The little foxes exchanged terrified and bewildered glances. Su Chan trembled with rage, shouting, “You’re talking nonsense! We never had such thoughts!”
Yan Fang sneered dismissively, “A thief never admits to being a thief!”
Ruan Hongling whispered in shock to Zi Yuan, “Senior Sister Zi Yuan, is this… real or fake?”
Zi Yuan, however, shook her head. “You’ve dealt with Li Yundong for so long; don’t you know what kind of person he is? He definitely isn’t that kind of person. I believe him!”
Ruan Hongling nodded as well. “I believe him too, but the problem now is… this offends every cultivator under heaven. What should we do? Should we help him?”
Zi Yuan looked at Li Yundong with complicated eyes, sighed softly, and murmured mournfully, “It seems I have no other choice…”
Ruan Hongling seemed to steel herself at that moment. She gritted her teeth, saying, “Anyway, our Ling Gong Sect is used to being alone. At worst, we’ll make an enemy of the entire world. What’s the big deal!”
With that, she gathered her breath, intending to use her True Essence to protect herself internally, guarding against any sudden changes.
But as soon as Ruan Hongling moved her True Essence, her face changed drastically. She cried out in alarm, “I can’t summon my True Essence!”
Her shout startled the cultivators from the other sects. They subconsciously tried to summon their True Essence too, only to find their internal energy as sluggish as concrete—no matter how they tried, they couldn't move it at will!
This shock was immense. Everyone instantly paled with alarm. “I can’t move my True Essence either!”
“Me too!”
“What is going on?”
“Is this… poisoning?”
Everyone had been drinking tea and partaking in refreshments supplied by the Ge Zao Sect. When they suddenly found themselves poisoned, their gazes immediately turned toward Wan Zhenyuan.
But they saw that Wan Zhenyuan’s face was also ghostly white, his eyes filled with both shock and fury. They couldn't help but pause.
Wan Zhenyuan slowly spoke to the crowd, “Don’t look at me. I can’t move my True Essence either!”
The crowd erupted into an uproar. “Then what’s happening?”
Zou Ping, pale-faced, asked Zhang Ling, “Master, can you move your True Essence? I just feel so languid all over.”
Zhang Ling’s expression was grim. She shook her head slightly and murmured, “No, my True Essence feels solidified, impossible to move! My feeling is similar to yours.”
Zou Ping was a mixture of shock and anger. “Who poisoned us? Who has such nerve?”
Zhang Ling’s gaze turned icy toward Zhuang Yating. She let out a cold laugh and said, “Besides this lunatic, who else? Stop talking, focus on circulating your energy!” With that, she closed her eyes, utterly ignoring the chaos around her, and began cultivating on her own.
Zi Yuan and the others tested their True Essence again, similarly finding it heavy as a thousand-pound stone, completely immovable; even when they managed a trickle, it was agonizingly slow, like a creeping worm.
Seeing Li Yundong sitting with his eyes closed, showing no expression, Zi Yuan couldn't help but ask, “Li Yundong, how are you?”
After a moment, Li Yundong opened his eyes and whispered, “No good. My True Essence feels frozen. I can’t move even a speck.”
Zhou Qin, standing nearby, exclaimed in horror, “Master, even I can move a tiny bit of True Essence, but you can’t move any at all?”
Li Yundong’s expression was chilling, and he remained silent. Zi Yuan’s heart stirred, and she suddenly voiced, “Could it be that the higher the cultivation, the deeper the poisoning? This, could this be the First Grade Immortal Fall?”
“First Grade Immortal Fall? What is that?” Zhou Qin, Su Chan, and the others asked in astonishment.
Zi Yuan looked at Yan Fang with shocked eyes and explained, “Hasn’t the First Grade Immortal Fall been lost to history? How did she acquire it again? This poison causes no immediate harm upon entering the body, but it slows blood circulation and stagnates the vital breath throughout the body. Since True Essence is driven by Qi and Blood, if Qi and Blood slow, the True Essence moves slowly. Therefore, this poison is the bane of cultivators; the higher the cultivation, the deeper the poisoning!”
Ruan Hongling exclaimed, “Is the poison in the tea?”
Zhou Qin immediately countered, “I didn’t drink the tea, but I’m poisoned too!”
Su Chan, standing nearby, had a sudden thought. She shouted, “I know!” The little girl pointed to the censer emitting wisps of incense in the room and asked, “Is it this?”
By this time, most people had realized it too. They hadn't expected so many powerful cultivators to be brought down by the young girl, Song Yuqiao!
They all glared angrily at Song Yuqiao. “Little girl, did you light the First Grade Immortal Fall incense?”
Song Yuqiao trembled as so many furious eyes fixed on her. She clutched her pipa and scurried behind Yan Fang, daring neither to show her face nor speak.
Wan Zhenyuan burst into angry laughter. “Incredible, truly unbelievable! Yan Fang, you actually managed to turn my own disciple against me! Fine, truly fine!”
Yan Fang sneered, “Your disciple? Hahaha, Xiao Qiao has been my disciple since she was five, though my fame was modest!”
Wan Zhenyuan was startled. “You’ve been plotting this since back then?”
Yan Fang coldly laughed, “I merely made some casual arrangements. I never expected that this accidental move years ago would lead to this outcome. Hahaha, it must be fate!”
Wan Zhenyuan laughed angrily, “Excellent strategy, truly excellent! But this is a feud between you and the Hu Chan Sect. Why drag the rest of us into it?”
Yan Fang laughed heartily, “If not for this, how could we ensnare those demons of the Hu Chan Sect?”
Hearing this, everyone erupted into curses, and the air filled with foul language.
Yan Fang ignored them completely, letting out a cold snort. “If the sovereign is not discreet, he loses his ministers; if a minister is not discreet, he loses his life; if several things are not discreet, they bring disaster! I suggest you all save your energy. Remember, with the First Grade Immortal Fall, the harder you struggle, the worse the aftereffect. Be careful that once the drug wears off, your cultivation regresses significantly. Don’t blame me then!”
Upon hearing this, the crowd became even angrier, but the loud outbursts ceased. They all closed their mouths, their eyes burning with silent fury, focusing instead on trying to circulate their True Essence.
Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Yan Fang addressed Li Yundong and the others. “Li Yundong, you are now a turtle in a jar. If you have any last words, hurry up and say them!”
Su Chan, Zhou Qin, and the others glared at Yan Fang in fury. Li Yundong, however, remained composed, saying coldly, “What about Ao Wushuang?”
Yan Fang laughed wildly, “You can’t even save yourself, drowning like a mud Buddha crossing the river, and you’re still thinking about that slut Ao Wushuang?”
Li Yundong did not get angry. He stared intently at Yan Fang and said, “I just want to know what you’ve done with her.”
Yan Fang snorted, flipped her wrist, and produced a small purple bell from her robes. Li Yundong glanced at it; the small bell was only palm-sized, entirely purple, and exquisitely carved with intricate patterns—it was the Li Tian Pan Huang Bell!
Yan Fang sneered, “Ao Wushuang is inside. Do you want to save her?”
Li Yundong nodded and said, “Since the Li Tian Pan Huang Bell is with you, then I can rest assured!”
Yan Fang paused, becoming somewhat wary. “What are you planning?”
As soon as her voice fell, Li Yundong’s eyes snapped open, emitting a sharp, dazzling light. His figure lunged toward Yan Fang like a roused tiger, with the speed of rushing thunder.
Yan Fang turned pale with horror. She exclaimed, “Impossible! How can you still move your essence?” As she spoke, she instinctively blocked with both palms in front of her.
Their palms collided with a deafening boom. Yan Fang’s body shuddered violently, as if struck by an electric current, while Li Yundong rapidly ducked low, aiming a finger jab at Yan Fang’s Qi Sea acupuncture point.
Yan Fang had suffered repeated setbacks at Li Yundong’s hands before, and her fear of him was deeply ingrained subconsciously. Struck by his palm force, her body went numb. Her reaction was slightly delayed, allowing Li Yundong to poke her on the Qihai point on her lower abdomen.
The Qihai point is a major meridian point on the Ren Vessel; striking it causes numbness throughout the body and loss of strength.
Yan Fang immediately collapsed limply onto the ground. Staring at Li Yundong with a mixture of shock and anger, she sputtered, “Impossible! How can you still move?”
Li Yundong was slightly breathless now, his face pale, but his eyes were fixed tightly on Yan Fang; he said nothing.
Seeing his appearance, Yan Fang’s heart stirred, and she burst into laughter. “You brought this upon yourself, serving death! After taking my First Grade Immortal Fall, you still tried to struggle by moving your essence. Now look! You find yourself completely unable to move, right?”
Fine sweat beaded on Li Yundong’s forehead. He said coldly, “Are you able to move?”
Yan Fang laughed scornfully, “Hmph, we’re in the same boat; don’t talk about who’s worse off. But don’t forget, I still have my disciple here!”
Saying this, she shouted at Song Yuqiao behind her, “Xiao Qiao, go up and kill this villain!”
Zhou Qin and Su Chan immediately clenched their teeth, trying desperately to stand up. Zhou Qin, in particular, had multiple broken bones; the moment she tried to move, cold sweat poured down her face from the pain, and she nearly collapsed with a groan.
Zi Yuan acted quickly, grabbing Su Chan and Zhou Qin. She said in a deep voice, “Don’t do anything foolish. If you’ve taken the First Grade Immortal Fall, absolutely do not move. You will recover once the drug wears off. If you force yourself to move, you will end up like Li Yundong now—completely unable to move, and the recovery time will be greatly extended.”
Zhou Qin remained silent, gritting her teeth as if enduring intense pain. Su Chan looked shocked and angry, shouting, “Am I just supposed to watch Yundong get killed?”
Zi Yuan smiled slightly and said, “Don’t be silly. Li Yundong has been prepared for this day for a long time. It’s just that he didn’t expect Yan Fang to use such a potent poison as the First Grade Immortal Fall. He will be fine, don’t worry.”
Su Chan stared with doubt and suspicion. “What? Yundong knew Senior Aunt Zhuang Yating was Yan Fang all along?”
Zi Yuan nodded gently. “Yes!”
Su Chan and the others were startled, and they all looked toward the center of the fray.
Zi Yuan sighed softly. “It’s just that I truly never expected the Lotus Picking Assembly to turn into this mess. Too many unexpected things have converged... The situation is chaotic now, out of control.”
The cultivators from the various sects standing on the periphery were all sitting with their eyes closed, circulating their energy. They heard everything clearly but paid no mind to helping either side.
What if they moved and their future cultivation regressed significantly?
These two sides were like dogs fighting each other; it was best to watch from across the river. They would never do something that harmed themselves for the benefit of others!
After Yan Fang shouted at Song Yuqiao, she heard no movement from behind her. She suppressed the intense pain of her chaotic internal energy and turned to look. She saw Song Yuqiao standing frozen, trembling violently, looking at Li Yundong with terrified dread, too scared to approach.
Yan Fang was instantly furious and berated her, “Are you deaf? Hurry up and kill this great villain!”