Nonsense! How could my adopted son be a villain?

Although the lack of a pill furnace caused many inconveniences, it did not stump Xu Lingguang, who was always one to create conditions for himself.

If you can't refine poison pills, you can refine venom.

He recalled some pill formulas related to the spiny-tailed crocodile and chose a simple one. After starting to refine pills, Xu Lingguang discovered that the principles of alchemy are actually interconnected; many medicinal materials can be substituted for one another, and their effects will also change slightly.

When he got tired of refining elixirs, he would ponder these interesting little changes.

For example, the same formula can be used to refine pills, but if a pill furnace is not used, and the medicinal materials are simply fused together with spiritual fire, the resulting liquid will still be effective. However, the medicinal effect of an unrefined liquid will certainly not be as pure as that of a refined pill.

But at this point, we should use whatever we have.

Xu Lingguang first used the blood of the crocodile as the main ingredient, and then used several poisonous herbs picked along the way to replace the ingredients in the prescription, attempting to refine the medicinal liquid of the Numbing and Bone-Penetrating Pill from Yuan Jiu's Notes.

According to Yuan Jiu's experimental records, this numbing and bone-penetrating pill will quickly invade the human body and cause poisoning if it comes into contact with a wound. First, the skin that has been in contact with it will turn bluish-black. Then, the limbs covered by the bluish-black will become numb and unable to move. Finally, this numbness will evolve into an unspeakable itching sensation, making the poisoned person feel as if a thousand ants are gnawing at their heart.

Yuan Jiu commented: "It's both tingling and numb; there's nothing more blissful than this."

Xu Lingguang thought the name of the Numbing and Bone-Penetrating Pill was strange and the description was not very proper, but since it was a relatively effective but not fatal poison, he had no choice but to use it.

After all, he was just here to earn some extra money. If he really used some deadly poison to go on a killing spree, not only would he not be able to get over his own conscience, but he would also probably be regarded as a heretic and hunted down by righteous cultivators when he got out.

To prevent the medicinal properties of the liquid from differing from those of the pills, Xu Lingguang caught a bird to test its effects.

After two drops of medicine were applied to the bird, it quickly collapsed to the ground, convulsing uncontrollably. The skin under its feathers turned bluish-black, but it did not appear to be in any danger of dying.

Xu Lingguang was relieved. He took his sword and cut down many thin branches. He cut all the branches to the same length, sharpened one end, and soaked them in the medicinal liquid. After they were thoroughly soaked, he dried them and put them away. This made a batch of poisoned arrows.

The spirit bow could indeed be used to condense spiritual energy into arrows, but it was too much of a drain on Xu Lingguang's still-healing injuries, so he chose to make his own arrows.

Poison arrows alone didn't seem enough to protect him, so Xu Lingguang thought for a moment and then went to the trouble of cutting off the longest and sharpest bone spur on the crocodile's body. He wrapped the end with a strip of cloth, and it became a sharp and portable dagger.

He strapped the dagger to his calf, stored the dried poisoned arrows and the unused crocodile carcass in his storage ring, and then set off again.

This time, he chose to head east. He had been traveling west along the river, but had never encountered anyone from Jiuzhuan Mountain Villa, so he guessed that they might meet in another area and decided to head east to take a look.

Xu Lingguang didn't walk in a hurry. The mountain valley was rich in vegetation, and he even came across a patch of red umbrella mushrooms. He picked out many that he could use and stored them in his Sumeru Ring. After another day and night of trekking, the surface of the Sumeru Ring began to shimmer again.

The light wasn't very strong this time, indicating that it was quite far away.

Xu Lingguang confirmed the direction and then cautiously approached.

Based on his observations and experience over the past three days, wherever there are magical artifacts and treasures, there will inevitably be various dangers, either competitors who are also cultivators, or strange beasts guarding the treasures.

It's probably just the perverse sense of humor of those cultivators who are allocating resources; they certainly won't let you comfortably pick up magical artifacts for free.

Xu Lingguang crept closer and could hear the sounds of fierce fighting coming from below from a great distance.

He was in a higher position, and as he peered down from the rocks, he saw two groups of people fighting fiercely with swords flashing and various spells and talismans flying everywhere.

Both groups were easily identifiable by their disciples' robes; one side was from Nine Turns Manor, and the other was naturally from Hidden Edge Sect.

With five or six more people from the Hidden Peak Sect, they had a numerical advantage, putting the Nine Turns Manor at a disadvantage.

Xu Lingguang peered closer and actually spotted Chai Feng and Dongyang Li in the crowd.

Chai Feng wielded a large, heavy, dark red broadsword, which he swung with great force. The disciples of the Hidden Edge Sect feared his broadsword and dared not approach too closely. The disciples of the Nine Turns Manor, who were already at a disadvantage, hid in the safe zone created by Chai Feng, occasionally launching surprise attacks.

Dongyang Li was one of them. He held a red whip in his hand and cooperated very well with Chai Feng. When Chai Feng swung his knife, he flicked his whip. The wind from the knife and the long whip forced the Cangfeng Sect to retreat step by step.

The Hidden Peak Sect probably realized that a frontal attack would be difficult, so they simply changed their strategy. They used their numerical advantage to surround them, preventing them from escaping, and then focused their long-range attacks on Chai Feng.

Chai Feng was about to swing his knife, and he couldn't bother to defend against the cold arrows that were being shot at him from time to time. Before long, he was injured on his face and body.

Seeing this, Dongyang Li ground his teeth and said angrily, "They want to wear you down first, and then defeat you one by one when you can't hold on anymore. Otherwise, fight them now and take as many as you can with you."

Aside from him and Chai Feng, the other members of their group didn't use their usual weapons, making them difficult to wield. Coupled with their smaller numbers compared to the Hidden Edge Sect, they were outnumbered and found themselves at a disadvantage.

Chai Feng said in a deep voice, "Don't fall for their provocation. It's just a minor injury, nothing serious."

Dongyang Li gritted his teeth in resentment, increasing the speed of his whip strikes. However, the people from Cangfeng Sect were determined to wear them down, keeping their distance. Only one cultivator using talismans would occasionally provoke them by throwing a lightning strike talisman or a fire talisman.

Xu Lingguang, who was hiding above, understood the situation. He took out a spirit bow and arrows from his Sumeru Ring and quietly aimed at the cultivator who threw the talisman.

His aim was excellent, and his attack was completely unexpected. The cultivator was struck by the arrow so suddenly that he didn't even have time to react. It wasn't until he noticed that his arm had turned bluish-black that he panicked and cried out, "Someone has ambushed me!"

The leader of the Hidden Edge Sect was a tall, cold-faced female cultivator. She looked sharply at Chai Feng and Dongyang Li: "Do you have any helpers?"

Although Dongyang Li didn't know what was going on, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, so it wouldn't be wrong to call them their helpers. So he raised his chin and sneered, "What, are you scared already?"

The female cultivator frowned in thought, then said to the other disciples, "Be careful."

Then he went to check on the condition of the monk who had been shot by an arrow.

The cultivator's arm had turned bluish-black, his arm stretched out straight, and his eyes were beginning to glaze over. The female cultivator used her spiritual power to seal his meridians, her gaze sweeping in the direction the arrow had come from, trying to find the one who had fired it.

Xu Lingguang hid behind a rock.

After his searching gaze shifted elsewhere, he took another moment to fire an arrow. This time, he hit a short, stout cultivator. The man was on guard and dodged to the side, but the arrow still grazed his shoulder. The poison spread very quickly, and he soon collapsed, convulsing.

With two disciples lost in succession, the Cangfeng Sect's numerical advantage was no longer so significant.

Seeing this, Dongyang Li narrowed his eyes and said, "Great opportunity! It's our turn to step in!"

After saying that, he flicked his whip and charged forward. Chai Feng followed closely behind him, and the two worked together to quickly disrupt the Hidden Edge Sect's original plan.

The other disciples from Nine Turns Manor followed behind, using weapons that weren't quite right for them, to finish off the attackers.

The two sides clashed again, and Xu Lingguang gripped his bow with a hint of nervousness, worried that he might accidentally injure his own men. Although the poison wasn't lethal, losing a teammate was still a huge loss.

He carefully fired three more arrows, successfully taking down three of them.

The female cultivator who was leading the group was extremely skilled. To catch the thief, you have to catch the leader first. Xu Lingguang originally wanted to shoot her, but he found that she would intentionally or unintentionally get close to the disciples of Nine Turns Manor and use their bodies to shield herself. To be on the safe side, Xu Lingguang had no choice but to turn to the other unlucky ones.

Let's leave this difficult female cultivator to Chai Feng and Dongyang Li.

Because of the sneak attacks, Cangfeng Sect lost five disciples in a short period of time, bringing their numbers to the same level as Jiuzhuan Manor.

In addition, the disciples of Nine Turns Manor were already holding back their anger, and now with the help of someone in secret, the situation has been turned around. Their morale has been greatly boosted and they are fighting more and more bravely. With the cooperation of Chai Feng and Dongyang Li, they have gained the upper hand in no time.

Chai Feng used his large sword to suppress the leading female cultivator with the highest cultivation level, while Dongyang Li and the others quickly subdued the remaining disciples of the Cangfeng Sect.

Upon seeing this, the female cultivator promptly threw down her sword, her face as cold as frost and snow.

Dongyang Li smiled and held out his hand: "Hand over the Sumeru Ring."

The female cultivator's eye twitched, and she accepted her bet, taking off the Sumeru Ring and handing it to him.

She conceded defeat, and the remaining ten disciples of the Hidden Edge Sect obediently handed over their Sumeru Rings and were eliminated.