Chapter 635 - 376: Suffering for the Sake of Face (Part 2)
Even if he were besieged by multiple Dao Foundation Realm Late Stage Tribulation Cultivators at once, he could probably break out with ease. In fact, killing them all in a counterattack would be a simple matter.
And if he could cultivate these two Evil Arts to the Realm of Perfection, he would undoubtedly advance to the Dao Foundation Realm Late Stage and begin preparing for Building the Golden Core...
’I never thought this trip to the Northern Domain would be so rewarding.’
’I originally thought I was coming to this bitter, cold land for some thankless grunt work. At best, if my Luck was good, I’d just get to perform Refinement on a few more Poison Cultivators.’
’But after arriving, I discovered that whether they’re from the Ninefold Celestial Court or the Yama Underworld, these Tribulation Cultivators are walking treasure troves. Every one of them is a talent in their own right!’
’By the time my garrison duty in the Northern Domain is over, I’ll definitely reach the Dao Foundation Realm Late Stage. After returning to the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect, I’ll buy some necessary resources and can immediately try Building the Golden Core and advancing to become a True Disciple...’
Just as he was envisioning his future, the Token at Zou Feng’s waist vibrated.
He assumed it was Su Qingyu nagging him to come home and pay his ’dues,’ but unexpectedly, it was from Jiang Wanzhao, whom he hadn’t heard from in over ten days.
The message was simple and direct: "Come to my room!"
’Jiang Wanzhao has been recovering for over ten days. Is she all better now?’
’But what does she mean by telling me to go to her room? Don’t tell me she’s finally come around...’
Though puzzled, Zou Feng replied, "Please wait, Senior Sister Jiang. I’ll be there in half an hour!"
He didn’t need to explain. The fact that it would take him half an hour to arrive would naturally let Jiang Wanzhao know that he was currently out hunting Tribulation Cultivators.
Zou Feng wasted no more time and sped toward the Celestial Hearing Tower at full tilt.
The hunt had been going on for some time now, and most of the Tribulation Cultivators who had infiltrated earlier had already been cleaned up.
After all, Zou Feng wasn’t the only one working on it. The other disciples of the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect were also taking the hunt very seriously and participating enthusiastically.
Killing or capturing Tribulation Cultivators alive could be exchanged for rewards in the form of Immortal Fate.
But as a fried rice tycoon, Zou Feng had a considerable daily income of Immortal Fate, so he had long since stopped caring about these particular rewards.
However, Zou Feng also understood that with his current financial power, he could indeed do as he pleased among the Dao Foundation Realm disciples.
But once he advanced to the rank of True Disciple, his chain of fried rice shops would no longer be enough to cover his expenses.
The resources required by a Golden Core Realm Cultivator were on a completely different level from those of the Dao Foundation Realm.
This was also why True Disciples were so keen on conquering Outer Realms, despite knowing the many unknown dangers involved.
If they didn’t frequently conquer Outer Realms and plunder everything like a plague of locusts, they simply couldn’t sustain the needs of their Cultivation.
The path of Cultivation was, at its core, about seizing the fortune of the heavens and earth to empower oneself. The higher one’s Realm, the more one needed to seize.
As for so-called eternal life...
The birth of one immortal was inevitably accompanied by a vast number of other living beings being forced into a "short life."
It took him less than half an hour to rush back to the Celestial Hearing Tower.
He entered the tower and went straight to Jiang Wanzhao’s room without a moment’s delay.
"Senior Sister Jiang!"
"Come in..."
Just hearing her voice, Zou Feng grew puzzled.
Jiang Wanzhao’s voice was usually full and resonant, but just now, it had been clearly frail and weak.
’The injuries from when Xia Jingrui self-detonated her Golden Core... they still haven’t healed?’
Originally, Zou Feng had a very high opinion of Jiang Wanzhao’s strength.
And that was indeed the case; from the looks of it, defeating Xia Jingrui hadn’t seemed to pose much difficulty for Jiang Wanzhao at the time.
Although Xia Jingrui had ultimately self-detonated her Golden Core, causing Jiang Wanzhao to be injured and poisoned, her recovery shouldn’t have dragged on for this long.
After all, while a self-detonating Golden Core was troublesome, its power shouldn’t have far exceeded the user’s own strength.
Of course, Zou Feng didn’t know that another power had helped Xia Jingrui detonate her Golden Core.
And this power had not only triggered the detonation but also amplified its explosive force.
That was why even Jiang Wanzhao herself hadn’t expected this injury to be so troublesome.
The wolf poison she was afflicted with, in particular, was causing her no end of trouble...
The next moment, Zou Feng entered the room, puzzled, and sure enough, he saw Jiang Wanzhao in a terrible state.
Her usual vibrant and energetic aura was long gone. The Jiang Wanzhao before him now looked no different from a seriously ill young girl.
"Senior Sister Jiang, what’s wrong?"
Jiang Wanzhao slowly opened her eyes and said in frustration, "That wolf pup’s poison is truly tenacious!"
Hearing this, Zou Feng knew why Jiang Wanzhao had summoned him.
She hadn’t been able to deal with the wolf poison, so she had no choice but to let him, the "Genius Poison Cultivator," give it a try.
Previously, she had been too proud to accept Zou Feng’s offer to help with the poison. But now, having deeply experienced how troublesome the wolf poison was, she could only eat her own words.
She had no choice. She had to stand guard at the Celestial Hearing Tower, and a trip back to the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect would take a significant amount of time.
Furthermore, asking other, unfamiliar sect members for help would not only be a blow to her pride, but she would also owe them a considerable favor.
Fortunately, Zou Feng was considered one of her own, so Jiang Wanzhao didn’t have to worry too much about losing face.
"It was careless of me not to let you treat the poison that day..."
"Try now. If you really can’t do it, my only choice will be to hurry and ask the sect for help!" Jiang Wanzhao said with a sigh of resignation.
She couldn’t remain injured like this. Otherwise, if the Tribulation Cultivators launched another large-scale attack, it likely wouldn’t end with just a few broken defensive lines.
That’s why she had been keeping her injuries strictly secret these past few days.
Even Yu Lingxiao had no idea how her recovery was progressing.
Zou Feng had long since confirmed that there was a mole for the Tribulation Cultivators in the Celestial Hearing Tower.
For example, there was the Chief Inspection Envoy of Yunlong Market, Lian Zexing, who was still on the list.
Zou Feng hadn’t made a move against him yet, only torturing him occasionally with side effects, naturally hoping to see if he could lure out a bigger fish.
Zou Feng then approached Jiang Wanzhao, crouching down to observe her carefully.
After observing for a good while, he reached out and placed his hand on her wrist.
After his examination, Zou Feng couldn’t help but frown. "Senior Sister Jiang, forgive me for being blunt. The poison in your body isn’t just uncleansed from that day; it’s actually grown much stronger!"
Jiang Wanzhao could of course feel this herself. She nodded and said, "That’s right. This poison is incredibly troublesome. It can actually absorb my Spiritual Qi on its own to strengthen itself."
"And to make matters worse, every time I try to forcibly expel the poison, it hides and moves around. Forcing it out also aggravates my injuries..."
As Jiang Wanzhao spoke, she couldn’t help but reveal a bitter smile.
It went without saying that the wolf poison was troublesome. The key issue was that she was also seriously injured and couldn’t use her full power to expel the poison without worsening her condition.
It was a vicious cycle.
"So, if I had let you treat the poison right after I was afflicted, it wouldn’t be this troublesome now, would it?" In truth, Jiang Wanzhao didn’t need to ask to know the answer; she could see it on Zou Feng’s face.
This made the bitter smile on her lips even more pained.
Of course, she realized that her initial refusal to let Zou Feng help was the perfect embodiment of suffering for the sake of pride.
"Just tell me straight. Can you still cure this poison now?"
Although Zou Feng was still quite confident, he didn’t dare over-promise. He said, "I can try. As long as Senior Sister Jiang is willing to cooperate, I’m fairly certain I can do it."
"How certain are you, roughly?"
"Eighty percent!"
Jiang Wanzhao would have been happy if Zou Feng had said sixty percent. Now, hearing eighty percent, didn’t that mean it was practically a sure thing?
It really was true that every expert has their specialty. Even though Zou Feng’s Realm was lower than hers, when it came to these specialized fields, you had to let a professional handle it.
Delighted, Jiang Wanzhao said, "Then please, do what you must. Tell me, how do you need me to cooperate?"
Zou Feng didn’t answer right away. Instead, he first cleared his throat, trying his best to make his expression look sufficiently serious and professional.
"First, I need Senior Sister Jiang to take off all her clothes!"
"..." The joyous smile on Jiang Wanzhao’s face froze instantly.
But Zou Feng truly wasn’t joking, nor was he trying to take advantage of the situation.
It was just that this wolf poison possessed Spiritual Wisdom and would move around. He had to be able to see it clearly, without any obstruction, to be accurate.