Chapter 322
Chapter 322
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 87
>Chapter Title: Fragments of Truth (3)
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"If you don't want to be poisoned by the Formless Poison, you shouldn't come any closer."
‘Formless Poison?’
Yi Gwang halted his steps at the warning from Hae-yeong Apothecary Immortal Mun No.
Even those utterly ignorant of poisons had heard of its infamous reputation at least once.
That was the Formless Poison.
True to its name, the Formless Poison was a toxin without form—colorless, odorless, and tasteless—making it impossible to detect any traits, earning it the title of king among poisons.
The more potent the poison, the less distinct its features, leaving victims unaware until it was too late. This was the pinnacle of such lethality.
"......Formless Poison? What do you mean by that?"
Yi Gwang asked, puzzled.
And rightly so, for in all the Central Plains, the only substance bearing that moniker was the Sichuan Tang Clan's ultimate secret poison, the Emperor Yuan Poison.
The Emperor Yuan Poison had been created by Tang Hyeong-won, the clan's founding ancestor.
A sovereign of poisons who had reached the state of the Ten Thousand Poisons Body, his talent for poison crafting was unparalleled.
On his deathbed, he had condensed all the venomous energies he had mastered into this creation.
This poison, hailed as perfection incarnate, remained a legend that even the Tang Clan's greatest poison experts could neither analyze nor replicate.
Now, only trace amounts survived, and the people of the Central Plains called it the Formless Poison. Due to its extreme danger, the orthodox sects had declared it an absolute taboo through their grand assembly.
"You're talking about the Formless Poison I know, right?"
*Cough, cough*...... Do you think there's another?"
‘!?’
What in the world was this?
Did that mean Hae-yeong Apothecary Immortal Mun No had been poisoned by the Formless Poison?
In that fleeting moment, various hypotheses flooded Yi Gwang's mind.
Yet one stood out as utterly incomprehensible: the Duke Ghost Sword would never resort to poison.
‘That can't be.’
The Duke Ghost Sword took immense pride in his swordsmanship alone.
Thus, he never employed any weapons or martial arts beyond his blade.
Yi Gwang's gaze shifted to the traces around them.
He had already found it odd that there were no sword marks.
This meant,
‘......It wasn't a fight with Duke Ghost Sword.’
These were signs of battle with someone else.
Then why had Duke Ghost Sword left this place in such haste?
Uncharacteristically, without even scanning the surroundings, as if fleeing from something...... No.
‘He wasn't fleeing. He was pursuing.’
Yes.
That was it.
Duke Ghost Sword had hurried off in pursuit of someone's trail.
And the one he chased was the very person who had inflicted such grievous wounds on Hae-yeong Apothecary Immortal Mun No that even standing was a struggle.
Having pieced together the full picture, Yi Gwang spoke with a wry tone.
"Mun No. Who exactly did you fight?"
......
Hae-yeong Apothecary Immortal Mun No offered no reply to his question.
Instead, he silently regulated his breathing.
With each exhale, beads of sweat trickled down, and faint vapors rose from his shoulders.
*Hoo...... Hoo*...... *Cough, cough.*
He looked utterly exhausted.
The Mun No known to the world was, alongside the Embracing Others' Fame Physician, renowned as the era's foremost authority on medicinal herbs and medical knowledge, earning him the title of Apothecary Immortal.
Yet his hidden side was that of a supreme expert whose poison arts rivaled the famed poison houses: the Tang Clan, the Gu Yang Clan, and the Baek Clan.
His prowess had once even defeated the era's top swordsman, Duke Ghost Sword.
Who could have possibly bested such a man?
-Swish!
Those vapors emanating from his body.
No matter how one looked, it seemed he was expelling the poison's energy.
Two names surfaced in Yi Gwang's mind.
Gu Yang-so, patriarch of the Gu Yang Clan and wielder of the Eight Venom Serpent Staff, at the apex of poison arts; and Tang In-hae, patriarch of the Sichuan Tang Clan—one of the Seven Great Families—and the Thousand Poisons Hand.
‘If that's truly the Formless Poison......’
Then the one he fought was an expert from the Sichuan Tang Clan.
And one with the authority to wield even the absolute taboo of the orthodox martial world: the Formless Poison.
In the Sichuan Tang Clan, that could only be,
‘The Thousand Poisons Hand?’
Yi Gwang couldn't hide his inner bewilderment.
He couldn't be certain, but for now, Thousand Poisons Hand Tang In-hae was the most likely suspect.
But why would Thousand Poisons Hand Tang In-hae come all this way to clash with Mun No?
No, it hardly seemed like a clash.
The use of Formless Poison suggested a desperate intent to kill.
Yet it made no sense.
‘Why? The Sichuan Tang Clan has no reason to make an enemy of Mun No.’
No matter how he pondered, it didn't add up.
Mun No's public identity was that of the highly respected Apothecary Immortal.
Unless his hidden true nature was exposed......
‘Ah!’
Yi Gwang finally spoke as if realization had dawned.
"Did the Sichuan Tang Clan discover you're a member of the Pyre Faith Cult?"
There was no other reason for them to seek out and kill a recluse like him.
Despite Yi Gwang's confident question, Mun No remained silent, focusing on purging the poison and recovering.
Thus,
-Swish!
Yi Gwang drew the black sword from his waist.
With conversation yielding nothing, force seemed necessary.
But if it truly was Formless Poison, approaching too closely was unwise.
Even though he had transcended walls and could manipulate his qi like breath, the king of poisons followed different rules, demanding caution.
-Boom!
Igniting his sword aura, Yi Gwang aimed at Mun No and declared,
"If you keep shutting your mouth about what happened, I won't ask further. But I must know where you've hidden the prophecy artifact."
......
"In your current state, unable to properly recover, I could kill you in a single day with ease. So speak."
Yi Gwang urged him with a threat.
Mun No, who had been absorbed in channeling his qi without reply, finally spoke.
*Haa...... Haa*...... "You all know nothing."
"......What nonsense is that? Do you think I can't kill you? I've already been ordered to end your life if things turn dire."
"That doesn't matter. *Cough, cough.* But you must know the truth."
"You're evading again. If you keep this up......"
"The prophecy is wrong."
‘!?’
Yi Gwang froze mid-motion to strike.
What was this old man spouting?
The prophecy was wrong?
He had already been suspicious ever since Mun No abruptly vanished with the prophecy artifact seventeen years ago.
"......What are you saying right now?"
Did this old man know something about the prophecy?
If so, it was worth hearing out.
"Mun No. If you want to live, tell me straight."
"The incarnation of Ahura Mazda that dyes the sacred flame black with evil shall manifest in this world—beware."
Yes.
That was the prophecy.
The moment Sacred Flame Spirit Lord uttered it, and Hae-yeong Apothecary Immortal Mun No betrayed and fled seventeen years prior, the organization's ties to the Pyre Faith Cult reached a breaking point.
"As the Protector who heard that prophecy firsthand, why did you commit such treason? Your brothers and sisters paid the price for your crimes."
"That sin is not mine. *Haa...... Haa*...... Her interpretation lost its direction."
"Direction?"
Her interpretation lost direction? What did that mean?
Was he referring to the Sacred Flame Spirit Lord?
As Yi Gwang puzzled over it, Mun No continued.
"It is not an incarnation to beware of, as interpreted."
"What drivel from this old fool......"
*Cough, cough*...... "Western coins have different faces on front and back, yet no matter which side you view, it is ultimately one."
Yi Gwang clicked his tongue.
He couldn't comprehend a word.
Had seclusion driven the old man mad?
Claiming the incarnation of evil was not one to beware?
Was that why?
This old man Mun No must have gone insane, corrupted by the incarnation of evil.
Deeply ensnared by malevolence, he had perhaps betrayed everyone and fled.
If Apothecary Immortal Mun No revealed nothing, the higher-ups' order to eliminate him likely stemmed from this.
In any case, nothing more could be gleaned from him.
"You seem thoroughly maddened by evil, but for old times' sake, I'll give you one chance."
......
"Where did you divert the prophecy artifact—no, Ahura Mazda's incarnation? Even without you, we'll learn soon enough once we capture that old Sacred Flame Spirit Lord."
At those words, Mun No let out a scoff.
"You're laughing?"
"She has lost her qualifications."
"What are you babbling?"
"What my words mean...... *Cough, cough*...... Your great master will know better."
The moment "master" passed his lips, Yi Gwang's eyes changed.
To him, that one was the liege served since ancient times, a god worthy of worship.
To dare mention that one.
"Are you, the sinner who diverted the incarnation, now blaspheming Him?"
"How tragic. Mok Gan—that man—is the one who blinded her eyes and caused all this chaos......"
"Shut up!"
-Shatter!
Before Mun No could finish, Yi Gwang, unable to contain his rage, unleashed a barrage of full-force弹 Sword Aura.
-Pat!
Though Mun No struggled to control his body due to the Formless Poison, he moved to evade.
Yet his thoroughly ruined form refused to obey.
-Shatter!
The first弹 Sword Aura sliced his waist as he leaped, and subsequent blasts rent his severed lower half into chunks.
-Thud thud thud thud!
Thus, amid the mangled flesh of his lower body, Mun No's torso plummeted.
-Thud!
With organs spilling from his remaining upper body, the sight was horrific beyond words.
Even this state alone made survival impossible, but with his fury unquenched, Yi Gwang prepared another弹 Sword Aura to finish the fallen Mun No.
"You brought this on yourself, old......"
It was then.
-Flinch!
‘What?’
An immense energy sent chills down his spine.
Even he, who had transcended walls, tensed momentarily, forcing him to halt.
‘Has Duke Ghost Sword returned?’
If so, he had to flee at once.
The matter had to proceed in secrecy, unknown to Duke Ghost Sword.
Poisoned by Formless Poison and bereft of his lower half, the old man Mun No could never survive.
Thus, without hesitation, Yi Gwang launched his form toward the opposite side.
* * *
"You...... In the end, he made one last contribution, but Mun No was poisoned by the Formless Poison anyway......"
-Kwachik! Kwachik! Kwadruk!
Yi Gwang, recounting the memory, could not continue.
The reason was the thickening air that made breathing ever harder.
But it didn't end there.
The ground around them trembled violently, then cracked, and even,
-Shwaaaaa!
The pouring rain reversed its flow.
That backflowing rain evaporated into steam—an utterly bizarre sight.
Yi Gwang couldn't bear to look at Mok Kyung-un's face.
He had confessed the past in hopes of a swift death, but this exceeded his worst expectations.
‘I, I can't breathe.’
The space around him and that monster felt like a vacuum.
How intense must the killing intent be to manifest so tangibly?
"Guh...... Guh......"
As he retched blood in agony, Mok Kyung-un's voice reached his ear.
"This won't end with just you."
What?
This guy's speech had suddenly changed.
Though only his tone shifted, the altered atmosphere puzzled Yi Gwang, who unwittingly raised his head.
And there,
‘!!!!!!!’
Mok Kyung-un's eyes gleamed black as obsidian.