From last night until today, he was certain of one thing: the reason he was here was because of this "Fragmented Poison Body." This made him think of Strategist Ji's "pig-raising plan." Could this "Fragmented Poison Body" also be some kind of sacrificial offering for someone else? The thought arose involuntarily in his mind. Otherwise, why would several groups of people come and mention it? For this reason alone, he wanted to flee this place.
How could Li Yan believe what Li Wuyi was saying? Seeing the doubtful expression on Li Yan's face, Li Wuyi sighed inwardly. 'Junior Brother Li is truly pitiful. He's already at the second layer of Qi Condensation, yet he doesn't even know this basic common sense. It seems he really was just being used for spirit absorption, to be discarded after he served his purpose.'
"Junior Brother Li, I know some things are hard for you to believe, but this is how the cultivation world is. Its power is not something a newcomer to the immortal path can comprehend. Besides, even if you wanted to go back, how could you? This place is a million li away from your hometown. It's been four days already. If the State of Meng you mentioned was going to attack, they would have done so by now. Moreover, they really do not dare to attack."
"First, you have cultivated my 'Malevolent Spirit Sect's' immortal art. You admit this, so you cannot leave the sect. Is that right?"
"Second, even if the higher-ups allow you to leave the sect, how would you get back? Outside the sect gates are towering mountain ranges teeming with high-tier demonic beasts. At your current level of magical power, even dealing with a first-tier demonic beast would be a life-and-death struggle. How could you possibly travel?"
"Third, this journey of a million li... you were brought here via the 'Teleportation Formations' of the sect's subordinate immortal sects, one stop at a time. If it weren't for your special constitution, those junior disciples wouldn't have dared to use the teleportation formations. Even so, the journey took a full three days. Now you want to leave the sect; how could the sect let you use the teleportation formations again? Taking a step back, even if there were no demonic beasts, how long would it take you to walk a million li? A year? Two years? Ten years?" Li Wuyi said with a frown.
Li Yan was stunned by his words and quickly came to several conclusions in his mind.
One, he had been unconscious for at least three days. Two, he was now a million li away from Green Mountain Pass. Three, he had cultivated the "Malevolent Spirit Sect's" technique, which was undeniable. If he left the sect, they would no longer treat him as a disciple.
Looking at Li Wuyi's sincere gaze, he felt that what this person said might be true. As for being a million li from home, if he agreed to join the sect, even if the other party had some designs on his so-called "Fragmented Poison Body," they would not act in the short term. Otherwise, they could have acted already. In that case, he could easily find out the truth with a little inquiry later; it was not something they could hide.
He did not know what a "Teleportation Formation" was, only that it sounded very powerful. He guessed it might be a kind of immortal art that allowed people to quickly reach distant places. If the distance was truly a million li, then no matter how powerful the immortal art was, taking two or three days was normal. In that case, if something had happened at home, it would have already happened. There was nothing he could do.
At this moment, a desire for cultivation suddenly welled up in his heart. He longed to be powerful, to hold his destiny in his own hands, unlike at Green Mountain Pass, unlike here, where everything was decided by others. He was powerless to resist. Anything he said was futile. He was an ant, or perhaps even less than an ant. At least ants had their united companions.
But he still wanted to make one last effort. Not to go back, but to leave. This place made him feel unsafe. That poison body was likely the root of his troubles.
He raised his head to look at Li Wuyi, calming his emotions. "Then can I disperse this 'Fragmented Poison Body'? And then, can the sect help me return to my hometown, or even just a place with mortals?"
Right now, he just wanted to leave this place. He did not want this poison body; he did not mind getting rid of it. As long as he still had the "True Scripture of the Nether Water," he could start his cultivation all over again. As long as he could get to a place without demonic beasts, a place where mortals lived, he could slowly find a place with spiritual energy and start over. Once he became powerful, he could do whatever he wanted.
Li Wuyi was somewhat dumbfounded. He had seen all kinds of people who wanted to cultivate, some who would stop at nothing, whether with a pure heart and a resilient will for the Dao, or by selling their souls and abandoning their families. But he had never seen someone so averse to cultivation that they even wanted to disperse their power. He could not help but give a wry smile.
"Junior Brother Li, I can only say that your path to immortality lacks a great deal of the most basic common sense. Firstly, dispersing one's cultivation is not impossible, but it will cause great harm to one's lifespan, and may even lead to direct perishment. Secondly, this 'Fragmented Poison Body,' which is famous throughout the cultivation world, cannot be dispersed just because you say so. It has already fused into your blood, flesh, and meridians. After you disperse your cultivation and lose the nourishment of spiritual power, how could you possibly withstand this ultimate poison? You would die in an instant. This 'Fragmented Poison Body' is ranked second in my sect..."
Seeing that Li Yan was a blank slate, Li Wuyi had no choice but to temporarily act as his introductory teacher. Of course, there was far too much for Li Yan to know, and it could not all be explained in a short time. He focused on explaining the matter of this peerless poison body.
This "Fragmented Poison Body" was one of the three peerless poison bodies of the Malevolent Spirit Sect, ranked second, and also one of the sect's most powerful killing tools. However, for nearly a thousand years, no one had succeeded in cultivating any of these three poison bodies. The current owners of these three poison bodies were two late-stage Nascent Soul Supreme Ancestors of the sect, who had cultivated them over a thousand years ago. The poison bodies they cultivated happened to be the ones ranked first and third. This made these two individuals top-tier masters in the current cultivation world, which was the foundation of the Malevolent Spirit Sect's standing among the four great immortal sects. Although the sect had several other Nascent Soul Supreme Ancestors, in terms of combat power, these two were unparalleled. However, the cultivation methods for each poison body were vastly different, which was why these two Supreme Ancestors did not take Li Yan as a disciple. Firstly, Li Yan's aptitude was too poor; a spirit root was innate and could not be changed. Secondly, his "Fragmented Poison Body" was not of the same lineage as theirs, so they could not guide him. Otherwise, if he did not have this type of poison body and his aptitude were a little better, it would not have been impossible for them to accept him as a disciple, skipping ranks.
The "Fragmented Poison Body" was more unique in its cultivation compared to the other two. The other two poison bodies were cultivated either by ingesting various rare and exotic poisons and then slowly succeeding with the aid of the Malevolent Spirit Sect's immortal art incantations, or by being born with a wind-attribute poison body that was also of the yin attribute. This type of constitution had a natural affinity for yin poisons, allowing one to cultivate the Malevolent Spirit Sect's secret arts. This constitution was extremely rare, but not non-existent. It could usually be found in places with dense yin energy and poor circulation of poison gas. Such places existed on these continents. For example, one of the two poison body Supreme Ancestors of the Malevolent Spirit Sect came from the Southern Turbid Luo Wetlands of the Desolate Moon Continent, a place filled with marsh gas and poisonous insects.
The cultivation of these two poison bodies was extremely dangerous. Even with the Malevolent Spirit Sect's secret arts, a single misstep could lead to one's heart being attacked by myriad poisons or yin poison entering the brain, resulting in an extremely miserable death.
The formation of the "Fragmented Poison Body" was rather bizarre; it was a special variant of a poison body. It did not have a corresponding cultivation method. It occurred when a poison cultivator, in their daily practice of immortal arts, absorbed different toxins into their body to use as their own. As their magical power deepened, the various toxins in their body would mix. They needed to use spiritual power to dissolve them bit by bit, eventually assimilating them into their spiritual power, allowing their attacks to carry potent poison, causing immense trouble for their opponents. Such cultivators were also known as Poison Cultivators.
This cultivation method of Poison Cultivators was fast and powerful, an unorthodox path. In the beginning, their cultivation progressed rapidly. But as the amount of ingested toxins increased, the various toxins in their body could not be completely refined. When they accumulated to a certain point, a conflict would erupt. Usually, those with deep magical power could suppress it and slowly refine it again.
If they could not suppress it, the toxins would scatter throughout the body, the previously assimilated toxins would also disintegrate, and all their magical power would dissipate, killing them in an instant. But nothing is absolute. Over hundreds of millions of years, there have been many poison cultivators who, after experiencing this situation, did not die, but instead underwent a massive change in their constitution. These cultivators' bodies showed no signs of toxicity, and even when they used orthodox immortal arts, they appeared perfectly righteous. But when their immortal arts hit someone, they would have an additional poison effect. These poisons had no name, no fixed nature. Initially, when unleashed, it was uncertain whether they would corrode, invade, or adhere. But as the cultivator of the "Fragmented Poison Body" advanced, they would gradually gain control and could freely unleash additional functions that fit the attack at hand, making it impossible for opponents to defend against.
According to the older generation of "Fragmented Poison Body" cultivators, when cultivating this poison body, one would feel as if every piece of flesh, bone, and meridian was being separated into tiny pieces, as if the body were being dismembered, an extremely painful process. Each tiny piece of flesh, bone, and meridian was constantly being tempered, changed, and separated again, making the inside of the body feel as if it were shattered to pieces, hence the name "Fragmented Poison Body."
This poison body was also very strange. The Malevolent Spirit Sect was not the only sect that practiced poison cultivation; there were many others. But these other poison cultivation sects had never had anyone with this constitution since ancient times. Later analysis suggested it might be related to certain cultivation methods of the Malevolent Spirit Sect. However, the Malevolent Spirit Sect was divided into several peaks with different methods of poison cultivation, and since the primordial ancient times, people with this constitution had appeared on every peak. Yet, when they tried to cultivate it intentionally, they had no success. This matter remains an unsolved mystery to this day. But one thing is certain: it must be related to the Malevolent Spirit Sect's cultivation methods and the use of medicinal catalysts for body and marrow cleansing. This is why the entry-level techniques of every peak in the Malevolent Spirit Sect include this stage of using medicinal catalysts for body and marrow cleansing.
Li Wuyi gave a summary of the "Fragmented Poison Body," then looked at Li Yan again.
"Junior Brother Li, you should understand now after what I've said. Also, forgive your senior brother for being blunt, but the lifespan of a cultivator is too long. Once you step onto the immortal path, you are separated from the mortal world. You can look after them for a while, but can you look after them for generations to come?" He said all this but did not mention a single word about Li Yan having a Miscellaneous Spirit Root and cultivating the "Fragmented Poison Body." That would be directly passing judgment on Li Yan, telling him that although he had such a great opportunity, he might at most only reach the Foundation Establishment stage. He was a broad-minded person and would not deal such a blow to Li Yan. He did not know if Li Yan knew what a Miscellaneous Spirit Root meant, but it was best to let Li Yan figure it out for himself later.
Li Yan listened with growing shock, which was then followed by a glimmer of joy. He was shocked by how terrifying this constitution was, and most worried about whether it would affect his cultivation of the "True Scripture of the Nether Water." What made him happy was that from Li Wuyi's words, he could be sure that the importance these people had placed on him over the past two days was not a bad thing. At the very least, he was certain they wanted him to make use of this poison body.
With this, he felt relieved. It was impossible to go back now, and it would be meaningless anyway. He sighed inwardly. From the moment he met Strategist Ji, he had stepped onto a path of no return. He would either die young or walk towards an unknown journey. Li Wuyi was right; immortal and mortal were separate. The road back home was already cut off. If the sect had not deceived him, then his family was safe. Even if they had deceived him, he could wait until he was powerful enough to slaughter his way back to the State of Meng. Why think about all this now?
Li Wuyi watched him. After a moment, Li Yan looked up and smiled back at Li Wuyi. This made Li Wuyi feel a little strange. Since he had entered the room, this junior brother had been calm and placid, showing neither joy nor sorrow on his face, looking rather wooden. Now, he seemed to have suddenly changed.
"Li Yan greets you, Eldest Senior Brother." Li Yan stood up and bowed deeply.