Chapter 1047
As Bu Eun-seol blocked the Life-Death Poison,
the old man tilted his head slightly before extending his finger once more.
KWAOOOONG!
A storm of Life-Death Poison, incomparably more terrifying than before, surged forth again.
Sssssk—
In an instant, Bu Eun-seol's pupils darkened, and he began absorbing the cascading poison directly.
Behind him, Tang Gon and Jegal Seo-un channeled their full Internal Energy to withstand the residual poison's effects.
But something was strange.
Despite the lethal poison spreading—strong enough to melt even the hems of their robes—
their bodies were growing warmer, and an odd energy began radiating outward.
'That...'
Tang Gon's eyes widened as he sensed something within the violent currents.
Jwa Ryeok, standing before them,
was converting the Life-Death Poison into a milder form and gently dispersing it.
'Heavenly Poison Refinement?'
Heavenly Poison Refinement.
The ultimate secret art, achievable only by those who have reached the pinnacle of poison mastery—the so-called Saint Among Poisons.
It involved injecting a minuscule, precisely measured dose of potent poison and circulating it along a predetermined path,
transforming even a newborn into a Myriad-Poison-Immunity Body.
Yet this technique was nearly impossible to perform—
because Heavenly Poison Refinement could never be completed by a single person.
It required two Saints Among Poisons acting simultaneously, staking their very lives.
One had to release poison energy containing all the world's toxins,
while the other purified and dispersed it in trace amounts.
The slightest misstep could kill them both.
And if the Saint handling purification failed to control the poison's release with absolute precision?
They would die first.
Yet now, Jwa Ryeok, disregarding his own life entirely,
was purifying the Life-Death Poison unleashed by the Strange Old Man with all his strength,
channeling it toward Tang Gon and Jegal Seo-un.
"Ugh—"
Jegal Seo-un suddenly gagged.
He had never trained in Poison Arts and had almost no resistance to toxins.
The only reason he hadn't collapsed was the Wind Cloud Qi he had received from Hae-yeon of the Wind God Palace.
"Brother Jegal, hold on."
"Don't... worry."
Tears and snot streaming down his face, Jegal Seo-un forced himself to focus.
He, too, could feel the Heavenly Poison Refinement energy Jwa Ryeok was bestowing upon him.
And he knew—if he failed to endure this, everything would be for nothing.
Shuuuu—
Finally, the storm of Life-Death Poison dissipated.
Zzziiing—
Black light flickered in the pupils of Tang Gon and Jegal Seo-un.
The Heavenly Poison Refinement had succeeded—
they had safely absorbed the Life-Death Poison, a toxin rivaling the Four Great Poisons of the World.
Tzzzt.
Jegal Seo-un attained a Poison Saint Body, immune to all poisons.
Whirrrrl—
Meanwhile, Tang Gon gained the ability to wield poison freely—
without storing it within his body like the Poison People.
He had unlocked one of the Tang Clan's lost secret arts—
Severed Vein Poison Mist.
'A stroke of fate.'
Severed Vein Poison Mist was the Tang Clan's supreme Poison Studies Secret.
But because it required either gathering all Four Great Poisons of the World
or the aid of two Masters who had reached the Saint Among Poisons level,
the art had never been passed down.
Yet now, through the power of two Poison Saints,
Tang Gon could wield the Tang Clan's ultimate poison art—
controlling toxins freely without absorbing them into his body.
'Now I can finally unleash the true martial arts of the Tang Clan.'
Tang Gon's heart trembled with excitement.
From now on, when he threw his Iron Caltrops, they would become Poisonous Caltrops.
And when he executed Tang Pae's Death Line, the pinnacle of the Eight Great Secret Arts,
it would transform into Tang Pae's Poison Line, laced with Extreme Poison.
"......."
The Strange Old Man lowered his hand, ceasing his attack as he silently observed Bu Eun-seol.
Thanks to the Darkness Secret Arts, he perfectly resembled Jwa Ryeok, with no loss of power from the disguise.
Yet the old man tilted his head diagonally, as if detecting something alien in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
Sssk—
Suddenly, the old man's hair began lengthening, and his pupils turned white.
Then, a sickly yellow glow seeped from his strands.
"Is he... the real Mad Poison Emperor?"
Jegal Seo-un, standing behind them, shuddered.
Legends said the Mad Poison Emperor's hair emitted a yellow glow—
because his Mad Poison Art had saturated even his scalp and pores with poison energy.
And now, this mysterious old man was exhibiting the exact same phenomenon.
"KAAH!"
As the old man stretched out his hand,
the purified essence of poison—obtainable only by absorbing all toxins—
and the annihilating energy capable of killing all life and rotting all matter
spread outward like flames.
FWOOOSH!
In response, a black wall formed before Bu Eun-seol, blocking the fiery poison energy.
Though he had never trained in Poison Arts,
the moment he resisted the old man's poison,
he instinctively manifested the Poison Aegis —
a technique only a Saint Among Poisons could wield.
Tzzztzzzt—
As the Poison Aegis took shape,
not just Bu Eun-seol's eyes—
his entire body began darkening to pitch black.
But the old man, whose eyes had turned completely white, bared his fangs and laughed.
Even if the Poison Aegis can block all poisons, the Mad Flame is not a poison.
Tzzzt.
In the end, the energy of the Mad Flame slowly split the Poison Aegis apart,
Whoooosh—
And yellow flames began to spread across Bu Eun-seol's body.
Though the power of the Saint Among Poisons could be considered evenly matched, it could not block the Mad Flame's poison energy.
[Now.]
Just then, a voice transmission echoed in Tang Gon's mind.
Swish!
Instinctively, he threw a hidden dart from his sleeve into the crack in the Poison Aegis.
Even though Tang Gon had ignited poison energy at his fingertips, none of it was absorbed into his body.
The trajectory of the dart, gliding through the air as if pulled by an invisible thread, was smooth and fluid.
Thud.
When the dart embedded itself in the old man's body, his eyes flew wide open.
Severed Vein Poison Mist.
Though it carried poison energy, it was not truly poison.
Just like the Mad Flame's poison energy that had pierced through Bu Eun-seol's Poison Aegis.
"Gah—!"
As the old man convulsed in pain, disrupting his poison energy—
Flash!
A mysterious radiance exploded, as if splitting the world in two.
Tzzzt.
A bizarre slicing sound shattered the silence—
Splat!
A fountain of blood erupted from the Strange Old Man's neck as his head fell to the ground.
With immense internal energy, Bu Eun-seol had formed Claw Aura and severed the old man's neck using the Soul-Stealing Bloodless Claws.
Drip... drip...
The old man's flesh melted away like water in an instant.
As was always the fate of Poison People.
When one who had harbored too much poison in their body perished,
That poison, as if swallowing its own master, consumed his flesh in a single breath.
Hiss—
Bu Eun-seol stretched out his hand, and the spreading liquid dissolved into white smoke and vanished.
The poison from the old man's body was so vicious that it might have harmed Tang Gon and the others—so he absorbed it all into himself in an instant.
Clink.
But within that liquid, a small bead became visible.
Poison-Avoiding Pearl.
A treasure said to make one impervious to all poisons if held in the mouth.
'Tang Gon and Jegal Seo-un have already transformed into bodies that no longer fear poison...'
Bu Eun-seol, using Void Object Retrieval, tucked it into his sleeve.
Gulp.
Tang Gon swallowed dryly as he watched.
Ancestor of Ten Thousand Poisons.
Jwa Ryeok was demonstrating the majesty of one who dominated all poisons.
Tremble.
In contrast, Jegal Seo-un's fingertips shook.
'I thought I would soon stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the world's superlative martial experts...'
Until now, Jegal Seo-un had relentlessly trained, achieving breakthrough after breakthrough.
But still—Heaven Beyond Heaven.
The martial world was filled with countless masters beyond his imagination, existing beyond the heavens themselves.
"Was he truly the Mad Flame Poison Emperor himself?"
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath as he observed the remnants of the old man, now reduced to liquid.
The old man's poison energy had surpassed even Bu Eun-seol, who had refined his poison to the level of Poison Essence.
'The origin of the Demonic Path.'
Only now did Bu Eun-seol understand why the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor was called the root of the Demonic Path.
—Seize and devour.
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor had told him to constantly consume the strong.
And this Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship trapped martial artists and took from them. In a way, it was the very embodiment of the Demonic Path's ideology.
"Which sect's elder were you?"
Jegal Seo-un cautiously asked.
There was no way the infamous miser Jwa Ryeok could have reached such heights in martial arts.
It was clear that an unfathomable master was impersonating him.
"Judging by this place, it doesn't seem to be just a simple treasury."
Then, Tang Gon cut in, interrupting Jegal Seo-un.
"You seem to know something. Explain."
An old man who used the martial arts of the Mad Flame Poison Emperor.
An abnormal Secret Vault.
Mechanisms that seemed to absorb people... To anyone, this was clearly no ordinary treasury.
"Family Head Tang. Even so, Senior Jwa has saved us and shown us kindness—"
Jegal Seo-un, unsettled by Tang Gon's sudden shift to an arrogant and disrespectful tone, tried to stop him with an uneasy expression.
The one impersonating Jwa Ryeok was a monstrous master who had reached the level of Saint Among Poisons.
With just a flick of his finger, he could turn them into bloody pulp.
"The Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor."
Bu Eun-seol answered plainly.
"The Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship is a death trap created by the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor."
As Tang Gon and Jegal Seo-un wore expressions of shock, Bu Eun-seol continued.
"No—perhaps this place itself is the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor's true form."
Tang Gon and Jegal Seo-un exchanged glances once more.
The Seven Great Demon Ancestors were nothing more than legends passed down through the martial world.
But if they truly existed, and if this place was created by the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor—
"I see."
Tang Gon nodded easily.
The supernatural phenomena inside this place had been impossible to understand until now.
But if it was the work of the legendary Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor, it made a twisted kind of sense.
"But Senior Jwa, you—"
Jegal Seo-un, seeing the rough-looking Jwa Ryeok readily answer Tang Gon's question, mustered his courage and spoke.
"How did you know this place was created by the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor?"
The Jegal Family operated the largest intelligence network among the Eight Great Families.
Yet, they had been unable to uncover any information about this Secret Vault—so how could someone disguised as Jwa Ryeok know?
"None of your concern."
The reply was icy.
But Jegal Seo-un let out a soft ah, as if realizing something.
"Then the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor might have originated from the Western Regions' Demonic Cult."
His expression turned grave as he continued.
"If they wield something like the Ten Thousand Souls Flesh Forging Art, they could erase the boundary between life and inanimate objects... transforming massive natural formations into living organisms."
The Western Regions' Demonic Cult had long practiced Great Arts that sacrificed animals to extract their spiritual energy, souls, and flesh—
And secret techniques that manipulated ley lines and spiritual energy, altering mountains and rivers as if they were living tissue.
If such techniques existed—
Then it was possible to create something like this: a colossal, living labyrinth, a predatory organ the size of a mountain.
Tang Gon nodded.
"Then the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor's goal isn't merely to harm martial artists."
If they unleashed forbidden Arts of Spells like the Ten Thousand Souls Flesh Forging Art—
They could no longer live ordinary lives. They would be punished with something akin to Heavenly Punishment.
"For someone preserving the demonic path's origins to employ such techniques... they must have a purpose worth the cost."
Bu Eun-seol stared intently at Tang Gon as he spoke.
Once, he had been clear-hearted and somewhat indecisive—but now, his broad shoulders and back exuded the presence of a grandmaster, unshakable as Mount Tai.
'He's seen through me.'
Moreover, Tang Gon's eyes conveyed everything without words.
—This place is too strange. Don't reveal yourself yet.
But he had recognized Bu Eun-seol not because Bu had risked his life to administer the Heavenly Poison Refinement—
It was because Bu Eun-seol had sent him a single Voice Transmission: "Now."
Only Bu Eun-seol, his close companion, his only true friend—
Could deduce his methods from just that one short phrase.
Part of him wanted to reunite properly, but with no telling what might happen here—
He seemed to be holding back, neither sending another Voice Transmission nor revealing his identity.
"Their purpose doesn't matter."
Bu Eun-seol feigned indifference.
"As long as we take the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor's secret—the method to endlessly produce Spirit Medicine and treasures in this vault."
Even Jegal Seo-un didn't believe that.
This wasn't the bloodthirsty Jwa Ryeok of legend—no Master of his caliber would obsess over Spirit Medicine and treasures.
"Anyway, I'm only here to save my little brother. We won't get in each other's way."
Tang Gon strode ahead toward the Flesh Wall.
If he and Bu Eun-seol stayed together, they'd only hinder each other.
"Your observational skills are lacking."
"What do you mean?"
Bu Eun-seol pointed at the Flesh Wall.
"You'll understand once you enter."
Tang Gon stepped inside without hesitation.
And instantly—it was as if he had become part of some enormous organism. The structure of the Secret Vault pulsed vividly around him.
"I see."
At last, he realized—there was no turning back.
"Fine. Let's go."
Bu Eun-seol and the others slipped through the torn fissures of the Flesh Wall, descending deeper.
Occasionally, white-masked figures appeared—but since they shared the same poison, they no longer attacked.
Gurgle—
Finally, emerging beyond the Flesh Wall, they saw a vast Grand Hall.
And at its center—
Hundreds, thousands of chunks of flesh torn from living bodies seemed to have fused into a single grotesque mass, hanging there.
It wasn't just muscle—
It seethed like a crimson, molten furnace, veins pulsing with thick, bile-like fluid.
A sour, metallic stench clung to the air, and from the ceiling—
Stalactites of crystallized Extreme Poison jutted like fangs.
"It looks like a liver."
Jegal Seo-un chuckled, staring at the fleshy mass.
"Surely we won't run into jaundiced yellow-masked men here, right?"
Rumble—
No sooner had he spoken than figures emerged—
Clad in green robes, their bellies swollen, skin sickly yellow-green.
Their eyes, jaundiced and murky, matched Jegal Seo-un's muttered description perfectly.
"Remarkable. You summon enemies with your mouth."
At Bu Eun-seol's jab, Jegal Seo-un scratched his head.
"Just a coincidence."
Fwip!
Tang Gon stepped forward, arms outstretched—
And a hundred throwing daggers rained down upon the green-masked men.
He had unleashed Sky-Filling Flower Rain in rapid succession with both hands.
"Family Head Tang... Do you really think daggers will work on them?"
Before Jegal Seo-un could finish—
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The green-masked men stiffened, then collapsed.
"This..."
Jegal Seo-un was genuinely stunned.
Their presence had surpassed even the bandaged masked man from before—yet Tang Gon had felled them so effortlessly?
"It's the Severed Vein Poison Mist."
In the past, the Tang Clan's greatest masters could inject lethal poison into their enemies even by merely flicking a pair of chopsticks.
The supreme secret art of the Sichuan Tang Clan—the very technique that once chilled the hearts of the world's greatest warriors—had finally been unleashed from Tang Gon's hands.
"My congratulations," Jegal Seo-un said with a smile. "The Family Head's name will soon shake the world."
Instead of replying, Tang Gon merely smiled.
He had no desire for fame.
His only thought was to grow stronger so that, when the time came, he could aid Bu Eun-seol.
"Let's keep moving."
At Tang Gon's indifferent words, Bu Eun-seol and Jegal Seo-un followed behind him.
As they continued down the path, they arrived at an organ-like structure—dark, damp, and reeking of old blood—swaying like a spleen.
The ground was covered in a sludge of red and black mud, resembling the shattered remnants of blood cells.
Tsk tsk tsk.
The moment they arrived, masked figures, their forms ghostly and ashen, appeared before them.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Without a word, they attacked.
The phantoms, splitting and merging at will, hurled condensed masses of Evil Qi.
"I can handle this."
Thanks to Bu Eun-seol, Jegal Seo-un had reached the Poison Saint Body state, and he stepped forward with confidence.
"This is the spleen, and they resemble Yin-dwelling Shrinking Qi Ghosts... I should be able to drive them out by amplifying Yang energy."
He then drew his Judge's Brush and began scribbling wildly on the ground.
It was one of the Jegal Family's secret arts—Soul-Quelling Roar—a technique that unleashed a powerful, omnidirectional wave of qi.
KWAOOOONG!
With a sound like successive lightning strikes, an intense surge of Extreme Yang energy coiled around the ashen phantoms.
Their forms flickered like mist, fading and sharpening repeatedly.
Chiiiiii.
Unable to maintain their shapes, the masked figures dispersed like smoke or seeped into the ground, vanishing entirely.
Thud.
With the masked figures gone, an old man appeared without fail.
He held two large orbs, seemingly employing the Illusion Twin Pearls technique—a method associated with Wind Soul.
"I can take him."
Having gauged the old man's internal power, Jegal Seo-un charged forward without fear.
The Illusion Twin Pearls was known as one of the most chaotic and intricate techniques in the world.
But it was no match for the ever-shifting martial and formation studies of the Jegal Family, modeled after the workings of celestial qi.
Moreover, thanks to Heavenly Poison Refinement, Jegal Seo-un had not only attained the Poison Saint Body but had also made rapid progress in his internal power.
With the reliable Jwa Ryeok and Tang Gon backing him up,
Jegal Seo-un was able to unleash several times his usual strength.
—Am I still overestimating myself?
Yet, the Illusion Twin Pearls technique was still beyond his ability to counter.
Exchanging a glance, Bu Eun-seol and Tang Gon acted before Jegal Seo-un could even sense it—
Thwip! Sssshhk!
Simultaneously unleashing Finger Wind and internal energy,
they ensured he wouldn't suffer a fatal injury.
After a fierce battle lasting about the time it took to eat a meal,
CRACK!
Jegal Seo-un finally shattered the Illusion Twin Pearls, which had been clinging to him like a swarm of relentless hornets, moving unpredictably.
Then, with his Judge's Brush, he struck the acupoint at the center of the old man's chest.
Thump.
Though Jegal Seo-un had never trained in Poison Art, and though sealing the central chest acupoint wasn't a fatal wound,
he died on the spot.
Was it a trick of the mind?
The dying old man's expression seemed... relieved.
Clink.
From his body fell the Divine Yin Pearl, a treasure said to contain immense Yin energy.
'There's something more here.'
Jegal Seo-un picked it up with a troubled expression.
This place was clearly no mere training ground for the Ten Thousand Souls Flesh Forging Art.
"How was that?"
But he deliberately turned away and grinned.
"I found the weak point, didn't I?"
By following Tang Gon,
he had naturally learned to identify vulnerabilities and traces—and how to exploit them to defeat his enemies.
Since even Tang Gon had learned such methods from Bu Eun-seol... in truth, both of them had been influenced by him.
"Well done."
When Tang Gon nodded in approval, Jegal Seo-un turned his gaze to Bu Eun-seol.
Bu Eun-seol tried to ignore it, but when Jegal Seo-un stubbornly kept staring, he had no choice but to speak.
"Not bad."
At that, Jegal Seo-un puffed up with pride.
"Seems like Lefteous Hero Jwa won't need to step in anymore."
Before they knew it, they had reached the end of the passage, where a massive iron gate stood.
Creeeak.
Upon opening it, they were met with an enormous cavern of immeasurable height.
As Bu Eun-seol raised his head to survey the surroundings, he couldn't help but hold his breath.
The towering space, gaping like the maw of hell, had transparent glass tubes spiraling along every wall—each containing a martial artist standing inside.
The tubes coiled like whirlwinds, stretching from the bottom to the top, enveloping the vast cavern.
It looked as though a spiral bookshelf extended endlessly into the heavens.
Though their eyes were closed, the figures inside the tubes had healthy complexions and pristine clothing.
They were unmistakably alive—not corpses.
"Huh."
At the cavern's distant center stood an altar, upon which rested an ornate throne.
And there, reclining lazily in the chair, was a beautiful woman with gleaming violet eyes.
Tang Cheong.
The woman known as Sichuan's Greatest Beauty sat imposingly at the heart of the cavern, as if she were its master.
The moment Bu Eun-seol's eyes locked onto Tang Cheong, a light exploded within them.
That wasn't Tang Cheong.
It was undoubtedly the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor herself.