Chapter 236 | You Said You Only Wanted to Die

On the sidelines, Duan Xianxing was so anxious he nearly rushed onto the arena, only to be held back by Feng Qingping. "Don't panic!"

Several emerald-green vines suddenly burst from the center of the poison mist, growing rapidly like bamboo shoots breaking through the soil. These vines wove together into a cocoon, tightly enveloping Li Nanzhu within.

"It's Little Junior Sister's spiritual energy!" Zhu Yinxi's eyes lit up. "She's trying to use wood-attribute spiritual energy to counter wood-attribute toxins!"

Seeing this, Mu Qingwan sneered. "A mere parlor trick."

She performed a hand seal, and the poison mist instantly grew denser, causing the arena floor to sizzle as it was corroded.

Inside the vine cocoon, Li Nanzhu held her breath and focused her mind.

She could feel the external poison mist constantly eroding her vine defenses. The outermost layer had already turned a purplish-black. Strangely, however, as the innermost vines made contact with the poison, their color was actually slowly fading back to normal.

"This is..." Li Nanzhu's heart stirred. She increased her spiritual energy output, but the erosion speed of the poison mist far exceeded her expectations, and the outer vines continued to wither rapidly.

Her mind raced. Since spiritual energy alone couldn't eliminate the poison mist, what else was there...

Spiritual roots... cultivation techniques... life force...

Li Nanzhu's heart jolted. It was life force! That purest wood-attribute origin power. Perhaps...

Li Nanzhu hesitated no longer. She performed a hand seal, and emerald-green spiritual energy surged from her palms like a spring breeze brushing over withered vines.

An astonishing scene unfolded—those vines that had been corroded by the toxins actually began to slowly regain their emerald-green color upon contact with the power of life force!

Even more miraculously, the poison mist that had seeped inside gradually dissolved when it met the power of life force.

"It works!" Li Nanzhu finally revealed a smile. "The purest power of life force can neutralize wood-attribute toxins!"

She held nothing back, fully operating the Greenwood Longevity Sutra.

A dense power of life force surged from within her body. Not only did it repair the damaged vines, but it also formed an emerald barrier within the cocoon, completely isolating the poison mist.

Outside, Mu Qingwan's expression grew increasingly grim. She could feel her poison mist being rapidly purified by some force, a first since she had started practicing poison arts.

Feng Weilan spoke up, a rare occurrence. "Wood sustains wood, yet wood also counters wood. I suspect what Little Junior Sister cultivates is the purest form of life force."

"Impossible..." Mu Qingwan gritted her teeth and performed a seal. She could not lose! Absolutely not!

The jade bracelet on her wrist suddenly erupted with a piercing red light. "Heart-Siphoning Myriad Poisons!"

Purplish-black poison mist seeped from every pore of Mu Qingwan's body. This time, even her own skin began to develop purple-black markings—this was a forbidden technique of the Hundred Herbs Sect; to harm another, one must first harm oneself.

The moment the poison mist touched the vine cocoon, the outermost layer immediately turned to ash.

"Is she crazy?" Duan Xianxing rubbed his eyes hard. "The backlash from this move is immense! It's just a match, is it really worth it!"

No one could answer him. On the arena, wherever the poison mist passed, even the ground was corroded.

However, Li Nanzhu did not retreat; she advanced. Her power of life force formed a light cocoon, meeting the poison mist head-on.

"She's absorbing the poison mist and converting it into spiritual energy!" Mu Wenyan's eyes were full of admiration. "What a clever approach."

Sure enough, after being neutralized by the power of life force, the poison mist turned into pure spiritual energy that replenished Li Nanzhu's body. As one side weakened, the other grew stronger, and Mu Qingwan's face grew paler by the second.

Li Nanzhu was surrounded by a green spiritual glow. Wherever she went, the poison mist dissipated completely, like spring wind melting snow.

"Your poison is ineffective against me now," Li Nanzhu said calmly.

Mu Qingwan staggered back, her face filled with disbelief. "Impossible! How can this be!"

Li Nanzhu lightly flicked her sword. "Now, it's my turn."

She stopped defending and went on the offensive.

Emerald spiritual light coiled around the Fellow Daoist sword. Every strike she dealt rapidly detoxified any poisonous vines it touched. Even more terrifyingly, these purified vines began to feed spiritual energy back to Li Nanzhu, creating a virtuous cycle.

Mu Qingwan retreated step by step. Her great array of poisonous vines was already in tatters. What drove her to despair was that the lethal poisons she was famous for had all become nutrients for her opponent.

Just as Mu Qingwan staggered back, her right hand instinctively reached for the jade bracelet on her left wrist—that well-known "weakness" finally appeared!

A sharp light flashed in Li Nanzhu's eyes. The Fellow Daoist sword went straight for the opponent's wrist. But at the very instant the blade was about to touch the bracelet, the jade erupted with a piercing purplish-black light!

"A trap, as expected!" Li Nanzhu was prepared. Her left hand formed a seal, and a dense power of life force created a barrier before her.

Boom!

The black light collided with the emerald barrier, erupting in a startling surge of spiritual energy. Even more frighteningly, that light actually penetrated the life force barrier and plunged directly into Li Nanzhu's brow!

The onlookers cried out in alarm. Duan Xianxing nearly jumped out of his skin. However, to everyone's surprise, Li Nanzhu only shook her head slightly, her offensive not slowing down in the slightest!

"How is this possible?!" Mu Qingwan's face turned deathly pale. This divine sense attack was her final trump card. To think it would be useless against a female cultivator in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage!

But Li Nanzhu's sword tip was already three inches from her throat. "Do you concede?"

Mu Qingwan's lips trembled, her eyes full of disbelief. "You... you must have a protective magic treasure on you! Otherwise, how could you..."

Her voice was loud enough for everyone in the nearby spectator stands to hear clearly.

Naturally, Li Nanzhu would not explain the fact that her divine sense far exceeded those of the same level. She simply repeated calmly, "Do you concede?"

"I... I concede!" Mu Qingwan ground her teeth. "You only won because of your magic treasure!"

"Arena Five, Li Nanzhu of the Five Elements Dao Sect wins!"

When the referee announced the result, a clamor broke out in the stands. Many people whispered to each other, clearly believing Mu Qingwan's claim—that this female cultivator from the Five Elements Dao Sect must possess a high-grade defensive magic treasure.

Walking off the arena, Duan Xianxing was the first to rush up. "Little Junior Sister! Are you okay? What was that black light?"

"I'm fine," Li Nanzhu said dismissively. "It was likely some sort of divine sense attack. Fortunately, I was prepared for it."

She quietly signaled Mu Wenyan with her eyes.

Understanding her, he immediately changed the subject. "Let's go back first."

Returning to their quarters, Feng Qingping immediately set up a soundproofing barrier. Only then did the group notice the fine beads of sweat on Li Nanzhu's forehead. Clearly, that last strike had not been as easy as it appeared.

"That was indeed a divine sense attack," Li Nanzhu said, wiping her sweat. "But my divine sense strength... is a bit special."

Feng Qingping nodded upon hearing this. After all, she had personally witnessed her little junior sister's divine sense power. Not to mention, her junior sister had just experienced a sudden enlightenment before the competition; her mastery of her divine sense had surely reached a higher level.

Mu Wenyan said thoughtfully, "This is an unexpected blessing. Now that everyone thinks you won using a magic treasure, it actually helps hide your true strength."

"I have Mu Qingwan to thank for that," Li Nanzhu said with a smile. "If she hadn't shouted that on the arena, I really wouldn't have known how to explain it."