Since he needed to stay an extra day in the northern suburbs, Zhang Yang's first action was to call Mi Xue, notifying her so she wouldn't worry too much. After all, when he left Changjing, Zhang Yang hadn't expected to be delayed for so long, but now that Yan Liangfei remained unconscious, it was inappropriate for Zhang Yang to leave.

Upon receiving Zhang Yang's call, Mi Xue was greatly relieved. It was normal for a man to have his own affairs to attend to, and Mi Xue trusted Zhang Yang completely, so she didn't say much, merely offering a few words of caution, like ensuring he took good care of himself, before hanging up.

Though the Yan family estate wasn't vast, there were still many empty rooms. Tang Xiaolan specially vacated Yan Liangfei’s old room for Zhang Yang, while she herself remained by her son’s bedside, awaiting his awakening.

With nothing pressing for the moment, Zhang Yang finally had time to examine the treasures he had acquired at the Yanming Mountain villa. The peerless Poison Sutra, the White Flame Demonic Ginseng, and the Inner Core of the Spirit Beast, wrapped in unknown animal hide, were all taken from his canvas bag and placed on the table.

The sight of the animal hide made the two little ones, Lightning and Shadow, stare intently. It was a pity that because the White Flame Demonic Ginseng was placed right beside it, the little fellows hesitated, wanting to approach but not daring to, an image that was unusually endearing.

"Squeak squeak!" "Chirp chirp!" The two little ones simultaneously lodged a protest with Zhang Yang, demanding he move the White Flame Demonic Ginseng far away from the Spirit Beast Inner Core. Zhang Yang chuckled heartily, stroked the heads of the two little ones, and assured them, "Don't worry; I won't forget your share." Zhang Yang had not yet decided how to handle this Spirit Beast Inner Core.

To use it alone would be a profound waste; only by combining it with other spiritual medicines to forge a true Elixir could its maximum potential be realized, so Zhang Yang was in no rush. As for the White Flame Demonic Ginseng, this truly gave Zhang Yang a headache.

While it was undoubtedly a treasure rarely seen in a millennium, it was also a potent toxin that made all cultivators flee in terror. He was still unsure how to deal with it.

Thus, Zhang Yang’s attention shifted to the peerless Poison Sutra. Combined with the latter half of the Poison Sutra that the Yan family elder had given him, the complete text now rested in Zhang Yang's hands.

The sutra contained countless recipes for poisons, detailing their properties and pharmacology, but Zhang Yang was most focused on the formulas for antidotes recorded within. This book cataloged thousands upon thousands of poisons, large and small, spanning millennia.

Among them, those deemed utterly untreatable were few and far between. Most toxins had their corresponding antidote formulas noted, and in the case of certain poisons, alternative formulas were even marked, suggesting that combining them could yield superior effects.

The first half of the Poison Sutra primarily documented many obscure poisons, whose ingredients were exceedingly rare and difficult to procure. This explained why the Jiang family, having obtained that half, could never manufacture the poisons detailed within—they had arrived at a treasure mountain only to leave empty-handed.

It was no wonder they were so desperate to acquire the second half. Zhang Yang spent an entire night meticulously studying the Poison Sutra, memorizing every single antidote formula, large or small.

Within this peerless scripture, many potent poisons that had previously been classified as incurable were actually annotated with antidote prescriptions. These were priceless treasures.

The further Zhang Yang read, the more profound his reverence grew for the senior Zhang family member who authored this text. This was the true essence of the sutra’s value.

Surely, the intention of the Zhang family senior who compiled the Poison Sutra was to pass this knowledge down to future generations. Alas, in the eyes of the mundane world, the recipes for creating poisons were seen as the most valuable parts, thereby polluting the sanctity of the Poison Sutra and betraying the very sentiment of its creator.

Zhang Yang was determined not to fail that senior’s efforts. Unconsciously, as he turned the final page and closed the Poison Sutra, he heard the sound of roosters crowing outside; dawn was already breaking.

Taking a long, deep breath, despite having stayed awake all night, Zhang Yang felt unusually invigorated—another immense benefit of comprehending the Way of Nature. The stamina exhausted from suppressing Yan Liangfei’s Qi deviation and from assisting Wang Daolin, the Wang family patriarch, back in the Yanming Mountain villa, had gradually returned.

As the day begins with the morning, Zhang Yang closed the book, stretched his limbs, and looked over at the two little ones. Lightning and Shadow, bored by Zhang Yang’s total absorption in the Poison Sutra, had fallen asleep on the table.

Lightning was curled up, snoring deeply, while Shadow lay draped over Lightning’s tail, belly exposed, drool dripping from his mouth, an image of pure adorable innocence. Zhang Yang chuckled softly and stepped out of the door.

The northern suburbs were, after all, just a small county. As he stepped outside, a cool breeze brushed against his face.

Compared to the smoggy air of the city, the air here was countless times fresher. Zhang Yang inhaled deeply, spreading his arms wide, savoring the unique crisp comfort only a small farmhouse courtyard could offer.

After only a moment, however, Zhang Yang’s brow furrowed. He sensed a faint trace of killing intent, and this malevolent aura was emanating from within his own body.

A surge of tyrannical emotion began to stir deep within his heart, constantly influencing his thoughts, suddenly instilling in Zhang Yang an urge to destroy everything before him! How could such a beautiful morning, such fresh air, such a pristine little courtyard, provoke such a feeling without cause?

Realizing the danger, Zhang Yang immediately sat down cross-legged, centering his focus. Could it be that he had inadvertently been poisoned by the Yin Flower Toxin?

Zhang Yang’s first thought was that the Jiang family might have managed to poison him subtly. He hadn't witnessed the Jiang family’s methods for administering the Yin Flower Toxin, but the fact that they could poison Mi Xue without him noticing was testament enough to the sophistication of their techniques.

No! After settling into meditation, Zhang Yang quickly dispersed the violent emotion churning inside him.

He then conducted a thorough self-examination; there were no signs of poisoning whatsoever. Zhang Yang frowned, sinking into deep contemplation, reflecting on why such a sudden surge of aggression had afflicted him.

Although Zhang Yang was only at the mid-stage of the Fourth Level of Inner Strength, his understanding of the Way of Nature had allowed him to reach a state of Great Perfection prematurely. Furthermore, this same understanding made it impossible for him to suffer a Qi deviation.

So, where was the problem originating? The sequence of events flashed before his eyes like a movie: leaving Changjing with Yan Liangfei, rushing back to the northern suburbs, tracking down the Jiang family, entering Yanming Mountain, annihilating the Jiang family, entering the water prison, killing Zhang Lin to save Wang Daolin, and finally setting fire to the villa saturated with wickedness.

Whoosh! The moment he erupted and killed Zhang Lin froze in Zhang Yang’s mind!

Zhang Yang finally pinpointed the origin of the violent emotion! The rage and hatred Zhang Lin felt before his death, the anger that flared in Zhang Yang’s heart after hearing Zhang Lin’s words, and the ruthless manner in which Zhang Yang subsequently struck—this was the source of the tyrannical emotion currently gripping him.

Humans differ from animals; humans possess the seven emotions: joy, anger, sorrow, contemplation, grief, fear, and dread, leading to the six desires: sight, sound, scent, taste, touch, and thought. Everyone harbors an unshakeable core belief they must protect, everyone has their own mix of the seven emotions and six desires.

Take Zhang Lin, for instance: his hatred for Zhang Yang stemmed from Zhang Yang destroying his Huatuo Residence family, yet Zhang Lin conveniently forgot that the Huatuo Residence family brought destruction upon themselves by plotting to harm Zhang Yang to steal his secret arts. Thus, his hatred felt entirely justified in his own mind, blind to the initial cause and effect.

And Zhang Yang, the person he cared for most was Mi Xue. The cruel measures he took against Zhang Lin were because Zhang Lin had touched his absolute bottom line.

Moreover, if the Zhang family of Huatuo Residence had not attempted to harm Zhang Yang for his secret arts, how could they have invited annihilation? Heaven’s justice cycles, cause and effect repay!

Are these not the very essence of life’s continuation, the meaning of existence? Each of us, living in this world, is not meant for hollow cultivation or the pursuit of wealth and glory, but for ourselves, for the protection of those we love most!

A sudden enlightenment dawned upon Zhang Yang. He couldn't suppress the feeling and threw his head back, letting out a long, resonant cry!

A plume of white, turbid air shot from Zhang Yang’s mouth, carried by the piercing sound of his shout, soaring into the sky before dissolving into nothingness! "Congratulations to you…" The Yan family elder appeared at the doorway at some unknown time, watching Zhang Yang with a complex mixture of emotions.

Though she didn't know what exactly Zhang Yang was doing, based on his expression of joy and his previous behavior, she could tell that his cultivation had advanced once more. The Zhang Yang before her now seemed even more mysterious and transformed than the man she had seen just a day earlier.

Zhang Yang withdrew his focus. The violent emotions had long vanished, and his comprehension of the Way of Nature had deepened yet again!

It could be said that his state of mind had been involuntarily elevated to a new height. The benefit derived from this sudden enlightenment directly improved Zhang Yang’s mental fortitude.

He was now fully prepared for the breakthrough to the late stage of the Fourth Level of Inner Strength; only time remained the deciding factor. Seeing the Yan family elder, Zhang Yang broke into a genuine smile and stepped forward to support her.

"When one gets old, sleeping isn't as easy as it used to be. Back then, my old man would always drag me out to this courtyard every morning to breathe in the fresh air," the elder said, looking at Zhang Yang with wistful emotion.

"He always claimed that breathing that extra breath each morning could add days to our lives. Tell me, what is the meaning of living so long, anyway?" (To be continued)