"Did you all check yourselves for poison?" Ju Xun, although her ice and fire balls had already exploded and burned away the airborne poison when the cold arrow was shot, had still inhaled a significant amount herself and knew how potent the toxin was.
"Sister, I'm fine. I was far away, and my spiritual energy protected me." Little Bai was far from Ju Xun and hadn't inhaled any of the poisonous powder.
"Little sister, we are all fine. Though we were downwind, it seems your ice and fire balls dissolved the poisoned arrow. The poison didn't spread, only you, who were close, were affected." Ji Wuye and Ji Chenmu were also unharmed. They looked at Ju Xun with concern.
Steward Zhu and the others also checked themselves. They didn't feel their spiritual energy being restricted, and knew they hadn't been poisoned. However, despite this, they still felt a pang of sadness. Their own sister had completely disregarded their lives and the lives of her two nephews.
"Where is Feng Chu?" Ju Xun looked around, unable to find Feng Chu. She had already taken A You's universal antidote pill and drunk spiritual spring water, her poison neutralized. She would recover after a short period of rest.
Only then did everyone realize that Feng Chu and the Taiyi Sect disciple named Ming Feng had both disappeared.
Meanwhile, on the mountainside, Chao Yangzi intercepted Yun He and Madam Zhu. The entire Taiyi Sect spanned several mountain peaks, with the main gate situated at the foot of the central peak. Yun He's flying shuttle was heading towards a neighboring peak. Seeing that Ju Xun hadn't been hit by the arrow, Yun He had knocked Madam Zhu unconscious and fled. Now, Madam Zhu had woken up to find Chao Yangzi, with a cold expression, blocking their path on his sword.
She feigned ignorance, "Yang'er, are you coming up the mountain with me?"
"Mother, did you shoot that arrow?" Chao Yangzi questioned coldly. At this moment, he could no longer forgive his mother for her malicious act of harming someone from behind.
"What arrow? I didn't!" Madam Zhu was taken aback by the question and denied it outright. Then, in anger, she retorted, "Yang'er, how dare you speak to me in this tone? Where is your filial piety? Is this how your mother taught you? I knew my son had grown distant from me!"
"Mother, I've been poisoned! My second brother was also stabbed and his life is uncertain." Chao Yangzi forced out a mouthful of blood with his spiritual energy. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
"Yang'er, what's wrong? How is Xiang'er?" Madam Zhu was shocked. She had clearly seen the arrow being blown apart by that demoness's fire ball before it even reached her. Xiang'er had indeed been stabbed by Dongfang Taiyi... She turned and glared fiercely at Yun He.
"Yun He, quickly give me the antidote! My son is poisoned. And why did you knock me out earlier?" Madam Zhu urgently reached out to Yun He. Her earlier worries had been justified; the poison had exploded in the air and dispersed. At this moment, she couldn't care about her own reputation and looked anxious!
"You can't have it! If he's poisoned, that means the demoness is also poisoned. Hahaha, this is great news! Besides, this poison has no antidote! If I didn't knock you out, how could I have stopped you from ruining things!" Yun He burst into laughter. He was about to complete the mission his master had given him.
"Yun He, how dare you lie to me? You audacious wretch!" Madam Zhu was enraged and flung countless sleeve needles towards Yun He's face.
Yun He used his sleeve-catching technique, drawing all the needles into his sleeve. He then counter-attacked with his sword, stabbing towards Madam Zhu.
Chao Yangzi watched the confrontation between Madam Zhu and Yun He with a cold gaze. He wasn't actually poisoned; he had only tricked his mother. However, seeing his mother turn against Yun He for his sake, he felt conflicted. As he saw Yun He's deceitful move, a golden dart shot from his sleeve, aimed directly at Madam Zhu's heart. Chao Yangzi flicked his finger, sending a surge of spiritual energy to intercept the dart, deflecting the crisis. However, in her panic, Madam Zhu was still grazed by the sword energy on her arm.
"You're not poisoned? A poisoned person's dantian would be damaged, their spiritual energy restricted, making them unable to use magic. You lied to me?" Yun He was startled as Chao Yangzi neutralized his surprise attack, his intent to retreat growing.
"Hmph! Even if I were poisoned, killing you would be as easy as lifting a finger!" Chao Yangzi's Clear Wind Sword transformed into thirty-six sword shadows, all directed at Yun He.
Yun He reacted swiftly, flashing to Madam Zhu's side and taking her hostage. He held his sword to Madam Zhu's neck. Madam Zhu's arm was bleeding, her face pale. Her cultivation was only at the Golden Core stage. At this moment, she finally understood that Yun He had murderous intent towards her. He had been using her all along. She recalled Dongfang's constant assertion that Ju Xun was the culprit behind their mother-son separation... At this moment, she doubted it. Was it truly like that?
"Yun He, how dare you! Aren't you afraid of your master knowing? He will surely not spare you!"
"Hmph! I can kill you in a thousand ways that my master won't be able to trace, such as you being killed by that demoness, all because you shot a hidden arrow at her! It would be perfectly reasonable for her to retaliate!" Yun He snorted coldly. This foolish woman still tried to pressure me with our master's name, while her own life was hanging by a thread! Master, after all these years, has only used this woman. How could someone as brilliant and strategic as Master be interested in this faded and foolish woman?
"You, you despicable wretch..." Madam Zhu gasped, almost choking.
"Let her go, and I will leave your corpse intact!" Chao Yangzi spoke again. At this moment, the truth was confirmed, and his disappointment in his mother reached its peak. Not only had she listened to outsiders' provocations, but she also lacked discernment. The Chaotian Immortal Sect could not be handed over to her in the future.
"Don't come any closer! Don't you care about your mother's life or death?" Yun He pressed his sword slightly closer to Madam Zhu's neck. He couldn't resist provoking further, "Madam Zhu, your son so readily abandons you. How utterly failed are you as a person? The son you raised with so much hardship is now trying to trick you by feigning poisoning, all for a woman. Otherwise, we wouldn't be fighting like this. Tsk, tsk, truly pitiful!"
Yun He spoke venomously, uttering half-truths. Seeing Madam Zhu's complexion shift from pale to dark green, he cackled sinisterly.
"Yang'er, you're not poisoned, are you?" Madam Zhu looked at Chao Yangzi hopefully. Now she wished he wasn't poisoned and didn't want to hear that he had lied to test her.
"Yes, I'm not poisoned. I just wanted to know if it was Mother who shot the arrow. Mother's reaction has already answered me!"
"Yang'er, you... you... Mother didn't mean to lie." Madam Zhu looked at her son's calm face, a sense of panic welling up within her! But before she could say anything, she suddenly spat out large mouthfuls of blood.
Seeing this, Yun He was startled. He then remembered his sword was poisoned; the medicine his master had given him during the assassination attempt on the demoness was applied to it, which he had forgotten. Witnessing this scene, he shoved Madam Zhu towards Chao Yangzi with a palm strike and fled, abandoning even his flying shuttle. If not now, then when?
"Mother!" Chao Yangzi saw his mother spitting black blood and quickly flew to catch Madam Zhu, who had been pushed by Yun He. He ignored Yun He, knowing he would have plenty of opportunities for revenge later! Holding his mother, he landed on the flying shuttle and looked at his mother's scratched arm. Indeed, the wound was dark and festering... What poison was this?