# Chapter 167: Game Within Game Within Game
One storm had barely passed when another arose.
Jiang Wang's thoughts shifted, but he did not immediately point out the death aura's encroachment.
He could not be certain whose scheme this was—revealing it would only draw the hidden manipulator's attention.
But neither could he allow matters to continue as they were.
Jiang Wang gathered his thoughts briefly, then spoke. "Regardless of the specifics, given the Heavenly Treasury Dragon Palace's nature, the person who triggered the kill-urge corrosion must be nearby. There are two possibilities. First, they are hiding in our midst, and none of us can detect them. This possibility can be set aside for now—for if we cannot find them, thinking about it serves no purpose.
"The second possibility is that they are one of us, standing right here. In that case, they will certainly try to create further conflict to complement their scheme. Therefore, from this point forward, anyone who attempts to instigate a fight will be treated as the mastermind behind the scenes. I will draw my sword and cut them down!"
At this, Jiang Wang turned to Ji Xiu. "Brother Ji, since you possess the means to counter kill-urge corrosion, how long would you need to find the source of the killing intent disruption—and perhaps even uncover the person behind it?"
Ji Xiu considered briefly, then replied with confidence, "As long as no one interferes, I can find the source within a quarter of an hour. As for the person behind it—once the source is exposed, there should be no shortage of leads."
Coming from a cultivator of Eastern King Valley, such words carried genuine weight.
Those present, whether they concealed it well or not, showed no abnormalities.
Jiang Wang observed covertly while saying aloud, "In that case, perhaps everyone should remain calm and come wait outside the hall together, watching each other. Once Brother Ji has found some clues, we can decide on our next move."
Lian Que immediately agreed. "Fine."
"Only a quarter of an hour. There's no need to go outside. The killing intent won't interfere with you for the time being." Ji Xiu reached into his robe and withdrew a needle case, preparing to begin his work.
"Perhaps we should wait outside." The female cultivator appeared somewhat uneasy, glancing left and right. "I keep feeling there's something wrong with this hall."
Zhao Fangyuan's injuries were still untreated, and he was all the more cautious, nodding repeatedly. "Better to wait outside. We can't help in here, and interfering with Eastern King Valley's techniques would be counterproductive."
Even the cloaked cultivator spoke. "That makes sense."
"Do as you please." Ji Xiu withdrew a silver needle, flicking it lightly between his fingers. "But should the opportunity appear during this time, I hope you'll take pity on my efforts to save you and not try too hard to fight me for it."
At these words, everyone froze in place.
He was right. What if the divine-power opportunity appeared while they were waiting outside?
This hall was indeed dangerous, but had they not known the Heavenly Treasury Secret Realm was perilous before entering?
Leaving the divine-power opportunity because of danger would be utterly absurd.
No one was willing to leave the hall anymore. It was as though roots had grown from their feet into the floor.
The as-yet-unseen divine-power opportunity gripped them firmly. It had drawn them into the Heavenly Treasury Secret Realm and now trapped them within the Heavenly Treasury Dragon Palace.
Jiang Wang had suggested waiting outside out of genuine concern for everyone's safety. But in this situation, he could no longer press the matter—doing so risked attracting the hidden manipulator's attention.
He still could not determine whether the one commanding the death aura and the one who had set the kill-urge corrosion were the same person. He could not even confirm whether they were in the main hall.
Ji Xiu held a silver needle between one hand, raising it before his eyes, while the other hand formed a seal, activating a secret technique.
Then—
His hand suddenly trembled. The silver needle fell to the ground.
He could not even hold a single needle steady, crouching with a pained expression.
"How… how can this be?"
His voice had turned weak beyond measure.
What had happened?
Jiang Wang was about to move.
*Thud!*
The female cultivator toppled backward!
She lay with all four limbs toward the sky, her face shrouded in ashen grey. In that short span of time, she had already stopped breathing.
She became the second corpse in the Fourth Heavenly Treasury Dragon Palace.
It was the death aura erupting!
Jiang Wang's heart lurched. He immediately slumped to the ground, feigning agony. At the same time, he stirred his Dao essence, making himself appear as though his breath might cease at any moment.
Over there, Zhao Fangyuan vomited a mouthful of blood tinged with greyish-black.
Already gravely injured, he now collapsed entirely on the ground, barely holding on.
The cloaked cultivator had long since fallen, his condition unknown.
Only Lian Que still appeared relatively capable of remaining upright.
His entire face had flushed crimson, glowing like burning charcoal.
But visible grey mist was creeping up his neck toward his face.
The crimson and the grey pressed against each other, locked in opposition.
Ji Xiu raised his head with great effort, staring at him laboriously. "So it was you all along! The kill-urge corrosion was your doing too, wasn't it? You've been playing the martyr from the very start?"
"No! It wasn't me!" Lian Que roared.
But the moment he spoke, the grey mist on his neck surged a fraction higher.
He was forced to fall silent immediately, focusing all his effort on resisting the erosion.
His body was like a furnace forging iron, employing a secret technique to refine the death aura consuming him.
But the death aura was too vast, the eruption too sudden—he could barely hold on.
For a moment, every cultivator in the Fourth Heavenly Treasury Dragon Palace appeared to have lost the ability to fight.
After a stretch of silence,
"So… who the hell is it?"
The voice started weak and grew stronger.
Ji Xiu spoke as he rose slowly to his feet.
His expression was perfectly normal, his footing steady—not a trace of having been affected.
He surveyed the hall, examining each person with a piercing gaze. "I'm truly curious—who was behind the killing intent trick? Now that you've been poisoned with my Nine-Death Poison, how does it feel?"
Zhao Fangyuan lay collapsed on the ground, his expression panicked. "…What poison?"
"You heard me." Ji Xiu chuckled softly, seemingly pleased to have someone present who recognized the name. "Many people have heard of the Nine-Death Poison, but few know its true nature. In truth, this poison manifests in nine different forms. I used only one of them."
He glanced at Tian Yong's corpse on the ground. "I borrowed this unlucky fellow's body—using his death aura as the poison to trigger the death aura latent in the poisoned, causing sudden death. Other than that woman, who apparently had a hidden ailment, you've all held on remarkably well. But there is no antidote, for this poison is made from the death aura present in every living being. The Nine-Death Poison in its death-aura form merely accelerates your appointed time."
This poison was terrifying—practically impossible to guard against, carrying an almost fatalistic quality.
Under Zhao Fangyuan's horrified gaze, Ji Xiu continued. "There. I've satisfied your curiosity. Now, who will satisfy mine? Who was behind the kill-urge corrosion? Tell me, and I'll make your death painless."
Mere curiosity alone was not enough to drive his repeated questioning. In truth, he was interested in the secret technique that used killing intent as its medium.
Using killing intent was far more covert than death aura—perhaps it could transform the Nine-Death Poison into a Ten-Death Poison.
Silence answered him.
"Perhaps you think that with the lingering threat of kill-urge corrosion, even though I have my Kill-Surge Serpents, I wouldn't dare display killing intent too openly. So I gave you the Nine-Death Poison to leave room for struggle. Is that why you're not afraid of my threat?"
Ji Xiu shook his head, as if lamenting the hidden manipulator's naivety.
He drew a silver needle between his index and middle fingers. "This is a Severing-Vein Needle."
With a light flick, the silver needle shot out like lightning, piercing straight through the vaulted ceiling.
Above the hall, crimson lines rapidly etched themselves into being, forming a complex, chaotic pattern.
All along, without anyone knowing, formation patterns had been carved onto the ceiling.
And Ji Xiu had discovered them long ago.
He had not lied—he truly could find the source of the kill-urge corrosion.
The hidden formation patterns now revealed themselves, but they were already shattered, every crimson line severed.
"My, my. The craftsmanship of these formation patterns is truly exquisite. And the method of triggering kill-urge corrosion—ingenious beyond measure." Ji Xiu sighed with admiration.
"But it's gone now."
"Now, whoever I want to kill, I kill. However I want to kill them, I kill them."
"So I'll ask once more—who was it?"
"Step forward, hand over the kill-urge corrosion technique, and I promise not to kill you. If you don't trust my word, a blood oath will do."
Silence was the only response.
Ji Xiu lost his patience.
"Very well. Then I'll ask one by one…"
He flicked his finger, and a silver needle shot forth, piercing straight through the cloaked cultivator's heart.
"Hmm. Seems it wasn't you."
Ji Xiu murmured to himself.
He now held absolute control—power over life and death.
Initially, he had tacitly supported the push to kill Lian Que first. The fewer survivors, the fewer variables.
But after Jiang Wang spoke, he had changed his mind.
First, Tian Yong's death was indeed suspicious. Though confident in Eastern King Valley's techniques, he worried about stumbling into a trap. After all, everyone who dared enter the Heavenly Treasury Secret Realm was no weakling. Examining the corpse personally would uncover the root of the problem and allow him to prepare.
Second, he could use Tian Yong's body to deploy the Nine-Death Poison. Whatever the hidden manipulator's methods, a single dose would kill them all.
The kill-urge corrosion scheme was genuinely clever—he had to admit as much. Had he not happened to carry serpents capable of devouring killing intent, he would have fallen prey to it.
But in the end, his moves were superior.
Now he was the blade upon the cutting board. Everyone else was the fish—their lives entirely at his discretion.
The divine-power opportunity within the Heavenly Treasury Dragon Palace would naturally face no further disruptions.
Still, if he could also obtain the kill-urge corrosion technique, that would be true perfection.
The cloaked cultivator had been secretive and suspicious from the start—his prime suspect. Without a second word, Ji Xiu killed first.
In his estimation, if that man still hadn't spoken, he certainly had more tricks prepared.
But it no longer mattered. The Nine-Death Poison had been deployed. No one could escape.
As for the next target…
He glanced at Lian Que. Lian Que had already lost his defense, collapsed entirely on the ground. Grey covered the majority of his face, advancing steadily toward his eyes.
Anyone could see he would not hold out much longer.
This was a simple-minded fool who had been played by nearly everyone from start to finish. No need to bother with him—he could be killed last.
Zhao Fangyuan… his injuries could not be faked. He was in wretched shape, with little chance of turning things around.
Ji Xiu turned naturally, bringing his gaze to bear on Jiang Wang—slumped on the ground, silent, seemingly having abandoned all resistance.
He could not quite read this man's depths.
So he would kill him to find out.
Ji Xiu's lips curved slightly. He drew a silver needle, ready to strike.
Then he suddenly lowered his eyes to his own chest.
Because a hand had reached through from behind his back, silent and unseen, and now protruded from before him.
It was a stiff, dark hand—not the hand of a living person.