Chapter 144
Chapter 144
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 41
>Chapter Title: Annihilation Poison King (4)
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‘What? Sweet?’
Baek So-gang, the second son of Annihilation Poison King Baek Sa-ha and the outer hall leader, clicked his tongue inwardly in disbelief.
Contrary to appearances, the guy seemed full of bravado.
Even seasoned internal energy experts who had cultivated qi would struggle to endure this deadly poison without deliberately circulating their energy to resist it.
Much less Mok Kyung-un, who was merely at the early stage of peak realm.
‘I need to prepare.’
The fortunate part was that this was the Baek Clan’s estate.
Antidotes were readily available if needed.
At that moment, someone approached.
‘Drink it and endure for an incense stick’s worth of time?’
It was Jang Neung-ak, the second disciple of the leader.
He had intended to be the first to down the poison cup to save face.
But Mok Kyung-un had beaten him to it, leaving his expression sour.
‘My lord!’
Seo Hye-in, leader of the Carefree Unit under the Four Peaks of the Five Peaks Assembly, called out to him with concern.
No matter the reason of gaining support, this was somewhat reckless.
Even in the Baek Clan, where poison experts gathered, only four people could endure this poison.
-Whoosh!
At that time, Ho Jong-hyeok, leader of the Annihilation Unit under the Three Peaks, shook his head.
‘Shouldn’t we stop him? This is too much...’
‘Are you going to shame our lord?’
‘Pardon?’
‘If our lord backs down in front of other successors, what will become of his dignity?’
Seo Hye-in promptly shut her mouth at Ho Jong-hyeok’s words.
There was logic to what he said.
Though the condition was absurd, retreating here would be no different from taking a step back in the competition for successor.
Then, Wi So-yeon, the leader’s third disciple, stepped forward as well.
‘I’ll drink it too.’
She had already made up her mind.
In truth, Wi So-yeon possessed the deepest internal energy among them all, so she had some confidence.
However, she had hesitated momentarily since she had never directly swallowed poison like this before.
‘...I can’t yield.’
From Wi So-yeon’s position, she absolutely needed Annihilation Poison King Baek Sa-ha’s support.
Thus, she could not back down now.
As she approached the table with the poison pitcher, she glanced at Mok Kyung-un.
‘Reckless fool.’
She had sensed it from their first meeting—this man danced on the line between courage and foolhardiness.
She had personally checked his internal energy level from the Blood River Valley report.
With ordinary poison, even early peak realm energy might expel it through persistent circulation.
But this poison was on a completely different level.
It was an extreme toxin crafted by the Baek Clan, one of the top three poison experts in the Central Plains.
Without transcendent internal energy, enduring it would be difficult.
‘Why go this far?’
She simply couldn’t understand Mok Kyung-un.
Having taken first place at the Blood River Valley gate, he should have sought guidance from the two Eight Star experts, hailed as the greatest in the Central Plains among the Five Kings.
Yet out of all people, why the Annihilation Poison King?
‘What does he even plan to learn?’
The Annihilation Poison King’s primary martial art was poison technique.
It was a field utterly divergent from ordinary warriors, so seeking tutelage there wouldn’t yield much gain—yet he persisted.
‘Is he some kind of eccentric?’
It didn’t matter anyway.
Thanks to this, she could gauge Mok Kyung-un’s true power.
Her senior brother had mentioned he had reached the transcendent realm, so she could verify if he had truly advanced that much in such a short time.
-Gulp!
At that moment, Jang Neung-ak swallowed the poison from his cup in one go.
Since Mok Kyung-un had gone first, he couldn’t afford to sip it slowly.
Yet as extreme poison, it was hard to completely hide his reaction.
‘Urgh.’
A burning pain scorched his lips, accompanied by nausea and revolting disgust surging up.
He desperately wanted to vomit it out.
‘Damn it.’
Eat this and endure an incense stick’s time?
Forget that—he needed to detoxify the poison that had already entered his body first.
Even as he protected his esophagus and stomach walls with internal energy upon entry, it still burned fiercely, and a headache pounded.
Truly worthy of the Baek Clan’s extreme poison.
‘I can’t show it.’
Jang Neung-ak managed his expression as best he could.
His subordinates were watching, and he couldn’t grimace in front of that damned woman.
‘Hoo.’
Next, Wi So-yeon swallowed the poison from her cup.
Loathing even the taste, she wrapped her mouth and tongue in internal energy before downing it.
Thus, she could control her expression better than Jang Neung-ak.
Even so, the nose-stinging stench as it slid down her throat was unavoidable, furrowing her brow.
‘Cough.’
Wi So-yeon let out a small involuntary cough and quickly turned her head, face flushing red.
What a disgrace.
Coughing from the foul smell.
She felt embarrassed, but regardless, she had to endure an incense stick’s time or swiftly neutralize this extreme poison.
-Sss...
Not long after, purple steam rose from Wi So-yeon’s shoulders.
She wasn’t alone.
Jang Neung-ak, the leader’s second disciple, also began emitting purple steam from his shoulders, albeit a bit later than Wi So-yeon.
‘As expected!’
Wi So-yeon’s confidants beamed with pride at the sight.
Her profound internal energy was already renowned within the Heavenly Alliance.
‘Damn wench.’
Jang Neung-ak inwardly cursed Wi So-yeon.
If not for her bizarre constitution, the master would never have favored her.
At this rate, she would neutralize the poison first.
Thus, Jang Neung-ak focused harder to expel it from his body.
-Shoooo...
As a result, the purple steam over Jang Neung-ak’s shoulders thickened even more.
Madam Jang, wife of Annihilation Poison King Baek Sa-ha, and her second son Baek So-gang watched in silent admiration.
This poison rivaled the toxic miasma filling the annex.
Even Baek Clan warriors trained in poison arts handled it cautiously, yet neutralizing it like this was remarkable.
‘Not ordinary internal energy.’
The leader’s disciples were said to have deep qi, and it proved true.
At this rate, they could fully dispel the extreme poison in less than half an incense stick.
However,
‘What?’
Baek So-gang eyed Mok Kyung-un with puzzlement.
Unlike the leader’s successors, Mok Kyung-un simply stood there unmoving.
Was he struggling to barely endure by circulating his energy? Yet he showed no sign of distress.
He even seemed leisurely.
‘...Is he really enduring the poison?’
No matter how he looked, it didn’t seem so.
Lacking the deep cultivation of those two successors, he should only be hanging on—why no change in expression?
Was it not painful at all?
He wasn’t the only one harboring such doubts.
‘What the hell?’
Jang Neung-ak initially paid no mind, but seeing Mok Kyung-un neither dispel the poison nor react left him baffled.
Why just stand there?
This poison was so potent that failing to expel it quickly could damage the organs and even affect the brain.
‘Dangerous.’
Wi So-yeon also gazed at Mok Kyung-un with worry.
He had drunk first.
Yet he still hadn’t circulated energy to neutralize it, which seemed extremely perilous.
Deeming it unwise, second son Baek So-gang approached and spoke softly.
‘Young Master Mok. If it’s hard to expel the poison, just say so.’
Forcing a facade of composure could lead to disaster.
Yet,
‘I’m fine. But if swallowing the poison causes no particular issue, can I just leave?’
‘!?’
Baek So-gang’s eyes narrowed at Mok Kyung-un’s words.
No issue, so he could leave?
Did he mean he had drunk that poison and hadn’t even expelled it, yet claimed to be fine?
‘Young Master Mok... are you truly alright?’
‘Yes. I’m fine.’
‘No way.’
Baek So-gang scrutinized Mok Kyung-un’s face.
Then his eyes filled with incomprehension.
Poisoning should first show on lips and complexion, yet Mok Kyung-un bore no such signs.
‘...Ha.’
What in the world?
Not even a poison practitioner—how could he remain unscathed after this extreme poison?
Utterly baffled, Mok Kyung-un spoke.
‘May I go now?’
‘Young Master Mok... perhaps...’
He wanted to ask if he could probe his body with internal energy.
But that violated warrior etiquette, even among Heavenly Alliance members.
Thus, he couldn’t voice it.
Instead,
‘Young Master Mok. Mind if I check briefly?’
‘Check?’
‘Yes.’
There were ways beyond scanning with internal energy.
Dropping saliva into a neutralizing liquid would reveal poisoning.
Poison practitioners always carried it.
Baek So-gang drew a small vial from his waist, the size of two fingers, and dampened a white cloth with the liquid.
Then he said to Mok Kyung-un,
‘Wet this with your saliva.’
‘No issue, but is a check really necessary?’
‘What?’
‘Bi-gwa-san, oleander, lacquer tree sap, blue turtle organ venom, dog dang-gwi, all-things poison, white venom grass, seat gong, nightshade, red-striped scorpion venom, ant venom, poison arrow frog toxin, wasp venom, erosion gate poison, return fragrance fish toxin, mixed with yellow seeds of the changing flower—is that right?’
‘!!!!!!!!’
Baek So-gang’s eyes widened as if they would pop out at Mok Kyung-un’s words.
He doubted his own ears.
‘Th-this...’
Shock rendered him speechless.
Every ingredient Mok Kyung-un listed, condensed together, formed precisely this extreme poison.
Only Annihilation Poison King Baek Sa-ha and his sons knew the main components.
Composed of rare materials, so intensely concentrated that even seasoned poison experts would struggle to analyze it over long periods.
‘...Impossible.’
It was absurd enough to deny.
To him, Mok Kyung-un said,
‘Did I miss any?’
At this question, the confidants of second disciple Jang Neung-ak and third disciple Wi So-yeon stared in disbelief.
Guessing poison ingredients after swallowing it, like some recipe?
Impossible, no matter what.
So they thought, until
‘...All correct.’
Baek So-gang’s shocking response emerged.
‘Correct?’
‘He said correct?’
‘What?’
The two successors’ retainers buzzed in shock.
Not a poison master or apothecary—identifying ingredients on the spot after ingestion?
All wore incredulous expressions.
Then Madam Jang, astonished by her son Baek So-gang’s words, asked,
‘...Young Master Mok. Have you ever studied poison arts?’
‘Of course not.’
‘Then how do you know the ingredients?’
‘Ah. I’ve been interested in herbs and toxic plants since childhood, so I studied them.’
‘Studied? Alone?’
At this, Mok Kyung-un recalled Grandfather but saw no reason to tell them.
From his experiences outside, some humility seemed appropriate.
Thus,
‘No way I studied alone. I got help from nearby physicians and apothecaries.’
‘Ha...’
Madam Jang was dumbfounded.
Hard to fully believe, but if Mok Kyung-un’s interest in toxic plants and herbs reached this level, calling him a genius was no exaggeration.
Distinguishing even less harmful medicinal herbs by taste was no easy feat.
Much less poison, closer to agony than flavor?
‘What is this kid?’
At this proficiency in discerning poisons, he rivaled a Baek Clan young lord—no, approached Annihilation Poison King Baek Sa-ha himself.
Amid the astonishment, Mok Kyung-un spoke nonchalantly.
‘Anyone interested in or studied herbs and toxic plants could guess this much. Why the fuss?’
‘!?’
[Chapter 41: Annihilation Poison King (4)] End