With a earth-shattering boom, both the vengeful spirit avatar and the sword immortal avatar exploded.
When an avatar self-destructed, the first to suffer was never the enemy, but oneself.
The dozen or so Heaven's Condemnation enforcers all lay on the ground. Those with weaker cultivation were directly blown to death, while those with stronger cultivation were heavily wounded and dying.
The moment Wan Lei sensed the opponent was about to self-destruct, he had already abandoned his sword immortal avatar. He grabbed Qi Manyao and, while channeling his lightning power into her thunder defense, flashed away from the avatar.
Yet, even so, Qi Manyao's thunder defense was pulverized, and Wan Lei was heavily injured by the blast.
It was truly a stroke of luck that they survived the self-destruction, which had fused the peak power of twelve Nascent Soul cultivators.
This was all the more fortunate because Wan Lei had embraced Qi Manyao at the critical moment, using his own body to shield her from the brunt of the explosion.
After struggling to his feet, Wan Lei's first action was to strike himself and Qi Manyao with his Wood Lightning.
Of course, his strikes on Qi Manyao were carefully controlled; otherwise, in her current state, she could have been killed instantly.
Wan Lei and Qi Manyao managed to stand up.
Wan Lei staggered towards the corpses and the gravely injured, saying nothing. He picked up his hammer, gathered lightning, and delivered a finishing blow to each one.
Strike them while they're down; kill them. If not now, should he wait and spout villainous monologues, giving them a chance to recover?
"Stop killing, please stop killing. Let's go..."
Qi Manyao tugged at Wan Lei's sleeve, pleading desperately.
She was indeed kind-hearted.
Even towards enemies, she held compassion.
But Wan Lei's principles were always firm: if you try to kill me, I will definitely kill you.
No matter how much Qi Manyao begged, Wan Lei remained unmoved, continuing his work.
He didn't stop until only one remained.
The captain was still alive.
He struggled to rise, wanting to say something, but Wan Lei wouldn't give him the chance.
Wan Lei's philosophy, unlike that of verbose villains, was always to speak after defeating enemies.
It was better to speak to the dead than to the living enemy.
He raised his hammer, which crackled with electricity.
The captain also understood Wan Lei's intentions. He quickly fumbled at his storage pouch with his right hand and then suddenly threw something out.
Wan Lei's eyes widened. He grabbed Qi Manyao, preparing to use thunder evasion, but Qi Manyao forcefully pushed him away.
"Run, it's the Thousand Feather Poison... cough cough..."
*Bang!*
The bead exploded, releasing a cloud of green poisonous mist.
The mist enveloped Qi Manyao and, like iron filings drawn to a magnet, instantly burrowed into her body.
"Damn it!"
Wan Lei cursed inwardly and immediately flew forward, embracing the fallen Qi Manyao.
"What are you doing being foolish? I have armor, no poisonous mist can penetrate it.
Damn it, how are you? Where's the antidote? Do you have an antidote?"
Qi Manyao's internal energy was becoming increasingly chaotic, her brows furrowed into a knot, clearly enduring intense pain.
"Hahahaha, it's useless. The antidote for Thousand Feather Poison is beyond your reach, even I don't have it.
Once ingested, this poison is fatal within a day, and the pain it causes makes the victim wish for death to end their agony.
Its most terrifying aspect isn't its lethality, but the excruciating pain that drives one mad..."
*Thump!*
Wan Lei landed a punch on the captain's face, then unleashed a barrage of blows.
"Tell me, where is the antidote? Hand it over, or I'll exterminate all of you Heaven's Condemnation enforcers!"
"Hahahaha..."
Overwhelmed by rage, Wan Lei beat the heavily injured captain into a frenzy, eventually beating him to death.
After the captain died, Wan Lei suddenly came to his senses. He snatched the captain's storage pouch and began rummaging through it.
"Antidote... where's the antidote... damn it..."
"Stop looking... the Heaven's Condemnation enforcers don't have the antidote for Thousand Feather Poison."
Qi Manyao leaned against a rock, looking weakly at Wan Lei.
"Aah!!!"
Wan Lei, enraged, kicked the enemy's corpse, shattering it into dust.
Victory had been within his grasp, only to stumble at the last hurdle.
"This poison... it's used by the Heaven's Condemnation enforcers to punish the most heinous criminals. They wouldn't keep an antidote... cough..."
Qi Manyao coughed up a mouthful of blood but smiled happily.
"I'm dying. It's good. To die in your arms, it's truly wonderful. Can you... can you hold me?"
Wan Lei dispelled his armor and flashed to Qi Manyao's side, gently lifting her.
"Don't worry, there will be a way. I refuse to believe there's a poison in this world that cannot be cured. I'll find the best pills...
Wait, pills, the Heavenly Pill Pavilion must have pills."
Wan Lei's eyes lit up. He immediately took out a communication jade slip and quickly said,
"Sui Xiaohang, do you have the antidote for Thousand Feather Poison?"
While waiting for a reply, a period of both intense anticipation and agonizing hardship, Wan Lei was burning with anxiety, wishing he could instantly fly to the Heavenly Pill Pavilion with Qi Manyao.
Soon, he received Sui Xiaohang's reply.
"What's up? Did you get poisoned? Can I attend your funeral feast? Will there be braised pork knuckles?"
"Get lost! It's Manyao who's poisoned, do you have it or not?"
"Damn it, it's slow-slow! Why didn't you say so earlier? The Heavenly Pill Pavilion doesn't have the antidote right now, but it has the herbs to concoct it. I'll ask my master to refine it; he's free anyway.
This poison is incredibly potent and difficult to make, very rare, so the Heavenly Pill Pavilion didn't bother stocking its herbs.
Hang on, it'll be ready in two hours."
"Okay, I'll head to the Heavenly Pill Pavilion now."
"No, don't move, not an inch! The faster you move, the more it will stimulate the medicinal properties to consume your flesh and vitality. This poison devours life force and corrodes flesh, consuming almost all living energy.
Don't move at all! Send me your location, and I'll deliver it as soon as it's ready.
Also, absolutely do not feed her any pills. The medicinal power of pills will also be consumed by the poison, causing it to spread faster.
Keep infusing her with your cultivation. Oh, right, don't you have Wood Lightning? Infuse her with Wood Lightning to counter the poison and replenish her vitality.
Otherwise, with her cultivation, she definitely won't last two hours.
You must hold on, hold on until I get there."
After responding, Wan Lei placed the jade slip on the ground and looked at Qi Manyao with joy.
"There's hope, there's hope."
"Cough..."
Qi Manyao, lying in his arms, coughed twice violently, and black blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
"I... I'm very sleepy. You... talk to me, don't let me fall asleep. I'm scared... if I fall asleep, I'll never see you again."
"Okay... okay."
Wan Lei gently supported her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He channeled Wood Lightning into her body, carefully controlling the energy.
Evening fell, and the snow in the sky grew heavier. The two sitting on the rock became snowmen.