: A bunch of short-sighted fools!

The Ten Thousand Poisons Sect, the Poison Heart Palace.

Seven or eight elders sat around a dark green stone table.

"The Demon Lord suddenly wants to come and inspect?"

The portly elder sitting on the left held a purple jade scorpion in his hand, its tail twitching between his fingers.

"What's there to investigate in this remote and impoverished place? The spiritual veins aren't as good as those in the Central Region, and the scenery isn't as good as those in the Eastern Region. Are you here to see us raising Gu worms?"

"They're not here to pick a fight with the sect leader again, are they?"

Another tall, thin elder gave a wry smile:

"Although our Ten Thousand Poisons Sect ranks among the major sects of the demonic path, in a true head-on confrontation, we might not even be able to defeat the weakest of the three branches of the Xuan Tian Sect, the Gui Dao branch. Given the Demon Lord's temperament, does he expect our sect leader to practice poisons with him?"

Everyone instinctively looked towards the person in the main seat.

Yin Jiuqi, the leader of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect, wore a dark green robe, his face was gaunt, and his eyelids drooped, as if he hadn't woken up yet.

He didn't speak, but gently stroked a small, green snake wrapped around his wrist.

"I don't think so."

The palace doors were pushed open, and a black-robed elder strode in, a half-smile on his face:

"Perhaps what's coming is just a fake tiger?"

"Ink Toad! Have you gone mad?!"

The tall, thin elder's expression changed:

"How dare you say such nonsense?!"

The black-robed elder, known as the Ink Toad, chuckled and walked to an empty seat, sitting down on his own.

"What's the panic? Have you forgotten the battle three years ago?"

The hall fell silent instantly.

Three years ago, Demon Lord Chu Yuan challenged Dao Lord to a duel beyond the heavens. That battle eclipsed the sun and moon and stained the sky with blood.

No one knows the specific outcome, only that the two announced their seclusion shortly afterward, and Daozun has not yet emerged from seclusion to this day.

"The Demon Lord has emerged from seclusion, but the Dao Lord is still in seclusion."

An elderly man with white hair slowly spoke:

"Doesn't this prove anything? The Demon Lord's strength has probably already surpassed that of the Dao Lord."

"strength?"

Mo Chan slapped the table and sneered:

"I heard from the Seventh Elder of the Xuantian Sect that... the Demon Lord is currently in a state of demonic possession."

"What?!"

"Is that really true?!"

The elders immediately sat up straight.

Yin Jiuqi paused slightly as he stroked the snake, and raised his eyelids slightly.

"Mo Chan, if this gets out, our Ten Thousand Poisons Sect won't be able to withstand the wrath of the Xuan Tian Sect."

The fat elder said in a deep voice:

"What if...it's fake?"

Mo Chan fell silent.

Yes, what if it's fake?

What if the Seventh Elder was deliberately spreading rumors? What if the Demon Lord hadn't actually gone mad? What if this was just a power struggle within the Xuan Tian Sect? Should their Ten Thousand Poisons Sect rashly get involved?

They died without even knowing how they died.

Mo Chan was somewhat unwilling and continued speaking:

"If the Demon Lord truly falls into danger, and the Xuan Tian Sect descends into chaos, my Ten Thousand Poisons Sect can seize the opportunity to rise up and take control of the Western Regions..."

Yin Jiuqi, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke, his voice cold and sinister:

"Let's not talk about this again."

He raised his eyelids, his dim, yellowish eyes slowly sweeping over everyone present:

"The terror of the Demon Lord... you don't understand."

Mo Chan's eyes darkened, and a look of resentment flashed across his face, but he did not refute it again. He just snorted coldly, got up, and left.

The fat elder also stood up, and said disdainfully:

"Focusing on petty gains and forgetting the greater good, you actually dare to gamble away everything the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect possesses. Sect Master, elders, I propose that on the day of the investigation, Ink Toad be confined to his cave and not allowed to leave!"

The other elders looked left and right, and then nodded in agreement.

"I agree!"

"I agree!"

Yin Jiuqi looked around and slowly nodded:

"Can!"

......

Mo Chan stormed back to his cave, flicked his sleeves, and slammed the door shut.

"A bunch of short-sighted fools!"

He gritted his teeth and paced back and forth in the stone chamber:

"So what if he's a Demon Lord? If, as Xue Lie says, he truly suffers a qi deviation and loses all his cultivation, then it's nothing but a bluff! In the end… Hmph!"

He was talking to himself when he suddenly stopped.

In the shadows of a corner of the stone chamber, a figure had appeared out of nowhere.

Dressed in black, with an ordinary face and an aura of about the mid-stage of the Void Refinement realm, he stood there quietly.

The black toad's pupils suddenly contracted.

This is not the core forbidden area of ​​the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect.

However, the cave was surrounded by three layers of poisonous miasma arrays, making it impossible for ordinary cultivators at the Void Refinement stage to sneak in silently.

This person... is not simple.

However, upon sensing the opponent's spiritual energy fluctuations, it was indeed only at the mid-stage of the Void Refinement realm, suggesting that they possessed some unique concealment or formation-breaking techniques.

Mo Chan quickly regained his composure, his eyes still wary, and said in a deep voice:

"Who are you? How dare you trespass into the cave of an elder of my Ten Thousand Poisons Sect? Do you know what crime you have committed?"

The man in black was none other than Gu Chen, who had changed his appearance and suppressed his cultivation.

After discovering that Wang Lang's buyer was Mo Chan, he rushed over immediately.

Gu Chen slowly raised his eyes, his tone calm:

"No offense intended, but I have a business deal I'd like to discuss with Elder Mo."

"Buying or selling?"

Mo Chan narrowed his eyes and sized him up:

"Do I have something you need?"

"Yes."

Gu Chen nodded and said directly:

"I want the heartwood of the thousand-year-old spirit tree."

Mo Chan's expression changed.

He acquired this Spirit Wood Heart many years ago at great expense from an elder of the Xuantian Sect with whom he had a special relationship. It was one of his backup plans for breaking through to the Tribulation Transcending stage.

His first instinct was to refuse.

But the words caught in his throat.

and many more……

A thought flashed through my mind like lightning.

A calculating glint flashed in Mo Chan's eyes, but his face showed a troubled expression:

"This item is also important to me... However, if you really want it, it's not impossible to discuss it."

Gu Chen understood and said:

"I have no shortage of spirit stones."

"I don't want spirit stones."

Mo Chan shook his head, took a step forward, and lowered his voice:

"I only need you... to test someone for me. Just one move to probe their strength, and regardless of the outcome, you can take the Spirit Wood Heart."

Gu Chen's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained cautious:

"Who is it?"

"In a few days, a sect leader from another sect will be coming to our Ten Thousand Poisons Sect."

A fierce glint flashed in Mo Chan's eyes:

"I'm going to expose his true colors! I have reliable information that he's not what he seems. You only need to try it out and you'll find out!"

Gu Chen remained silent.

To be honest, he didn't want to get entangled in any karma.

I just want to quietly obtain the Thousand-Year Spirit Wood Heart...

But the most important thing right now is to get back the Spirit Wood Heart.

The cult leader had clearly been looking for this item.

If we can make amends before the cult leader finds us...

Gu Chen pondered for a moment, then finally nodded:

"Okay. But you must give me the Spirit Wood Heart first."

"What?"

Mo Chan frowned:

"If you take the things and leave, wouldn't I be at a loss?"

"I will wait for you for three days."

Gu Chen's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority:

"If that person does not arrive in three days, I will take Ling Muxin with me. In addition, I will leave a batch of spirit stones as compensation. If you agree, hand over Ling Muxin to me now, and I will keep my promise."

Mo Chan hesitated.

Lingmu Xin is his hope for a breakthrough.

If you bet wrong, you lose everything!

But what if the gamble pays off...

That was an incredible opportunity for the rise of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect!