Poison pill ingredients were plentiful. When Xiao Yi Xian broke through to Dou Huang, she encountered a Dou Wang poison master gathering herbs in the mountains. From him, Xiao Heng acquired common poison pill recipes. Using these as a foundation, Xiao Heng's poison pill refining skills soared. Poison pills and regular pills shared the same essence; only the herbs and magic cores' attributes differed. Mastery of flame control and soul force applied universally. Familiarity with new herb properties and fusion issues was just a matter of wasting materials.
Now, Xiao Heng could craft three types of fifth-grade poison pills. The most potent, the Salvation Pill, infused with Xiao Yi Xian's Calamity Poison Body's toxic Dou Zhi Qi, could easily slay fifth-tier magical beasts, including poison-attribute ones. For fifth-tier beasts he couldn't defeat, Xiao Heng used Salvation Pills to "deliver" them, boosting his strength from One-Star to Five-Star Dou Wang by killing these beasts.
Later, fifth-tier beasts grew scarce, hiding from him. Fortunately, his Devouring Blue Flame had reached Dou Wang level, allowing him to hold his own. Not ideal, but I'll manage, he thought.
Xiao Yi Xian had surged from Five-Star Dou Wang to peak Nine-Star Dou Huang. Xiao Heng's last four stars were gained by absorbing her peak Dou Huang toxic Dou Zhi Qi. A month ago, sensing the Dou Zong bottleneck, she dove into the You Ming Lake's depths to break through. Xiao Heng waited in their cave for her return.
"Who's there!" Xiao Heng, absorbing Dou Zhi Qi, sprang up, eyes locked on the space behind him. As his strength grew, so did his soul force, now at the early Mortal Realm. Without soul cultivation techniques, an alchemist's soul force only increased with Dou Zhi Qi or slowly through refining. Soul force capped an alchemist's pill grade: Mortal Realm limited him to seventh-grade pills. Eighth-grade required the Spiritual Realm to imbue pills with spirit.
"An alchemist's perception is sharp!" A woman in a purple dress emerged from a spatial rift. Frosty streaks dusted her temples, like jade flecks in her dark hair, complementing her deep purple gown. The skirt's hem, like irises blooming in the night, shimmered with mysterious light, as if woven from crushed stars. Her white high heels, elegant as a swan's neck, clicked with a cold, noble rhythm, her posture regal, like a glacial elf from a classic painting, radiating timeless allure.
"Xiao Yi Xian, you broke through!" Xiao Heng grinned.
"Yes, I'm now a One-Star Dou Zong." Xiao Yi Xian flickered around him, leaving only faint spatial ripples.
"You've just broken through, so your use of spatial force is basic. Once mastered, I doubt I'd sense you at all," Xiao Heng said.
"That'll take more strength to wield greater spatial force," she replied.
"Will this place still boost your cultivation?" Xiao Heng asked.
"It should raise me a few stars. You can head back to Jia Ma Empire first. Six months is enough for me," Xiao Yi Xian said.
"Alright!"
"But I found a small space below. We should check it out. The Black Scale Poison Dragon's absence might be tied to it," she added.
"Could be some treasures." Xiao Heng's eyes lit up. With a Dou Zong Xiao Yi Xian, even a fully recovered Black Scale Poison Dragon posed no threat. Let's see what's down there.
Xiao Heng wrapped his arms around Xiao Yi Xian, letting her carry him. She stepped into the air above You Ming Lake, purple Dou Zhi Qi forming a spherical barrier around them to guard against sudden attacks from the depths.
They dove into the lake, descending for about an hour until a spatial rift emitting toxic gas appeared. Without hesitation, they flashed through it.
___
The scene shifted. Inside the rift was a small space, roughly the size of two Magical Beast Mountain Range valleys. The ground was dotted with poison-attribute herbs. At the far end stood a gray altar, centered by a towering, iron-like male figure, with several energy orbs floating behind him.
In a corner lay a massive beast's body—a colossal dragon, its black scales stacked like rugged peaks, glinting with metallic sheen. Under the space's swirling purple light, the scales shimmered with dark blue, as if embedded with tiny purple crystals, refracting eerie starlight. Its serpentine form twisted in strange arcs, its tail dripping inky venom that corroded the ground into honeycomb pits, wisps of purple mist curling upward, blending with the light to make the slumbering beast seem poised to awaken.
"That iron figure has no life aura. It's likely a puppet," Xiao Heng said.
"That black dragon must be the swamp's overlord, the Black Scale Poison Dragon. It's alive, with a strong soul aura, but it feels puppet-like too," Xiao Yi Xian noted.
"No idea why. There's a purple flame behind the puppet. Let's check it out," Xiao Heng said.
"I'll lead." Xiao Yi Xian shielded Xiao Heng, who scanned their surroundings. That puppet's like a Heavenly Demon Puppet. If the original owner's truly dead, controlling it should be easy, he thought.
As Xiao Yi Xian's high-heeled foot touched the altar, the puppet's hollow eyes flashed blue. Its black iron fists swung at her.
"Something's off!" Xiao Yi Xian's Dou Zhi Qi surged, conjuring a purple shield before them.
Crack! The fists shattered the shield instantly.
"This puppet's stronger than me—likely Two- or Three-Star Dou Zong. But it only uses physical strength. It can't kill us," Xiao Yi Xian said, pulling Xiao Heng back.
"Xiao Yi Xian, stall it. I can seize its control," Xiao Heng said. Such puppets were easy to command if their master was fully dead.
"Got it!" Without hesitation, Xiao Yi Xian shot forward, summoning a massive purple palm to strike the puppet.