Battle Through the Heavens: Xiao Yan, who was kidnapped to another world

Because he had unknowingly been poisoned by the cold, Xiao Yan dared not recklessly use his soul power anymore. Even so, he could still clearly sense the strange fluctuations in the blood-red sky, and those fluctuations...

"A sealed death zone?"

Xiao Yan said with great interest, "If I remember correctly, Zhou Ze just mentioned not long ago that he had entered the Death Zone, and that he had entered it under the guidance of a Dou Wang-level guide."

However, the seal before them did not seem to be something that a Dou Huang or Dou Wang could break.

“A guide is different from an ordinary adventurer,” Zhou Ze turned around and glanced at Xiao Yan. “The Suffering Pill is the best pass.”

"So what you said before, about the Dou Wang-level guide who turned into mincemeat, was a lie?" Xiao Yan pressed.

“No, that really happened,” Zhou Ze shook his head. “Every time the ritual begins, the guide needs to lead at least one fire-attribute and one earth-attribute cultivator into the death zone, otherwise they will be turned into mincemeat by the toxins in the death zone.”

Zhou Ze's voice wasn't quiet, but because the cultivators brought in by the guides were all asking the guides about the situation, no one noticed what Zhou Ze was saying. However, Xiao Yan and Xu Chuan behind Xiao Yan heard it clearly.

"Sacrifice?"

"Pretty much. The core area will only open after enough people die, so that we puppets can continue to live."

Zhou Ze answered Xiao Yan's question calmly.

"...If I hadn't entered the danger zone, would my fate have been the same as theirs?"

Glancing at the adventurers around him who were excitedly discussing whether the death zone contained the inheritance of Dou Zong or Dou Zun, Xiao Yan calmly asked.

“Yes, but you are an alchemist after all…” After nodding, Zhou Ze seemed to suddenly think of something and said hesitantly.

What special treatment do alchemists receive?

Xiao Yan was astonished. The creators of this poisonous swamp had exploited countless guides and killed countless cultivators. Could they possibly offer special treatment to alchemists?

"Yeah, if nothing unexpected happens, they'll die the most horribly."

It was obvious that Zhou Ze's previous statement did not imply any preferential treatment, but the first part of his statement was not too unexpected.

"...However, if you have a different kind of fire, you might be able to completely ignore these."

However, the second half of the sentence made Xiao Yan's expression freeze slightly.

"My purple flames aren't some kind of strange fire." After a brief moment of losing his composure, Xiao Yan curled his lips, looking completely unconcerned.

“I know, that’s why I said if there is a different kind of fire,” Zhou Ze said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's gaze towards Zhou Ze deepened.

According to Zhou Ze and the unknown guide, it is not uncommon for people to be able to enter dangerous areas without a guide; at least it is not the kind of thing that is rare to see in thousands of years.

While Xiao Yan's only distinguishing feature was this one point, Zhou Ze acted as if he was absolutely certain that Xiao Yan possessed a strange fire. From the initial probing with the Twin Dragon Extreme Ice Flame to this now, it was practically an explicit indication—

"There are only twenty-three kinds of different flames on the entire continent. Even if there were hundreds or thousands of each kind, it wouldn't be my turn, a complete novice who only started learning this art halfway through," Xiao Yan lamented. "Ah, if only I had a different flame—"

"Twenty-three kinds of strange fire?" Zhou Ze was clearly stunned for a second.

“It’s just the number of Strange Flames recognized by all alchemists,” Zhou Ze’s reaction was too obvious, but Xiao Yan didn’t intend to expose him at this time. “There may be other special flames that are stronger than beast flames and are not inferior to Strange Flames, but generally speaking, when Strange Flames are mentioned, it refers to the twenty-three Strange Flames on the Strange Flame Ranking.”

"To be honest, the reason I came to this place is because there might be a strange fire here..."

"Netherworld Poison Fire?"

Despite not knowing anything about the Strange Flame Ranking or the twenty-three different kinds of strange flames on it, Zhou Ze accurately pinpointed Xiao Yan's target in that instant.

"Have you seen it before?" Xiao Yan stared wide-eyed in great surprise.

"I've only heard that..." Zhou Ze shifted his gaze somewhat awkwardly, "This seal will only be broken when all the cultivators catch up with us and those Dou Huangs try to 'destroy' it."

"I see," Xiao Yan's gaze fell on the Dou Huangs at the very front of the crowd, "They were clearly the first to arrive here, yet they have to wait for the powerful figures behind them to join forces to break the seal?"

"The location where the fruit grows isn't fixed," Zhou Ze said with a sigh of relief after realizing Xiao Yan wasn't going to continue the previous topic. "In the past, there was no need to worry, since only the guide could eat the fruit born from ordinary rituals..."

"This time, everyone who enters the death zone can take it?"

“Yes,” Zhou Ze nodded, “Moreover, for a poison master at the peak of the Douhuang realm in the Chuyun Empire, the fruit’s effects far surpass those of the Breakthrough Pill, and it can also extend lifespan.”

"I see..." Xiao Yan nodded blankly.

Seeing that Xiao Yan didn't seem to be going to continue speaking, Zhou Ze breathed a sigh of relief and stood in his place.

"Teacher, Zhou Ze must be a descendant of some kind of 'Calamity Poison Body,' right?"

After Zhou Ze turned around, Xiao Yan asked softly to himself, 'If nothing unexpected happens... he should be a descendant of that Dou Zong-level Calamity Poison Physique, right?'

Although Xiao Yan had not sensed the aura of the Calamity Poison Body from Zhou Ze, someone whose peak strength was only at the peak of the Dou Huang realm could speak fluently about the formation of this swamp and even be extremely clear about every detail of the ritual, as if he had personally experienced it...

If all the guides in Suffering Town are descendants of the Calamity Poison Body, then the only remaining answer is that Zhou Ze has a very close relationship with one of the Calamity Poison Body members who once died here.

In this situation, Zhou Ze knew of the existence of the Strange Flame, but knew nothing about the Strange Flame Ranking, yet he acted as if he knew about the Netherworld Poison Flame...

If we exclude the initial Dou Sheng and the later Dou Zun, the most likely candidate is the 'Dou Zong' level Calamity Poison Body.

The question is, if Zhou Ze is indeed a descendant of that 'Dou Zong' from who knows how many years ago, is the Dou Zong with the Calamity Poison Body, who has been in this poisonous swamp for who knows how long, still just a Dou Zong?

"Why don't you think about it? If your deductions are all correct, is that Calamity Poison Body currently at the level of a Dou Zun or a Dou Sheng?" Yao Lao said irritably.

"If it really is a Dou Zun or Dou Sheng, then I can only accept my fate," Xiao Yan sighed. "There might not even be a double-digit number of Dou Zun in the entire Northwest Continent, and Dou Sheng is a complete legend. If such a powerful figure is willing to condescend to stay on this barren continent for a thousand years, then I have nothing to say."

'Are you completely relying on luck?'

"That's not entirely true," Xiao Yan chuckled. "The Calamity Poison Body and the Netherworld Poison Fire... I'm just betting on one possibility: that this old relic didn't fully absorb the Netherworld Poison Fire, and that he cleansed all the toxins from his body in order to absorb it."

The Netherworld Poison Fire is a spirit nurtured by poisonous miasma and contains deadly poison. Even a moment's contact with its sparks will cause severe poisoning. The Calamity Poison Body can indeed be immune to all strange poisons in the world and can even enhance its strength by relying on the poison. Its only drawback is that when its strength is fully enhanced, it will die in agony because it cannot suppress the poisonous fighting spirit in its body.

Although it's unknown whether the 'Dou Zong' was on the verge of losing control of his poisonous fighting spirit when he saw the Netherworld Poisonous Flame, Xiao Yan believed that if the Dou Zong had recklessly absorbed the Netherworld Poisonous Flame, he would have already exploded and died. Therefore, facing the Netherworld Poisonous Flame, which was like a great tonic for those with a calamity-poisonous body, all the Dou Zong could do was to disperse the poisonous fighting spirit in his body as much as possible.

However, as the Dou Zong gradually dissipates his poisonous fighting spirit, the Netherworld Poison Fire will continue to evolve due to his poisonous fighting spirit and the special characteristics of this area.

If everything goes as Xiao Yan predicted, that Dou Zong's current strength might not even be as good as his own strength a thousand years ago.

"In the end, isn't it all about luck?" As Xiao Yan's teacher, Yao Lao naturally knew what Xiao Yan was planning, and said with a helpless sigh.

'At least it's not impossible.' Xiao Yan grinned.

"You should still be careful of the blood poison Zhou Ze mentioned in the death zone," the old physician warned with a sigh. "The cold poison in dangerous areas can directly affect soul power, but the blood poison in this death zone will likely target the physical body directly."

More importantly, Xiao Yan now considers Zhou Ze to be a descendant of the mastermind behind everything. In this case, the so-called 'blood poison' may be a smokescreen put out by Zhou Ze to distract Xiao Yan.

'The future is uncertain!' Xiao Yan sighed deeply.

"You found out?" Zhou Ze, who had been paying close attention to Xiao Yan's reaction, naturally noticed Xiao Yan's long sigh.

"No, it must be a misunderstanding... Never mind, without the strange fire, whether it's a misunderstanding or a guess, it's useless," Zhou Ze grinned. "It's just one more puppet."

Two days later, at the boundary between the danger zone and the edge zone.

Looking at the dangerous area so close at hand, Shi Rui turned his head slightly and looked at the only surviving Dou Huang of the Chuyun royal family, "It's your turn, hurry up."

Shi Rui was in a terrible mood. When he was exploring the edge of the area, he felt that taking a few steps to kill one person was too slow, so he secretly sent a telepathic message to the Poison Sect Elder beside him, asking him to leave the group temporarily and find a free opportunity to fly to the danger zone first.

At the time, Shi Rui didn't realize why an old monster like Xie Biyan didn't choose to fly, nor did he consider why the Dou Huang sent by the Chuyun Empire's royal family, which had been passed down for hundreds of years, always obeyed Xie Biyan.

However, after Shi Rui discovered the death of his Grand Elder, he finally understood everything—

During this grand ceremony, flying was strictly prohibited in the outer areas. The reason why the Izumo royal family did as Sasori Hiromi said was because Sasori Hiromi, who had entered such a grand ceremony for the second time, was very familiar with everything around him. Even the records passed down by the Izumo royal family might not be as familiar as Sasori Hiromi's.

In short, after consuming the life of a peak Dou Huang, Shi Rui understood that the most important thing to do in this Cloud Poison Swamp was to follow Xie Biyan's advice. What Xie Biyan said was definitely not a problem, but what he didn't say must have a big problem!

And so, after consuming the lives of countless fighters, masters, grand masters, and even spirits, they finally reached the boundary between the edge area and the danger zone after two days.

However, after hearing Shi Rui's words, the last Dou Huang of the Chuyun royal family did not answer directly, but looked at Xie Biyan, who was standing leisurely to the side, with some confusion.

"Oh? Have we entered a dangerous area?"

Scorpion Biyan looked as if he had just come to his senses, "Speaking of which, Stone Kid, this is your first time entering the Poison Swamp during a large-scale ceremony, right? In that case, it's not surprising that you didn't know..."

Tsk!

Looking at the disgusting smile on Xie Biyan's old face, Shi Rui clicked his tongue in resentment. As an emerging force, the Poison Sect might not be weaker than the Ten Thousand Scorpion Sect in terms of overall strength, but its information on trial secret realms like the Cloud Poison Swamp was far inferior to that of the Ten Thousand Scorpion Sect.

Ultimately, all of this is simply because the Poison Sect rose to prominence relatively late!

"So, we don't need to send anyone to scout out dangerous areas?"

Despite his displeasure, Shi Rui didn't show any dissatisfaction on his face, since he still needed Xie Biyan to tell him the information about the Chuyun Poison Swamp bit by bit.

Of course, the main reason is that his strength is far inferior to that of Xie Biyan.

'After this trip back, that old guy will probably be a mid-level Dou Zong, right? Tsk, he'll wipe out your entire Ten Thousand Scorpion Sect sooner or later!'

'And the Izumo Imperial Family!'

Shi Rui's gaze fell on the middle-aged Dou Huang. The fact that the man ignored Shi Rui and looked directly at Xie Biyan was undoubtedly the greatest insult to Shi Rui!

“Of course, after all, when a large-scale ceremony begins, the danger zone, which is usually avoided by everyone, will become completely free of toxins,” Xie Biyan said with a smile. “If it weren’t for the fact that there are many records of this in the sect and that I have witnessed it once, I would not believe such a thing.”

"Then, what are we waiting for? Let's head straight for the final area!" Shi Rui revealed a bright smile.

“No, what we need to do now is to lure as many poison masters from the outside world as possible,” Scorpion Bi Yan said with a smile, rejecting Shi Rui’s suggestion. “Your men should have already cleaned up all the people they gathered before, right?”

“…The last one is the one who scouted ahead,” Shi Rui frowned, but finally said it honestly.

"That's good. Here's a security map of the border area. Have your men distribute it!"

"Why bring all the poison masters from outside here?" Shi Rui asked after taking the security map and confirming that the ink on it was still wet and that it had just been completed by Xie Biyan.

"What do you think fruit is?"

Xie Biyan revealed a mocking smile.

Chapter 163 The Seal Shatters

"Heavenly materials..."

After speaking instinctively, Shi Rui suddenly stopped, "The fruit was formed after absorbing the Poison Master's battle qi and blood?!" Shi Rui looked at Xie Biyan with a look of surprise and uncertainty.

Shi Rui's face showed a look of horror, as if he were hearing such cold-blooded words from Xie Biyan for the first time. However, everyone present was ruthless. Even if the so-called fruit was made from human flesh, let alone the fact that it was made from the fighting spirit and blood of a poison master, they would not be surprised in the slightest.

The reason Shi Rui acted this way was simply because he thought everyone present could become nourishment for the fruit.

Seeing the affected expression on Shi Rui's face, Xie Biyan grinned, "What? You, the dignified sect leader of the Poison Sect, would refuse to eat the fruit because of something like this?"

"I just think that such fruit is too outrageous," Shi Rui said, his expression hardening as no one paid any attention to him. "Are there any restrictions on the number of people or the time limit?"

“The more people the better, there’s no time limit… but it’s never good to arrive too late,” Xie Biyan stroked his beard. “Once the first batch of poison masters gets close, we can move deeper into the area.”

"...That would take at least five to six days. If we wait that long, won't the guides have already emptied the Death Zone of everything?" After roughly estimating the time it would take for the first batch of poison masters to arrive, Shi Rui frowned and asked.

“Don’t worry, the seal on the death zone…” A mocking smile appeared on Xie Biyan’s ugly old face, “It won’t be opened before our ‘main force’ arrives.”