"Hm?"

Yue Rong was the first to notice the disturbance. After transforming into his Demon Body, his five senses had become incredibly sharp.

His pupils contracted, instantly locking onto ten pitch-black spheres that had appeared, hovering in the Celestial Vault.

"What is that...?"

Just as Yue Rong was wondering what these black spheres were...

Atop the cliff, Qi Yun pressed his palms together. A wanton smile flashed in his eyes as he urged the True Qi in his body. The ten black spheres, formed from Iron Sand, abruptly imploded.

POP! POP! POP!

The black spheres collapsed, instantly bursting the Medicine Pouches wrapped within!

In the next moment, a sky-blotting cloud of light pink powder drifted down like ethereal snowflakes.

At the same time, three hidden White Bone Skeletons shot into the sky with cackling laughter.

From their hollow mouths, they spewed a vast amount of grayish-black Yin Sha Corpse Qi. It precisely enveloped and mixed with the deadly powder, instantly forming a wide-spreading, grayish-pink toxic fog. Like a giant inverted bowl, it completely shrouded the entire Old Dragon Pool and the surrounding several hundred meters.

"What is this stuff?"

Yue Rong’s brow furrowed. Watching the grayish-pink fog appear from nowhere and spread rapidly, he reacted instantly, sealing his nose and mouth and switching to his Inner Breath circulation.

He slowly reached out, catching a tiny speck of the descending powder in mid-air and bringing it before his eyes to examine it closely.

The powder had a suggestive color and carried a strange, sweet fragrance...

Yue Rong’s expression changed instantly!

"This is... Six Desires Enchanting Powder!?"

’Which scoundrel from Bi Yang is this depraved!’

’It’s him!?’

It was too late by the time Yue Rong realized what was happening.

He had considered every possibility, but he never imagined Qi Yun would be so audacious as to try and poison everyone!

’How ruthless!’

’How vicious!’

’How insidious!’

Yue Rong shook his head with a complex smile. He looked at the massive fog that had spread for several hundred meters; it was too late to escape.

Six Desires Enchanting Powder.

It was a malevolent drug that could amplify a person’s desires to their absolute limit. Its effects were pervasive; it could invade the body through skin contact, inhalation, or ingestion.

Once poisoned, one would become a puppet controlled by their desires.

It was an extremely sinister poison.

More importantly... because it didn’t cause any physical harm, the Six Desires Enchanting Powder had no antidote!

Even common detoxifying medicines were ineffective against it.

"Resorting to any means to achieve his ends. It seems our Holy Sect is about to produce another rising star..." Before he could finish his sentence, Yue Rong felt a violent heat surge from the bottom of his heart, rushing straight to his head.

His strange, bronze-colored vertical pupils were visibly and rapidly consumed by a terrifying blood-red hue!

In his Demon Body, now under the influence of the Six Desires Enchanting Powder, his greatest desire was the lust for slaughter!

"ROAR!"

The last shred of reason in his eyes vanished. Yue Rong threw his head back and roared, the terrifying sound wave becoming a tangible shockwave that spread in all directions.

The next instant!

He stomped his feet hard, his entire body instantly becoming a black shadow. He let out a chilling growl as he pounced on the Outer Mansion Disciples lingering by the shore.

Meanwhile!

The grayish-pink fog mixed with the Six Desires Enchanting Powder settled on the surface of the Old Dragon Pool. The light pink medicinal mist dissolved on contact with the water.

In just a few moments, the surface of the once ink-black pool slowly took on an alluring pink hue.

And the Outer Mansion Disciples who had dived into the pool, found an Enlightenment Bell with great difficulty, and were now returning to the surface, had no idea that the water was now infused with the Six Desires Enchanting Powder.

The moment they surfaced for a breath of air, they had already taken the malevolent drug...

...into their stomachs.

Seated cross-legged on the cliff, Qi Yun rested with his eyes half-closed.

Listening to the various sounds from below—roars, howls, moans, and laughter—Qi Yun’s expression was serene.

’The human heart is controlled by its myriad desires.’

’You all harbored jealousy. You wanted to kill me, rob me, and humiliate me.’

’So today, I shall help you all...’

’...release these pent-up desires.’

’And in doing so, rectify your Dao Hearts!’

The Outer Mansion Disciples, poisoned by the Six Desires Enchanting Powder, had all become slaves to their lust. They cared only for venting their inner desires, ignoring and carelessly discarding the Enlightenment Bells they had worked so hard to obtain.

With a slight flicker of his will, the scattered Iron Sand below gathered into more than ten nimble black tentacles. They precisely snatched up the Enlightenment Bells that were about to sink to the bottom of the pool, retrieving them one by one.

In moments, he had over twenty more Enlightenment Bells in his Storage Pouch.

But just as he was about to collect the remaining Enlightenment Bells...

A gaze as sharp as a blade, bone-chillingly cold, suddenly fell upon him. The next instant, a terrifying figure flashed before him, a sharp claw capable of shattering gold and stone slamming down toward the top of his skull!

WHOOSH—

His form dissipated into countless streams of air. The evasive effect of the Clear Wind Technique saved Qi Yun from the fatal blow.

"You recovered so quickly?"

His form coalesced. Qi Yun stared in surprise at Yue Rong, whose face was smeared with blood but whose eyes were clear.

He had spent most of his fortune buying the Six Desires Enchanting Powder. This was supposed to be his trump card for the next examination.

He knew that after being maliciously praised by Black Mountain Master, he would inevitably become a thorn in the side of the entire Outer Mansion.

To ensure there were no mistakes, he had used five times the normal dose, precisely to prevent any accidents.

Wiping the blood from his face, Yue Rong spat out half a bone. The corner of his mouth lifted into a chilling, savage grin.

"Junior Brother Qi, your plan was indeed brilliant."

"But you miscalculated one thing. I have a Demon Body. A poison that works on Human Race Cultivators is naturally far less effective on me."

Hearing Yue Rong’s explanation, Qi Yun nodded in understanding and then said:

"No, I didn’t miscalculate. It’s just that your Devouring Demon Technique is from a Master’s Dao tradition."

"There are no records of it in the Outer Mansion, so I couldn’t estimate how much you could withstand."

"Otherwise, I wouldn’t have used five times the dose of Six Desires Enchanting Powder to ensure it would affect you."

"But it seems now that the Dharma Gates circulating in the Outer Mansion are far inferior to a true Dharma Lineage inheritance."

"Isn’t that right, Senior Brother Yue."

Detecting a hint of somberness in Qi Yun’s words, Yue Rong waved his hand dismissively, his voice loud and candid:

"Of course. Don’t think it’s unfair."

"My father went through countless hardships and escaped death numerous times just to establish his Dao Foundation and become a Master."

"The tribulations he suffered are things you probably can’t even imagine."

"As his son, I inherited the fruits of his labor. If I were still standing on the exact same starting line as all of you..."

"...*that* would be the greatest injustice to all those who strive in this world!"

Yue Rong’s words made Qi Yun pause for a moment, and then everything became clear to him.

"That makes sense! Thank you for clearing my doubts, Senior Brother Yue."

With that, Qi Yun smiled, his tone lightening a bit:

"In that case, how about I give you a few Enlightenment Bells? We can call a truce, return to the sect together to complete the mission. Wouldn’t that be a happy ending for everyone?"

"Hahaha!"

Hearing Qi Yun’s proposal, Yue Rong couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh. He then glared at the insidious cultivator opposite him, a ferocious light in his eyes. He cracked his knuckles, and a surging battle intent pressed down like a physical force.

"What do you think?"

...