Chapter 649 – The Flower That Balances Water and Fire (1/2)

“Plague ghosts” were not evil spirits. It was like how the “gods of plagues” in the legends were actually gods that dispelled diseases.

Plague ghosts feasted on diseases, accumulating them in their bodies. Once they reached a certain level, they could throw themselves at the enemy. Because they were immaterial like ghosts, barely anything could stop them from delivering the nasty diseases into the enemy’s body.

However, the bodies of cultivators had always been extremely tough, and a body like Zhu Lie’s was among the top of the list. Regular diseases were unable to affect him much at all.

Only by devouring a tremendous amount of diseases could they determine victory or defeat, which also meant the cultivator had to spend large amounts of time treating and curing mortals.

The plague ghost Ru Xin refined had only reached its current level through accumulation during the years of war in the Clear River prefecture. During the war, pestilence was widespread, allowing her to gather countless diseases.

As a result, while plague ghosts were powerful, there were not a lot of medical disciples that chose to refine them. The world had been at peace for too long. No one was willing to spend time on something like this.

And once the cultivator became somewhat accomplished with the plague ghost, it would be even more terrifying than potent poison. Toxins could always be purged, but diseases would constantly grow and spread. For each moment that passed without treatment, the situation would worsen.

Zhu Lie was unable to hold back the discomfort in his lungs, covering his mouth and coughing violently. When he checked his hand, he found it covered in blood. He could feel the condition of his body constantly worsen like a structure termites had eaten away, about to collapse at any time. Vicious determination filled his mind.

I’m probably under the effect of this woman’s gu. As long as I kill her, the gu will obviously vanish. Even if I can’t achieve that, I’ll still pull her down with me!

Ru Xin seemed to have been expecting this the entire time. She pulled far away and called out, “You can stop dreaming. Even if you kill me, your sickness won’t improve. Instead, it’ll erupt instantly and kill you on the spot. In the Mist province’s language, it’s death gu!”

The Mist province was an undeveloped land. There were many vicious and mysterious ways to refine gu, and death gu was the most fiendish among them all. They could only be activated by sacrificing the user’s life, taking down the enemy and perishing with them.

“That’s not for you to worry about. I just want to ask you, do you want to return to the Mist province?” Ru Xin’s eyes shone brightly, her expression and mannerisms vastly different from before. Even Li Qingshan who knew her extremely well had never seen this side of her. The battle seemed to reignite something inside her that had been laying in silence for all this time.

Zhu Lie said nothing. Fire devourers were full of valour and vigour. If he were to die on a battlefield, he would definitely go ahead with it fearlessly, but the situation right now was a little different. Si Qing had subdued him at first before Li Qingshan defeated him. His will to embrace death had already been mostly eroded away. The diseases and pain he suffered from were rapidly worsening. He could not help but experience an urge to live on.

“So what if I do?”

“If you do, then I’ll stabilise your diseases? But you need to cooperate with me for the treatment. You’ll obey me for ten days.”

After a moment of thought, Zhu Lie finally lowered his head and said, “Alright!”

As soon as he said that, he felt the pain on him recede like the tide, but Ru Xin had merely suppressed the diseases, embedding them in his organs, brain, and marrow. Once they erupted, they would completely tear Zhu Lie apart.

“What do you want me to do?” Zhu Lie originally thought Ru Xin wanted him to help her collect medals, but he never expected Ru Xin to say, “I want you to tell me about the local customs and practices of the Mist province. I heard the main base of the fire devourers in the Mist province is on Firemelt mountain. Where are you from?”

When Ru Xin asked this question, her expression became even stranger. She licked her lips subconsciously. A desire she was unable to suppress burned and spread through her like a nefarious fire.

“Firemelt mountain is the holy grounds of my race. It’s not a place where anyone can stay. Normally, we only gather there during the holy war!” Zhu Lie could only answer truthfully.