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**
The vortex of gray-white poison qi spun at high speed, as an endless tide of Woeful Origin Poison Qi surged continuously into that rounded demonic core.
And as more and more poison qi poured in, the size of the demonic core began to shrink at a slow yet eerie pace.
Meanwhile, the pseudo-pill within gradually drifted closer to the demonic core, slowly merging into it.
Everything proceeded in perfect order, going smoothly. The taut string in Xian'er's heart finally relaxed a little.
Now, all that was left was to quietly wait until the demonic core had fully absorbed the vast Woeful Poison Qi and completely transformed into a Poison Pill.
Once the Poison Pill condensed, the Woeful Poison Body would finally fall under Xian'er's complete control, no longer like a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment.
By the side, Wei Yang, who had been silently observing, also exhaled a breath of relief, a faint smile rising in his eyes.
All that remained was to patiently wait for Xian'er's transformation to finish.
He quietly turned around and stepped away.
—
Northern Region of Central Plains.
Deep within a vast icy plain, inside a towering grand hall, an aura of cold intent faintly spread out.
"Tian She is dead. Bing Yuan, Bing Fu, along with forty Dou Huang, have all fallen as well. In nearly the last several decades, this is the greatest loss my Ice River Valley has suffered."
Inside the icy grand hall—
At the foremost seat, a figure clad in white robes sat upon a frosty throne. A pair of emotionless eyes glanced at the gathered people below. From his mouth spilled a calm voice, yet it caused the hall's chill to spike abruptly.
"Who can tell me the details of this matter?"
"Valley Master, Elder Tian She was on an errand to the Pill Region. On his way back, he encountered five people, and it seems some conflict arose between them." A middle-aged Dou Zong man bowed respectfully as he reported, "Those five were very powerful. Four of them were Dou Zong experts, and there seemed to be one Dou Zun among them."
"Dou Zun? What star Dou Zun?"
Upon hearing this, a ripple finally stirred in the white-robed figure's eyes as he asked.
The people in the hall frowned at those words.
Five people—four Dou Zong, one Dou Zun.
Such a lineup was something even Ice River Valley would need to treat with caution.
"This… I do not know. Because at the time, no one dared approach that battlefield, so the information is limited."
The middle-aged Dou Zong hesitated before respectfully adding, "However, it is said Elder Tian She lasted quite a while under their combined assault before he finally fell. Therefore, I suspect the opponent was at most a One-Star Dou Zun, and likely had only just advanced not long ago."
"Heh, I know Tian She's strength. If he could last so long even while surrounded by five, then the enemy's strength shouldn't be too overwhelming. That Dou Zun was most likely indeed a freshly advanced One-Star Dou Zun."
An elderly voice suddenly rang out.
Everyone turned toward its source, and in one corner of the grand hall sat an old man dressed in white fur robes.
He was the only one besides the white-robed figure upon the icy throne who had the qualification to sit here.
This elder wore a kindly smile. Yet when speaking of a Dou Zun, his tone carried none of the instinctive reverence that most people would betray.
"A newly advanced One-Star Dou Zun, hm?" The figure on the icy throne nodded faintly, his finger tapping lightly upon the wide armrest.
A one-star Dou Zun was nothing to fear.
Not to him.
Not only the newly advanced, even the old and seasoned—within his eyes, they amounted to little.
What truly concerned him now was this: where did those five come from?
Four Dou Zong, one Dou Zun—such a force was not something just any ordinary faction could muster.
The Central Plains, vast as it may seem, was actually quite small.
At the very least, there were not many factions that possessed a Dou Zun.
After a brief pause, he spoke indifferently, "Regardless of what dispute occurred, the fact remains that they dared to openly slay my Ice River Valley's people without hesitation. That is clearly not placing my Valley in their eyes."
"This matter must be pursued. If not, Ice River Valley will become the laughingstock of the entire Central Plains."
As he said this, his gaze shifted downward, fixing upon the middle-aged Dou Zong who was still bowing. He asked, "Do you know the identity of these five, or where they went?"
"This…" The middle-aged Dou Zong looked awkward, shaking his head. "I do not."
The incident had occurred only days ago, and moreover, it was far from the Valley, deep within the Pill Region. How could he possibly know who they were, or where they had gone?
Hearing this, the figure on the icy throne frowned slightly.
At once, a chilling aura that made the heart palpitate began to spread through the grand hall. In this terrifying cold where even Dou Qi seemed to freeze, the middle-aged Dou Zong could not help but shiver.
Everyone else in the hall also kept silent.
At this moment, no one dared to touch the ice-cold wrath.
The frost spread.
Just as the atmosphere in the grand hall grew more suffocating—
"Jie jie, Bing Zun Zhe, no need to lose your temper. We know the identity and whereabouts of that group."
Within the grand hall, a mass of strange black mist suddenly surged, accompanied by a bizarre laugh that slowly echoed.
The mist swirled, gradually condensing into a figure. As the black fog writhed, faint clinking sounds of iron chains rang out from within.
"Hall of Souls? For you to suddenly appear in my Ice River Valley, truly a rare guest." The appearance of the misty figure did not bring even the slightest surprise to the man seated upon the icy throne. His voice remained calm.
"Jie jie, Bing Zun Zhe, let's skip the nonsense. Those five people happen to be targets my Hall of Souls has been searching for recently. Since our goals align, perhaps this time, we can join hands. What do you think, Bing Zun Zhe?" The voice within the shifting fog chuckled eerily.
"Oh? So they are your Hall of Souls's targets?"
The figure upon the icy throne was none other than the Valley Master of Ice River Valley: Bing Zun Zhe.
He gave the black mist a faint glance, his cold face showing the trace of a smile-not-smile expression as he said, "But I heard that the methods that Dou Zun used were quite similar to those of your Hall of Souls. Could it be that he is a renegade Venerable from your Hall of Souls?"
"That joke is not amusing at all, Bing Zun Zhe. Watch your words. Do not jest about my Hall of Souls."
The mist's tone grew somewhat stern, "That man has no connection with Hall of Souls. However… his methods did remind me of a certain strong figure from the past."
"Who?" Bing Zun Zhe straightened slightly upon the throne.
"It was hundreds of years ago. That one has long since perished. Now, it is nothing more than speculation. Better left unsaid." The black mist replied.
"." Bing Zun Zhe's expression froze briefly, before he leaned lazily back into the throne. "Are you here to toy with me?"
"No. I am here to speak of cooperation." The black mist's tone was serious.
"Cooperation?" Bing Zun Zhe's eyes narrowed slightly.
He was well aware of Hall of Souls's ways.
They never lifted a finger without benefit.
Without sufficient profit, this bunch wouldn't even spare a glance. But once a profit was enough to tempt them, those they set their eyes upon had virtually no good outcome.
For something in the Central Plains to be so troublesome that even Hall of Souls found it thorny, to the point of seeking out Ice River Valley for cooperation—it was clear enough what that meant.
Hall of Souls would not so casually share their spoils.
After all, here in the Central Plains, in their own backyard, if Hall of Souls wished to mobilize forces, it was hardly difficult.
"What is it your Hall of Souls wishes to gain from them? Or rather, by cooperating with you, what do I stand to gain?" Bing Zun Zhe asked calmly.
Now he was unhurried, even indifferent.
If the matter was too troublesome, he would rather not get involved at all.
So an elder like Tian She died? Dead was dead. Big deal or not, it wasn't worth much in his eyes.
Alive, Tian She was of some use. Dead, he was nothing.
At least, to Bing Zun Zhe, that was the truth.
Since it was so, why not sit back and watch the play, and wait to see the details before deciding?
"Jie jie, Bing Zun Zhe, truly calculating." The black mist seemed to see through his thoughts, yet was not surprised at all.
In the Central Plains, as the master of a top-tier force, which one was not a cunning old fox?
If one could reap benefits without effort, who would willingly charge in first to risk their life?
However—
"Jie jie." The black mist gave a chilling laugh, then slowly said, "We of Hall of Souls have been investigating those five for a long time. From the Northwestern Region all the way here, we pursued them step by step. We've come to understand them fairly well."
"And the reason Tian She ended up provoking them was because he coveted the unique physiques of the two women among them. Jie jie, a pity. Tian She's strength was insufficient, and for it, he lost his life."
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