Cruel and Ruthless

With her combat skills improving and by continuously absorbing the toxins from others, Yan Yun’s strength grew day by day.

Not only that, but with the help of the Heavenly Tome and Yan Lingyun, her poison refining arts had also advanced.

She had progressed from a first-tier to a second-tier alchemist, a rate of improvement that was nothing short of monstrous.

It could only be said that the foundation Yan Yun possessed was far more abundant than what Yan Lingyun had in her time.

The number of disciples in the Purple Abyss Pavilion also grew month by month.

On this day, the Lin family came again.

Lin Mo, leading the members of his family, barged directly into the Purple Abyss Pavilion.

The timing of his arrival, however, was not very opportune, as Jiang Yao happened to be there, teaching the Purple Abyss Pavilion disciples combat.

His arrival immediately caused the expressions of Yan Yun and the others to turn grave.

Yan Yun shot a look at Jiang Yao.

Jiang Yao understood her meaning in an instant.

“Well, if it isn’t Senior Brother Lin. What brings you to the Purple Abyss Pavilion, and with so many members of the Lin family?” Jiang Yao suddenly teleported, appearing before Lin Mo and his group.

Lin Mo and the other Lin family members were equally stunned.

“Junior Sister Jiang, what are you doing here?” Lin Mo questioned.

Jiang Yao chuckled.

“By order of my master, I have come to teach the disciples of the Purple Abyss Pavilion how to fight.”

After hearing this, Lin Mo didn’t say much more, instead turning his gaze to Yan Yun.

“Acting Pavilion Master Zi, I’ll have to trouble you to help our Lin family members cultivate the poison art today,” Lin Mo said in a deep voice.

Yan Yun and the other dozen or so disciples of the Purple Abyss Pavilion slowly walked over.

“No problem. Senior Brother Lin did pay, after all, so it is my duty to cooperate.”

“However, these few are not disciples of the Yunhua Sect, are they?” Yan Yun asked, her gaze sweeping over the individuals standing behind Lin Mo.

These people were not wearing the disciple robes of the Yunhua Sect, and each of them seemed to exude a heavy aura, their eyes filled with killing intent.

“These are people summoned from my Lin family. Rest assured, their entry into the Yunhua Sect was approved by my master,” Lin Mo stated.

Hearing this, Jiang Yao couldn’t help but sneer.

“Heh, surely Senior Brother Lin doesn’t treat the Yunhua Sect as his own home, does he? Bringing in whomever you please?”

“The Grand Elder may have permitted them to enter the Yunhua Sect, but did he permit them to come to the Purple Abyss Pavilion to train in the poison art?”

This question immediately made the atmosphere turn ice-cold.

Lin Mo clenched his fists.

He dodged Yan Yun’s provocation and turned his gaze back to her.

“This is my personal matter. What, is the Acting Pavilion Master going to refuse?”

Yan Yun immediately shook her head.

“I wouldn’t dare. Esteemed members of the Lin family, please proceed. Big Sister Wen Meng, you and the others, go and prepare.”

Wen Meng and the others immediately got to work, heading to the pharmacy to prepare the poison concoctions.

Soon, under everyone’s watchful eyes, the group brought by Lin Mo entered the medicinal vats and began to undergo the baptism of toxins.

However, as the poison entered their bodies, Yan Yun discovered that these people were different from Lin Yu’s group.

Even when the poison reached their necks, they didn’t make a sound.

Only when the toxins spread to their foreheads did they finally begin to scream in agony.

Once they reached this step, someone quickly failed.

Yan Yun immediately absorbed the toxins from their body.

Then, one after another, they failed.

But what Yan Yun hadn’t expected was that one of them actually succeeded.

‘Huh? One of them succeeded?’ Yan Yun muttered to herself in surprise, looking at the young man whose skin had turned purple.

“This… did he succeed?” Lin Mo and his group were also very surprised to see this scene.

But strangely, even though the young man had indeed succeeded in cultivating the poison art, his skin did not return to its original color.

Instead, it remained a deep purple, making him look like a vicious ghost from hell.

“Congratulations, Senior Brother Lin. This disciple of your Lin family has successfully mastered the poison art. As for why his purple skin hasn’t returned to normal, it’s likely a side effect,” Yan Yun offered, feigning congratulations.

Lin Mo burst into loud laughter.

“As long as he succeeded, what does a small side effect matter? Trouble the Acting Pavilion Master to have the others continue!” he said excitedly.

Yan Yun, however, frowned.

Even though she had absorbed the toxins, their bodies would need at least a month of recuperation before they could attempt it again.

She couldn’t guarantee what consequences would arise from continuous practice.

“Senior Brother Lin, you must be careful. Cultivating this poison art is damaging to the body. Even if I absorb the toxins, they will still need a period of rest,” Yan Yun reminded him.

But Lin Mo replied coldly, “Enough of this nonsense. These are people from my Lin family. Whether they live or die is none of your concern. You just need to continue.”

Hearing Lin Mo’s cold and ruthless words, Yan Yun felt a chill run down her spine.

This kind of person was vicious to outsiders, but she never expected him to be so cruel to his own family.

Yan Yun looked at the weakened Lin family men and women.

They showed no signs of resistance, so she couldn’t say anything more.

Thus, she once again had Wen Meng and the others prepare the poisonous liquid, while Lin Mo went to wake up the young man who had successfully cultivated.

When the man awoke and saw his purple skin, he appeared somewhat panicked.

“Don’t be afraid. The purple skin is just a side effect. You have already succeeded. Feel it for yourself.”

Hearing Lin Mo’s words, the young man immediately closed his eyes to perceive it.

Sure enough, he now possessed a divine sense, and a spirit root and a poison pearl had appeared in his body.

“Wonderful!” The young man’s face was filled with excitement.

To go from a mortal to a cultivator, what did a small side effect matter?

“Come, release your poisonous spiritual power. Let me feel its strength,” Lin Mo instructed.

The young man had long since memorized the method of circulating the poison art.

So, upon hearing Lin Mo’s request, he immediately activated it.

A cloud of purple poison gas emanated from his hand, and he seized Lin Mo’s wrist.

The poison quickly spread into Lin Mo’s body.

The moment Lin Mo felt the poison invade, he immediately circulated his power to intercept it.

He first used the power of the Cavern Heaven Realm, but the result was that it could, at best, slow the poison’s advance but could not stop it.

He gradually increased his power until he released the strength of the Spirit Transformation Realm, only then did he completely halt the poison’s spread, even forcing it back.

‘It’s that strong? Unbelievable. The poison of a mere Spirit Gathering Realm poison cultivator is troublesome even for a Spirit Transformation Realm cultivator,’ a fanatical look appeared in Lin Mo’s eyes.

He felt that if he could successfully master the poison art, his combat power would soar.

This temptation was something he could no longer suppress.

But just then, a series of blood-curdling screams rang out from behind them.

The bodies of the few who had been continuously cultivating the poison art had begun to rot.

“Not good!” Yan Yun rushed forward at once to absorb the toxins from their bodies.

But this time, even she couldn’t save them.

The poison had already corroded their flesh and blood, and it had happened to several people at once.

The rate of decay on their bodies was too fast.

Yan Yun had no time to save them.

In the blink of an eye, several living people were reduced to skeletons, slumping into the medicinal vats.

This scene was beyond terrifying.

Even Wen Meng and the others, who had successfully cultivated the poison art, felt their scalps tingle.

The more timid members of the Lin family even screamed.

“How could this be?” Jiang Yao couldn’t help but cover her mouth.

But when Lin Mo saw this, he merely said indifferently, “Truly useless. Get their bones out of the vats, send them back, and give them to their families.”

His cold, emotionless words sent a shiver down Yan Yun’s spine.

Lin Zi and the others hastily used their spiritual power to retrieve the remains from the vats.

“Alright, many thanks for the Acting Pavilion Master’s help. We’ll be taking our leave,” Lin Mo said, then took the successful Lin family member and left with a loud laugh.

Only after they were gone did Wen Meng and the others ask with faces full of confusion, “Little Sister Ziyun, aren’t those people of their own Lin family bloodline? Isn’t this too cruel?”

Yan Yun and Jiang Yao exchanged a glance, then she shook her head at them, indicating that she didn’t know what to say either.