Lightning and Shadow knew of the feud between the Jiang family and Yan Liangfei, so they had originally intended to hand the Jiang family members over to Yan Liangfei for resolution. They never anticipated that the very Jiang family members they allowed Yan Liangfei to deal with would ultimately lead to his qi deviation.

However, for the specific Jiang family member who was overlooked, whether avoiding a confrontation with Shadow and Lightning was a blessing or a curse was uncertain. He possessed the strength of the middle stage of the second level of Inner Force. Facing Yan Liangfei, he could not have won, but neither was he likely to be killed. Unfortunately, Yan Liangfei’s hatred was so profound that every move was a killing blow, causing his own Inner Force to go astray immediately, resulting in instant qi deviation!

What was even more unexpected was that the crazed Yan Liangfei, after deviating, broke through two realms in succession. He stood at the late stage of the second level of Inner Force and, with a single move, tore the Jiang family member before him in half, splattering himself with blood.

After killing the Jiang family member present, Yan Liangfei aggressively struck out, personally killing all the other Jiang family members whom Shadow and Lightning had been restraining.

It was then that Lightning and Shadow realized something was gravely wrong with Yan Liangfei, and they lured him out, bringing him before Zhang Yang.

After hearing the complete account of everything that transpired in the villa, Zhang Yang let out a sigh. This was simply Yan Liangfei’s fate.

He was born with the exceptional cultivation physique known as the Golden Pupils of the First Ray. Cultivating Inner Force came easily to him; at such a young age, he had already reached the second level. With Zhang Yang’s future assistance, breaking through to the third level before the age of thirty-five could have helped him bypass the lifespan limit of the Golden Pupils of the First Ray constitution at that age, granting him an extra decade of life. But now, forcing a breakthrough in his Inner Force realm through qi deviation would have a massive impact on his future. It was highly probable that he would never reach the third level of Inner Force in his lifetime.

Even if Zhang Yang adjusted his body afterward, it could not avert the lifespan limit at thirty-five, unless...

Zhang Yang’s eyes suddenly lit up. He suddenly recalled what Jiang Tianxia had said before dying: there was a repository in the villa, and the half-volume of the Peerless Poison Sutra was hidden within it.

Zhang Yang held little hope for the Jiang family’s repository. A minor noble house, even combined with the former Wang family, only spanned a century or two; they were unlikely to have left behind anything truly valuable. Still, adopting the mindset of treating a dying horse as if it were alive, Zhang Yang decided to take a look. Perhaps there were medicinal herbs there suitable for concocting a spirit medicine that could help Yan Liangfei. At the very least, he might find a solution within that half of the Peerless Poison Sutra.

“Shadow!” Zhang Yang stood up and pointed toward the interior of the villa.

“Squeak squeak squeak!”

Shadow immediately understood Zhang Yang’s intent. Upon entering the villa earlier, Shadow had sensed the presence of treasures, but these seemed dim compared to treasures encountered previously. Coupled with the need to assist in dealing with the Jiang family members, Shadow had paid them no mind. Now, seeing Zhang Yang point inside, it swiftly moved forward to lead the way.

“Chirp chirp chirp!”

Lightning, seeing Zhang Yang follow Shadow to leave, urgently cried out, wanting to follow along.

Zhang Yang shook his head and told Lightning, “Lightning, you stay here and guard Yan Liangfei. If anything happens to him again, knock him unconscious with poison first. Remember, do not harm him.”

Lightning scratched its small paw against its head, clearly disappointed about not being able to accompany Zhang Yang, but knowing Zhang Yang placed great importance on Yan Liangfei, it did not hesitate to nod. It patted its chest and called out to Zhang Yang, conveying the message to hurry back, promising it would guard Yan Liangfei well.

Without delay, Shadow immediately led Zhang Yang deeper into the villa.

Shadow bolted ahead, rounded a corridor, and stopped before the innermost room. The wooden door was tightly shut, secured by a massive iron lock on the handle.

But this was no obstacle for Shadow. It spat out a burst of Inner Force, shattering the iron lock directly.

When Zhang Yang walked up and pushed the door open, he saw rows of shelves inside, with numerous labels indicating what was stored on them.

These were merely materials for compounding common poisons. The Jiang family was indeed a minor house accustomed to using toxins, and the variety of poison ingredients here was quite extensive.

However, these were far from precious. Disappointment creased Zhang Yang’s face. Could this really be the repository?

“Squeak squeak squeak!”

Shadow darted to the last shelf and squeaked loudly at a portrait hanging on the back wall, pointing to it for Zhang Yang.

A mechanism in the room?

Zhang Yang hurried over and examined the portrait. He noticed that although it was fixed to the wall, there were clear marks indicating it had been moved.

Following the traces of movement, Zhang Yang pushed the portrait, and it slowly slid aside.

When the painting was moved, a hidden compartment was revealed behind it, stuffed full of extremely valuable gold, silver, and jewels.

Zhang Yang frowned, immediately pulling out all the gold, silver, and jewels and tossing them carelessly onto the floor. Only after emptying the compartment did he discover another mechanism button deep inside.

Without hesitation, Zhang Yang pressed the button. He heard a rumbling sound as a ground-level opening suddenly appeared in the corner of the room near the shelves, revealing a staircase leading downwards.

Seeing the opening to the underground passage, Shadow bolted in first, continuing to lead the way for Zhang Yang.

So, this was the true repository!

Zhang Yang’s face lit up with joy as he followed Shadow into the depths.

He had not expected the underground space beneath this villa to be so vast, resembling a parking garage supported by pillars, yet it felt eerie and terrifying.

After descending the stairs, Shadow immediately turned left and entered one of the rooms on that side.

This room was the actual treasure vault.

When Zhang Yang followed inside, he froze, and the gloom on his face deepened. What lay before him was deeply disappointing.

Like the room above, there were rows upon rows of shelves. But what sat on them was neither precious medicinal herbs nor rare poisons, but neat stacks of cash filling the entire room. Several large shelves held not just millions, but likely tens of millions!

It turned out the supposed repository was just the Jiang family’s place to store cash. Cash was utterly useless to Zhang Yang, and he had no time to ponder why the Jiang family possessed such a fortune—

“Chirp chirp chirp!”

At this moment, Shadow stood on top of a safe and shouted loudly at Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang strode over. This safe was clearly the newest model, featuring an electronic screen that required both a passcode and a fingerprint verification—very advanced.

An ordinary person would have been helpless against this safe, but who else would they run into but freaks like Shadow and Zhang Yang?

Zhang Yang drew his Cold Spring Sword. Ironically, he hadn't used this divine weapon in the prior battle against the mysterious person, but now he deployed it here.

Against the Jiang family members, Zhang Yang certainly hadn't needed the Cold Spring Sword; using it would have been overestimating the Jiang clan. But the situation was urgent, leaving no room for hesitation.

Truly worthy of its reputation as a supreme weapon on the Divine Weapon List capable of slicing metal like mud, the Cold Spring Sword instantly cleaved open the cash safe in a single strike. If Zhang Yang hadn't worried about damaging the contents, he could have split it in half with one slash.

The entire door of the safe was cleanly removed by the Cold Spring Sword, and immediately, a faint, delicate fragrance permeated the room. When Zhang Yang saw what was inside, his brows furrowed deeply.

The safe contained not only that half-volume of the Poison Sutra but also a white object emitting an enchanting fragrance that he couldn't name.

Upon seeing that object, Shadow recoiled several steps, hiding behind Zhang Yang before daring to peek out again.

“White Flame Demonic Ginseng!” Zhang Yang exclaimed first, then moved closer to examine it meticulously before confirming it was indeed the legendary White Flame Demonic Ginseng.

The White Flame Demonic Ginseng was a type of millennium ginseng. Unlike others that resemble the human form upon maturation, this one matured into a shape akin to a burning flame, pure white in color, hence the name ‘White Flame.’ The ‘Demonic’ appellation related to its medicinal properties: while other ginsengs were great tonics, this one was the most intensely poisonous substance in the world. Despite its alluring and persistent fragrance, a single accidental ingestion would instantly kill an ordinary person. A cultivator wouldn't die immediately, but they would have all their Inner Force devoured, leaving them a commoner. Hence, it was called White Flame Demonic Ginseng.

However, before full maturity, this demonic ginseng was indistinguishable from ordinary herbs, possessing no toxicity. Coupled with the fact that a single White Flame Demonic Ginseng took at least five hundred years to mature, its striking appearance—resembling a white flame—led to nearly all young specimens being harvested prematurely. It had been effectively extinct for hundreds of years, with no records remaining outside of certain ancient medical texts.

No wonder Shadow immediately retreated upon seeing it; this thing was the nemesis of cultivators and spirit beasts alike, equivalent to the deadliest poison known.

“Chirp chirp chirp!”

Shadow tugged at Zhang Yang, urging him to leave quickly; it had no desire to stay near this natural enemy of cultivators.

“Wait!” Zhang Yang stared at the White Flame Demonic Ginseng, suddenly overwhelmed with excitement!

The sign of maturity for the White Flame Demonic Ginseng was the emission of a faint, persistent, delicate fragrance. This meant the specimen before him was fully mature. Considering its properties, Zhang Yang naturally grew agitated.

If Yan Liangfei consumed the White Flame Demonic Ginseng, wouldn't that solve his qi deviation problem?

A cultivator who mistakenly ingests the White Flame Demonic Ginseng only suffers the complete dissipation of their Inner Force; it causes no other systemic damage. This meant that by feeding it to Yan Liangfei, the chaotic Inner Force within his body would be consumed by the ginseng's medicinal properties, naturally eliminating the sequelae of qi deviation.

Lost Inner Force could be rebuilt through cultivation, but the lasting damage from qi deviation would end his life forever.

The choice between the two—loss of power versus irreversible disability—was starkly clear.