Chapter 77: Mine Poison? A Delicacy!

The Black Bear watched as Mo Lin acted like the Purple Crystal Dragon Ore belonged entirely to him, and cursed in his heart:

Just keep pretending for a little while longer.

Once that Lustful Monk, his master, and the Mountain Lord notice the commotion here and come looking, I’d like to see if you can still keep smiling.

But with the Anaconda strong and the Bear weak, the Black Bear only dared to curse inwardly.

He absolutely did not dare to speak the truth aloud.

Mo Lin impatiently slithered up to the Purple Crystal Dragon Ore, savoring the strange sensation that carried no scent, yet inexplicably made one feel refreshed and at ease.

But along with that refreshing sensation, Mo Lin seemed to feel a faint heat.

That heat was as if a furnace had been placed in an air-conditioned room in summer—clearly comfortable all over, but carrying a subtle trace of unease.

Mo Lin opened his eyes and looked at the Purple Crystal Dragon Ore pillar before him.

Through Gong Yang’s books, Mo Lin knew that this burning sensation came from the mine poison within the Purple Crystal Ore.

As the old saying went: All medicine carried three parts poison.

Even medicinal herbs meant for healing could still be harmful when consumed—so how could ore possibly be pure benefit?

The mine poison in Purple Crystal Dragon Ore was different from the snake venom and corpse poison Mo Lin possessed.

It was not truly poison in the strict sense, but more of a description—

If someone absorbed the Purple Crystal Dragon Ore into their body, while it nourished the soul, it would also harm the flesh.

Absorbing only a small amount was fine; the soul would not lose its luster, and the body could gradually and subtly purge the harm caused by the ore.

But with such a vast amount of Purple Crystal Dragon Ore right before Mo Lin and the Black Bear, could anyone resist the urge to take more than just a little?

That was impossible.

The Purple Crystal Dragon Ore both cleansed the soul and degraded the body.

If consumed excessively, the harm could even outweigh the benefit.

For this reason, it was also known as the “Poppy Ore.”

Thus, although Purple Crystal Dragon Ore was precious and highly effective, it was never too hotly pursued in the markets—

Compared to a strong body, people always tended to ignore the strength of the soul.

However, on this land under the Great Qian Dynasty, if there was one thing people had mastered, it was the art of “eating.”

In times of famine, they could even cook up tree bark in countless ways—boiling, soaking, stir-frying, cold-mixing.

How could they not find ways to make use of Purple Crystal Dragon Ore, something with benefits greater than its drawbacks?

So after discovering its advantages and disadvantages, people invented a method to refine the mine poison.

With this method, the harmful effects on the body could be reduced to a minimum.

And coincidentally, the Black Bear had mastered this refining method.

Watching Mo Lin slither restlessly around the Purple Crystal Dragon Ore pillar without biting into it, the Black Bear immediately grew smug:

“Hey, Mo Lin, seeing you like this, you must know about the dangers of the mine poison, right? What’s the matter, got no way to deal with it?”

“Doesn’t it sting, watching a treasure mountain right before your eyes, yet not daring to touch it because of a little mine poison?”

“Don’t you just want to swallow this whole Purple Crystal Ore mountain in one gulp?”

As Mo Lin admired the dazzling fire-like brilliance refracted by the Purple Crystal Ore, he finally grew impatient with the Black Bear’s endless chatter.

He cast a glance at the bear.

That beast’s expression was unbearably smug at the moment:

“Forgot to tell you, Buddha here has the method to refine mine poison.”

“As long as you let Buddha go, Buddha can teach you this trick free of charge, how about it?”

“Of course, to prevent you cold-blooded beasts from going back on your word afterward, Buddha will also need a way to restrain you. That’s easy enough, as long as...”

The Black Bear seemed to realize that if he wanted to escape Mo Lin, he ultimately needed Mo Lin’s consent.

So he curbed some of his shameless expression and spoke persuasively.

But Mo Lin had no interest in listening to the “deal.”

If it were someone else, perhaps they would indeed have no way to deal with the mine poison and be forced to bow to the Black Bear.

But who was Mo Lin?

He was an Anaconda Demon with a golden finger!

His Devour talent allowed him to naturally transform everything he swallowed—discarding the harmful, extracting the beneficial.

Even mine poison, Mo Lin did not believe it could break this law.

Thinking this, Mo Lin opened his enormous mouth toward the Purple Crystal Dragon Ore.

“How about it, Mo Lin? As long as you’re willing... wait, what are you doing?”

The Black Bear was still indulging in his fantasies—that Mo Lin, unwilling though he might be, would have no choice but to release him for the antidote.

Then, he could watch the Mountain Lord, the Lustful Monk, and Mo Lin fight in chaos while he reaped the spoils.

But when he turned his head, he saw Mo Lin open his gaping maw, easily ten square meters wide, and swallow an enormous chunk of Purple Crystal Dragon Ore in a single bite.

“Gulp!”

The dull sound of stone dropping into a stomach echoed.

The Black Bear hurriedly waddled over to Mo Lin’s side:

“What, are you an idiot? Do you even know how dangerous the mine poison in Purple Crystal Ore is to the body?”

“With such a huge chunk, unless the Buddha himself manifests, even if you are an Earth Demon, you’ll be suffering diarrhea for at least a day.”

The Black Bear pretended to scold Mo Lin with concern, then immediately revealed his true face:

“Heh, but now you see how right Buddha was, don’t you?”

“Come on, make a deal with Buddha.”

“As long as you let Buddha go, Buddha will teach you the refining method.”

The Black Bear kept winking and gesturing, while Mo Lin sank deeper into his own senses.

Contrary to what the Black Bear had said, Mo Lin felt his soul more transparent than ever.

Though it was still attached to his serpent body, it felt as if it were floating free, detached from the world, soaring to immortality.

Of course, Mo Lin knew it was just an illusion.

But he had to admit, swallowing the Purple Crystal Dragon Ore felt incredible.

No wonder the Black Bear guarded this mountain like a treasure, living cramped in the Mountain God Temple but never leaving.

As for the mine poison the Black Bear spoke of, just as Mo Lin had expected, the moment the ore entered his stomach, his talent had decomposed it completely.

Thus, what to others was as alluring as poppies but also as dangerous, was to Mo Lin an unrivaled treasure.

After absorbing the massive chunk, the sensation of transcendent clarity slowly faded.

Reluctantly, Mo Lin opened his eyes, wishing he could preserve that crystalline state of his soul.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Mo Lin chose another piece of Purple Crystal Dragon Ore.

This one was even larger than the first, almost the size of the Black Bear himself.

Mo Lin swallowed it down in a single gulp.

Behind him, watching as Mo Lin devoured a second piece without sparing him so much as a glance, the Black Bear’s carefully prepared persuasion was all forced back down his throat.

His round bear eyes bulged in disbelief as he muttered:

“Bu... Buddha, what did I just see? A snake that can swallow Purple Crystal Dragon Ore raw? Did the Buddha really manifest?”