Chapter 1: The Resting Place of the Calamity Poison Body

Battle Qi Continent, Qingshan Town, Cliffside Cave.

The surroundings were desolate, the night bleak and chilling; the howls of magical beasts echoed intermittently through the mountains.

Xiao Yan could not help but shiver, pressing deeper into the cave alongside the graceful figure at his side.

“Hey, are you sure there’s treasure here?”

Xiao Yan couldn’t help but ask, his fingers lightly brushing the ring on his hand.

Little Doctor Immortal’s willow brows arched.

“You’re a grown man, yet you’re even more timid than I am? Exploring the abodes of predecessors is always a balance of risk and opportunity—who can guarantee a full return? If you’re afraid, you’re free to leave now.”

The young woman’s rebuke was delicate, yet uncertainty lingered in her heart. She could hardly blame Xiao Yan for wanting to turn back—this place was truly uncanny.

Within the cave, withered vines hung everywhere, the air was thick and oppressive, and venomous snakes and stone lizards would occasionally dart from the crevices in the rock. Beneath their feet was a patch of violet earth, like the exposed bed of a dried-up toxic pool.

Xiao Yan sighed inwardly, asking, “Master, this place reeks of strangeness at every turn. Should I really go any further?”

Following his teacher’s instructions, he had come to Qingshan Town for training, where he had by chance met this woman called Little Doctor Immortal. Together, they ventured into this secret cave, but who could have foreseen its eerie nature?

“What’s wrong? Scared on your first cave adventure?” came Yao Lao’s teasing voice in Xiao Yan’s mind.

Xiao Yan groaned inwardly. “Master, just tell me plainly—should we enter this cave or not?”

At this, the humor faded from Yao Lao’s voice, replaced by solemnity. “This place is indeed extraordinary. In my opinion, it is the resting place of a powerful poison master. Within, you may find all the treasures that master amassed in a lifetime—an opportunity not to be missed. As for danger… rest assured, if the moment comes, I will act.”

“Alright!”

Xiao Yan felt reassured and continued deeper into the cave with utmost caution.

Both of them were tense, alert for any sudden threat, but perhaps fortune smiled on them; until they reached the very end, neither Xiao Yan nor Little Doctor Immortal encountered so much as a hint of danger.

Little Doctor Immortal’s brows relaxed. “It seems the senior who carved out this cave was truly benevolent, leaving behind no trials.”

“Oh?” Xiao Yan shook his head, his gaze lingering on the stone walls to either side. Upon close inspection, he noticed fine holes almost invisible to the naked eye—trap mechanisms long since decayed. If he had not been an alchemist, with keen senses, he would not have noticed them at all.

“This place must be ancient. Even the mechanisms within have corroded and fallen into disuse—otherwise, we would never have entered so easily.”

As for exactly how old, Yao Lao had already deduced the answer from the degree of erosion on the stone walls.

A thousand years!

Xiao Yan’s eyes could not conceal his shock. This cave had been built by a mighty figure a millennium past!

What sort of treasures would a strongman from a thousand years ago leave behind?

Xiao Yan’s heart burned with excitement.

At that moment, Little Doctor Immortal lit a torch, illuminating the cave in flickering light. Suddenly, as if seeing something incredible, her pupils widened and she cried out, “Look!”

Xiao Yan quickly turned to where she pointed. Directly ahead of them was a crystal coffin, and inside lay the corpse of a youth, elegant and handsome in profile, preserved as if in slumber.

“Could he be the master of this cave?”

Xiao Yan swallowed hard—was this person still alive?

As if sensing Xiao Yan’s thoughts, Yao Lao murmured in surprise, “There’s still a trace of life within that coffin.”

Xiao Yan nearly bolted in terror.

Yao Lao’s tone was helpless. “Don’t panic. With me here, you’ll be safe. Go closer to the coffin; there seems to be something inscribed upon it.”

Steeling himself with the courage earned from his months of training, Xiao Yan crept closer, knelt beside the crystal coffin, and examined the surface. Sure enough, there were lines of tiny script.

“You who come after, by the time you read these words, I will already have passed from this world.”

Xiao Yan read the inscription softly.

Yao Lao’s tone grew grave. “He refers to himself as ‘this sect,’ so in life he was likely a Dou Sect expert.”

Dou Sect!

Xiao Yan clicked his tongue in awe—there wasn’t a single Dou Sect in the entire Jia Ma Empire, and yet the master of this cave had reached such heights!

If he were to rise from the dead, the whole empire would surely fall beneath his feet.

Seeing Xiao Yan’s expression, Little Doctor Immortal moved closer as well.

Xiao Yan continued reading: “I am Su Yun. I possess a rare constitution, the Calamity Poison Body. This body, unique in a century, can increase cultivation by consuming poison, yet when it matures, the poison turns inward, threatening to destroy its host.”

“A Calamity Poison Body—such a constitution truly exists?” Xiao Yan marveled.

Little Doctor Immortal bit her lip, her eyes flickering with unease, as if she sensed a deep connection between herself and this Calamity Poison Body.

Yao Lao, too, was amazed. “No wonder this place is overrun with poisonous creatures, the air heavy with ancient, decaying toxins. It’s the work of the one who possessed the Calamity Poison Body.”

Xiao Yan grew curious. “Master, do you know about the Calamity Poison Body?”

“Yes. In Central Plains, there was once such a person—mercurial and unpredictable, able to turn a thousand miles of land into poison. Their toxic prowess was unmatched among their peers. I once clashed with her over a medicinal herb.”

Xiao Yan’s eyes widened. “And what happened?”

Yao Lao chuckled softly, a look of reminiscence on his face. “I suppose I won by a small margin.”

Xiao Yan looked doubtful, suspecting his teacher was boasting.

Little Doctor Immortal ignored Xiao Yan, eager to learn more about the Calamity Poison Body, and continued reading the inscription.

“After breaking through to Dou Sect, I found the poison within my body growing beyond my control. I began to seek a solution to the impending explosion of my poison body. Heaven rewards the diligent—after suppressing my cultivation and ten years of contemplation, I finally thought of a way! That is to find the Netherworld Poison Flame, ranked twentieth on the Heavenly Flame List!

This flame was born in the ancient Netherworld Poison Marsh, feeding on endless poisonous miasma, gaining spirit in a century, taking form in a millennium—a supreme poison flame, capable of absorbing all the world’s toxins. The calamity of the Poison Body lies in the ever-growing toxicity with increased cultivation, until the body can no longer withstand it and perishes.

Yet, if I could subdue the Netherworld Poison Flame, it would absorb the deadly poison, not only removing the danger of explosion, but also nurturing the flame in turn, which could then nourish the body itself—a perfect cycle and mutually beneficial!”

“Marvelous!” Yao Lao could not help but praise. This method was strikingly similar to the Poison Pill technique he had acquired.

The Poison Pill method involved condensing a physical pill within the body to contain the toxins, preventing them from accumulating to fatal levels. The Poison Flame method employed by this coffin’s master followed the same principle, but went further—nurturing fire with poison, then body with fire, creating a cycle of renewal! Superior to the Poison Pill method in every way!

“I wonder, though, did the master of the coffin succeed?” Yao Lao mused, though he suspected he already knew the answer.

For as soon as he acknowledged the brilliance of the Poison Flame method, he had sensed the aura of a Heavenly Flame within the crystal coffin.