Chapter 59
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: The Antidote to Solitary Poison
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Tang Ho-gwan was so flustered that he couldn't string his words together properly.
"S-surely... the living solitary poison..."
He stared blankly at Dan Hyeong-u and Dokyoung in turn. Then he snapped out of it and approached Dokyoung.
There was no point asking Dokyoung anything with his eyes closed. Even if he did, there'd be no answer.
Tang Ho-gwan rummaged through Dokyoung's bosom. At that moment, Dokyoung gathered every ounce of his inner energy into his feet. He swung them with all his might. To escape this place, he needed to find an opening.
He didn't know when or how he'd been dragged here, but he firmly believed that if a chance arose, he could flee.
"Urgh..."
Dokyoung finally let out a groan. His feet brimmed with inner energy, yet they wouldn't budge. And that wasn't all.
The energy gathered in his feet refused to disperse. His dantian kept pumping more into his legs, but it stayed trapped there, refusing to burst out.
A pain like every meridian in his legs was being severed washed over him. Even Dokyoung couldn't endure it.
"K-kill... me."
That was all Dokyoung managed to spit out. In that instant, the inner energy that had swelled his legs to the bursting point scattered in a flash.
"Hah!"
Dokyoung panicked and heaved ragged breaths. While he thrashed about like that on his own, Tang Ho-gwan pulled every solitary poison vial from his bosom.
"It really is living solitary poison!"
Tang Ho-gwan's voice trembled faintly with astonishment. Even for Dan Hyeong-u, he hadn't expected him to procure it so easily.
And from the looks of things, the man Dan Hyeong-u held was the culprit behind this whole affair. It was no wonder everyone was too stunned to speak.
He examined the poisons and ran various tests. He channeled inner energy through them and even went so far as to inject one into his own body.
Of course, only after confirming that strong inner arts elicited no reaction from the solitary poison.
Tang Ho-gwan boldly enlisted the Sword Demon's aid. And he discovered the method to neutralize it. It was simple yet difficult.
"It's vulnerable to demonic arts."
"Demonic arts?"
Tang Ho-gwan smiled faintly at Dang Moon-yeong and Jo Seol-yeon, who stared at him in shock.
"This solitary poison is weak to demonic qi. Extremely so. So, we could easily treat those afflicted by channeling demonic qi into them. Provided, of course, the poisoning hasn't progressed too far."
Dokyoung paled at Tang Ho-gwan's words. Even for the Tang family, he couldn't believe they'd uncover such a fact so quickly.
"Seeing that bastard panic confirms it."
Tang Ho-gwan's expression grew grave. They had to neutralize the poison first. And before it was too late. But to do that, they needed demonic arts. Or someone with vast inner energy they could expend endlessly.
Tang Ho-gwan glanced at the Sword Demon. But the Sword Demon averted his gaze. He had his own tasks at hand. He wasn't in a position to leisurely cure poisons.
Dan Hyeong-u had watched the whole exchange silently. At last, he spoke.
"Is this what you mean by demonic qi?"
Demonic qi blanketed the area thickly. It choked the air so thoroughly that Tang Ho-gwan could scarcely breathe.
He wasn't the only one. Everyone struggled—except the Sword Demon.
The Sword Demon surrendered to the euphoria surging from all directions. Such immense, pure demonic qi was utterly new to him. It felt like it was purifying his entire body.
Pure demonic qi wielded power rivaling the purest natural energies. That was exactly what Dan Hyeong-u was emanating now.
The Sword Demon looked at Dan Hyeong-u. Vitality welled from the depths of his body. It shook his dantian, expelling the impure energies.
In that moment, the demonic qi vanished. Clean as if washed away. No one noticed, but the Sword Demon knew. It had all returned to Dan Hyeong-u. His body, awakened by the dense, pure qi, sensed it clearly.
The Sword Demon's eyes gleamed.
"This is it?"
Dan Hyeong-u asked again.
Only then did Tang Ho-gwan regain his composure.
"Y-yes, exactly. That's demonic qi."
Dan Hyeong-u casually tossed Dokyoung aside. The man took a direct hit of demonic qi at point-blank range. He lost consciousness and clearly wouldn't stir for a while.
"I'll take it."
Everyone flinched at Dan Hyeong-u's words. He was the most indispensable person here right now. They had no idea who had infiltrated Cheonjung Mountain. There were people from the Heavenly Demon Fortress and the Martial Alliance alike.
Dealing with them would be incredibly tough regardless. And with the Sword Demon tagging along, without Dan Hyeong-u, everyone here would be in grave danger.
In the end, Jo Seol-yeon sighed and spoke up.
"Haa, no helping it. We'll head back for now."
Hyeong Pyo looked regretful at Jo Seol-yeon's words but nodded anyway. Treating the poisoned took precedence over chasing the Heavenly Qi Master.
"And we should hand that one over to them."
Jo Seol-yeon pointed at the unconscious Dokyoung. Now the Henan Escort Bureau could clear up all the misunderstandings.
Tang Ho-gwan looked alarmed at her words. He hadn't realized at first, but now he knew how dangerous this place was. Without Dan Hyeong-u, even his Heavenly Thunder was useless. The risks mounted.
"Urgh, maybe we should think of another way."
As Tang Ho-gwan spoke, the Sword Demon, who had been grim-faced, finally opened his mouth.
"I'll send a few of my men. Demonic qi is all you need, right? No issue there. Just ensure their safety."
Everyone present was stunned by the Sword Demon's offer. No one could have imagined the lord of all swordsmen saying such a thing.
"O-of course. If you do that, naturally..."
Jo Seol-yeon stammered in reply. It was too astonishing. And she couldn't fathom why the Sword Demon was being so accommodating. She vaguely sensed it had to do with Dan Hyeong-u.
"Then that's settled."
The Sword Demon drew his sword and thrust it toward the sky.
Shiiiing!
Jet-black energy erupted from his blade. It shot high into the heavens, then spread wide. At first pitch-black, it thinned to near-invisibility as it dispersed.
Once the black energy fully vanished, the Sword Demon sheathed his sword. Moments later, several men rushed to the group's location. The Sword Demon's subordinates.
With five fiends in tow, the Henan Escort Bureau escorts descended the mountain under Hyeong Pyo's command. Half the Tang family warriors joined them.
Likewise, the Blue Guard Unit that Umun Hye had brought followed suit. Their new mission: protect the bureau escorts and the fiends.
Now, thirty-three remained. Few in number, but all elites. And Dan Hyeong-u was with them.
Hyeong Pyo made haste. They had to save the poison victims as soon as possible. And clear the bureau's name. Knowing his heart so well, everyone's steps quickened desperately.
Time was short, tasks many. So Hyeong Pyo chose the Tianyi Gate.
Upon arrival, he promptly handed Dokyoung over. They used the fiends to neutralize the solitary poison. With Tang warriors present, the Henan Escort Bureau's innocence was proven.
If the bureau had caught the culprit and found the cure, it would raise issues—but the Tang family? That changed everything.
In the end, the Tang family claimed all the credit, but Hyeong Pyo felt no regret. With the bureau's innocence confirmed, the sects that had persecuted it couldn't just stand by.
The Henan Escort Bureau had effectively secured support from most sects in Henan.
From here, the bureau would only soar.
The Tianyi Gate shifted from a house of mourning to one of celebration. Most within had been poisoned; curing them was like bringing them back from death.
Moreover, as the victims regained their reason post-detox, aftereffects were minimal since little time had passed. A true blessing for the Tianyi Gate.
Sects that heard late suffered losses. Henan's vastness meant the fiends' travel time allowed the poison to advance too far in some cases, rendering minds irretrievable.
Even so, all victims were treated, and remarkably, the fiends returned to Cheonjung Mountain under Tianyi Gate protection.
The Tianyi Gate had actually plotted to eliminate them. Word of accepting aid from fiends—Heavenly Demon Fortress fiends, no less—would tarnish their prestige.
But they couldn't. Tang and Umun family warriors shielded them to the end.
No matter the prestige at stake, outright murder was impossible. And the five fiends vowed silence to all.
Of course, how much faith to place in a fiend's promise was questionable.
Thus, the five fiends returned to Cheonjung Mountain, and all returned to normal.
Dokyoung would be held at the Tianyi Gate. For intensive interrogation to uncover his network.
Most sects in Henan had been hit. This surely signaled a grand conspiracy.
Dokyoung sat in the deep torture prison of the Tianyi Gate.
"Damn it. For Dokyoung of the world to end up like this..."
His grumbling echoed through the prison. He was utterly alone. No guards. Buried deep underground, long disused, mold clung everywhere.
He saw people twice daily: mealtimes. Morning and evening scraps barely staved off starvation. Hunger gnawed unbearably.
"Hungry..."
Since cultivating martial arts, he'd never felt hunger. He'd gone days without water and never felt it then.
But now he did. Ravenous. Dan Hyeong-u's cold eyes flashed in his mind. His body shuddered involuntarily.
"It has to be that bastard. He tampered with my body."
No acupoint seals, inner energy flowed freely. Yet he couldn't move. Nor wield it recklessly.
A misstep could rupture part of him, like before. Without Dan Hyeong-u, his legs would have exploded.
Dokyoung shuddered again. The more he thought, the more terrifying it seemed.
He finally lay down. Nothing left to do.
How long he lay, he didn't know. Footsteps approached. Far from mealtime, curiosity roused him. He sat up, eyes mixing shock and joy.
"Bird Shadow, Rat Shadow!"
Dokyoung beamed. The newcomers oversaw all Blood Demon Society intelligence.
"Tsk tsk. Here you were."
Bird Shadow muttered softly. Rat Shadow grinned and lightly shattered the prison door.
"What are you waiting for? Get out."
Dokyoung struggled to rise at Bird Shadow's words.
"They've only sealed my inner energy."
Dokyoung shook his head.
"It's not that. My condition's far more complex. Take me to the Society Head."
Bird Shadow didn't buy it. Sealing inner energy was within his power, and he knew how to break it.
He gripped Dokyoung's wrist and channeled energy. Then released it in confusion.
"What the hell? It's fine?"
But it wasn't. No seal evident. Yet something restrained him. Bird Shadow shook his head. With Rat Shadow, they supported Dokyoung out.
At the entrance, five Tianyi Gate warriors lay bleeding, lifeless.
"They'll swarm soon. Hurry."
Rat Shadow hoisted Dokyoung at Bird Shadow's words and leaped away.
Thus, three shadows vanished from the Tianyi Gate. Leaving five corpses.
Chapter 4
What Lies in the Secret Cave?
With numbers reduced, the group moved faster and more nimbly.
The smaller size simplified responses and quickened feet, but clearing side tasks lightened hearts most.
"How long must we wander like this?"
Umun Hye asked. Tang Ho-gwan shook his head.
"Who knows. Feels like we're just skirting the edges."
As if in reply, Jo Seol-yeon stepped forward.
"Exactly. We're circling the periphery."
Everyone halted at her words. All eyes turned to her.
Jo Seol-yeon explained calmly.
"Look at that tree."
Gazes followed her finger. A massive tree stood there.
"Two branches broken, right?"
Sure enough, two hung limply, deliberately snapped but not fully severed.
"I did that two hours ago."