Poison Power Unleashed

The news of the Heavenly Poison Sutra’s widespread dissemination quickly reached Yan Yun’s ears.

Given that every herbal farmer in the medicinal field was discussing the matter, Yan Yun found it impossible to remain unaware.

They even held in their hands the special edition of the Heavenly Poison Sutra that Yan Yun had disseminated.

“This cultivation technique is truly extraordinary; even those without spirit roots can cultivate it,” one remarked. “If it’s real, and if the sects and the Immortal Alliance don’t forbid its practice, that would be wonderful.”

“Indeed,” another chimed in, “this technique is undoubtedly a blessing for ordinary people like us. I hear it has already spread throughout Jiang Country; there’s no way it can be prohibited now. I hope the Immortal Alliance lifts the restrictions on cultivating this technique, allowing us a chance to step onto the path of immortality.”

The vast majority of people yearned for the Immortal Alliance to unban the cultivation technique.

Yan Yun watched their expectant faces, a bloom of joy unfolding in her heart.

‘Haha, you can thank me. Who told me to be such a great benevolent person?’ Yan Yun chuckled mischievously in her mind. ‘I just wonder what the Immortal Alliance and the major sects will do.’

However, just as Yan Yun returned to her dwelling, her communication artifact received a message.

Upon opening it, Yan Yun’s heart immediately skipped a beat.

The message, sent by Jiang Yao, conveyed that their mother (Su Muyu) was summoning her (Yan Yun).

“It’s over. I’m most likely going to get scolded again,” Yan Yun muttered with a bitter expression.

Yan Lingyun watched Yan Yun’s crestfallen appearance, finding it amusing.

“Haha, there’s no escaping this scolding now.”

****

That evening, within Su Muyu’s residence, Yan Yun knelt dutifully before Su Muyu, while Jiang Yao stood by her side.

Both mother-in-law and daughter-in-law wore expressions of profound displeasure, incensed that someone had been stirring up trouble behind their backs.

“You, you rascal! What did I tell you last time?” Su Muyu admonished, pointing at Yan Yun. “If you’re going to do something outrageous, you absolutely must inform us beforehand. Aren’t you afraid that by recklessly spreading this poison cultivation technique, you’ll incur the resentment of all the sects in the cultivation world?”

Yan Yun, in a small voice, responded, “Mother, this is my strategy for a comeback. The entire Immortal Alliance is already hunting me down, so what I’m doing is forcing their hand. They must either choose to unban the poison cultivation technique, or they must choose to eliminate every cultivator who has seen or possesses this technique.”

“But I dare say, they won’t choose the second option. That method would lead to endless trouble, and it would be virtually impossible to prevent people from secretly cultivating it anyway.”

Upon hearing Yan Yun’s explanation, both women immediately fell into deep thought.

For they, too, felt there was logic in her words.

As the saying goes, ‘The law does not punish the masses.’

However, this principle was something only Yan Yun, having come from Earth, and Jiang Yao could truly grasp.

For the people of this world, if they truly possessed the Heavenly Poison Sutra, they would absolutely be unwilling to spread it.

“Mother, although this fellow has once again acted on her own initiative, I believe there’s merit in what she says,” Jiang Yao interjected.

Seeing Jiang Yao speak up, Yan Yun immediately broke into a cheeky grin.

Su Muyu was not without reason; she was simply annoyed by Yan Yun’s impulsive actions.

“Hmph! You girl, can’t you think about me and Yao’er for a moment?” Su Muyu sighed. “We don’t necessarily want to interfere with your affairs; we just hope you’d give us a heads-up beforehand.”

Yan Yun quickly nodded, promising that in the future, for any major undertakings, she would certainly notify them first.

****

Just as Yan Yun had anticipated, the leaders of the major sects, currently discussing how to resolve the matter within the Immortal Alliance, truly could not devise a better solution.

After much deliberation, they realized that only by unsealing the poison cultivation technique could they hope to regulate it.

The Immortal Alliance would issue an announcement, permitting everyone to cultivate this poison technique.

However, those who cultivated it would be required to register at local Immortal Alliance oversight offices or their respective sects, ensuring its legal practice.

If they couldn’t block the technique’s circulation, their only option was to channel it.

Should any cultivator be discovered secretly practicing without registration, the minimum punishment would be the crippling of their cultivation.

This approach was certainly better than allowing them to cultivate it in secret.

Secretly cultivating a forbidden technique was a capital offense in the cultivation world, with those who knew but failed to report it facing the same penalty.

With such restrictions, those who covertly practiced forbidden techniques would undoubtedly become ruthless, surely eliminating any outsiders who discovered their poison cultivation.

Shortly after the Immortal Alliance announced the unsealing of the Heavenly Poison Sutra, they sought individuals to experimentally cultivate the poison technique.

While this technique appeared to have no prerequisites, its success rate in practice was exceedingly low.

Not everyone possessed Yan Yun’s tenacious will.

At this moment, within a grand hall inside the Immortal Alliance, numerous mortals who had volunteered to cultivate the poison technique were wailing amidst a pool of purple toxic liquid.

A total of twenty individuals were cultivating there, all of them mortals.

As time slowly passed, one by one, they succumbed to the excruciating pain, the toxins invading their brains, until only a single person successfully cultivated the technique and survived.

“What? The success rate for cultivating this Heavenly Poison Sutra is far too low, isn’t it?” someone exclaimed. “Alliance Leader, it seems we don’t have much to worry about after all.”

“As long as we disseminate this information, it should deter the majority from cultivating the poison technique,” another added.

Shangguan Jinyang said nothing, instead fixing his gaze upon the young man who had successfully cultivated the technique.

The young man’s hair had turned silvery-white, and his eyes had transformed into a striking violet.

“Ah! My hand, why has my hand become like this?” the sole successful cultivator cried out upon awakening, discovering one of his hands had completely changed, resembling a ghostly appendage, radiating poisonous qi.

Even successful cultivation of the poison technique resulted in physical mutations, a part of its inherent cost.

“What a malevolent cultivation technique! Inform the major sects and local oversight offices of these experimental results,” Shangguan Jinyang commanded. “Let them explain the cost and success rate of cultivating this poison technique. I believe this will surely deter the vast majority of people.”

Once the experimental results were released, they indeed made the vast majority of cultivators shrink back from the challenge, as they had superior alternatives.

Yet, in the mortal world, many still desired to cultivate the poison technique in an attempt to change their fate.

From then on, throughout Jiang Country, it became common to find people who had died from failed poison cultivation.

It was already difficult for mortals to defy fate and change their destiny; if success came so easily, it would be far too simple.

Only those with willpower far surpassing that of ordinary people had any chance of successfully cultivating this poison technique.

Due to the unbanning of the Heavenly Poison Sutra, the Immortal Alliance was compelled to withdraw the warrant for Yan Yun’s arrest.

This matter infuriated the Lin family, but King Jiang was even more enraged.

King Jiang specifically summoned Consort Lin and severely reprimanded her, ordering her to manage her own family properly.

For Yan Yun’s actions had, arguably, caused no small amount of unrest throughout Jiang Country.

****

A month after the incident, Yan Yun, who was working in the medicinal field, suddenly paused her tasks and looked into the distance.

There, she saw enforcement disciples carrying a purple-skinned corpse out of a building.

It was immediately clear this was someone who had attempted poison cultivation, failed to endure it, and died.

‘Alas! Humans die for wealth, just as birds die for food,’ Yan Yun sighed.

This was the sixth person she had seen die from failed poison cultivation in recent times.

‘Such is human nature; no need to overthink it. I think it’s time you stepped into the open.’

Yan Yun solemnly nodded.

Incidentally, Yan Yun had also registered with the Yunhua Sect, so even if she used the poison technique in the future, it would be entirely legal and legitimate.

This was, in fact, the very purpose behind her actions.

She could be said to have manipulated the entire Jiang Country, but if blame absolutely had to be assigned, then let it fall upon the Lin family.

It was the Lin family who had forced her down this path; after all, whom had she provoked?

But even so, she still could not reveal her true identity, for she had only resolved the Immortal Alliance’s warrant, not the enemies of Yan Lingyun.

If Yan Yun were to directly reveal herself, even if the Immortal Alliance did not pursue her, the factions of Yan Lingyun’s past enemies would absolutely never let her go.