The Immortal’s Poison

After the head lama finished his sentence, he added, “When you were badly injured, you regained your memories of what happened before you were a Heaven’s cone nail!”

Cone Nail appeared incredulous. She shook her head strongly, “No, demon-subduing Heaven’s cone nails… absorbed spirit primordial energy of the world to invoke the force of the universe. They only had spiritual sense after absorbing the energy… we were cone nails even before we came to life, not the other way round!”

Rangjung also shook his head. His expression was more serious than Cone Nail’s, “The lama could not estimate the profoundness of the Heaven’s cone nails demon-subduing great formation. However, if it was like you have said and you were cone nails before you were given life, we cannot explain the matters which you could not understand as well!”

Wen Leyang saw that the two of them were glaring at each other and he was worried that the lama would be beaten. He immediately chuckled at stood in between them, “It’s not so important whether the soul or the form came first…”

He had not finished his sentence when Cone Nail and the lama glared at him fiercely at said at the same time, “Of course it’s important!”

Wen Leyang was startled. This was his first time seeing Cone Nail’s expression of wanting to eat a person. He looked at her with shock and laughed drily in embarrassment.

The lama walked to Wen Leyang’s side and told him in a low voice, “This matter is serious! It’s easy to open up spiritual sense but it’s hard to form souls. Even a god cannot create three spiritual and seven physical souls out of nothing… Do you know what I’m saying?”

Wen Leyang pondered about the lama’s words and took a deep breath, “The soul might be born as a consequence of some coincidence, just like Ah Dan or Hanba Fifth Brother, but cannot be created from nothing? You’re saying… that Cone Nail was a living person before she turned into a Heaven’s cone nail!!”

A dispirited Cone Nail stood at the side. She ignored the whisperings between Rangjung and Wen Leyang.

The lama saw that Wen Leyang became more agitated as they spoke. He was worried that Cone Nail would be triggered and beat him up. He anxiously signaled Wen Leyang to speak softly, “There might be a possibility of spiritual sense being born out of the world’s spirit primordial energy that was absorbed by the heaven’s cone nails’ formation, but if that were the case, we can’t explain why Cone Nail strangely remembered Tanggula Mountains and also the way to find the heavenly water spirit through the bugs.”

Wen Leyang snorted. He was frustrated to the point that he only wanted to stop his feet, “Then you tell me how’re we going to explain this!”

The lama’s face flushed. He had always unintentionally overestimated Wen Leyang’s cultivation basics, “I reckon the things that she remembered should be the process of refining the Heaven’s cone nail of the water element!”

Wen Leyang let out an ‘oh no’!

The lama was startled. He quickly glanced at Cone Nail. He sighed in relief when he saw that she was still in shock, “If her past life was being a demon-subduing Heaven’s cone nail on Black and White Island, her remembrance of Tanggula Mountains and finding the heavenly water spirit through the ‘firecrackers’ would have happened before she was a Heaven’s cone nail. It was the past life of her past life!”

Logically speaking, Cone Nail’s memories should have only started from the moment she subdued Xiang Liu on Black and White Island until now. However, when Cone Nail was heavily wounded, she roughly remembered some things that were completely unrelated to Black and White Island’s demon-subduing activity.

The heavenly water spirit was undoubtedly a necessary ingredient to refine the water element in the Heaven’s cone nail. That was why the lama made the bold guess. Although this inference was unimaginably queer, it was very logical. Other than that, he could not find any other explanation.

“If that’s the case,” Master Rangjung continued, “Cone Nail should be an expert in the water element magic art. Her souls and primordial spirit were extracted from her living person to refine the demon-subduing Heaven’s cone nail of the water element. Her previous memories were sealed by another person’s great magic. That’s why she only remembers she was a Heaven’s cone nail and everything after Black and White Island.”

Cone Nail had been heavily wounded not long ago and her primordial spirit was affected and as a result, she recalled ‘the things of her past life’s past life’. It was indeed possible.

If what the lama had said was the truth… Wen Leyang felt his body and heart turn cold. One did not have to be smart to know that the action of extracting primordial souls was an extremely evil magic. If Cone Nail was an expert who would face death willingly for a noble cause and had volunteered to become a demon-subduing Heaven’s cone nail, then the other party need not have sealed her memories.

If the lama’s sayings were true, the person who refined the Heaven’s cone nail must have pinned Cone Nail down first and extracted her primordial spirit to forge the Heaven’s cone nail.

Refining Heaven’s cone nails to subdue demons was indeed a noble act which blessed all peoples but this method was a bit too cruel for Cone Nail. Even mole crickets and ants would drag out their ignoble existence. In the face of a serious matter such as life and death, the world is only a person’s world. Wen Leyang judged others by his standards, he would be willing to sacrifice himself to let his loved ones live; but if he should die to let every unrelated person under the heavens live, he would spit on the thought…

Wen Leyang was still slightly unsatisfied. The kindness within him naturally did not hope for such a thing to occur. He confirmed with Rangjung in a low voice, “What’s the benefit of condensing the soul before refining the cone nail? Err… I think that…”

The lama understood what he had wanted to ask. He sighed, “A Heaven’s cone nail with a soul would actively absorb the spirit primordial energy of the heavens and earth. A soul-less Heaven’s cone nail can only passively wait for the spirit primordial energy to gather… There is a huge difference in power between this activeness and passiveness!” After he finished, the lama paused briefly and lowered his voice, “Can you look for a reason to refreeze me? I don’t feel comfortable like this…”

Wen Leyang looked at Cone Nail’s frail frame in the gale, he felt a gush of sadness. He went over and patted lightly on her shoulder.

Cone Nail was in a daze. She only turned her head absent-mindedly when Wen Leyang patted her shoulder lightly and looked at him.

Wen Leyang was flustered. He had never seen a look like this. The gaze of the pair of beautiful eyes were obviously directed at him, but it was as wispy as the enshrouding mist deep in the mountains, it looked like it enveloped everything but yet it also looked like it ignored everything. Cone Nail’s gaze gradually strengthened after a long time. It was so complicated that other people could not guess. However, Wen Leyang could feel that the Cone Nail now had truly seen him.

Perplex? Shock? Sadness? Unwillingness to believe?

The emotions in her eyes could not be expressed with words but it eventually erupted in a heartfelt… grievance!

After a loud cry, Cone Nail was like a young snow phoenix. She grabbed Wen Leyang with domineeringly and violently with a tinge of recklessness and used her entire strength to wedge her head into his chest! Wen Leyang could not even distinguish whether it was a blazing charcoal or a ten-thousand-year ancient ice that stuck on his chest. It was extremely hot yet cold. It gave him a shocking familiarity. Cone Nail who was almost unparalleled in the world was truly aggrieved now! Like a little girl who lost everything, she hid within Wen Leyang’s chest and cried loudly. She wiped her tears and snot on his chest without a care.

“You’ve Got Me’ had the shock of its life. It squalled and hopped onto the head lama’s bald head. It went around in circles with some lingering fear… Cone Nail was the embodiment of true water, it was inter-restricting with its nature.

Wen Leyang dared not even move a muscle, neither did he want to move. He reached out a hand and patted Cone Nail’s back that was slightly frail. He wanted to console her but did not know where to start.

After a long while, Cone Nail finally restrained her cries. When she lifted her head again, she had regained her initial condition of a pitiable meekness. When she saw the wet mess Wen Leyang’s chest was in, a blush flashed across her eyes but it was short-lived.

‘You’ve Got Me’ hastily escaped back to its old nest. It did not have the courage to face Cone Nail even for a second.

Wen Leyang laughed honestly. He pointed at the few hundred icicles in front of him and diverted the topic, “What… happened to them?”

Cone Nail’s current expression was just as Wen Leyang had first seen her. The sadness and perplexed expression were gone. Her thin lips pressed in an innocent manner, “If you want to find the heavenly water spirit, you must first find the bugs. I followed the bugs’ trail and found these white-robed men…” As she said this, she offered Wen Leyang a favor. She raised her hand and released the giant pangolin from the icicle again.

Wen Leyang knitted his brows slightly, “You can follow the bugs’ trail?”

The giant pangolin immediately scolded in a loud voice, “Foolish boy! The immortal is the utmost element of heaven’s water. How could the water element bugs escape from her?”

Cone Nail seemed shocked by Po Tu’s sudden outburst. She hastily defended herself as if she had done something wrong, “It’s not like he said, I could sense the bugs who recognized their master from afar. For those with no masters, I can’t find them if they were far away. That’s why I found this campsite after some searching.”

Even if it was Cone Nail, she could not detect the movements of normal ‘firecrackers’. The ‘firecrackers’ which had acknowledged a master would no longer have a pure water element body. Cone Nail had entered the mountain later than the Tibetans, Kunlun, Liu Zheng and the others, but she would never trouble herself with other matters. She only chased the bugs and eventually found the Hua family campsite on the snow-covered peak.

Cone Nail’s smile towards Wen Leyang regained its shy composure. This made it hard to believe that she had genuinely cried loudly just a few moments ago, “I didn’t know that you were also on the Tanggula Mountains before I came! These white-robed people had immediately activated their magic to kill me without even asking…” As she said this, an endless fear showed through her eyes.

The giant pangolin quickly chimed in, “Their dog eyes were blind! How dare they raise their hands against the immortal, they deserved to be flayed!”

Cone Nail glanced at him and smiled as if she made a reference, “Alas, these people did not have scales, they are no fun.” The scales on the giant pangolin’s body visibly rippled from his head to the tip of his tail in a cold shudder.

The Hua family elites had taken the visiting Cone Nail as an enemy. They risked their lives and attacked without hesitation. As a result, they were frozen into huge ice nails by Cone Nail effortlessly. Seeing that they were also of the water element, Cone Nail had spared their lives. She had only used some tricks to comprehend the relationship between the Hua family and the ‘firecrackers’. The Hua family had also lost a bunch of ‘firecrackers’ and were looking for them frantically. Naturally, they did not know the whereabouts of the bugs.

At this moment, the first wave of white-robed youths was dispatched by Hua Xiaoyao to relay the message that the bugs were already under control. Cone Nail wanted to rush over the moment she heard about this. Almost at the same time, a large crowd of Tibetans barged in and attacked the Hua family campsite. Although the living dead were terrifying, they were not even worth mentioning in Cone Nail’s eyes. What truly made Cone Nail terrified was that these Tibetans were mixed with Xiang Liu’s aura!

Cone Nail was in no hurry to find the ‘firecrackers’. She only wanted to see if there would be any skilled Xiang Liu disciples who would appear after the living dead were imprisoned by her. To her, Xiang Liu was her true fatal enemy. The one, who would not let her live the most under the heavens, was Xiang Liu.

That was why the Tibetans and Hua family disciples were frozen within icicles. However, no men of Xiang Liu appeared. On the other hand, the Hua family youths were dispatched by Hua Xiaoyao in batches until finally Wen Leyang himself came.

Cone Nail suddenly sighed in between her speech. She shook her head at Wen Leyang, “It’s no use. That matter is like a needle now. If I can’t get to the bottom of it, it would be meaningless for me to be a human. Don’t you divert the topic again!” As she said this, she looked at the head lama Rangjung, “Master, how confident are you that my soul was extracted to refine the Heaven’s cone nail?”

Even though Cone Nail was a smart and scheming person, she had lost her calm when faced with the mystery of her own life. After understanding her own situation, she eagerly continued the topic.

Rangjung snorted, “Ninety percent!”

Cone Nail smiled and said drily, “The master is too humble. You were already sure in your heart, make it a hundred percent!”

Rangjung smiled and said nothing. He did not know what to say.

Wen Leyang coughed softly. He earnestly soothed, “Let the past…”

Cone Nail did not let him finish as she shook her head. Her tone was so dry that it made other’s chest stifle, “Have you ever thought, because of this ‘past’, maybe I… have sought revenge from the wrong person all along.”

Wen Leyang was dumbstruck. He truly did not think of this. To him, Cone Nail was Chang Li’s, Hanba’s, and even the Tuo Xie line’s great enemy. She was also their most important reliance to defeat Xiang Liu. His consolations and advice completely did away with these point of views. It was like a friend and also like a passerby who had no conflict of interests. He had only consoled her to make himself feel better, there was no ‘why’, nor were there any clear aims.

Cone Nail paused for a brief moment before she continued, “I had hated Chang Li the most before this. Now that I think about it, the first time she shattered me, she let me live again as a person; the second time she harmed me, she made me remember the things that happened before I was a Heaven’s cone nail… Chang Li had become my benefactor instead?”

Wen Leyang’s eyes lit up instantly. This was the first time in his life where he felt that Cone Nail’s thoughts could be cute. If he could truly erase the thought of Cone Nail’s revenge against Chang Li, it would be a feat greater than building a seven-story pagoda. He smiled and wanted to hit while the iron was hot and cheered her on but Cone Nail’s attitude suddenly changed, “Not only did Chang Li became my benefactor, that nine-headed Xiang Liu had also become my friend! Although I had subdued it for millions of years, the root of things it was the fault of the vile person who refined Heaven’s cone nail!”

Cone Nail had always thought that it was the primordial gods that refined the nine Heaven’s cone nails. However, she now had a rough idea about the process of her turning into a Heaven’s cone nail. Even if it really was the Buddhas and gods who did this, they had become despicable persons in her eyes. She wanted to kill them and feel happy.

Wen Leyang and Rangjung were dumbstruck. The current Cone Nail did not begrudge Chang Li so much but she started to begrudge the master of Black and White Island. Anyone could have guessed her most direct way of getting revenge, kill all the way to Black and White Island, shatter the other eight Heaven’s cone nails and release nine-headed Xiang Liu!

The true soul that controlled Tian Yin’s dharmakaya had already caused a headache among the peoples. If Cone Nail also swung the other way, by next year’s dragon boat festival, Xiang Liu was bound to be able to eat some fresh glutinous rice dumplings.

Once Xiang Liu returned to the human realm, the unlucky one would be his family’s Grand Master Chang Li. Wen Leyang anxiously waved his hands wildly and stammered, “If Xiang Liu breaks free…”

Cone Nail did not say anything. She merely looked at Wen Leyang with a happy smile, as if she admired his flustered expression. At this moment, Guo Huan snorted heavily and suddenly. He rigidly interrupted Wen Leyang, “Foolish lad, don’t embarrass yourself!”

Cone Nail had known that there was a Guo Huan within the jade knife and was not startled now. She laughed loudly, “An old fairy is more thorough than a foolish lad!”

Guo Huan also chuckled. It was indistinguishable whether it was a bitter laugh or a sneer. He said to Wen Leyang rudely, “Tian Zhui knows it better than anyone what kind of thing Xiang Liu is. That utmost vile thing under the heavens is a natural killer and pays all its debts. How could it forgive the Heaven’s cone nail of the water element that had subdued it for millions of years? When it breaks free, I think the first person on its list would be Cone Nail!”

Wen Leyang gave an ‘ah’. He nodded in slight shock.

Cone Nail chuckled and nodded, “I won’t release Xiang Liu. Of course, it’s only a dream if you think I’d return to Black and White Island. You guys should be thinking of another way to defeat Xiang Liu, the sooner the better. Actually… there’s a magic cast on my body. No matter how tyrannical I am, I can never harm a grass or a tree on Black and White Island. Even if I really did return, I could never harm the other Heaven’s cone nail nor can I release Xiang Liu!”

Wen Leyang was more at ease but he was still worried. He questioned closely in earnest, “Then… what’re you planning to do now?”

Cone Nail shook her head with helplessness, “I must first find the heavenly water spirit to heal my wounds, then I’ll give Chang Li a good beating!”

Wen Leyang was startled. He said in fear and anger, “Why’re you still saying that!?”

Cone Nail laughed, “Before the great enemy, I’m too lazy to even think about my quarrel with Chang Li. However, she must promise me one thing, she cannot force me to restore the demon-subduing great formation for eternity! Or else, I would rather die in glory than to live in dishonor!”

Wen Leyang’s face darkened but he said nothing. His mind was a mess and he felt uncomfortable.

Cone Nail saw that Wen Leyang did not resolutely shake his head in rejection, a happy expression quickly rose on her face. She was extremely happy but she seemed to be afraid to believe, “You still care about me?”

Wen Leyang’s impression of Cone Nail might not be that good but, in his eyes, she was a living person no matter what. If Cone Nail wanted to kill Chang Li, he would proceed without hesitation to bear this grudge but his heart will feel uncomfortable if he were to grab this living person and turn her back into a Heaven’s cone nail which was like the living dead. Especially now when he vaguely suspected that Cone Nail was originally a cultivator whose soul was extracted to make the Heaven’s cone nail. No matter how serious a matter subduing Xiang Liu was, to Cone Nail, it was an extreme injustice.

Cone Nail lifted her head again. She looked at Wen Leyang with bright eyes, “However, Hanba had injured Tian Shu, I must repay him in kind!”

The edge of Wen Leyang’s eye twitched. He was slightly heartbroken, though he did not know for whom.

Cone Nail saw Wen Leyang’s hesitation and seemed to be truly happy, “After we’re done with all this, we’ll go find Tian Shu and Tian Hua. We can ask them how much they know…” As she said this, Cone Nail suddenly shut her mouth. She stared at Wen Leyang, “Stop keeping me out of the loop, did something happen on Black and White Island!?”

Cone Nail’s gaze was sharp. When she asked why did Xiang Liu have subordinates, Wen Leyang had diverted the topic with changes in his expression. When she mentioned Tian Shu for the second time, Wen Leyang’s gaze was dull. These minute changes were all observed by Cone Nail.

The jade knife Guo Huan also interrupted drily, “Stop keeping her out of the loop! She had spent her days with the three enlightened persons of Black and White Island for a million years!”

Heaven’s cone nails were alive but they could not move nor speak. In the long days on Black and White Island where there was no notion of time, their sole entertainment was seeing the three enlightened persons cultivate, chat and play around… This friendly sentiment which could only be described as loneliness was much deeper than vigorous gallantry, or else Cone Nail would not have gone mad with rage after she saw Hanba wounding Tian Shu.

Wen Leyang pointed at the white-robes in the icicles, “I’ve told you before, you can’t harm the innocent!”

Cone Nail waved and a huge patch of icicles shattered. Every white-robed man was released. The icicles which froze the living dead Tibetans still stood tall and the raging cold wind on the snow-covered peak also vanished suddenly. The surroundings quieted down suddenly. Cone Nail did not even glance at the flustered Hua family people. She only stared at Wen Leyang and spat out one word forcefully, “Speak!”

In the boundless silence, Wen Leyang’s voice was slow but firm. Every word resounded steadily among the earth. Everyone else held their breaths, nobody dared to interrupt simply….. Suddenly, a crisp ‘pa’ was heard, a savage crack erupted under Cone Nail’s feet. Wen Leyang shut his mouth with shock. Cone Nail, however, opened her mouth again as cold as ancient ice, “Continue, talk!”

The three enlightened persons had died. The true soul of Xiang Liu possessed Tian Yin’s dharmakaya. After the living dead butchered the evil cult followers they went up the mountain to chase away the ice bugs… Wen Leyang finally relayed everything.

Cone Nail’s expression did not change. She did not even interrupt him. She only waited after Wen Leyang utterly quieted down, then she confirmed softly, “Are you done?”

Wen Leyang nodded and wanted to say something. Suddenly, a shrill scream that was sharper than a wolf’s howl rose from Cone Nail’s mouth into the sky. At the same time, a sharp eruption resounded in the heavens. The huge patch icicle forest of a hundred Tibetans shattered in unison!

The high wind at the snow-covered peak finally broke free of its shackles after being blocked. It howled and rolled wildly. It was more breathtaking than the Ninth Heaven Thunder Conjuration!

The sound of wind turned into a wail. Amidst the countless flying ice shards, the icicles and the living dead frozen within them were destroyed with the lift of Cone Nail’s finger!

Cone Nail mercilessly killed all the frozen living dead people. Then, she looked at the Hua family disciples with a cold look, “I’ll borrow your ice bugs, I’ll return them right after!”

The Hua family disciples did not dare to shake their heads. Whether it was her magic powers or her cruelty, the beautiful white-dressed young lady terrified them. After all, she had clearly stated that she would only borrow their bugs.

Wen Leyang was worried that Cone Nail would trouble the Hua family disciples again. He carried on the conversation, “I’m not sure if that bugger had come here. Besides, there should be more living dead Tibetans lying in ambush. There was about hundred and seventy seven of them. Guo Huan had killed a few dozens, eight of them died this morning, there’s about a hundred and ten here…”

After the Tibetans arrived at the snow-covered peak, the only thing they did was continuously releasing the ‘firecrackers’. Finally, the truth was revealed. They wanted to use the ‘firecrackers’ to find the heavenly water spirit.

On the snow-covered peak, whether it was Wen Leyang or Kunlun Sect, they could treat Cone Nail as one of their own. As long as that true soul did not show itself, the abilities of the Tibetans were not worth mentioning.

However, the heavy grudge that wedged between Tuo Xie, Chang Li, Cone Nail, Black and White Island and Xiang Liu gave everyone an extreme headache.

Wen Leyang could not wrap his mind around this but he decided to use his ‘clean cut’ great magic. He did not care how complicated things would get, he would just help his relatives!