Chapter 1355: Niu Youdao Asked for the Heart-Bewildering Powder

The jagged ice spikes shattered. The gigantic palm crushed through the spiked sphere as though grinding it to pieces, and the mass of ice burst apart in an instant.

Within the churning black mist, the enormous palm pushed forward, forcing a figure out before it.

Granny Xue emerged from the shattered sphere of ice. Her cane was braced against the mountain-like palm, forcibly halting its advance.

An ice-blue ray shot from the cane into the misty giant palm and locked onto a figure barely visible within it.

Wu Chang.

A massive block of ice formed around him inside the palm, sealing him fast. Granny Xue's face twisted savagely as she poured more power into the technique, intending to use the might of profound ice to destroy his flesh and blood.

Crack! Crack!

Fractures began spreading through the enormous block of ice.

At the same time, several figures tore through the rolling black cloud from different directions.

Clang!

Granny Xue abruptly struck the giant block of ice with her cane.

Blue radiance exploded outward and drove straight through the frozen layers.

Wu Chang, who had been circulating his art to resist the profound ice penetrating his body, took that heavy blow head-on.

A streak of dark-red blood burst from his mouth.

His eyes snapped open in fury.

Having landed the strike, Granny Xue immediately flashed downward.

Ice-blue light erupted from her body in streak after streak, and layer upon layer of profound ice materialized from empty air wherever that blue radiance passed.

Clang!

Wu Chang threw both arms outward and shattered the ice imprisoning him.

Frozen shards flew in every direction.

He involuntarily shuddered from the cold. Blood stained his lips a vivid red, but he immediately plunged after her.

The other seven Saints were already diving downward.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

One by one, they smashed through layer after layer of profound ice.

Yet beneath every layer was another.

Taking advantage of the obstruction, Granny Xue plunged into the lake.

A mouthful of blue-tinged fluid burst from her lips as she shot rapidly toward the depths.

The lake surface froze in an instant.

Ice raced outward in every direction, spreading across the water while waves of cold vapor rose into the air.

The eight who had broken through the layered ice hovered above the lake.

Huge slabs of profound ice fell around them like blades and stabbed into the frozen surface, glowing with a deep blue light.

Boom!

Wu Chang punched through the air.

The frozen lake shattered and heaved.

In an instant, the surface became a chaotic wasteland of broken ice and stone, with fish still visible inside some of the frozen chunks.

In a world like this, a world sealed in ice, this was Granny Xue's domain.

The eight swept their gazes in every direction.

Where was there any trace of her?

After searching for a while, Lü Wushuang glanced at the others.

Swish!

She suddenly vanished, racing toward the distant horizon.

The remaining seven looked back.

Then, without exchanging even a word, each of them flashed away as well, scattering in different directions.

Their cultivation was profound, but the time for which they could suppress the Heart-Bewildering Powder was limited.

Every one of them had gone to find somewhere to hide.

None dared meet anyone.

None dared return to their own Sacred Land.

At that moment, none of them trusted anyone. Their first priority was to conceal themselves until they had neutralized the Heart-Bewildering Powder.

A long while later, on a distant stretch of ice that was cracked but still relatively level, blue light flickered.

Granny Xue slowly rose from beneath the frozen surface and stood leaning on her cane.

Deep killing intent covered her deathly pale face.

Cold wind swept across the ice, stirring her robes.

She walked slowly with her cane, sweeping a cold gaze around.

Then she suddenly coughed twice.

A streak of blue fluid spilled from her mouth.

She had concealed it while the others were present, but Wu Chang's Demon-Flame Extinguish-Life Palm had in fact injured her.

Looking around again and finding no one in sight, Granny Xue gave a series of cold chuckles.

Her face and heart were both filled with profound regret.

She knew she had missed a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity to eliminate all eight of those bastards.

Unfortunately, the eight were too cunning.

Before the Heart-Bewildering Powder could fully take effect, they had first joined hands against her and forced her to flee.

Now no one knew where the eight were hiding.

Even if she wanted to search for them, finding them within the one day before the drug's effects faded would be no different from searching for a needle in the sea.

There was almost no chance of success.

Thunk!

She struck the ice hard with her cane, then shot into the sky.

At least she no longer had to fear the eight joining hands against her again.

Their earlier arrogance had only been temporary.

Right now, they would rather hide from her than see her.

...

"What?"

At Daluo Sacred Land, Sha Rulai suddenly raised his head from the documents he had been reading.

Luo Fangfei was kneeling beside him with both hands wrapped around one of his arms. Her face was filled with anxiety as she repeatedly nodded and said again, "The Sacred Hall received a message from Wuliang Garden. The Wuliang Fruits were stolen. Apart from Granny Xue, the other eight Saints were all poisoned by Heart-Bewildering Powder. Father was among them. Father and the others have already gone after Granny Xue. The eight factions stationed at Wuliang Garden have also gone in pursuit of the people from Ice and Snow Sacred Land. They can't contact Father, so they've sent word asking our side to make the decisions."

The Wuliang Fruits had been stolen?

Eight Saints had been hit by Heart-Bewildering Powder?

Sha Rulai stared at her in astonishment.

Then he looked toward Wang Zun standing nearby.

The two men exchanged a glance.

Both were shocked.

Neither could quite believe it.

Luo Fangfei said anxiously, "The Sacred Hall doesn't know what to do now either. They asked me what should be done, but I don't know. Father won't be in danger, will he?"

Sha Rulai patted her hand reassuringly. "It's only Heart-Bewildering Powder. That powder doesn't kill people."

"But Father and the others are fighting while poisoned. What if something happens?"

"Come. Let's go to the Sacred Hall."

Sha Rulai rose and left together with Luo Fangfei.

He needed to see the exact message from Wuliang Garden before deciding anything.

Wang Zun walked out to the railing and watched the two depart.

Afterward, he silently paced back and forth beside the balustrade.

Quite some time passed before Sha Rulai finally flashed back and landed on the terrace.

His expression was grave.

Wang Zun approached and asked softly, "How is it?"

Sha Rulai said heavily, "Something really did happen. The Sacred Venerable's present condition is unknown, so no one here dares make decisions on their own. They're afraid that doing the wrong thing will cause the Sacred Venerable to misunderstand afterward. Everyone has pushed the responsibility onto Luo Fangfei and asked her to decide."

Wang Zun nodded slightly. "That's only natural. No one knows whether the Sacred Venerable will live or die. Everyone fears doing something that might be misinterpreted if he returns, so putting Luo Fangfei forward is the safest choice. You didn't make any reckless judgments, did you? This is not the time to speak carelessly. If the Sacred Venerable returns, even a small irregularity could make him suspicious."

"I didn't say much. I only told them to seal off the news and prevent the matter from becoming known to everyone."

Wang Zun breathed out slowly, then frowned. "Heart-Bewildering Powder? That stuff should be extremely easy to detect. How did the Sacred Venerables fall for something so low-grade?"

At that question, Sha Rulai's expression became rather strange.

"The message says every fruit on the Wuliang Fruit tree was fake. Someone put Heart-Bewildering Powder inside the fake fruits..." He carefully recounted the full contents of the report.

Wang Zun looked stunned. "How is that possible? Wuliang Garden is guarded that tightly. How could anyone steal the fruits, much less leave a trap behind? That's almost unbelievable."

Sha Rulai glanced sideways at him. "You're not curious who stole the Wuliang Fruits?"

Wang Zun said, "Someone capable of tampering with them like this must be one of the Nine Saints. As for which one, who can say?"

Sha Rulai slowly asked, "Have you forgotten the Heart-Bewildering Powder I previously had you obtain?"

Wang Zun froze.

He looked Sha Rulai up and down and tested, "Don't tell me you stole them."

Sha Rulai scoffed. "If I had that kind of ability, would I still have waited until today? Niu Youdao was the one who asked for the Heart-Bewildering Powder."

"..."

Wang Zun stared at him, speechless for a while.

"You mean Niu Youdao stole the fruits?"

Sha Rulai shook his head slightly. "Back then, I didn't know what he wanted such a filthy thing for. I asked him, but he wouldn't say, and I didn't take it seriously. I couldn't imagine what use something like that could possibly have. Who knew that bastard would use such a bizarre scheme? Only now do I understand what he wanted it for. For the Nine Saints to fall for something like this is simply incredible. I truly don't know what goes on inside that man's head. Is there even any point in doing this? Heart-Bewildering Powder can't kill anyone. Did he go to all this trouble merely to create a little chaos? That would be almost childish."

Wang Zun had been listening intently, but confusion gradually appeared on his face.

"No. The fruit tree has blossomed. That means the fruits were stolen thirty years ago. How long ago was it that I obtained the Heart-Bewildering Powder for you? Thirty years ago, Niu Youdao was probably still playing in the mud in some mountain village."

Sha Rulai said, "Exactly. By all logic, that should be the case. But the fruits really were taken by Niu Youdao recently. I received one myself. How could there be any mistake? Now the tree has blossomed, and I don't understand what happened either. Perhaps that bastard used some special method on the tree. His ties with the Fox Clan run deep, and the Fox Clan understands the Wuliang Fruit tree. It isn't impossible that he tampered with the tree somehow. But I cannot understand what benefit there would be in doing so. I truly cannot make sense of it."

Wang Zun stared at him in astonishment. "The Fox Clan? You have a Wuliang Fruit?"

Sha Rulai turned fully toward him.

"There were some things I didn't tell you before simply because they were too important. Letting you know casually would only put you in danger. That was for your own good. But matters have changed now. With things reaching this point, there are some things you need to know in advance so you can prepare yourself. My Wuliang Fruit is still in the Fox Clan's hands. Remember this: if something happens to me, I'll do what I can to create room for you. If you sense that something is wrong, escape to the Desolate Marsh Deadlands and find the Fox Clan. Take my Wuliang Fruit and use it. If I die, then as Huanli's maternal uncle, you must take good care of her!"

Wang Zun stared at him. "Aren't you afraid I'll harm you to seize the Wuliang Fruit?"

Sha Rulai said, "If you want to harm me, then I have nothing to say. But what use is a single Wuliang Fruit to you by itself? The Fox Clan won't hand it over to you casually either. Even if you killed me, it would be useless. They would first verify what happened before deciding whether to give it to you. Obtaining a Wuliang Fruit may not necessarily be a blessing for me either. When that day comes, Luo Qiu won't spare me, and I won't spare him. There are things I will have to face sooner or later. I'm telling you these secrets because I want you to understand something. If circumstances change, then at least one of us has to survive. We cannot both die because of this. If you live, promise me that you'll protect Huanli as much as you can. I wronged your elder sister. I don't want Huanli to suffer another calamity. That is also why I was willing to take the risk of joining hands with Niu Youdao."

Wang Zun's eyes reddened slightly. "If matters truly reach that point, even if I hide inside the Desolate Marsh Deadlands, I may never be able to leave again. Huanli will still be outside. My reach may not extend that far."

"You don't need to worry about that. In the outside world, with Niu Youdao's present strength, unless he directly confronts the Nine Saints, protecting one Huanli will not be a problem for him."

Sha Rulai sighed again. "As for the Wuliang Fruit tree suddenly flowering, I doubt Niu Youdao knows what happened either. If he had known, he could not possibly have failed to warn me about something this serious beforehand. Fortunately, given the situation, I never used my Wuliang Fruit. Looking at matters now, that was the correct choice. After something like this, if Luo Qiu returns, he will definitely verify my cultivation. If I had really broken through already, there would be no way to hide it."

Faced with the sudden change in circumstances, Sha Rulai explained many things to Wang Zun and laid bare a number of secrets he had previously kept hidden.

[End of Chapter 1355]