Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Dragon's Tail
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-Puk!!
A massive scorpion's stinger burrowed into Tak-mu's flesh.
Even if it was the ultimate poison that Meng-sa had poured all his effort into creating, it couldn't pierce Tak-mu's body—which had reached the level of indestructible diamond—in a single blow.
However, the stinger had targeted the small but deep wound that Tak-mu had sustained in his previous battle with the Radiant Sword and burrowed right into it.
No matter how sturdy a body one possessed, it meant nothing once a hole had been punched through it.
Following the deeply embedded wound, the potent venom spread through his body at a speed far faster than usual.
Tak-mu, instantly rendered unable to move a muscle, could only open his mouth in what resembled a final death rattle, unable even to turn his head.
"Wh... why..."
-Puk! Puk!!
In response, Meng-sa manipulated dozens of venomous creatures to inject even more poison into Tak-mu as he replied.
"You must know how gu-duk are made, right? It's for the exact same reason."
"The method to create gu-duk is exceedingly simple."
"Stuff a large jar full of venomous creatures and leave it sealed for a long time."
"During that period, the imprisoned venomous creatures will kill and devour one another until only a single one survives."
"That final survivor devours all the poison and grudges within the jar and becomes a gu-duk."
"As a result, a gu-duk's venom is incomparably more toxic than that of ordinary venomous creatures, its vitality tougher than weeds, and its grudge fiercer than that of a beast who has lost its young."
Exceedingly... beautiful.
Meng-sa gazed contentedly at the dozens of gu-duk surrounding him and flashed a mad smile.
"The strong devouring the weak is an inevitable law of nature, a ideal that must come to pass. I'm merely following that natural law, so there's no need to be angry. The act of the stronger devouring the weaker is the very principle of the world."
Tak-mu, witnessing Meng-sa's shameless attitude as he spoke without a change in expression, cried out in a fury that made him feel like vomiting blood.
"Ridiculous... nonsense! You're saying trash like you... is stronger than the Palace Lord...!"
"Schemes and trickery are a form of 'poison' as well. I'm standing here right now, while my brother is wandering on the brink of death. In the end, doesn't that mean my poison was stronger than his?"
"And the 'gu-duk' that will swallow South Barbarian—and even all of Yun-nam Province—is not me. I'm merely a single drop of venom from the 'greatest gu-duk' that will devour all the poisons of this world."
Suddenly, having said that much, Meng-sa realized his phrasing was inappropriate.
No matter how beautiful a being it was, likening "that one" to mere gu-duk was unfitting.
There had to be a more suitable expression than gu-duk... yes.
"A few years ago, I beheld the Emperor."
An utterly arrogant title meaning the sovereign who ruled over all creation.
He still remembered it vividly.
The moment he had an audience with the only being worthy of that title.
"I could only bow my head and pledge my loyalty. No other actions were permitted. In his mercy, the Emperor not only granted me the authority to rule this land in his stead but also bestowed helpful subordinates and a new name."
Black Toad Great Lord.
That was his new name.
And the title of the lord who would rule over the Yun-nam region as a ruler of the new era.
"All of this is the process of the world's power returning to its rightful master. In that process, I was chosen, while you were not."
"The Southern Barbarian Beast Palace will vanish from history. The Starpoint Sect will as well. That one extremely despises independent martial forces brazenly stirring things up."
With those words, Meng-sa turned his gaze away from Tak-mu. Tak-mu's body, poisoned by dozens of different toxins, collapsed limply like a puppet with its strings cut.
As his consciousness faded, Tak-mu mustered his last strength to utter one final sentence.
"Then everything... up until now... was..."
"A lie."
Meng-sa walked away, leaving Tak-mu—who was dying from the poison—behind as if there was no further business.
Only then did Tak-mu fully realize it.
He... no, the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace...
Had already been poisoned by that guy's "poison" long ago.
'From the very beginning... it was a futile dream.'
Tak-mu felt his vision completely blur as a hollow smile crossed his lips for the last time.
It had been a dream he never wanted to wake from.
But now, it was time to awaken.
Having dealt with Tak-mu, Meng-sa immediately mounted a massive gu-duk and headed toward the location where the Demon Subduing Hall had been discovered.
With Tak-mu now eliminated, there were almost no remaining elements that could interfere with the plan.
The Radiant Sword was still pursuing him, but he had already deployed an enormous number of venomous creatures across Starpoint Mountain to disrupt his senses in preparation.
No matter how capable the Radiant Sword was, it would take considerable time to locate him in such conditions.
By the time he did, the Three-legged Crow would already be in Meng-sa's hands.
"Welcome back, Great Lord. Did everything go smoothly?"
Upon arriving at the sealed Demon Subduing Hall, a young scholar with a refined demeanor greeted him.
Around him lay the corpses of a young Starpoint disciple who appeared to have died after agonizing torture and an elderly disciple who looked advanced in years.
Meng-sa nodded curtly in response to the man's polite bow, but he couldn't help feeling inwardly uneasy.
The scholar appeared endlessly courteous on the surface, but his eyes were devoid of emotion—murky and impossible to read.
He was personnel dispatched from Parun Temple to dismantle the formation on the Demon Subduing Hall. Though lower in rank, he was not someone Meng-sa could treat lightly.
For that frail-looking scholar was a direct subordinate of a "Crown Prince"-level executive.
"I've cleared all interfering elements. I've released the venomous creatures to mask our presence, so even the Radiant Sword won't find us quickly."
"As expected of one of the Great Lord's rising stars. Most thorough work."
"Enough with the obvious flattery. Have you finished preparing to dismantle the formation?"
"Of course. It took some effort to analyze the formation's structure, but thanks to the cooperation of those two Taoist gentlemen, I found a way to break it."
The scholar pointed at the two cold corpses with a hollow smile.
Meng-sa felt a twinge of disgust at the eerie sight.
If he was going to put on an act, he should do it properly—his mouth curved skillfully, but his eyes remained utterly vacant from start to finish.
It felt as if the scholar knew deception wouldn't work and was mocking him regardless.
"However, this formation seems to produce rather troublesome effects if someone other than a Starpoint disciple steps on the life gate. So, we'll have to fully dismantle the formation itself before entering the Demon Subduing Hall, rather than using the life gate."
"...That means more time?"
"About one gak from now will suffice."
One gak.
The time that Tak-mu and his subordinates had barely managed to secure by throwing away their lives and honor in desperate struggle.
One gak against a Hyeon-kyeong-level martial artist pursuing at full force.
No matter how well he hid with venomous creatures, it was a duration that even Meng-sa alone would struggle to endure.
"That's no issue. Even if the Radiant Sword bursts in right now, we can hold out that long."
Meng-sa declared it without the slightest hesitation.
It wasn't bravado or exaggeration.
Nor was it a misjudgment born of underestimating the Radiant Sword's capabilities.
It was the result of cold analysis and objective comparison of forces—a rational judgment.
-Kkiiieeee...!!
Accompanied by a horrific cry resembling the screams of countless people, a "death" in the form of a bird arrived on the scene.
Its mere presence caused all surrounding life to rot away, polluting the air and spreading deadly miasma in all directions.
The king of all venomous creatures in this world, a living cataclysm itself.
👹 Ten Great Ferocious Beasts 👹
Rank 6
The monstrous being that had nearly killed the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace's Palace Lord and sparked this entire chain of events had now arrived at Meng-sa's call.
-Puk, teop!
The Zhi Bird retracted the poison emanating from its entire body, perched on Meng-sa's shoulder, then immediately stabbed a large gu-duk nearby with its beak, devoured it in one gulp.
Still apparently unsatisfied, it now eyed a python gu-duk several times its size and licked its chops.
"Tch, your picky appetite hasn't changed. I'll let you eat after the job's done, so hold back for now."
-Kkiiieee...
At Meng-sa's refusal, the Zhi Bird pecked discontentedly at his shoulder a few times before quietly obeying.
For the Zhi Bird, which fed only on venomous creatures with the strongest toxins, Meng-sa was always the finest source of top-grade meals.
"Ho, so this is the Zhi Bird I've only heard about. Not fully grown yet, I take it?"
"If it were, I wouldn't have even attempted to tame it. In human terms, it's barely past childhood."
"And yet this level of power... The Ten Great Ferocious Beasts are truly fascinating. No wonder the one I serve has taken an interest."
Meng-sa's eyes narrowed at those words.
"The one you... serve?"
"Haha, you know who I mean, right? The one I serve directly. That one has recently shown interest in monstrous beings—especially the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts."
Only then did a sinister glint appear in the scholar's hollow eyes as he continued.
"Once the Great Lord takes the Three-legged Crow, we'll take the remaining Ten Great Ferocious Beasts in the Demon Subduing Hall. Ah, you can do as you please with the rest."
Meng-sa instantly realized it from the scholar's demeanor—smiling amiably yet speaking in a declarative tone rather than a question.
This was no suggestion or request—it was an "order."
'Hiding their identity while taking the scraps. Not to my liking.'
However, refusal was not an option.
Though he had risen to the rank of Great Lord, the Crown Princes—who shared only the barest scraps of indirect information even with executives—were existences beyond his ability to defy.
But once he obtained the Three-legged Crow and pacified Yun-nam Province, steadily building his forces, he too could one day reach the Crown Prince rank.
Meng-sa inwardly vowed to repay this someday and feigned composure as he replied.
"As the Crown Prince wills..."
-Puk!!
In that instant, a streak of light pierced through Meng-sa's back.
Penetrating the defenses of countless venomous creatures and even the Zhi Bird, the blade buried into Meng-sa's back belonged to Starpoint Sect's young sun. Standing in the heart of the enemy stronghold teeming with dangers, he spoke with a relaxed smile.
"Hey, uncles. Seems like you're having quite the interesting conversation..."
The Crown Prince, what did you say?