Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Mission, Investigation (6)
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Seo Ye watched Namgung Jincheon clutching his crown with countless thoughts flashing through her mind, but she didn't show anything except pity.
The mood was ruined, but all things considered, it was for the best.
She wasn't the only one who had relaxed.
“…You probably won't believe me. So I have a proposal.”
Seo Ye said to Dang Hwa-seo.
Dang Hwa-seo, who had been glaring at Namgung Jincheon, whipped her head around.
“A proposal?”
“Search my bosom. There should be a poison pill.”
Seo Ye spoke as Dang Hwa-seo reached into her clothes and groped around.
“A bit lower. Between my breasts.”
Mok Ri-won turned his head, and Jegal San narrowed his eyes in focus.
Namgung Jincheon snorted.
“I thought your chest was unnaturally puffed up for your build. So you were padding it with junk. Vulgar. Craving attention that badly?”
This time, Hye-un stepped in.
*Slap!*
Namgung Jincheon got smacked in the same spot again, and Seo Ye looked at him with contempt.
In the midst of it, Dang Hwa-seo found the pill.
It was a dark brown pill the size of a thumbnail.
Dang Hwa-seo identified it by smell right away.
“Body Dissolving Poison, with a trace of deadly toxin that spreads as it digests.”
The deadly toxin would claim a life within a week if not neutralized after full digestion.
As Dang Hwa-seo gave Seo Ye a strange look, Seo Ye spoke.
“Feed it to me. The antidote is in the secret vault with the Blackened Spatholobus.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“Want to strip me naked here? Check my mouth or throat too.”
Dang Hwa-seo didn't hesitate.
“Everyone out except White Phoenix.”
As Dang Hwa-seo rolled up her sleeves, the three men dragged a reluctant Jegal San out.
To cut to the chase, that's what happened.
They searched every possible hiding spot for an antidote, and Seo Ye had none.
Seo Ye dressed herself once Dang Hwa-seo unbound her.
“Now do you believe me?”
“…That you don't have the antidote, yes.”
“The deal. If you've accepted, do it. I can't delay any longer.”
Dang Hwa-seo pondered.
She could tentatively believe Seo Ye wasn't lying, but were seven roots of century-old Blackened Spatholobus worth risking the overwhelming gap in power?
That was the dilemma.
Seo Ye read her hesitation again this time.
*Cautious.*
Tricky.
But she still had cards to play.
“The purpose here is the demons, right?”
“…And if it is?”
“I'll give you information on the demons.”
Dang Hwa-seo's eyes widened.
Seo Ye added one more thing.
“After the job is done.”
Dang Hwa-seo stared at Seo Ye for a moment.
Bold as brass.
That was her first thought.
“…Ever consider I might torture the sect leader?”
Sssss—
A dark green mist rose around Dang Hwa-seo.
Her expression was hard.
It was blatant intimidation.
“You might not know, but I know quite a few ways to make people suffer.”
“No way I wouldn't.”
Seo Ye gulped dryly and glared back defiantly.
“…I doubt you'd imagine all the poisons Poison King procured came through legitimate channels.”
Dang Hwa-seo grimaced.
Hye-un clamped his mouth shut.
Seo Ye continued.
“I procured a few myself. And the Hao Sect is everywhere.”
Don't underestimate my intelligence network.
It also meant she wasn't blindly pushing without knowing that.
Dang Hwa-seo acknowledged her spirit, at least.
*Torture won't work.*
She didn't seem the type to crack.
Dang Hwa-seo humbly accepted it and said,
“…Sect Leader, you'd better hope those secret passages you remember are still there.”
The pill glowed in Dang Hwa-seo's hand.
Her poison was infusing it.
“Now this poison won't be neutralized by antidote alone.”
Poison Phoenix Dang Hwa-seo.
She was endlessly kind to allies but merciless to enemies.
Dang Hwa-seo pried open Seo Ye's mouth, shoved the pill in, and made her swallow.
The deal was sealed.
*
The Hao Sect's secret lair was dark.
Not just the building interior, but the surroundings forming the structure itself were pitch black.
Even though it was broad daylight at noon.
It made sense.
The Hao Sect's lair was inside a cave.
A few faintly glowing night pearls dimly lit the interior.
A man in full black night clothes walked deeper in.
The man held his breath.
Breathing freely here would surely ensnare and devour his soul and energy.
*Step, step.*
His footsteps echoed in the silence.
Then groans came from somewhere.
-Ahn…
-Hng…
Unmistakably human sounds, yet devoid of any human reason.
Sounds lost entirely to carnal pleasure.
This was all the work of the woman at the heart's end.
The man prostrated before the massive door at the deepest point and spoke.
“Great Leader.”
-Enter.
The voice was bewitching and sticky.
It still carried lingering heat.
But was that all? The voice held a magic that made listeners want to wail and cling desperately.
*Stab—*
The man jabbed a finger into the center of his thigh.
Sweating coldly and gritting his teeth, he opened the door.
There she was.
Lust Demon Yang Go-hye.
Jet-black hair that seemed longer than her height, skin pale as if coated in stone powder—too white for human—and blood-red lips in stark contrast.
And eyes drowned in ecstasy.
Her clothes were disheveled, barely covering vital spots as she panted.
At her feet lay a shriveled corpse, drained of all bodily fluids.
Yang Go-hye asked in a voice dripping with satisfaction.
“Well? Did you find that bitch?”
“No. But I have a lead.”
“What?”
“The Dragon-Phoenix found the Ghost Valley.”
Yang Go-hye's eyebrows shot up.
“Hoo…”
“They're said to be scouring Ghost Valley. The conclusion is they're seeking those people's help if the Haomen Leader appears.”
“What a spineless bitch. Asking the righteous sects for help when she has enemies in the unorthodox paths?”
*Kyarruk.* Yang Go-hye burst into loud laughter.
The man felt his mind shake again at the sound.
“…Monitor them?”
“No. Leave them be.”
“Pardon?”
“Leave them. Won't they come here then?”
Yang Go-hye swept her bare foot over the withered corpse at her feet with her big toe.
“Those Dragon-Phoenix lot. We have to catch them anyway. And the Ink Dragon.”
Ink Dragon, Ink Dragon, Ink Dragon.
Repeating it thrice, Yang Go-hye licked her lips with her scarlet tongue.
“They say he's such a handsome one?”
Yang Go-hye's face flushed.
Heat flickered in her eyes again.
The man fidgeted awkwardly, and noticing, Yang Go-hye said,
“Just keep him alive. Alive.”
Her eyes curved like crescent moons.
“As a reward for catching him, I can enjoy a little. Rumors say he's a beauty never seen before. When will I taste another like that?”
*Tok, tok.*
Yang Go-hye tapped the corpse with her foot.
Then.
*Crunch!*
She stomped its chest, bursting it open.
No blood came out.
It was desiccated to that extent.
Yang Go-hye shrugged her shoulders, chuckling hoarsely.
“As long as breath lingers, I can suck a bit of essence. Mmm, perfect.”
Yang Go-hye adjusted her clothes.
Then she stood.
Standing straight, her height rivaled most men's.
Her legs were that long.
“Haa… I want to meet him soon.”
Yang Go-hye murmured, stroking her cheek.
Then another voice came from somewhere.
“Don't act rashly.”
The prostrated man startled and turned.
In the shadows sat a raggedly dressed man hugging a sword.
*Since when?*
He hadn't sensed the presence.
Despite the time passed since entering, not a hint of aura.
A chill crept up his neck.
But the man knew his identity.
“G-Greetings, Sword Demon.”
Sword Demon Yeon Ri-geon.
Rumored head of the Seven Sword Sects among the Demonic Path Six Gates.
His ragged uniform, vacant pupils, and the wide sword in his arms told as much.
Yeon Ri-geon spoke.
“Orders come first.”
“Same old crap.”
Yang Go-hye clicked her tongue and replied.
“Can't you think for yourself? No wonder—a eunuch without shame, with that limp dick.”
Her words dripped with mockery.
She clearly despised him.
Yeon Ri-geon replied indifferently.
“I don't swing a sword with my dick, so no need.”
“As if.”
Yang Go-hye scowled.
*Why assign that as overseer?*
He couldn't think properly on his own.
A fool with only the Little Cult Leader's orders in his head.
Stubborn to the core, nitpicking every dual cultivation for power replenishment.
With him around, her mood soured completely.
*Can't even play with that one—eunuch's useless.*
An all-around headache.
If not for the Little Cult Leader's command, she'd have torn him apart already.
Yang Go-hye sighed deeply and asked the still-prostrated man,
“So, where are they now?”
“Hiding in the Jegal estate. I tried infiltrating, but formations blocked it.”
“Ah, right. That Freak Dragon was there.”
Jegal Clan's Young Clan Leader.
Rumors said he was a misbehaving cripple, but he had some skill after all.
“…Doesn't matter.”
Yang Go-hye shrugged.
Whatever plots they hatched, the moment they faced her here, they'd fall.
“Just kill them when they come.”
“Flame Demon is dead. Don't get cocky.”
“If you can't beat that cripple crawling on human flesh, strip the Six Demons name. Think he swung a proper fist?”
“Remember this. Lust Demon, you lost to Flame Demon. Miserably.”
“That was when he was Little Cult Leader. Lucky he showed up. Otherwise, that bastard would've been next Cult Leader.”
Yang Go-hye and Yeon Ri-geon's exchange dragged on.
Yeon Ri-geon stared at Yang Go-hye with vacant eyes.
Yang Go-hye scowled and asked,
“What're you staring at?”
“Thinking.”
“About what?”
“…”
Yeon Ri-geon quietly scanned Yang Go-hye's body.
Not the surface, but the flow of Demonic Qi within, her total power output, and maximum protected by Demonic Qi.
He reached a conclusion.
*Still.*
Yang Go-hye was weaker than O Gang-ak.
She lived in delusion.
“Why, dick won't rise but your lust stirs?”
“Not even a bit.”
“Fucking eunuch.”
Yeon Ri-geon saw no need to tell her.