Chapter 147: The Medicine Immortal versus the Wu Clan

The crystal ball on his left shoulder seemed to awaken, emitting a faint luster as his thoughts sank into the realm of his consciousness, divining the fortune of this match.

On the continent, a saying was widely circulated: "The Medicine Immortal of the North, the Wu Clan of the South." It signified that these two families stood as equals in the field of pharmacology. The Wu Clan, however, enjoyed the additional reputation of possessing the "Greatest Poison in the World." That the descendants of these two great houses should meet in battle today was a rare and remarkable coincidence.

When the host loudly announced, "Bai Shengye of the Medicine Immortal Family, versus Wu Zhen of the Wu Clan!" the enthusiasm of the entire audience was ignited. This battle had undoubtedly become the most anticipated match thus far. Everyone was debating who was superior, the "Medicine Immortal" or the "Wu Clan."

"I think the Wu Clan will win. This is a fight, not a contest of alchemy. Even if the Medicine Immortal has the ability to concoct an antidote, who has the time to mix one while in the middle of a battle?"

"I agree. It seems the Medicine Immortal family, known for their healing arts, is going to be finished..."

For the Holy City Magic Academy, this would be an uphill struggle. If Bai Shengye could defeat Wu Zhen, the entire Holy City team would successfully advance to the next round. If not, they would all be eliminated.

Bai Shengye understood the terror of the Wu Clan’s poison arts better than anyone; he knew he could not take this battle lightly. At this moment, the hopes of his entire team rested on his shoulders.

Shedding his earlier nonchalance, his expression turned serious, and his staff transformed into its second form. The most severe challenge he faced was the uncertainty of what toxins his opponent might use, necessitating real-time adaptation—the ultimate test for any apothecary.

The two stood in a standoff for a time. Wu Zhen did not move, his eyes remaining closed. Below the stage, the members of the Holy City team held their breath, and the audience watched in silent anticipation.

Beads of sweat had already begun to form on Bai Shengye's forehead. Known for his carefree and dashing nature, this was the first time he felt the pressure of a formidable foe. One hand reached quietly into the medicine chest on his back, his eyes locked on his opponent’s reactions, ready to adapt to any situation.

Suddenly, Wu Zhen slowly opened his eyes. His voice was ethereal as he spoke an inscrutable line: "I have heard the wailing of the departed souls..."

At the same time, his pale left hand emerged from his pitch-black sleeve. The purple crystal ball on his shoulder floated toward his palm, spinning. A flash of red light flickered within the sphere, and as Wu Zhen caught a glimpse of it, he seemed to see a vision of the future. He paused, halting the spell he had originally intended to cast, and immediately switched to another.

In his right hand, an ancient staff wreathed in poisonous vines materialized, topped with a snake head that bared its fangs.

"Be careful! He can foresee the future!" Yixin shouted toward the arena, though he did not know what the crystal ball had revealed or what schemes Wu Zhen was harboring.

Bai Shengye frowned slightly, hesitating for a moment, but Wu Zhen had already seized the initiative. He lowered his body, touching the tip of his staff to the ground.

A thick, pungent green mist spewed from the snake’s mouth, sinking low and rolling across the surface of the arena, rapidly closing in on Bai Shengye.

"Freeze!"

Bai Shengye laid a layer of solid ice across the ground, trapping the spreading toxic fog. Suddenly, several shadowy phantoms of poisonous snakes emerged from the mist, raising their heads to shatter the ice layer and lunging toward Bai Shengye with blood-red maws agape.

"To shatter my ice—it seems not only is his poison potent, but his magical power is formidable. This is the transformation state!" Bai Shengye thought to himself.

Wu Zhen’s deep voice resonated through his thick collar: "Serpentine Coil!"

Bai Shengye brandished his ice blade, shattering the phantom snakes formed from the toxic fog. As the poison permeated the air, a wisp entered his senses. Sensing a faint numbness in his body, he keenly identified the components of the toxin and immediately plunged a hand into his back-mounted chest, rapidly concocting an antidote.

Swiftly, he injected the serum into his body. Though the lingering toxic mist touched his skin, he remained unaffected, and the initial numbness vanished.

From the snake head of Wu Zhen’s staff, the poisonous mist continued to pour out incessantly, carrying a surging momentum that sought to dominate the entire arena from the very beginning. While Bai Shengye was distracted by the serpents, the mist had already quietly circled behind him, filling the entire arena.

The excess fog spilled over the edges of the platform, stopped only by the nearby transparent barrier just a yard away from the audience, who recoiled in fear. Soon, the mist rose higher and higher, gradually obstructing the spectators' view.

"Damn it, the snake attack was a feint—the real objective was to spread the poison across the entire arena!" Bai Shengye realized too late.

Hei Yu and the others stood anxiously at the edge of the transparent barrier, their hands pressed against it, but the green smoke had obscured their vision, making it impossible to see the situation on the field.

Facing such a powerful enemy, Bai Shengye decided to end the fight quickly with "Hell’s Deep Freeze." Though its range was not as vast as Yixin’s "Inferno," covering only half the arena, if he could pin down Wu Zhen’s movement, he would have a chance to deal a devastating blow.

"Ice Wall!"

With that thought, Bai Shengye immediately summoned two walls of ice, blocking Wu Zhen's path from the left and right.

Wu Zhen had nowhere to hide, yet he showed no panic. He merely looked up nonchalantly at the sides and above him, realizing the ice walls were ten meters high and impossible to leap over.

"Hell’s Deep Freeze!"

Following this, Bai Shengye unleashed his move. Frigid winds howled, frost and snow danced, and the poison on the ground was almost entirely frozen solid. The audience outside the barrier could only see the toxic mist swirling below and the frost and snow flying above, but due to the obstruction, they could not locate either contestant.

Only the host, standing on a high platform, had a clear view of the arena and continued to narrate for the audience: "The poison-type contestant is trapped within the ice walls! The ice-and-snow-type contestant has launched a large-scale attack—can the poison-user escape?..."

Hei Yu and the others were overjoyed to hear this news, rooting for Bai Shengye in their hearts.

Wu Zhen, besieged within the ice walls, showed no ripples of emotion. Half of his body was buried in snow, and he had sustained multiple frostbites; he would soon be frozen into a block of ice within the storm.

But at that moment, Bai Shengye suddenly sensed something was wrong. He realized with a jolt that another body of Wu Zhen’s had already circled behind him!

"Soul-Devouring Palm!"

A hand coated in virulent poison struck viciously, shattering the medicine chest on Bai Shengye’s back and slamming hard into his spine.

A mouthful of blood sprayed from Bai Shengye’s lips. A bloody palm print, which had corroded his clothes and skin, was clearly branded onto his back, shoving his body forward.

Wu Zhen then swiftly flashed to Bai Shengye’s front.

"Nether Poison Claw!"

He spread his five fingers, curling them into dangerous, sharp talons, and aimed a final strike at the head of the stumbling Bai Shengye.