Chapter 1068: Run Rampant
On the other side, with the assistance of the Spirit Guard Jia Yin, Qi Xuansu managed to eliminate Yang E and the colossal worm. However, he was not in good condition. His problems stemmed from two main causes.
The first was the backlash from the Scripture of Zuriel, something he had anticipated. There was no effective remedy other than rest. He could not use the other pages of the Scripture again for a while, lest he risk irreversible, permanent damage.
The second issue was the corrosion of the decayed dragon qi. When Qi Xuansu tore Yang E apart with his own hands, her expelled dragon qi invaded his body. This corrupt qi was exceedingly toxic, like a festering poison clinging to the bone, constantly gnawing away at him and almost impossible to remove.
Anyone else in Qi Xuansu’s position would have been doomed, but he possessed the Longevity Stone Heart, which shielded his vitals from decay. Moreover, Qi Xuansu had many strange and unconventional means, such as Izanagi’s demonic fire, which could both resist and partially dissolve the decayed dragon qi.
The key point was that the toxicity depended on dosage. Every medicine carried some toxicity. When used properly, it could heal, but if used in excess, it could kill. The same principle applied to yin fire. The Second Heavenly Tribulation’s Yin Fire could burn Izanagi to death, while Qi Xuansu’s own yin fire could only scorch Heavenly Beings. The severity depended on its concentration.
The same held true for the decayed dragon qi. Back then, the Holy Xuan had also suffered from its corruption because the last leader of the Confucian School had wielded dragon qi with an immortal artifact against him. In contrast, Yang E’s control of dragon qi was incomparable in scale.
Therefore, Qi Xuansu could still rely on the Longevity Stone Heart’s self-purifying ability to gradually expel the decayed dragon qi from his body.
In principle, Qi Xuansu’s best course of action would be to enter secluded cultivation and focus entirely on healing himself. But the current situation did not allow it.
Great Sage Lan was already in seclusion, and Qi Xuansu was barely holding things together in his stead. If he also went into seclusion, who else could take charge? His entire plan would collapse instantly.
In that sense, the mastermind would have achieved their goal.
Thus, Qi Xuansu could not rest. He had to force himself to endure it, never revealing the slightest sign of weakness. In fact, he had to display an even stronger, more domineering aura in public, giving the impression that he was completely fine and had even advanced to the Zaohua stage.
In truth, Qi Xuansu’s recent battle had also brought some positive effects. Many people had witnessed his Manly Immortal True Form with their own eyes. As a result, without any deliberate pretense on his part, rumors were already spreading everywhere that Second Deputy Qi was, in fact, a Zaohua-stage Martial Arts Practitioner.