Chapter 81: Numbing Soul Smoke

After Zhu Xiaojia smashed the jade bottle on the ground, she dashed toward the door, where Liu Yueqian was standing in her way.

"Hmph!" A cold snort escaped from Zhu Xiaojia's lips as she channeled her soul power, imbued with the sharpness of metal, and struck Liu Yueqian squarely in the chest.

Thud!

The sudden attack from Zhu Xiaojia caught everyone off guard, especially Liu Yueqian, who had no time to defend herself. The blow landed directly on her heart, causing her to spit out a mouthful of blood before she collapsed to the side.

At the same time, Zhu Xiaojia had already made her way out of the door.

"Senior Sister!" Ye Xin cried out in shock, rushing forward to catch the falling Liu Yueqian.

By now, Lei Qian and the others had also realized what had happened and were about to give chase, but suddenly, they felt their bodies go limp, dropping to their knees.

It was then that they noticed the strange white smoke emanating from the broken jade bottle that Zhu Xiaojia had thrown on the ground. They had inadvertently inhaled a significant amount of it earlier.

Lin Qian's eyes narrowed. He had long since developed immunity to most poisons, so he felt no discomfort and remained unharmed. However, he pretended to be affected like the others, kneeling on the ground and waiting for an opportunity.

Zhu Xiaojia, who had reached the doorway, turned back when she saw everyone incapacitated and smirked with satisfaction.

"Hold on, Senior Sister," Ye Xin urged, her body weakening but still managing to glow faintly with starlight from her skirt, giving her slightly more strength than the others. She frantically fed various healing pills to Liu Yueqian.

"It's useless, Junior Sister. My heart is already shattered," Liu Yueqian said weakly, grabbing Ye Xin's wrist and shaking her head gently. "Don't waste your pills on me."

Although Liu Yueqian spoke clearly and calmly, Ye Xin knew that this was only because her senior sister's powerful soul warrior abilities were keeping her alive for a short while.

"Run… away!" Liu Yueqian managed to say before drawing her last breath, closing her eyes, and going limp.

"Senior Sister!" Ye Xin cried out in despair, clutching Liu Yueqian's body tightly as tears streamed down her face.

Since joining the Divine Sword Sect, Liu Yueqian had been assigned to care for Ye Xin. Over the years, Ye Xin had come to regard her as a real sister.

"Why?" Ye Xin suddenly looked up, her eyes burning with hatred as she stared at Zhu Xiaojia, clearly longing to tear her apart.

"Why? Isn't it obvious, you little wench? Why do you get to be the disciple of the Sword Saintess? What's so special about you? If it weren't for all the resources being poured into you, would you have completed nine cycles of Nirvana and reached the Nirvana Realm so quickly?" Zhu Xiaojia sneered. "And that Liu Yueqian, always praising you like you're some goddess, probably got plenty of benefits from you too. I've been fed up with her for a long time, and now I finally have the chance to get rid of her."

Zhu Xiaojia's voice dripped with jealousy and hatred, which Lin Qian could easily see in her eyes.

"I imagine this small bottle of poison smoke wouldn't be enough to incapacitate us completely. How did you manage to do it?" Lin Qian suddenly asked, looking at Zhu Xiaojia.

Zhu Xiaojia laughed and revealed another jade bottle in her palm. "I secretly had you inhale it back in the withered forest. The thick fog there masked it so well that you didn't even notice."

"Numbing Soul Smoke!" Lei Qian muttered in a low voice, his tone grave. "This toxic smoke numbs soul power, making it impossible to channel, and it weakens the body."

"It consists of two components: the numbing smoke and the weakening smoke. On their own, they aren't much of a threat, but inhaling both will numb your soul power and weaken your limbs."

Clap, clap, clap...

Just then, the sound of applause echoed from the doorway, and three figures appeared outside.

"Impressive. The Numbing Soul Smoke is rare and not well-known, but Lei Qian, you recognized it right away," said the leading figure.

"Fu Heng! So it was all your doing!" Ye Xin spat out, her voice filled with fury as she gritted her teeth.

The newcomer was none other than Fu Heng of the Divine Sword Sect.

Fu Heng grinned wickedly as he looked at Ye Xin. "That's right, it was me. I must say, you all are quite impressive, making it through the withered forest without getting lost."

Fu Heng knew quite a bit about the Dead Lands in the ancient ruins. The thick fog in the withered forest was notorious for causing disorientation and hallucinations, making it nearly impossible to navigate.

Yet Lin Qian and his group had managed to reach the ruins without getting lost. If it hadn't been for Zhu Xiaojia leading the way, Fu Heng wouldn't have dared to follow.

What he didn't know was that Lin Qian's thunder soul power had protected them from the fog's effects, and with the highly skilled scouts of the Huaxia Empire guiding them, they had navigated the forest with ease.

"What do you plan to do, Fu Heng?" Ye Xin asked coldly, still holding Liu Yueqian's body.

Fu Heng casually pulled out a jade bottle and waved it in front of Ye Xin. "What do you think? I'm going to make you take this Slave Pill, then kill everyone else to cover my tracks."

The mention of the Slave Pill caused Ye Xin's face to turn pale, and Lin Qian's expression darkened with anger.

The Slave Pill was a terrifying substance. Once ingested, it would damage the soul, enslaving the victim to the person who imprinted their soul mark on the pill.

"You seem quite angry," Fu Heng said, amused by Lin Qian's expression. "Although I don't usually go for girls like Ye Xin, maybe it's time to try something different. I might just keep her around to amuse myself. Haha, maybe I'll let you watch as your fiancée serves another man."

As Fu Heng's laughter echoed through the room, Ye Xin's face turned ashen. She grabbed a shard of roof tile from the ground, using what little soul power she had left to aim it at her own throat.

But Zhu Xiaojia had anticipated this and quickly snatched the shard from her hand, slapping her hard across the face. "You little wench! Trying to kill yourself? Not on my watch!"

Ye Xin's face flushed with pain as she glared at Zhu Xiaojia with hatred and despair, then turned her eyes toward Lin Qian.

But when she looked at Lin Qian, she noticed that he was lowering his head, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Fu Heng, you're courting death," Lei Qian suddenly sneered. "Honestly, I pity you."

Fu Heng looked at Lei Qian in confusion, not understanding what he meant. At that moment, Lin Qian slowly stood up from the ground.

"I'm going to shove your head up that woman's backside," Lin Qian said, pointing first at Fu Heng and then at Zhu Xiaojia, his face twisted into a vicious grin.