Though he was the senior disciple of Qu Le, he did not possess the right to enter the Poison Valley. Aside from the disciples who never left the valley, only the Sect Master and the Five Great Elders were qualified to enter.
Within the Poison Valley, clouds of multicolored miasma pressed down, enveloping the entire area. Anyone inside would feel a crushing pressure; those who had not cultivated poison arts would instantly succumb to the dense, toxic vapors, with absolutely no chance of survival.
Back then, when the Eight Trigrams Heavenly Scholars of the Divine Arrow Sect pursued the Poison Valley disciples here, even though they desperately sealed every pore on their bodies, they could not escape the fatal fate of being poisoned to death.
Upon first entering the valley, Ji Changkong felt a knot of worry in his heart, fearing that even his peculiar constitution might not withstand the intense poison within. However, after walking for a while and realizing his body wasn't reacting too violently, he quietly let down his guard.
The five elders followed him according to the rules, their heads slightly bowed, watching Ji Changkong’s back with flickering eyes, each lost in their own thoughts.
In the Poison Valley, thick with toxic haze, poisonous weeds and insects were everywhere. Some members of the Myriad Poisons Sect were active here too. Upon seeing the five elders and the masked Ji Changkong enter, they all froze, studying the leading figure of Ji Changkong with some curiosity.
“Attend to your duties!” Ji Changkong snorted, shaking the Sect Master's token he held in his hand.
When the Myriad Poisons Sect members in the valley heard Ji Changkong’s voice and caught sight of the Sect Master's token in his hand from a distance, they immediately confirmed Ji Changkong’s identity. They all obediently returned to their tasks, either gathering poisonous herbs or feeding venomous insects nearby.
The Myriad Poisons Sect members capable of living in the Poison Valley were all those who had thoroughly cultivated poison arts, most possessing strength beyond the Five Elements Heaven. They spent years cultivating the most vicious venomous insects and growing deadly herbs that caused instant death upon contact.
It was precisely because the Myriad Poisons Sect possessed the treasure that was the Poison Valley that the sect’s experts never lacked the necessary venomous insects and herbs for their cultivation, allowing those practicing poison arts to advance rapidly.
Leading the five elders, Ji Changkong stopped at an opening in a smooth stone wall at the rear of the Poison Valley. The stone opening was crawling with countless venomous insects, their bodies writhing as they slowly moved across the surface. A mere glance would make most people’s scalps tingle.
Ji Changkong took out the Myriad Poisons Sect token and moved it towards the writhing insects at the opening.
The insects seemed terrified of the plain-looking Sect Master’s token; as it neared, they retreated, revealing a four-lobed indentation in the stone opening, shaped perfectly to receive the token.
Without hesitation, as the insects dispersed and the four lobes appeared, Ji Changkong inserted the Sect Master’s token into the slot.
He retracted his hand and turned back, glancing at the five men. “It is your turn,” he said lightly.
The five elders exchanged a look, stepped forward a few paces, and each pulled an object the size of a fist, made of dark metal, from their robes. With practiced movements, they inserted what they held into five other four-lobed slots.
The five elders held carvings representing the five poisons: the Viper, Scorpion, Spider, Centipede, and Toad. These five objects were clearly not alive but were crafted from the same material as Ji Changkong’s token. As soon as these five objects settled into their slots, a tremendous rumbling sound emanated from the stone opening.
The entrance to a monstrous cave, complete with gaping jaws, suddenly materialized.
Ji Changkong felt a surge of joy. Without a word, he led the way into the opening. The five elders, their eyes filled with delight, closely followed him inside.
After walking only a few dozen steps, Ji Changkong abruptly stopped, staring ahead in surprise.
Suspended ahead was a gigantic funnel. Its surface was densely covered with extremely fine script. The material of the funnel resembled the Sect Master’s token in his hand and the Five Venom tokens held by the elders. Various colored miasma from the valley continuously fed into the top of the funnel.
In front of the funnel, slender tubes led toward it. Streams of multicolored liquid dripped intermittently into the funnel from these tubes.
At the very tip of the funnel, a single bead of dark cyan liquid was faintly forming, but after a long time, the drop did not fall, hanging suspended in mid-air.
The vessel, about the size of a drinking cup, was already more than half full of the dark cyan liquid. The liquid was crystalline and translucent, appearing quite clean and beautiful from a distance.
Upon seeing this, the five elders of the Myriad Poisons Sect—Wan Xiongjie among them—looked around with visible excitement. Their gazes constantly shifted between the funnel and the half-cup of dark cyan liquid below, their greed undisguised.
The foundation of the Myriad Poisons Sect’s cultivation was this giant funnel. The dense, fine script covering it was the Poison Codex, detailing cultivation methods for hundreds of poison arts. This Codex was both the source of the sect’s power and a strange, mysterious artifact.
The Codex seemed intrinsically linked to the Poison Valley, capable of absorbing all sorts of toxic gases from within. Myriad Poisons Sect members also traditionally fed juices from various poisons and the potent toxins of venomous insects into the Codex, which possessed its own unique method of refining poisons.
The half-cup of dark cyan liquid below was the result of years of accumulation. This liquid was known as ‘Heavenly Poison,’ formed by gathering the various toxic miasmas and the venom of poisonous creatures from the valley. It was said that the Heavenly Poison could not only kill Eight Trigrams Heavenly Scholars but even experts at the Nine Palaces Heaven realm would struggle to survive a direct hit.
Because refining the Heavenly Poison was a slow process—taking decades to fill half a cup—the Myriad Poisons Sect would only resort to using it in dire circumstances. This time, the aggressive pressure from the Divine Arrow Sect had stoked the Myriad Poisons Sect's desire to fight back, leading them to decide to retrieve this half-cup of Heavenly Poison.
The Five Great Elders’ eyes darted greedily between the Codex and the Heavenly Poison, yet none dared approach to retrieve the liquid; they were all waiting for Ji Changkong to act first.
“Hmph!” Ji Changkong suddenly sneered, glancing at the Viper Elder. “Gongba, have you been in contact with Bage Jiu, the Second Priest of the Wei Yi tribe?”
Gongba was the Viper Elder of the Myriad Poisons Sect, always accompanied by vipers; all his poison arts came from snakes nurtured with his own vital blood. He was thin and haggard, his skin a dark green, and his head pointed—at a quick glance, he truly resembled a viper.
Gongba’s expression remained unchanged, his green eyes looking at Ji Changkong with surprise. “Why would the Sect Master say such a thing?”
“I received definite intelligence that Bage Jiu, the Second Priest of the Wei Yi tribe, knows how to command venomous snakes. Those snakes are fearless of blades and can writhe freely in the air. This is clearly a cultivation method from your lineage! Gongba is an elder of the Divine Arrow Sect, and you are an elder of my Myriad Poisons Sect. If he knows your lineage’s cultivation methods, how dare you claim you have no connection?” Ji Changkong demanded sharply.
The last time he battled Bage Jiu in the Great Marsh of Yunmeng, he saw Bage Jiu unleash streams of venomous snakes. At the time, Ji Changkong was suspicious, but since he wasn’t planning to impersonate Qu Le and infiltrate the Myriad Poisons Sect then, he hadn't connected it to the sect.
Later, while painstakingly studying the Myriad Poisons Sect's poison techniques in seclusion, in order to make his impersonation of Qu Le flawless, he had meticulously reviewed all of Qu Le’s memories. Only then did he realize that the snakes Bage Jiu used against him must have originated from the lineage of the Myriad Poisons Sect’s Viper Elder.
Under Ji Changkong’s fierce questioning, Gongba reluctantly nodded and bowed in apology. “Sect Master, please forgive me. A while ago, when we fought the Wei Yi tribe, we were outmatched and had to retreat. My third disciple failed to escape in time and was captured by Bage Jiu. I surmise that if Bage Jiu truly understands the profound secret of commanding my lineage’s venomous snakes, it must have come from my third disciple.”
“Is that so…” Ji Changkong frowned, his voice turning sinister. “It seems I misjudged you.”
“The Sect Master is wise,” Gongba quickly agreed.
“An elder of the Divine Arrow Sect secretly practicing our sect’s secret poison techniques—isn’t Bage Jiu courting death!” Wan Xiongjie sneered. “Let us release this news immediately. I believe the Divine Arrow Sovereign will demand Bage Jiu’s life.”
“I suggest we hold back this information for now. We can use this news to threaten Bage Jiu. Perhaps, perhaps we can gain some extra benefits,” Gongba hesitated for a moment, weighing his words.
“Indeed. Since Bage Jiu has cultivated our sect’s poison arts, he is somewhat one of us. If we can win Bage Jiu over to our side, it would be a massive blow to the Divine Arrow Sect,” Wan Xiongjie agreed with a nod.
“Gongba, leave Bage Jiu’s matter to you to handle,” Ji Changkong nodded gently.
Gongba quickly agreed.
“Scorpion Elder, I hear you have been keeping close contact with the Middle Landers recently…” Ji Changkong shifted his focus, turning his gaze to Wan Xiongjie.
Wan Xiongjie stiffened for a moment, then burst into a sudden, dry laugh. “Sect Master, I am using the cunning of the Middle Landers to deal with the Middle Landers. Rest assured, I know what I am doing. Everything I do is for the sect. Those Middle Landers are always turning on each other; if we just fan the flames a little, we can achieve surprising results. Why not seize this opportunity?”
“I hope you aren’t playing with fire and getting burned. The Middle Landers are not so easy to deal with. Otherwise, Tianlang Mountain wouldn't have almost been destroyed. If your recklessness brings significant trouble to our Myriad Poisons Sect, and you can’t resolve it, I will resolve you!” Ji Changkong warned.
“Sect Master, rest assured. I will certainly not bring trouble to the sect,” Wan Xiongjie guaranteed, slapping his chest, then chuckled dryly. “Sect Master, may we retrieve the Heavenly Poison now?”
Nodding, Ji Changkong said no more, his gaze drifting back to the half-cup of Heavenly Poison beneath the Codex.
Seeing Ji Changkong agree, the five elders grew somewhat excited, their gazes on the cup of Heavenly Poison becoming even more fervent.
“Scorpion Elder, let you be the one to retrieve the Heavenly Poison this time,” Ji Changkong suddenly stated.
Wan Xiongjie blinked, then his face lit up with wild joy. He nodded eagerly. “Good, good, I definitely won’t disappoint the Sect Master’s trust.”
With that, Wan Xiongjie suddenly sat down cross-legged. Several reddish-brown scorpions slowly crawled out of his sleeves. As soon as they emerged, these scorpions emitted excited, high-pitched chirps and flew into the air, heading straight for the cup holding the Heavenly Poison.
Wan Xiongjie stared fixedly at the cup, his lips moving slightly. When the small claws of the scorpions gripped the cup, they lifted it and flew it back toward Wan Xiongjie.
The moment the cup beneath the funnel was lifted, the stone base where it rested suddenly cracked open, revealing a circular hole. Another cup emerged from below, ready to catch the Heavenly Poison that would next drip from the funnel.
Wan Xiongjie manipulated the scorpions, guiding the cup back slowly. The four other Myriad Poisons Sect elders stood slightly bowed, their thoughts unknown.
Just as the scorpions, carrying the cup, were about to land safely near Wan Xiongjie, an unexpected change occurred!
The Viper Elder, Gongba, suddenly struck. A vibrant green snake shot out from his sleeve, its long tongue flickering as it lunged to wrap around Ji Changkong. Simultaneously, a sinister, icy aura erupted from Gongba’s body, manifesting as nearly invisible streams of venomous snakes trying to bore into Ji Changkong’s pores.
Ji Changkong smiled faintly. He did not engage with Gongba, his body flickering as he neatly dodged the sneak attack.
The Toad Elder, standing next to the Viper Elder, had a cold glint in his eyes. He suddenly thrust out his hand, and tiny projectiles, like miniature arrows, flashed from his fingertips, all striking the Spider Elder beside him. The Spider Elder screamed, blood soaking his back, and pointing at the Toad Elder, he yelled, “Divine Arrow Sect’s arrows—who are you?”
The Spider Elder hadn’t finished speaking before Wan Xiongjie suddenly burst into loud laughter, extending a hand to intercept an attack coming from the Centipede Elder. “I knew you wanted to snatch the Heavenly Poison!”
“You colluded with the Middle Landers and associated with the next chieftain of the Huang Yi tribe—did you think I didn’t know your intentions?” The Centipede Elder, whose face was covered in scars resembling centipedes, looked terrifying. “Wan Xiongjie, you will not seize the Heavenly Poison for yourself alone, I won’t allow it!”
In that brief instant, Gongba attacked Ji Changkong, the Toad Elder attacked the Spider Elder, and the Centipede Elder lunged at Wan Xiongjie. Of the six people who entered, not one stopped fighting.
A thin layer of human skin tore away from his face, and the Toad Elder transformed with a look of horror into Bage Jiu. He gave the Spider Elder a grim glance and smiled. “Correct. I am not him; I am Bage Jiu of the Divine Arrow Sect.”
“Gongba, you dare collude with people from the Divine Arrow Sect!” the Spider Elder and the Centipede Elder roared in unison.
Both were veteran schemers. For Bage Jiu to appear in this valley filled with five-colored miasma, he must have cultivated poison arts; otherwise, he wouldn't have survived this long. According to what Ji Changkong had said earlier—that Bage Jiu could command vipers—it implied a definite conspiracy with Gongba.
When Gongba’s attack failed to land, as Ji Changkong had already evaded it, Gongba froze momentarily but didn’t immediately chase after Ji Changkong. Instead, he stopped fighting and stood beside Bage Jiu, chuckling softly. “Sha Li, you are mistaken. I never colluded with anyone from the Divine Arrow Sect.”
Sha Li, the Spider Elder, was bleeding profusely from his back, but the wounds were not immediately fatal. Small spiders were already crawling over his injuries, staunching the flow of blood and using their toxins to help heal him.
“The matter has come to this, Gongba, do you still need to conceal it? If you weren’t colluding with Bage Jiu, he absolutely couldn’t have gotten in here!” Sha Li snorted coldly.
Gongba glanced at Bage Jiu and let out a dry laugh. “He is my younger brother. One of us entered the Myriad Poisons Sect, and the other entered the Divine Arrow Sect, precisely so we could control both major powers in the Southern Barbarian territories. After that brat Zhong Li Jing Yi brought back the last three pages of the Divine Arrow Scroll from the Middle Lands, the Divine Arrow Sovereign has already broken through to the peak of the Eight Trigrams Heaven realm, his strength nearing that of Wang Chi Mei, the King of the Nine Divisions back then. If this continues, where is the space for our Myriad Poisons Sect to survive?”
As Gongba spoke, Bage Jiu attacked the Centipede Elder, Xie Jue. Xie Jue was entangled by Bage Jiu and could no longer press his attack on Wan Xiongjie, forced only to watch as Wan Xiongjie successfully snatched away half a cup of Heavenly Poison and burst into laughter.
Seeing the situation, Xie Jue ceased his attack, stopping his tirade against Gongba. He looked coldly at Gongba. “So what if the Divine Arrow Sovereign has reached the peak of the Eight Trigrams Heaven realm? Even Chi Kui back in the day ended up dead. Those two from the Middle Lands will never allow a Nine Palaces Heavenly being to emerge from the Southern Barbarian territories.”
“Indeed. Even if we hadn't provoked the Water Cloud Kingdom back then, I believe the Middle Lands wouldn't have spared Chi Kui. Once Chi Kui reached the Nine Palaces Heaven realm, they would have no chance to strike him down, which is why they acted preemptively,” Sha Li agreed. “The Divine Arrow Sovereign reaching the peak of the Eight Trigrams Heaven realm only means he’s not far from death. I suspect someone from the Middle Lands will find an excuse to kill him soon.”
Gongba shook his head and sighed softly. “You have stayed here too long and probably don’t know the news from the Middle Lands. I hear the Holy Mother You Lan personally traveled to Mount Tian and clashed with Gu Pang. Rumor has it both Gu Pang and You Lan were injured. Do you know that for figures like Gu Pang and You Lan, an injury is not so easily recovered from?”
“During his recovery period, he won’t have the energy to deal with the Divine Arrow Sovereign, otherwise, the Divine Arrow Sovereign wouldn’t dare display his full power and begin slaughtering the Myriad Poisons Sect members so openly.”
“If Gu Pang has no time to deal with the Divine Arrow Sovereign, do you think you can?” Sha Li sneered dismissively.
Gongba laughed heartily, shamelessly continuing, “By normal means, I am certainly no match for the Divine Arrow Sovereign. However, didn't you hear what I said? Bage Jiu is my brother. We have now obtained the Heavenly Poison, and with Bage Jiu’s status as an elder of the Divine Arrow Sect, wanting to quietly eliminate the Divine Arrow Sovereign becomes an easy matter.”
At these words, Sha Li and Xie Jue were stunned, finally realizing that what Gongba claimed was highly possible. They believed in the potency of the Heavenly Poison, and if Bage Jiu, who had access to the Divine Arrow Sovereign, secretly acted, the Sovereign would indeed find it hard to escape this calamity.
“Gongba, your goal to deal with the Divine Arrow Sovereign aligns with the direction of my Myriad Poisons Sect. As long as you reveal Bage Jiu’s identity, I’ll hand over all the Heavenly Poison for you to try—why do this?” Ji Changkong walked over, asking darkly.
Gongba glanced at Ji Changkong and sighed softly. “Sect Master, do I not know your nature? If you knew Bage Jiu was my brother, with your temperament, how would you let me off? Furthermore, I wish to become the Master of the Myriad Poisons Sect, and my brother wishes to become the Master of the Divine Arrow Sect. If the Myriad Poisons Sect and the Divine Arrow Sect could stop fighting each other and focus their energy on dealing with the Middle Landers, I believe the Southern Barbarian territories would not be in this predicament!”
“I know the irreconcilable hatred between you and the Divine Arrow Sovereign. Even if we kill the Divine Arrow Sovereign, you won’t spare the Divine Arrow Sect. This is clearly not the outcome we desire, so we must make things difficult for the Sect Master. For the peaceful unification of the Myriad Poisons Sect and the Divine Arrow Sect, we can only do this…”
The Divine Arrow Sect and the Myriad Poisons Sect were the two largest Heavenly Scholar sects in the Southern Barbarian territories. It was precisely because of their constant internal strife that the Southern Barbarian territories lacked the energy to turn their attention toward the Water Cloud Kingdom. If Gongba truly managed to kill the Divine Arrow Sovereign, and with Bage Jiu leading the Divine Arrow Sect, the two brothers controlling the Myriad Poisons Sect and the Divine Arrow Sect respectively, the unification of the Southern Barbarian territories would be a matter of course.
Once the Southern Barbarian territories were unified, the Water Cloud Kingdom would inevitably face utter destruction.
“Wan Xiongjie, and what about you?” Ji Changkong glanced at Wan Xiongjie and asked calmly.
“For the unification of the Southern Barbarian territories, for the peace between the Myriad Poisons Sect and the Divine Arrow Sect, everything I do is for the consideration of the Southern Barbarian territories. I hope the Sect Master can understand,” Wan Xiongjie said with a smile.
“Oh?” Ji Changkong let out a dry laugh. “You have such good intentions?”
“Wan Xiongjie was originally from the Huang Yi tribe, and the current Prince Zaxi of the Huang Yi tribe is actually Wan Xiongjie’s son. Once Bage Jiu and I gain control of the Divine Arrow Sect and the Myriad Poisons Sect, we will endorse Zaxi as the King of the Southern Barbarian territories. Zaxi will hold the title of King of the Nine Yi tribes, responsible for commanding the armies of all nine tribes,” Bage Jiu revealed the truth with a slight smile.
Ji Changkong was taken aback. He hadn't expected that Prince Zaxi, who had repeatedly tried to harm Zhou Miaoshan and Zhou Qiangwei, would be the son of Wan Xiongjie. After studying Wan Xiongjie closely, Ji Changkong truly noticed a resemblance between Prince Zaxi and the elder.
With Bage Jiu’s explanation, Ji Changkong finally understood everything. Wan Xiongjie’s betrayal wasn't for the Southern Barbarian territories, nor for himself, but entirely for his son, Zaxi. Even if the Divine Arrow Sect and the Myriad Poisons Sect merged, the Southern Barbarian territories still required a King to command the armies of the nine tribes. As the prince of the Huang Yi tribe, with the backing of the Divine Arrow Sect and the Myriad Poisons Sect, securing the title of King of the Southern Barbarian territories would be a simple matter.
Reviewing the sequence of events in his mind, Ji Changkong grasped the entire conspiracy. He realized that Wan Xiongjie, Gongba, and Bage Jiu must have deliberated for a long time and long planned this subversion.
“Aren’t you afraid of me?” Ji Changkong scoffed.
Wan Xiongjie permitted himself a faint smile. "If the Sect Master were still the master he used to be, perhaps we would have waited longer, until we were certain of victory before making a move. However, the Sect Master’s physical body was destroyed in the Central Lands, and now his divine soul has possessed a new body for rebirth. Naturally, his strength is far inferior to what it once was. We know that Heavenly Toxin holds remarkable efficacy for the Sect Master’s recovery, which is why he rushed here to open the Poison Valley—it must be for the Heavenly Toxin. But now, the Heavenly Toxin is in my hands. Recovery will not be easy for the Sect Master."
As Wan Xiongjie spoke, Ba Gejiu stepped forward, blocking Ji Changkong from behind. His voice turned grim. "The state of 'Poison Does Not Disperse, Soul Does Not Perish.' The divine soul is indeed difficult to extinguish, but fortunately, I was well-prepared this time."
While Ba Gejiu spoke, he drew a massive recurved bow from behind him. The bow was patterned with celestial symbols of the sun, moon, and stars. The moment it appeared in Ba Gejiu's grasp, it exuded an ancient, heavy sense of oppression.
"Sunlight Bow! How could this be in your hands?" Ji Changkong exclaimed in shock.
He had seen the Sunlight Bow during the Spirit Treasure Convention. Afterwards, chaos erupted at the convention, and the Sunlight Bow, Sky-Rending Sword, and Heaven Origin Pearl all vanished. The Heaven Origin Pearl had entered his body, but the Sunlight Bow and Sky-Rending Sword had disappeared. Ji Changkong had assumed the Sunlight Bow and Sky-Rending Sword were in the hands of the Manichaeans, the East Sea’s Sunset Isle, or the Shadowless Sect. He never expected Ba Gejiu to produce the Sunlight Bow.
The Sunlight Bow was forged in antiquity by 'Kuo,' the former Holy Lord of the Southern Yi tribes. He gathered numerous spiritual treasures from the Southern Yi, slew two Flood Dragons, and forged it through the combined might of many Southern Yi Heavenly Scholars! The Sun, Moon, and Star arrows contained the power of those celestial bodies, and when loosed from the Sunlight Bow, their destructive force was immense!
"Heh heh, the Sunlight Bow is inherently the sacred artifact of the Divine Archery Gate. Returning to my hands after leaving the Central Lands is merely a case of things returning to their rightful owner. The three arrows—Sun, Moon, and Star—should be more than enough to thoroughly cleanse the toxin gathering your soul. In the state of 'Poison Does Not Disperse, Soul Does Not Perish,' once the poison is gone, you will never have another chance to possess and regenerate." Ba Gejiu chuckled darkly.
The appearance of the Sunlight Bow made Ji Changkong instantly realize that Ba Gejiu must be colluding with the Manichaeans, Sunset Isle, and the Shadowless Sect. Since the Sunlight Bow disappeared among those three factions, Ba Gejiu’s ability to wield it now had to stem from them.
Thinking this, Ji Changkong couldn't help but cast a deep glance at Gongba. He suddenly wondered if Qu Le and those Southern Yi masters appearing at Blood Rain Mountain to attack the forces there, alongside the Manichaeans and Sunset Isle, was Gongba's scheme. Had Gongba encouraged Qu Le to go to Blood Rain Mountain in an attempt to retrieve the Sunlight Bow from the Manichaeans and Sunset Isle for his brother?
It was a pity that the memories Qu Le had left Ji Changkong were exclusively about the use and refinement of poisons, along with trivial daily matters. Ji Changkong could glean no useful intelligence, leaving him uncertain whether Gongba had secretly instigated Qu Le’s expedition to Blood Rain Mountain.
As Ba Gejiu spoke, an arrow shimmering with starlight was already nocked onto the Sunlight Bow, aimed coldly at Ji Changkong.
Wan Xiongjie and Gongba exchanged a glance, then both looked toward Xie Jue and Sha Li. Gongba sighed lightly, his face brimming with sincerity. "Venerable Elders, for the sake of the Southern Yi's future, for the ability to truly stand against the people of the Central Lands, we hope you two elders will join us. If you agree, we shall usher in a new era for the Southern Yi. Consider it: if the Myriad Poison Sect and the Divine Archery Gate unite and nominate a new King, while Gu Pang is injured and confined, the iron hooves of our great army could easily sweep across the Water Cloud Kingdom."
Xie Jue, hearing Gongba’s appeal, felt a stirring of temptation, his expression wavering with indecision.
Sha Li, having been sneak-attacked from behind by Ba Gejiu, still felt a terrible, throbbing numbness even though the bleeding had stopped. He knew that if Ba Gejiu had struck, he certainly wouldn't have forgotten to coat his arrow with poison. Ba Gejiu's toxin skills originated from Gongba, who must have been prepared to deal with him specifically; the poison coated on that arrow would certainly be extraordinary. Whether to submit or hold fast, Sha Li’s mind remained utterly unresolved.