Caught in her own chaotic thoughts, Bai Xiaoxiao naturally failed to notice the glint of interest in Shen Zhiyue’s eyes. Had she seen it, she would have certainly known that Shen Zhiyue was doing it on purpose.
But right now, all her mind was focused on the possibility that Shen Zhiyue might discover her anomaly, she had zero mental bandwidth left to consider anything else.
“System, what is the Cultivation World’s attitude toward body-snatchers?”
“Host, taking over another person’s body goes against the laws of Heaven. The Heavenly Dao places severe restrictions on it. Furthermore, those who steal bodies are either evil cultivators, demons, or members of the demon race. Once discovered, there is only one outcome: death.”
Bai Xiaoxiao understood. In other words, the moment anyone found out she was a body snatcher, she would have a one way ticket to the afterlife.
Truth be told, she really was feeling a bit hesitant at this moment.
Doing missions really wasn’t suited for her. Wouldn’t it be pretty good if she just let Shen Zhiyue discover her body-snatching right now and get finished off early with a single sword stroke?
Once her mindset opened up, Bai Xiaoxiao’s nervous tension vanished in an instant, and her whole body relaxed completely.
If she could live, she’d live, if she couldn’t, dying was fine too.
She was flat-out giving up.
However, that anticipated sword strike never came down. Unable to hold back, Bai Xiaoxiao eventually raised her head to steal a glance at Shen Zhiyue.
The other woman’s expression was as calm as ever, except that a flash of surprise seemed to pass deep within her eyes.
Bai Xiaoxiao was completely bewildered. After a moment of hesitation, she simply slunk back down, tightening her grip around Shen Zhiyue’s wrist just a bit more.
Forget it, it’s only normal that I can’t read Shen Zhiyue’s mind.
And indeed, Shen Zhiyue was quite surprised. She had imagined countlessly many reactions this little snake might have, but she had never expected it to just lie down and give up on life.
If it really were a body snatching evil cultivator or demon, it would be utterly impossible for them to pick such a lazy, useless fish.
Shen Zhiyue retracted her gaze thoughtfully, not pursuing the topic any further. She then lifted her eyes and gave her sword a single swing.
After a sweep of boundless frost and snow, silence returned to the surroundings. All that remained where the beast tide had been were lifelike ice sculptures.
Bai Xiaoxiao was stunned, thinking in a daze. The Cultivation World… really lives up to its reputation.
However, today was destined not to be peaceful. Though the beast tide had been turned into vivid ice statues, this eerie silence carried a ominous premonition, as if something else was lurking in the mist, secretly peering at them.
While Bai Xiaoxiao was lost in her stupor, she saw Shen Zhiyue turn her gaze toward a certain direction.
“Your Excellency has come as a guest to the Sword Sect, but did you ever present a formal visiting post?”
The moment the words left her mouth, Shen Zhiyue’s offensive immediately followed.
Bai Xiaoxiao only heard a muffled grunt, after which the surrounding area fell dead silent once more.
Just as she thought everything was over, the mist around them suddenly shifted. It was as though something was churning inside it, causing the originally tranquil fog to surge violently.
Shen Zhiyue’s eyes grew cold. She struck out swiftly, aiming directly at the enemy hidden in the mist.
This attack was starkly different from the one she had used against Bai Xiaoxiao earlier; she held back nothing. Yet, it missed its mark. At the same time, a figure slowly materialized from within the fog.
Bai Xiaoxiao stared blankly at the newcomer, her brain filled with doubt and confusion.
The person was clad in plain, dusty gray clothes, looking utterly unremarkable from head to toe. But for this person to appear here, they were naturally anything but ordinary.
Before she could think any further, the aura around Shen Zhiyue changed abruptly, surging with murderous intent. Without saying another word, she launched a direct attack.
The two engaged at blinding speed. With her sight obscured and her own cultivation far too low, Bai Xiaoxiao couldn’t see their movements at all. She could only instinctively coil herself tightly around Shen Zhiyue.
When big shots fight, small fry suffer.
Dizzy and disoriented, Bai Xiaoxiao couldn’t adapt to the insane speed. One moment, she felt like she was being flung around on a wild roller coaster, the next, she felt like she was being tossed around like laundry inside a washing machine.
“The world spinning around” became terrifyingly literal in that moment.
With her senses blurred, Bai Xiaoxiao completely failed to realize that a subtle change was taking place in the surrounding mist.
“Host, you have been poisoned by a Gu poison. However, the effect of this Gu poison is not fatal, you can understand it as a type of aphrodisiac poison.”
The System’s voice rang out without warning. Bai Xiaoxiao felt as if a bolt of thunder had exploded in her mind, snatching her instantly out of her state of confusion.
She was incredulous. “What on earth? An aphrodisiac poison?”
The System gave an affirmative answer.
Bai Xiaoxiao fell into utter disarray again, feeling that there was something severely wrong with this plot.
“You said the original novel’s plot could serve as a reference, but you didn’t say the divergence would be this massive?!”
Besides, this kind of setup… actually made her wonder if she had transmigrated into a web novel from that infamous adult site instead.
It really was tailored for explicit, spicy content.
If she remembered correctly, though, she was supposed to have transmigrated into a novel from a family friendly site like Jinjiang! Even with such a trope, writing it out would be bound by endless censorship constraints.
The “Censorship City” literature site was truly famous for a reason!
This time, the System didn’t play dead. Instead, it added: “It’s not just you. Shen Zhiyue has also been infected by the Gu poison.”
Bai Xiaoxiao: “?”
As if worried that Bai Xiaoxiao wasn’t shocked enough, the System supplemented yet again. “This Gu poison is called the Heart Erosion Snake Gu. The Heart Erosion Snake is lustful by nature, and once crafted into a Gu, it becomes exceedingly insidious. After being infected, it is near impossible to suppress and can only be released.”
Now things were really going off the rails.
Bai Xiaoxiao’s eyes were utterly lifeless, she didn’t even have the energy left to roast the situation.
What surprised her even more was the speed at which this Gu poison took effect, it was actually reacting right now!
A sweltering heat gradually surged up within her body. Already dizzy from being tossed around, Bai Xiaoxiao was now hit by the flare-up of the Gu poison, leaving her so muddled she couldn’t tell up from down.
“Host can circulate spiritual energy to resist it somewhat, but…”
Bai Xiaoxiao felt her entire body going soft. Sensations that were hard to put into words kept assailing her remaining sanity.
Even if the System said she could use spiritual energy to resist, she had only transmigrated into this world today and had no idea how to channel spiritual energy at all.
Even if she did know how, it would probably yield negligible results anyway.
Bai Xiaoxiao caught the implied meaning in the System’s words and felt completely helpless against her current predicament.
She tried her best to look toward Shen Zhiyue. The other woman didn’t seem to be affected at all; her battle against the gray-clad stranger was just as fierce as before, showing not the slightest hint of anomaly.
However, the very fact that Shen Zhiyue was infected with the Gu poison was the biggest anomaly of all. Could that weird person’s strength actually surpass Shen Zhiyue’s?
Regrettably, Bai Xiaoxiao couldn’t read the flow of battle, making it impossible to learn the truth.
Compared to Shen Zhiyue, Bai Xiaoxiao felt she ought to worry about herself first. The Gu poison flared up with total disregard for her life, in just a few breaths of time, a scorching wave of heat swept through her entire body, washing away what little reason she had left.
She didn’t know how much time had passed, but the surroundings suddenly quieted down. Only then did Bai Xiaoxiao realize that the battle between Shen Zhiyue and the gray-clad stranger seemed to have stopped.
The two floated in midair, staring at each other. On the surface, a truce had been called, yet the atmosphere around them remained taut with tension.
Bai Xiaoxiao struggled to open her eyes, just in time to hear the strange person’s voice ring out.
“As expected of the Bright Moon Sword Venerable, your sword technique is truly exquisite. What a pity that no matter how exquisite your sword technique may be, it cannot block my Gu poison. Heheh, I presume Sword Venerable has already felt it, yes? How does it feel to be struck by this Gu poison?”
Hearing those words, Bai Xiaoxiao’s scales bristled. It was genuinely hard to imagine that a person’s voice could be so coarse and raspy, sounding like nails scraping across a chalkboard, making one feel intensely uncomfortable.
But none of that was the main point. The main point was the Gu poison, it really was planted by this person.
When did they even plant it? The entire time, this person was fighting Shen Zhiyue, how could they possibly spare the attention to plant a Gu?
After mulling over it, Bai Xiaoxiao felt her head throb even harder. Still, she forced her eyes open to cast a glance at the strange person across from them. However, in the very next second, she felt a sticky, icy gaze land directly on her.
Startled, Bai Xiaoxiao hurriedly withdrew her sight.
That person is so sharp… their cultivation must be quite high.
Seeing this, Shen Zhiyue’s expression chilled by a fraction. “This Venerable was unaware that the Sixth Protector of the Seven Emotions Demon Palace was so bold as to trespass into the forbidden grounds of my High Purity Sword Sect all by himself.”
The gray-clad stranger let out a bizarre laugh. “The Sword Venerable has sharp eyes to even recognize someone like me. However, Sword Venerable got one thing wrong. I am a person who is usually quite cowardly, so I naturally wouldn’t dare challenge the Sword Venerable’s might all by myself. Therefore…”
Shen Zhiyue’s eyes turned frosty, understanding in an instant.
Damn it, the Central Barrier!
That people from the Seven Emotions Demon Palace would intrude into Wuxu Valley was already surprising enough, but Shen Zhiyue hadn’t expected them to be so daring as to aim directly for the Central Barrier.
Whether it was for the Yin-Yang Life Extension Lamp or to release the demon beasts, it made no difference to her.
If the Central Barrier was broken and the demon beasts escaped, it would inevitably spark yet another bloodbath.
With a gentle flick of Shen Zhiyue’s fingers, a transmission message flew out.
“Is the Sword Venerable sending a transmission? I’m afraid you will be disappointed, though. Since we dared to break in, we naturally didn’t come unprepared. You had better stay here and channel your energy to suppress the Gu poison… otherwise… jie-jie… If it weren’t for time being short, I would really love to see with my own eyes what kind of seductive state the Sword Venerable exhibits when the Gu poison flares up.”
The moment the stranger finished speaking, they leapt backward, instantly vanishing into the mist without a trace.
Shen Zhiyue immediately transformed into a streak of spiritual light to pursue.
If a transmission was sent out without receiving a response, then an accident must have occurred.
Regardless of what had gone wrong, the seal of Wuxu Valley could not be broken.
Bai Xiaoxiao experienced the sheer force of the “tumble dryer” once again, able to do nothing but cling tightly to Shen Zhiyue while dizzy and lightheaded.
That stranger’s objective was the Central Barrier, so Shen Zhiyue naturally couldn’t let them succeed.
Yet Bai Xiaoxiao could feel that the skin beneath her had begun to emit a subtle heat, indicating that Shen Zhiyue was not completely unaffected, the Gu poison was already taking effect.
Despite this, the other woman showed not a single shred of hesitation. Her sword moves were razor-sharp, and the aura bursting from her body grew even more formidable by several degrees.
In her dazed state, Bai Xiaoxiao seemed to hear a blood curdling scream from the stranger, followed by curses floating in from who knows where.
Were they cursing Shen Zhiyue?
Bai Xiaoxiao tried hard to listen, but only caught fragments of words. It seemed the stranger and her accomplice were having an argument.
In truth, no one in such a situation could maintain an even temper.
They had originally thought that the Gu poison would restrict Shen Zhiyue’s movements, but seeing her current state, she appeared entirely unaffected by the poison’s influence, if anything, her aura was even more terrifying.
The strange person stared in utter disbelief at the expressionless woman.
Could it be that Shen Zhiyue had deliberately exposed a flaw earlier, but hadn’t actually been infected with the Gu? Or perhaps she had used a secret technique? If it were a secret technique, she could just stall for time…
The stranger’s mind raced with a hundred thoughts, but in the very next second, every hair on her body stood on end as she sensed a chilling murderous intent.
If she didn’t run now, she was extremely likely to perish here! An unprecedented sense of crisis surged madly within her.
The stranger spat out a mouthful of blood violently, but didn’t even care to wipe it away. She cast a terrified, wary look at the woman who looked like a god of slaughter descended upon the world, and in the next moment, actually turned and fled!
However, the sword strike Shen Zhiyue had been charging was already unleashed. Her accomplice, who was half a step too slow, was sliced in two by the sword light. Hearing the agonizing scream, the stranger didn’t dare turn her head back, fleeing frantically. Even though her movements were incredibly fast, she was still struck by the residual sword light, taking heavy injuries on the spot.
Gritting her teeth, the stranger didn’t dare delay. With a flip of her palm, a Gu insect appeared and rapidly transformed into her exact likeness, exuding an aura identical to hers. She then closed her eyes, turning herself into the form of a Gu insect on the spot to scurry away at top speed.
As expected, the Gu insect that had taken her shape was struck down by the pursuing sword Qi, turned into ash.
Losing a Life Substituting Gu on the spot made the stranger’s heart bleed, yet she didn’t dare stop for even a split second, terrified that the deadly demon behind her would catch up. Right now, her only thought was to escape.
I really overestimated myself this time…
After the earth shattering commotion gradually faded, the surroundings fell into a dead, absolute silence.
It took Bai Xiaoxiao a good while to react, the battle seemed to have completely ended.
Before she could express her relief, however, she noticed that something was wrong with Shen Zhiyue.
Bai Xiaoxiao struggled to raise her head, only to see Shen Zhiyue’s face rapidly turning a sickly, deathly gray. Her terrifying aura instantly dispersed into nothingness, leaving her looking just like an ordinary mortal.
“Forcibly using a secret technique to boost her cultivation, she is now suffering from a backlash, and her cultivation has been temporarily sealed.”
Bai Xiaoxiao was lost. “Then what do we do?”
“The pressing matter right now is the Gu poison, Host!”
The confused look on Bai Xiaoxiao’s face instantly turned into one of shock.
Shen Zhiyue had lost her cultivation, which meant she could no longer suppress the Gu poison! That meant right now…
A scorching wave of heat surged from the skin where they touched. Shen Zhiyue’s deathly gray face suddenly flushed with an unnatural, sultry red.
With no cultivation left to suppress it, the liberated Gu poison ran utterly wild, surging rampantly through her body.
With a cold face, Shen Zhiyue relied on her final shred of rationality to step into a nearby cave.
What should have been a thoroughly disheveled, vulnerable scene looked breathtakingly, soul stirringly beautiful on Shen Zhiyue.
Bai Xiaoxiao stared blankly at the woman, not even knowing when her body had returned to its human form, nor noticing that she was currently leaning right against Shen Zhiyue’s side, completely unclothed.
A wonderfully sweet fragrance drifted into her nasal passages. Bai Xiaoxiao sniffed greedily, inching closer and closer toward Shen Zhiyue.
“So fragrant…”