Guo Ning stared at the cluster of drifting particles without blinking. The calmness that once filled her eyes began to tremble slightly.
Kang Hao let out a soft sigh before continuing.
"Yes… and this is not an ordinary poison."
With a light flick of his hand, the poisonous particles gradually froze in midair, as if pinned down by an invisible force.
"This poison… even Saints cannot expel it on their own."
Those words caused Liu Long to immediately knit his brows tightly, while Chen Yao slightly narrowed her eyes, her expression filled with contemplation.
Kang Hao observed everyone's reaction before speaking again, his voice calm yet layered with deeper meaning.
"The pill I purchased… cannot truly remove this poison. It only suppresses the symptoms, nothing more. It does not eliminate the toxin from the body in the slightest."
He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping across everyone in the room.
"The poison within the rain… and certain components inside this pill are the same substance."
In that very instant, Liu Long drew a sword from his spatial ring. The cold gleam of the blade flashed as its tip shot forward, stopping precisely and swiftly at Liu Qing's throat.
"Stay still."
His voice was filled with chilling coldness, like a winter wind that pierced through bone.
"Do not move at all. If you move even slightly, I will kill you immediately."
The atmosphere inside the room instantly tightened to another level. Killing intent radiated from Liu Long, causing even the sturdy wooden table to emit faint cracking sounds.
Liu Qing gazed at him calmly, her eyes completely devoid of fear.
"You are the one… who needs to calm down."
Stab.
The blade pierced directly into her throat. Bright red blood seeped along the edge of the steel, and the metallic scent of blood spread through the air.
But at that very moment—
"Stop, Liu Long."
Guo Ning's voice rang out swiftly.
The sword tip halted instantly. Liu Long froze briefly before withdrawing his blade and returning it to his spatial ring.
"But, Miss…"
Guo Ning did not respond immediately. She stared deeply into Liu Qing's eyes, as if searching for something hidden within them.
"Liu Qing… answer me honestly."
Her voice was gentle yet firm.
"Right now… are you still my person?"
The question caused the entire room to fall silent. Even Kang Hao narrowed his eyes in surprise.
Liu Qing answered almost immediately, without hesitation.
"My life… belongs solely to Miss."
Guo Ning slowly closed her eyes before speaking again.
"If that is the case… can you reveal your memories for me to see? Especially last night… when you went to the Cloud Commerce Pavilion."
Liu Qing fell silent for a moment.
Then she slightly stuck out her tongue, revealing a dark black formation symbol deeply embedded inside. It flickered with a dim glow, like a living creature struggling to break free.
Chen Yao's pupils shrank instantly.
Liu Qing gave a faint smile before speaking softly.
"Thank you… for everything… Miss."
The moment those words ended—
A certain force erupted from her body. The life-binding formation engraved within her began to activate. Black and crimson lines of light burst out from her skin, as if her soul was being crushed and torn apart from within.
Liu Qing's body convulsed violently. Blood flowed from the corner of her lips, and her vision blurred, yet her spiritual power was forcefully pushed outward against the natural order.
Fragments of memory began forming in midair.
Kang Hao's figure rushed forward like lightning. His palm struck the air in front of him, forming a massive sealing sigil that locked down the formation consuming Liu Qing's life.
Waves of power collided violently, causing the floor to tremble.
Guo Ning's eyes widened.
"What is happening?"
Chen Yao immediately spoke, her voice far more tense than usual.
"She is likely being controlled by a formation that has certain preset conditions… and it seems that condition is that if she reveals certain secrets, her body and soul will both be destroyed."
She stared at Liu Qing before continuing softly.
"Just now, she was probably trying to reveal her memories… while sacrificing her own life to tell you the truth."
The atmosphere in the room became as heavy as if it were being crushed beneath a mountain.
Kang Hao's power surged continuously. The energy of a Saint flowed out from his body as he attempted to restrain the death formation that was devouring Liu Qing's soul.
The veins on his forehead bulged slightly, revealing that even he… had to exert an enormous amount of strength.
Suddenly, fragments of memory appeared, though incomplete and unstable.
The glowing images flickered in midair, revealing the events of the previous night.
Inside a secret chamber within the Cloud Commerce Pavilion.
Liu Qing stood before Wang Qiang. The man's expression remained polite, warm, and refined, embodying the demeanor of a commerce pavilion leader.
But his eyes… were cold and emotionless.
"You were sent here to ruin my reputation… were you not?"
Wang Qiang's voice sounded calm and indifferent.
Liu Qing remained silent. Yet in that very instant—
Four shadowy figures appeared behind her. The pressure of Half-Step Saint King power descended, warping the surrounding space.
Liu Qing was instantly restrained, unable to move even slightly.
Wang Qiang stepped closer, still smiling gently, as if he were discussing ordinary business matters.
"What a pity… I truly admire your abilities."
He then took out a small bottle of medicine, slowly opened it, and forced a pill into her mouth without giving her any chance to resist.
Instantly, the memory image shook violently.
Liu Qing coughed up blood. Her body trembled as a black formation power slowly embedded itself deep into her meridians and soul.
Within the memory, Wang Qiang's voice rang clearly, as if whispering beside everyone present in the room.
"From this moment onward… your life will depend on me. Therefore, after this, take this pill and make Guo Ning consume it."
The memory shattered abruptly.
Liu Qing's cry of pain echoed through the real room. Her body convulsed once more as the formation power attempted to erupt even more violently than before.
Kang Hao clenched his teeth tightly. His sealing power clashed against the formation, producing cracking shockwaves in the air.
At that very instant, Liu Long stepped forward without hesitation. He raised his palm as sword intent and the Law of Severance surged forth, instantly enveloping Liu Qing's body. His streams of power interwove with Kang Hao's sealing force, reinforcing it from within.
"I'll help hold it down!"
Liu Long's voice was taut with a tension never before heard from him.
The two waves of power immediately synchronized. Vital energy and severing force flowed in opposing currents, forcibly trying to peel the formation away from Liu Qing's soul in defiance of natural law.
"AAAAHHHH—!"
Liu Qing's scream echoed through the room. It was not the cry of ordinary pain, but the sound of a soul being torn apart piece by piece.
Thud!
Kang Hao spat out a mouthful of blood. Bright red spilled from the corner of his lips and splattered onto the wooden floor with faint dripping sounds. His body trembled slightly, yet his palm continued to press down on the sealing imprint, refusing to let go.
Chen Yao watched the scene with grave intensity. She immediately realized the situation was slipping beyond control.
She stepped closer to Liu Qing, slowly and carefully, then raised her hand and gently placed it against Liu Qing's forehead.
Woommm!
In an instant, silvery-white power erupted from Chen Yao's body. The wave of energy was pure, profound, and ancient, so much so that the entire room froze for a brief moment, as if time itself had been forcibly slowed.
Silver light flowed through Liu Qing's forehead, piercing directly into her soul. The black formation power that had been raging wildly suddenly stalled. Its energy threads began to fracture, as though their very structure was being crushed by pressure from something far superior.
Chen Yao violently coughed up blood. Bright red droplets fell from her lips onto her fingertips, a faint metallic scent spreading through the air.
Her complexion paled slightly, yet her eyes remained steady, unshaken in the slightest.
After only a few breaths,
Liu Qing's body finally calmed. The formation lines that had been running amok shrank inward and were temporarily sealed.
A suffocating silence fell over the entire room.
Liu Long stared at Chen Yao, his gaze filled with confusion, shock, and deep wariness. He could not explain the power she had just released.
That was not strength a cultivator at the Nirvana realm should be able to wield in any form.
Yet what sent chills down his spine even more was the aura surrounding her in that moment. It reminded him of someone.
Guo Ning's father, the Great Emperor himself.
It was not raw power alone, but that unfathomable pressure that compelled everything nearby to submit instinctively before a Great Emperor's presence.
Liu Long unconsciously clenched his fist. The look in his eyes subtly shifted as he stared at the woman standing before him.
At the same time...
Kang Hao, who was currently circulating energy to stabilize his own body, suddenly paused. His spiritual sense flowed into his spatial ring.
His voice sounded within the secret communication network, unheard by anyone else in the room.
"Liu Qing… isn't dead yet… what do we do next?"