Chapter 279: Uncle Master

Steward Lu on the side now knew that this middle-aged man was the impostor Doctor Bai. His face twisted, and the corner of his clothes was nearly torn off.

Even if you didn't recognize the special envoy, you should at least recognize the poison master badge on his chest, right?

A three-star poison master—this Poison Hall didn't have one. If he wasn't from headquarters, where did he come from?

With a little attention, you could have known all this...

And then he directly said, 'Who do you think you are? Did I give you permission to speak?'...

Damn it, damn, damn, damn!

Before, there might have been an excuse, but now, slapping faces in public, there was no room for turning back!

Though they hadn't known each other long, in Red Lotus City, this Doctor Bai was very capable and measured. How did he become so reckless here?

By doing this, you're not just harming yourself; you might get the old master killed, and even I will suffer undeserved disaster.

The two were about to go mad, while Liao Xun and the others also twitched their mouths.

They had seen arrogance, but never such arrogance!

An impostor talking to the real special envoy like this—this wasn't just bold!

It was simply... courting death!

And a very miserable death at that.

'Self-inflicted doom, no escape!'

'Now it's fine; we don't need to act. The special envoy will deal with him!'

The remaining two vice hall masters also wore expressions of schadenfreude.

Impersonating the special envoy and fooling them—just thinking about it felt humiliating. They wished they could break his bones and teach him a lesson.

Now it seemed they wouldn't even get the chance.

'What did you say?'

Sure enough, the special envoy's anger flared up instantly. His powerful aura shot into the sky, pressing down on everyone, making it hard to breathe.

Supreme Realm!

As guessed, this special envoy was actually a Supreme Realm expert!

The ninth rank of martial arts, Supreme—heaven and earth vast, only I am supreme. Strength exceeding ten thousand cauldrons, with the power to destroy cities and ravage mountains.

Now enraged, heaven and earth rumbled. His pure power surged like giant waves, giving a sense of facing divine might, impossible to resist.

Liao Xun and the others shrank their necks, involuntarily stepping back.

The Great Pill King also changed color, curling up into a ball.

Too terrifying.

Even a Grandmaster peak would have no power to resist.

Just as they thought the impostor before them would surely be overwhelmed by the aura and reveal his flaws, they saw him raise an eyebrow, his face full of displeasure.

'How dare you!'

With a loud shout, Zhang Xuan waved his hand: 'You reckless fool, dare to attack me? Who gave you the nerve?'

'Ah...'

The Great Pill King twitched.

Displeased? What the hell are you displeased about!

And 'reckless fool'...

Brother, where do you get your confidence?

You've been exposed already. If you keep pretending, he'll really kill you...

Though he couldn't tell Doctor Bai's exact strength, from their days together, he was only around Grandmaster level, certainly not higher than his own Grandmaster peak.

Even he couldn't resist this special envoy, so why are you still putting on airs?

...

'Very well. An impostor dares to speak to me like this—truly an eye-opener. Since you're courting death, I'll kill you now!'

Unexpectedly, even after releasing his aura, the other party not only wasn't afraid but called him reckless. The special envoy felt he was going mad, murderous intent rising in his eyes.

Headquarters sent only him—how could this be anything but a fake?

A fake daring to rebuke him—he really didn't know if this guy had a brain problem or just enormous nerve!

His body flickered, and he shot forward like lightning, his five fingers spread, radiating immense power, instantly enveloping Zhang Xuan.

The Supreme Realm, also called the Ten Thousand Cauldrons Realm, had strength exceeding ten thousand cauldrons. As soon as he struck, he displayed true power, pressing down like a tidal wave, leaving no place to hide. Even a small hill could be easily blasted to dust.

Suppressed by this force, those of lower cultivation went rigid all over, barely able to execute martial techniques.

Zhang Xuan's Heavenly Dao true qi was pure and suffered little from this suppression, but he was only a Half-Step Grandmaster, far too inferior to the Supreme Realm—incomparable!

Though he could fight above his level, it was limited to early Grandmaster. The difference was like heaven and earth; he couldn't resist, only relying on the Heavenly Dao movement technique to dodge a fatal blow.

Feeling the pressure on him, his mind raced, his face calm, but Zhang Xuan's heart was extremely anxious.

He had already guessed that the other party might be the real envoy, but now he could not retreat; otherwise, he would surely die, and no one could save him.

Aren't you arrogant?

Then I'll be even more arrogant.

Only this way could he bluff the other party and make him hesitate.

Who would have thought this guy didn't fall for it at all and directly made a move, putting him at a disadvantage instead.

"Flaw!"

Knowing that even if he wanted to escape, he could only dodge one or two moves before his stamina ran out, and he still couldn't flee from a Supreme Realm expert, he quickly communicated with the Heavenly Dao Library.

A book appeared before his eyes.

Seeing the content, Zhang Xuan's nervous mood stabilized. His figure, which had been about to use the Heavenly Dao Movement Technique to flee, also stopped, instantly as steady as Mount Tai, and a cold voice rang out.

"Gu Mu, do you dare to make a move against me? Do you want your entire clan to be wiped out?"

Whoosh!

"You..."

Hearing this, the originally calm envoy was startled, and his forward momentum came to a hard stop: "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

He had received orders from headquarters and traveled all the way from afar, never having mentioned his name.

Before receiving the orders, he had been in seclusion training. Except for those who had assessed him and a few friends, basically no one knew him. Logically, in such a remote place, it was even more impossible for anyone to know him. Yet this fellow blurted out his name, filling him with great curiosity.

Of course, although he stopped, his power was held back but ready to burst forth. If the other party spoke nonsense, it would surge out and blast him to death.

Seeing him stop, Zhang Xuan knew he had bet correctly and breathed a sigh of relief.

Everyone has a curious nature. No matter how angry, hearing a stranger suddenly call out your name will cause doubt. As long as there was doubt, through the records in the library, he had a way to make him dare not make a move.

With his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan's face was calm, his posture straight as a spear, as if the other's pressure and anger caused him no fear.

"The fourteenth successful three-star poison master in the Xuanyuan Enfeoffed Kingdom branch. From reaching three-star to the peak of three-star, it took only five years. You are hailed as the super genius of the entire branch, unseen in a hundred years!"

"Born with an interest in poison, at fourteen you passed the poison master apprentice assessment, concocted [Xuanre Powder], and poisoned your enemy's entire family of 314 people. At seventeen, you became a formal poison master, developed [Soul-Breaking Powder], and successfully poisoned a Grandmaster Realm initial-stage expert. At twenty-six, you passed the two-star poison master assessment, concocted [Soft Bone Incense], and poisoned a Grandmaster Realm peak-level savage beast..."

"At thirty-five, you became a disciple of the Hundred Changes Poison Master Ling Hong. This year you are exactly forty-four. In terms of poison use, almost no one in the Xuanyuan branch can surpass you... This time, headquarters issued orders for you to come and act as envoy, actually to train you so you can take over as the next hall master of the branch!"

"These..." Zhang Xuan paused, smiled lightly, and looked at the envoy: "May I ask if what I said is correct?"

"You... who exactly are you?"

Envoy Gu Mu narrowed his eyes.

These matters were almost unknown except to his closest people, especially the orders from headquarters. The other party spoke them out in one breath, knowing him like the back of his hand...

Who the hell is it?

Among the people he knew, not one looked like this.

In other words, he didn't know this person at all—how could he describe his affairs in such detail?

Ignoring the other's question, Zhang Xuan smiled lightly and continued, "You've been bent on breaking through to a Four-Star Poison Master, even willing to test poisons on yourself. Others think you're so devoted to the art of poison that you'd give your life for it, and they admire you deeply. But in reality, you're planning to avenge your dead wife!"

"Because your enemy is... a Four-Star Poison Master, whose skill with poison surpasses yours. Without reaching that level, you can't possibly kill him!"

"You... you..."

His face turned pale, Gu Mu's pupils contracted, and his entire expression was as if he had seen a ghost.

That's right.

All along, he had trained desperately, researched new poisons tirelessly, and even tested them on himself without hesitation—all for the sake of revenge!

However, this matter was a secret buried deep in his heart; he had never spoken of it, nor dared to reveal it.

After all, every poison master was a valuable resource for the Poison Hall. If anyone learned that he intended to poison a four-star poison master, someone would surely stop him.

Thus, this had always been his secret, known to no one. How could he not be shocked and terrified that this stranger before him had blurted it out?

"Your current cultivation is at the Supreme Peak. To become a four-star poison master, you need to break through to a higher realm. To achieve this, you chew [Green Snake Grass] every day and apply it to the Shenmen acupoint, hoping to increase your potential. You smear [Bone-Eroding Powder] on the Shenhun acupoint, trying to enhance your mental state. The intense poison stimulation has increased both your power and mental state, but it has drained your life force. If I'm not mistaken, you are at the end of your rope and could die at any moment!"

Circling around the other person once, Zhang Xuan let out a sigh.

The other attacked him, displaying martial techniques, which thus formed a book. The book recorded the flaws in the other's body—they were like a sieve, everywhere, over a hundred places in total!

To outsiders, he appeared glorious, a dignified three-star peak poison master on the verge of becoming a hall master, but in reality, his body had reached its limit and could give out at any moment.

Given this situation, he might not even live for three more years.

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

Stumbling back a few steps, Gu Mu's face turned pale.

What the other said was absolutely correct—he was now using his life to enhance his strength, because if he didn't, even if he died, he wouldn't reach the level of a four-star poison master. Without that level, how could he take revenge?

If he couldn't take revenge, even after death, he wouldn't be able to face his deceased wife underground.

"Who exactly are you?"

Clenching his fists, he couldn't help but look over again.

To know his affairs so clearly and show no fear of his attacks—could he be an unknown senior from the Xuanyuan branch?

"Who am I..."

Zhang Xuan raised his head, his gaze distant, as if looking into the far distance: "Of course you don't know who I am, because... even your teacher would have to address me as..."

"...Uncle Master!"