"This was given to me by Senior Long Xuan. It's a pastry she made herself. I want to keep it well-preserved and I'm reluctant to eat it."
"Hmph, you wish." The next second, Hu Lu Rong let out a cold snort, and the plate in Zhou Hong's hand instantly appeared in his own.
"Senior, this was given to me by Senior Long Xuan. I am reluctant to eat it myself," Zhou Hong said, feigning anger.
"So what?" Hu Lu Rong didn't doubt Zhou Hong's words. Seeing Zhou Hong's genuine reluctance to eat it, he became even angrier. He directly grabbed a piece and stuffed it into his mouth in front of Zhou Hong.
"Senior, you can eat one piece, but please don't eat it all. At least leave me a little," Zhou Hong pleaded.
"Don't dream. You are not worthy of eating the pastries made by Long Xuan." After speaking, Hu Lu Rong ate all seven or eight pieces of pastry on the plate.
Zhou Hong chuckled inwardly, never expecting it to be so easy. Now, all he had to do was wait for him to react.
"Senior, since you've eaten it all, there's nothing I can do. I'll take my leave now." Zhou Hong turned around, intending to fly away.
"Did I let you leave?" Hu Lu Rong asked.
"Does Senior have any other matters?"
"Hmph, I told you last time, if you dare to come looking for Long Xuan again, I will destroy you. Today, you shall die!" Hu Lu Rong's killing intent flashed, as if he had decided to kill Zhou Hong.
Zhou Hong felt extremely nervous. If Hu Lu Rong wanted to kill him, Zhou Hong would be utterly helpless.
"Stop!" However, at this moment, Long Xuan suddenly flew up and stood in front of Zhou Hong.
"Hu Lu Rong, what are you doing?"
"Long Xuan, this toad has been eyeing you. Let me eliminate him."
"Hu Lu Rong, try to lay a hand on Zhou Hong, and don't blame me for turning against you."
"Long Xuan, you are willing to turn against me for someone in the Nascent Soul stage?" Hu Lu Rong's face seemed to grow even more furious.
"Nascent Soul stage?" Long Xuan then noticed that Zhou Hong's cultivation realm had reached the early Nascent Soul stage.
"Zhou Hong, weren't you in the middle Nascent Soul stage just a while ago? How are you in the early Nascent Soul stage now?"
"Replying to Senior Long Xuan, I went out for training and advanced two levels."
"What? In less than half a month?" Long Xuan's face was filled with shock.
Hu Lu Rong also felt a jolt in his heart upon hearing Long Xuan's words. This breakthrough speed was too rapid. This further solidified his resolve to kill Zhou Hong. However, he suddenly remembered something else. Didn't Zhou Hong just say he came in the morning and stayed at Long Xuan's place for half a day before leaving? Why did Long Xuan appear as if she had just met him?
"Wait, Zhou Hong, you said earlier that you came in this morning and are now preparing to leave. Why does Long Xuan look like she's just meeting you?" Hu Lu Rong pressed.
Long Xuan looked bewildered.
"Oh, I...!" Zhou Hong didn't know how to explain. Most importantly, Hu Lu Rong's poison hadn't taken effect yet, so Zhou Hong didn't dare to let him know.
"Speak quickly! That plate of pastries you just took, were they made by Long Xuan?" Su Dan Novel Network
"Of course, I came this morning and spent the entire morning with Senior Long Xuan, asking her many questions."
"Then why did Long Xuan look like she had just met you, and she also didn't know you had broken through."
"You'll have to ask Senior Long Xuan about that."
Hu Lu Rong looked at Long Xuan, seemingly wanting to hear her explanation.
Long Xuan naturally understood Zhou Hong's meaning, but she was confused. Why would Zhou Hong lie to Hu Lu Rong?
"Long Xuan, hurry up and say it, did you give Zhou Hong a plate of pastries?"
Long Xuan could only nod and say, "Yes, what's wrong? You're not going to control even this, are you?"
"That's good. I was really afraid it wasn't." Hu Lu Rong smiled slightly. If it hadn't been, it would have been a trap. Hu Lu Rong couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. He had been too careless just now. What if it was poison? Wouldn't he have fallen right into it?
However, at this moment, Hu Lu Rong suddenly felt his head grow heavy, especially his Nascent Soul, which seemed to be trying to break free but couldn't.
"How could this be? How could this be?" Hu Lu Rong quickly grabbed his neck, looking extremely pained and uncomfortable.
"Hahaha, hahaha." Seeing Hu Lu Rong's state, Zhou Hong burst into laughter. He knew the poison had started to take effect.
Long Xuan asked, completely bewildered, "Zhou Hong, what are you laughing at? What happened to Hu Lu Rong? You didn't do anything to him, did you?"
"Senior Long Xuan, congratulations, you guessed correctly! This scoundrel blocked me a few days ago when I came to see you and even threatened me, so I devised a little plan. I just came in with a plate of pastries made with poison pills. I pretended to leave, and he stopped me. I said it was a pastry you gave me. This bastard, as soon as he heard it was made by you, he snatched it and ate it all, hahaha." Zhou Hong laughed excitedly.
Long Xuan's forehead broke out in a cold sweat.
"Zhou Hong, what poison pill did you give him?"
"Don't worry, it's a poison pill potent enough to kill him," Zhou Hong's eyes turned cold.
"I'll kill you, you scoundrel!" Hu Lu Rong clutched his neck, his face contorted in pain. His eyeballs were already starting to fall out, and pus was flowing from them.
Seeing Hu Lu Rong's tragic state, Long Xuan couldn't help but gasp. What kind of poison pill was this?
"Hu Lu Rong, this is the price of your arrogance! You relied on your superior strength to act presumptuously in front of me and even wanted to destroy me. Now, let's see who dies first."
"I'll kill you!" Hu Lu Rong struggled to lunge forward, but at this moment, he had absolutely no ability to kill Zhou Hong.
"Zhou Hong, why don't you quickly give him the antidote? Enemies should be reconciled rather than at odds," Long Xuan said with a soft heart.
"Senior Long Xuan, let alone that I don't have an antidote, even if I did, I wouldn't give it to him. If I saved him, wouldn't he try to kill me?"
Long Xuan said nothing more. Seeing Hu Lu Rong's miserable state, she felt a pang of sympathy.
At this moment, some of the other Grand Elder Protectors also flew up. Upon seeing Hu Lu Rong's tragic state, their faces turned ashen with shock.
"Zhou Hong, let's go." Long Xuan, fearing unforeseen circumstances, immediately pulled Zhou Hong and rushed out of the circle of Grand Elder Protectors.
At this moment, Hu Lu Rong's body slowly began to rot, and finally, he died completely.
"Zhou Hong, where did you get that poison pill? Its potency is too terrifying!" Walking on the campus road of the Primordial Academy, Long Xuan asked with a pale face.
"I obtained it by chance during my recent training. This kind of poison pill has a natural counter to the Nascent Soul stage. For those below the Nascent Soul stage, it has no effect. This is not my fault; Hu Lu Rong provoked me first."
Long Xuan nodded. She didn't blame Zhou Hong. The cultivation world was inherently a place where the strong preyed on the weak, and countless cultivators perished every day.