Chapter 32: Supreme Poison Technique
Chapter 32
Supreme Poison Technique
Master and Disciple (4)
A supreme poison art that forcibly merges toxic energy within the body with the practitioner's own qi, temporarily unleashing power beyond their original limits.
'Kehehe... Feels like my whole body is burning in hellfire.'
Though Poison Demon Yayul Seung had received this martial art as a reward for his loyalty to the Blood Demon, he never used it unless absolutely necessary.
Because it was no different from self-destruction.
Once activated, he would suffer excruciating backlash for days afterward.
But today—for the first time—Dokma unleashed the Supreme Poison Technique solely to capture one man alive and unharmed.
'Kihihi... How can I possibly resist?'
'I must uncover everything about him.'
Tang Se-woon.
The grandson of Tang Ui-tae—a man he could chew to death and still not be satisfied.
A being who wielded demonic arts rivaling the Blood Demon himself.
A mysterious existence who simultaneously wielded multiple Divine Artifacts—something he had never seen before.
A thick, greedy light flickered in Dokma's eyes as he stared at Se-woon.
'Ahh... I want to peel off his skin, dissect his meridians while he's still alive...'
If he could seize Se-woon's demonic arts and Divine Artifacts...
The ultimate destination for all poison practitioners—the realm he had yearned for his entire life—would be within his grasp.
He could ascend to the ranks of the Poison Sovereign, a being said to melt the world itself with a single hand.
No—he would ascend.
With that single thought, Dokma endured the agony of the Angsinru's poison—far beyond his limits—with a grin.
Oooong!
And finally...
Dokma's entire body, now fully saturated with the Supreme Poison Technique, turned crimson like a bloody mist.
Swish.
In that instant, Dokma clenched his left fist tightly—his rationality returning.
The sensation in his left arm, which had been completely paralyzed by Angsinru's poison, was now fully restored.
It was only temporary—a result of the poison merging with his internal energy.
Of course, once the effect wore off, an overwhelming backlash would follow. But he didn't care.
"Kikik! Now, let's play!"
"Tang Se-woon—show me everything you've got!"
Yes, once he had this man, everything would be resolved.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Dokma lunged at Se-woon like a flash of light.
Grrraaah!
A ferocious aura radiated from Dokma as he charged forward on all fours like a beast.
He wasn't even using the Divine Thief's techniques—just brute force fueled by his internal energy.
Yet, his presence and pressure were incomparable to before.
Countless threads stretched out to block Dokma's path.
Twang! Twiiing!
But now, the threads were utterly useless.
His reinforced skin—several times tougher than before—didn't even leave a scratch.
Crrk!
Instead, the threads were pushed back helplessly by his sheer strength.
Slash!
In the blink of an eye, Dokma stood just a step away from Se-woon.
Even in this desperate situation...
His enemy remained frozen like a statue—not moving an inch.
'Kihihi... Must be paralyzed by the demonic aura I'm emitting.'
'Didn't expect it to end so easily.'
Sssk!
Snickering at Se-woon's pathetic state, Dokma reached out with his left hand.
Though it looked like a simple motion, hidden within was a killing intent as sharp as a viper sinking its fangs.
"Hup!"
Se-woon's instincts kicked in—he twisted his body sideways.
Screech!
A single thread recoiled, accelerating his movement explosively.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
"—!"
But what Se-woon had overlooked was...
Unlike before, Dokma was now much faster.
Whoosh!
With just a few strides, Dokma effortlessly overtook Se-woon's full-speed retreat.
Se-woon's face paled—clearly caught off guard.
"Hup!"
Dokma swung his hand down like a blade in a swift motion.
Sschk!
A chilling slash echoed as Se-woon's shoulder was deeply cut.
"Gahhk!"
For the first time, Se-woon let out a pained groan.
The green robe—symbol of the Tang Clan—was cleanly sliced open.
Blood quickly soaked through the fabric.
Whoosh!
The moment Dokma's attack halted, Se-woon retreated swiftly.
Pressing on acupoints to stop the bleeding, Se-woon gasped for breath.
"Huff... Huh?!"
"Kikik. Why won't your body move?"
"Listen well—this is your master's first lesson! Crane Crown Red, one of the Eight Great Extreme Poisons, slowly paralyzes every nerve in a martial artist's body before finally killing them."
"—!"
At the mention of the Eight Great Extreme Poisons, Se-woon's pupils trembled violently.
The Eight Great Extreme Poisons were forbidden substances in the martial world—each one a lethal toxin capable of killing even the strongest warriors.
The Five Poison Sect's unique poison arts involved accumulating toxic energy within the body to elevate one's martial prowess.
Even before absorbing Angsinru's poison, Dokma's body already contained six of the Eight Great Extreme Poisons.
"...Kkhh!"
"Kihihit! You were so talkative earlier—now you're mute?"
Se-woon's tongue seemed completely paralyzed—he couldn't even form words.
His body was slowing down too.
The effects of Crane Crown Red had already spread throughout his entire being.
"Guh... Ugh!"
Then, with great effort, Se-woon raised his right hand toward Dokma.
Fwip!
Something shot out from his sleeve like lightning—a crossbow bolt stolen from Tang Ho-yeol.
But Dokma didn't even bother dodging.
"Tsk."
He merely furrowed his brow and clicked his tongue.
Sssizzle!
The bolt disintegrated into smoke the moment it touched Dokma's chest.
The poison energy surrounding him—far stronger than the Blood Mist—had vaporized it without a trace.
"Kihit... Did you really think such trash would work on me?"
"Guess I'll have to punish you properly."
"...!"
Dokma stepped forward and placed a hand on Se-woon's shoulder.
Then, he injected the second of the Eight Great Extreme Poisons—Torture Poison (Plague Blood Serum).
"Guh... Gaaah!"
Se-woon trembled violently, letting out a scream of agony.
Black spots soon surfaced across his skin.
Torture Poison—a poison that induced rotting plague—was the ultimate torture toxin, inflicting pain beyond imagination.
Dokma watched gleefully as Se-woon writhed in torment.
After a while, he administered the third poison—Divine Immortal Collapse—just enough to keep him alive.
Se-woon collapsed, convulsing as he lost consciousness.
Dokma burst into maniacal laughter at the pitiful sight.
"Kikik! Tang Ui-tae! Are you watching?! Your grandson's life is in my hands...!"
Thump!
But then—
A pain like his heart being squeezed suddenly assaulted Dokma.
"Ghk—!"
Even Dokma—accustomed to Angsinru's torment—clutched his chest instinctively.
He had felt this before.
Halfway through the Supreme Poison Technique's duration, this pain would begin.
Damn it... Has that much time already passed?
But then—
'...Wait a second?'
Dokma stiffened.
Something felt off.
'Only half the usual time has passed since I activated the technique...'
The duration of the Supreme Poison Technique had shortened drastically.
Only now did he realize his energy was being drained at an alarming rate.
Was it because of the hastily absorbed Angsinru?
But no poison, no matter how potent, should cause such side effects—!
Suddenly, a chilling realization struck him.
Dokma's gaze snapped toward Se-woon, lying motionless on the ground.
"You... Don't tell me—!"
Whoosh!
Before Dokma could finish, Se-woon casually brushed off his robes and stood up—as if nothing had happened.
He smirked calmly at Dokma's stunned expression.
"Oh? You caught on."
"—?!"
The symptoms—shortness of breath, stiff tongue, paralyzed body—had vanished without a trace.
This time, it was Se-woon who clicked his tongue in disappointment.
"Tsk. Three isn't enough."
"...You were clearly poisoned."
"Ah, this?"
"—!"
Swoosh!
As if answering the unspoken question, Se-woon reactivated the power he had been suppressing.
The black spots faded—his pallid complexion returning to normal in an instant.
At the same time, the wound on his shoulder began healing rapidly.
"—!"
That insane regenerative ability...
He had definitely seen this power before—within the Blood Cult.
In that moment, Dokma understood why his energy was being drained so quickly.
"...Absorption Art?"
That was it. His energy was being siphoned away.
Se-woon merely shrugged in response.
His relaxed demeanor only deepened Dokma's confusion.
'Is it Qi Borrowing? No—there's no way he's reached the Realm of Transformation.'
Qi Borrowing was a martial principle where one absorbed an opponent's energy to replenish their own.
But Dokma's guesses were all wrong.
What Se-woon had activated was neither Absorption Art nor Qi Borrowing.
It was Reverse Heaven Energy.
The origin of all demonic arts in this world.
Any sinister or aberrant force would naturally be absorbed when near Reverse Heaven Energy—just as countless streams eventually return to the sea.
In truth, Reverse Heaven Energy had instinctively coveted Angsinru's poison from the moment they met.
But if Se-woon had drained Dokma's energy while he was suffering from the poison, it would have only helped him recover.
So he had suppressed it with the Golden Threads of Heavenly Net—waiting for the right moment.
'I figured he'd use the Supreme Poison Technique if I provoked him enough.'
And just as expected, Dokma had taken the bait.
The Supreme Poison Technique fused poison energy with internal energy to grant overwhelming power—but against Se-woon, it was meaningless.
To Se-woon, Dokma—now using the Supreme Poison Technique—was nothing more than...
A human-sized elixir.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Look—even now.
Swoosh!
"Ghk...!"
Despite standing perfectly still, Reverse Heaven Energy was devouring Dokma's power like a ravenous ghost.
Realizing he had been played, Dokma trembled with rage.
For the first time in his life, he felt humiliation and disgrace.
"I'll kill you—!"
Whoosh!
Losing all reason, Dokma charged at Se-woon with murderous intent.
The fourth of the Eight Great Extreme Poisons—Lethal Poison (Seven-Step Soul Severer)—ignited across his body like flames.
Even if his opponent far surpassed him in skill—
"You really don't learn, Master."
Se-woon curled his lips into a cold smirk.
Screech!
Whoosh!
Retrieving the threads embedded in the walls, Se-woon accelerated.
At the same time, Dokma pushed his movement technique to the limit.
Within the pitch-black cavern—
Flash!
A gray streak and a crimson streak erupted simultaneously.
The next instant—
Their fates crossed.
"Let's start with a punch."
"!?"
Se-woon's fist, wrapped in Reverse Heaven Energy, smashed squarely into Dokma's face.
BOOOOM—!
A deafening explosion shook the cavern—threatening to bring the entire structure crashing down.
Sichuan Overlord.