After absorbing the Snake Gu King Poison, Zou Feng initially only felt an improvement in his Body Skill.

But through his recent studies, he had gradually discovered other clever uses for the Snake Stance.

The first was "intimidation."

The intimidating effect of a venomous snake rearing up and baring its fangs was unmatched by the other four common venomous creatures.

However, Zeng Xiuyuan was a Third Grade Expert, after all. He was only affected by the "intimidation" for a moment before he forcefully regained his composure. Streams of bone-chilling cold air rapidly enveloped him...

Meanwhile, since Zou Feng had chosen to face the traitor, Zeng Xiuyuan, Zhong Zhe and Leng Jing naturally moved to flank Yuchi Jue.

As the two men circulated their True Qi, the atmosphere instantly turned bizarre.

Leng Jing, who had already stripped off his shirt, had scars on his body that began to writhe ceaselessly, as if countless insects were about to burrow out from under his skin at any moment.

As for Zhong Zhe, he took two large gulps of the Hundred-legged Ancestor’s venom he carried, and his youth was instantly restored!

That’s right. The once-wizened Zhong Zhe looked as if he had shed twenty or thirty years in an instant.

His once graying hair abruptly turned jet-black and lustrous.

At the same time, his bones creaked and cracked, and his posture straightened considerably.

Yuchi Jue, disguised as Zou Feng with the Formless Divine Skill, was in no hurry to make a move. He simply watched Zhong Zhe and Leng Jing coldly.

Under normal circumstances, even if the two of them joined forces, they would never dare to challenge a Second Grade expert.

But the intelligence that Yuchi Jue was gravely injured was irrefutable.

He had been hunted by a Second Grade expert from the Celestial Essence Sword Sect and nearly lost his life.

In the end, he had gone all out, detonating a technique by burning his own True Qi, which was how he barely managed to escape with his life.

Considering his injuries, he was lucky he hadn’t died on the spot.

Even after recuperating all this time and using Great Medicines to recover, it would have been impossible for him to regain his Second Grade strength.

If he could barely muster the strength of a Third Grade Martial Artist now, he would have to thank his ancestors for their protection.

The fact that Yuchi Jue had been hiding and laying low this whole time, not daring to show his face, only served to confirm this.

In short, it should be no problem for Zhong Zhe and Leng Jing to take him down together.

Seeing the two were about to attack, Yuchi Jue finally laughed in resignation. "A tiger on open plains is bullied by dogs, indeed. If I were uninjured, how would the likes of you two dare to posture so arrogantly before me...?"

"Still running your mouth?" Leng Jing roared, lunging forward with a punch. At the same time, a bloody bone spur shot out from a scar on his arm.

Leng Jing closed in for melee combat while Zhong Zhe circled them with quick, small steps, continuously releasing Poison Miasma.

Meanwhile, Zeng Xiuyuan, who was fighting Zou Feng, was already starting to think about escaping.

Though they had only exchanged a dozen blows, he already realized that Zou Feng’s reputation was well-deserved.

The rumors said that Zou Feng had killed two Third Grade experts while only at the Fourth Grade Realm. They were clearly no exaggeration.

In fact, this was precisely why Zeng Xiuyuan so strongly desired to perform Refinement on Zou Feng’s Poison Body.

Of course, the generous terms Yuchi Jue offered—which were nearly impossible to refuse—also played a major role.

’I can’t win!’

’I have to run!’

Zeng Xiuyuan made a swift decision. He unleashed another burst of True Qi to temporarily force Zou Feng back, then decisively turned to flee.

He showed none of the dignity befitting an expert of the Third Grade True Qi Realm.

But it had to be said, a True Qi Realm expert fleeing with all their might was still a handful for Zou Feng.

’But... if it comes to it, I’ll just have to use State Two ahead of schedule!’

Instantly entering his True Man State and augmenting it with a burst from the Toad Stance, Zou Feng shot forward and cut off Zeng Xiuyuan’s escape.

Zeng Xiuyuan knew his escape depended entirely on his next move. Without a moment’s hesitation, he unleashed all of his True Qi and, at great personal cost, used a Secret Technique to stimulate his potential, blasting out an "Ice Roar" with both palms.

This attack finally made Zou Feng’s eyes light up.

’A little interesting!’

He simultaneously activated his Tribulation-Indestructible Body and the Snake Stance, intending to meet the attack head-on.

Seeing Zou Feng’s arrogance—that he was actually going to take the hit directly—Zeng Xiuyuan was ecstatic.

’You’re courting death!’

BANG... BOOM...

As the explosion thundered, Zeng Xiuyuan’s "Ice Roar" slammed squarely into Zou Feng’s chest, yet it failed to even push him back a single step.

This made Zeng Xiuyuan’s mind go completely blank.

’My all-out attack, one that burned my own potential, couldn’t even force him back!?’

But Zou Feng paid no mind to the man’s astonishment. He followed the momentum with a "Double Peak Piercing Ears" and called it a day.

He hadn’t chosen to take Zeng Xiuyuan’s Big Move head-on because he found the "Ice Roar" particularly interesting.

Rather, he wanted to use the opportunity to test another major enhancement granted by the Snake Stance: force negation!

As the name implied, it was the ability to use exquisite control over his body at the moment of impact to dissipate an opponent’s power.

Whatever force couldn’t be negated, he would then endure with his Tribulation-Indestructible Body.

This combination would multiply his defensive capabilities several times over.

The test just now had proven to be a great success.

After being struck by Double Peak Piercing Ears, blood began to seep not just from Zeng Xiuyuan’s ears, but also his mouth, nose, and eyes, creating a ghastly sight.

It was only because he was a True Qi Realm Martial Artist that he hadn’t died on the spot.

But Zou Feng wasn’t about to give him another chance. The next moment, he thrust out his venomous hand and pressed it onto Zeng Xiuyuan’s Skull.

His True Qi swiftly invaded the man’s body, seeking to extract any toxins that would be beneficial to him.

Because he cultivated the Fire Lotus Skill—now the Holy Lotus Skill—Zou Feng was already highly proficient with Fire Poison.

However, he had yet to dabble in Cold Poison.

If, after absorbing and performing Refinement on Zeng Xiuyuan’s Cold Poison, it proved potent enough, Zou Feng wouldn’t mind initiating his plan for Ice and Fire Dual Cultivation.

And the subsequent Refinement process did not disappoint.

Zeng Xiuyuan’s Cold Poison was indeed the real deal.

But to truly begin his Ice and Fire Dual Cultivation plan, he would need a corresponding Cold Poison-based Cultivation Skill...

He was still in the middle of his mission, so Zou Feng put the thought aside for now and tossed away Zeng Xiuyuan’s lifeless body.

Since Zeng Xiuyuan was from the Cyan Nether Sect and had originally cultivated a Corpse Poison Skill, Zou Feng had absorbed his body’s Corpse Poison at the same time.

Therefore, there was no need for Xiaolv to convert it.

’I’ve taken care of the traitor,’ he thought. ’I wonder if Leng Jing and Zhong Zhe are finished on their end.’

Zou Feng had chased Zeng Xiuyuan out of the main hall, so he was unaware of how the other fight was progressing.

He took a few quick strides back into the hall, only to find Zhong Zhe and Leng Jing both running toward him, looking utterly battered.

"This guy’s tougher than he looks! Fall back!"

"The fiend’s recovered way too much of his strength! The intelligence was wrong!"

Now Zou Feng could see clearly that not only did they look ragged, but they had both sustained injuries.

"What are you spacing out for? Let’s go!" Zhong Zhe urged as he rushed past Zou Feng.

Zou Feng looked over and saw Yuchi Jue radiating a ferocious might. Behind him, a Ten Directions Divine King Dharma Aspect formed of True Qi had appeared. The mere sight of it was enough to make one’s heart pound with fear.

Forget about fighting it; an unconscious urge to prostrate himself and worship the Ten Directions Divine King Dharma Aspect even began to surface in Zou Feng’s own mind.

Fortunately, Zou Feng immediately used Visualization to picture Su Qingyu’s poisonous feet in his mind, which allowed him to shake off the mental influence.

Still, he didn’t immediately flee like Zhong Zhe and Leng Jing.

After all, while Yuchi Jue appeared to have recovered a great deal of his strength and was displaying immense power, his name on the List of Gods was dim and faint.

So...

’This guy hasn’t recovered at all.’

’He’s most likely just relying on the nourishment from those Great Medicines to be able to use a few of his old tricks.’

’Right now, Yuchi Jue is clearly just putting on a show of force to escape this crisis. He can’t sustain it for long.’

Zou Feng might not trust his own eyes, but he had absolute faith in the judgment of the List of Gods.

’Therefore, there’s no need to run.’

’I’ll take down Yuchi Jue right here, right now!’