I Outworked the Entire Cultivation World-Chapter 70 - 60: Turning the Tables

Late at night, in Feifeng Forest.

The mist was hazy; the forest deep without a sight of man or deer.

Du Zhong entered the deep forest to gather herbs, slowly returning, passing a stream, he sat down to rest, his face full of sorrow.

Three years ago, he got the Foundation Establishment Elixir, attempted Foundation Establishment, but at a critical moment, Heart Demon Tribulation came, failing his Foundation Establishment and injuring his foundation.

Now his lifespan is insufficient, he must strive harder, to obtain Lifespan Extension Pill for continued life, before attempting Foundation Establishment again.

Crack!

The sound of dry branches breaking came, Du Zhong startled and shouted, "Who’s there?"

"Cough cough cough."

Under the scattered shadows of trees, the sound of coughing, and wisps of smoke spread out from behind the tree, accompanied by footsteps, a hunchbacked figure slowly emerged into view.

Du Zhong squinted, then wide-eyed, then retreated in horror, exclaiming, "Tao Fengnian, you, didn’t you die?"

"You and I were old friends for many years, are you so eager for me to die?"

Du Zhong’s heart trembled, the familiar voice, it was indeed Tao Fengnian!

Wasn’t the Heart-Burning Gu supposed to burn even his Divine Soul completely, neither entering Ghost Dao nor Reincarnation, completely annihilated?

Tao Fengnian put away the smoke rod and stepped closer slowly, "Back then when you fell off the cliff picking herbs, I was hunting monsters in the forest and encountered you almost dying. Initially, I wanted to take your belongings and leave; now I regret, I shouldn’t have saved you."

Du Zhong kept retreating, his heart guilty and panicked.

"What save me, didn’t you finally take my Spirit Stones, don’t boast yourself as a lifesaver!"

Tao Fengnian laughed mockingly, advancing step by step.

"Fine, there’s no lifesaving grace, then what about the care I gave you? You were merely a herb identifier at Immortal Herb Building, if it weren’t for me entrusting my Spiritual Medicine for you to sell to Immortal Herb Building, how would you have climbed step by step to the Pharmacist position?"

Du Zhong gritted his teeth, unable to speak.

"Not only did you not repay me, but also conspired with Jia Xiuchun to poison me? Du Zhong, you’re so ruthless!"

"I, I was forced! You wanted to live, and I wanted to live too, and on that day I clearly warned you about the hazards of Gu, told you not to eat it, who’s to blame if you chose to eat it yourself?"

Du Zhong kept retreating, Tao Fengnian paused in his tracks.

"Blame or not, it’s not important. What’s important is, how you poisoned me, I will take your life today in the same way."

Du Zhong retreated in panic, stepping onto something, looking down he was horrified.

Beneath the fallen leaves, countless fiery red Thorn Seeds densely laid out, unknown how many thousands there were.

The cold wind howled, a chill surged from Du Zhong’s feet to his head, he panicked and threw out a Protective Magical Artifact, holding a talisman and fleeing desperately.

Green light emerged, the Great Array formed.

Du Zhong fiercely crashed against the Barrier of Wood Heaven Net Array, hearing the sound of seeds breaking shells, like chestnuts in fire, crackling and snapping, making his scalp tingle.

Outside the Array, Tao Fengnian sat on a fallen dry tree, leisurely took out the smoke rod, stuffed in tobacco, eyes not even lifting.

Du Zhong desperately released various Escape Talismans, but the Great Array was tight without any dead angles, even underground was laid with Small Five Extremes Array, hard as metal impossible to escape.

Also, a set of Small Chaos Spirit Array, disrupting the flow of Five Element Spiritual Energy, rendering Magic Artifact and Spell powerless.

The three arrays connected, sealing both sky and earth!

"Old Tao, I was wrong, I don’t want to die, spare me, as long as you spare my life, I am willing to do anything for you, I beg you..."

Du Zhong pleaded tearfully, beneath him the Poison Fire Thorn Seeds slowly sprouted, winding upward, dark red flames flickered, with oppressive scorching heat, making Du Zhong gradually feel the despair and helplessness of impending death.

Pleading turned to anger, then to madness, finally desperate struggle. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Tao Fengnian said nothing, took out the fire stick, ignited the tobacco.

Boom!

Thousands of Poison Fire Thorns exploded, thorn vines danced like countless snakes, instantly filling the array with a ten-zhang area, like fire, like fury.

"Ahhhh!!!"

Mid-Grade Spirit Stones supported the Great Array, Du Zhong’s struggle was futile, heart-wrenching screams, unbearably painful cries.

The deep forest was silent, all sounds isolated outside by the Sound Insulation Array, only Jiang Yuebai disguised as Tao Fengnian could hear.

Du Zhong was crushed within the Poison Fire Thorns, fire poison burning every inch of his body, space within the array insufficient, the thorns pierced and grew into his body, truly burning the heart and piercing the bones.

Screams were endless, continuous and unbroken.

Jiang Yuebai watched expressionlessly as the smoke drifted from the smoke rod, silently observing the thorns grow within the array, listening to Du Zhong’s desperate screams.

She didn’t like torture and agony, her actions were always swift and neat.

But at this moment, she felt elation.

The Poison Fire Thorns contained the Poison Fire Spider King’s fire poison, stronger than the Heart-Burning Gu, keeping Du Zhong conscious, clearly feeling the burning pain of the fierce fire.

"Grandfather, the suffering he made you endure, I have avenged you doubly."

The tobacco in the smoke rod burned silently through the night, at dawn, the last flicker of fire extinguished, and there was no sound from within the array.

Jiang Yuebai waved to dismantle the array, the entangled mass of red thorns turned into black ash scattered on the ground, Little Green flew into searching, found nothing.

Du Zhong was tormented into ash by the poison fire, his Divine Soul burned away completely.

Ripping off the human skin mask from her face, Jiang Yuebai pulled off the hair cap, shaking loose her black hair and stood up, the first ray of dawn pierced through the treetops, leaving beams of light tracing dust marks.

The overcast clouds finally dispersed, the hidden green mountains remained still.

A black canopy boat ascended into the clouds, heading towards the Heavenly Interence Sect above the green mountains.

With matters in Nangu settled, today, it’s time to return and claim the Spiritual Cultivation Master Token, shedding her identity as a servant, becoming an Outer Sect disciple of Heavenly Interence Sect.

"I, Jiang Yuebai, return with the sunrise!"

＊

Heavenly Interence Sect, Elixir Hall.

"What?! You say Jiang Yuebai has already returned to the sect?"

In Jia Xiuchun’s room, she pushed away Lin Suwan beside her, both shocked and furious, looking at the servant at the door.

The young servant at Jia Xiuchun’s side nodded, "Yes, the gate guard checked the token, it’s indeed Jiang Yuebai, she’s currently at the lnner Affairs Hall."

"A bunch of useless fools!!"

Jia Xiuchun smashed a cup, and servant Qii Ming knelt at the door, head broken, blood flowed, silently bowing not daring to move.

Lin Suwan asked, "Did you see clearly what her cultivation level is now?"

Qii Ming shook his head, "Couldn’t verify clearly, but the gate guard disciples said she returned riding a flying artifact, likely Late-Stage Qi Cultivation."

Lin Suwan’s face turned pale, "Later stage? Seventh Layer or Eighth Layer? Impossible the Ninth Layer, right? I used Elixirs daily to assist cultivation, and now barely at Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, how could she cultivate so fast mining for five years in Yin Mountain, it’s impossible!"

Qii Ming kept his head down, adding: "I specifically visited the lnner Affairs Hall before coming here, heard..."

"Heard what, hurry up and say!" Jia Xiuchun had little patience.

"Heard she applied for the Spiritual Cultivation Master assessment."

Jia Xiuchun abruptly looked up, Lin Suwan surprised widened her eyes.

"Master, what can we do if she really gets the Spiritual Cultivation Master Token, wouldn’t she be like me, also an Outer Sect disciple? How can we deal with her then?"

Jia Xiuchun pondered frowning: "I don’t think she can get the Spiritual Cultivation Master Token. The sect has thousands of servants practicing hard, less than fifty passed as Spiritual Cultivation Master. She spent five years in that place, Yin Mountain Mine, mining and cultivating, how could she have time to improve her spells?"

"But what if..."

Lin Suwan was very worried, recalling how Jiang Yuebai once forced her to call her ’sister’, she shivered in fear.

"No what if! Even if she has the ability to get the Spiritual Cultivation Master Token, so what, Spiritual Cultivation Master is under Alchemy Elder’s jurisdiction. If I can’t deal with her, there’s Elder Lin! As long as she operates in Outer Sect territory, there are plenty of ways to handle her!"

Lin Suwan nodded, "This time can’t let her go again."

Jia Xiuchun’s eyes were cruel, she had a part in killing her brother, she must avenge this hatred.

"At that time, one kind thought raised a tiger to trouble, this time she dares return, must pin her down to death. Go probe, if she fails her assessment, issue the directive from five years ago again, let’s see what excuse she has to refuse."

"Yes."