However, Li Yan was calm inside. He believed that with Wei Zhongran's status, the other party, even as a Late-stage Golden Core cultivator, would not dare to act recklessly.
"That is I," Li Yan replied.
The moment his voice fell, the middle-aged woman let out a cold snort. Simultaneously, her slender shoulders sank slightly, and Li Yan immediately felt his entire body tighten, instantly becoming unable to move an inch. He was horrified.
At the very same instant, a translucent, snow-green Gu-insect with a head as large as an urn materialized behind Li Yan's neck. It opened its massive maw and lunged to bite him.
This translucent Gu-insect's entire body, apart from its urn-like head, was almost retracted into its neck cavity, making it as round as a jar. Within its translucent head, white and green substances pulsed rhythmically, a terrifying and sickening sight.
The Gu-insect's small eyes shot out a vicious light. It had no nose and a thin mouth, but as it neared Li Yan's neck, that thread-like mouth suddenly split open to occupy nearly half of its head.
Its mouth was densely packed with sharp teeth. As it opened and closed, a large amount of sticky fluid was pulled into thick and thin strands between the teeth.
It must be known that although Li Yan was confident in his cultivation, facing a sneak attack from a Late-stage Golden Core cultivator, he lost his composure.
He was instantly locked in place, so his first reaction was to struggle free. But Li Yan quickly realized that he felt no killing intent from Elder Hua in front of him.
Most importantly, Li Yan sensed that while his body was restrained, his Spirit Power and Divine Sense could still circulate freely. If she wanted to imprison him, why would she leave him the ability to resist?
Nevertheless, a look of bewilderment and terror appeared on Li Yan's face, and he cried out, "Martial Uncle Hua, what are you...?" Before he could finish, the urn-headed Gu-insect had already closed in on his neck.
Seemingly unable to speak further, Li Yan hurriedly mobilized the Spirit Power in his body. The moment the urn-headed Gu-insect drew near and opened its great mouth, a green mist suddenly erupted from Li Yan's body.
In less than a breath, a green monster stood where Li Yan had been, exuding an indescribable sinister and bizarre aura.
Just as the green mist began to billow, the Gu-insect with the urn-sized head, its face contorted in a ferocious expression, had already bitten down on Li Yan's neck.
Aside from that initial slight dip of her shoulders, Elder Hua made no other move. She remained silent in the face of Li Yan's question, her icy eyes fixed intently upon him.
But she hadn't expected Li Yan to react so quickly. The moment her "Soul-Dropping Gu" appeared, a thick green mist roiled out from Li Yan's body. This was an instinctual reaction that could only be honed through long-term life-and-death struggles.
To be precise, his body reacted even faster than his Divine Sense. A trace of surprise flickered in Elder Hua's perpetually emotionless eyes. She didn't know how many similar sneak attacks Li Yan must have experienced to have developed such a reaction.
However, Elder Hua was confident in the power of her "Soul-Dropping Gu," so she just needed to control its force. She had to be careful not to seriously injure this young man with the surname Li. Otherwise... who knew what that madman Wei Zhongran would do. It was entirely possible he would turn on her.
What's more, the one she feared most was her own Peak Master, who charmed all living things and turned the world of men upside down. She would surely punish her for Wei Zhongran's sake.
The instant the "Soul-Dropping Gu's" great mouth bit into the green mist, a heart-wrenching, shrill, and piercing scream that pained Elder Hua to the core erupted from within.
Elder Hua's indifferent expression immediately changed. Her Divine Sense pierced directly into the green mist, where she saw a wisp of white smoke rising from Li Yan's neck, not yet dispersed.
And a large, snow-green ball of flesh was rapidly retreating out of the green mist as if struck by lightning.
At the same time, the snow-green flesh ball emitted a muffled, indistinct hiss. It was clear that it had suffered a serious injury from that single contact.
Elder Hua frowned. Although the "Soul-Dropping Gu" was not the strongest among all her Gu-insects, it definitely ranked in the top twenty she raised.
She had chosen it after careful consideration. This way, she could account for Li Yan's Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation and also ensure she wouldn't accidentally injure him too severely while getting the answers she wanted.
Yet, in just one exchange, the "Soul-Dropping Gu" had not only failed to achieve its goal but had been grievously wounded itself.
Elder Hua was connected to the "Soul-Dropping Gu" by mind and knew that its pride, the soul-dropping poison, had been completely corroded by the strange green mist upon contact. Furthermore, the "Soul-Dropping Gu's" massive mouth had been burned and destroyed by more than half.
Elder Hua stretched out her hand and snatched the fleeing "Soul-Dropping Gu" into her palm. A white light flashed in her other hand, and a small bottle of jade-like liquid was poured onto the "Soul-Dropping Gu's" body.
As the liquid from the small bottle was poured, the "Soul-Dropping Gu," which had been shaking its head in pain, slowly quieted its hissing.
But when it looked at the ball of green mist ahead, the viciousness in its eyes was long gone, replaced by endless fear. With a wave of Elder Hua's hand, both the jade bottle and the "Soul-Dropping Gu" vanished.
Gazing at Li Yan, who was still shrouded in the thick green mist, a sharp glint flashed in Elder Hua's eyes. After a few breaths, the glint quickly faded, and she gave a light wave of her sleeve towards the mist.
When she first saw Li Yan, she had immediately recognized him from his aura. He was the one she and several other elders had advocated for capturing. Coupled with his extraordinary performance in the arena battles for the Secret Realm spots, Elder Hua remembered his aura firmly. For cultivators like Elder Hua, who were obsessed with the path of poison, they were common in the Malevolent Spirit Sect. They cared almost exclusively about how to maximize the potential of poison, with little regard for human life. They were even reckless with their own bodies, often using them to test poisons.
So, when she first learned of Li Yan's Fragmented Poison Body, she was amazed that such a person truly existed in the world. But when she later found out he had Miscellaneous Spirit Roots, she was instantly filled with disgust.
She felt that a person like Li Yan was a stain on the very name of the Fragmented Poison Body. Such a person would not get far on the path of cultivation before their life was cut short by their limited lifespan. Thus, she conceived the idea of putting Li Yan to better use.
People like Elder Hua could not be called good or bad. Their hearts were filled only with their most beloved path of "poison." She had an almost insane pursuit of it, but she had not completely lost her reason and still retained the most basic sect principles.
Seeing Li Yan today, that long-ago memory instantly resurfaced. When her Divine Sense swept over him and detected his Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, she was even more astonished.
Back in the sect, when she later heard that the young cultivator with the Fragmented Poison Body had successfully established his foundation, she was already amazed. But she soon figured out the possible factors behind his success.
When she finally learned that even with Foundation Establishment, Li Yan had only achieved the third rank, "Combatant's Way Foundation Establishment" , she sighed once more. Even with the aid of a heaven-defying physique like the Fragmented Poison Body, he had only managed a "Combatant's Way Foundation Establishment." This type of foundation already doomed Li Yan to live at most two hundred years. It would be more fitting to let her study him instead.
Of course, this information she received had been watered down by Wei Zhongran before being released. Wei Zhongran knew Li Yan had a seventh-rank foundation.
It was the Malevolent Spirit Sect's standard practice to protect wielders of the three great poison physiques before they reached Golden Core. Some crucial information was not even disclosed to the Sect Master , only to the master.
Unexpectedly, upon seeing Li Yan again today, Elder Hua thought back. It had only been a short two years. How had this boy broken through to Mid-stage Foundation Establishment?
It was only then, amidst her surprise, that Elder Hua let out that soft sound of inquiry, thinking, 'How can such an incredible thing exist in this world? To establish a foundation with Miscellaneous Spirit Roots, and then to continue advancing from a mere third-rank "Combatant's Way Foundation Establishment"? Is the Fragmented Poison Body truly so terrifying?'
Unconsciously, the desire to test Li Yan's Fragmented Poison Body grew even stronger in her, which led to her making a move.
Unexpectedly, the result was a series of surprises for Elder Hua. Her "Soul-Dropping Gu," which she believed could easily defeat a Foundation Establishment cultivator, was severely injured by Li Yan in just a single exchange. This sparked an even stronger interest in the Fragmented Poison Body within her heart.
After the "Soul-Dropping Gu" was injured and defeated, Elder Hua had initially wanted to test him again, but she ultimately remembered her status as an elder. As a senior, she could not lower herself to test him again.
The first attack was her limit. If word of this got out, who knows how others would see her. Just dealing with that madman Wei Zhongran would be enough of a headache.
"Alright, you can disperse the green mist. With your intelligence, you should know what I meant."
Elder Hua saw that even after she had released the restraint on Li Yan's body, the boy was still hiding in the green mist. She had no choice but to speak.
Hearing Elder Hua's words from outside the mist, Li Yan finally felt relieved.
Although he had long since felt his body was free, he still didn't know what other tricks this Martial Uncle Hua might pull, so he had to remain vigilant at all times.
The green mist around Li Yan roiled and contracted before being quickly drawn back into his body, revealing his true form.
Then, Li Yan looked helplessly at Elder Hua before him, unsure of what to say for a moment.
"So this is the might of your 'Fragmented Poison Body' now?" After a long silence in the courtyard, Elder Hua finally asked faintly.
"Yes. Reporting to Martial Uncle Hua, I call it 'Green Flame Incinerating Gold .'"
This was the very poison Li Yan had used back in the Huchen Family , when he was helping Huchen Wuding compete for the position of successor. He had used it to deal with the seemingly endless Three-Legged Carrion Earthworms in the Peach Blossom Forest . Even an expert of the Huchen Ancestor's level had suffered a defeat against this poison when caught unprepared, let alone Elder Hua.
"Among the poisons in your Fragmented Poison Body, how powerful is this one?" Elder Hua asked, her voice still cold and devoid of any politeness, as if it were only natural for Li Yan to reveal his secrets.
"It ranks among the top three. It's just that some potent poisons have their own strengths, and it's not as if any single one can surpass another," Li Yan said after some thought, his tone seemingly deliberate.
With Li Yan's cunning, how could he so easily speak the truth, especially when the other party had attacked him without any warning? Even though Elder Hua had no intention of killing him, it still made Li Yan uncomfortable. Now he was being forced to answer such a question against his will.
However, Li Yan's words were half-truth, half-falsehood. He knew the Elder Hua before him was an absolute top expert in the use of poison. Although he had just been lucky enough to win one round, that was just a casual strike from her. He had gained an advantage due to the marvel of his Fragmented Poison Body.
When it came to the path of poison, she could poison him to death countless times, and he probably wouldn't even know how he was poisoned. His Fragmented Poison Body was not invincible and could not counteract all the exotic poisons in the world. Li Yan believed that a fanatical Poison Cultivator like Elder Hua must have countless unique and exotic poisons she had concocted herself.
Therefore, Li Yan could not answer carelessly.