Chapter 153 - 151: The Emergence of Chaos
Ming Gongqiao hadn’t actually wanted to make his move so soon.
The Cauldron Opening Assembly had only been underway for two days, and the Poison Power had yet to completely permeate the Array.
His original plan was to wait until the final day of the assembly to make his move.
By then, Yan Jiuyi and the others would have already fought on the stage several times, and the power of his Heaven-Devouring Poison Pill would have completely saturated the Array, ready to be funneled into the Shennong Cauldron.
But he never expected Chen Yuan to suddenly erupt and slay Yan Jiuyi on the stage in front of everyone. This caused the Heaven-Devouring Poison Pill in Yan Jiuyi’s body to detonate, revealing the Array.
At this thought, Ming Gongqiao shot Chen Yuan a hostile glare.
However, he had no intention of attacking Chen Yuan. Right now, killing Zong Siyuan and seizing the Shennong Cauldron was the top priority.
Chen Yuan, on the receiving end of the glare, felt quite wronged.
He had known their plans all along, but he had come here hoping to be the fisherman who profits from the fight, not to get dragged into it.
Yan Jiuyi had simply been courting death, insisting on staring at him with such hatred. ’If I didn’t kill him then, was I supposed to wait for an invitation?’
As for the fact that killing him would force Ming Gongqiao to make his move ahead of schedule—that was something Chen Yuan hadn’t anticipated.
"Ming Gongqiao! You treacherous villain, how dare you try to seize Medicine King Valley! In your dreams!"
Accompanied by two furious shouts, a pair of white-haired Elders from Medicine King Valley rushed out, pointing at Ming Gongqiao as they roared.
"I saw it back when the old Valley Master took you in as a disciple. You scoundrel, your heart is wicked, your nature sinister and extreme."
"And now, my fears have been realized! You have the audacity to try and turn our Medicine King Valley into a Poison King Valley."
"As long as we draw breath, you will never take control of Medicine King Valley!"
Ming Gongqiao snorted. "You two old fossils. You think you can stop me?!"
As his voice fell, a blackish-red radiance erupted around Ming Gongqiao. The potent Poison Power was so dense it had almost solidified, and it was even contaminating the surrounding Spiritual Qi. He had reached the point where he could spread poison through the air.
Zong Siyuan produced a Large Bronze Cauldron from his Qiankun Bag. Pouring dense Fire Attribute True Qi into it, he caused a scorching Fiery Flame Gang Qi to surge forth in an instant.
The sky for hundreds of yards around was dyed crimson as a searing power radiated outward.
Although this Three Cauldron Medicine King was famous in the Jianghu for his skill in Alchemy, his Cultivation foundation was exceptionally solid.
Because the Martial Artists of Medicine King Valley needed to practice Alchemy, all their Cultivation Techniques were of the Fire Attribute.
However, the Fire Attribute techniques they cultivated were rather mediocre, nowhere near as domineering as Chen Yuan’s Celestial Fire Secret Manual. They were incapable of incinerating Ming Gongqiao’s Heaven-Devouring Poison.
Seeing this, the two Divine Platform Realm Elders immediately took action. In an instant, their True Qi surged and converged, forming two fiery dragons that blasted toward Ming Gongqiao.
But just then, the White-clothed Marquis, Zhao Wuji, who had been watching from the stands as if it were a play, suddenly moved. He became a streak of white, intercepting the two Elders.
A golden glint burst from within his Heavy Pupils. A turbulent force swept through the air, instantly extinguishing the two fire dragons!
The expressions of everyone present changed.
The White-clothed Marquis, Zhao Wuji, had never revealed his true strength before, but it was known that he possessed many Secret Techniques from the Great Xia Royal Family and had collected numerous Cultivation Techniques from the Jianghu.
Once, a Martial Arts Grandmaster of the Primordial Pill Realm had attempted to assassinate Zhao Wuji, only to die before the guards could even arrive.
Because of this, many in the Jianghu suspected that Zhao Wuji himself was a Martial Arts Grandmaster of the Primordial Pill Realm.
But looking at him now, he was clearly no Primordial Pill Realm cultivator. This Marquis was also a Grandmaster of the Divine Platform Realm!
And as Zhao Wuji made his move, the guards he had brought with him, along with the Martial Artists from the South Sea Pavilion who practiced Poison Techniques, moved in unison to subdue the Martial Artists of Medicine King Valley.
"Marquis, what is the meaning of this? Do you intend to move against our Medicine King Valley as well?"
The two Elders glared at Zhao Wuji, their faces a mask of shock and fury.
They had thought the only traitor plotting against Medicine King Valley today was Ming Gongqiao; they never imagined Zhao Wuji would be part of it too.
Zhao Wuji smiled. "Please, Elders, don’t be angry. This Marquis holds no enmity toward Medicine King Valley. On the contrary, I am very keen to cooperate with you."
"However, with Ming Gongqiao and Zong Siyuan currently vying for the position of Valley Master, this Marquis is unsure who would be the better partner."
"Therefore, I must ask the two of you not to interfere. Once they have determined a winner, this Marquis will simply speak with whomever is left standing."
The two Elders’ expressions turned utterly grim.
Ming Gongqiao cultivated Poison Techniques, and the few Martial Artists he’d trained possessed astounding poison skills. His own strength was naturally even greater.
But Zong Siyuan was just an Alchemist. In a fight to the death, what chance did he have of winning?
In a one-on-one duel, Zong Siyuan’s defeat was certain!
Chen Yuan’s eyebrows rose slightly as he watched the scene unfold.
’Zhao Wuji’s schemes run deep,’ he thought. ’He must have colluded with Ming Gongqiao long ago, just waiting for this critical moment to make his move.’
Once Ming Gongqiao took control of Medicine King Valley, Zhao Wuji would gain a powerful ally who could provide a stable supply of Elixirs.
His prestige, whether in the Jianghu or at the Court, would inevitably soar.
By now, Zong Siyuan had already started clashing with Ming Gongqiao. A maelstrom of flame and poison gas raged between them, the power on display immense.
The central Martial Arts Arena of Medicine King Valley was designed for Martial Artists of the Sea of Reincarnation Realm.
But now, two Grandmasters of the Divine Platform Realm were fighting on it. How could the arena possibly withstand such a clash?
The surrounding crowd scattered in a panic, not daring to get too close.
Chen Yuan called out, "Be careful of the Heaven-Devouring Poison! The poison from Yan Jiuyi and his men could be neutralized, but Ming Gongqiao is a Grandmaster of the Divine Platform Realm. His poison won’t be so easy to cure. Everyone spread out! Don’t let your spectating get you killed."
Everyone nodded and hurriedly dispersed in all directions.
Chen Yuan, however, used the ensuing chaos as cover to slip away in the opposite direction, deeper into Medicine King Valley.
In the blink of an eye, Chen Yuan vanished from sight, but no one paid it any mind.
Too many Martial Artists were retreating, and no one dared to get close to watch the fight.
The entire Martial Arts Arena was now in ruins, with boundless flames and venomous clouds roiling in the air above it.
But by now, Zong Siyuan’s face had turned pale. His aura was suppressed to its absolute limit, enveloped by blackish-red poison clouds that seemed to sever his connection to the world itself, continuously stifling his power.
Although he had the Cultivation of the Eighth Realm Divine Platform, he was merely an Alchemist, not a skilled fighter.
He had only managed to defeat Ming Gongqiao during the previous internal strife because Ming Gongqiao’s perverse actions had lost him the support of the people. Zong Siyuan had won only because he had the backing of the majority in Medicine King Valley.
It was a pity. After that battle, he had thought Ming Gongqiao had fled on the brink of death and surely perished. He never imagined the man could come back.
At this moment, Ming Gongqiao let out a great laugh. "Zong Siyuan, stop resisting! You’re no match for me!"
"No Divine Pill will be forged in the Shennong Cauldron today! Instead, it is time for my Heaven-Devouring Poison Pill to be born!"
As his voice fell, Ming Gongqiao continued to suppress Zong Siyuan with one hand while stretching out the other, pouring a torrent of Demonic Qi into the Shennong Cauldron.
A fierce, desperate look flashed in Zong Siyuan’s eyes. "For countless years, the Shennong Cauldron has produced innumerable precious Divine Medicines! My Medicine King Valley’s Inheritance Divine Artifact is for Alchemy, not for concocting poisons!"
As his voice fell, Zong Siyuan suddenly formed a Seal Technique with his hands. The Array on the ground erupted with a deafening BOOM, its power surging straight toward the Shennong Cauldron.
"Are you insane?! Do you want to detonate the cauldron and destroy the Shennong Cauldron?"
Ming Gongqiao’s expression changed drastically. He tried to intercept it, but he was too late.
The day before, he had only modified the Array to allow the Poison Power to merge more smoothly into the Shennong Cauldron.
He had no way of directly controlling Medicine King Valley’s Array, so when Zong Siyuan detonated it, he was powerless to stop him.
Hidden in the shadows, Chen Yuan had a sudden realization. ’So this is how the original plot was supposed to unfold.’
Previously, Chen Yuan had assumed that Ming Gongqiao was the one who caused the Shennong Cauldron to explode.
But now it was clear that wasn’t the case. It was Zong Siyuan who triggered the explosion by detonating the Array prematurely.
That was why, in the end, although Ming Gongqiao succeeded in creating a Strongest Poison Pill, it wasn’t the Heaven-Devouring Poison Pill he had desired. The Poison Power hadn’t fully permeated the Shennong Cauldron, which resulted in the other half of the medicinal energy coalescing into a normal Divine Pill.
Just then, a figure in black robes suddenly descended from the sky.
With the descent of a single finger, the very air trembled as if the world were being turned upside down. The power of both Ming Gongqiao’s Heaven-Devouring Poison and Zong Siyuan’s detonated Array was utterly annihilated beneath that one finger.
"Tsk, tsk. You people are truly wasteful. A perfectly good Shennong Cauldron, filled with so many Top Grade Spiritual Medicines, and you’re just going to throw it all away?"
Everyone present was stunned. How had *another* Grandmaster of the Divine Platform Realm suddenly appeared?
This Cauldron Opening Assembly was turning out to be far too chaotic.
Zhao Wuji stared at the black-robed Bei Tianya, a golden light shining from his Heavy Pupils.
"The Cyan Emperor Celestial Finger! You’re a remnant of the Great Brightness Sect’s Cyan Wood Hall!"
Zhao Wuji’s expression flickered.
Although his relationship with the Zhao Royal Family was strained, he was still one of their own and naturally had access to the Royal Family’s various secret archives.
Most public records on the Great Brightness Sect had been destroyed, but the Zhao Royal Family archives contained a wealth of information about them.
Therefore, it took Zhao Wuji only a moment’s thought to recognize Bei Tianya’s origins.
Bei Tianya sneered at Zhao Wuji. "Remnant? You Zhao Family brat, for that word alone, I’m going to twist your head off today!"
As far as the Great Brightness Sect was concerned, their greatest enemy was the Great Xia Court!
The Daoist, Buddhist, and Demon Three Veins—even the entire Jianghu—turning on the Great Brightness Sect was one thing. That was merely a struggle for power and profit within the Jianghu.
But the Great Xia had risen to power entirely with the aid of the Great Brightness Sect, yet they were the very first to turn on their benefactors.
It was the most unforgivable of betrayals!
The very instant Bei Tianya made his move, Chen Yuan moved with lightning speed, donning a black-and-red uniform and the Nether King Mask as he charged straight for the Shennong Cauldron.
The Starfire within his Dantian and Reincarnation Sea ignited, and in that instant, a scorching torrent of Celestial Fire erupted from him and poured into the Shennong Cauldron.
Far from rejecting the Celestial Fire Power, the Shennong Cauldron actively welcomed it, even seeming to joyfully absorb the energy.
It was as if the Alchemists of Medicine King Valley had never been its true masters, but Chen Yuan was.