The Black Lotus Reborn: The Entire Sect Kneels and Begs for My Forgiveness

Chapter 417 Mass Food Poisoning

On the border of the Tianlong Dynasty, the wind howled and the yellow sand filled the sky.

The Heavenly Dragon Emperor was dressed in a majestic suit of armor, his cloak billowing in the wind. His brows were furrowed, and his gaze was fixed on the distance.

Behind them were soldiers and cultivators from various powerful families. These cultivators had different expressions; some were tense, while others pretended to be calm, but without exception, they were all affected by the gloom of the impending great battle.

"Reporting to you, sir, the Holy Dynasty's army is just ahead. It numbers a million, three or four times more than ours."

A striker galloped up, dismounted, knelt on one knee, and spoke with a hint of anxiety in his voice.

Emperor Tianlong sighed softly. The enemy was coming with great force, and their military strength alone was much greater than theirs. Moreover, according to reliable sources, there were many experts at the Great Ascension Realm in the Holy Dynasty's army.

Given this stark disparity in strength, they seem to have absolutely no chance of winning this battle.

However, just as the people on the Tianlong Emperor's side were in a state of panic, in the opposing Holy Dynasty's camp, the Third Prince was riding a tall horse, looking down at the Tianlong Dynasty's 200,000 troops.

His face was full of disdain.

"They're just a bunch of rabble. All troops, prepare for battle!"

His voice was high-pitched and arrogant, echoing over the army. This battle was of great significance to him; he wanted to use it to make a name for himself and wash away the humiliation he had suffered at the hands of the Crown Prince.

Just as the Third Prince raised his arm high, ready to give orders, a strange situation suddenly occurred in the army.

The usually well-trained and upright soldiers of the Holy Dynasty now all had extremely ugly expressions.

First, several people covered their mouths, and then they bent over and vomited.

Immediately afterwards, many more people felt their legs go weak and collapsed to the ground due to exhaustion.

Even worse, some people fainted without any warning, lying stiffly on the ground, unconscious.

"what happened?"

The third prince was taken aback; the arrogance on his face vanished instantly, replaced by panic and confusion.

He yanked hard on the reins, and the horse beneath him pawed restlessly.

"Your Highness, the soldiers seem to have been poisoned."

Upon seeing this, General Liang and several of his deputies immediately rode off to investigate.

After a thorough examination, their faces turned deathly pale, as if they had seen a ghost, and they hurriedly returned to report to the Third Prince.

Poisoning?

How could someone be poisoned when they were perfectly healthy?

Aren't the soldiers' food supplies transported and guarded by designated personnel?

The Third Prince gritted his teeth, his eyes wide with anger and confusion.

Since he suffered a great loss at Tang's place last time, he has become more cautious. Although the soldiers' diet cannot be strictly controlled by a dedicated person like his own, he still arranges for the team doctor to check it carefully every day.

There's no reason for such a huge blunder to occur, especially with hundreds of thousands of people experiencing vomiting and diarrhea simultaneously; it's simply unbelievable.

Meanwhile, the crown prince, riding on his horse with his head down, couldn't help but smirk slightly as he chuckled to himself.

"The poison I used was special; none of the team doctors noticed it."

Master's poison is indeed effective.

Before leaving, Ye Yunong gave the Crown Prince a bottle of pills in order to deal with the Third Prince.

The Crown Prince initially tried everything but couldn't find a way to directly poison the Third Prince. He felt he couldn't explain this to his master and lost his appetite all day long.

After much thought, he finally came up with a "brilliant" idea.

Since they couldn't directly target the Third Prince, they decided to target the soldiers instead. Since the soldiers were poisoned and unable to march or fight, the battle would naturally fall apart.

"Report!"

A sharp shout pierced the tense, oppressive air, and a vanguard rode back at breakneck speed on a warhorse.

The dust kicked up by the horse's hooves billowed behind him, and his voice, carrying an undisguised urgency, could be heard from afar even before he got close.

The forward reported loudly.

"Your Majesty, it seems that the Holy Dynasty's army has been struck by an unknown epidemic. The soldiers are vomiting and having diarrhea, and are unable to march immediately."

The opposing coach has already ordered them to set up camp and regroup.

This news was like a bombshell, instantly causing an uproar among the Heavenly Dragon Emperor and his soldiers and cultivators.

The crowd was taken aback at first, then a commotion broke out, with whispers and murmurs rising and falling.

The Heavenly Dragon Emperor's already furrowed brows tightened even more, his eyes filled with doubt. He subconsciously gripped the sword at his waist, as if this sudden news was some kind of dangerous signal.

"Could this be some kind of conspiracy or trick by the other side?"

Sect Leader Liu and his disciples stood ready, their magical artifacts gleaming, preparing to strike.

Suddenly hearing the Heavenly Dragon Emperor's strict order for the soldiers to set up camp and rest on the spot, he couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Upon inquiring, he learned that something had happened to the Holy Dynasty's army, which deepened his doubts and made his expression extremely solemn.

"Sect Leader Liu is absolutely right. The Holy Dynasty's military strength far surpasses ours, so how could such a sudden epidemic have occurred so mysteriously?"

A patriarch of a prominent family stroked his beard, shook his head, and spoke with a look of disbelief in his eyes.

"Maybe they're deliberately feigning weakness to lure us in."

"They'll attack us suddenly once we let our guard down," another cultivator chimed in, his face full of worry.

Immediately, the crowd began to discuss the matter, and doubts abounded.

However, some people showed joy, after all, this seemed to be a turning point. If the Holy Dynasty's army was really weakened by the epidemic, then they would have a glimmer of hope.

Emperor Tianlong remained silent, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces as he weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

The course of this war seems to have become even more unpredictable because of this news.

Upon hearing of the unusual behavior of the Holy Dynasty's army, the Heavenly Dragon Emperor acted decisively, waving his hand and issuing a loud order.

"All troops, set up camp!"

The soldiers set up a makeshift camp, and a tense and cautious atmosphere filled the air.

At the same time, the Heavenly Dragon Emperor selected several experienced spies and secretly gave them instructions.

"We must keep a close eye on every move in the enemy camp, and report back immediately even if there is the slightest disturbance."

Inside the Holy Dynasty's military camp, the Third Prince was pacing back and forth in his tent, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

His forehead was covered with a dense layer of sweat.

"So, have you found the antidote yet?"

He abruptly stopped and roared at a group of panicked alchemists in the center of the camp.

These alchemists were all elites in the army, skilled in refining all kinds of pills, but now they were helpless in the face of this mysterious poison.

Hearing the Third Prince's roar, they all lowered their heads, their faces showing shame.

The white-haired alchemist at the head of the group stepped forward cautiously, cupped his hands, and said...

"Your Highness, we have tried our best and tried various methods of detoxification, and have refined dozens of antidote pills, but for some reason, they have no effect on this poison at all."

Upon hearing this, the Third Prince's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, like an enraged beast. He slammed his fist on the table beside him, leaving a deep fist mark on the thick wooden table, and roared.

"A bunch of trash!

"What use are you if you can't even refine a mere antidote?"

The alchemists were so frightened that they all knelt down, not daring to utter a sound.

He knew that the soldiers were now sickly and their fighting capacity was greatly reduced, so he had to change his strategy in this war that he had originally thought he would win.