Chapter 283: Lava Beast

This... is congenital fetal poison!

In other words, an innate poison seed!

Recognizing the type of poison, Zhang Xuan nearly went mad.

Congenital fetal poison refers to poison contracted while still in the womb, before birth, merging with the blood and soul, almost incurable.

Look at Zhao Ya—her innate pure yin constitution, once activated, is majestic like an empress. Yuan Tao's innate dragon rhinoceros bloodline, once activated, grants invincible defense, like a human meat shield...

I've always envied them, and now I find I also have an innate constitution, only...

Both are innate, but why is the difference so great?

Others' innate constitutions allow cultivators to soar to the heavens, but mine is life-threatening...

"Congenital fetal poison, a special poison seed planted in the body before birth, accompanying the mother, completely fused with life, stemming from insufficient fetal energy. Those poisoned typically do not live past thirty, a constitution of early death... incurable."

Zhang Xuan wanted to cry but had no tears.

Others have innate awesome constitutions, but I have an innate early-death constitution...

Early death, my ass!

Can we still have a good time?

Not even thirty—doesn't that mean I only have ten years to live? The days left for me are already few...

Suppressing his frustration, he searched through all the books in the library again, finding seven or eight records of congenital fetal poison, and... they all matched the poison gas in his body exactly.

In other words, there was no room for wishful thinking; he was undoubtedly afflicted with this deadly poison.

Only...

"To be poisoned in the womb, transmitted to the offspring's body without detection, the poison master's skill must be at least七星 or above. I'm just an orphan—why would they bother..."

Having identified the poison in his body, after a moment of depression, Zhang Xuan was also full of doubt.

Having read so many books in the Poison Hall, he had a deep understanding of poison use. To plant congenital fetal poison in the womb without detection, the poison master must be at least七星 level.

That is, at least eight-star or even nine-star.

A poison master of that level, whose cultivation already reaches the heavens, to the point where ordinary people cannot fathom, why would they expend effort on an orphan like him?

His predecessor was just a nobody living in a small place like Tianxuan Royal City, without parents, dirt poor, worth nothing. Before eighteen, his talent was slightly above average, but later he became utterly mediocre, even dubbed the worst teacher in Hongtian Academy's history.

For such a person to have a top-tier poison master personally take action against him... wasn't that a bit unbelievable?

"This poison is completely fused with the body, indistinguishable. Normally, it wouldn't be discovered until death. The Heavenly Dao true energy I cultivate is so pure that it forced the poison to reveal its form, but even so, there's no way to treat it..."

A wave of helplessness washed over him.

When he first discovered the poison, he thought someone was trying to murder him, and that his predecessor had been killed by it. Now it seemed he had overthought it.

This poison had been present since birth, hidden in the body, undetectable even by nine-star poison masters. It could kill without a trace, and even after death, no one would know who did it. Even if he himself were a poison master, it would be hard to detect, but the Heavenly Dao true energy he cultivated was so pure that any impurity in the meridians or blood it flowed through could not hide, thus forcing the poison to reveal itself.

But revealing it was useless. Nurtured in the mother's womb, the poison had developed intelligence like a human. Even Heavenly Dao true energy could not eliminate it; instead, it would only grow stronger over time, ensuring he would die before thirty.

Damn it!

What kind of situation is this? Others get transported with golden fingers, all high and mighty, but I get a ticking time bomb, one that guarantees death...

It seemed his predecessor hadn't died from the poison, but close enough—depressed, seeking death, the poison gas had flared up early, only for him to transmigrate over.

As for why he was a genius before but became mediocre later, with cultivation stagnating, it was also related to this thing.

His predecessor had cultivated extremely fast before reaching the peak of True Qi realm, hailed as a once-in-a-century talent, but he could never break through to the Skin and Bone realm precisely because this poison, fused with his whole body, strongly suppressed his impure true energy.

Unless he achieved the purity of Heavenly Dao true energy, with the turbidity of true energy cultivated from the techniques of Tianxuan Kingdom, it was impossible to break through the shackles and reach a higher level.

"Since it's poison, there must be an antidote. Otherwise, how would people know about this innate poison seed? Maybe this Poison Hall is too low-level; if I go to a higher-level place, there might be a way..."

Though depressed, Zhang Xuan was not intimidated.

Having comprehended the Heavenly Dao Poison Art, he had deep insights into poison.

Every cause has an effect; every poison has an antidote. Although the books here marked congenital fetal poison as incurable, that didn't mean there was truly no solution. Perhaps a higher-level Poison Hall would have a remedy.

"This congenital fetal poison ensures death by thirty, but it won't flare up before then. That means... I must find a solution within these ten years!"

His mind calm as still water, like a blade's edge, he cut away negative emotions and breathed a sigh of relief.

He had only been reborn for a little over a month, going from the peak of True Qi realm to half-step Grandmaster. Who knew how far he could go in ten years? By then, this poison might not be unsolvable.

No need to panic.

Still, though not panicked, it was a pressure.

There was still a gap between theory and reality. He didn't want to die for no reason after getting a second chance at life.

"Go call Gu Mu over!"

Standing up, he instructed the Great Pill King and others guarding the door.

"Grandmaster Uncle, you called for me?"

Before long, Gu Mu arrived.

"Sit!" Zhang Xuan beckoned and looked over: "I called you over because I have something to ask."

Gu Mu sat upright: "Grandmaster Uncle, please speak."

In the past few days, this elder had taken time to give him a second treatment. After it ended, he clearly felt a surge of energy, as if he had returned to the peak of his physical prime ten years ago, with inexhaustible strength.

After two consecutive treatments, he knew the means of this Grandmaster Uncle were godlike, and he was already deeply impressed, not daring to overthink.

"Have you heard of congenital fetal poison?" Zhang Xuan asked.

Gu Mu came from the Poison Hall branch of the Xuan Yuan Kingdom and had read more advanced books. In terms of knowledge, he was certainly far superior to Zhang Xuan, who had just finished reading.

"Congenital fetal poison?"

Gu Mu hesitated: "I've heard of this poison. It's a deadly poison administered in the womb, growing with the infant, completely fused with life, and there's no way to resolve it."

"Incurable?"

"Yes," Gu Mu nodded, then suddenly thought of something, his face showing hesitation: "But..."

"But what?" Zhang Xuan looked at him.

"I've heard a rumor, but I don't know if it's true."

After a moment's hesitation, Gu Mu said: "It is said that the most powerful天人 in history, Confucius the Master, was afflicted with congenital fetal poison. However, no one knows how he resolved it, but he lived a full ten thousand years and died of old age."

Confucius the Master, known as the number one master teacher, founder of the Master Teacher Pavilion, revered by countless people. Any master teacher, even apprentices, knew of him.

"Oh?"

Zhang Xuan had heard of him once from Huang Yu and felt admiration.

He hadn't expected that this predecessor, like himself, had also been afflicted with congenital fetal poison.

Since there was a precedent of a cure, it meant the poison was not incurable.

"This is just a legend. To learn about Confucius the Master, one would need to go to the Master Teacher Pavilion, and only true master teachers can know. We poison masters have only heard rumors... Why does Grandmaster Uncle ask about this?" Gu Mu asked, puzzled.

"Just asking casually."

Waving his hand, Zhang Xuan had an idea. It seemed that after finishing things here, he would need to visit the Master Teacher Pavilion.

The life stories of outstanding figures in various professions are compiled into books by specialists and kept in various guilds for future generations to admire and learn from.

Since this Confucius the Master was the ancestor of master teachers, the Master Teacher Pavilion should have records of his deeds.

If he truly had congenital fetal poison and died of old age, it meant he had indeed resolved it.

With a successful precedent, there was no need to panic.

"How are things in the Poison Hall?"

Having made up his mind, he didn't dwell on it and continued.

"After several rounds of assessment, I have confirmed the new Hall Master. It is the First Vice Hall Master, Liao Xun! The Vermilion Flame Lotus seeds are almost ripe and can be harvested tomorrow."

Gu Mu replied.

"Tomorrow? Good!" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

Having finished learning the knowledge and identified the poison, there was no need to stay longer. It was best to leave as soon as possible.

After Gu Mu left, Zhang Xuan continued studying the contents of the library books while consolidating his internal power.

The Grandmaster realm techniques collected from Crimson Flame City, though insufficient to form a Heavenly Dao secret manual, contained many correct phrases that he could try to cultivate.

Through constant experimentation, he clearly felt that his half-step Grandmaster true energy had become more profound, only a hair's breadth away from true Grandmaster, ready to break through at any moment.

Although the Heavenly Dao Library could reveal flaws, to go further, a solid foundation was essential. Therefore, whenever he had free time, he studied. In just ten days, his knowledge had more than doubled. He now had a deep understanding of beast taming and poison arts. Even without the library, he could be considered erudite.

While studying, he also re-cultivated the Heavenly Dao Fist, Leg, and Spear techniques.

Although these techniques were the most basic, they could perfectly unleash his internal power, increasing his attack power significantly. Now, using techniques like the Heavenly Dao Fist, he could even contend with some Grandmaster realm mid-stage cultivators and even kill them.

Of course, if he used the flaw-detecting ability of the Heavenly Dao Library, combined with the Heavenly Dao Movement Technique, and was willing to risk injury, he might even kill a Grandmaster realm peak cultivator.

A half-step Grandmaster capable of killing a Grandmaster peak—this kind of cross-tier combat ability was probably unmatched even by the most famous geniuses of the Master Teacher Pavilion.

"Grandmaster Uncle, the Vermilion Flame Lotus seeds are ripe!"

Time passed amid constant cultivation and study. At dawn the next day, Gu Mu came to him.

"Good!"

Zhang Xuan nodded and stood up.

A treasure that increased the chance of breaking through to the Supreme realm by twenty percent—he had waited ten days for this. Finally... it was time to harvest!

"The Crimson Flame Mountain Range is a large volcano. Our Poison Hall branch is built right on the crater. When establishing the branch, we specially invited a formation master to seal the volcano with a formation, concentrating all the geothermal fire for the growth of the Vermilion Flame Lotus."

Although Liao Xun had become the official Hall Master, he still did not dare to act arrogantly in front of the two. He introduced as he walked, his attitude respectful: "Special Envoy, Grandmaster Uncle, this way, please."

As for Zhang Xuan, he followed Gu Mu's address and called him "Grandmaster Uncle."

The three walked forward and soon arrived at an altar.

"The crater is hidden beneath this."

Liao Xun pointed ahead.

Zhang Xuan looked over.

Before him was a huge altar, a hundred meters in diameter. From a distance, it looked ancient, not at all like a crater, but rather like a long-abandoned site.

Curious, but having experienced the Poison Hall before, he knew there must be a formation, so he didn't say much.

Sure enough, Liao Xun walked to the center of the altar, flipped his wrist, and a token representing the Hall Master's identity appeared in his palm. He placed the token into a groove at the center of the altar.

Rumble!

The world spun, and the scene before them immediately changed.

Where the flat, wide altar had been, a staircase descending downward appeared, extending into the unknown.

"This way, please."

Liao Xun led the way. The three walked along the stairs for nearly an hour before a vast underground palace appeared before them.

In the center of the palace was a huge crater, with blazing flames burning fiercely, heat waves assaulting them, making it hard to approach.

Feeling the heat, Zhang Xuan's expression turned serious.

Even without entering the crater, just the hot air in the hall would be unbearable for a Cave Mansion realm cultivator.

"Special Envoy, Grandmaster Uncle, that is the Vermilion Flame Lotus."

Taking a few steps forward to the crater's edge, Liao Xun pointed again.

Following his finger, they saw in the center of the volcano, amidst the scorching lava, a vermilion lotus suspended, with a seedpod full of seeds emitting a faint fragrance.

"How beautiful!"

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up involuntarily.

The Vermilion Flame Lotus before them, though only two or three meters tall, was entirely vermilion, like burning flames.

It was several hundred meters away from where they stood, yet they could still feel its fierce heat. Even a Supreme realm cultivator would find it hard to bear.

"How do we harvest it?" Zhang Xuan asked.

Not only was the Vermilion Flame Lotus unbearably hot, but it also floated directly above the crater, rooted in the magma, hundreds of meters from the shore. How could they reach it?

Enter the magma to harvest?

Even the Heavenly Dao Golden Body, though not weak, would be instantly reduced to ashes upon entering!

Let alone others.

"I don't know either. My master saw that the seeds were about to ripen and wanted to harvest them, but was burned to ashes..." Liao Xun shook his head, a look of desolation on his face.

The old Hall Master had died suddenly precisely because he tried to harvest the Vermilion Flame Lotus seeds.

"The Vermilion Flame Lotus seeds ripen once every hundred years. Each time, someone succeeds, and the headquarters receives your tribute. How could he be burned to death?"

Gu Mu looked over, puzzled.

Since this Poison Hall branch was established here to guard this lotus, there must be a method. Otherwise, using countless medicinal herbs to nurture it would be like working for someone else's benefit.

Moreover, this branch had been providing a certain number of seeds to headquarters every hundred years. It couldn't be that they had no method of harvesting.

"There is a method, but it can no longer be used. Please look, both of you."

Liao Xun gave a bitter smile, picked up a stone, and with a flick of his wrist, shot it straight toward the Vermilion Flame Lotus.

As a Grandmaster realm peak cultivator, with true energy加持, the stone whistled through the air, seeming to tear the air itself.

"What are you doing..."

Seeing him throw a stone directly at the Vermilion Flame Lotus with such force, Gu Mu's face changed.

The Vermilion Flame Lotus seeds were already ripe. If hit, they could easily fall into the magma below. If they fell in, it would be nearly impossible to retrieve them.

"Just watch, Special Envoy!" Liao Xun continued.

As they spoke, the stone reached the Vermilion Flame Lotus. Just as it was about to hit the lotus, the magma below shook violently, and a strange creature flew up, opening its mouth to swallow the stone.

This strange creature was serpentine, dozens of meters long, covered in thick scales, bright red all over, swimming in the magma, extremely bizarre.

"What is that?"

Not expecting such a strange creature to be swimming in the scorching magma, Gu Mu recalled something and his face changed slightly: "Could it be the lava beast you reported to headquarters?"

Seeing this thing, he remembered.

In the reports from the Crimson Flame branch, besides the old Hall Master's sudden death, there was also a record of a savage beast said to live in the lava, called the lava beast.

He had thought it was nonsense, just an excuse for not wanting to hand over the Vermilion Flame Lotus seeds, but unexpectedly, it was real.

"Yes, this is the lava beast. Its special scales can withstand high temperatures, it lives in the magma, and its strength is comparable to a Supreme realm peak cultivator..." Liao Xun smiled bitterly.

"Such a thing exists?"

Not only Gu Mu was astonished, but Zhang Xuan was also very curious.

The heat of the magma below was definitely over a thousand degrees. For life to exist in such heat, and to be so huge, was hard to believe without seeing it.

"Yes, we don't know where it came from or when it arrived. Over the years, it has been guarding the Vermilion Flame Lotus, treating it as its own. Anyone who tries to approach it will be attacked!"

Liao Xun explained: "If we were on the shore, it might be manageable, but in the magma, it's in its element. Moreover... it has reached Supreme peak. We are truly powerless."

"This..."

Gu Mu also fell silent.

Although he was also Supreme peak, fighting such a behemoth in the magma... he would most likely perish there.

"Can't we use poison?"

He couldn't help asking.

The Poison Hall specialized in poison; they could certainly poison it to death.

"The lava beast isn't afraid of such hot geothermal fire, so how could poisons be of any use..." Liao Xun said.

A creature that could swim in magma at over a thousand degrees—any poison would likely be burned to ashes before it even got close, let alone kill it.

"We've tried every method, unless... we find a beast tamer and manage to tame it, otherwise... there's simply no other way!" Liao Xun shook his head as he continued: "However... this is our greatest secret, and our Poison Hall doesn't have much contact with other professions. If we really bring a beast tamer here, it could easily cause trouble and bring unnecessary disaster!"

Poison masters have no connection with other professions; in fact, they are even hostile to them.

Inviting someone from another profession would be equivalent to exposing the location of their lair, easily leading to catastrophic destruction. All the years they had hidden in the Red Lotus Mountain Range would be wasted.

"Indeed..."

Gu Mu also understood this and couldn't help shaking his head.

Poison didn't work, they couldn't break through, and they couldn't find a beast tamer... Picking the Crimson Flame Lotus Seeds was indeed a major problem.

"A beast tamer can tame this creature?"

Hearing their conversation, Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment, then said.

"Perhaps... I can give it a try!"