Chapter 267: Bone-Dissolving Soul-Melting Paste

Jiang Li only had a theoretical grasp on poison refining—he hadn’t practiced much. He could teach Yu Feng, but the resulting poison wouldn’t reach full potency.
Without maximum potency, it wouldn’t be enough to kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
“So the Human Sovereign wants me to teach this kid how to make poison?” Sect Master Huang Chengdan of the Spirit Herb Sect hadn’t expected that was why Jiang Li contacted him.
Sure, pills and poisons weren’t so different, but still—this wasn’t what he’d signed up for. They’d already gone clean from the Black Medicine Sect days; they even changed their name to Spirit Herb Sect.
“You could’ve asked our Pill Refining Peak instead,” Bai Hongtu volunteered.
“The ingredients used by your Pill Refining Peak are too rare and expensive. Not practical. I’d rather go with the Spirit Herb Sect—it’s more reliable.”
Hearing that Jiang Li valued him more than the entire Pill Refining Peak, Huang Chengdan instantly beamed with pride, full of spirit: “I’m best at making poison—no, I mean, what kind of poison do you want, Human Sovereign?”
Jiang Li gave him a side glance and introduced him: “This is Sect Master Huang of the Spirit Herb Sect, a Fusion-stage cultivator.”
Yu Feng was shocked—why were all these people Jiang Li introduced to him Fusion-stage?
“Greetings, Senior Huang.”
“I want to make a Bone-Dissolving Soul-Melting Paste. These are the ingredients,” Jiang Li said, displaying the poisons, herbs, and black cat blood he’d gathered.
“That’s simple. First, we need a cauldron.” Sect Master Huang thought this would be easy.
“There’s no cauldron. We’ll make do with a stove.” Jiang Li brought Yu Feng to a household kitchen stove.
No one in this small town practiced alchemy or poison refinement, so no one had a cauldron.
Huang Chengdan felt his sense of dignity crumble instantly: “…The stove is fine too.”
He also realized Yu Feng was a beginner, and the materials were incomplete. They’d have to use the most conservative, time-consuming refining method.
“Start with a water bath to heat it. Grind the ingredients and add them in slowly while stirring…”
As expected from the most grassroots-friendly Sect Master, Huang Chengdan taught a method with a very low skill threshold. Yu Feng was able to pick it up easily.
While refining, Yu Feng learned. The refining theory Huang taught was unlike anything he’d ever seen.
When a Fusion-stage cultivator teaches, you better pay attention.
Yu Feng added firewood and pumped the bellows. The crackling of flames and rhythmic whooshing filled the kitchen. Eventually, a clear, jelly-like substance appeared before them.
“Looks good. Not sure about the toxicity though—want to try it?” Bai Hongtu suggested to Yu Feng.
Jiang Li pulled out a Ninefold Immortal Pill. “I’ll let you try it when I get back.”
Bai Hongtu immediately shut his mouth.
Jiang Li rolled his eyes and disconnected the long-distance communication talisman.
…
“Auntie, one meat bun, please.” Yu Feng returned to the bun shop and bought another bun.
“You’re the young man who came before, aren’t you? What do you think? Aren’t my buns delicious?”
“Absolutely. Best bun I’ve ever had. Are you hiring?”
“As it happens, we’re short-staffed. Come inside and let’s talk.” The old bun-seller warmly welcomed Yu Feng and pulled him into the shop.
Yu Feng’s head spun. He felt dizzy, then collapsed with a thud onto the floor.
When he woke, his hands and feet were tied. He was on the chopping board, like a pig waiting to be slaughtered.
Nearby sat a basin of freshly sliced raw meat. The stench of blood was overwhelming—and Yu Feng was sure that wasn’t pork, beef, or lamb…
He knew this place all too well. He’d been here a few times already.
Of all his early death tribulations, this one had been the most brutal.
“Any sign of those three junior brothers of yours?”
Yu Feng heard the old woman talking to someone. He recognized the voice—it was the human trafficker who had once disemboweled him.
“Reporting to Master, they told me they were heading to a small mountain village. I’ll go check it out right away.”
“You’re the senior brother, I trust your work. No rush—come help me butcher this kid first.”
“Yes.”
The bun-seller was none other than the Sect Master of the Blood Sea Sect, Foundation Establishment Stage, running a bun shop. The human trafficker was the Blood Sea Sect’s senior disciple, Ninth-Level Qi Refining, who ran a braised meat shop.
“How many people have you killed?” Yu Feng suddenly asked.
Seeing him awake, the old woman wasn’t surprised. She sneered, “Can you count how many buns you’ve eaten in your life?”
“Master, what are we talking to him for? Let’s just kill him.” The trafficker, impatient, grabbed a butcher’s knife and stepped toward Yu Feng.
“You really think I’ll just let you carve me up?” Yu Feng blew on the ropes at his wrists and ankles. The hemp cords snapped cleanly—as if sliced by a blade.
“Misjudged you. Didn’t expect you were a Third-Level Qi Refining cultivator!”
The old woman was shocked—and puzzled. With her Foundation Establishment cultivation, she should’ve seen through a mere Qi Refining Stage. How had she missed it?
Of course, she didn’t know that Yu Feng’s concealment method had been taught by Jiang Li. As long as he didn’t use spiritual power, he appeared no different from a mortal.
“So what if you’re Third-Level?” The trafficker wasn’t concerned. What could a Qi Refining cultivator do under their noses?
“Guess why I let you catch me?”
“This brat’s scheming something!” the old woman reacted sharply. She cast a spell, but suddenly her arm went limp. The spell fizzled out. Jiang Li’s voice whispered in Yu Feng’s ear, warning him to dodge.
“What did you do!” The trafficker tried to cast a spell too—but it felt like his bones had been extracted in an instant. He collapsed to the ground, completely powerless.
The old woman and the trafficker lay twisted on the floor. Their limbs bent in ways no normal human could—like boneless octopuses. Staring at the ceiling, they couldn’t even move their heads.
The Bone-Dissolving Soul-Melting Paste was invisible and odorless. It vaporized easily in a bloody environment. At first, it showed no signs—but once the victim used spiritual power, it activated, melting their bones.
The kitchen was an enclosed space, amplifying the poison’s effects.
No matter how strong a Foundation Establishment cultivator was—without bones, they were no different from a pile of rotten meat.
Yu Feng had taken the antidote in advance, so he was unharmed.
“Fellow Daoist, let’s talk. I’m the Sect Master of the Blood Sea Sect. Tell me what you want, anything…” the old woman pleaded.
“Right, right, it’s all a misunderstanding. We’ve got no grudge. Why go so far…” the trafficker begged too.
“No grudge? I killed your three disciples—what, that doesn’t count?”
“So it was you!” The old woman and trafficker’s eyes widened. They hadn’t expected Yu Feng’s connection to the Blood Sea Sect went that deep.
They writhed like chopped worms—but with their bones dissolved, they couldn’t muster any strength.
“Did you ever think about what it felt like—those people who died under your knife, in their final moments?”
“Please… spare us…”
Yu Feng said no more. Returning evil with evil, he gagged their mouths, then dug out the trafficker’s internal organs alive and butchered the old woman into eight pieces.
As their breaths faded and ceased, their bodies stopped twitching. Yu Feng felt a rush of satisfaction—his vengeance was complete.