Chapter 243
Chapter 243
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 243
Chapter Title: Burning the Poison Mist
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Tang Myeong-ok and Tang Myeong-jin, who had unwittingly followed Nangonghyeok into the poison mist, let out cries of dismay.
“Eup!”
“Kuh!”
The toxic fumes wafting from the poison mist seeped through their skin. The virulent poison instantly choked their breath and unleashed excruciating pain, leaving the two in a panic.
But they were of the Tang Clan’s bloodline. They quickly regained their composure and circulated the Three Yang Divine Art.
The scorching hot yang energy pushed back the encroaching poison and eased their agony.
However, it was only a momentary reprieve.
Cough! Cough!
The energy piercing through the Three Yang Divine Art’s defenses made their breathing ragged once more, preventing them from properly channeling their qi.
The acrid poison mist was so intense it was hard to even keep their eyes open, their minds reeling.
Tang Myeong-ok bit her lip.
‘What the hell is this?’
A poison far more vicious than they had anticipated!
Feeling the gap between theory and reality, she summoned the Returning Origin Divine Art.
The poison within their bodies was expelled through every pore.
As their breath cleared in an instant, they took in their surroundings.
“Cough, cough! It’s way more toxic than we heard!”
Tang Myeong-jin covered his face with cloth and sidled up to Tang Myeong-ok.
“The Nangong Clan!”
“No idea! They’re probably dead!”
The thick poison mist blocked their vision, the virulent toxins assaulted them, and the noises of venomous creatures slithering about from all directions amplified their terror to the extreme.
Even they, of the Sichuan Tang Clan’s bloodline, were struggling in this environment—there was no way the Nangong Clan fools could still be alive.
Without antidotes or protective garments, they would have vomited blood and collapsed before taking ten steps into the poison mist.
“This isn’t the time to worry about that!”
Tang Myeong-jin swung his dagger at a venomous insect bursting through the mist.
Thud!
The insect struck by the dagger flapped wildly, spewing more poison.
Sensing the scent, a swarm of black insects converged.
There was no time to worry about others now.
No, it was ridiculous to expect anything from the useless Nangong Clan in the first place.
Better to assume they were dead.
Tang Myeong-jin swept his sleeve to drive off the insects.
Tang Myeong-ok’s eyes gleamed at the momentary gap.
“Opening a path!”
Shrrrip!
The poison scales wrapped around her forearm whipped out like a blade.
Sparks flew from the poison scales slicing through the mist.
Fwoosh!
The blazing heat from the poison scales infused with Three Yang Divine Art incinerated the insects.
In an instant, the poison mist parted, and the insects scattered.
But twice as quickly, the mist and insects refilled the space.
“Tch!”
Tang Myeong-ok bit her lip.
“The path!”
“There’s too many!”
“Damn it!”
Shwick! Shwick! Shwick! Paaang!
They wielded their hands relentlessly, but the situation showed no improvement.
On the contrary, the more they exerted themselves, the more they were exposed to the poison mist, draining their stamina and intensifying the pain.
Their movements slowed, leaving them wide open to the venomous creatures.
‘Damn it all!’
With allied positions unknown, they couldn’t risk lethal hidden weapons.
It was the worst possible situation.
Tang Myeong-ok and Tang Myeong-jin’s faces paled.
Even for the Sichuan Tang Clan’s bloodline, there was nothing they could do in this hellish poison domain.
Their assumption that a poison zone would favor them shattered miserably, leaving them with a sense of helplessness.
Tang Myeong-ok said urgently.
“We have to get out now!”
“No! We’re too deep in! We need to push forward!”
“It’s impossible! We might get poisoned!”
“Break to the left!”
“That’s hard! We should turn back and call for support!”
“If that were possible, we’d have done it! The rear’s crawling with venomous things!”
Tang Myeong-jin vented his frustration.
The unrelenting poison mist and swarming insects left no place to step.
The ground, softened to mud by the poison, hindered their movements.
In a poison domain where even the mighty Sichuan Tang Clan struggled, who could move freely?
This was utterly impossible….
Impossible….
Boom!
“Get out of the waaay!”
“Thundeeer Draaagon!”
“You fucking bugs! Why are there so many of you bastards!”
“Goldthread Group! We’ve got ‘em!”
Fwoooom!
Piercing the black poison mist, Nangongryong and the Thunder Dragon Squad burst forth.
Tang Myeong-jin and Tang Myeong-ok’s eyes went wide.
“How the hell are those bastards?!”
“No, no way!”
Weren’t they supposed to be dead from the poison long ago?
Why were they perfectly fine?
Even they could barely breathe amid the mist and insects.
Yet Nangong Clan warriors, who knew nothing of poison arts, were unscathed in this hellish environment—it was nothing short of shocking.
The surprise didn’t end there.
The Nangong Clan warriors who broke through the mist began rampaging.
A blue flash gleamed in Nangongryong’s eyes.
Thud!
With a heavy stomp, his sword that had soared into the air via Heavenly Thrust came crashing down vertically.
Rumble! Crackle!
Fwoooosh!
Amid the exploding thunder, the blue flash cleaved the poison mist.
Lightning arced everywhere the sword qi touched, igniting the mist.
Boom!
With a massive roar, the venomous creatures turned to ash and rained down.
Nangongryong trampled the ashes and charged forward.
“Five Poisons Sect! Find the Five Poisons Sect!”
“Grahahaha! I’ll kill them all!”
“East direction! Spotted them to the east!”
Geon Cheon-hwi, Tak Hyeok-dong, and Jang Ung swung their weapons through the air, whipping the mist aside.
“Find the Goldthread Group!”
“Five Poisons bastards, I’ll catch and torture you!”
“Lock ‘em up and beat ‘em! How dare they touch our goods?!”
“These punks got balls! Let’s salt ‘em like fish!”
With vicious curses, the Thunder Dragon Squad poured out after them.
The Tang siblings gaped in confusion.
What the hell?
Why are they fine?
They were slicing through the venomous creatures like mosquitoes and inhaling the poison mist like fresh air.
And they were fine.
Any normal warrior would be vomiting blood from all seven orifices and collapsing by now, but they were rampaging like mad dogs—it made no sense.
Following the Thunder Dragon Squad came Paeng Jung-hyuk, Paeng Yeon-hwa, and So Hye-yeon.
“Goddamn it! Why the hell am I helping the Tang Clan?!”
Paeng Jung-hyuk bellowed like a battle cry as he swung his blade. The heavy qi of the Mixed Origin Sword Art shredded the creatures with thudding blows.
“Preemptive strike!”
Baaang!
A shockwave from Paeng Yeon-hwa’s blade blasted the mist away.
“Bandit slaying!”
So Hye-yeon’s eyes blazed as she danced a flashy sword dance.
“This, this can’t be!”
“Crazy……?!”
How could these guys outdo even the Sichuan Tang Clan warriors in rampaging through such a vicious poison domain?
Was this even possible?
Tang Myeong-ok recalled Nangonghyeok’s words.
And finally understood what he meant by not needing antidotes or protective gear.
“Arrrgh! Hot, it burns! Ack! Fuck! It stings! Damn, these poisonous bastards! Agh, agh! Why are only those guys fine?!”
So Geol-gae flailed his hands in a frenzy.
Having secretly swallowed an antidote pill before charging in, his resistance was lower than the others.
Unaware of this, So Geol-gae freaked out and fled every which way from the insects.
The furious buzzing of a poison wasp swarm echoed through the mist.
“Arrrgh! Stay away, stay back, you fucking bastards!”
Whoooosh! Whoooosh!
So Geol-gae unleashed Dragon Sound Twelve Palms wildly into the air.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Palm winds battered the poison domain everywhere.
Paaang!
“What the hell’s that guy?!”
“A beggar?”
“Huh? Those guys?”
“Who are they!”
“Why are Beggars’ Sect tramps here?”
The Sichuan Tang Clan’s poison experts and the Five Poisons Sect’s Poison Heaven Squad, locked in fierce combat, stared in bewilderment.
Some beggar bastard had suddenly leaped into the poison domain, firing palm winds indiscriminately, leaving both sides flustered.
This was a battle between the Sichuan Tang Clan and Five Poisons Sect.
And now the Beggars’ Sect?
But how was he fine?
People gaped at the mad beggar rampaging about.
But it wasn’t just Beggars’ Sect members appearing in droves.
Rumble!
The Sichuan Tang Clan warriors snapped their heads up at the intense thunder roaring through the black mist.
“Nangong Clan!”
“How are those bastards?”
“……!”
The Nangong Clan—supposed to be on standby far away, deemed non-combatants—was now charging into the mist and joining the fray.
Crackle! Boom! Boom!
Explosions and sword qi rained down from all sides.
Shwick!
Venomous creatures lunging at the Thunder Dragon Squad were impaled on spears, shattered by axes, and hacked apart by twin blades.
Tang Uicheon’s eyes bulged.
“How?”
A torrent of questions burst out in a single word.
It was the venomous creatures and poison haze crafted by the mighty Five Poisons Sect.
Yet they were swatting away the Five Poisons Sect’s toxins like flies.
Creatures that meant instant death littered the ground, and the mist induced pain with every movement.
Even the Tang Clan’s poison experts, resistant to toxins, found it grueling—yet Nangong Clan warriors were rampaging freely. It was unbelievable.
It was more implausible than a toddler firing a bow.
‘No way they actually built up resistance?!’
They had scoffed at the rumors of the Nangong Clan playing with poison in their guest hall, but it was real resistance training?
Common sense was crumbling.
Resistance built in a day or two handling Five Poisons Sect toxins?!
What the hell was going on?
Did the Sichuan Tang Clan, lords of the world’s poisons, not know some poison technique and resistance method?
‘Where’d that bastard go?’
Nangonghyeok, who should be causing the biggest ruckus, was nowhere to be seen.
Even as the Thunder Dragon Squad swept the Poison Heaven Squad, he was absent.
Yet without their vanguard, the Thunder Dragon Squad was decimating them like fish in water.
The Thunder Dragon Squad in Ghost Valley Chain Formation hunted the Poison Heaven Squad. A snake without fangs held no fear.
Nangongryong led, unleashing bolts of lightning with Imperial Sword Form, while the squad maintained formation behind him.
At the rear, the Paeng siblings and So Hye-yeon danced their blade dances, while So Geol-gae bounded about like a fiery colt.
“Kraaagh!”
“Gahk!”
“Y-you fuckers!”
Tang Uicheon watched the battlefield turn in an instant and fell speechless.
Sal Mu-geuk was just as shocked as Tang Uicheon.
“No, this can’t be……?”
Flustered, Sal Mu-geuk shouted at Tang Uicheon.
“So the Sichuan Tang Clan’s washed up! Resorting to outside help!”
“…….”
“No matter how many of those weaklings come, I don’t think you’ll make it out alive…….”
“You mad bastard…….”
“What?”
“Fire…….”
“Don’t get…….”
“Fire.”
What?
Sal Mu-geuk, preparing to unleash hidden weapons, heightened his senses.
With the mist and creatures everywhere, his senses were dulled.
Sniff sniff.
Unwittingly sniffing at Tang Uicheon’s words, Sal Mu-geuk’s eyes widened.
The smell of burning.
Not just a small fire, but thick, acrid smoke like the poison mist itself….
Huh?
Outside the pitch-black mist, someone circled around with a grin.
Amid it, intermittent red flashes burst forth.
And the encroaching acrid smoke.
“F-fiiire?!”
Fwoooosh!
As Sal Mu-geuk yelled in shock and Tang Uicheon gaped, flames surged, invading the mist.
On the dry plateau, a single spark unleashed tremendous firepower.
Fwoooom!
Chain explosions erupted, the mist clearing in a whoosh as crimson flames thrust forward.
Everyone, including Tang Uicheon, shielded their faces from the sudden scorching blast.
The venomous creatures, raging fiercely, writhed in the heatwave.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Everyone’s eyes turned involuntarily to the flames.
The Sichuan Tang Clan members’ eyes nearly popped out.
“That bastard’s burning the poison?!”
“Fuck, burning poison to start a fire?!”
“Mad Dragon bastard.”
“Wh-where’d he get oil, that psycho……!”
Paaang!
Nangonghyeok, blue lightning in his eyes, burst through the flames with vigor.
As all eyes stabbed toward him like arrows.
Nangonghyeok drew his demon sword with force and swung.
Crackle! Rumble!
Red and blue lightning wrapped the mist, doubling the explosion.
Boom!
Tang Uicheon screamed.
“Y-you mad bastaaard!”
Amid the flickering flames, Nangonghyeok grinned.
“Whew, this is how you tame poison.”
What the fuck are you saying, you lunatic?!
“No one leaves without my permission, you bastards!”
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Behind Nangonghyeok, an inferno rose skyward.