Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 79 Others think it's poison, but I see it as treasure

Whoosh!

Fang Shu shrank back and retreated from the cave, hiding in the passageway again.

Even after the smell of rust faded, the metallic odor lingered in his mouth and nose, and he also felt an itch in his lungs, with a urge to cough.

The strange sensation inside his body alarmed Fang Shu. He was already an immortal who had survived the second tribulation and was free from all diseases. He shouldn't have coughed or felt itchy, or even had a dry mouth.

"Is this... poisoning?"

He's a master of Gu poison, possessing both insect and lead-based skills, and has refined purple lead poison blood and white mercury poison marrow—yet he can still be poisoned!?

Fang Shu pondered this point, his brows furrowing involuntarily. Although he felt a bit uncomfortable, he had no choice but to think in this direction.

However, his brows quickly relaxed.

As his memories churned, he quickly recalled a poison that could even poison someone immune to all poisons—the poison of metal and stone!
This toxin is invisible, colorless, and odorless; it exists only in metals and stones, and is often found in extremely small quantities.

It can kill without leaving a trace, and all those who are poisoned will eventually die from bleeding all over their bodies, hair loss, skin rotting, and intestines ruptured. The pain is unbearable, and their bodies melt away. It can be called the most painful way to die from poison in the world.

Even immortals, even those who have achieved the status of spiritual immortals, can easily fall victim to this kind of poison if they are not careful.

Fang Shu had also heard in the Dugu Pavilion that if a weapon were forged from metal containing the poison of metal, even if it was just an ordinary weapon, it could still harm a Qi Refining Immortal who possessed true qi to protect his body.

For immortals below the Qi Refining stage, this weapon is even more troublesome. If they are cut even slightly, the wound will fester and all the surrounding flesh must be cut away immediately.

Otherwise, if the delay is even slightly longer, the only way to save their lives and heal their injuries will be through a complete blood transfusion.

Therefore, this kind of poison made of metal and stone is most likely to damage a person's blood and qi, destroy their cultivation and foundation, and is extremely taboo for those who refine essence!

However, a different kind of emotion was churning within Fang Shu's heart.

He suppressed his shock and immediately poked his head out again, staying in the cave that emitted a faint blue glow for a few moments.

Soon, an even stronger, more pungent smell of rust filled the air, and even his vision became slightly distorted.

Although the poison of metal and stone is invisible and intangible, a high concentration of the toxin can cause physical bleeding and make the air shimmer, thus revealing its presence.

At the same time, if you smell rust or a metallic odor in your mouth and nose, or see fluorescent light or tinnitus, it means that you have been poisoned and the concentration of toxins in your environment is not low.

"That's it, the poison in this cave is the poison of metal and stone!" Fang Shu made the judgment in his mind.

Immediately, he huddled in the cave and quickly dug out a stone from either side to block the one-foot-wide entrance in front of him.

As soon as the entrance was blocked, the signs on his body immediately slowed down, disappearing within a few breaths, and the toxins in the cave stopped spreading.

This situation further proves that the strange toxin ahead is indeed the poison of metal and stone.

This type of toxin is produced in minerals and is also particularly countered by them, especially lead-containing ores. The mine where Fang Shu is located happens to be the largest black lead mine in Lushan, and the mine is even directly called "Lead Mountain" because every stone in the mountain contains lead.

After confirming the presence of the poisonous roots in the cave, Fang Shu calmed down and instead of being worried, he was pleased.

His eyes were bright and piercing, even more so than when he had seen the purple lead cloud breast milk!

This is because the Master of the Temple mentioned the poison of metal and stone during one of his sermons, because other immortals would avoid this poison at all costs.

However, for those who practice witchcraft and sorcery, these are excellent materials for cultivation and spellcasting.

If one obtains an object containing a certain amount of metal poison, even without doing anything or using any magic power, simply giving it to a thief or placing it in the thief's home will cause their family to be destroyed.

Rumor has it that this was the original form of witchcraft and sorcery, which could be performed by ordinary people!
In addition, the poison of metal and stone can also be used to refine gu poison.

This poison can promote the fighting and transformation of Gu worms, greatly increasing the possibility of giving birth to ferocious Gu worms and saving a lot of time in raising Gu worms.

Fang Shu, on the other hand, aspires to become a Gu Master.

He was overjoyed and couldn't help but think to himself:
"This place is a dangerous and dangerous place for others, but for me, and even for the Dugu Pavilion, it is a treasure trove for refining Gu."

In an instant, a thought arose in his mind: he wanted to open a cave here and turn it into his own secret cultivation chamber.

Looking around at the tunnel he had dug out, he no longer felt that the work he had been doing these past few days was too hard and dirty.

It was all worth it!
Looking at the excavated passage, Fang Shuxin suddenly realized why Cheng Guanzi and the others insisted on blowing up this place.

Most likely, they realized they had been poisoned afterward, and in their panic, unable to find the enemy, they could only blow up the place to prevent any evil spirits or monsters from escaping. Fang Shu thought to himself, "No wonder that guy later became an immortal, but still didn't come here again. Most likely, he knew the power of the metal poison and was even more afraid to come here."

After some thought, he looked at the dark blue cave again, his eyes filled with delight.

However, Fang Shu did not rashly venture back into the cave.

It should be noted that, according to the instructions of the master of the pavilion, after the immortals discovered that the poison of metal and stone could promote the refining of gu, they also used the poison of metal and stone in human cultivation based on this.

Soon the immortals discovered that this poison could indeed promote their cultivation, especially for those in the essence refining stage.

Medicines made from the poisons of metals and minerals are among the finest elixirs for spiritual enlightenment, with an exceptionally high success rate.

However, this kind of medicine is also a top-tier, potent drug.

No matter how solid the foundation of the person taking the medicine is, once they take it, they will have a short lifespan and be unable to have children after entering the path of Taoism.

Therefore, using the poison of metals and stones to accelerate cultivation is extremely fast and efficient, comparable to having spiritual roots.

However, it is an evil method that shortens one's lifespan. Once one enters the path, even if one succeeds in cultivating qi through it, the lost years of life cannot be made up for, and one will accumulate toxins and develop illnesses.

The master of the pavilion warned Fang Shu and the others not to rely on their own cultivation of poison techniques, which gave them considerable resistance, to purchase metal and stone poisons for their practice.

Only after becoming a Qi Refining Immortal and possessing true Qi within their body can one truly refine the poison of metal and stone, turning it into medicine, and melting the poison of metal and stone into true Qi, thus adding a bit of power.

Just now, after entering and exiting the cave, Fang Shu calmed down and discovered that his blood and energy had indeed become more vigorous for no apparent reason.

His muscles and bones were itchy, which made him excited and his blood and energy seemed to be flowing automatically.

This was because his physical body was stimulated by the poison of metal and stone, resulting in a slight increase in the efficiency of his cultivation.

Fang Shu was worried that if he entered the room carelessly, he might not be able to resist using the poison for cultivation, and that he would suffer a great loss for being greedy for a small advantage.

After careful consideration, he came up with a solution.

He first wet a cotton cloth and covered his mouth and nose. Although this could not stop the invisible poison from the metal, it could prevent the dust carrying the poison from entering his lungs.

Then, Fang Shu used his long tongue sword to cut the lead-bearing ore in the vein into blocks, making a simple set of stone helmet armor.

After that, wrapped in lead and stone, he ventured into the dark blue, ominous cave.

Sure enough, with the cotton cloth and stone helmet and armor blocking the way, the metallic smell of iron no longer lingered in his mouth and nose, and the strange sensations on his body were reduced by 80 or 90 percent, with only some skin membranes in the gaps itching.

This is within Fang Shu's tolerance level, as he has blood poisoned by purple lead and marrow poisoned by white mercury. He can get rid of the root cause by taking some medicine after returning home.

Immediately, Fang Shu nimbly moved through the cave, which was several meters in size, trying to find the mineral that could emit the poison of metal and stone.

After wandering around for a while, Fang Shu was surprised to find that the stalactites and rock walls of this cave seemed to be all poisonous.

The only non-toxic substance in the cave is the accumulated purple lead mica, which is not only non-toxic but can also neutralize and reduce the toxicity of the minerals.

This phenomenon of mutual generation and restraint amazed Fang Shu:
"Even such a potent poison can be cured within seven steps... This truly aligns with the principles of cultivation."

Without any hesitation, he took out the container he was carrying and began to plunder the purple lead mica milk in the cave, not letting a single drop go to waste.

After all, he needed these to detoxify himself after his treasure hunt.

In the end, Fang Shu managed to collect two full water sacs, a very fruitful haul!

After successfully obtaining the precious medicine, he looked around at the strange scene, but suppressed the impulse in his heart.

This place is difficult to use and excavate, so we can retreat for now and plan for the future. We can come back to use this place after everything is ready in the market.

However, just as Fang Shu was about to leave the cave, his footsteps suddenly faltered.

The worms on his body began to stir restlessly, with the most mischievous follower being the most active. It suddenly emerged from his lead-stone armor and refused to leave.

The fellow, seemingly drunk, staggered around the cave before landing with a thud in the center. He kept trying to squeeze into the cracks in the rocks, as if possessed.

This situation made Fang Shu raise an eyebrow.

(End of this chapter)