Zhang Yang carefully retrieved the White Flame Demon Ginseng from the safe, placing it and the peerless Poison Classic into his canvas bag before rising to summon Wuying and return the way they came.

Without Zhang Yang present, Yan Liangfei’s turbulent internal Neijin, suppressed only by the two silver needles, could not hold for long. Every second was crucial now, and Zhang Yang was unwilling to watch a cultivation prodigy suffer a lifelong regret.

Zhang Yang’s return journey was twice as fast as his arrival, and soon he was back by Yan Liangfei’s side.

“Chirp chirp!”

Lightning let out a joyful cry upon seeing Zhang Yang return. Seeing the smile blooming across Zhang Yang’s face, it knew the mission had been a success, and curiosity surged within it—what treasures had Zhang Yang brought back?

Zhang Yang knelt beside Yan Liangfei and took out the White Flame Demon Ginseng from his canvas bag. Immediately, a faint, delicate fragrance mingled with the scent of blood emanating from Yan Liangfei’s body.

Seeing what Zhang Yang produced, the excited Lightning was instantly stunned, scrambling far back, its large, round eyes fixed on Zhang Yang. Its reaction was almost identical to Wuying’s the first time it saw the White Flame Demon Ginseng.

“Squeak squeak!”

Wuying immediately burst into laughter at Lightning, having completely forgotten its own initial expression upon seeing the Demon Ginseng.

Lightning, seeing Wuying gloating, was instantly displeased and defensively brandished a paw at Wuying. Unfortunately, Wuying was too busy laughing to pay any attention.

Zhang Yang ignored the petty sparring between the two small creatures. Instead, using the Cold Spring Sword, he meticulously sliced off a piece of the whole White Flame Demon Ginseng, no larger than a fingernail.

A mature White Flame Demon Ginseng possessed terrifying medicinal potency; even this small piece was more than sufficient to treat a cultivator at the Great Perfection realm. For someone like Yan Liangfei, who had only reached the late stage of the second layer of Neijin due to Qi deviation, the dosage absolutely had to be controlled within a specific range.

Even this tiny sliver, the size of a thumbnail, was by no means a small measure for Yan Liangfei. Zhang Yang gently parted Yan Liangfei’s lips and fed the White Flame Demon Ginseng directly to him.

The inherent property of the White Flame Demon Ginseng was to devour a cultivator’s Neijin; it required no processing or compounding. Thus, immediate effects could be observed right after consumption.

With Zhang Yang’s assistance, the small piece of White Flame Demon Ginseng was successfully swallowed and descended into Yan Liangfei’s stomach.

Zhang Yang focused with utmost intensity, placing both hands on the ends of the silver needles embedded in Yan Liangfei’s temples, and began to draw them out slowly.

The medicinal effect of the White Flame Demon Ginseng had just entered his system; the full burst of its power would take a moment longer. As Zhang Yang slowly extracted the needles, the suppressed and calmed Neijin within his body immediately sensed an opportunity and surged into chaos once more!

As if sensing the out-of-control Neijin within Yan Liangfei, the potency of the White Flame Demon Ginseng was greatly triggered. Under Zhang Yang’s perception, the moment Yan Liangfei’s chaotic Neijin began to flare up, it was as if something instantly devoured it—like a newly ignited flame suddenly extinguished by a massive bucket of water descending from the sky.

Seeing that the Demon Ginseng’s effects were taking hold after removing the needles, Zhang Yang nervously watched Yan Liangfei, constantly monitoring the erratic Neijin within his body.

Initially, Yan Liangfei’s surging Neijin threatened to outpace the devouring speed, faintly threatening to break through all his meridians and cause irreparable damage. But gradually, the surge lost momentum. The violently rising Neijin could no longer contend with the speed of consumption and was slowly eroded away.

After about fifteen minutes, Zhang Yang could no longer detect any Neijin within Yan Liangfei’s body.

But it wasn't over!

Zhang Yang frowned sharply. Despite his extreme caution in controlling the dosage, he had underestimated the potency of the White Flame Demon Ginseng. That tiny piece, barely the size of a fingernail, had not only devoured all the Neijin within Yan Liangfei but also seemed unsatisfied, beginning to consume Yan Liangfei’s very life force!

It seemed the common understanding that the White Flame Demon Ginseng only consumed the damaged Neijin of a cultivator was not entirely accurate. If a cultivator’s Neijin was insufficient, the potency of the Demon Ginseng would still damage the cultivator’s life.

At once, Zhang Yang violently grabbed Yan Liangfei’s hands, pulled him up, and pressed his palm against him, directly channeling his own Neijin into Yan Liangfei’s body to help consume the devastating effect of the Demon Ginseng’s Neijin absorption!

An unending stream of Neijin flowed through the touching palms into Yan Liangfei’s body, disappearing as if into the depths of the ocean, leaving not a trace behind—a testament to the supreme dominance of the White Flame Demon Ginseng’s properties!

Another quarter of an hour passed before Zhang Yang felt the powerful absorption effect begin to rapidly weaken, signaling that the primary potency of the White Flame Demon Ginseng had passed.

Affected by the Demon Ginseng, Yan Liangfei was now essentially equivalent to an ordinary person. After helping him survive the devastating absorption phase, Zhang Yang absolutely could not transfer even a single trace of his own Neijin into Yan Liangfei’s body. Residual Neijin from Zhang Yang would become a major obstacle to Yan Liangfei’s future cultivation. Therefore, as Zhang Yang felt the devouring effect diminish, he simultaneously reduced the Neijin being transferred, maintaining a perfect balance. It was fortunate that Zhang Yang’s insight into the Dao of Nature had elevated him to the Great Perfection realm, granting him absolute mastery over the use of Neijin. Any other person would not have managed it better than him.

Finally, just as the devouring potency completely vanished, Zhang Yang ceased transferring his Neijin, ensuring not a single surplus unit remained inside Yan Liangfei.

With the flow of Neijin cut off, Yan Liangfei, who had been held steady by Zhang Yang’s opposing palm, suddenly lost all suction and fell backward with a soft thud.

Zhang Yang’s forehead was beaded with sweat. Maintaining constant vigilance over Yan Liangfei’s condition while controlling the exact measure of Neijin transferred was no small feat—it was an immense test of Zhang Yang’s control.

Letting out a long breath and wiping the sweat from his brow, Zhang Yang felt a sense of lightness. Yan Liangfei had finally overcome this ordeal without any lingering effects of Qi deviation. Given his talent and the cultivation potential of his Golden Pupils, resuming Neijin practice would be swift. With Zhang Yang’s assistance, he was confident Yan Liangfei could recover his second-layer strength within six months, perhaps even breaking through to the third layer within a year.

Next, Yan Liangfei only needed a night of good rest to be jumping and running around energetically the following day.

Zhang Yang picked up Yan Liangfei and walked out of the villa. At the entrance, Zhuifeng waited, staking out the gate to ensure no one could escape.

Seeing Zhang Yang emerge, Zhuifeng let out a long neigh and strode over.

“Zhuifeng, take Yan Liangfei back to the Yan family and hand him over to his mother and grandmother. I need to remain here.” Zhang Yang entrusted Yan Liangfei to Zhuifeng’s care but needed to stay behind to return to the underground water prison to confront the Zhang family ‘descendant’ who intended to poison Mi Xue.

Zhuifeng understood Zhang Yang’s instructions, turned, carefully bore Yan Liangfei on his back, let out a long neigh, and galloped away.

Zhang Yang kept Zhuifeng and Wuying with him, bringing them to the underground water prison to meet the young man who claimed descent from the Zhang family.

Earlier, in the Myriad Treasures Underground Vault, Zhang Yang had sensed damp mist and the faint sound of flowing water on that lower level. At the time, he was urgently searching for remedies or secret techniques for Yan Liangfei’s Qi deviation and hadn't had time to investigate thoroughly. Now that everything was settled, looking back, the underground water prison must also be located on that lower floor.

This time, Zhang Yang navigated easily and quickly reached the bottom level. The treasure vault was in the room to the left after descending the stairs, but the thickest water mist emanated from the far end of the level, where the sound of rushing water originated.

The gloom of the underground could not impede Zhang Yang’s vision. He advanced step by step, followed by Wuying and Lightning.

A large iron door barred their path.

Bang!

Drawing the Cold Spring Sword, Zhang Yang slashed down, and the iron chains securing the door were cleaved in two.

Creak— Pushing the door open, Zhang Yang stepped inside only to discover a very large pool of water just three or four paces ahead. In the very center of the pool stood a wall dividing the space in half, and on the walls on either side, one person each was fixed with chains, their lower bodies entirely submerged in the pool.

The person on the left appeared extremely aged, with long, unkempt hair obscuring most of his face. He was skeletal thin, and the visible parts of his body above the water were covered in horrifying scars; there was hardly a patch of intact flesh on him. This man had clearly been imprisoned here for a very long time and must have endured exceptionally brutal torture.

As for the person on the right, he was much younger and lacked the multitude of scars covering the man on the left; he appeared soft and well-kept, clearly unused to hardship.

Upon hearing the sound of the iron door being split open, both men turned their gazes toward Zhang Yang almost simultaneously. The old man on the left merely glanced briefly at Zhang Yang entering the water prison, then lowered his head, ignoring him further.

The man on the right, however, became instantly agitated. He strained his head upward, revealing a gaunt face, and cried out to Zhang Yang with barely suppressed excitement, “Benefactor, is that you, Benefactor? You must be here to rescue me, right!”

Benefactor?

Zhang Yang narrowed his eyes, focusing his attention on the younger man. It was clear this was the young man surnamed Zhang that Jiang Tianxia had mentioned was brought by the mysterious figure—the same one who claimed to be a descendant of the Medical Saint Zhang family, and the same one responsible for having Mi Xue poisoned by the Jiang family with the insidious Flower Toxin, nearly causing disaster.

It seemed this young man mistook Zhang Yang for the mysterious cloaked figure who had brought him to the Jiang family. (To be continued)