Iron Prison hurried back to the Main Hall of the Hall of the Wild Dragon with Jin Ao at the fastest speed possible.
Since he had already sent a message on the way, the best Poison Cultivators of the Hall of the Wild Dragon were waiting long before their arrival.
“Immediately carry them into the Isolation Chamber!” the Division Head of the Poison Division commanded sternly. “The rest, enter the Detoxification Array!”
At once, cultivators lifted the poisoned victims into the Isolation Chamber, while those without any signs of poisoning were arranged into the Detoxification Array, waiting for the spores and toxins clinging to their bodies to be removed.
“I’ll go in to save them first,” the Division Head of the Poison Division said as he led all the top Poison Cultivators of the Hall of the Wild Dragon.
They donned their Protective Suits and entered the Isolation Chamber, closing its heavy door behind them.
The scene fell silent for a time. Outside the Isolation Chamber, cultivators could only wait quietly, their eyes fixed on the Red Crystal above the door, which flashed intermittently, emitting a warning light forbidding entry.
About half an hour later, the Red Crystal atop the Isolation Chamber’s door ceased glowing and switched to a Green Lamp.
Only then did Iron Prison breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed the patients were finally cured; at least this was something he could barely report to the Sect Leader.
The Isolation Chamber door slowly opened, and Iron Prison’s guard slightly loosened…
At that moment! Several black shadows shot out of the Isolation Chamber like lightning!
Their targets were clear—they lunged straight at the Poison Cultivators, Medical Cultivators, Dan practitioners, and Refiners of the Hall of the Wild Dragon who were least able to resist.
Before their targets could react, the shadows bit down hard!
With a single bite, the agonized screams of the bitten cultivators gradually faded, replaced by mushrooms taking over their muscles, controlling their movements, and driving them to bite others!
“W-What’s going on?” Iron Prison’s eyes widened in fury. Fortunately, he still knew what to do and hurried to help kill the infected cultivators.
But once these infected cultivators sensed danger, their bodies would swell until they exploded with a loud pop! The explosion spewed a massive amount of colorful spore dust! Over time, these spores had mutated to directly infect cultivators!
“Elder! Save me!”
“Elder Iron Prison! Ah—”
The infected cultivators let out heart-wrenching screams until the mushrooms completely replaced the cultivator within, leaving only a vacant gaze as they became the next source of infection.
Iron Prison felt a chill run down his spine.
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to keep breathing and charged into the Isolation Chamber, shouting loudly, “Elder Tie Sha! Division Head Tie Sha! Are you still alive? Are you still there?”
Tie Sha was the Division Head of the Poison Division, the keeper of countless poisonous formulas and legacies.
If he were dead, the Hall of the Wild Dragon’s poison department would collapse completely!
Yet, there was no response.
Inside the Isolation Chamber, various kinds of mushrooms had piled up everywhere, covering walls and ceilings alike—looking magnificent, like a fairyland on earth.
But within this earthly paradise floated dense clouds of spores. Any ordinary person who accidentally inhaled even a single breath would meet a miserable fate!
Iron Prison felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. He retreated from the Isolation Chamber and, after chaotic searching, finally found Tie Sha’s figure outside.
Tie Sha still wore a pale silver Protective Suit. Through the transparent glass of the suit’s mask, one could see it was filled with mushrooms.
On the suit’s arm was a torn rip—the only damage to the entire suit—obviously from a bite.
Iron Prison’s face darkened with sorrow—not because Tie Sha was infected, but because the loss this time far exceeded his expectations!
It was a total collapse, a complete ruin—the entire poison department of the Hall of the Wild Dragon, which accounted for forty percent of the Hall’s revenue, was destroyed in an instant! How would he explain this when the Sect Leader returned from the Tribulation Immortal Hall?
Sigh, the urgent matter now was to minimize losses as much as possible. There was no time for panic—he had to deal with the current situation immediately!
Iron Prison soared into the sky and took out the Fire-Collecting Banner. As he waved the banner, roaring flames engulfed the entire Main Hall of the Hall of the Wild Dragon.
In just a few breaths, both the infected disciples and those who still had a chance of survival were all burned to ashes!
Tears streamed down Iron Prison’s face as he looked at the buildings he had set ablaze with his own hands. Though these structures weren’t treasures, they symbolized the former glory of the Hall of the Wild Dragon and had been painstakingly built!
But there was no other way. The Main Hall lay at the heart of the Hall of the Wild Dragon’s territory, and nearby were several important branch halls. If the spores spread further, the Hall of the Wild Dragon would suffer even greater losses.
The more Iron Prison thought about it, the more painful it became.
When the Sect Leader left, everything was fine, but after just a few days of absence… the Main Hall had been leveled.
Though the Main Hall wasn’t as crucial as the Taiming Sect’s Qifeng, it was the spirit of the Hall of the Wild Dragon.
For it to be destroyed—and by their own people, no less—meant that from today on, the Hall of the Wild Dragon would become the laughingstock of the entire cultivator world!
“Bastards! Taiming Sect! I will never forgive you!”
But after venting his fury, Elder Iron Prison’s heart was heavy. There was nothing he could do.
This blow had gravely injured the Hall of the Wild Dragon’s vital energy. Most of the elite cultivators had died, leaving them utterly unqualified to confront the Taiming Sect head-on.
If they rashly struck back now, it would be like handing over their entire territory.
The Hall of the Wild Dragon could not afford another defeat.
Yet, if they did nothing, when the Sect Leader returned, Iron Prison would hardly escape death… No! It would be a fate even worse than death!
He shuddered.
No, he had to win back what was lost! He had to win, or death was certain!
And now, the only path he could fight with was the Path of Alchemy.
At this moment, two voices raged wildly in Iron Prison’s mind.
One kept urging, “Fight! If you don’t fight now, you’re dead when the Sect Leader comes back!”
The other anxiously shouted, “Don’t send anyone else! If you stop sending, you can still fight! If you keep sending, there won’t be anyone left!”
Calm down. Calm down, Iron Prison. Think carefully about what you should do…
Forget it. Just forget it.
“Iron Prison!”
A trembling voice whispered in Iron Prison’s ear, breaking his inner turmoil.
Yet Iron Prison’s whole body stiffened, forcing out an awkward smile as he stood frozen, unable to speak a word.
“You bastard,” the man muttered, staring blankly at the raging fire consuming the Main Hall, his body shaking uncontrollably, “What the hell have you done?”
“Sect Leader, it’s a long story…” Iron Prison murmured.
“Boom!”
A slap landed with terrifying force, driving Iron Prison’s entire body harshly into the ground!
“It’s all the Taiming Sect’s fault! It’s all their fault!” Iron Prison screamed desperately. “Sect Leader, spare me! This is all because of the Taiming Sect! We should take revenge on them!”
The man glared coldly at Iron Prison. After a long moment, he said, “The grudge must be avenged. This is absolutely intolerable.”
Seeing that the blame had successfully been shifted, Iron Prison finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“I just returned and don’t know what happened yet. Tell me everything clearly,” the man said.
“Uh…”
Iron Prison’s face went pale.
How was he supposed to explain this?
Maybe it was better to just end it all.