Deadly Poison of the Seven-Point Flower

Bei Chenyi narrowed his eyes slightly, a trace of a peculiar smile curling on his blood-red lips. “If I lose, Sister Yue, you may ask me to promise you one thing. If I win, I’d like you to promise me something as well. I have two choices here—I wonder which one Sister Yue will pick.”

“Go on.”

Bei Chenyi clapped his hands, and Little Bean appeared, carefully holding a box. The box was made of sandalwood, so whatever lay inside was surely of great value.

“Sister Yue, come and see.”

Bei Chenyi pinched the lid and gently lifted it. Instantly, a strange fragrance seeped from the narrow opening. This scent… was not unfamiliar to her: the Sevenfold Doom Flower.

The Sevenfold Doom Flower was breathtakingly beautiful, its fragrance unique and rare—one that few could ever obtain. Even for someone as exalted as Emperor Bei Chenyi, it would not be easy to acquire. Yet, its greatest power did not lie in its beauty, but in its consumption, for it was a deadly poison—one almost impossible to detect.

“How did you come by it?” Yun Feiyue asked, her interest piqued as she gazed at the flower.

She had once seen this flower at the Summit Abyss, the path all had to cross to compete for the Heavenly Martial Ranking. It was there, at the Summit Abyss, that Yun Feiyue had met with disaster and nearly died.

Noticing her intrigue, Bei Chenyi’s smile grew even brighter. “Does Sister Yue wish to know the flower’s origin?”

She nodded, her eyes never leaving the blossom. Its iridescent glow and intoxicating scent rendered her unable to look away, despite knowing it was lethally poisonous.

Bei Chenyi, now wearing specially made gloves, reached in and took the flower. Its trembling petals were as vivid as fresh blood, a chilling harmony set against his smiling face.

“This flower was acquired from the Gongsun family. Today, they came to beg me to rescind my decree. After all that’s happened, they still have the nerve to make such a request—it vexes me greatly. So…”

Bei Chenyi plucked a petal and dropped it into a jade cup. The clear water inside instantly turned a deep crimson. He lifted the now blood-red cup and offered it to Yun Feiyue. “Sister Yue, my wish is for you to personally offer this cup to the Gongsun family. I can hardly wait for their demise…”

If the Sevenfold Doom Flower belonged to the Gongsun family, then… was there more to her death back then? Was the Gongsun family involved after all?

Yun Feiyue looked at that seemingly gentle face but could not see through him. Why was he so different from before? He wasn’t like this in the past…

“The Gongsun family is a great clan. If Grand Tutor Gongsun dies, the imperial court will descend into chaos. Do you truly wish to secure your throne?”

Bei Chenyi’s smile softened—so she still cared for his fate.

“That’s why I have a second choice. Sister Yue, deliver this cup to Beichen Yu instead. My brother is returning, and I am uneasy. If only one must die, then I shall let you decide. The peace or chaos of Chu Kingdom is in your hands.”

If she wanted Chu to descend into turmoil, she could kill the Gongsun family; if she wished for peace, she would kill Beichen Yu. It was a dilemma with no perfect solution.

“If you want me to act for you, you must defeat me first!”

Yun Feiyue drew her fiery whip and lashed it toward Bei Chenyi. He flicked the jade cup lightly, setting it steadily on the tray Little Bean held. Turning, his face lit with a bloodthirsty smile as he regarded Yun Feiyue. The figure leaping through the flames was the woman he had pursued all his life. The thrill of finally being able to fight her made him want to laugh aloud.

“Sister Yue, I won’t be holding back!”

He pressed his hands together, forming seals. A blaze of golden light formed a crystalline barrier before him, blocking Yun Feiyue’s assault.

“Pia—” Yun Feiyue’s whip struck the barrier.

Cracks appeared in the shield. Bei Chenyi, unperturbed, only smiled wider. “My Sister Yue is truly extraordinary. I once believed, as Gongsun Ziyan claimed, that you’d lost all your power. Clearly, that fool lied to me again. But no matter what kind of Sister Yue you are, I will always like you.”

He let out a soft laugh and leapt into the air. A nearly invisible red thread unfurled from his hand, weaving a spiderweb as he moved.

Yun Feiyue’s fire whip had no effect on this thread. Even if she saw it, she could not stop it…

Bei Chenyi leapt and dodged throughout the grand hall, weaving a net that grew ever tighter. The longer the fight dragged on, the worse it would be for Yun Feiyue. Once he finished his net, her defeat would be certain.

This time, she could not afford to lose, for she would not make that choice—though she knew someone else would, if she did not.

A constant smile lingered on that pale face. Though Bei Chenyi’s martial cultivation was not high, he wielded a formidable forbidden art of the Chu royal family. Such arts were not easily broken. Even at the sixth realm, Bei Chenyi could unleash power deadly enough to kill those of the eighth.

“Sister Yue, with this last Spider Silk, you’ll have lost.” He grinned, revealing pearl-white teeth.