Detoxifying The Withered Rose Poison

"Hmm..."

A soft, contemplative hum escaped Xiao Yunhai's lips as he sensed Dao Li's departure.

Only then did he allow himself a moment of relief, his chest rising and falling in a slow, deliberate rhythm.

The tension that had gripped his body began to fade, replaced by the faintest sense of safety—though he knew it was fleeting.

He had narrowly escaped death, clinging to a jagged edge of the cliff with nothing but sheer willpower and the suppression of his breath and aura.

The steep drop below had been a silent, yawning abyss, threatening to swallow him whole if he faltered even for a moment.

Now, as Dao Li's oppressive aura faded into the distance, Xiao Yunhai exhaled deeply, his eyes fluttering shut.

He focused inward, channeling his divine energy with practiced precision. The energy surged through his meridians, pooling into his legs as he prepared for the final descent.

With a soft thud, his feet met solid ground, the impact sending a faint tremor through his battered body.

THUD!

The sound echoed faintly in the desolate landscape, a stark reminder of his precarious situation.

Xiao Yunhai wasted no time. His hands moved in a blur, weaving intricate seals as he directed his divine energy to suppress the grievous injuries that ravaged his body.

Despite his possession of the Ancient Yang Physique—a constitution renowned for its resilience and vitality—the wounds he had sustained were far from trivial.

The chase had been relentless, a month-long marathon of survival that had pushed him to the brink of collapse.

His Royal Spirit realm cultivation, though formidable, was struggling to keep pace with the damage that had spiraled out of control during his flight.

"That was a gambit on my life just now," Xiao Yunhai muttered, his voice low but resolute.

He knew he had narrowly avoided catastrophe, but the danger was far from over. Still, he allowed himself a sliver of hope. For the first time in weeks, he had a moment to breathe, to gather his strength. He would not waste it.

SWOOSH!

With a swift motion, he flicked his robes, and a circle of blue-hued stones materialized around him.

These were no ordinary stones—they were divine stones, imbued with a mysterious, godly aura and dense with god-energy.

Such treasures were typically reserved for experts at the Divinity Stage, their power invaluable in aiding healing and recovery.

Xiao Yunhai's hands moved with practiced ease as he began the arduous process of absorption and refinement. The divine stones pulsed faintly, their energy flowing into him like a gentle tide.

Hours passed, though time seemed to blur in the stillness of the moment. Xiao Yunhai worked tirelessly, his focus unyielding.

He absorbed, refined, and suppressed, his pale face gradually regaining a faint tinge of color as his blood began to circulate more freely.

Yet, even as his physical wounds began to mend, a new threat loomed—one far more insidious.

The Withered Rose poison.

This was no ordinary toxin. It was a rare and deadly breed, a Yin-attribute poison that thrived on sapping the vitality of its host.

Ordinarily, Xiao Yunhai's abundant yang vitality would have been enough to counteract its effects. But the prolonged chase had left him unable to suppress it, allowing the poison to fester and grow stronger.

Now, as he rested, the symptoms began to manifest with terrifying clarity.

The Withered Rose was not merely a poison—it was a parasite, a sentient entity with a will of its own.

It had been actively feeding on Xiao Yunhai's energy, growing stronger with each passing moment.

Now, it sought to rot and freeze his yang energy, its polar opposite.

The pain it caused was excruciating, a searing cold that spread through his meridians like a wildfire. Xiao Yunhai's face contorted in agony, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps as the poison surged violently within him.

Gritting his teeth, he summoned a miniscule, thumb-sized blue crystalline pellet into his palm.

The pellet was known as the Flame Return Pellet. Its delicate appearance belied its true nature, for it radiated an aura of true flames, a divine heat that promised salvation—or destruction.

Xiao Yunhai's eyes narrowed as he regarded the pellet, his voice cool and measured.

"Flame Return Pellet… you'd better not disappoint."

With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the pellet into his mouth. The effect was immediate.

A warm, searing energy flooded his body, igniting his meridians with a fierce intensity. The pain was overwhelming, but Xiao Yunhai endured, his will unyielding.

The Flame Return Pellet was a gamble, but it was one he had to take.

CREAK!

CRASH!

The energy within him erupted in a violent explosion, the force of it sending shockwaves through his body.

Golden divine flames crackled around him, their heat scorching yet invigorating. His yang energy, once suppressed, now surged with renewed vigor, its intensity doubling in a matter of moments.

For any other cultivator, such a surge would have been catastrophic. But Xiao Yunhai was no ordinary cultivator. His Ancient Yang Body was uniquely suited to withstand such power, and he harnessed it with ruthless efficiency.

Within his dantian, a miniature version of Xiao Yunhai sat in a lotus position, his eyes shut in deep concentration.

This was his Royal Spirit, a manifestation of his cultivation and will. Beside it, the Withered Rose poison's soul writhed and twisted, its crumpled, dehydrated form happened to be a stark contrast to the vibrant energy of the Royal Spirit.

The poison was intelligent, its movements calculated as it sought to devour the essence of Xiao Yunhai's spirit.

WHOOSH!

Without warning, a torrent of divine flames erupted from the Royal Spirit, engulfing the Withered Rose in a blazing inferno.

The poison recoiled, its movements frantic as it sought to escape the searing heat. But Xiao Yunhai was relentless. His eyes burned with determination, a cold glint in their depths as he pressed the attack.

BANG!

The battle within his dantian was fierce, a clash of wills that raged for what felt like an eternity. Finally, the light within the Withered Rose dimmed, its resistance crumbling under the relentless assault of the divine flames.

With a final, shuddering breath, the poison soul was consumed, its essence reduced to nothingness.

ZZZ!

The remnants of the Withered Rose reappeared as a steamy, pungent black liquid on Xiao Yunhai's skin, only to be swiftly evaporated by the surrounding flames. The air was thick with the acrid scent of burnt poison, a testament to the battle that had just been fought.

PHEESH!

As the flames receded, Xiao Yunhai's pale face emerged once more, his expression one of grim satisfaction.

The Withered Rose was no more, its threat extinguished. But the next step remained fraught with danger, and Xiao Yunhai could tell that his current trials were far from over.