Xiao Jietian stepped out of the Myriad Poison Auction House. At the street intersection, a dozen or more hostile figures had already gathered, blocking all possible exits.
"Get lost—or die!" Xiao Jietian's cold voice cut through the tense air.
"He's just one person! Work together! He can't possibly defeat all of us!" a coarse voice shouted from the crowd.
Most of the Izumo Empire's poison cultivators were unstable in mind; a single provocative remark could ignite their greed—and bloodlust.
Without hesitation, the group unleashed their Dou Techniques, commanding poisonous beasts and volatile toxins, charging at Xiao Jietian with murderous intent.
"Then I'll send you all to be reborn," Xiao Jietian said lightly, gripping his long halberd.
A flash of crimson lightning erupted along its shaft. Streaks of deadly light intertwined in the air, whistling like a gale as they tore into the advancing crowd.
"Ahhhh!"
Screams erupted. The street was instantly coated in black, red, and gray blood, severed limbs littering the ground. The carnage was horrifying—a true hellish scene.
"Clap… clap… clap…"
A slow round of applause rang from behind him.
Xiao Jietian and Hai Bodong turned to see Tang Ming stepping out from the shadows, a dark smirk on his face.
"Finally decided to show yourself? I thought you'd hide forever," Xiao Jietian said coolly.
Tang Ming's eyes gleamed with malice. "Kid, hand over the secret Dou Technique, and I might grant you a quick death."
Xiao Jietian's calm voice drifted out like a blade. "If you want it, you'll have to take it."
Tang Ming's smile twisted. "Pretty boy… you're asking for death."
A black, poisonous Dou Qi began to leak from his body, slowly expanding and corrupting the area.
"Dark Poison Mist."
The swirling black mist surged toward Xiao Jietian—but before it could reach him, crimson flames erupted along his body. The intense heat incinerated the poison in an instant.
Xiao Jietian quipped, "Your aura is impressive, but your poison? Mere showmanship."
Tang Ming's face flushed with fury. "Arrogant! No matter who you are, today, you will become nourishment for the earth!"
He activated his ultimate technique: Death Poison Sting, condensing four-star Dou Ling-level poison stings, each thick as an arm, from his Dou Qi. With a thrust, they shot toward Xiao Jietian.
"World Loses Color."
Tang Ming's body froze mid-motion, his poison stings suspended in the air, incapable of moving.
Xiao Jietian appeared behind him in an instant. A whip-like kick sent Tang Ming flying, blood spewing from his mouth.
Before he could recover, Xiao Jietian was beside him again, flipping him onto his back, directly into the path of his own suspended poison stings.
"No! Ahhh!" Tang Ming screamed as the stings pierced his body, one even driving into his rear. The venom corroded his flesh instantly, black blood oozing and stinking.
Xiao Jietian activated Void Piercer Art, appearing beside Tang Ming to stomp on his face.
"Weren't you going to kill me? Why are you lying down now? I hate being called a pretty boy; see, I'm very masculine."
Onlookers gasped. The scene was gruesome, terrifying, and utterly humiliating for Tang Ming.
A shout rang from the frozen old man nearby. "Jiang Du, why aren't you helping the Young Sect Leader? Don't you want to live?"
Xiao Jietian glanced at the old man. His aura was that of a Dou Wang. Tang Ming's guard was powerful—but far too late.
Tang Ming, trembling, attempted one last threat. "Pretty boy… do you know who my father is?"
"How would I know? Go ask your mother," Xiao Jietian replied nonchalantly, pressing his foot down harder.
"If you kill me… my father will destroy you!"
Tang Ming's defiance only earned him a harder stomp. His muffled screams ended abruptly as his head was crushed like a watermelon. Xiao Jietian used his Dou Qi to form a protective barrier, ensuring no blood stained his shoes.
Not far away, in a dark stronghold:
"Sect… Sect Leader! Something terrible has happened!" a gray-clad man shouted, rushing into a grand hall.
A dignified black-robed man, Tang Jue, the Sect Leader of the Absolute Poison Sect, turned sharply.
"Explain yourself! Didn't you see I was in the middle of an important discussion?"
The gray-clad man dropped to his knees. "Sect Leader, the Young Sect Leader's soul light… has been extinguished."
"What?" Tang Jue's expression darkened. In fury, he grabbed the gray-clad man by the collar.
"My son… my son has been killed?!"
A roar of rage erupted. Black wings unfolded from Tang Jue's back, his aura as a Dou Huang exploding outward. Poisonous black mist poured from his body, spreading like a living nightmare.
"Everyone will pay for this!"
Hai Bodong sensed the overwhelming Dou Huang aura approaching. "Sect Leader Tang Jue… he's coming. Finally, he's been lured out."
Xiao Jietian's eyes narrowed. A terrifying Dou Huang was closing in, but he remained calm, ready to meet him head-on.
Ice and poison collided in the sky above Poison Spirit City. Black mist met frozen shards as Hai Bodong unleashed his full strength, forcing Tang Jue's corruption to shatter in the wind.
The ground below was pocked with craters and covered in corroded pits, evidence of the titanic struggle that was about to unfold.