The Woeful Poison Body was like a Pandora's box—once opened, it was nearly impossible to shut again.
Once activated, the Woeful Poison Body would constantly crave poison. As long as it consumed poison, it would grow stronger. The more lethal the poison, the more rapid the increase in strength.
But poison is still poison. Though the Woeful Poison Body could suppress its corrosive effects, once the amount of poison ingested surpassed what the body could suppress, the internal poison would spiral out of control, and the host would eventually die in agonizing pain from countless toxins devouring the body.
That was the fate of the Woeful Poison Body.
From the moment of its birth, its future had already been written. Throughout history, there had never been an exception.
Lin Ran looked at Xiao Yixian's face, gently toying with the jade bottle in his hand. Then, with a light push of Dou Qi, he wrapped the bottle's contents and placed it in front of her.
"Absorb it."
"W-What?"
Xiao Yixian lifted her head in confusion, seemingly unable to believe what Lin Ran had just said.
"I said, absorb it."
Lin Ran's voice was calm. "Since you crave it so much, why not follow your true desire?"
"No… I can't."
Xiao Yixian quickly shook her head. "I can't consume any more of these things. If I do, I won't be able to suppress it."
"If my poison body erupts, you'll die. Even if you survive, the entire Qingshan Town will be engulfed in my poison. Nothing will survive—no people, no beasts."
She was visibly panicked. Since Lin Ran knew about the Woeful Poison Body, he should also understand how terrifying it was. Why was he still urging her to consume more poison and force a full outbreak?
"I can't take it again..."
"I said absorb it. This is the third time I've repeated myself."
Lin Ran's smile remained gentle, but his tone left no room for negotiation.
Xiao Yixian's lips trembled. She lowered her gaze, her expression filled with conflicting emotions.
Her time in Qingshan Town hadn't exactly been happy, but it was a rare period of relative peace in her otherwise chaotic life.
Even though recent days had been filled with trouble—the pressure from Mr. Yao, the threat of the Wolfhead Mercenary Group—Xiao Yixian had already made up her mind to leave.
But still, part of her didn't want to cause needless bloodshed.
Forget it. To the people of Qingshan Town, this is my fault.
With a soft sigh, she opened her mouth and swallowed all of the poison powder that had been wrapped in Dou Qi.
As soon as the poison entered her body, within a few breaths, Xiao Yixian's face flushed with an unnatural seven-colored hue. Her expression once again took on that intoxicated look.
Consuming such a strong dose of poison in a short time caused the Woeful Poison Body to surge in strength, pushing her dangerously close to a poison outbreak. She could clearly feel the toxic Dou Qi in her body growing beyond her control.
She may have possessed the Woeful Poison Body and even activated it earlier, but her actual cultivation had only started after she received the Poison Scripture a few months ago.
It was only then that she truly understood her constitution had a name—Woeful Poison Body.
To be honest, Xiao Yixian had only been cultivating for a few months, and yet, she had already achieved what others would take years to accomplish.
The toxic Dou Qi swirled out of her, like a thick fog filling the room. Her breath became heavy, and her limbs weakened.
The poison is too strong... too overwhelming.
Just as she was about to collapse, a sudden warmth pressed against her lips.
A powerful, fiery Yang energy flowed from those lips and surged into her body.
"Mm!"
That pure Yang energy shocked Xiao Yixian back to consciousness.
Her eyes flew wide open in astonishment. Staring at the figure leaning over her, feeling the warmth of their lips, she instinctively tried to push him away.
But that energy entering her body was doing something strange. It wasn't just purging the poison—it felt soothing, even... pleasurable.
It made her want to moan.
She bit her lip and suppressed the impulse, but even so, her snowy-white face had turned crimson. She looked ethereal, beautiful enough to stir the soul.
Pss... pss... pss...
Tiny sounds crackled in the room, like drops of water falling onto a burning pan—instantly vaporized.
If someone else were here, they would have been shocked.
The room, once filled with dense, grey-black toxic mist, was now being rapidly cleared.
No—it wasn't just dispersing. It was being absorbed.
The source of this power was Lin Ran's cultivation technique—Blissful Meditation Art, the greatest secret of the Cloud Rain Sect.
This technique was classified as a Heaven-Rank Low-Grade Technique, but its true nature was extremely peculiar. Only through a unique form of dual cultivation could its true power be unleashed.
More importantly, the technique had two components—Mother and Child.
The full version, known as Blissful Meditation Art, could only be practiced by the sect's highest-level disciples. In the entire sect, only the Scorpion Demon Trio and Lin Ran, the Holy Son, were qualified to cultivate it.
The Child version, called Extreme Bliss Art, was Earth-Rank and distributed to the sect's 'furnaces'—the women selected for dual cultivation.
Once they practiced it, their Dou Qi could be harvested and refined by those cultivating the Mother technique.
For some special physiques, like the Woeful Poison Body, the benefits would be enormous.
The reason Lin Ran could reach the Dou Zong realm by seventeen was precisely because, after becoming a Dou Zhe, he began practicing the Blissful Meditation Art, and—with the help of the Scorpion Demon Trio—refined energy through dual cultivation to skyrocket his power.
Now, even though he hadn't engaged in true dual cultivation with Xiao Yixian, and even though she hadn't practiced Extreme Bliss Art, the intense toxic Dou Qi within her had triggered Lin Ran's Yang-based energy.
If it were only Blissful Meditation Art, it wouldn't have reacted so strongly. But Lin Ran possessed the Pure Yang Body, which had already caused his technique to undergo a unique mutation.
Devour.
Absorb.
The moment Xiao Yixian's poisoned Dou Qi was released, Lin Ran's Dou Qi responded like a starving beast.
In just a few breaths, the poison mist within the room vanished completely.
Of course, this was partly because Xiao Yixian's strength still wasn't high—her Dou Qi was at best at the level of a Dou Zhe. To a Dou Zong, this was like dust in the wind.
Had Lin Ran not carefully restrained himself, her entire cultivation, even her blood essence and soul, might've been devoured in an instant.
That was the terrifying power of the Blissful Meditation Art combined with the Pure Yang Body.
Xiao Yixian was unaware of this.
At this moment, she leaned weakly against Lin Ran's chest, panting gently. Her long eyelashes trembled, and her flushed cheeks were still recovering from the fever-like glow.
She didn't know what she had just been through, only that her Dou Qi had risen sharply and that her poison craving had been soothed.
But her heart beat rapidly, faster than it had ever beaten before.
She didn't even know if she should be afraid or grateful.
Lin Ran smiled faintly, lifting a hand to gently smooth a strand of hair from her cheek.
"You've already crossed the line, Xiao Yixian. There's no going back."
Xiao Yixian lowered her gaze, biting her lip, not saying a word.
She didn't deny it.
Because she knew—he was right.
The Woeful Poison Body had awakened fully.
And now, there was no turning back.
(End of Chapter)