"Jun Ruo, do you have a way to remove the demonic poison from their bodies?" Nangong Yu asked urgently. If this were true, then everyone under Xiao Man's command would be in danger. After all, apart from those who followed Xiao Man from Yong'an Continent, the others were all cultivators born and raised in Cang Xuan!
"I don't have absolute certainty, I can only try my best," Jun Ruo looked at Nangong Yu. "Bring one person up for me. I'll try to remove the demonic poison from his body in my own way first." Suda Novel Network
"Alright."
Nangong Yu brought one person up. The person was covered in thick white fur, like a hairy zombie. He struggled violently, his eyes bloodshot, baring his teeth at Nangong Yu and the others.
Taotie poked the person. A flicker of an unreadable light crossed his eyes. He then grabbed Jun Ruo's hand. "Do not touch."
"Why?"
"It's not just mixed with demonic poison, there's something else in here." Taotie told Jun Ruo to step back. He extended his hand, and the struggling Bai Jiang bit down on Taotie's finger. A hole immediately appeared in Taotie's finger, and the blood that seeped out was actually blue. Taotie instantly severed the injured finger, and the severed finger rapidly grew white fur at a visible speed.
"This is..."
"It can be transmitted through their blood."
"That shouldn't be. Man'er has taken their blood many times and was even bitten by Bai Jiang, yet she wasn't infected."
Taotie gave Nangong Yu a side-eye. "How can Xiao Man be compared to a normal person?"
Nangong Yu choked. That's right, how could Xiao Man be compared to a normal person? She was immune to all poisons and could even poison the most venomous creatures to death!
"But I also came into contact with Bai Jiang and wasn't infected."
"You have a portion of her divine essence within you, making your physique much stronger than an ordinary person. Jun Ruo does not. Your merfolk race is the most fragile. Even a slight contamination can cause their skin to fester and die. Moreover, he has been asleep for tens of thousands of years, and his body is currently at its weakest. Otherwise, how could he tolerate a small snake acting so arrogantly in front of him? He could have ended that small snake's life with a flick of his finger."
Nangong Yu looked at Jun Ruo, only to see Jun Ruo frowning in deep thought. "Is there no way?"
"It's not that there's no way, but at least his cultivation needs to recover to over eighty percent," Taotie looked at Jun Ruo. "Moreover, to heal the Fusang Divine Tree, he has also used up most of his remaining spiritual energy."
"The spiritual energy here is abundant. You should recover your strength first. As for Bai Jiang, it's not too late to treat them after your strength has returned." Nangong Yu threw Bai Jiang back into the Ice Fire Spring. Strangely, even divine beasts dared not enter the Ice Fire Spring, yet these Bai Jiang were thrown in and were completely unharmed!
Taotie sat by the outer edge of the Ice Fire Spring, staring at Bai Jiang in the spring with envy. "I wish I could go in and bathe too."
"Feel free to do so."
"But if I went in, this body of bronze skin and iron bones wouldn't be able to withstand the erosion of the Ice Fire Spring's medicinal properties," Taotie sighed. "I'm actually a bit envious of Bai Jiang."
"They have suffered so much, being hunted and killed. What is there to envy?"
"Don't we ancient ferocious beasts also get hunted and enslaved by you humans?" Taotie said unhurriedly. "And when humans are hunted and enslaved, you can't stand it anymore?"
A thought flashed through Nangong Yu's mind, too quickly to grasp. He looked at Taotie and asked, "What did you say?"
"I said, don't we ancient ferocious beasts also get hunted and enslaved by you humans?" Taotie was a little impatient. If he hadn't been born with a body of bronze skin and iron bones and been extremely ferocious, he might have been hunted and killed by humans long ago.
"No, the next sentence."
"The next sentence?" Taotie thought for a moment. "And when humans are hunted and enslaved, you can't stand it anymore?"
"Yes, that's the sentence!" Nangong Yu said excitedly. "The Heavenly Demon Clan casting blood curses on humans might not be for control, but for enslavement!"
"Is there a difference?" Taotie asked with a faint voice. Whether it was control or enslavement, the ultimate goal was the same: to make them obedient.
"Of course, there's a difference. If it's for control, as long as you're obedient, it's fine. If it's for enslavement, even if you're obedient, your life is no longer your own to decide." Nangong Yu paced back and forth. "No wonder Lei Tianze sent Man'er to Yong'an Continent; it was to free her from enslavement."
"Who is Lei Tianze?"
"The young sect master of the Heavenly Profound Sect."
"Heavenly Profound Sect?" Taotie thought carefully. Although he rarely went out, he knew about the Four Great Sects. Among the Four Great Sects, others were fine, but the people of the Heavenly Profound Sect were the most bizarre and terrifying. "You'd best be wary of the people from the Heavenly Profound Sect."
"What do you mean?"
"If I'm not mistaken, the Heavenly Profound Sect is the sect most closely associated with the Heavenly Demon Clan."
Nangong Yu felt a chill rise from his feet. If the Heavenly Profound Sect was closely related to the Heavenly Demon Clan, then what about Lei Tianze? Did he know about it?
"What about the Heavenly Sword Sect?"
"The Heavenly Sword Sect is just a dog in the open," Taotie stood up, picked a fruit, and put it in his mouth. "The Heavenly Profound Sect is the one secretly controlling everything. Many of the divine envoys of the Heavenly Demon Clan come from the Heavenly Profound Sect."
Nangong Yu's thoughts stirred. Lei Tianze would not harm Xiao Man. Otherwise, he wouldn't have saved Xiao Man at the Heavenly Sword Sect. Moreover, their relationship was not simple, and he would indeed do anything for Xiao Man.
As they spoke, Xiao Man suddenly entered the Tongtian Tower, looking disheveled.
"What happened?"
Xiao Man gritted her teeth. "The other exit of the passage is in the swamp of the Eastern Yue Forest. As soon as I came out, I fell into the swamp!"
Taotie laughed ungratefully. When Xiao Man looked at him, he quickly suppressed his smile. "Hurry and wash up. Look at your messy appearance. If someone who knows you saw you, they'd suspect you were bullied."
Xiao Man went into the house to bathe and change. Taotie was suddenly delighted. "Whose fault is this? The passage was set up by her herself, and she actually set the exit in a swamp!"
"So, we are already in the Eastern Yue Forest."
"The Eastern Yue Forest hides many secrets. I imagine you've already investigated some of them, but the biggest secret isn't hidden in the Eastern Yue Forest, but in the Roland Mountains." Taotie said slowly. "The Roland Mountains are on the outskirts of the Land of No Return. Only Supreme experts can pass through. With Xiao Man's current cultivation, she can completely try to venture into the central region of the Roland Mountains."
"What's in the central region?"
"The Roland Mountains have ruins, you know this, right?"
"I know."
"Have you ever thought about what place the ruins in the Roland Mountains are ruins of?" Taotie looked at Nangong Yu with interest and said slowly, "It's the ruins of the battlefield of the ancient divine war. Many Supreme experts fell there."