Chapter 138: Chapter 138: Expelling the Poison

After his excitement subsided, Shen Haoran quickly calmed himself and immersed his Heart Spirit into his Dantian. There, a Spirit Crystal the size of a grain of rice was absorbing the Spiritual Power within, starting to grow. In the blink of an eye, it swelled to the size of a fist before floating quietly in his Dantian.

Then, threads of Spiritual Power streamed from the Spirit Crystal, quickly converging into a torrent that surged into Shen Haoran’s limbs and torso. An indescribable comfort spread throughout his body; every cell seemed to groan with pleasure. Unable to contain himself, Shen Haoran threw his head back and let out a long roar, the sound waves rolling across the entire Black Wind Stronghold.

The sudden roar startled everyone in Black Wind Stronghold, and they all turned to look at the small courtyard where Shen Haoran was.

"It sounds like Brother Shen has broken through to the Spirit General rank!" Inside Yang Zhentian’s palace, Yang Yu looked in the direction of the roar and said softly.

"A true prodigy. Even with the help of the Thousand Illusion Spirit Marrow, breaking through to the Spirit General rank in just two days... That speed is terrifying! Yu’er, we can only befriend a man like that. We must never offend him," Yang Zhentian murmured.

Yang Yu chuckled. "Father, we’re already friends, aren’t we?"

"Haha, indeed! Befriending Shen Haoran might be the best decision I’ve ever made in my entire life!" Yang Zhentian laughed, his wise gaze fixed on the courtyard where Shen Haoran was.

Meanwhile, Shen Haoran was still reveling in the joy of his breakthrough. The Spiritual Power flowing back from the Spirit Crystal flushed through his meridians and bones again and again, only settling down after a dozen or so cycles.

Shen Haoran looked at his now much wider meridians and his bones, which gleamed like white jade. He was thoroughly satisfied! He stood up and clenched his hands into fists, feeling an abundant new power. He threw a few punches, and to his delight, they produced a series of small sonic booms.

’So this is the power of a Spirit General? It’s on a completely different level from a Spirit Pupil!’ Shen Haoran marveled. ’At my current level, sealing the Nether Poison in Yang Zhentian’s body again would be almost effortless!’

"Excellent. You’ve finally broken through to the Spirit General rank. Only now do you have the right to be called one of the strong," Elder Yan said, his voice filled with satisfaction.

"Hehe!" Shen Haoran scratched his head. He had started his journey much later than his peers, and he’d endured untold hardships since the Spirit Tempering Stage. Today, he had finally caught up with those so-called geniuses! ’From now on,’ he thought, ’I’ll show them what a real genius looks like!’

"That’s enough. Hurry and familiarize yourself with this new realm. You still have to expel the poison for Yang Zhentian tomorrow. Even though you’ve reached the Spirit General Tier, it will still be no small feat," Elder Yan reminded him.

"I know!" ’Thinking about that mass of pitch-black Nether Poison inside Yang Zhentian’s body makes my head ache,’ Shen Haoran thought with a sigh. ’Looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me tomorrow.’

’I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Besides, I have Changmao. Dealing with a little Nether Poison shouldn’t be a big deal, right? After all, his true form is the Taotie, leader of the Ancient Ten Fierce Beasts!’ With that thought, Shen Haoran’s mind was at ease, and he once again entered a state of cultivation.

...

The next morning, warm sunlight poured into the cluttered room. Shen Haoran’s tightly shut eyes slowly fluttered open. After a night of practice, he had fully stabilized his cultivation at the Spirit General Tier.

After stretching his limbs, Shen Haoran stood up and headed for Yang Zhentian’s palace. Today, he intended to completely remove the time bomb ticking inside Yang Zhentian’s body.

When he arrived at Yang Zhentian’s palace, the old man was resting with his eyes closed, his face etched with fatigue. Although Shen Haoran had used the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian to temporarily seal the Nether Poison, the small amounts that inevitably leaked out were still causing Yang Zhentian considerable trouble.

"Nephew Shen, congratulations on your promotion to the Spirit General rank," Yang Zhentian said weakly upon seeing Shen Haoran arrive.

"It’s all thanks to your Thousand Illusion Spirit Marrow, Elder! I’ll get right to expelling the poison for you." Shen Haoran wasted no time, immediately sitting cross-legged in front of Yang Zhentian.

"Elder, I’m about to break the Seal on the Nether Poison. I need you to work with me and force it all into one place. I will then condense it into a Poison Pill and remove it," Shen Haoran said in a low, serious voice.

"Understood!" Yang Zhentian replied. His life was on the line; he didn’t dare to be the least bit careless.

"Hah... Here we go!" Shen Haoran took a deep breath, placed his hand on Yang Zhentian’s chest, and instantly sent his Fire Spirit Black Obsidian surging into the man’s body.

Shen Haoran guided the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian to the sealed Nether Poison. He looked at the pitch-black toxic mist wreathed in black flames. With a single thought, the Black Flame sealing the mist instantly dissipated.

Freed from the Obsidian’s restraints, the pitch-black toxic mist was like a wild horse breaking its reins, spreading out frantically as if to devour Yang Zhentian’s entire body.

Seeing this, Shen Haoran quickly manipulated his Fire Spirit Black Obsidian, forming a massive Black Flame Giant Net to envelop the mist. The Black Flame then flared, forcing back the wisps of poison trying to escape through the mesh.

The Nether Poison, having just tasted freedom, was bound once more. This, however, only enraged it. Vipers formed from the toxic mist and began to slam themselves madly against the Black Flame Giant Net. For a moment, sparks flew as the toxic mist churned violently.

Watching the toxic mist slam against the net, Shen Haoran’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly reinforced the Black Flame Giant Net and shouted, "Elder, encase the net! I’m going to begin the Refinement!"

Hearing this, Yang Zhentian dared not hesitate. An immense surge of Spiritual Power erupted from his Dantian, quickly enveloping the Black Flame Giant Net.

Upon seeing the pure Spiritual Power, the vipers formed from the black toxic mist grew even more frantic. It was their food! But with the Black Flame Giant Net in the way, all they could do was watch.

"Hmph!" Shen Haoran snorted coldly at the toxic mist trying to break through his net. The Fire Spirit Black Obsidian within him erupted fully, and a scorching temperature rose from the Black Flame Giant Net. The rate at which the black toxic mist was being consumed immediately increased!

Shen Haoran’s hands flew through a Seal Technique. The Black Flame Giant Net began to shrink and, at the same time, spin wildly.

’The plan is simple,’ Shen Haoran thought. ’Condense it into a Poison Pill, then have Changmao devour it. That will eliminate the Nether Poison Source. Once the source is gone, the rest will be easy to deal with!’

The Nether Poison Source seemed to sense the threat and began to resist even more fiercely. But today, Shen Haoran had already reached the Spirit General Tier and had unlocked even more of the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian’s power. Against its scorching temperature, the Nether Poison Source’s struggles were futile.

Slowly, the Nether Poison Source was compressed to the size of a Pill Grain and began ramming itself against the inside of the Black Flame Giant Net.

Now in the form of a Poison Pill, the Nether Poison Source’s Attack Power grew even stronger. Each impact nearly shattered the Black Flame Giant Net. Shen Haoran had no choice but to pour his Spiritual Power into the net without restraint, desperately trying to prevent the source from breaking through.

’Changmao, hurry up and devour it!’ Shen Haoran roared in his mind. The Poison Pill’s impacts grew stronger and faster with each blow. Spiritual Power gushed from Shen Haoran like a tidal wave, and the Spirit Crystal in his Dantian was visibly shrinking.

"You got it!" Changmao cried out upon receiving the command. A burst of Devouring Power erupted, enveloping the Poison Pill.

Seeing Changmao’s Devouring Power consume the Poison Pill, Shen Haoran finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Finally got rid of that damn thing," Shen Haoran said, wiping the sweat from his brow as he prepared to withdraw the Black Flame Giant Net.

"Don’t!" But just as Shen Haoran was about to retract the net, Changmao’s urgent cry rang out. In the next instant, the Poison Pill shot out from within Changmao’s Devouring Power and slammed into the Black Flame Giant Net once again!

"Pfft—!" Caught completely off guard, Shen Haoran coughed up a mouthful of blood. He stared at the Poison Pill in utter disbelief and cried out, "How is this possible?!"