82: Chapter 82 Healing in Qingxi Valley, Returning to the Sect!

"Bai Chen?" Ye Chen muttered in his heart, having no impression of the name.

The other party did not seem to have any ill intentions, but appearing on the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Poisons Swamp and happening to save him... Was it really just "passing by" and a "convenient act"?

"Regardless, I will keep your life-saving grace in my heart, Senior." Ye Chen cupped his hands again.

He noticed that the other party called himself "Bai Chen." It was strange that there was also a "Chen" character in his name; was it a coincidence?

Bai Chen nodded, not saying anything more.

His gaze turned to the two corpses of the killers on the ground.

With a flick of his finger, two specks of ice flame landed on the corpses.

Instantly, they burned the bodies, along with the bloodstains and aura, until they were completely clean, leaving no trace behind.

The technique was clean and crisp, clearly not his first time doing this.

After finishing this, he looked back at Ye Chen and said calmly, "Your injuries are not light, and there is still potent poison in your body that has not been cleared. This place is not suitable for a long stay; the 'Shadow Fiend' might still have backup plans."

"Thirty miles ahead, there is a Clear Creek Valley. The Spiritual Qi is decent, and it is relatively safe. You can go there to heal. After you recover, return to the Sect immediately."

Having said that, he did not linger. His figure flickered and transformed into a faint white phantom.

After a few blinks, he vanished into the dense poisonous miasma, as if he had never appeared at all.

Ye Chen stood in place, gazing at the direction where Bai Chen had disappeared, his brows slightly furrowed.

This mysterious young man in white who suddenly appeared and disappeared had saved him but did not say much.

He didn't even ask why Ye Chen was being hunted, simply pointing out a place to heal before leaving.

His behavior was bizarre. Was he friend or foe?

Was he someone sent by the Sect in secret to protect him, or... related to his parents?

Or, was it truly just helping someone in need?

There was too little information to judge.

But at least for now, the other party had no ill intentions and had even pointed out a location for healing.

Ye Chen stopped overthinking it, walked to the spot where the two killers' bodies had been burned, and picked up the Storage Pouch they had left behind.

He swallowed a few more Medicinal Pills to suppress his injuries and the toxicity.

Then, following the direction Bai Chen had pointed out, he headed toward "Clear Creek Valley."

Regardless of who this Bai Chen was, the most important thing right now was to recover his strength and safely return to the Sect.

Only by returning to the Tianyun Sword Sect could he digest what he had gained this time and deal with the storms to come.

As for this mysterious "Bai Chen," perhaps after returning to the Sect, he could find some clues through certain channels.

He quickened his pace, and his figure soon merged into the mist at the edge of the swamp.

Behind him, on that cleaned-up battlefield, there was only the rustling sound of a breeze blowing through decaying leaves, as if nothing had ever happened.

Clear Creek Valley was only a little over thirty miles away from where Ye Chen was attacked.

At his current speed, even with injuries, it only took him the time of one incense stick to arrive.

This valley was located between two low, barren stone mountains eroded by poisonous miasma.

A clear, babbling stream meandered through the valley, diluting the decadent aura of the surrounding swamp.

The Spiritual Qi inside the valley was indeed denser than outside, and the toxicity was much thinner.

There were even some ordinary poison-resistant plants growing, appearing full of vitality, forming a sharp contrast with the dead, silent swamp outside.

Ye Chen scouted the entrance of the valley slightly, and after confirming there was no danger, he went deep into the valley.

In a dry, elevated place upstream of the stream, backed against a cliff, he found a natural stone cave to use as a temporary foothold.

The cave was not deep, but it was sufficiently hidden, with dense vines covering the entrance.

Ye Chen set up a more effective "Concealment Formation Plate" he had found in the Poison Doctor's ring and a simple warning Restriction at the cave entrance.

Only then did he heave a sigh of relief, sat down cross-legged, and began to heal with all his might.

The life-and-death struggle with the two "Shadow Fiend" killers, although short, was exceptionally dangerous and had once again aggravated his old injuries.

In particular, the bones in his left hand were shattered, and the potent poison he had suppressed in his body was becoming restless again due to the intense consumption of True Essence.

If not for the mysterious young man in white, Bai Chen, taking action, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"Heal first, then dispel the poison." Ye Chen steadied his mind.

He took out the best quality healing Medicinal Pills from the Poison Doctor's ring, "Jade Bone Muscle-Growing Pill" and "Heaven-Returning Life-Extending Powder," and swallowed them.

He also took out a few Medium Grade Spirit Stones, held them in his hands, and operated his Cultivation Technique.

He began to absorb Spiritual Qi, combining it with the medicinal power to repair his Physical Body.

The Jade Bone Muscle-Growing Pill was worthy of being a holy medicine for healing; its medicinal power dissolved, flowing through his entire body like warm, smooth jade liquid.

Wherever it passed, fractured bones, damaged muscles, and torn Meridians all felt a tingling, itchy sensation, healing and regenerating at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The Heaven-Returning Life-Extending Powder focused on nourishing the internal organs and calming the turbulent Qi and blood.

Ye Chen guided the medicinal power and Spiritual Qi, circulating them slowly within his body.

Although his Ice Fire True Essence was weak, it operated on its own.

Combined with the warm, vital flow of the dark red spark, it accelerated the process.

This healing session took a full three days.

Three days later, Ye Chen opened his eyes and exhaled a long, foul breath.

He moved his hands and feet; the excruciating pain in his left hand had vanished.

The finger bones had healed, though they were still a bit stiff and needed time to recuperate.

Other external injuries on his body had long since scabbed over and fallen off, revealing new skin.

It was fairer and tougher, with a faint, precious luster flowing through it.

The turbulence in his internal organs had also completely subsided, and his Qi and blood were vigorous.

What surprised Ye Chen the most was that, after this series of life-and-death struggles and the repair that came after breaking and then standing, his Physical Body strength seemed to have risen by another level.

His Meridians were wider and tougher, and his Wheel Sea also seemed to have expanded and solidified a bit.

His cultivation was stabilized at the Middle Stage of the Lunhai Realm First Level, and he had even touched the threshold of the Late Stage.

The Ice Fire True Essence circulating in his body had become more rounded and smooth, and his comprehension of the "Nirvana" Concept seemed to have deepened a layer due to his wandering between life and death.

"It seems that tempering between life and death is indeed the fastest way to improve strength. It is just too dangerous; a slight carelessness could result in total destruction," Ye Chen thought to himself.

Surviving this time was largely due to Luck.

His injuries were basically healed, and the next step was to dispel the poison.

The potent poison left by the "Shadow Fiend" killer was still entrenched deep within his body.

Like a maggot on a bone, it was his greatest hidden danger at the moment.

He took out several Jade Slips about the way of poison from the Poison Doctor's ring and carefully studied them, looking for a method to resolve it.

The collection of this ancient Poison Doctor was indeed vast and profound.

It contained not only methods for refining and deploying various strange poisons but also many exquisite theories on detoxifying, neutralizing poison, and even fighting poison with poison.

Combining the characteristics of the potent poison he was afflicted with, Ye Chen finally selected a detoxifying method called the "Ice Fire Poison-Calcining Method."

This method did not involve directly taking detox pills.

Instead, it used his own pure Ice Fire True Essence as a furnace to force the toxicity to specific acupoints on the surface of the body.

Then, it used the power of ice and fire to repeatedly calcine and refine it.

Finally, it converted the toxicity into harmless Impurities or forced it out of the body, feeding back into himself.

This method was dangerous and was a huge test of the practitioner's control over True Essence and willpower.

Once out of control, the poison would backlash, and he would die instantly.

But the benefit was that if he succeeded, not only could he eradicate the potent poison, but he could also further temper his True Essence and perhaps even give his Ice Fire True Essence a certain anti-poison attribute.

"It is worth a try." A trace of determination flashed in Ye Chen's eyes.

He possessed the Ice Lotus Imprint and the jade booklet, and his Divine Soul was powerful.

His control over True Essence was also far beyond his peers due to having repeatedly used the "Ice Fire Seal."

With the vital power of the dark red spark as a backup, his success rate was not low.

He adjusted his breathing for a moment to bring his state to its best.

Then he began to operate his Ice Fire True Essence according to the "Ice Fire Poison-Calcining Method."

First, Ye Chen needed to use his ice-attribute True Essence to force out the potent poison scattered throughout his limbs and bones, bit by bit, gathering it toward the "Laogong Acupoints" in his hands and the "Yongquan Acupoints" in his feet.

This process was extremely painful, as if countless tiny ice cones were piercing and scraping through his Meridians, forcibly stripping away the toxicity intertwined with his Qi and blood.

Veins bulged on Ye Chen's forehead, and cold sweat instantly soaked his clothes, but he kept his mind guarded and gritted his teeth, persisting.

The ice-attribute True Essence advanced slowly, and wherever it passed, the potent poison was forced and gathered bit by bit.

It took a full two hours to barely force most of the toxicity to the ends of his limbs.

Next was the most critical step—Ice Fire Calcination.

Ye Chen needed to simultaneously mobilize his Ice Fire True Essence and inject it into these four acupoints, forming a miniature ice-fire furnace to wrap and refine the gathered potent poison.

He took a deep breath, and his mind sank into his Dantian.

The Wheel Sea vortex slowly accelerated.

The ice-blue cold current and the golden-red warm current surged out simultaneously, following the Meridians, and were injected into the four acupoints of his hands and feet respectively.

"Hum—" The four acupoints lit up with a faint light simultaneously.

The left Laogong Acupoint was ice-blue, and the right Laogong Acupoint was golden-red.

The left Yongquan Acupoint was ice-blue, and the right Yongquan Acupoint was golden-red.

The power of ice and fire formed a delicate balance and counter-clash within the four acupoints, wrapping the gathered dark green potent poison within them.

"Refine!" Ye Chen shouted lowly in his heart and began to slowly increase the output of Ice Fire True Essence in the four acupoints.

The ice-cold power froze and solidified the toxicity, while the scorching power began to burn and refine it.

"Sss, sss, sss."

Like cold water dripping into boiling oil, a dense, teeth-aching sound emerged from the four acupoints.

The dark green deadly poison rolled and struggled violently under the pincer attack of ice and fire.

It was constantly worn down and refined, turning into wisps of grayish-black, foul-smelling Impurities.

They slowly seeped out from the acupoints and dripped onto the ground, corroding small pits into the floor.

As for the remaining, purified, and potent poison power,

it was assimilated and absorbed bit by bit by the Ice Fire True Essence, transforming into even purer and more condensed Ice Fire True Essence.

It even carried a trace of an extremely faint anti-poison attribute.

This process was even more painful and consumed a massive amount of his mental energy.

Ye Chen had to constantly maintain the delicate balance of the Ice Fire True Essence within the four acupoints.

The slightest carelessness could lead to a conflict between ice and fire, causing the acupoints to explode or the poison to backlash.

He immersed his entire mind in the process, completely unaware of everything in the outside world.

Time passed bit by bit.

From noon to dusk, and from dusk to late at night.

Ye Chen remained motionless, like an old monk in deep meditation.

Only the mist rising from his body, alternating between ice blue and golden red,

along with the grayish-black Impurities constantly seeping from the acupoints on his four limbs, bore witness to the perilous Cultivation he was undergoing.

Outside the cave, the bright moon hung high, casting its cold light into the valley.

The stream gurgled, night insects chirped, and the scene was tranquil.

It was not until the east began to pale with the first light of dawn that Ye Chen slowly opened his eyes.

Deep within his pupils, a flash of light intertwined with ice blue and golden red flickered and vanished.

His gaze was clearer and deeper than before.

It even carried a trace of the vicissitudes that come after tempering.

Ye Chen looked down at his hands and feet.

The skin over the four acupoints was smooth and clean, with no trace of abnormality.

The deadly poison that had plagued his body like a stubborn disease had completely vanished!

Not only that, but he felt that his Ice Fire True Essence had become more condensed and pure.

As he circulated it, it flowed with ease, and he could faintly sense an instinctive repulsion towards the surrounding poisonous miasma.

His Cultivation had also naturally broken through to the Late Stage of the Lunhai Realm First Level!

"It's a success!"

An indescribable joy surged in Ye Chen's heart.

Not only had he purged the deadly poison, but his Cultivation had also advanced.

Furthermore, his Ice Fire True Essence had gained an anti-poison attribute. This adventure was worth it!

He stood up and stretched his limbs, his body emitting a series of crisp "crackling" sounds, filled with a sense of power.

His injuries were fully recovered, the deadly poison was gone, and he was in the best condition he had ever been in.

"It is time to return to the Sect."

Ye Chen looked toward the direction of the Tianyun Mountain Range, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Golden Flame Peak, "Shadow Fiend," and that mastermind behind the scenes—it was time to settle the score.

He removed the Restriction at the cave entrance and walked out.

In the valley, the early morning air was fresh, carrying the fragrance of vegetation and stream water.

Ye Chen walked to the stream, cupped some cool water to wash his face, and took a few sips, feeling even more invigorated.

Just as he was preparing to leave the valley,

his gaze suddenly fell upon a patch of inconspicuous grass on the opposite bank of the stream, where a few light purple flowers were growing.

There seemed to be an extremely faint fluctuation of Spiritual Qi there, different from that of the surrounding vegetation.

His heart stirred. He crossed the stream and arrived before the patch of grass.

He squatted down to sense it carefully. The source of the Spiritual Qi fluctuation

was not the few light purple flowers, but rather came from beneath the grass.

He pushed aside the grass and saw, buried in the soil,

half of a dim, black token that appeared to be made of neither gold nor jade.

The token was only the size of a palm, and it felt cold and heavy in his hand.

The front was engraved with a blurry, seemingly shifting ghost-face pattern, while the back bore an ancient Seal character, "Sha."

It bore some resemblance to the "Shadow Fiend" bronze assassin token he had seen before in the Law Enforcement Hall.

However, the material was more ancient, and its aura was more obscure and sinister.

The ghost-face pattern was also more ferocious, as if it were alive.

"Is this a 'Shadow Fiend' token? Judging by the material and aura, it seems to be a higher grade than a bronze one. A silver token? Or perhaps..."

Ye Chen's heart skipped a beat.

How could this token appear here?

Was it dropped by the two assassins previously killed by Bai Chen?

No, that couldn't be it. Bai Chen had disposed of the corpses very thoroughly; he wouldn't have left this behind.

Or perhaps... a "Shadow Fiend" expert had fallen or stayed here long before.

Ye Chen took the token in his hand and examined it carefully.

The token appeared to be in a dormant or sealed state.

Aside from its peculiar material and sinister aura, it showed no other reaction.

However, his intuition told him that this token was not simple and might hide further secrets regarding the "Shadow Fiend."

After a moment's thought, he placed the token into his Poison Doctor ring.

This item might be useful in the future.

Without further delay, Ye Chen activated his movement technique and swept out of the valley like a wisp of smoke.

He rushed at full speed toward the Tianyun Sword Sect.

Now that his condition had recovered and his Cultivation had advanced, he was eager to return.

There were no further incidents along the way.

...

Two days later, the familiar, towering outline of the Tianyun Mountain Range came into view.

Ye Chen felt a surge of excitement, but at the same time, he became more vigilant.

He knew that the inside of the Sect was likely even more dangerous than the outside.

He did not return directly to the Inner Sect; instead, he first stopped at the edge of the Outer Sect area.

He found a remote town and changed into ordinary gray robes.

Using Materials from his Poison Doctor ring, he applied a simple disguise to alter his appearance and aura slightly.

Only then did he blend in with the passing Cultivators and head toward the mountain gate.

When the mountain gate guards checked his identity token and saw that he was an Inner Sect Disciple,

and noted that his Cultivation was only at the Late Stage of the Lunhai Realm First Level,

they didn't question him much, seeing he was travel-worn, and let him pass.

Having successfully entered the mountain gate, Ye Chen breathed a sigh of relief.

He did not return to Flowing Cloud Peak in the Inner Sect first, but went directly to the Mission Hall.

He needed to turn in the Ten Thousand Poisons Swamp mission first to obtain his contribution points and the Secret Realm quota promised by Elder Li.

At the same time, it would serve as a formal "appearance" to gauge the reactions of all parties.

When he stepped into the Mission Hall, wearing his original appearance and a clean Inner Sect white robe,

he immediately attracted the attention of many people.

"Look! It's Ye Chen!"

"He actually returned?!"

"I heard he took that desperate mission in the Ten Thousand Poisons Swamp. I thought he had died out there!"

"Look at his aura—Late Stage of the Lunhai Realm First Level? It doesn't seem to have changed. Can he really complete a desperate mission with just that?"

"Maybe he just hid in some corner and came back when the time was up, without daring to venture deep at all."

"The people from Golden Flame Peak are looking for him everywhere. Now there's going to be a good show."

Various discussions erupted, and gazes filled with curiosity, suspicion, and schadenfreude were cast upon him.

Ye Chen acted as if he heard nothing and walked straight to the mission submission counter.

He placed his identity token and the jade box containing the verdant phosphorus ghost flower plant on the counter.

"Submitting a mission: Ten Thousand Poisons Swamp, collecting the 'verdant phosphorus ghost flower.'"

Ye Chen said calmly.

The Deacon Disciple on duty was stunned for a moment.

He took the token and the jade box, and when he opened the box,

seeing the complete, vibrant verdant phosphorus ghost flower, which even bore a golden toad fruit,

his eyes widened in shock, and he exclaimed,

"The verdant phosphorus ghost flower! And it has a golden toad fruit! This... this quality!"

His exclamation immediately attracted the attention of even more people.

Many Disciples gathered around, and upon seeing the Spirit Medicine in the jade box, they also exclaimed in astonishment.

"It really is the verdant phosphorus ghost flower! Look at its age; it's definitely over three hundred years old!"

"And there's a golden toad fruit! This is a primary ingredient for refining many high-grade detoxification Medicinal Pills! Its value far exceeds the mission requirements!"

The Deacon Disciple hurriedly inspected it, and after confirming it was correct, his gaze toward Ye Chen was filled with shock and a trace of awe.

To be able to bring back Spirit Medicine of this quality from the Ten Thousand Poisons Swamp with only a Lunhai Realm First Level Cultivation,

regardless of the method used, was enough to prove his strength and Luck.

"Junior Brother... Junior Brother Ye, mission confirmed as complete. Evaluation: Perfect. Five thousand contribution points have been transferred to your token."

"Because you exceeded the mission requirements by bringing back the golden toad fruit, an additional one thousand contribution points have been awarded, for a total of six thousand contribution points. Also..."

The Deacon Disciple lowered his voice.

"Elder Li gave instructions that if you returned after completing the mission, you could use this mission record to go directly to Danding Peak to find him, and he would secure a quota for the Hundred Herbs Secret Realm for you."

Six thousand contribution points!

Ye Chen felt reassured.

Including what he had left, he now had nearly seven thousand contribution points, enough for him to exchange for a large amount of resources.

More importantly, the Secret Realm quota was secured.

"Many thanks, Senior Brother."

Ye Chen took the token and his rewards, turned, and prepared to leave.

He needed to see Elder Li immediately.

However, the moment he turned around,

a cold voice, like a poisonous snake, came from the entrance of the hall:

"Ye Chen! You finally dared to show yourself!"