Unfortunately, while the Iron Blood Gu Poison Group could provide decent support, it was still no match for Biyou Palaceâs five Exotic Poisons, each corresponding to one of the Five Poison Creatures.
Even the White Jade Spider Poison heâd obtained from Teng County was nearly depleted. Heâd had to use it constantly to replenish what heâd expended, so it wasnât enough to substantially enhance his spider-poison abilities.
"Zou Feng... are you..."
"Did you break through to the Fourth Grade!?"
Seeing Zou Feng finally withdraw his skill with a satisfied look, Bian Yixia flipped up from the base of the tree trunk and stared at him intently.
It was no wonder Bian Yixia misunderstood. After all, the visual phenomena surrounding Zou Feng were all "waves," and the sheer scale of it really did look like he had broken through to a new realm.
"No, no, itâs just a breakthrough in the Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Force cultivation skill!" Zou Feng was in high spirits, no longer in the tense state of constantly worrying that a master was about to hunt him down.
This wasnât him getting cocky and careless; it was the confidence that came from his cultivation skill reaching the peak of perfection.
The Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Force was one of the Evil Skills in the Black Flood Dragon Gangâs collection, so of course Bian Yixia already knew Zou Feng practiced it.
"Could it be that youâve cultivated this skill to..."
Zou Feng replied truthfully, "I was lucky enough to break through to the Peak Realm!"
Bian Yixia had seen all the exaggerated phenomena just now. If Zou Feng tried to hide it and claim he had only reached the Refined Realm, it would be far too obvious a lie.
"Thatâs not right. This skill has huge side effects, and itâs an incomplete skill. Forget the peak of perfection, even reaching the level of Refined Skill is a problem..."
As she spoke, Bian Yixiaâs mind naturally leaped to another possibility, and she immediately asked, "Donât tell me you improved the skill!?"
Being able to cultivate a low-quality skill with major side effects to the Peak Realmâthis was the most logical explanation.
Those so-called Evil Geniuses, what exactly made them geniuses?
Itâs that they are talented enough to fully grasp the essence of these Evil Skills, allowing them to improve the cultivation skill and reduce the originally massive side effects to a tolerable level.
Of course, thereâs another type of Evil Geniusâthose with special physiques and extraordinary talent, capable of withstanding side effects that others cannot bear.
And Bian Yixia had pretty much guessed correctly. That was indeed the case; it was only because there were no side effects that Zou Feng could continuously try to fuse other cultivation skills into it.
However, Bian Yixiaâs words immediately caught Zou Fengâs attention.
"Wait, Miss, youâre saying the Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Force is an incomplete skill!?"
Bian Yixia seemed quite surprised. "Ah, you didnât know?"
The Black Flood Dragon Gang was just a minor gang, after all. Its collection consisted of some low-quality Evil Skills, many of which were even incomplete.
Many cultivation skills had excessively large, almost severe side effects precisely because the skills themselves were incomplete.
But for the members of a minor gang, most were just concerned with quickly Entering Grade or just getting by in the Low Grade stages. Who would care whether a skill was incomplete or not?
"This skill was originally supposed to be a single entity in four parts: the Vermilion Bird Chapter, the Black Tortoise Chapter, the White Tiger Chapter, and the Cyan Dragon Chapter..."
"The Black Flood Dragon Gang acquired the chance to copy the Black Tortoise Chapter in a trade."
"In the beginning, some of the brothers in the gang tried to cultivate it, but the results were very poor. In the end, they either gave up on the cultivation to cut their losses or developed physical problems and were forced to stop," Bian Yixia explained.
When Zou Feng joined the Black Flood Dragon Gang, he had chosen three skills that no one else dared to practice, or that had already killed those who did, which is why they were called the "Suicide Trio."
"Then where are the other three Chapters?"
The Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Force had already benefited Zou Feng immensely. Now that he had mastered this Chapter to the peak of perfection, if he could obtain the other three, his progress would skyrocket.
And once the four Chapters were combined...
It was obvious that even after advancing to a High Grade in the future, he wouldnât have to worry about finding a Heart Skill.
Unfortunately, Bian Yixia didnât know where to get the other three Chapters. After all, the trade had happened many years ago.
Besides, only the Black Tortoise Chapter had been available in that trade; the other three werenât even an option.
But just because Bian Yixia didnât know didnât mean other gang members didnât.
Right now, at the Hongxing Gangâs base, there were quite a few people who were veteran figures from the old Black Flood Dragon Gang.
These veterans should know more than Bian Yixia, who had been just a child at the time.
Setting the issue aside for the moment, Zou Feng glanced around and said, "There should be one, or several, bigger ones... Tsk, I guess they donât dare to show themselves..."
With his special sensitivity to poisonous creatures, Zou Feng had long since understood that the strength of those Giant Spiders alone, despite their staggering numbers, wasnât enough to trigger such a strong sense of alarm in him.
What he found strange, however, was why the truly significant beast hadnât appeared yet.
âWas it scared off by my "Thousand Hands Exorcism" just now?â
If it really was too scared to show itself, Zou Feng would actually be quite disappointed.
The leader of the spider swarm would definitely possess an incredibly valuable spider poison, something Zou Feng desperately wanted.
Even if he wanted to hunt it down, the problem was that the Forest Sea was too vast. If the creature was fleeing with all its might, finding it wouldnât be easy.
More importantly, even more powerful pursuers could show up at any moment...
So Zou Feng made a snap decision to temporarily give up the search for the more venomous Demon Spider.
âOnce Iâve completely escaped, I can come back here and try my luck.â
And so, Zou Feng withdrew his covetous gaze and urged Bian Yixia to leave quickly.
In the next moment, however, Zou Fengâs expression changed. He looked up at the sky and moved to shield Bian Yixia behind him.
A moment later, a large, dark mass suddenly plummeted from the sky.
Zou Feng didnât dodge, because it was obvious the mass wasnât going to land where they were standing.
With a THUD, the large lump slammed into the ground.
Since Zou Feng had destroyed most of the nearby trees, there was nothing to block the view. By the moonlight, he immediately saw what the dark mass was.
It was an exceptionally large Giant Spider with blood-red patterns on its body, clearly different from the small fry before.
Yet this huge beast, which should have been the Demon Spider leader, was now on the brink of death, liable to drop dead at any moment.
"You must be Zou Feng."
"A little welcoming gift for you!"
Accompanied by a domineering female voice and billowing, colorful silk, Gongsun Jinghongâa cinnabar mark between her browsâdescended slowly from the sky, making a dazzling entrance like a Moon Palace Fairy.
If the Silk Caveâs Cave Master from Teng County was a Demoness incarnate, born with a seductive charm that filled her every glance, smile, and movement with allure...
...then the Gongsun Jinghong before them could only be described as a Celestial Maiden descended to the mortal world.
Like a flower on a high peakâsacred and inviolable.
Although neither Zou Feng nor Bian Yixia had ever met Princess Zhuque before, it would be strange if they couldnât guess her identity. After all, not long after Yuwen Zheng had croaked, a High Grade female Martial Artist exuding an air of nobility had come chasing after them.
"Gongsun Jinghong?" Zou Fengâs gaze was solemn, but there was no fear in it.
If his Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Force hadnât advanced, he would have inevitably felt a little intimidated.
But now, with Four Peak Skills under his belt, even knowing that Gongsun Jinghong was a Third Grade Powerhouse, he still dared to test his mettle against her.
If the outcome of that test wasnât ideal, then at worst, he would hold her off, cover Bian Yixiaâs escape, and then figure out a way to get away himself.
Zou Feng really didnât believe that with his current strength, he wouldnât even have the ability to escape from a Third Grade Martial Artist.
In fact, that was just the worst-case scenario. To be optimistic, if he went all out and maxed out his True Man State, he might even have a chance to send her to reunite with her husband, Yuwen Zheng.
Gongsun Jinghong didnât seem to be in a hurry to attack. Instead, she continuously sized Zou Feng up.
"Not bad. You are indeed a rare handsome man. This Princess forgives your rudeness in speaking my name directly." Gongsun Jinghong certainly didnât have a good temper, but she seemed to genuinely need something from Zou Feng, so she appeared very patient.
Gongsun Jinghongâs words and actions upon her arrival, however, left Zou Feng a bit baffled.
First was the "welcoming gift" she mentioned. As a Poison Cultivator, Zou Feng naturally had a need for such poisonous creatures.
He had just been lamenting that he would have to miss out on it this time, but in the next moment, Gongsun Jinghong had delivered it to him as a welcoming gift...
What puzzled Zou Feng the most was, shouldnât Gongsun Jinghong, having tracked him down, be trying to avenge her fiancĂ© immediately? What was the meaning behind all these completely unnecessary steps?