“Hahaha… hahaha…”
Xiao Fei laughed heartily as he walked forward.
Fortunately, there was no one else around besides him, otherwise, he would have had a hard time explaining himself and would have been considered mentally unstable.
He could only rely on the Law of Laughter to overcome the influence of the poison on his mind and prevent his thoughts from going astray.
Meanwhile, the mid-grade Tai Xu Di Hun Pill he had taken was continuously repairing his damaged primordial spirit.
As he continued to advance, the poison grew more potent, and the mid-grade Tai Xu Di Hun Pill within his body was consumed faster and faster.
Xiao Fei carefully sensed the direction from which the fragrance was coming and quickened his pace towards the source of the poison.
Along the way, many pink flowers bloomed, creating a mesmerizing sea of pink from a distance.
He confirmed that the poison was not emanating from these pink flowers.
However, he still dug up a few pink flower seedlings from the roadside and transplanted them into his spatial realm.
After walking a short distance further, the mid-grade Tai Xu Di Hun Pill in his body was completely consumed.
He had to take out another mid-grade pill and throw it into his mouth, continuing his journey.
As he ventured deeper, the frequency of him taking pills increased.
Often, a mid-grade pill would be consumed shortly after he swallowed it.
While walking forward, he also had to calculate the distance and his pills, ensuring he didn't exhaust all of them.
Otherwise, he might very well die on the way back.
Xiao Fei swallowed a high-grade pill, having made up his mind.
When the medicinal properties of this pill were depleted, if he still hadn't found the source of the poison, he would turn back.
Just then, he noticed that the sea of pink flowers had disappeared ahead, and a large area was barren.
In the center of this barren area stood a graceful woman in red, dancing gracefully.
Her movements were as graceful as a startled swan, as fluid as a coiling dragon… as ethereal as clouds veiling the moon, as graceful as flowing wind and swirling snow…
Xiao Fei's heart swayed, and he couldn't help but walk towards the woman in red.
The thought of dying under the peony, yet being a romantic ghost, was a true reflection of his current mood.
He just wanted to get a little closer.
“Hahaha… hahaha…”
After a burst of laughter, Xiao Fei was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized that what he saw ahead was not a real person, but a flower.
This flower had no leaves, stood about three feet tall, and was crimson red like blood. It moved as if in a dance even without wind, appearing incredibly alluring.
Beneath this flower, countless white bones were piled up, some ancient and already turned to dust.
“Hahaha… I finally found you!”
Xiao Fei was overjoyed. He had finally found the source of the poison in the secret realm.
He had once read a description of this flower in an ancient text.
This flower was called "Zhu Yan Bai Gu" (Crimson Face White Bone). It had long since disappeared from the Eastern Continent, and its traces had not been found in the Tian Yuan Realm for at least tens of thousands of years.
The poison he encountered in the secret realm was the floral fragrance emitted by "Zhu Yan Bai Gu."
"Zhu Yan Bai Gu" bloomed after three thousand years of growth, flowered for three thousand years, then withered and died, hibernating underground for three thousand years before sprouting again.
This cycle of three thousand years, totaling nine thousand years, constituted one reincarnation.
With each reincarnation, "Zhu Yan Bai Gu" would grow one foot taller, and its toxicity would increase by one point.
This "Zhu Yan Bai Gu" was about three feet tall, suggesting it had undergone two reincarnations and was currently in its third.
This "Zhu Yan Bai Gu" had likely been growing here for over twenty thousand years.
It seemed the Jiang family was truly unlucky to have discovered the secret realm precisely when "Zhu Yan Bai Gu" was in bloom and its toxicity was at its peak.
Well, since he had encountered it, he might as well help them by removing this "Zhu Yan Bai Gu."
After all, he was a kind-hearted person who enjoyed helping others!
Xiao Fei immediately took out his tools and began digging the soil around the roots of "Zhu Yan Bai Gu."
At the base of "Zhu Yan Bai Gu," a large pile of skeletons was accumulated.
These were beings lured here by its fragrance, who had died and become its nourishment.
This fragrance was extremely alluring and could induce hallucinations upon approach. Xiao Fei himself had almost fallen victim to it.
Using a large hoe, he swept away the layers of white bones on the ground, revealing the pink soil beneath.
He then gently dug away this pink soil to the side.
Until he had excavated a pit about ten feet wide, at the bottom of which was a fleshy sphere about three feet in diameter.
This sphere was the true body of "Zhu Yan Bai Gu."
While he was digging the pit, a group of puppets also dug a larger pit in his spatial realm.
He intended to move all this pink soil into his spatial realm.
Although his spatial realm could sustain the growth of any spiritual item very well, this pink soil was also a rare and valuable commodity.
Over these twenty thousand years, "Zhu Yan Bai Gu" had continuously lured living beings that entered the realm to this spot.
After poisoning them to death, they became its fertilizer.
With the accumulation of flesh and blood over countless years, this soil had turned red, brimming with vital essence, making it the best material for cultivating "Zhu Yan Bai Gu."
Next, Xiao Fei filled the large pit in his spatial realm with all the excavated bloody soil.
Then, he planted the "Zhu Yan Bai Gu" in this bloody soil.
Thus, his mission in the secret realm was completed, and he had obtained the potent poisonous item he desired.
After he moved the "Zhu Yan Bai Gu" into his spatial realm, the potent poison in the secret realm lost its source and was beginning to dissipate at an extremely slow rate.
However, it was unknown how many years it would take for it to return to a non-toxic state.
He popped another high-grade Tai Xu Di Hun Pill into his mouth and began to retrace his steps.
The journey back still consumed several pills before he reached the place where Jiang Xian was waiting for him.
“Daoist Friend Xiao, you’ve finally returned!”
Seeing Xiao Fei return safely, Jiang Xian, who had been anxious, happily stepped forward to greet him.
“Daoist Xiao, did you find the source of the poison in the secret realm?”
Xiao Fei shook his head, putting on a disappointed expression.
“Unfortunately, the antidote herbs I carried were insufficient, and I couldn’t find it.”
He did not want to leak the news of him obtaining "Zhu Yan Bai Gu."
Firstly, treasures easily attracted covetous eyes, bringing him endless trouble.
Secondly, if all the cultivators in the world knew about it, how could he continue to poison others in the future?
“Daoist Xiao, there’s no need to rush. When we find the antidote later, we can investigate again.”