"Benefactor, what happened to you? Your face suddenly went pale!" Seeing Ryan Ling's face turn ashen and his breathing grow rapid, Jinbiao Chen hurriedly supported him.
Ryan quickly let go of the Dragon Scale, and that dizzy, spinning feeling eased up a bit.
"Could it be that I'm not qualified to possess the Dragon Scale either?" Ryan wondered in disbelief.
"Ryan, you’re absolutely qualified to have it. It’s just that the Dragon Scale is a divine item—it’s warning you that there’s something in your body you haven’t cleared out yet!" The System urgently reminded him from within.
"Something I haven’t cleared out yet?" Ryan froze. He wasn’t sure, but the pain did feel familiar. He blurted out, "Could it be the poison Hideko Chiba gave me? There’s still some residual toxin in my body, but it shouldn’t be this intense!"
"Call out Chiharu Mitsui right now and get to the bottom of it!" The System was also baffled; logically, the leftover poison shouldn’t have this much effect.
"Okay!" Ryan nodded. This couldn’t wait—no delays allowed. He immediately said to Jinbiao Chen, "Uncle Chen, could you step outside for a bit? I’ve got something I need to handle."
"Sure, go ahead. I’ll leave and stand guard at the secret chamber—no one will disturb you!" Jinbiao Chen nodded, not daring to ask further, and left at once.
Once Jinbiao Chen left and closed the door, Ryan immediately pulled Chiharu Mitsui out from the Demon-Snaring Bowl.
"Master, do you want me to serve you? I’m ready—should I use my mouth to make you feel good first?" Chiharu Mitsui was startled, blurting out in panic.
"Feel good, my ass! You Japanese women really don’t even need training. I’ve got questions for you." Ryan shot her a look. Chiharu Mitsui, once such a fierce woman, had turned into a total slave ever since she started calling him 'Master.'
"Please ask, Master—I’ll answer everything!" Chiharu Mitsui quickly kowtowed.
"Let me ask you: what exactly is in your mother Hideko Chiba’s oral poison, and what’s the thorough way to get rid of it?" Ryan asked bluntly.
"I know my mother’s oral poison—it’s a yin–yang aphrodisiac type, the Mitsui family’s top-tier toxin. With Master’s current cultivation, it should already be fully cleared!" Chiharu Mitsui looked at Ryan in surprise.
"Cut the crap and give me the detox method now!" Ryan snapped, not wasting time on her nonsense.
"Understood, understood!" Chiharu Mitsui nodded quickly. The more harshly you treat these Japanese women, the more obedient they get—Ryan had found this out over and over.
After finishing, Chiharu Mitsui quickly wrote down everything she knew. Ryan checked it thoroughly, had the System look it over too, and judged it to be legit. He then stuffed Chiharu Mitsui back into the Demon-Snaring Bowl.
Without any hesitation, Ryan immediately followed the detox method and began purging the poison. After about an hour, the residual toxins were finally gone, and his body recovered.
Ryan wiped the sweat from his forehead. Honestly, he’d been really tense for a moment there—the pain was even worse than when he first got poisoned. But now that it was gone, he could finally breathe easy.
......
At that moment, in a luxury manor over a hundred kilometers outside the East River State Provincial Capital, Commander Victor Tang was hosting a 'calming' banquet for Grand Elder Walter Gu.
"Old Tang, good thing you got here in time—otherwise, this old life of mine would’ve been left behind! That little bastard’s strength is insane, he even killed a Void Realm monster like Mitsuo Mitsui. Looks like Dragon-Head will have to rethink his strategy. Should I lay low for a while?" Walter Gu sighed, just glad to still be breathing.
"Old Gu, what are you panicking for? It’s not that big a deal. Why hide out? Besides, your Dragon-Head Aaron Zhao was prepared for this. That kid won’t escape—everything he took will be returned!" Victor Tang laughed, downing a cup of wine.
"What? Dragon-Head was prepared, and he already knows what happened here?" Walter Gu was startled and looked at Victor Tang in surprise.
"Of course! If Dragon-Head hadn’t tipped me off, I wouldn’t have arrived so quickly. Honestly, if it weren’t for him, you’d all be dead by now!" Victor Tang smiled, then added, "And don’t worry—Dragon-Head is already on his way back. If I’m right, several Void Realm experts are gathering in East River State. Even if that kid is a god, he’ll only live a few more days. Plus, Dragon-Head already set everything up. That kid was poisoned by Hideko Chiba—you think it’s so easy to cure? That poison is going to play a huge role!"
"Didn’t he already cure the poison? Otherwise, how could his strength have skyrocketed like that?" Walter Gu asked in surprise.
“He cleared it? Not so fast. What he got rid of was just the Mitsui family's poison—the Chiba family's toxin is a whole different beast. It's a latent dark poison, totally undetectable under normal circumstances, but once it flares up, it'll absolutely kill him!” Commander Victor Tang seemed to know all about this, sneering coldly.
“So that's how it is! Dragon-Head really is a genius strategist—I'm honestly impressed!” Hearing Victor say this, Grand Elder Walter Gu instantly perked up, excitement written all over his face.
“Your Dragon-Head is a top-tier figure—his intelligence is way above the norm. Whatever ordinary people can't even imagine, he's already planned for...” Just then, Victor was interrupted by a guard reporting an important guest. In no time, a convoy of cars rolled up outside.
“That was fast—the Dragon-Head's here! Let's hurry and greet him!” Victor Tang jumped up, and Walter Gu was even more tense, his face pale as a defeated general.
“Relax, Walter. Dragon-Head isn't going to come down too hard on you. Focus on how we're going to finish off Ryan Ling next!” Victor clapped Walter on the back as the two hurried downstairs.
They hadn't even reached the bottom step when they saw a refined, scholarly-looking man step out of a car. The whole convoy looked perfectly clean, not a hint of killing aura—he seemed like a cultured intellectual. But the moment he exited the car, a powerful Void Realm pressure swept over the courtyard, making all surviving Azure Dragon Society members drop to their knees. Even Victor Tang's legs trembled, barely keeping himself from kneeling.
“Commander Tang, no need to kneel. I can't have a top commander like you bowing before me. In fact, I should be thanking you—if not for you, the Azure Dragon Society would've been wiped out!” The refined man spoke up, his presence utterly commanding. He was none other than Dragon-Head Aaron Zhao.
“Dragon-Head, you flatter me! It's my honor to serve you—how could I ever expect thanks? Please, after you!” Victor Tang replied with a hurried smile.
Walter Gu, meanwhile, banged his head to the floor and cried out, “Dragon-Head, I deserve death!”
“Enough, get up. You can't be blamed for everything this time. That Ryan Ling kid really has some extraordinary tricks—he can still fight at that level under these circumstances. Honestly, I'm very curious about him. This time, I'm making a move myself. No matter what, I have to capture him!” Aaron Zhao waved his hand, and Walter sprang to his feet.
“Thank you, Dragon-Head, for sparing me!” Walter wiped sweat from his forehead and hurried a few steps forward. “Looks like your strength has improved again—breaking through Yellow-tier Void Realm and reaching the Mysterious Tier must be close. With your power, defeating Ryan Ling will be effortless!”
“I'm taking matters into my own hands this time, so nothing will slip through the cracks. Tomorrow, the Tang Sect will send a Void Realm Rudder Master, the Huo Family will send another Void Realm powerhouse, and I've invited two Void Realm friends from Nanjing City. Plus, I've already contacted the Japanese side—though the Mitsui family is finished, the Chiba family is sending a top expert, Hazel Chiba, mother of Hideko Chiba and a pillar-level Japanese Void Realm master. Including myself, that's six Void Realm masters converging on Jiangdong. Even if Ryan Ling were a god, he won't survive this!” Aaron Zhao finished, laughing heartily.
“Six Void Realms gathering in Jiangdong—this is unprecedented! Crushing Ryan Ling will be as easy as chopping vegetables. His death date is set!” Victor Tang joined in, laughing with excitement...