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Liu Qi and his team lowered the rope slowly, seemingly providing Yang Fan with ample time to potentially draw out any lurking threats.
The paralyzing toxin from the Tianxiang Fruit was spreading throughout his body. Not only were his muscles beginning to numb, but his five keen senses had also dulled.
At this rate, even if there were no exotic beasts waiting below, he wouldn’t have any opportunity to escape.
However, Yang Fan’s mind still functioned clearly.
His thoughts raced rapidly.
The Tianxiang Fruit’s paralyzing toxin proved more potent than he anticipated. While exotic beasts viewed it as a delicious fruit, Yang Fan never got to taste it.
Direct contact with the fruit juice triggered immediate paralysis in his mouth, tongue, and esophagus!
It was hard to fathom such a tempting fruit harboring such terrifying power.
It was his misfortune that the Tianxiang Fruit tree happened to grow near the Qilin Lair, providing Liu Qi with the chance to pluck its fruits…
Suddenly, Yang Fan was struck by a realization!
He had been puzzled by one thing all along: why did the Rank 1 Exotic Beast Spirit Flesh contain impurities that could be absorbed by the orb?
When Liu Qi had him self-test his data just now, Yang Fan’s stats had slightly decreased.
Given that his body had been enhanced, how could it suddenly “decreased”?
The only possible issue might lie with the orb!
Initially, Yang Fan had consumed the Exotic Beast Spirit Flesh, then, captured by Liu Qi’s group, he underwent cultivation. The orb absorbed the impurities from the Exotic Beast Spirit Flesh, ultimately facilitating his breakthrough.
Recalling the law of conservation of energy from middle school physics, could it be that the impurities absorbed by the orb were originally a part of the energy within the Exotic Beast Spirit Flesh?
Because the orb absorbed this portion of impurities’ energy, it resulted in a reduction in the enhancement the Exotic Beast Spirit Flesh provided to Yang Fan’s physical body.
“Yes, it must be that way!”
So, if regular Exotic Beast Spirit Flesh contains impurities, and a Tianxiang Fruit tree that grows near a pollution source harbors impurities, could the fruit it bears also contain impurities?
If the impurities are removed, could it detoxify?
Yang Fan couldn’t be certain about this yet, but he had to try now.
During the descent, Yang Fan closed his eyes and entered his consciousness space directly!
When he opened his eyes, he was astonished to find the Nebulae Chains around him stirring restlessly, with a layer of dark energy swirling around his body!
At the sight of this dark energy layer, Yang Fan was instantly shaken to the core!
The orb transmitted some information.
Firstly, the source of these impurities was none other than the Tianxiang Fruit!
Furthermore, the orb seemed to be complaining to Yang Fan, saying, “You finally showed up, kid! Get to work right away!”
Yang Fan disregarded whether there were exotic beasts below or not. In his current state, if there were any, he wouldn’t be able to escape anyway. He decided to start cultivating immediately.
A few minutes later…
At the cliff’s edge, Liu Qi furrowed his brow, “Hey, Zhang Jie, I think the Tianxiang Fruit is taking effect. Have you noticed? That kid hasn’t moved at all.”
Zhang Jie sighed, “They did say the Tianxiang Fruit has various paralyzing toxins. With his weak physique, how could he resist?”
“Liu Qi, I don’t think we necessarily have to kill him. Honestly, I think he’s quite pitiful.”
Liu Qi let out a derisive chuckle, “Don’t be naive. You pity him, but who pities me? Believe me, given the chance, he’d turn on us in an instant.”
“That’s human nature!”
Shaking his head, Zhang Jie refrained from further comments. Together with Liu Qi, they continued lowering the rope, though it seemed like their mood had soured.
Noticing this, Liu Qi remarked, “Zhang Jie, if he doesn’t encounter an exotic beast, I’ll go down next. In case of danger, I can provide some cover. If there’s no threat, I’ll signal you to secure the rope on a rock tightly.”
Upon hearing Liu Qi’s words, Zhang Jie was deeply moved.
Yang Fan had accused Liu Qi of using him, yet here he was, willingly offering to descend next.
It appears that Yang Fan’s distrust towards Liu Qi was unfounded, after all, Liu Qi was his companion!
Yang Fan wasn’t sure when he touched the ground, but he had been removing impurities all along.
The impurities provided by the Tianxiang Fruit were nowhere near as potent as those from the Exotic Beast Spirit Flesh. After the orb ascended to the second level, it seemed that the resources required for further enhancement had also increased.
Roughly twenty minutes later, all impurities had been absorbed, and Yang Fan realized that his sense of smell and hearing had miraculously returned!
Upon exiting his consciousness space, he tested his body and found that the effects of muscle paralysis had vanished.
“I actually detoxified myself?!” Yang Fan was overjoyed. Although he didn’t understand fully, the outcome was undeniably perfect.
At that moment, Yang Fan’s body made contact with the ground!
A foul odor permeated the air, indicating the presence of an exotic beast below!
Fortunately, the exotic beast had not yet appeared near Yang Fan.
Now was his sole opportunity to escape Liu Qi’s control.
Despite his recent near-paralysis, Yang Fan tightly gripped the Grey Pine Spear, which now represented his chance for freedom!
Without hesitation, Yang Fan used the spear’s tip to swiftly rub against the rope.
Previously, if it had been the iron spider silk strands twisted together, a regular Grey Pine Spear would have taken a considerable amount of time to wear through. But now, with only a single strand, as long as the individuals above didn’t pull him up, he could fray the rope and escape!
As Yang Fan rubbed the rope, causing it to sway back and forth, both Liu Qi and Zhang Jie began to sense the movement.
“What’s happening down there?” Zhang Jie asked nervously.
Liu Qi furrowed his brow, “That kid shouldn’t be able to move right now. He couldn’t possibly free himself from the rope. Could it be… an exotic beast is attacking him?”
“This…” Zhang Jie’s face turned pale.
Throughout their perilous journey, they had not encountered a situation involving death!
The thought of the rope in their hands and Yang Fan at the other end potentially being devoured by some exotic beast was truly hard to accept.
“What should we do now?”
“Let’s not rush into things,” Liu Qi remained remarkably composed. “The cliff is approximately fifty meters high. If the exotic beast tugs on the rope, we let go and run immediately. If not, it means it hasn’t detected us.”
“It’s not easy to gather such long iron spider silk, so let’s try to retrieve as much as possible.”
Liu Qi’s deduction was flawless, with the only loophole being that he never could have imagined someone could neutralize the paralyzing effect of the Tianxiang Fruit!
With just a few seconds needed, Yang Fan had now been granted that time by Liu Qi. As the rope was severed, Yang Fan felt a weight lifted off his shoulders.
“I finally escaped!” Yang Fan turned to look behind him.
The lighting here was dim, but with exceptional vision, Yang Fan spotted seven to eight openings at the bottom of the cliff in the direction of the cliff wall.
“I can see this many now, but what I can’t see… Wow, this Qilin Lair is massive!”
Yang Fan had previously detected the scent of the exotic beast and considering Liu Qi and his group could descend at any moment, he knew he couldn’t defeat Liu Qi in his current state.
He couldn’t linger here any longer; his only option was to find an opening to slip into.
Above, Liu Qi and Zhang Jie, noticing the rope had gone still, waited before eventually pulling it up.
To their dismay, the rope was empty, showing clear signs of being cut rather than torn by an exotic beast.
“This… it wasn’t bitten off by an exotic beast, it was worn away slowly!” Liu Qi rose abruptly, realization dawning on him, he glared at Zhang Jie and growled, “It was cut with a Grey Pine Spear!”
“Zhang Jie, your misplaced kindness has caused this misfortune!”
“That loser has escaped!”