Ever since Ning Qi learned about the celestial mutation from the depths of Yuan Tiancheng's bloodline imagery, he has been extremely wary, constantly reminded by the fate of the Silver Giant Ape.

Later, he met Taoist Baishan.

The words "unspeakable" only deepened his apprehension.

Then came the experiment with the Blade Demon, which made him understand that the spiritual energy indeed contained toxic elements, and these toxins existed between reality and illusion, extremely peculiar, containing some kind of power that Ning Qi couldn't comprehend, which once pushed him into a deduction bottleneck, until he received the True Martial inheritance today to finally resolve it.

But despite this.

Questions still lingered in Ning Qi's mind.

What were these toxins? Where did they originate? Why did they suddenly integrate into the world?

He longed for answers.

Hearing Ning Qi's inquiry, the hunchbacked old man fell silent, his eyes showing a complex expression.

"He wasn't wrong, it truly is 'unspeakable,' because he can't bear the backlash." The old voice slowly sounded, the old man gazing at Ning Qi, "But I can."

Ning Qi instantly felt the pressure.

The truth that required enduring a backlash to speak of, no wonder the Martial Saints avoided mentioning it, with no records over such a long time.

He felt somewhat silent, unsure if he should continue to ask.

Clearly.

The cost to pay was significant.

The hunchbacked old man patted Ning Qi on the shoulder, sighed, and smiled:

"You're excellent, so excellent that I almost can't believe it, how could such an Immortal Flower be born in this world, perhaps you are that variable, the variable is not among those old fellows, but in you, so... you qualify me to pay this cost."

He had observed Ning Qi's challenge.

Such comprehension was simply outrageous, he was inwardly amazed, in his long life, he had never seen such a prodigy, he had seen all kinds of Immortal Species, all kinds of innate physiques, but never someone with Ning Qi's level of comprehension.

The old man looked up at the pavilion's top, seemingly trying to see beyond the sky, his voice gradually becoming heavy:

"This is... Life Poison!"

Life Poison!

That name immediately shook Ning Qi's spirit, almost in an instant, he realized, the old man's breath beside him was declining at an alarming rate, already sparse hair fell off a few more strands, and his originally hunched back seemed to be sagging more vertically.

His heart tightened, and he hurriedly supported the old man, wanting to say something but was stopped by the old man's gesture.

"Life Poison, a poison of lifespan, merges with the spiritual energy and becomes one with it, unable to be eradicated, this is a Rule Poison, not something a Martial Saint can solve. Anyone who refines spiritual energy into their body, once invaded by Life Poison, their lifespan withers, and their Spirit Soul vanishes."

Though the old man's words were calm, they were deafening.

Waves surged in Ning Qi's heart.

The poison of lifespan, referring to Life Poison's effect.

Rule Poison, referring to the essence of Life Poison's power.

Rules, a domain Ning Qi couldn't reach for now, just these two words were enough to leave him breathless.

A strong vitality emerged from the hunchbacked old man, resisting the backlash from unknown origins, his aura fluctuating like a roller coaster, Ning Qi hurriedly asked:

"The ancient Martial Saints, all fell to Life Poison, resulting in exhausted lifespan, only surviving in the world through various means? Anyone afflicted with Life Poison, bound by rules, cannot speak of it to others, or they will face Life Poison's backlash?"

The old man nodded, speaking in a low voice:

"When Life Poison appeared, all saints fell, and the world mourned, fortunately, some exceptionally talented individuals found a method of alleviation, which is the Secret Technique I just handed to you, developed and refined over generations, though it can't completely break Life Poison, it can reduce its impact, so one doesn't immediately exhaust their lifespan upon advancing to a Martial Saint."

"However, Life Poison and spiritual energy are one, one yin and one yang, as your cultivation deepens, your lifespan will wither more, countless talents in the world, all meeting their end in regret, unable to advance further."

Ning Qi immediately understood.

These returning Ancient Saints were incredibly powerful.

Once they may have been unparalleled geniuses of their era, overshadowing their peers, but even so, under the oppression of Life Poison, they resorted to various secret techniques just to survive into the present.

"It seems, the various methods of the Ancient Saints were to minimize Life Poison's impact, otherwise they would have already fallen."

Numerous doubts were resolved.

But new questions were born.

"But if that's the case, shouldn't there be more collective wisdom, gathering the world's intellect to figure out a solution to Life Poison? Why cut off the path of the Martial Saint, erasing all the Dharma methods?"

"And, this Life Poison... where exactly did it come from?"

Ning Qi threw out question after question.

He couldn't comprehend it.

He had many speculations in his heart, but they were just speculations.

The hunchbacked old man's aura was extremely weak, he didn't respond, but slowly closed his eyes, which made Ning Qi's heart tighten, he immediately understood, the backlash from Life Poison was extraordinary, even this unfathomable old man couldn't ignore it, he could see it, if it were Taoist Baishan instead, he would probably fall immediately.

But even so, these words had already come at a considerable cost.

A moment later.

The hunchbacked old man slowly opened his eyes, with a touch of lingering fear, then in a slightly feeble voice said:

"I know you have many questions, but the old man can only say so much today, if I say more, you might have to collect my corpse."

Ning Qi immediately fell silent.

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