"Don't think I'll let you off just because you call me senior brother, Fan Qing. Your little plan has failed," Fan Min said with a cold laugh.
"Senior Brother, how about we make a deal?"
"What do you mean?" Fan Min asked.
"If I defeat you, you can do as you please with everything in the valley, but you must release my disciple and everyone outside the valley?"
"Master..." Qing Yu shook his head.
"Very well, it's just an insignificant little disciple. I agree," Fan Min said. After all, all he wanted was a corpse; nothing else was of use to him.
Qing Yu was about to speak again when Fan Min waved him aside. Qing Yu found that he couldn't move at all.
One black and one white tangled together, like night and day.
Neither could gain the upper hand.
Qing Yu's tense eyes were fixed on the two figures, hoping his master would win.
However, as fate would have it, he saw his master being forced back repeatedly by Fan Min, and finally, he even took a heavy palm strike from Fan Min, spitting out blood.
"Fan Qing, you haven't improved at all over the years. It seems your desire to defeat me is utterly futile," Fan Min couldn't help but sneer.
Fan Qing slowly raised his head, looked at Fan Min, and spat out a mouthful of blood, "Senior Brother was always Master's favorite disciple. But you betrayed the sect for a woman. Otherwise, Senior Brother would be even more famous than me, a poison master, by now."
Fan Min's body trembled, and his expression faltered, "It's a pity she still died. If he had been willing to save Xin'er, Xin'er wouldn't have died. Why?"
"Because... Xin'er is Master's daughter."
"I know. Why didn't he save his own Empress?"
"Because it's a curse, a curse for poison masters."
Fan Min took a step back, "How... how is that possible?"
"How is it impossible? Haven't you noticed, Senior Brother? It doesn't matter if you are married or how many women you have, you have difficulty having offspring."
Fan Min shook his head, "Impossible, impossible."
Fan Qing rolled up his sleeve, revealing purple marks on it. "This is the reason."
Fan Min's body trembled. He also shakily lifted his sleeve, revealing the same purple marks.
He didn't believe it. With a wave of his hand, he brought Qing Yu to his side and lifted Qing Yu's sleeve, revealing the same purple marks.
"How is this possible? Why didn't Master tell me?" Fan Min shook his head in disbelief.
"At that time, you and Xin'er were deeply in love and wouldn't listen to anyone's advice. You took a huge risk and stole that forbidden book."
Fan Min lowered his gaze and said, "The forbidden book contained a formation for soul transference. I found someone who resembled Xin'er in every aspect and tried to activate the soul transference. Unfortunately..."
He slumped down, regretting that it had failed. He wanted to send the soul back into Xin'er's body, but he couldn't bear the immense consumption of internal energy alone. In the end, his internal energy was almost depleted. Xin'er's body only contained half a soul, the other half was placed in a special bottle.
Now, he had tried countless methods, but to no avail.
For so many years, he had never given up searching until Xue Chang'an sent someone to find him not long ago, saying that the Empress's corpse was a suitable body for any soul.
Whether it was true or not, he wanted to try.
"Xin'er now..."
Fan Min looked up, his eyes filled with sorrow, "Half a soul."
"So, you want the Empress's corpse?" Fan Qing finally understood what Fan Min desired.
If it wasn't for what he sought here, Fan Min wouldn't have come.
"Yes. Hand over the corpse, and I'll spare Poison King Valley. Otherwise..." Fan Min looked at Fan Qing coldly.
"No, His Majesty said..."
The young man behind Fan Min hadn't finished speaking before Fan Min flicked his hand, sending him flying a considerable distance, and said with a cold laugh, "Since you invited me here, you must listen to me."
As the young man landed, a mouthful of fresh blood spurted from his mouth.
Fan Min looked at Fan Qing and said, "As long as the corpse is handed over, Poison King Valley will escape this calamity."
Upon hearing this, Fan Qing chuckled softly and looked up, "The corpse has already been sent away. Your dream, Senior Brother, is shattered."
Fan Min's body trembled, "Fan Qing, you..."
"While I was talking to you, I had my disciple send the Empress's corpse away."
"Fan Qing..." Fan Min was furious, extremely furious.
Suddenly, he attacked. Fan Qing couldn't resist and was violently thrown against a tree by the force, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He felt as if his internal organs were about to shatter.
"Master..." Qing Yu crawled over and wiped the blood from his mouth.
Fan Qing stroked his head and said softly, "Qing Yu, I'm sorry. Master lied to you. We... we can't leave."
Qing Yu shook his head and cried, "I know, I've always known."
"Silly child, if you knew, why did you stay here?"
Qing Yu cried sadly, "Without Master, I don't know where to go. Wherever Master is, I am. Master, I will accompany you."
"Then you will all die..." Fan Min roared, striking Qing Yu's head with all his might.
Blood trickled from Qing Yu's head. He smiled, "Mas... Master... Qing Yu will go to find... his fellow disciples first..."
"Qing Yu..." Fan Qing finally couldn't hold back his tears. This was the disciple he had taught from scratch, the child who had always been by his side.
"Fan Min, it was my mistake not to have eliminated you completely back then..." Fan Qing gritted his teeth and said angrily.
Fan Min sneered, "That was your misplaced kindness. I won't."
A ferocious expression appeared on his face, "Die with your disciples!"
As the sword pierced his body, Fan Qing felt a sharp pain in his chest. He struggled to lift his head and gaze into the distance, knowing that Qingyi had already left the desolate marsh.
"Qingyi, I entrust the responsibility of rebuilding Poison King Valley to you."
Qingyi, who had just stepped into Xue Country, felt a heart-wrenching pain in his chest, causing him to fall to his knees.
Suddenly, he raised his head sharply and looked in the direction of Poison King Valley. Even from a great distance, he saw flames raging from the direction of Poison King Valley.
He suppressed his tears, gritted his teeth, and kowtowed three times on the ground with immense force. When he looked up, his forehead was already a bloody mess. He uttered word by word through gritted teeth, "Master, fellow disciples, I, Qingyi, will certainly avenge this hatred."
He wiped the tears from his face, stood up, and headed towards the capital of Xue Country without looking back.
Before he had taken a few steps, Qingyi saw a column of soldiers approaching him. The man leading them was dressed in white as pure as snow, immaculate. His refined and handsome face carried a solemn and cold expression.
He fell to his knees with a thud, his voice choked with emotion, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, Poison King Valley did not break its promise. The Empress's corpse is here, but Poison King Valley..."
He couldn't continue, tears streaming down his face.
Xue Jingyun dismounted and came before him, supporting him with both hands. "Qingyi, you have worked hard. Leave the rest to me."
Qingyi nodded tearfully, "Your Highness, Master, my fellow disciples..."
He mustered all his strength to utter those two words, "They are dead."