Internal Sect Turmoils Chapter 51: Senior Brother Pei, Many Thanks

Chu Xing shouldered an iron shovel and walked step by step toward the edge of the ruins.

He paid no attention to the gloating gazes cast at him from behind.

The moment he stepped into the ruins, a rich stench of blood and decaying herbs assaulted his senses. Even more terrifying was the intangible medicinal miasma.

The bone-chilling cold aura, like countless ice-forged steel needles, frantically burrowed through his pores.

Chu Xing’s figure paused as he felt the flow of his blood slow down noticeably. He immediately mobilized his origin energy to protect his body, but the moment that energy left his body, it was rapidly eroded by the medicinal miasma, emitting a faint sizzling sound.

"What an overbearing medicinal miasma!"

Chu Xing’s heart tightened. This was only the outermost perimeter; if an ordinary Body Tempering Realm disciple were to step in here, their meridians would likely be snapped inch by inch within half a quarter of an hour.

Pei Linfeng truly harbored malicious intentions.

Mu Wanqing watched Chu Xing’s retreating figure pause at the entrance of the ruins, her tightly suspended heart twisting with anxiety.

"Chu Xing, don't push yourself," she could not help speaking out once more, her voice carrying a trace of urgency she hadn't even noticed herself. "It’s still not too late to step back now."

Pei Linfeng also chuckled twice, putting on a hypocritical front as he said, "Junior Brother Chu, Senior Sister Mu makes complete sense. This medicinal miasma poison is no laughing matter; if you truly cannot hold on, don't force it."

"Though two hundred contribution points are a lot, it's not worth risking your life for a mere wager. If I were you, turning back now wouldn't be shameful at all."

Chu Xing did not turn his head, merely raising a hand to wave dismissively behind him.

"Senior Sister, rest assured, a minor situation like this cannot stump me."

His tone was calm, yet laced with a hint of mockery, clearly intended for Pei Linfeng to hear.

"As for Senior Brother Pei’s thoughtful reminder, I accept your good intentions. Since I have accepted this wager of two hundred contribution points, I naturally will not give up halfway."

As his words fell, he lingered no longer. With a flash of his figure, he vanished completely into that bottomless abyss of darkness.

Watching the direction where he had vanished, Mu Wanqing’s delicate hand clenched unconsciously inside her sleeve.

She took a deep breath, turned to a Pill Hall disciple beside her, and instructed in a low voice, "Junior Sister Lin, hurry to the storehouse and fetch three Miasma-Warding Talismans and a pouch of Fire-Guarding Sand, quickly!"

The Pill Hall disciple was stunned. She glanced deep into the ruins, then at Mu Wanqing’s solemn expression, nodded hastily, and hurried away.

Pei Linfeng took in this scene, and the jealousy in his heart burned even brighter. He said with a sarcastic tone, "Senior Sister Mu is truly as compassionate as a Bodhisattva, caring so much for a mere errand runner. I'm afraid by the time your items are fetched, he will have already been eroded into a skeleton by the medicinal miasma."

Mu Wanqing cast him a cold glance and retorted, "Junior Brother Pei, rather than wasting breath with sarcastic remarks, you would do better to worry about your own face. If anything truly happens to Chu Xing in there, I will settle this score entirely on your head."

Pei Linfeng’s expression stiffened, a tightness gripping his chest as the hatred in his heart instantly shifted entirely toward Chu Xing.

...

Inside the ruins, Chu Xing was naturally unaware of the commotion outside.

With a thought, the newly mastered cultivation technique within his dantian suddenly surged into motion!

Hum!

An entirely different aura diffused from within Chu Xing's body!

The medicinal miasma that had originally rampaged through his body and caused him excruciating pain seemed to meet its nemesis the moment it made contact with the operational trajectory of the Myriad Transformations Unity Scripture. It was forcibly pulled by an invisible force into that newly opened meridian pathway!

The Source-Devouring Bead within his dantian trembled violently in response, erupting with an unprecedented, greedy hunger!

The piercing cold instantly transformed into a warm and cozy comfort.

The feeling was akin to soaking in a hot spring during the dead of winter, with every single pore relaxing completely.

"Indeed..."

A flash of surprise crossed Chu Xing’s eyes, followed by a surge of secret delight.

He had originally thought this was a desperate and dangerous dead end, but it unexpectedly turned out to be an excellent training ground for him.

"Pei Linfeng, oh Pei Linfeng, you really... have done me a massive favor."

Chu Xing grinned, a trace of "gratitude" toward this Senior Brother Pei actually welling up in his heart.

He casually tossed aside the obstructive iron shovel and no longer lingered on the outer perimeter, striding in large, confident steps toward the depths of the ruins.

The deeper he went, the denser the medicinal miasma became. The black-red mist pervading the air was almost materialized; if an ordinary person were to take a single breath here, their mind and soul would likely shatter instantly.

Soon, he passed through that dim outer perimeter.

A massive, half-collapsed grand hall appeared before him.

Right at the center of the pill hall, a three-zhang-tall bronze pill cauldron stood slanted, stabbed into the ground.

An aura of medicinal miasma and resentment, more than ten times thicker than the outside world, continuously billowed out from a fracture in the pill cauldron.

"This is the place!"

Chu Xing’s eyes lit up, his heart beating wildly and uncontrollably.

He could feel that the Source-Devouring Bead in his dantian was currently vibrating violently at an unprecedented frequency.

As the distance closed, he finally saw the full picture of the pill cauldron.

On the surface of the cauldron, besides cracks, countless eerie blood-red runes were engraved. Those runes wriggled slowly like living creatures, exuding a heart-palpitating evil aura.

This pill cauldron seemed somewhat ominous!

Chu Xing swept his gaze across the surroundings, finally fixing on the dried dark-red bloodstains scattered around the cauldron. These bloodstains echoed the runes on the cauldron, seemingly forming a massive array together.

"Let's test the waters first."

He squatted down, not directly touching the cauldron, but instead hovering his palm slowly above the deepest pool of bloodstains.

With a single thought, the Myriad Transformations Unity Scripture was driven to its absolute limit! The Source-Devouring Bead in his dantian erupted with an unprecedented devouring force!

Boom!

A wave of violent energy, completely distinct from the medicinal miasma, was fiercely yanked out from those bloodstains! It was no longer a pure chill, but a force of blood curses mixed with madness, venom, and resentment, frantically drilling into his body along his arm!

"Not good!"

Chu Xing’s expression shifted; this power was far more heterogeneous and dangerous than he had imagined!

The moment it entered his body, it assaulted his meridians frantically, as if attempting to thoroughly pollute his flesh and blood!

Chu Xing took a deep breath, his hands forming obscure hand seals as his consciousness plunged fiercely into his dantian.

"Myriad Transformations Unity Scripture, refine for me!"

Driven by his will, the Source-Devouring Bead suddenly shook violently. The previously passive devouring force instantly transformed into orderly refining vortexes!

The bead spun rapidly, layer upon layer of vortices locking the power of the blood curse firmly in place. Instead of blindly gnawing and swallowing, it followed the trajectory of Chu Xing’s technique, first stripping away, then purifying!

Chu Xing could clearly sense a growing resonance between his meridians and the Source-Devouring Bead.

The power of the blood curse was compressed repeatedly within the bead, while his technique guided from the sidelines, expelling the foul impurities to evaporate as gray medicinal mist.

The core essence energy, however, was condensed into a crystal-clear speck, quietly suspended within the chaotic space.