Chapter 334: The Greenfield Domain

Chapter 334: Chapter 334: The Greenfield Domain

The crowd began to rise from the stone.

The next fighter was already stepping onto the sand.

The woman’s eyes widened.

The woman’s expression was a single step forward.

The Thousand Poison Pavilion Vice-Captain stepped onto the sand.

He was a lean man with hollow cheeks and eyes that never stopped moving. He wore no armor, carried no weapon. Just a simple grey robe that billowed in the arena breeze.

Alena watched him from her position near the center of the stage.

She was still breathing hard from her third fight. Sweat dripped down her temple. Her hands trembled slightly.

But she stood tall.

The Vice-Captain smiled at her.

"You’ve done well, little alchemist. Three wins in a row. Impressive."

Alena didn’t respond.

"But I’m afraid your luck has run out."

He raised his hand.

And the air changed.

There was no visible sign. No colored mist, no glowing particles. Just a sudden, oppressive stillness that settled over the arena like a shroud.

The crowd didn’t notice.

The other competitors didn’t notice.

But Alena’s eyes widened.

Her Herb Detector trait screamed a warning.

The air was thick with poison.

Colorless. Odorless. Invisible.

A nerve toxin that attacked the central nervous system, shutting down motor functions within seconds of inhalation.

The Vice-Captain’s smile widened.

"Can you see it, little alchemist? Can you taste it on your tongue?"

Alena’s breath caught.

She couldn’t see it.

But she could feel it.

The poison was everywhere. It filled the arena, coating every surface, saturating the air itself. It was in her lungs, in her bloodstream, in her cells.

She could feel it eating at her nerves.

But she could also feel something else.

The poison had a signature. A unique molecular structure that her Verdant Spiritual Roots recognized. It was complex, layered, designed to bypass most defensive measures.

But it was still a plant-based toxin.

And Alena was the master of plants.

She closed her eyes.

The Vice-Captain laughed.

"Giving up already? Smart girl. You can’t fight what you can’t see."

Alena opened her eyes.

"I don’t need to see it."

She raised the Verdant Genesis Staff.

"I just need to understand it."

And she understood.

The poison was a cocktail of neurotoxins derived from the Corpse-Lily and the Nightshade Vine, combined with a synthetic paralytic agent. It was designed to be invisible, odorless, and fast-acting.

But it was still just a poison.

And Alena had been studying poisons her entire life.

She planted the staff into the stone.

"Verdant Sanctuary."

The arena floor exploded.

Massive vines erupted from the stone, glowing with emerald light. They twisted and coiled, forming a dense network that covered the entire stage. Giant lotus blossoms sprouted from the vines, their petals opening to reveal glowing centers of pure green energy.

The crowd gasped.

The Vice-Captain’s smile faltered.

"What... what is this?"

Alena’s voice was calm.

"This is my domain."

The giant lotus blossoms began to inhale.

They pulled the air into their centers, filtering the poison through their petals, breaking it down into harmless components. The nerve gas that had filled the arena began to thin, to dissipate, to vanish.

The Vice-Captain’s eyes widened.

"No... no, that’s impossible!"

Alena’s voice was cold.

"You rely on poison that your enemies can’t see. But I can see it. I can taste it. I can feel it in my blood."

She raised her hand.

"And I can turn it against you."

The giant lotus blossoms exhaled.

A cloud of golden spores erupted from their centers, spreading across the arena in a wave of blinding light. The spores were thick, heavy, intoxicating. They filled the Vice-Captain’s lungs, his nose, his mouth.

He coughed.

He choked.

He tried to hold his breath, but the spores were already inside him. They coated his respiratory channels, his bronchial tubes, his alveoli.

And they began to work.

The spores were a sedative. A powerful, fast-acting sedative that targeted the nervous system directly. They bypassed his Qi defenses, ignored his cultivation base, and attacked his biology at the most fundamental level.

His eyes grew heavy.

His limbs grew weak.

His knees buckled.

He fell to the ground, his body twitching, his mind slipping into darkness.

The last thing he saw was Alena standing over him, her staff planted in the stone, her eyes glowing with emerald light.

"Four."

The word echoed in his mind as consciousness faded.

Grand Marshal Vane’s voice boomed across the arena.

"Azure Dragon Sect leads. Four to zero."

The crowd erupted.

Alena stood in the center of the stage, surrounded by her domain. The giant lotus blossoms swayed in the breeze, their petals glowing with soft green light.

But she was breathing hard.

Sweat dripped down her face. Her hands trembled. Her legs felt like jelly.

Four fights in a row.

Four consecutive victories.

She had eliminated more than half the enemy team.

But she was reaching her limit.

She looked toward the Azure Dragon dugout.

Damon stood at the edge, his golden eyes fixed on her. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to.

He just nodded.

A small, proud nod.

And Alena understood.

She had done enough.

She raised her hand.

"I yield."

The crowd went silent.

Grand Marshal Vane’s voice cut through the noise.

"The Azure Dragon Sect’s Alena Terra concedes her position. She is replaced by the next fighter in the roster."

Alena lowered her hand.

The giant lotus blossoms began to retract, the vines sinking back into the stone. The Greenfield domain faded, leaving nothing but scorched sand and the unconscious body of the Vice-Captain.

Alena turned and walked toward the dugout.

Her steps were slow, deliberate.

She didn’t look back.

When she reached the barrier, Damon was waiting for her.

He reached out and caught her as her legs gave out, pulling her into his arms.

"Good work."

Alena’s voice was barely a whisper.

"Four."

Damon smiled.

"I know."

He carried her to the bench, where Ariel was already waiting with a recovery pill.

Alena took it, her eyes closing as the warmth spread through her body.

She had done her part.

Now it was time for the others to finish the job.