"Young friend. What's the matter?" Arrow God Gong looked at Ji Changkong in confusion, not understanding. "Is there still an issue?"

"You had better find someone to test it first; what's in this bottle is incredibly strange," Ji Changkong said pointedly.

"No matter. I trust you," Arrow God Gong chuckled, unsure if he truly trusted Ji Changkong or if he was acting fearlessly.

"Can we talk somewhere else?" Ji Changkong proposed.

Arrow God Gong looked puzzled, hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Since the young friend has something to discuss with me, let's change locations."

"This way." Ji Changkong beckoned, leading Arrow God Gong toward the Venom Dragon Pool, bringing him deep into a dense forest surrounded by ferocious beasts. Aside from the two of them, only the Sky Terrifying Winged Dragon glared fiercely at Arrow God Gong with its savage eyes.

Zhou Qiangwei, knowing that he and Arrow God Gong surely had important matters to discuss, wisely kept her distance.

Holding the nearly empty bottle of "Heavenly Poison," Arrow God Gong looked surprised and perplexed. "Young friend, please rest assured, no one here can overhear our conversation. Whatever you need or wish to say, speak freely. If I can manage it, I will certainly do my utmost to satisfy you."

Arrow God Gong assumed that Ji Changkong pulling him aside privately was to propose certain conditions that couldn't be revealed to outsiders.

Shaking his head lightly, Ji Changkong said, "To be frank, what you hold in your hand is the 'Heavenly Poison' of the Myriad Poisons Sect."

"Young friend, you are joking. Do you still not trust me now?" Arrow God Gong's expression showed some displeasure.

"Let me put it this way: if you had truly drunk that half bottle of 'Heavenly Poison' just now, even if you are at the peak of the Eight Trigrams Celestial Pillar Realm, escaping death would be difficult. I can guarantee that." Before Arrow God Gong could question him, Ji Changkong waved his hand, signaling a halt. "I think I should tell you how I obtained the 'Heavenly Poison.'"

Excluding the primordial poison that surged out of the Poison Codex and subsequently hid itself within the Celestial Origin Pearl, Ji Changkong held nothing back. He briefly recounted his experience of outwitting Gong Ba and Wan Xiongjie in the Poison Valley while disguised as Qu Le.

As Ji Changkong spoke, Arrow God Gong, who had initially taken it lightly, gradually became solemn. Having lived many years in this world, he possessed his own methods for discerning truth from falsehood. From the events Ji Changkong described, he faintly perceived that the matter held more than a grain of truth.

When Ji Changkong finished narrating the entire situation, Arrow God Gong's face was incredibly grim. "Are you saying Zaxi and Bage Jiu colluded to use the Myriad Poisons Sect's 'Heavenly Poison' to harm me? Zaxi, Zaxi is actually Wan Xiongjie's son?"

"Exactly!" Ji Changkong affirmed.

"I'm starting to believe you. However, how can you prove that everything you said is true?" Arrow God Gong frowned and asked.

"Simple."

Ji Changkong smiled carelessly, suddenly unleashing his divine soul toward Arrow God Gong. Simultaneously, he began attempting to connect with the soul essence of Qu Le stored within the Celestial Origin Pearl.

Qu Le held an irreconcilable, deep-seated hatred for Arrow God Gong. The soul essence of Qu Le, entirely absorbed by the Celestial Origin Pearl, upon sensing Arrow God Gong nearby through Ji Changkong's soul awareness, suddenly mixed its soul energy with Ji Changkong's divine soul.

In that instant, Ji Changkong's aura shifted abruptly. The cold, arrogant, domineering, and vicious soul aura unique to Qu Le immediately radiated from him.

"It truly is Qu Le!" Arrow God Gong cried out involuntarily, his face filled with disbelief.

With a thought, Ji Changkong retracted his probing soul power, taking the unwilling aura of Qu Le back into the Celestial Origin Pearl with it. Ji Changkong, returned to normal, smiled and asked, "How about it? Do you believe me now?"

"You carry Qu Le's soul aura. How did you manage that? Qu Le is dead, so why can you trap his soul essence and not let it go?" Arrow God Gong said, his face dark, taking a deep breath, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Ji Changkong. "Why? Why tell me all this? If you hadn't spoken just now, I would have consumed the 'Heavenly Poison,' and I might be dead now. Why did you do this?"

After a pause, Arrow God Gong continued, "Why did you pull me here alone? Aren't you afraid I would attack and kill you? Once you die, Qu Le's soul essence loses its host and will never have a chance for rebirth. With the five elders of Wan Xiongjie and Bage Jiu also dead in the Poison Valley, the status of our Divine Archer Sect in Southern Yi will be unchallengeable. This is not a fortunate thing for you in the Central Lands. What exactly is your purpose in doing this?"

"First, you cannot kill me! If I intended to leave, even with your superior numbers, you still couldn't keep me!" Ji Changkong smiled proudly, then added, "I didn't let you drink the 'Heavenly Poison' naturally for my own reasons. I believe mutual cooperation might benefit us both."

"You killed Qu Le. The legend says Qu Le died in the Blood Rain Mountain, killed by those few people," Arrow God Gong murmured. After a long silence, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he exclaimed, "You are Ji Changkong?"

"Correct." Ji Changkong nodded, smiling faintly. "The Venom Dragon Pool does not hold what you seek. Remember, you want to break through to the Nine Palaces Heaven Realm, likely because that person from Heavenly Mountain suffered injuries in the battle with Saint Mother You Lan. You see this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, don't you?"

Arrow God Gong frowned in silence.

"What if I told you that by befriending me, even if the injuries of the Heavenly Mountain figure recover, they won't bother you?" Ji Changkong suddenly stated.

"What do you mean by that?" Arrow God Gong suddenly showed interest.

"Well, Li Hentian has always been by my side. Do you know why?"

"No."

"Li Hentian is the Grand Elder of the Heavenly Mountain Universe Sect. The reason he stays with me is because I am the maternal grandson of that person from Heavenly Mountain. Now, do you understand?" To achieve his goal, Ji Changkong did not hesitate to leverage the formidable reputation of Gu Ya.

This statement made Arrow God Gong's expression shake, showing great surprise as he repeatedly muttered, "No wonder, no wonder..."

Arrow God Gong's reaction puzzled Ji Changkong somewhat. He hadn't expected Arrow God Gong to believe him so quickly; he had prepared an alternative explanation, but judging by Arrow God Gong’s demeanor, it seemed unnecessary.

"Back then, when Zhong Li Jingyi brought the last three pages of the Divine Archer Codex to Sirius Mountain, I meticulously questioned him about the scene when he met Gu Ya. He told me that Gu Ya merely glanced at him, and he instantly fell into a wondrous state, memories of him and you, Ji Changkong, replaying endlessly in his mind. Gu Ya didn't ask him anything, but was only interested in his and your past interactions," Arrow God Gong explained.

This piece of secret history was unknown even to Ji Changkong. Hearing Arrow God Gong recount it, Ji Changkong's brow furrowed deeply. He suddenly realized the possible truth in something Li Hentian once mentioned—that his maternal grandfather might be secretly watching over him through some other method, though he didn't know how.

"Do you believe me now?" Ji Changkong asked.

"I believe you, young friend. But you haven't mentioned how you want to cooperate with our Divine Archer Sect yet?" Arrow God Gong's mouth curved into a smile. "As a descendant of the Ji family's new generation of Xuanyuan, with Gu Ya behind you, you will stand tall in the world sooner or later. If our Divine Archer Sect can cooperate with you, it will greatly benefit our sect's development."

"Good, then we can discuss the details thoroughly," Ji Changkong laughed heartily. "But before that, please hand the 'Heavenly Poison' over to me. Keeping this thing does you no good."

"No problem." Arrow God Gong readily agreed without hesitation, directly returning the Myriad Poisons Sect's premier poison into Ji Changkong's hands.

A short while later, Ji Changkong and Arrow God Gong walked out of the dense forest, laughing and chatting merrily.

Zaxi, those masters from the Huangyi Tribe and the Divine Archer Sect, and Zhou Qiangwei all wore strange expressions, unable to comprehend why Ji Changkong and Arrow God Gong were so congenial, acting like close friends despite the difference in age.

"Let's go, we're heading back," Arrow God Gong called out after emerging.

"Grand Elder, we, we?" Zaxi looked anxious, glancing at Zhou Qiangwei and then at Ji Changkong. He quickly said, "These two occupy the Venom Dragon Pool. As soon as we kill them, the ferocious beasts here and the Star River Water at the bottom of the pool will all belong to us."

"I said, we are going back! Zaxi, don't you understand my words?" Arrow God Gong frowned, his expression suddenly turning grim.

"Grand Elder, forgive me." Zaxi lowered his head and quickly agreed. His heart was filled with doubt; he didn't know what the two had discussed in that secluded corner, and he felt uneasy.

"From now on, no member of the Divine Archer Sect is allowed to cause trouble at the Venom Dragon Pool. No one is permitted to disturb the peaceful lives of these exotic beasts. Have you heard clearly?" Arrow God Gong swept a look over the Divine Archer Sect members and stated flatly.

"Understood." Although the Divine Archer Sect members were also puzzled, they all agreed in unison.

"Hmm." Arrow God Gong nodded indifferently, then gave a slight smile to Ji Changkong. "Young friend, rest assured, I will not forget our agreement. I will send someone to your place in a while."

"Good, I will arrange the matters here," Ji Changkong replied with a smile.

Arrow God Gong glanced at Zaxi, who had his head lowered, a complex look in his eyes. He said lightly, "Zaxi, take your men and leave here with me. I have matters to discuss with you on the way..."

"Oh." Zaxi could only obey the order.

Arrow God Gong stepped forward and led Zaxi and the Southern Yi people away in a blink of an eye. Ji Changkong watched the receding figures of Arrow God Gong and Zaxi disappear, a cold, sharp smile curving his lips. He knew Zaxi was certainly doomed this time; in the current Southern Yi, if Arrow God Gong wanted someone dead, they would have to die!

Arrow God Gong and the Divine Archer Sect members quickly vanished from the Venom Dragon Pool. The ferocious beasts near the pool looked around in confusion, circling Ji Changkong as if wondering by what means he had driven away those who disturbed their peace.

Zhou Qiangwei also furrowed her delicate brows but did not ask anything proactively. Ji Changkong had no intention of explaining to her either. After Arrow God Gong and the Divine Archer Sect members departed, he resumed his arduous cultivation at the Venom Dragon Pool.

The star essence, the size of a fist, seemed unchanged in size, yet the essence of star essence required by Ji Changkong's body was sufficient. When Ji Changkong realized his divine soul had greatly advanced and he no longer needed to cultivate in the Star of Heaven's Pivot, he began flying towards the second star in the Big Dipper region, the Star of Heavenly Spot.

With the experience gained from cultivating on the Star of Heaven's Pivot, his cultivation on the Star of Heaven's Lord was smooth and practiced. He was no longer groping in the dark but was systematically utilizing starlight and searching for star dust to cultivate.

He only returned from the Star of Heavenly Splendor when he felt his divine soul's spiritual energy was almost depleted.

After restoring his divine soul's spiritual energy to its peak using the Black Jade Primordial Crystal, Ji Changkong glanced at Zhou Qiangwei, who was lingering among the exotic flowers and plants of the Venom Dragon Pool, and asked, "How long did my cultivation take this time?"

"Two months," Zhou Qiangwei replied, a faint smile touching her lips as she looked at him.

"Another two months..." Ji Changkong murmured to himself, then suddenly called out loudly, "Zhou Qiangwei, I am leaving the Venom Dragon Pool. What are your plans?"

At these words, the smile vanished instantly from Zhou Qiangwei's face. Having gradually grown accustomed to this tranquil life, she was suddenly pulled from her dreamlike illusion back into reality, her beautiful face filled with sorrow. She said softly, "I... I'll just stay here. You can come back whenever you need to cultivate."

During this period, while Ji Changkong cultivated, she had shifted her interest to the exotic flowers and plants near the Venom Dragon Pool. In the vast Venom Dragon Pool, there were only the two of them besides the beasts. Whenever Ji Changkong awoke from his cultivation, he would chat and talk with her.

Zhou Qiangwei deeply cherished this quiet and carefree life. With Ji Changkong's companionship, she felt she had forgotten the worries that plagued her. She could let go and concentrate on mingling with the flowers and grasses she loved—a life she had always desired but could never attain.

Sweet dreams rarely last. The moment Ji Changkong announced his departure from the Venom Dragon Pool, Zhou Qiangwei’s beautiful dream shattered, returning her to reality.

"Stay at the Venom Dragon Pool? What would you stay here for?" Ji Changkong asked.

"If I don't stay here, where else can I go?" Zhou Qiangwei responded with a self-mocking, bitter laugh. "Return to the Ye family? Since I left the Chi Yi Tribe without permission, my actions have brought shame upon the Ye family. Returning there would be walking straight into a trap. The Ye family will surely send me back to the Chi Yi Tribe to become Zhong Li Jingyi's woman."

"How about this: come with me to the Blood Rain Mountain? Come home with me? Your medical skills would be a great help to our Ji family members who are often injured," Ji Changkong blurted out. The moment the words left his mouth, he felt a pang of regret, but seeing Zhou Qiangwei's self-pitying expression, he couldn't bring himself to retract the offer.

"You, you're willing to take me to the Xuanyuan Valley? To your Ji family?" Zhou Qiangwei's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Let's go. Come with me to the Xuanyuan Valley Ji family. Your medical skills are exceptional; your arrival will be a blessing to our frequently injured clansmen," Ji Changkong said. He clearly saw the immense joy blossoming on Zhou Qiangwei's face, and for some reason, seeing her so happy also sparked a hidden anticipation within his own heart.