Chapter 29: Master is poisoned to death?

"You disgusting, filthy worm!" 

Qin Feng couldn't help but exclaim as the grotesque creature's green, oily mouth dripped on his body. Goosebumps covered his entire body, and the sheer disgust he felt was enough to make him retch. Even in the face of death, he couldn't believe how undignified this encounter was.

What kind of creature was this bug? How could it converse with him? It defied all logic.

With his eyes closed, Qin Feng felt the creature's sharp fangs closing in on him, and he could hear a distinct chewing sound. He felt as though he was tumbling around within the bug's mouth.

Gradually, the sound grew fainter, and the world began to quiet down. Qin Feng's body felt strangely itchy, and he couldn't help but wonder, "Am I dead?"

If he had been consumed, his entire being should have dissipated, and he shouldn't be experiencing this lingering itchiness. Qin Feng cautiously opened his eyes, only to find himself seated among the stars.

The grotesque little bug, which seemed to blend into the darkness, was crawling around him, tracing erratic patterns.

"What's going on?" Qin Feng asked himself, his voice filled with confusion.

Qin Feng couldn't help but wonder how he had suddenly become larger while the grotesque bug from the previous illusion had shrunk in size. The entire experience felt surreal.

As he pondered these questions, Qin Feng realized that he had indeed fallen into Thunder Decepticon's soul obsession illusion. It seemed that Thunder Deception had attempted to use the illusion to kill him, but somehow, Qin Feng had managed to consume the illusion instead.

He stood up and raised his left hand, gazing at the grotesque insect before him—a creature unlike any he had ever seen. Qin Feng couldn't help but wonder what kind of mythical creature this was that could even consume illusions.

His thoughts raced, but he ultimately decided to set aside these questions for now. Instead, he focused on the task at hand. Qin Feng swayed his body, and his form quivered like a delicate sculpture. His eyes snapped open, and a purple halo slowly rose from the ground beside him, passing through the top of his head and disappearing.

This was a sign that the fusion of the soul ring was a success.

In the distance, Qin Feng heard a shocked and excited voice. "Brother Feng?"

He turned to see TangSan approaching, looking astonished and overjoyed. "What's going on?"

Qin Feng rose to his feet and realized that it was now dark. A small fire had been lit where Tang San was, and the master lay beside it. Generally, there should be no flames in the Soul Beast Forest. Qin Feng questioned why Tang San had started a fire despite the teacher's earlier warnings.

Tang San explained, "The teacher was poisoned. I attempted to detoxify him, but the toxin has already spread throughout his body."

As a member of the Tang Clan, TangSan possessed expertise in poisons. However, the venom of the black mandala snake was highly potent and neurologically destructive. With limited access to medicinal resources in the forest, complete detoxification was nearly impossible, and suppressing the poison was a daunting challenge. Tang San believed that he could detoxify his teacher if they could leave the forest and obtain the necessary ingredients.

But leaving to buy medicine posed its own set of problems. If TangSan left, no one would be here to watch over the teacher and the brother Feng. What if a carnivorous beast appeared, making them an easy meal?

On the other hand, if Tang San took the teacher with him, Qin Feng could remain to complete the soul ring integration. However, Tang San couldn't bring himself to abandon his friends in such a dire situation.

"I'll take a look!" Qin Feng declared, his anxiety pushing him into action. After all, wasn't TangSan detoxification technique supposed to be highly effective?

Just a Snake venom should be no match for it, right?

But as Qin Feng touched the master, he felt a chilling reality. The master's hands and feet were cold, his breathing feeble, as if the thread of life could snap at any moment.

"Why is it this serious?" Qin Feng muttered, his concern deepening.

Qin Feng cast an incredulous glance at Tang San. The snake poison had attacked the master's heart, leaving him nearly lifeless. Could the venom of the Black Mandala Snake really work that swiftly?

"When I regained consciousness, the teacher's pulse was already very faint. During these three days, I've been using my soul power and the unique herbs I found in this Soul-Hunting Forest to keep the teacher alive," Tang San explained, his face etched with helplessness.

"Three days?!" Qin Feng exclaimed, aghast. Time seemed to have flown by in the blink of an eye. He had only been absorbing the soul ring for what felt like a short while.

"Well, it took me two days to complete the soul ring absorption, so the teacher has been battling the poison for five days now," Tang San clarified.

"Because I encountered some unexpected complications while absorbing the Soul Ring, it took me two days to complete the process," Qin Feng explained with a sigh. It felt like a heavy weight on his chest, realizing how much time had passed.

Tang San couldn't help but inhale sharply. "This is bad. It's been such a long time."

"Why didn't you take the master out for treatment? You missed the crucial window for healing!" Qin Feng exclaimed, his tone filled with urgency. If they had taken action immediately upon awakening, there might have been a chance for the master's recovery. Now, however, he was growing colder by the minute.

"I wanted to take the teacher out earlier, but if I did, it would have been just you staying here alone. And with the appearance of Soul Beasts, your life would have been in grave danger!" Tang San explained, his voice tinged with bitterness. He vividly remembered the predicament he had faced earlier, nearly colliding with an old locust tree. Making a choice between his teacher and his brother was tearing him apart.

Given the circumstances, if they had taken the teacher out while leaving Qin Feng behind, there might have been a slim chance of the teacher's survival. However, Qin Feng would have had little hope of surviving the night, as wolves often frequented the area, and without someone to keep watch, they would have attacked him while he was absorbed in his breakthrough.

If he opted to stay and safeguard Qin Feng, his brother would be safe from external threats. However, the cost would be the gradual fading of his teacher's life. Tang San wrestled with his choices, but after much deliberation, he decided on the latter course of action.

Tang San chose to remain here and wait for Qin Feng to complete his breakthrough before venturing out. With his knowledge of poisons, he could sustain his teacher's life for a day or two by gathering the surrounding herbs.

However, what he hadn't foreseen was that this ordeal would stretch on for four days. It wasn't until the teacher's life force had nearly dwindled away that Qin Feng finally completed his breakthrough.