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Chapter 1176 The Beginning of Poisoning

After Zhou You sat down, he heard Lian Feihong raise his wine vessel and say, "Come, let's toast our meritorious hero."

The atmosphere around them was somewhat eerie, devoid of any festive spirit and instead heavy.

Among the guests attending the banquet were all the Lian family's most treasured masters, including the patriarch of the Tianzong Lian family.

These people stared at Zhou You, as if the fine wine and delicacies in front of them were nothing but air, showing him no respect.

The feudal lord led the toast, and many other nobles and important officials followed suit, raising their glasses in a series of clinking sounds as everyone offered their blessings.

"Wait!"

Zhou You suddenly stood up and said to Lian Feihong, "Today marks the first anniversary of the Emperor's ascension to the throne. Please allow me to take this opportunity to offer my congratulations with a drink!"

"My lord, there is hope for peace in the land; your efforts have not been in vain!"

Lian Feihong's heart trembled. He wasn't heartless, and he softened on the spot when he heard Zhou You's words.

But before he could react, the omnipresent gazes around him reminded him that the arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be released; there was no room for retreat.

Zhou You offered a toast, then poured a second one, this time to the Lian family patriarch.

"Senior, our two families have formed an alliance to overcome difficulties together, and I am grateful for your care. I toast you with this glass of wine!"

The patriarch of the Lian family remained expressionless, downing the wine in his cup in one gulp. He was far more experienced than Lian Feihong, his mind as calm as a still well.

Then, Zhou You poured a third cup of wine, saying, "They say things shouldn't happen more than three times, so I'll only offer three toasts, and I'll never exceed that."

Just as everyone was wondering who he was toasting with for the third time, they heard...

"The third and final toast is for myself, Zhou Daqian, after all, this banquet is ostensibly to celebrate my victory."

Zhou You shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh, downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, and sighed, "Good wine, even with added ingredients, can't hide its rich aroma. It's a complete waste."

Upon hearing this, many people from all directions stood up, their expressions filled with fear, realizing they had been discovered.

Poisoning the drinks was a trivial part of the assassination attempt, but being discovered meant that the truth had been revealed.

“Zhou Daqian, you should know that eliminating corrupt officials is an act of loyalty and righteousness for us.”

“You know your own crimes, and today is the time for you to be brought to justice and perish.”

"A treacherous official, what a treacherous official," that's quite a frightening label they've given him.

Another voice rang out, "Don't expect the Heavenly Southern Divine Sword to save you. This is an internal matter of the imperial court; he won't interfere!"

Zhou You smiled and shook his head, only asking, "What kind of poison did you use? There aren't many poisons in this world that can kill someone from the Heavenly Sect!"

A clear female voice rang out; it was none other than the "Empress" beside Lian Feihong. "This poison is called 'Nine Generations of Ruin,' using it to entertain you is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut."

"Nine generations of ruin, hmm, is the strange poison that caused Mingxuan Martial Saint's death. It is the most extraordinary poison in history, which was made by the Enchantress by collecting the corpses of nine ancient gods and demons. It can even kill a Martial Saint."

Zhou You marveled at the sight of blood seeping from his pores as toxins destroyed his body, dissolving his blood vessels, skin, and internal organs.

But his eyes were full of curiosity. "This poison is rare. Where did you find it?"

"Of course, I stole it from the Church of Humanity."

A voice rang out, and the owner of the voice, dressed as a waiter and hidden in an inconspicuous corner, tore off his disguise and revealed the face of Dongfang Daqian.

His eyes were filled with hatred as he looked at Zhou You. With the loss of Jingzhou and the complete dispersal of his trusted followers, he was now not only a lonely man but also a homeless dog.

The source of everything is travel.

On the contrary, Lian Feihong, who benefited the most, was not resented by him.

Dongfang Daqian appeared at the victory celebration banquet, and surprisingly, his appearance did not seem abrupt.

The surrounding guests seemed not to see him at all, maintaining a unified silence, and no one attacked this formidable enemy. "Zhou Daqian, the guests at today's banquet are all wolves and tigers. They are eating you; you are not a guest of honor, but rather food on their plates!"

"They may have all sorts of high-sounding excuses to whitewash their actions of killing you, but I, Dongfang Daqian, will not deny that I killed you to avenge my family."

"..."

Zhou You listened patiently to him while checking his internal condition. It was terrible, extremely terrible.

This extraordinary poison is extremely potent, even surpassing the Gu King in its effectiveness. It specifically targets and destroys major tissues in the human body, disintegrating and separating them, ultimately melting the flesh into a pool of organic liquid.

Despite his prior preparations, he couldn't hold back when things came to a head.

"Hoohoo!"

The panel was flashing red, indicating that the damage from the strange poison was approaching the limit of 'Empowered Substitution'.

To clarify, Zhou You wasn't a reckless fool; he knew full well the danger yet made no preparations.

The vast universe reflects one's own state of mind, clarifies the path ahead, and empowers oneself through the panel, thus giving rise to a state called 'non-self'.

In this state, the true self is no longer the true self, and all negative states, such as damage encountered, can be refreshed and restarted.

Even so, there is a limit to the damage that can be taken; once this limit is exceeded, it is highly likely that the user will be forced to exit the state.

Clearly, the strange poison from the Human Race Cult, after nine generations of decline, has already shown signs of reaching its limit.

Zhou You suddenly shouted, addressing the Lian family patriarch, "Senior, have you forgotten our agreement? I helped your family seize the throne, and you..."

"No need to say more. Ascending to sainthood is extremely difficult, but taking a step back and seizing the world is more realistic!"

The Lian family patriarch said, "I cannot leave any hidden dangers, so you must die."

"Someone will take care of Lao Zhou; don't expect him to come to the rescue."

Zhou You nodded. "Old foxes are wiser. In that case, Lord Feng, what is your stance?"

These words were like a sharp sword piercing Lian Feihong's face. He subconsciously raised his sleeve, but stopped halfway through the movement.

After hesitating for a long time, he said, "Everything is for the sake of overall stability, so don't blame me!"

"Indeed, in this world, new clothes are worse than old ones, and old people are worse than new ones; those who are dressed in fine clothes are all heartless beasts."

He heard Dongfang Daqian's harsh voice in his ear, "You should arrange for your men to escort your whole family away in advance, one way to seek the protection of Zhen Beige in the north, and the other way to the south, with the destination being Lihuo Prefecture."

"Unfortunately, neither of the two groups could even get out of the eight prefectures of Zhili!"

"Zhou Daqian, you have reached a dead end today, and your whole family will be buried with you."

Zhou You closed his eyes, then opened them. "Since that's the case, I have no more worries!"

"..."

He made a gesture with his hands, his left hand vertically on top and his right hand horizontally on the bottom, supporting the object.

A hazy, misty halo enveloped his body, then suddenly the air rippled, and his entire body shattered as if a glass mirror had been broken.

The 'non-self' state of empowerment and delegation was broken, but just before it disappeared, it also took away the ruin of the Nine Generations of Strange Poison.

As the panel description stated, the refreshed status made it seem as if it had never been poisoned.

"What kind of secret seal is this?"

Dongfang Daqian found it hard to believe that there was a secret seal that could neutralize the most potent poison in the world; he feared that even the Shishen Sect was unaware of it.

"This is... the Great Thousand Seal."

(End of this chapter)