage of the chaos, he attacked Xiao Jin.

It must be the Xuan Yin Cave!

Just as he was about to call for help, he suddenly saw a streak of dark light break through the air above the mountain path and arrive in an instant.

The light faded, revealing a figure dressed in a dark purple brocade robe, none other than Wu De, the steward of the Xuan Yin Cave.

Wu De landed in front of the stone chamber, brushed the snow off his robes, and gave Chen Chuan a forced smile and a cupped-hand salute: "Sect Leader Chen, we meet again."

Chen Chuan looked at him, his expression calm and composed, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

"Deacon Wu."

He said calmly, "May I ask what brings you here?"

Wu De smiled, his gaze sweeping over Chen Chuan's shoulder and glancing into the stone chamber: "I heard that your young friend Xiao from your sect suffered an accident, and the cave master specifically ordered me to come and visit him. May I ask... how are his injuries?"

Upon hearing this, the last trace of doubt in Chen Chuan's heart completely dissipated.

Xiao Jin was attacked less than half an hour ago. Before Songjian Sect could even announce it to the outside world, Xuan Yin Cave had already received the news and sent people to "visit" him.

This is an open secret.

Wu De decided to stop pretending and said directly, "Sect Leader Chen, let's not beat around the bush. The demonic pill that afflicted Xiao is called the [Spirit Devouring Pill]. It is a secret recipe of my Xuan Yin Cave. If there is no antidote within seven days, he will surely die."

Chen Chuan's pupils contracted slightly, but his expression remained unchanged.

"condition."

He uttered two words.

Wu De's smile deepened.

He paced back and forth for a couple of steps, hands behind his back: "Sect Leader Chen is a smart man, so I won't beat around the bush."

He pointed to the surrounding rugged mountains: "This area of ​​the Great Wilderness Mountain was previously unmanaged. Does Sect Leader Chen know who used this land before the Songjian Sect was established?"

Chen Chuan did not answer.

Wu De answered his own question: "It is our Xuan Yin Cave."

He turned around and looked at Chen Chuan: "The Great Wilderness Mountain is located at the border between the Qian Kingdom and the Jin Kingdom. It is a deep mountain with dense forests and few people. For many years, my Xuan Yin Cave has used this passage to transport some... um, special products to the interior of the Great Qian Kingdom."

Chen Chuan's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Transporting local specialties?

What are the local specialties?

It's probably one of those demonic pills made by cultivators!

"There used to be a contact person who was specifically responsible for receiving goods coming from the Jin Kingdom."

Wu De continued, "Unfortunately, he was besieged by the Qingyuan Sect a few days ago and died in the Great Wilderness Mountain."

Chen Chuan's heart suddenly clenched.

The demonic cultivator he killed?

It turned out that the person was the contact person for the Xuan Yin Cave.

Seeing his expression, Wu De knew he had remembered and laughed, "Sect Leader Chen, there's no need to blame yourself. That fool ran into your hands on his own; it was his fate. The Cave Master won't hold it against him."

He paused, then changed the subject: "However, the passage to this Great Wilderness Mountain cannot be cut off like this. Now that Songjian Sect is guarding this place on the orders of Qingyuan Sect, the cave master's idea is that our two families should cooperate."

"How will we cooperate?" Chen Chuan asked.

"It's very simple." Wu De held up one finger. "Our goods come from the Jin Kingdom, pass through the Great Wilderness Mountain, and enter the Qian Kingdom. Master Chen only needs to turn a blind eye and pretend not to know, and that will be a great help to us. In return, this amount will be given every year—"

He held up five fingers.

"Five thousand second-tier spirit stones."

Chen Chuan remained silent.

Wu De thought he thought it was too little, so he added, "This is just a preliminary amount. If Master Chen is willing to put in more effort to help with the transfer, the price can double."

He clapped his hands with a smile: "Sect Leader Chen, your Songjian Sect is newly established and needs spirit stones everywhere. Relying on just a few acres of spirit fields, when will you ever accumulate enough? Why not cooperate with us?"

Chen Chuan remained silent.

Wu De took a half step closer, lowered his voice, and said with a hint of deeper meaning, "Besides, who does Sect Leader Chen think our Xuan Yin Cave's goods are sold to?"

Chen Chuan raised his eyes.

Wu De's lips curled into a strange smile, and his voice was so low that only the two of them could hear: "We also have clients within the Qingyuan Sect."

These words struck Chen Chuan like a thunderbolt.

The Qingyuan Sect is a legitimate Taoist sect with a history spanning thousands of years and profound cultural heritage.

If someone within the sect is indeed secretly colluding with the Xuan Yin Cave, then the situation is far more complex than he imagined.

Wu De watched with satisfaction as the fleeting wavering crossed Chen Chuan's face, then straightened up and said with a smile, "Sect Leader Chen, there's no need to rush to answer. Young Friend Xiao has six days left; Sect Leader Chen can take his time to consider it."

He took out a small black porcelain bottle from his sleeve and weighed it in his hand: "This is the antidote for the Soul Devouring Pill. There is only one bottle, and there are no other bottles. When Sect Leader Chen has figured it out, he can send someone to Xuan Yin Cave to retrieve it."

After saying this, he put the porcelain bottle back into his sleeve, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Chen Chuan, and said, "I'll take my leave now."

Chen Chuan stood for a long time in front of the stone chamber.

On one side is the life of my disciple.

On one side is morality and bottom line.

"Turn a blind eye."

Wu De's voice still seemed to echo in my ears.

Chen Chuan closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.

"We are at their mercy, like fish on the chopping block..."