“Rumble!”

The stone slab completely sealed the well opening, and the internal environment immediately became pitch black.

At this time, if it were anyone else, they would definitely be frightened out of their wits, but Xi Jingxuan’s face remained calm—she had lived in darkness since birth.

“Am I going to die?”

She curled up in the corner, struggling to hug her curled-up legs with her hands.

Not from fear, but because she had no strength due to the poison.

“Whoosh whoosh!”

Five colors of toxic gas gradually sprayed out through the cracks and slowly gathered within the well.

At that moment, Xi Jingxuan realized she was about to die, yet her face showed no fear—rather, there was a sense of relief.

Facing darkness every day had made her unafraid of death.

However, not fulfilling the previous Palace Master’s mission to elevate Miaohua Palace to a higher level was her greatest regret.

“And also…”

Xi Jingxuan buried her head against her knees, murmuring: “Not being able to clearly see what Sect Master Jun truly looks like.”

In her dark life, she had only experienced one brief moment of light.

At that time, she had remembered a blurry face. Though it was different from what she had imagined, at least when she had nothing to do, she could think about it.

Some might ask.

Why did Xi Jingxuan care about Jun Changxiao?

The reason lay precisely here—in her twenty-plus years of dark life, finally someone had appeared in her field of vision.

“Sect Master Jun.”

Xi Jingxuan said self-reproachfully: “I’ve caused you trouble.”

She had heard Tan Huiying’s words just now and knew that Eternal Ancient Sect had sent elders.

“Whoosh whoosh!”

More and more poison gathered in the Poison Abyss. Without emotion or thought, it mercilessly seeped into this frail woman’s body.

Xi Jingxuan felt her head aching and swelling, felt very sleepy and tired, so her body gently toppled over and lay down.

…

“Swish!”

Tan Huiying grabbed a nearby longsword and walked toward Changsun Fanghua and Leng Xingyue, saying: “The five poisons in the Poison Abyss are rare poisons in this world—anyone who touches them will surely die.”

Changsun Fanghua and Leng Xingyue’s faces changed drastically.

“Hahahaha!”

Tan Huiying laughed like a madwoman, then approached step by step: “Back then, I carefully and cautiously served you all, only hoping to gain recognition, but in the end what I received was being expelled from the sect. Why, why is this!”

“Because you were single-mindedly focused only on becoming Palace Master!”

“I have strength, I have talent, I’m a hundred times better than Xi Jingxuan—why can’t I be Palace Master!”

“Want to know the reason? Today I’ll tell you…”

Changsun Fanghua struggled to raise her head: “Before leaving, the previous Palace Master divined that if Xi Jingxuan succeeded as Palace Master, she would make the sect more glorious. If you inherited the Palace Master position, it would only lead to destruction!”

With the Palace Master in crisis and themselves unable to break free.

Since either way meant death, there was no harm in revealing the secret from back then.

“So that’s why you let Xi Jingxuan inherit as Palace Master and cruelly abandoned me… hahahaha…” Tan Huiying stopped laughing, her face gradually becoming ferocious: “But! Looking at it now, her divination was wrong—letting the blind woman inherit the Palace Master position is what will lead to destruction!”

“Swish!”

She suddenly swung her sword, slashing toward Changsun Fanghua.

This woman had lost her reason. She not only wanted to kill Xi Jingxuan but also wanted to kill Miaohua Palace’s upper echelon.

Because only this way could she deny the previous Palace Master’s divination, could she prove that woman taking over as Palace Master was the culprit leading the sect to destruction!

Changsun Fanghua closed her eyes.

The Palace Master was trapped in the Poison Abyss, enduring the erosion of five poisons.

She hadn’t been able to protect her—she had failed the previous Palace Master’s entrustment, failed the ancestors beneath the springs!

“Ding!”

Suddenly, a crisp sound transmitted over!

Changsun Fanghua sensed the wind from the sword blade grazing past her neck, so she hurriedly opened her eyes.

In her field of vision.

A white-robed man descended.

Though his back was to her, it instantly made her think of that man!

Looking at her broken sword that had been struck by a ray of light, Tan Huiying said in surprise: “Who are you…”

“Smack!”

Jun Changxiao grabbed her neck and lifted her up, saying coldly: “Where is Palace Master Xi?”

The system complained: “Only when the host gets serious does he suddenly become enlightened and frantically take advantage of girls, though… the method is a bit extreme.”

“Sect Master Jun!”

Leng Xingyue was the first to recover, urgently saying: “The Palace Master has been locked in the well ahead—inside are five deadly poisons!”

She and Changsun Fanghua had already given up.

But Jun Changxiao’s appearance made the two feel as if they had grasped a lifeline, reigniting hope!

This man was extremely powerful and extraordinary—he would definitely be able to help the Palace Master turn danger into safety!

“Swish!”

Jun Changxiao discovered the sealed well opening, dragged Tan Huiying over, and said: “Open it!”

“Can’t… can’t open it…”

Tan Huiying said hoarsely from being choked: “Only after the toxic gas dissipates will it automatically…”

“Bang!”

Before she could finish speaking, she was violently thrown to the ground.

Jun Changxiao used considerable force. Tan Huiying’s entire body’s meridians were damaged, losing the ability to stand.

She endured the pain, wondering—to reach this place, one needed to pass through Nine Poison Palace’s main hall where the Palace Master and upper echelon were. How did he break through!

“Boom!”

Jun Changxiao stood before the well opening sealed by the stone slab, infused spiritual energy into his fist, and fiercely struck the stone slab!

Result—it didn’t budge.

The system said: “This is a type of extremely high-density stone. To break it…”

“Crack crack crack—”

Jun Changxiao raised his fist again. Iron blocks instantly gathered around it, as if he had put on Iron Man’s gauntlet.

Alright.

Pretend I didn’t say anything!

“Whoosh—”

With the Mechanical Armed Wings’ combat form activated, Jun Changxiao gathered all his spiritual energy and fiercely struck the stone slab. This punch was truly explosive—not only did it shatter the slab with a bang, it even pulverized it!

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh!”

The instant the well opening was broken open, the five types of poison inside madly surged out.

“Swish!”

Without any hesitation, Jun Changxiao jumped down, falling to the bottom of the well dozens of zhang deep, and scooped up Xi Jingxuan who was trapped in the toxic fog.

The entire process happened very quickly. When he flew up and landed outside the well, he only felt the five types of poison that had seeped into his body were madly ravaging his meridians, bringing discomfort even stronger than the other three types earlier.

“Whoosh whoosh!”

The fire seed in his body erupted, instantly spreading throughout.

The supremely strong and fierce flames purified all the poison completely, and only then did his brows gradually relax.

Tan Huiying, lying on her side, watched Jun Changxiao jump down and come back up as if nothing had happened, her eyeballs nearly popping out!

All five poisons combined meant certain death!

Why could this guy go in and come out safely!

“Swish!”

No time to think further, because Tan Huiying suddenly felt her body floating up, then falling headfirst into the well. Unable to care about her body’s pain, she desperately howled: “No…”

“Ah! Ahhhhh—”

From within the Poison Abyss came screams of absolute agony!

The five types of poison seeped into Tan Huiying’s body, bringing pain that truly could not be described in words.

The bound Changsun Fanghua and Leng Xingyue felt chills run down their backs hearing it, both looking toward Xi Jingxuan lying in Jun Changxiao’s arms, calling out sorrowfully: “Palace Master!”

“I’m sorry.”

Jun Changxiao lowered his head: “I came too late.”

He wasn’t speaking to Xi Jingxuan, but to the two elders.

Because although the woman in his arms seemed to be sleeping, when he rescued her from inside, she already had no breathing, no heartbeat, no… life force.

“Sigh.”

The system sighed: “A beauty’s ill-fated life.”

—