A flurry of orders had been issued, and the clan members quickly sprang into action. Yet even after all had been set in motion, there was no hint of relief on Chen Xingzhen’s face.

Behind him, a clan member spoke cautiously, “Patriarch, this must be someone taking the chance to retaliate against our clan. Should we send men to arrest any suspicious individuals?”

Chen Xingzhen shook his head. “What’s done is done. Arresting anyone now would be too late. Besides, we noticed nothing beforehand. Whoever did this must’ve acted in extreme secrecy.”

He looked out over the fields again, his gaze heavy. “The most pressing matter is to find the source of these red threads and restore the Blood Rice to normal growth. If we fail in that, everything else will be meaningless.”

He raised his eyes to the sky. Dusk was still a few hours away, but he could no longer afford to wait. The longer they delayed, the deeper the danger. In just the short time since they'd discovered the issue, the red threads beneath the rice stalks had already crept farther upward.

Without another word, he turned and strode back toward the family estate. He needed to consult with his father and the other elders—if anyone could offer a solution, it would be them.

Before leaving, he carefully uprooted a single stalk of Blood Rice. With a few trusted clan members at his side, he made haste toward the ancestral hall.

Within the shaded space under the Divine Tree’s canopy, the soul forms of the elders were already gathered in silence. Though invisible to those below, Chen Changyuan and several others had formed a circle, examining the stalk of Blood Rice that had just been delivered.

The crisis had not gone unnoticed by them. Even in soul form, they could sense the unrest within the clan. But since it was still daylight, they were bound to the shade and could not observe the fields directly. Instead, they studied the stalk and listened to Chen Xingzhen’s account to understand what had transpired.

After his report, silence hung heavy. The elders’ brows furrowed deeply.

“It seems to be a potent poison,” one of them said. “To have affected every stalk at once—how could it have been administered?”

Murmurs broke out among the gathered souls.

Chen Changyuan studied the rice in silence for a few moments before lifting an ethereal finger and pointing to the base of the stalk resting on the stone table. 

“According to Xingzhen, the red threads spread rapidly. Yet during the time this stalk has been here, they’ve stopped spreading. That suggests the poison doesn't propagate on its own. In fact, the rice seems to improve once removed from the source. 

“That tells me the toxin likely originated underground, and given the wide spread, it must have been introduced through the Blood Spring beneath the fields.”

He paused, frowning. “There are many toxins in this world. I’ve never seen one like this.”

Below, Chen Xingzhen—having recounted all he could—had slipped into a deep sleep. Ordinarily, it would’ve been impossible to rest under such stress, but a martial cultivator could concentrate his qi and blood into his lower abdomen, allowing himself to quickly drift into unconsciousness.

In his dreams, he stood once more before his father, listening to his analysis, his face grave.

“This poison has spread far, yes, but its actual toxicity isn’t overwhelming. Otherwise, the rice wouldn’t have survived this long. It only kills on direct contact. If we can find a suitable antidote and infuse it into the Blood Spring, it may still be possible to salvage the crop.”

“There’s another method,” Chen Changyuan added. “We could transplant all of the rice into fresh, uncontaminated land. With their natural resistance and the restorative power of the Blood Spring, the rice might recover on its own.”

These suggestions, while logical, filled Chen Xingzhen with dismay.

The clan was still young. There were no skilled pharmacologists among them—people who could even identify the nature of this poison, let alone concoct an antidote. And as for transplanting…

Moving over ten mu of Blood Rice would already be a monumental task, but worse, the family owned no other suitable land for growing it, nor a second Blood Spring. Even if they managed the transplant, without the spring’s power, the rice wouldn’t survive.

Chen Changyuan, finishing his thoughts, let out a weary sigh. In truth, there was little even the elders could do in their current form. If they were still alive, perhaps they might’ve been of more help. But now…

Wait—there was still one last possibility.

He turned to the others. “It came from the Blood Spring.”

Those simple words made Chen Xingzhen stir within his dream, and far away, Ji Yang, too, snapped to awareness.

So that was it.

He resided at the center of the family’s lands, his roots buried deep and far-reaching. Anything entering the soil should’ve been detected by him instantly. Yet he had sensed nothing. If the poison had been introduced directly into the soil, there was no way he wouldn’t have noticed.

But through the Blood Spring… that explained everything.

Its tributaries were vast. If poison was introduced upstream and flowed back, it could easily infiltrate his roots without his immediate detection. And since he’d been absorbing the Blood Spring’s power directly, it was only natural he’d been poisoned as well.

The effects were mild—for now. Likely thanks to his strong resistances. But the red threads continued to spread, and as they did, he could feel his vitality quietly draining away.

Slow. Subtle. But definitely not a good sign.

He had to act—quickly. The poison had to be purged.

Ji Yang reviewed his abilities. One, in particular, caught his attention.

Scorched Earth.

Normally, it functioned like an underground heating system for the family, keeping the soil warm in winter. But it held far more potential than that.

He knew nothing about poisons. But he did know that absolute heat destroyed all things—poison included. No matter how strange or potent it might be, no toxin could survive extreme temperature.

The Blood Spring could be purified with this method. But the Blood Rice itself—that was another matter. The stalks wouldn’t survive such heat.

As he prepared, Chen Xingzhen awakened. His first act was to kneel and pray to the Divine Tree.

Chen Changyuan’s third proposal had, in the end, been to ask the tree for help. If even the Divine Tree could do nothing, then they would have no choice but to try purifying the Blood Spring and planting a new crop next season.

Watching from above, Ji Yang sighed inwardly. But there was no time to hesitate. The situation was worsening by the hour. He activated Scorched Earth.

The effect was immediate.

As his life force sharply declined, several of his roots stirred beneath the ground. Once black, they turned crimson under the divine power’s influence, and then gold as their temperature soared. They glowed with brilliance—though unseen by any above.

And then the clan felt it.

The temperature surged throughout the estate. The floor beneath their feet grew hot. Servants exchanged nervous glances. Children cried out in surprise.

One young boy, who had been lying on the ground playing, sprang to his feet with a yelp and shouted toward the distance, “Mom! The ground’s burning my butt!”

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