Chapter 982: Green Saliva Poison

The courtyard was not large, but its spiritual energy was astonishing. With a casual glance, Zhang Xuan could tell that a spirit-gathering array had been set up here, and it was not low-grade—at least at the sixth-level peak.

Under the convergence of the spirit-gathering array, the spiritual energy here was several times denser than outside. The entire courtyard was densely planted with various medicinal herbs, almost all of which were rare items unseen on the market.

"Not bad!"

With a quick sweep, Zhang Xuan immediately spotted at least ten plants that had reached the Saint realm, and his eyes couldn't help but light up.

Even You Xu back then didn't have this many.

Creak!

As he was looking around, the door opened, and a slovenly old man walked out, glaring at Zhang Xuan and the others, letting out a roar.

"Who let you in? How dare you!"

His anger flared.

Anyone would be angry—staying peacefully at home, only for others to barge in through the door...

Could they be any more arrogant?

"Senior, he forced his way in. I didn't expect it either..."

Seeing the strange old man angry, Zhou Xuan couldn't help but tremble and quickly stepped forward to explain.

He had maintained a good image for so long and didn't want to ruin it now.

"Tiger Azure Beast, see them out!"

Ignoring his words, the strange old man shouted.

Whoosh!

With the command, a massive sacred beast over five meters long walked out from a side room, each step causing the ground to tremble violently.

The Tiger Azure Beast, a sacred beast at the initial stage of Saint realm二层, had combat strength that was at least as strong as the Purple Sun Beast, if not stronger.

The surge of air and powerful pressure made people's faces turn pale and their bodies tremble involuntarily.

Especially Hu Yunsheng, who almost spat blood. He had come a few times before and had been beaten black and blue by this big fellow. Meeting it again, he instinctively trembled from the depths of his heart.

Zhou Xuan also couldn't help but step back a few paces. A sacred beast of this level was far beyond what his current strength could contend with.

"Will you roll out on your own, or should I beat you into a cripple and throw you out?"

The Tiger Azure Beast stared at Zhang Xuan with lantern-like eyes.

"What if I choose neither?" Zhang Xuan said with a light smile.

"Enough nonsense. Throw him out." Waving his hand, the strange old man turned and continued walking toward the room.

With his beast pet handling it personally, he was very reassured and didn't need to think twice.

Just as he turned around, he heard the Tiger Azure Beast behind him let out an angry roar, followed by the ground trembling incessantly under the impact of a powerful airwave.

Then, something flew high into the air.

Boom!

It crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up dust all over the courtyard.

"Ungrateful!"

The strange old man nodded with satisfaction.

The Tiger Azure Beast was always fierce. Hearing these sounds, he was sure it had given that arrogant fellow a good beating.

"Forget it, just teach him a lesson, don't kill him... Ah?"

Waving his hand, the strange old man turned around.

Although he didn't care about the other party's true identity, anyone daring to barge in must have a high status. He only wanted peace and quiet, not to stir up more trouble.

Before he could finish his words, he saw the scene before him. His body stiffened, and he stood frozen in place.

"Th-this... What's going on?"

It took him a long time to speak, and he seemed completely dumbfounded.

The situation before him was completely different from what he had imagined. The Tiger Azure Beast, which was supposed to be teaching the other a lesson, was now lying in front of that middle-aged man, licking his palm with an ingratiating look, like a complete lapdog.

What was this all about?

I told you to throw him out, not to grovel and fawn over him.

How come you feel more like his beast pet than mine?

Perplexed, he quickly looked at Zhou Xuan and the others nearby, only to see them standing there dumbfounded, as if they had seen a ghost.

"Tiger Azure Beast, what are you doing?"

Unable to hold back any longer, the old man shouted loudly.

What kind of nonsense was this? His own beast pet, ordered to teach someone a lesson, ended up lying in front of the other party, looking utterly disgraceful. Where was his face supposed to go?

This was too absurd!

"Master, I..." The Tiger Azure Beast turned its head, scratching its head with a huge hoof, unsure how to answer.

"Alright, let me handle this." Smiling slightly, Zhang Xuan stepped forward a few paces and came before the old man.

Although he was currently at the peak of the Consummate Saint realm, his true strength was such that even Zhan Shiqing, a Saint realm二重 battle master, was no match for him. The Tiger Azure Beast, though strong, was not even worth a single blow.

With one punch, it was sent flying into the sky, and the next moment, it obediently followed orders. Although it had a master and wasn't tamed, it no longer posed a threat.

"You must be Senior Strange Old Man, right?" Zhang Xuan looked over. "I've come here to ask a favor—I want to buy a plant of Earthly Burial Flower from you, the older the better."

"Ask a favor?" The strange old man glanced at the shattered door lying not far away and his fawning beast pet, his mouth twitching.

Is this how you ask a favor?

You not only tore down my door as soon as you arrived but also turned my beast pet into this... You're not here to ask me for a favor; you're here to make me beg you...

"If you want to buy medicinal herbs, you'll have to step over my dead body!" The strange old man gritted his teeth, his face red with anger.

"Step over your dead body?" Zhang Xuan shook his head, a helpless look on his face. "Since you say that, I'll have to be rude."

With that, he raised his eyebrows, and a powerful aura burst forth from his body. Then, his body flickered, and he spread his five fingers.

Boom!

The strange old man felt the opposing true energy surge toward him like a hurricane. Although its level was still lower than his, both its power and purity were far beyond what he could match.

It was foreseeable that if the other's palm came down, he would likely be crushed into meat paste on the spot.

"Damn it!" His face turning ashen, the strange old man stomped his foot on the ground and quickly leaped backward, putting all his strength into this move, his figure as fast as lightning.

Although his cultivation was only at Saint realm一重, this evasive technique was extremely skillful, and in the blink of an eye, he had escaped the range of the palm.

Fearing that the opponent's attack would continue, the strange old man didn't dare stop after jumping out of the battle circle. He leaped backward twice more, almost hitting the house with his back, before finally stopping.

"Huh?"

Breathing a sigh of relief, he found that the other party was still standing in place, with no intention of pursuing. His hands were clasped behind his back, his head slightly raised, and a gentle breeze ruffled his clothes, making him look like an unapproachable transcendent expert.

His face twitched.

The change was too fast. A moment ago, he had struck with a palm that seemed intent on killing him, and now, in the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a super-strong cultivator who was pure and untainted... Could he be any more dramatic?

Not only him, but Zhou Xuan and Hu Yunsheng on the side also looked at each other, utterly bewildered.

This guy in front of them was not only powerful but also had an even more impressive ability to change his face, making it impossible to understand what he was thinking or what he wanted to do.

"If you want to kill me, do it. Don't toy with me!" The strange old man's face was ashen.

He felt that the other party was deliberately toying with him, clearly having the strength to kill him at will but not acting.

"Toy with you? You're overthinking it!" Zhang Xuan shook his head and looked at him sympathetically. "I just wanted to ask you, enduring the invasion of [Green Saliva Poison] for so many years, it hasn't been easy, has it?"

"Ah? You... you..."

The strange old man, who was about to lose his temper, stumbled back two steps upon hearing this, his mouth wide open, his eyes full of disbelief.

Just as he had said, he was indeed poisoned by Green Saliva Poison. After being poisoned, relying on his superb medical skills, he had managed to linger on... Even so, he was barely holding on. But... he had never told anyone about this, and he had never seen this person before. How could he have seen through it at first glance?

He was stunned.

"Heh, Green Saliva Poison is refined mainly from the saliva of a Saint realm四重 Green Saliva Snake. Even a Saint realm四重 expert can be easily poisoned to death. The reason you've survived is, if I'm not mistaken, because you took a plant of Seven Blossom Grass when you were young, right?"

Before he could ask, he heard the other party's calm voice continue.

"I..."

The strange old man's whole body trembled.

The other party was right. When he was seven years old, he had accidentally ingested a plant of Seven Blossom Grass.

This substance was a chronic poison. Although it didn't kill him on the spot, it caused him great harm. That was why he had worked hard to study medicine, hoping to completely resolve it.

This matter was also known to very few people. For this person to say it outright, could he be an old friend from before?

He took a careful look and couldn't help shaking his head.

Neither the appearance nor the aura matched anyone he had ever seen before.

He could confirm that he had never met this person before.

"Actually, seeing this isn't complicated. After taking Green Saliva Poison, not only does the body turn green, but the eyes also change, with bluish-gray color and blood-red threads, looking like snake eyes from a distance."

Zhang Xuan looked over. "Of course, that alone can only lead to speculation about whether you were bitten by a Green Saliva Snake. The real confirmation came from your fingers, which are pale without the bluish-gray color. If I'm not mistaken... back then, you used this hand to pick the Seven Blossom Grass and got pricked by it, right?"

"This..."

The strange old man trembled again.

At that time, he was too young to remember many things, but with the other's mention, he recalled that this finger had indeed been pricked by Seven Blossom Grass.

"Seven Blossom Grass has thorns on its surface and contains toxicity, but it also has a suppressive effect on the venom of the Green Saliva Snake. When the two combine, the green turns white, keeping you alive for the time being while tormenting you with pain... You must experience全身 swelling and bone itching every night at midnight, right?"

Zhang Xuan continued.

The strange old man stood rigid.

"Alright, now can we go into your room and discuss the purchase of the Earthly Burial Flower?" Seeing his expression, Zhang Xuan knew his goal was achieved and smiled again.

"Please, come in! Please!"

The strange old man quickly bowed.

"Senior..." Having heard their conversation, Zhou Xuan was utterly confused and couldn't help stepping forward to ask.

"Hurry up and serve tea! What are you standing there for?"

The strange old man scolded.