Chapter 231: Poison Shadows and Fiery Reunions

"No way!" the innkeeper barked, cutting off Lan An.

The waiters snapped out of their daze, glaring at him. They'd nearly fallen for his ruse.

"What? Don't want to taste Emperor Wine? Only dragon descendants are worthy of it," Lan An teased, dangling the bait.

"Hmph, kid, I love fine wine, but I value my life more. You need a pulse to drink," a middle-aged waiter sneered.

"He's right. You know this place and want us to kill for you. You must know where you are. Rules are rules, or we and you die miserably," another waiter shivered, fear flickering in his eyes.

The Seven Kills Sect had strict protocols. Assassination tasks went through the Mission Hall, handled by designated killers, with rewards strictly in spirit stones. Lan An's attempt to bribe them with wine violated those rules. They weren't foolish enough to risk the sect's wrath.

Lan An's eyes gleamed with calculation. He'd pegged them as drunkards, ripe for manipulation, but their fear of the Seven Kills Sect elevated his respect for its discipline. A Late Void Refinement cultivator like the innkeeper trembling spoke volumes about the sect's iron grip.

"Fine, you've lost your chance at Emperor Wine. Let's talk business," Lan An shrugged, settling back into his seat.

"Hmph, no tricks," the innkeeper scoffed, a seasoned assassin unfazed by Lan An.

"How much to kill a Peak Void Refinement cultivator?" Lan An asked coolly, a glint of killing intent in his eyes.

He'd soon return to the Ice Heaven Continent, leaving little time to settle grudges in the Sea Continent. Hiring the Seven Kills Sect was a swift solution. Spirit stones could be earned again, but his pent-up rage demanded release.

The assassins flinched. Targeting a Peak Void Refinement cultivator was a bold request. The innkeeper pondered, then said, "Depends on their status and influence. You set the price, but if it's too low, no one takes the job. That's it."

Lan An nodded, producing a storage ring with 300,000 Top-Grade Spirit Stones. "The head of the Lam Clan's patriarch, Lam Heng. Is 300,000 enough?"

"Him? No issue," the innkeeper's eyes flashed, accepting without hesitation. The Seven Kills Sect feared no one.

He retrieved a parchment, instructing Lan An to detail the task. The innkeeper sealed it with a drop of blood. "I trust the Seven Kills Sect," Lan An said calmly, turning to leave.

"Anyone else?" the innkeeper called after him.

Lan An shook his head. The rest, he'd handle himself.

Since arriving in the West Sea Continent, troubles had piled up, with enemies growing stronger. The root? Lam Ji's Tracking Insect. Without his greed and pursuit, Lan An's identity wouldn't have been exposed, sparing him harassment from Night Shadow Island, the Chen Clan, and Hai He. Lam Ji was the source, and he'd pay.

Lam Ji, a mere ant to Lan An now, wasn't worth hiring assassins for. But his father, Lam Heng, a Peak Void Refinement cultivator, was a bigger fish. Killing him personally would take time Lan An didn't have, with his return to Ice Heaven looming. Spending 300,000 spirit stones to pluck this thorn was a bargain.

He wasn't a noble hero. Cross him, and he'd hold a grudge forever, no matter who.

Without Lam Heng, the Lam Clan would falter, rival clans pouncing on their weakness. Lam Ji would suffer, and that suited Lan An just fine.

As Lan An's figure vanished, the innkeeper clutched the parchment, retreating to a back room. Activating a teleportation array, he addressed the waiters, "I'm off to the Mission Hall."

Four years ago, a cataclysmic poison swept through Spirit Fire City, burying thousands in a toxic sea. A shadowy figure departed unscathed. Thus, the Poison Person was born, drawing the gaze of countless factions across the Yellow Sand Continent.

Spirit Fire City, under the Fire Bright Sect's control, issued a kill order. For three years, they sent everyone from common cultivators to top experts, clashing with the Poison Person multiple times, only for them to escape each encounter.

In the third year, the reclusive Dan Clan, backing Pill Valley, allied with the Fire Bright Sect, targeting the Poison Person. The Dan Clan's ancestor, seeking a breakthrough, aimed to craft a top-grade True Pill using the Poison Person's body as the primary ingredient.

The Poison Person's origins were shrouded in mystery no gender, no name, only unparalleled mastery of poison. Their cultivation soared at an unprecedented rate: from Late Void Refinement at their debut to Mid Fusion Realm in four years, last seen in the Sea Continent.

They rarely struck, but each act was devastating, poisoning vast regions. Even against fire-based cultivators, their bane, they held their own. Their latest act in the Sea Continent turned ten thousand miles into a dead sea, killing Sea Palace Elder Hai He their seventh poison strike since Spirit Fire City.

They escaped two Mid Fusion Realm elders wielding Strange Flames: the Fire Bright Sect's Great Power Earth Flame (ranked 16th) and the Dan Clan's Cold Ice Flame (ranked 14th).

Their age unknown, the Poison Person couldn't be ranked on the Golden Ranking, yet their breakthrough speed surpassed even the current top ranker, Ma. Speculation abounded: an ancient poison inheritance, an old monster reemerging, or even an immortal from the Immortal Realm. The Poison Person became a burning topic across the Yellow Sand Continent.

Lan An's expression grew grave as he read. The Poison Person's prowess awed him, stoking his competitive spirit. The intelligence also revealed two formidable forces—the Fire Bright Sect and Dan Clan—and two high-ranking Strange Flames, valuable knowledge.

Jin'er added, "If their breakthrough speed is this extreme, their Poison Physique likely ranks in the top ten, possibly still awakening. Their future potential is terrifying, but they'll face trials beyond mortal comprehension."

A day later, at the Ai Clan's headquarters on Heart Island…

Ai Xin sat listlessly in a courtyard, her face clouded with confusion, staring at a painting his painting of her.

"Elders say he has Strange Flames, likely surviving that horrific poison," she murmured, unable to shake her unease. She felt responsible for his peril, a gnawing guilt.

Despite reassurances, Hai He, a Late Void Refinement cultivator, had perished easily. Could two Strange Flames truly save him? The thought tormented her, dimming her radiant beauty.

"Young Mistress, someone seeks an audience with the Ai Clan," her personal maid's gentle voice interrupted.

"Who?" Ai Xin asked, not turning, her voice flat.

"Young Master Chen Zhi of the Chen Clan," the maid replied.

"Tell him to scram!" Ai Xin snapped, her eyes flashing with loathing.

"But… Young Master Chen Zhi is in the main hall, currying favor with the patriarch," the maid stammered.

"Hmph, why is Father entertaining him?" Ai Xin scowled, storming toward the main hall, the clan's guest reception area.

Chen Zhi chatted casually with a middle-aged man, a white-bearded elder exuding authority beside him. Ai Xin's eyes narrowed, understanding why her father indulged Chen Zhi the elder was another Sea Palace luminary.

"Tian'er, your classmate is here," Ai Zhen, the Ai Clan's patriarch, a Peak Void Refinement cultivator, said with a smile as she entered.

The Ai Clan outshone other eighth-grade forces in the Sea Continent, thanks to Ai Zhen's father, Ai Guo, Ai Xin's grandfather. A Peak Fusion Realm cultivator teetering on Mid Fusion, Ai Guo was the clan's cornerstone. Though not yet a ninth-grade force, with him, the Ai Clan was unrivaled among eighth-grade powers.

"Classmate? Him?" Ai Xin sneered, glaring at Chen Zhi before turning to leave.

"Tian'er, mind your manners. This is Sea Palace's Fourth Elder, Hai Xiong," Ai Zhen chided, gesturing to the elder, a near-Peak Void Refinement cultivator, twice Ai Zhen's age.

"Greetings, Senior Hai Xiong," Ai Xin said perfunctorily, moving to depart.

"Ahem, Miss Ai, we're fellow disciples. Why so cold?" Chen Zhi stood, coughing awkwardly.

"Fellow disciple? With a thief like you?" Ai Xin mocked.

Chen Zhi's face darkened, but he quickly smiled confidently. "I've been accepted as a core disciple of Sea Palace."

He puffed out his chest, expecting awe. Instead, Ai Xin's eyes dripped with disdain. "Your brother's on the Golden Ranking, yet he was beaten like a dog. What's a core disciple worth? And I'm from Hundred Spirits Academy, no less than Sea Palace. What's there to brag about?" she transmitted icily, her words razor-sharp.

"You…" Chen Zhi's eyes blazed with fury.

Mentioning his idolized brother, Chen Jue, stung. Ten years ago, after his fiancée abandoned him, Chen Jue wandered, rescuing an old man in the wilderness, escorting him thousands of miles back to Sea Palace. That man was Sea Palace's First Elder, Hai E, who'd sought a breakthrough on the perilous Wu Ming Island, only to fail and fall gravely injured, unable to fly.

Chen Jue, at his lowest, entered Wu Ming Island seeking fortune, stumbling upon Hai E. Recognizing his extraordinary status, Chen Jue risked everything to escort him back for treatment. Hai E treated Chen Jue like a son, favoring him over his chief disciple, Hai He. Hai E's status, second only to the Palace Master, elevated Chen Jue immensely.

Saved by Fourth Elder Hai Xiong during the poison crisis, Chen Jue was recovering in Sea Palace, past the worst. Emboldened, Chen Zhi visited the Ai Clan to mend ties with Ai Xin and confirm "that man's" fate. If alive, he'd come for Ai Xin. Seeing her distress and no sign of him, Chen Zhi assumed he was dead, gloating inwardly.

"Ai Xin, you wouldn't cut ties over some nobody, would you? We were friends," Chen Zhi said, still coveting her. Her grandfather was Fusion Realm, her master a Fusion Realm eighth-grade artificer.

"Nobody? Watch your mouth, or I won't be polite," Ai Xin snapped, her patience fraying.

"Hmph, that dead guy?" Chen Zhi sneered. "No matter how talented, a dead genius is useless."

"You're courting death!" Ai Xin roared, eyes blazing, her cannon materializing on her shoulder.

As she prepared to fire, a lazy male voice echoed from outside, "Miss Ai Xin, I prefer watching you craft artifacts over playing with cannons."