Jiang Che found the situation strange as well.

He had seen his opponents secretly using poison.

At first, he did his best to avoid it.

But once, he failed to dodge and was accidentally dusted with the Poisonous Powder.

He worried he’d been poisoned.

But surprisingly, nothing happened at all!

’Could their poison have expired?’

When his opponents saw their poison had no effect, their movements grew more exaggerated, and they used more and more of it.

Eventually, they dropped all pretense, scattering all sorts of poisons as if they were free.

But still, nothing happened to Jiang Che!

Jiang Che was also incredibly puzzled.

’Is it possible that I’m immune to poison in my Black Abyss Form?’

The three of them fought for a long while.

Although Lotus and Red Tiger consistently held the upper hand...

...the Black Armored Martial Artist across from them seemed tireless!

’This won’t do. If we drag this out, the Secret Technique’s duration will end. When the backlash hits, Red Tiger and I might actually lose...’

Lotus’s mind raced, and the thought of retreat had already formed.

After knocking Jiang Che down once more, she didn’t press the attack. Instead, she leaped to Red Tiger’s side and whispered something to him.

Red Tiger nodded, and the two of them used their Qinggong to instantly flee the area.

Watching the two of them suddenly retreat into the distance, Jiang Che breathed a sigh of relief.

He had relied on the powerful healing of Rejuvenation, the constant supply of Qi Blood from the Heart of the Black Abyss, and his Black Abyss Form’s immunity to poison. All this made him seem like an unkillable cockroach.

But in reality, if the fight had dragged on, his Heart of the Black Abyss would have soon been depleted.

At that point, he might very well have been defeated.

He never expected his opponents would be the first to break and run.

Jiang Che immediately went to retrieve his clothes.

He’d learned his lesson. In the future, he’d sneak off to a deserted spot and take off his clothes before transforming.

It was a bit indecent, but at least he wouldn’t ruin another set of clothes.

Jiang Che slowly reverted his Transformation.

He carefully sensed his body and found that even after reverting his Transformation, there was nothing unusual.

’This Heart of the Black Abyss is incredible. It even grants poison immunity after Transformation...’

However, he was both pleased and worried.

After all, this Heart of the Black Abyss came from the Master of the Black Abyss.

Moreover, after he transformed, he could hear strange whispers in his ears.

His killing intent would also grow stronger.

Although the system panel seemed to have severed the connection to the Master of the Black Abyss...

...who knew if there wasn’t something harmful still lingering within the Heart of the Black Abyss.

If he were to lose himself one day, the gain would not be worth the loss!

Jiang Che resolved that it was best to transform as little as possible.

He even considered that, if he had the chance in the future, he should see if he could remove the Heart of the Black Abyss and completely eliminate this hidden danger.

Of course, that wasn’t possible now. He felt that if he tried to remove it rashly, something terrible would happen—he might even die.

Worried that the pair might return, Jiang Che stopped overthinking.

After getting dressed, he quickly ran in the direction of Seven Stars Castle.

Jiang Che followed the main road west and soon saw a massive Earth Castle.

The outer walls of the Earth Castle were about thirty meters high, constructed from huge, square stones.

The fortress gate consisted of two enormous, black-lacquered doors studded with bronze nails.

On the left and right stood a brawny Martial Artist, each dressed in black combat attire.

Watchtowers were built atop the fortress walls, where Gang members in black combat attire, carrying bows and arrows, patrolled.

Before Jiang Che could even get close to the gate, one of the guarding Martial Artists shouted:

"Who goes there? This is Seven Stars Castle, a restricted area! Unauthorized persons, stay away!"

This man was burly, looked to be in his thirties, and had a large, red nose that was quite conspicuous.

Jiang Che cupped his fists from a distance and said:

"I am Jiang Che, an Honored Guest Elder who has come to affiliate with the castle!"

"Honored Guest Elder? Since when does my Seven Stars Gang have Honored Guest Elders? Come here and let me see you!" the guarding Martial Artist said with a frown.

Hearing this, Jiang Che walked over.

The guarding Martial Artist looked him up and down and, finding that Jiang Che’s Qi Blood was not particularly strong, frowned even more deeply.

"A mere brat at the Early-stage of the Stone Skin Realm, and you claim to be an Honored Guest Elder of our Seven Stars Gang? Don’t joke around. Hurry up and go back where you came from! Otherwise, don’t blame me for being discourteous!"

"Don’t be so hasty. I have a waist token!"

Jiang Che could understand. The Seven Stars Gang had never recruited Honored Guest Elders before; he was the first, so it was natural that the average gang member wouldn’t know.

Besides, Li Rushan was supposed to bring him here, but thanks to the interference from the Blood Spirit Sect Assassin, he was now alone, which was indeed troublesome.

Seeing Jiang Che claim he had a waist token, the guard, though skeptical, still wanted to see what he could produce.

But Jiang Che fumbled around for a long time and couldn’t find it.

’Crap, did I leave it at home?’

He had gone back to change his clothes once; he must have forgotten to bring it then.

"Sorry, I think I left the token at home," Jiang Che said, a bit embarrassed.

"Go on, get out of here! Are you messing with me?" the guard said impatiently.

"In that case, could you please inform Senior Li Rushan? I was originally coming with him, but I was delayed by some business, so he returned first," Jiang Che said.

"You want to see Elder Li? Kid, I don’t know where you heard about Elder Li, but if you think you can win favor from a person of high status this way, you’re mistaken! I’ve seen plenty of people like you trying to take shortcuts. Let me give you a piece of advice: diligent Cultivation and improving your Realm is the only proper path!" the guarding Martial Artist scolded with a frown.

"I..."

Jiang Che sighed. It seemed there was no reasoning with him.

He cupped his fists, said no more, and turned to leave.

Jiang Che hadn’t walked far when the gate suddenly opened. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

The groom, Old Wang, walked out.

"Uncle Wang!"

the guard said respectfully at once.

They all knew in their hearts that although Old Wang was just a groom...

...he had served Elder Li Rushan for decades, following him since he was young. He was utterly loyal.

Furthermore, the reason he was mute was that he had been harmed by one of Li Rushan’s enemies.

His standing in the Gang was far beyond what ordinary members like them could compare to!

Old Wang’s expression was as humble as ever.

He smiled and made a hand gesture toward the guard.

The guard didn’t understand sign language at first, but after asking someone for help, he had finally learned a little.

"Are you asking if a young man came by?" he asked, a bit uncertain.

Old Wang smiled and nodded.

The guard was stunned.

"There was a kid just now, I think his name was Jiang something, who said he was an Honored Guest Elder."

Old Wang quickly gestured, indicating that was the one.

The guard’s expression changed, and his large red nose seemed to turn a shade paler.

’This is bad! He really was Elder Li’s guest!’

"He can’t have gone far. I’ll go get him!"

The guard quickly used his Qinggong to chase after him.

「...」

Jiang Che hadn’t gone far when he suddenly sensed someone chasing him from behind.

He had just been thinking about the Blood Spirit Sect Assassins, worried the two of them might double back to attack.

Thus, his expression grew tense. Thinking things had taken a bad turn, he immediately used the Flying Swallow Step and instantly increased the distance between them.

The red-nosed guard was taken aback.

Although he was just an ordinary Gang member, he was at the Peak of the Stone Skin Realm and had also practiced Qinggong.

He was confident that even many masters at the Iron Skin Realm were not as fast as him.

But this kid was actually more than just a little bit faster?!

’This kid really has some skills!’

Thinking back on how he had lectured him with the air of an experienced senior, he suddenly felt a pang of embarrassment.

Seeing Jiang Che getting farther and farther away, he had no choice but to shout at the top of his lungs:

"Young Master Jiang, please wait! I misunderstood! Come back! Elder Li is looking for you!!"

Jiang Che faintly heard the shouts from behind. Realizing it wasn’t the Blood Spirit Sect Assassins, he stopped and listened carefully to what was being yelled.

He finally heard clearly when the man got closer.

Jiang Che breathed a sigh of relief. Good, he wouldn’t have to go back for the waist token and return.

He used his Qinggong again and rushed back.

The guard breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Jiang Che coming over.

"Young Master Jiang, I was blind and failed to recognize your greatness. I truly apologize for the offense! Please, don’t hold it against me!"

He cupped his fists, his face filled with shame.

"It’s fine. I was the one who didn’t bring the token. You were just doing your duty,"

Jiang Che said with a smile.

Seeing that Jiang Che didn’t blame him, the guard was grateful.

He had worked hard to get this guard post. If he offended Elder Li, his luck would run out.

The two of them quickly returned to the castle gate.

When Old Wang the groom saw Jiang Che arrive, a smile immediately appeared on his face.

He made a hand gesture. Jiang Che didn’t understand, so the red-nosed guard explained with a smile:

"Uncle Wang says Elder Li wants you to go over right away. He’s waiting for you in Tingzhu Garden!"

Jiang Che nodded and followed Old Wang the groom into Seven Stars Castle.

Once inside, Jiang Che discovered that Seven Stars Castle was enormous. Buildings stood in dense rows, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The main road was wide, and powerful Martial Artists with strong Qi Blood passed by from time to time.

Besides Martial Artists, he also saw women and children, who seemed to be the families of the Gang members.

There were even stalls along the road, with vendors hawking all sorts of goods.

In addition to Weapons and Exotic Beast Meat, there were also daily necessities.

People frequently stopped to make purchases.

’This place is at least as big as a large university campus. The Seven Stars Gang is really impressive...’

Jiang Che thought to himself.

Before long, the two arrived in front of an elegant pavilion.

Old Wang the groom gestured for him to go inside.

Jiang Che nodded, wiped his shoes with some grass, and walked in.

As soon as he entered the main hall, he saw Li Rushan lying face down on a bed, bare-chested, his back densely covered with Silver Needles.

A bald old man with a completely white beard sat beside him, carefully administering the needles to Li Rushan.

"Little Brother Jiang, you’re finally here! Old Zhang, quick, check if he’s been poisoned!"

Seeing Jiang Che arrive, Li Rushan quickly spoke to the bald old man.

The bald old man looked Jiang Che up and down and asked doubtfully:

"This kid doesn’t look like he’s been poisoned. Was he really next to you during the fight?"

"He really was! Why would I lie to you?" Li Rushan said anxiously.

"Kid, come here and let me see," the bald old man said nonchalantly.

Jiang Che nodded and walked over.

The old man grabbed Jiang Che’s wrist and closed his eyes to feel his condition.

’His pulse is steady, his Qi Blood is abundant, and there isn’t the slightest sign of poisoning in his body...’

’Strange. Considering the poisons Old Li was exposed to, being so close, he should have definitely been poisoned...’

He frowned, unable to figure out the reason.

Suddenly, he thought of something. His fingers formed a claw, and he gripped Jiang Che’s wrist forcefully.

Jiang Che cried out in pain. His Qi Blood circulated passively, and the skin on his wrist instantly became as hard as iron.

"An Innate Iron Body! No wonder you weren’t poisoned!" The bald old man’s eyes shone with a brilliant light.