To be honest, although Feng Zikang was of Demonic Heaven lineage and shouldn't have cared about strange things, seeing those brittle, strangely colored, somewhat translucent poisonous insects crushed and mixed into wine right before his eyes made his scalp tingle a little.

"Is this truly effective?"

The Saintess nodded. "This Five Treasures Wine is inherently the most potent poison in the world. It fights poison with poison, and it can suppress the effects of any venom for seven days. However, after seven days, if the poison flares up, death is certain..."

"So, we must obtain the Qilin Marrow within seven days?" Feng Zikang grasped her meaning and nodded. This item wasn't an antidote, but suppressing the poison for seven days would grant enough time.

"Precisely," a flicker of admiration crossed the Saintess's eyes. "The poison afflicting this young lady, though I cannot discern its origin, is undoubtedly one of extreme Yin and cold. If left unchecked, three days after it manifests, even if we secure the Qilin Marrow, it might be too late to save her life. And even if her life is spared, her entire cultivation base might be lost..."

"In that case—many thanks to the Saintess!"

Feng Zikang was not ignorant. Although this place was rife with venomous creatures, the Small Five Poisons were unusual treasures that the Bai Miao village must value highly. Since she had done him such a great favor, he would naturally reciprocate.

He had already decided to help the Bai Miao deal with the Hua Miao, so he accepted this favor without reservation.

The Saintess smiled faintly. "If that is the case, I shall not disturb the virtuous couple's rest... Mr. Feng, administer the Five Treasures Wine to her quickly, and we shall meet again tomorrow..."

She bowed and retreated, closing the door softly behind her.

Feng Zikang couldn't help but let out a wry chuckle; the Miao people still mistook him and Luo Lianxin for husband and wife. He looked at the still deeply asleep Luo Lianxin, smiled faintly, walked over, gently helped her sit up, and slowly poured the wine from the bronze bowl into her cherry-red lips.

"Mmm..."

Luo Lianxin let out a soft sigh, but some of the liquid spilled from the corners of her mouth.

"Truly troublesome..."

Feng Zikang shook his head, helped her sit up against the wall, carefully pried open her mouth, cast a quick spell to keep her posture fixed, placed the bronze bowl before her, and sat opposite her.

He let out a soft whistle, sucked in a breath, and the wine in the bowl transformed into a silver thread, shooting straight into his mouth. Without pausing, he spat it out, and a silver line of liquid shot directly into Luo Lianxin’s mouth. Forced by his internal energy, it naturally descended through her throat and into her stomach.

After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the wine in the bowl was finished. Feng Zikang rinsed his mouth, then looked back at Luo Lianxin. Although she was still unconscious, a touch of color had returned to her cheeks, and her coughing had stopped. It seemed the venomous poison of the Evil Dragon Blood had been temporarily suppressed.

"The art of toxicology is truly wondrous..."

Feng Zikang shook his head. Demonic cultivation also encompassed many poisoning techniques, but Feng Zikang paid them little mind. Poisons capable of harming true experts were exceedingly rare—perhaps in the Primordial Era, such things, though scarce, could be found somewhere, but in the world he inhabited, they left no trace whatsoever.

Take, for instance, the Evil Dragon Blood poison afflicting Luo Lianxin; he hadn't even heard of it, let alone seen it, which was why she had fallen victim so carelessly.

In any case, he had no time to traverse various profound realms searching for rare poisons and practicing toxicology; these wondrous aspects of poison craft were merely fleeting thoughts.

Over the next two days, the atmosphere in the Bai Miao village grew increasingly tense. The usual Bai Miao women were all at the back mountain cultivating their Five Poison Beasts.

The Bai Miao tribe numbered around a thousand, more than half of whom were women. If several hundred Five Poison Beasts were to fight together, it would be quite a formidable force.

The Saintess was also nowhere to be seen, whether she was in seclusion for cultivation or pursuing some other plan remained unknown.

However, Feng Zikang remained calm and unhurried. He knew the Saintess would seek him out on the third day, and Luo Lianxin’s condition was stable for now.

Therefore, he took advantage of the downtime, seizing every moment to cultivate. He dared not relax for even an instant.

On the morning of the third day, the Saintess indeed came looking for him.

Feng Zikang had not slept all night and was sitting cross-legged practicing his routines. Seeing the Saintess arrive, he nodded slightly in greeting.

"Mr. Feng cultivates diligently every day; such achievement is well-earned. Yu Luosha is deeply impressed..." Seeing his high level of cultivation paired with such rigor, the Saintess couldn't help but praise him.

Feng Zikang smiled faintly. "Saintess, no need for polite words. If there is any need for my services today, do not hesitate to ask!"

He had to help the Bai Miao win this contest to secure the Qilin Marrow, so he cut straight to the point. The Saintess smiled and stopped being formal. "Today at noon is the day of the decisive battle between our tribe and the Hua Miao. I will not hide it from Mr. Feng: our Bai Miao tribe possesses the secret to cultivating the Five Poison Beasts. Though the Hua Miao warriors are savagely fierce, they are no match for the Five Poison Beasts—however..."

The Saintess paused, signaling a turning point. Feng Zikang smiled faintly, listening to her continue. In truth, he had inquired about this when they first met, but the Saintess had been vague then; now that the battle was imminent, a detailed explanation was necessary.

"The Hua Miao Chief, Lei Jingang, was actually originally my husband..."

"Oh?"

Feng Zikang was momentarily surprised. "Hasn't the split between the Bai Miao and Hua Miao been ongoing for a century?"

A century of separation, yet there was still talk of inter-tribal marriage?

The Saintess nodded with a bitter smile. "That's right, the Bai Miao and Hua Miao have indeed been separated for a century. But over a decade ago, both tribes produced exceptionally brilliant and ambitious leaders. These two men, with their farsighted vision, understood the principle that what has been long divided must eventually unite, and they began discussing the matter of merging the two tribes back into one..."

Suspicion welled up in Feng Zikang’s mind. If they had planned unification over a decade ago, why had the situation devolved into this irreconcilable, life-or-death conflict today?

"The Bai Miao Chief was my father, Yu Zhan, and the Hua Miao Chief was Lei Jingang's father, Lei Ting..."

The Saintess recounted the tale, her expression deeply sorrowful. Clearly, the events of that time were not happy memories for her.

"Both tribal chiefs desired unification, but the question of who would preside—who would be principal and who subordinate after the merger—remained unresolved..."

Feng Zikang nodded. He understood that in any merger, this point was the most crucial. If this issue wasn't settled, everything would be castles in the air, and it might easily lead to further armed conflict.

"This argument dragged on for several years with no conclusion. My father, after much thought, finally conceived of an idea: a marriage alliance. He arranged for me to marry Lei Jingang, the son of Lei Ting, so that together they could govern both the Bai Miao and Hua Miao tribes. Any offspring born thereafter would become the joint sovereign of both tribes..."

"That solution isn't bad!" Feng Zikang acknowledged. For a clan that emphasized bloodline legitimacy, this method was indeed sound. Unifying the tribes through marriage, while perhaps unfair to the two young individuals, was a minor matter compared to the grand goal of merging two entire clans.

These people were natural leaders and would not be shackled by mere romantic attachments.

The Saintess nodded, confirming his thought. "At that time, though I was unwilling, I agreed to the match for the sake of the grand ambition of uniting the two tribes. On the wedding day, both Bai Miao and Hua Miao rejoiced, but who would have thought..."

"On the wedding day, everything changed!"

The Saintess’s expression turned icy, imbued with what seemed like profound hatred.

"Our Bai Miao tribe was wholeheartedly dedicated to reunification, but who knew that Lei Ting had set a trap to wipe out our Bai Miao people in one fell swoop during the wedding ceremony!"

"That's quite an astute strategy..." Feng Zikang conceded. Dual governance, in theory, would only stabilize after the heir was born and the transfer of power occurred.

But in the decades leading up to that, the powers of both sides remained balanced and dangerous, like walking on a tightrope. Once one side sensed an advantage, they would naturally strike ruthlessly to seize sole authority.

If the Bai Miao elites had been annihilated on the wedding day, the Bai Miao would indeed have no resistance left against the Hua Miao, allowing the latter to realize their ambition of unification without the need for shared rule—and the decision-maker would be Lei Ting himself.

The tragedy occurred because the Hua Miao Chief was too greedy, but also because the Bai Miao people were too careless!

The Saintess let out a bitter laugh. "Later, when I returned home, I pondered for over a decade and felt that our Bai Miao people had been far too rash. If we had been more vigilant, the Hua Miao wouldn't have had a chance to act, and the matter would have passed smoothly—perhaps true peaceful coexistence could have been achieved under shared rule in the future. Alas..."

Alas, the event had transpired and was irreversible. Furthermore, in Feng Zikang's view, the biggest flaw wasn't the Hua Miao Chief's conspiracy, but the fact that after executing it, he failed to account for the Bai Miao's countermeasure—the plot did not fully succeed...

He was a fool who had misjudged his own strength...

"On that day, my father was already drunk, and only after Lei Ting’s sneak attack did he sober up enough to lead our kin in a desperate fight. However, surrounded by the Hua Miao forces, our tribesmen suffered devastating losses, nearly all annihilated..."

"In his rage, my father unleashed our Bai Miao tribe's forbidden secret art—the 'Serpent Transformation'!"

"Oh?"

Feng Zikang was slightly startled. From the Saintess's tone, the Serpent Transformation seemed to be an extraordinary secret art.

The Bai Miao people had always claimed direct descent from the Nuwa lineage. This Serpent Transformation was a life-costing art to awaken the Nuwa bloodline within, transforming the user into a colossal serpent a hundred zhang long, invulnerable to blades and spears, capable of slaying gods and buddhas alike!

"That powerful?" Feng Zikang inquired about the effects of the Serpent Transformation in detail. It seemed to be a secret art capable of boosting one's cultivation level significantly. Yu Luosha’s father, Yu Zhan, was originally at the Core Condensation stage; after using the Serpent Transformation, he transformed into a Yuan Ying-level demonic serpent, making him overwhelmingly powerful in this world.

Although Lei Ting also employed the Chiyou Divine Demon Secret Art to resist, his cultivation had not reached the final stage, preventing him from using the Divine Demon Incarnation ability. He was strangled to death by the giant serpent transformed from Yu Zhan, and the elite members of the Hua Miao tribe were also wiped out in the battle.

Yu Zhan reverted to his original form, dragging his last breath back to the Bai Miao tribe, passing the leadership of the chiefdom to his daughter before passing away. Since then, the endless feud between the Bai Miao and Hua Miao resumed.

Especially since Lei Jingang was inherently extreme, viewing all Bai Miao people as the murderers of his father. If the Hua Miao tribe won, he intended to slaughter every Bai Miao person to avenge his father!

"So that is the whole story..."

Feng Zikang understood the entanglement after hearing the Saintess finish.

Lei Jingang currently had not yet broken through the final gate of the Chiyou Divine Demon Secret Art, meaning there was no need to worry about him unleashing the terrifying Divine Demon Incarnation ability that could counter the Bai Miao's Serpent Transformation.

In this light, relying on his own combat prowess, the Bai Miao tribe was practically invincible.

"Saintess, please rest assured, I will exert my utmost to protect the safety of the Bai Miao tribe..."

Hearing his commitment, a smile touched the Saintess's face. "I naturally trust Mr. Feng. If my tribe is victorious, I will treat the Hua Miao people kindly and fulfill the dream of unifying the two tribes..."

Feng Zikang paid no mind to her future governance plans; even if she decided to slaughter the Hua Miao people, it wouldn't concern him. As long as he obtained the Qilin Marrow, his involvement in this matter would conclude.

The Saintess turned to depart, but paused at the door to sigh again. "It is truly fortunate that Mr. Feng has arrived—otherwise, I was already prepared to emulate my late father and use my remaining life force to conjure the Serpent Transformation to thwart Lei Jingang's ambition..."

"Oh?"

Feng Zikang's gaze flickered.

It turned out this woman had already mastered the Serpent Transformation. Her final remark served two purposes: expressing her own formidable capability, and subtly warning Feng Zikang that she held a final trump card, hoping to deter any treacherous thoughts on his part.

"Hmph!" Feng Zikang snorted coldly. He was displeased, but such a small matter didn't warrant his concern.

As the sun climbed high, nearing noon, the Saintess gathered the skilled fighters of the Bai Miao village, mounted their Five Poison Beasts, and headed toward the designated battlefield.

She invited Feng Zikang to ride with her, and after a slight hesitation, he agreed.

After all, flying away on a sword would be too conspicuous and ruin the element of surprise. It was better to keep a low profile to catch Lei Jingang completely off guard and achieve a swift victory.

The Five Poison Beasts ran at remarkable speed, kicking up clouds of dust. In moments, they reached the appointed battlefield.

It was a wide plain nestled within a valley. The valley floor was broad, flat, and devoid of trees, suggesting it had long been a site for decisive engagements.

The Hua Miao people were already assembled there.

Dubbed Hua Miao (Flower Miao), they painted their faces with elaborate, large floral patterns. Their attire was largely similar to the Bai Miao, though they favored black clothing, with those dressed in solid black holding higher status. Each carried a gleaming weapon, radiating a chilling killing intent.

Feng Zikang's gaze swept over them and noticed a wooden cart parked at the center of the Hua Miao formation, entirely shrouded in black gauze. Presumably, the Hua Miao Chief, Lei Jingang, was hidden within.

Seeing this formation, the Saintess snorted coldly. "Lei Jingang, since you have arrived, why hide your head and tail? Come out and meet me!"

A shrill laugh echoed from inside the cart. "Heh heh heh, Yu Luosha! It is not yet noon. If you wish to seek death, there is no need to rush. When the noon bell tolls, I, your king, will naturally dismount and strike you down!"

"Arrogant words!"

The Saintess thundered, "Today, the Bai Miao and Hua Miao tribes shall settle everything here! Let all past grievances be forgotten from this moment on..."

"Hmph!"

Lei Jingang snorted from the cart. "Indeed. In any case, after today, you will all be dead. What grievances are left to speak of?"

"You..." A Hua Nu beside the Saintess erupted in anger and began to curse him loudly.

But Lei Jingang merely laughed heartily, as if facing a group already doomed, completely unconcerned.

Feng Zikang frowned slightly.

"Saintess, did Lei Jingang always behave like this in the past?"

He was referring to why Lei Jingang was hiding like a woman inside a black-gauze-draped cart. This was strange; as the leader of the Hua Miao, hiding his presence would inevitably raise suspicion and dampen morale. Unless there was a special reason, he shouldn't be acting this way.

The Saintess pondered for a moment but couldn't fathom his meaning, knitting her brows in silence. After thinking for a long time, she found no clue.

"Lei Jingang has always led from the front; I have never seen him use a cart, nor have I ever seen him cover himself in black gauze—I truly cannot imagine what he intends to do..."

Feng Zikang felt that something was amiss, but with the battle about to begin and a dense aura of slaughter hanging in the air, he couldn't afford to transform into his Formless Heavenly Demon Incarnation to check. He could only calculate probabilities in his mind.

The sun reached its zenith!

Noon had arrived!

The Saintess cried out sternly, "Lei Jingang, noon has come! Are you still going to hide in that cart?"

Lei Jingang's laughter boomed. "Yu Luosha, you are so defiant when death is at your doorstep. Did you think I summoned you for a duel at noon for nothing? Look up at the sky, and then prepare to receive death!"

"What?"

The Saintess stiffened at the words and looked up at the sky. At the same time, the Bai Miao gathered beside her let out cries of alarm.

Conversely, the Hua Miao opposite erupted in ecstatic cheers, their morale soaring!

Beside the bright, clear sun, a small shadow had appeared!

"Solar Eclipse!"

Feng Zikang was profoundly shaken. He knew the timing was unfavorable; these Hua Miao people must possess some secret art that massively amplified their power during an eclipse!

"This is bad!"

The Saintess’s face turned ashen. Though she was adept at beast and demon arts, she knew nothing of astronomy or calendrics. These matters were the inheritance of the Hua Miao, who were rumored to be descendants of Chiyou; during a solar eclipse, they could absorb the great power of heaven and earth, increasing their strength by more than double their usual level!

The Bai Miao people, who were previously confident in their individual strengths supported by the Five Poison Beasts, now found themselves at a disadvantage.

And this wasn't even the most critical point—the crucial factor was that the gap between her and Lei Jingang, amplified by the eclipse, had expanded to an unimaginable degree. Even with Feng Zikang's assistance, victory might not be assured.

"Could it be... could it really come to that final move?"

The Saintess bit her lower lip, her heart turning cold.

Feng Zikang also noticed that after the eclipse began, Lei Jingang's aura inside the black-gauze-covered cart kept climbing. If their power levels were initially comparable, Lei Jingang's current cultivation far surpassed his own!

"No... something is wrong..."

Feng Zikang didn't mind the increase in his opponent's strength, but alongside the rise in power, a violent, evil, bloody aura was also surging, which immediately aroused his suspicion.

"This Lei Jingang... he must have undergone some transformation!"

As Feng Zikang was speculating, there was a tremendous roar, and the black-gauze-covered cart exploded, revealing Lei Jingang's true form.

The Saintess couldn't help but gasp in sharp intake of breath!