The moment Zi Linling's soul returned, she felt Shen Liuxing's scorching gaze.
"Ahem!"
She interrupted Shen Liuxing's stare and said, "I need to detoxify you. The process will be a bit painful, so bear with it!"
After speaking, Zi Linling released a wisp of her soul power and divided it into seventy-two parts.
Then, she formed hand seals and quickly condensed seventy-two portions of spiritual energy, resembling trickling streams.
Following that, she meticulously controlled all seventy-two soul wisps and channeled them into seventy-two silver needles.
As the spiritual energy flowed in, the Tiangang Seventy-Two Sealing Moon Locking Stars Formation began to emit a faint white glow.
The forbidden poison, sealed within, sensed danger and immediately became agitated.
The forbidden poison frantically struck against the seventy-two silver needles, attempting to break free from the constraints of the Tiangang Seventy-Two Sealing Moon Locking Stars Formation.
However, with the support of spiritual energy, the Tiangang Seventy-Two Sealing Moon Locking Stars Formation had already connected the body to heaven and earth.
In the face of the power of heaven and earth, the forbidden poison was merely a struggling clown, incapable of causing much of a ripple beyond its frantic thrashing.
Yet, Shen Liuxing, caught in the middle of this struggle, fared rather miserably.
The clash between the forbidden poison and the Tiangang Seventy-Two Sealing Moon Locking Stars Formation impacted Shen Liuxing's bones as if they were being stripped away, causing soul-tearing pain.
Furthermore, this pain could only be endured; it could not be suppressed.
In an instant, large beads of sweat had formed on Shen Liuxing's forehead, and his entire body felt as if it had been wrung out of water.
A trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, a result of him gritting his teeth in pain.
Zi Linling's forehead also beaded with fine sweat, and her eyes were filled with solemnity.
Simultaneously controlling seventy-two portions of soul power was a strain, even for her, and she couldn't sustain it for long.
Therefore, she had to act quickly and resolve the forbidden poison as rapidly as possible.
"Ugh... ugh..."
Muffled groans of pain continuously emanated from Shen Liuxing's throat.
Zi Linling, her focus entirely on the task, largely ignored them.
After a brief period of struggle, the forbidden poison finally realized that its attempts to break free were futile.
It then changed its strategy, adopting a 'retreat to advance' approach, rapidly withdrawing its strength, compressing its front line, and waiting for an opportunity to launch a more ferocious counterattack.
Zi Linling let out a cold laugh, her hands moving in blurs as she pulled out the thirty-six silver needles that had been reinserted.
Before the forbidden poison could react, she pursued it, pushing the formation's perimeter forward by three points.
By the time the forbidden poison regained its senses, thirty-six silver needles had been reinserted into Shen Liuxing's body, and the Tiangang Seventy-Two Sealing Moon Locking Stars Formation had reformed.
With the formation's territory shrunk by three points, the forbidden poison had suffered losses on both sides. It could only retreat and hunker down in Shen Liuxing's shoulder, awaiting an opportunity.
Zi Linling seized the momentum and once again infused spiritual energy into the seventy-two silver needles.
The Tiangang Seventy-Two Sealing Moon Locking Stars Formation glowed again, compressing the forbidden poison's living space.
The forbidden poison, now aware that it could not break free from the Tiangang Seventy-Two Sealing Moon Locking Stars Formation's constraints, could only retreat in fear.
Zi Linling followed the same method, quickly forcing the forbidden poison back to Shen Liuxing's shoulder. She then repositioned the seventy-two silver needles, completely cutting off the forbidden poison's chance of counterattack.
Seeing that the forbidden poison was now away from her temples and heart, Zi Linling breathed a sigh of partial relief.
However, it was only a partial relief, as the forbidden poison had not yet been completely expelled from Shen Liuxing's body.
Zi Linling dared not be careless. At this moment, the forbidden poison had become a trapped beast. If any slip-up occurred and it counterattacked, Shen Liuxing would be in grave danger.
She adjusted her breathing and, following the previous method, continued to force the forbidden poison back.
Zi Linling's movements became increasingly adept. In no time, the forbidden poison was forced back below Shen Liuxing's elbow under her pressure.
As the forbidden poison lost a significant amount of territory, the soul-tearing pain Shen Liuxing was enduring also lessened somewhat.
Zi Linling stopped her movements and said, "Young Master Shen, let's take a brief respite before making a final push to complete the detoxification."
Shen Liuxing offered a weak smile and nodded slightly.
At this moment, his face was deathly pale, and he was as limp as a puddle of mud, lacking the strength to even speak.
Seeing this, Zi Linling quickly produced a Nine Revolutions Great Return Pill and placed it in his mouth, saying, "Recover quickly!"
Shen Liuxing nodded, swallowed the pill, and began to quickly refine its medicinal power.
Although the Nine Revolutions Great Return Pill was an Emperor-grade elixir, it lived up to its reputation as a divine pill capable of resurrecting the dead and regenerating flesh and bone.
The moment the medicinal properties flowed into Shen Liuxing's limbs and bones, he felt a surge of vitality.
The sensation was like encountering a blazing sun in the midst of winter, warm and comforting.
Under the effect of the Nine Revolutions Great Return Pill, the severe pain within Shen Liuxing's body lessened further.
Even the lingering soreness from the previous torment was reduced by half.
While Shen Liuxing was refining the Nine Revolutions Great Return Pill's efficacy, Zi Linling was not idle.
The high-frequency output of spiritual energy and the intense concentration of soul power had heavily depleted Zi Linling's soul power, causing her vision to blur.
Thus, the time she gave Shen Liuxing to recover was also time for her to recover.
After administering a Nine Revolutions Great Return Pill to Shen Liuxing, Zi Linling also quickly swallowed some soul-nourishing pills.
She had only refined about a third of these pills when she decided she couldn't delay any longer.
Taking three deep breaths, she turned to Shen Liuxing and asked, "Young Master Shen, shall we continue?"
Shen Liuxing nodded and replied softly, "Yes!"
However, as he spoke, he visibly shuddered.
The soul-tearing pain had left him with psychological trauma, but since he had to endure it sooner or later, it was better to get it over with.
Zi Linling nodded and said softly, "Good!"
With that, she resumed her previous method of dealing with the forbidden poison.
Three breaths... six breaths... nine breaths...
Zi Linling finally managed to force the forbidden poison back within Shen Liuxing's wrist.
She again swiftly moved thirty silver needles, trapping the forbidden poison once more.
Then, Zi Linling took out a surgical knife and, without hesitation, sliced open Shen Liuxing's palm, quickly positioning his palm downwards.
Blood beads oozed out, black as ink, emitting a thick, foul stench.
Zi Linling, with quick hands, retrieved a special porcelain bottle from her Nine Dragon Ring and placed it beneath the blood drops.
"Clink!"
The drops of toxic blood, which should have fallen to the ground, landed directly into the porcelain bottle with a faint sound.
Shen Liuxing endured the pain and asked in confusion, "What are you..."