Immortal Path Space

Chapter 95: Poisonous Scheme

After dividing a heap of spoils, each person got what they desired. The practitioners from the Beast Spirit Sect were formidable, specializing in looting, and thus had many valuable items.

This time alone, there were nearly two hundred main herbs for Foundation Establishment Pills, and each person, except Wang Hong, received dozens of them.

Wang Hong seized the opportunity to enter the Space and transplant the rare Spiritual Herbs obtained this time. He needed to extract the core of the Dragon Scale Fruit beforehand and plant it. Once out of the secret realm, he planned to submit this three-tier spirit fruit to the Sect.

The three-tier spirit fruit was too precious, an item even Golden Core cultivators would fight over. As a Qi Cultivation cultivator, he had no right to possess it.

Keeping it a secret was impossible as there were three others besides Wang Yi who knew about it. Holding onto this item was too risky; if a Golden Core cultivator took an interest, it would be terrifying.

Although the core of the Dragon Scale Fruit could be used as medicine, it was only a two-tier item. By submitting the entire fruit and retaining just one core, he hoped to avoid further disputes.

The small piece resembling branches of spirit wood was also planted. He wasn't sure what tree it came from.

Originally, he intended to cut it into segments, but despite using his Spiritual Weapon Flying Sword with full force, he couldn't sever it. Even after a dozen strikes, only a slight injury appeared on the outer green skin.

This made him doubt if it was truly branches, but upon closer inspection, the genuine wood attributes inside dispelled his suspicions. He had no choice but to plant it and wait for it to grow into a small tree, making it easier to identify with leaves.

The Bird Egg he had stolen from the nest was nearing hatching due to the accelerated time flow in the Space. He needed to establish ownership before that happened.

Establishing ownership before hatching yielded the best results. At this stage, the Spirit Beast hadn't developed self-awareness and wouldn't resist.

With three drops of essence blood, he drew numerous runes on the eggshell and chanted a few spells. The essence blood runes gradually permeated the shell.

Initially, he thought of roasting the Bird Egg, but witnessing Beast Spirit Sect practitioners riding Spiritual Beasts in battle fueled his envy. He decided to cultivate a flying Spirit Beast for himself.

Now that everyone's injuries were healed and their strength restored after several battles, those who survived were truly formidable. Before deciding to venture out again, Wang Hong gave Wang Yi a bunch of Talismans. After some education, Wang Yi was now willing to carry Talismans as life-saving measures during critical moments.

He also exchanged several bottles of Spirit Wine with Elder Brother and others. Wang Hong claimed to have some connection with the owner of a wine shop in Azure Void City, allowing him to acquire high-quality Spirit Wine exceeding tier one. He wasn't lying, given the circumstances.

If not for the excessive killings and looting in the secret realm, and the difficulty of explaining things once outside, Wang Hong would have considered becoming a Spirit Wine merchant within the secret realm, trading Spirit Wine directly for various Spiritual Herbs.

With only twenty days left until the end of the secret realm, most areas had already been thoroughly searched. Over the millennia, various sects had mapped out which Spiritual Herbs grew where. Now, disciples were no longer searching for Spiritual Herbs but forming teams to kill both humans and demons on sight.

The Demonic Beasts within the secret realm were terrified, hiding and avoiding confrontation. Every sixty years, practitioners from various sects would purge the realm of powerful Demonic Beasts, so their numbers were not overwhelming.

Wang Hong and his group finally left the small mountain cave they had been hiding in for ten days. However, as they covered only a short distance, they encountered a group of Beast Spirit Sect practitioners. There were ten of them, and upon seeing Wang Hong's group, they didn't approach but instead whispered among themselves and immediately sent a communication talisman.

Observing this, Wang Hong and his companions understood that the other party was calling for reinforcements. They charged towards the group, but surprisingly, the ten practitioners chose to flee upon seeing Wang Hong's group. Instead of pursuing, Wang Hong's group decided to leave first.

As they prepared to depart, the ten practitioners followed from behind. When Wang Hong and his group turned to chase them, the practitioners ran even farther.

"Quick, run! Their goal is to entangle us, waiting for more people to surround and kill us."

They sprinted in a specific direction, with Wang Hong at the rear. Accidentally dropping a few small Medicinal Pills, the pills quickly dissipated into the surrounding air and soil once he moved away.

With each segment of the journey, a few more Medicinal Pills dropped and vanished into the invisible surroundings.

The Beast Spirit Sect cultivators in the rear were trailing far behind and hadn't noticed the unfolding events.

After a moment, two more squads of Beast Spirit Sect practitioners arrived, chasing Wang Hong and his group in the direction they were escaping.

Seeing more reinforcements arriving, the pursuers began surrounding and intercepting them from different angles, clearly determined not to let them escape.

"We should just run; it might be difficult to shake off their pursuit. Fighting head-on is not a viable option; they have over thirty people," Wang Hong said in a low voice as he caught up with the others.

"Junior Brother Wang, do you have any plans? Should we head back to that river?" Elder Brother asked. He admired Wang Hong for cleverly using a river to defeat strong enemies, allowing everyone to escape a dire situation.

"We're too far from that river now, and they might have arranged guards after suffering a loss there. We can't risk falling into their trap," Wang Hong replied.

"Brother, what if we kill a few of them and then run?" Wang Yi suggested.

"Kill and risk being entangled? No, let's not linger in battles. If we gain an advantage, we run. Even if we can't kill them, we still run," Wang Hong stated. "I have other arrangements. Here are a few detoxification elixirs I refined. Take one each, and if you find yourself poisoned later, consume the elixir."

He handed each person a detoxification elixir.

"Follow me closely when we run. If we encounter anyone blocking our way, we all attack together, try to kill one or two, but don't get caught up in prolonged battles. Seize any opportunity and run. Even if we can't defeat them, we must escape."

With Wang Hong leading, the group charged forward. Soon, they encountered eight Beast Spirit Sect practitioners charging towards them from the side.

Wang Hong and his group decisively turned to confront the attackers, engaging in a clash of magical weapons. As Wang Hong attacked, he released numerous Poisonous Bees into the air, swarming towards the enemies.

Amidst the swarm, he discreetly launched a small black medicinal pill, inconspicuously blending it with the bees.

After two exchanges, neither side gained an advantage. The other squad from the Beast Spirit Sect was closing in.

Wang Hong changed direction, leading his group away while drawing the Poisonous Bees away. Staying here would result in their annihilation, given the numerous Beast Spirit Sect cultivators.

After a short run, they faced another interception. This time, one of the enemy cultivators, accidentally letting his guard down, was surrounded by a group of Poisonous Bees and met a tragic end.

Wang Hong seized the opportunity and led the group to escape once again.

In this manner, Wang Hong led his people in circles, never leaving the area.

"Why do these people keep running in this particular region? Are they hoarding some treasure here, unwilling to leave?" wondered the Beast Spirit Sect practitioners. They had almost closed the encirclement with over thirty people.

However, Wang Hong's group seemed uninterested in forcefully breaking through. Instead, they engaged briefly before swiftly retreating, avoiding prolonged conflicts.

"Never mind them. Even if they're up to something, they won't escape. Once we catch them, we'll interrogate them thoroughly," thought the Beast Spirit Sect cultivators.

Meanwhile, Wang Yi voiced a similar question, "Brother, why do we keep running in this area? How long will this go on?"

"It should be almost over. Check with your Divine Sense to see if there's a black energy inside you," Wang Hong suggested.

After a moment, the group's expressions changed. Unbeknownst to them, a black energy had silently invaded their bodies, quietly devouring their Spiritual Energy. They were completely unaware.

Attempting to expel it through cultivation proved futile, only intensifying the black energy's voracious appetite for their Spiritual Energy.

Elder Brother and the others felt anxious. Although they belonged to the same sect, they had minimal interaction in the past. While they had fought together twice, it wasn't to the extent of relying on each other for life and death.

At this moment, their lives were almost entirely in Wang Hong's hands, depending on his character.

"You can take the detoxification pills now. If we encounter more cultivators, there's no need to run," Wang Hong said, anticipating their thoughts. He had already provided them with the antidote in advance.

As Wang Yi took the lead in swallowing the detoxification pill, the others followed suit. The pill dissolved into a surge of Spiritual Energy, spreading throughout their bodies.

Upon encountering this Spiritual Energy, the black energy rapidly dissipated, transforming back into pure Spiritual Energy.

The group sighed in relief, their respect for Wang Hong's character increasing.

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