After deciding not to absorb the poison from these Red-haired Demon Beasts, Zou Feng still felt uneasy, a sense of panic lingering in his heart.
He was now a major Gu Cultivation practitioner, openly nurturing the Iron Blood Gu Poison Group.
Although Poison Cultivators were pitifully few in Yuan Guang County, that didn’t mean they were rare elsewhere.
Zou Feng had previously overheard conversations among high-ranking gang members about Demon Sects composed almost entirely of Poison Cultivators.
However, these leaders were only repeating rumors and knew very little about the specifics, so Zou Feng’s own knowledge remained limited.
At this thought, Zou Feng looked up at Tian Yun, who was nibbling on monkey meat.
’This long-famous top master of Yuan Guang County ought to know more...’
Speaking of which, with the recent series of events, Tian Yun had been so deferential to his opinions that Zou Feng had almost forgotten she was no ordinary woman.
"Master Tian, could there be any Evil Sects or Demon Sects in Qifeng Mountain?" Zou Feng asked immediately.
Hearing this, Tian Yun immediately shook her head. "Impossible. In all these years, I’ve never heard of any Evil Sects on Qifeng Mountain."
"The Celestial Essence Sword Sect would never allow a Demon Sect to exist nearby."
Zou Feng had, of course, considered that. Still, he pressed on, "If there aren’t any within Qifeng Mountain, surely there must be some in other domains not too far from it?"
"Oh, there are plenty. Once you cross the Nanling Mountain Range where Qifeng Mountain is located, you’re in the Southern Border region. The Celestial Essence Sword Sect’s reach doesn’t extend there."
"However, in the Southern Border region, the various sects use countless methods of Gu Techniques and poisons. As long as they don’t commit any particularly heinous acts, many of the so-called Evil Sects loathed in the Central Plains Region wouldn’t even be considered Demon Sects over there," Tian Yun said.
’That made sense. To put it bluntly, in the Southern Border, the Demon Sects were simply the ones with the biggest fists.’
’They were likely "orderly" Demon Sects, not the truly evil and demonic kind that were chaotic and insane, focused only on slaughter, plunder, and destruction.’
In fact, Zou Feng had previously considered trying his luck in the Southern Border. After all, when it came to resources related to "poison," Yuan Guang County and its surrounding areas could no longer provide him with steady support.
The problem was, before reaching the Gang Qi Realm, a "poisonous creature" like him—with no background and all alone—going to the Southern Border would be like a beautiful, naked young woman with a stunning figure timidly walking past the doorstep of the local Poison Cultivators.
Needless to say, in that situation, practically "every household" would "see a beauty in distress and draw their swords to help."
They would let Zou Feng experience firsthand what it meant to find "true love" everywhere in the world.
It was precisely because of such foreseeable circumstances that Zou Feng preferred to lie low in Yuan Guang County and continue being the General Leader.
At least he still had the Iron Blood Gu Poison Group. If he nurtured it well, it could also help him advance to the Gang Qi Realm.
"But as for the Southern Border sect closest to Qifeng Mountain, if nothing has changed, it should be Biyou Palace!"
This was where the information became new to Zou Feng.
Before Tian Yun could continue, Zou Feng couldn’t help but interrupt, "How strong is Biyou Palace?"
Tian Yun said, "Although it can’t compare to the Celestial Essence Sword Sect, it’s still considered a major sect, much stronger than the Ten Directions Sect."
"Does Biyou Palace specialize in the Poison Dao, Gu Techniques, and other such methods?"
"Yes, but at least half of the sects in the Southern Border are proficient in those kinds of arts."
As soon as she said this, a chill shot straight up Zou Feng’s spine to the top of his skull.
He was now eighty percent certain he could piece together the recent events in Yuan Guang County and Qifeng Mountain.
’First, there was Yang Yanpeng from the Yang Mansion. Although he was the son of a wealthy family, a Cultivation Skill like the Five Poison Palm should have been beyond his reach.’
’Don’t underestimate the Five Poison Palm just because it seems unimpressive at first. Once the Human Gu is properly cultivated, one could hope to advance to a High Grade just by relying on this skill alone.’
’That’s why, even though my own Five Poison Skill has been merged and evolved many times, the skill’s name on the List of Gods still begins with the two words "Five Poison."’
’Yang Yanpeng was certainly not a disciple of Biyou Palace, but it’s possible that he himself was a Gu cultivated by one of its disciples...’
’Then there was the edge of Qifeng Mountain. Traces of Demon Beasts were once extremely rare there, but suddenly, they started appearing frequently for no apparent reason.’
’Finally, there’s the Southern Prince’s rebellion, which naturally involves the political maneuvering of several major sects.’
’If someone claimed Biyou Palace wasn’t involved, I wouldn’t believe it for a second.’
’Considering this series of anomalies—the strange situation on Qifeng Mountain and the sudden appearance of so many poisoned Red-haired Demon Beasts—it would be weirder if Biyou Palace *wasn’t* pulling the strings.’
’In the past, Biyou Palace wouldn’t have dared to cause trouble out of fear of the Celestial Essence Sword Sect.’
’But now, in these chaotic times, the Celestial Essence Sword Sect is overwhelmed with its own problems. It has neither the time nor the energy to pay attention to the anomalies on Qifeng Mountain.’
’So, Biyou Palace is most likely brewing up something big and nasty in Qifeng Mountain...’
The more he thought about it, the more alarmed Zou Feng became. He quickly looked down, pulled open his waistband, and took a careful look.
His hair had definitely been dyed red; Zou Feng was now checking to see if the hair in other places had also been affected.
Faced with Zou Feng’s suddenly crude behavior, Tian Yun didn’t turn away in anger or embarrassment.
Instead, she leaned in quite naturally, also looked down, and asked, "What’s wrong? Did it turn red down there, too?"