Chapter 347
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 347
Chapter Title: Don't Give It
The poison samples collected by the Tang Clan.
Similar ones were obtained from Heavenly Poison Valley and Poison Fang Cave as well.
They analyzed them each in their own ways.
And the results were astonishing.
"A deadly poison whose identity we can't even guess at..."
Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader So Hwi-woong muttered lowly as he read the report handed over by the Tang Clan.
The poison's potency had weakened over time.
That's why they had managed to hold out with various antidotes.
Analyzing the traces of a person who had melted into a handful of poisonous water from the poison.
They had been poisoned about ten days prior.
The Tang Clan had back-calculated ten days using the rate at which their most vicious deadly poison weakened over time.
An unbelievable result emerged.
'A deadly poison so vicious even Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity can't withstand it...'
So Hwi-woong furrowed his brow.
He had no choice but to.
If even Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity couldn't endure it.
Then he himself could be poisoned too.
"This is an emergency..."
Indeed it was.
They didn't know who had wiped out all those villages in the Southern Frontier with poison.
An individual?
A group?
Only one thing was certain.
The disaster was limited to the Southern Frontier.
Even though it could spread through Yunnan to Guangxi, Guizhou, or Sichuan.
Not even in Yunnan had such a catastrophe occurred.
"We must catch the fiend..."
So Hwi-woong muttered in a grave voice.
***
"So you're saying even I could fall victim to it?"
Poison Fang Cave Lord Dok Do-gun nodded at Gong Ya Jang-cheon's question.
"That's right, Alliance Leader."
The Saha Union was a massive armed coalition formed by unorthodox sects.
Poison Fang Cave was one of the eight most powerful among them.
As its cave lord, Dok Do-gun faced Gong Ya Jang-cheon squarely and spoke with confidence.
"Then even you couldn't endure it?"
Dok Do-gun nodded.
"Of course not."
"What kind of poison is it?"
"I don't know."
Dok Do-gun answered calmly yet confidently.
Gong Ya Jang-cheon felt a twinge of irritation at the sight.
'These shady bastards are needlessly confident...'
Whether Gong Ya Jang-cheon thought that or not.
Dok Do-gun continued with his explanation alone.
"The poison's potency diminishes over ten days. Antidotes lose their effect after ten days as well. We tried applying every antidote with deliberately reduced potency, but none worked."
"......"
Not even the antidotes from Poison Fang Cave had any effect.
Gong Ya Jang-cheon listened silently.
"That place was just a village. Wide open on all sides, with good air flow. Even then, the lingering poison was that strong. I can say for certain: if it had been the day after the poison was scattered, everyone who entered to investigate would have been poisoned and died."
Dok Do-gun gazed at Gong Ya Jang-cheon with deep eyes.
"Even if it was you, Alliance Leader. No, even if it was me."
"Then is there no way to make an antidote?"
Strategist Mun In Baek-song interjected.
"What have you been listening to all this time, Strategist? Why act like you don't get it when you're so sharp?"
"But just in case... Or perhaps collaborate with the Sichuan Tang Clan or Heavenly Poison Sect to find a way..."
At Mun In Baek-song's words, flames of fury rose in Dok Do-gun's eyes.
"The world's greatest poison sect is our Poison Fang Cave. There's no way those two places could do what we can't. Especially those self-righteous orthodox nobodies."
"Then what if the one or group with this poison enters the Central Plains and spreads it everywhere?"
Mun In Baek-song asked with a tense face.
"Why ask when you know? Everyone dies. Though I doubt they have that much of such a vicious poison."
"Gulp."
Mun In Baek-song swallowed dryly at the response.
"What about that monster Ha Mu-baek?"
Gong Ya Jang-cheon cut in.
"Hmph, is that guy immune to a million poisons or something? If it's the guy I saw, even he'd die."
Dok Do-gun declared confidently.
As if it were the most obvious thing.
Mun In Baek-song's mouth fell open.
Ha Mu-baek.
What kind of monster was he?
Yet this poison was declared capable of killing even that monster without question.
This wasn't poison.
It was a calamity.
"Is there really no method?"
"We're diligently searching for and combining antidotes, but... don't get your hopes up. Even I'm afraid of it."
"Hah..."
A sigh escaped Gong Ya Jang-cheon's lips.
"Nameless Absolute Poison. That's the name my subordinates came up with."
Nameless Absolute Poison.
The name evoked awe on its own.
***
"Th-this is..."
While analyzing the poison samples brought from an nameless village in the Southern Frontier, now a land of death.
Heavenly Poison Valley's Vice Valley Lord Gong Dok-hae was startled.
While separating the poison's energies by origin.
He had discovered one energy he recognized.
H-how is this... This can't be..."
His expression turned grave.
"I-I must tell Master. In person."
Sensing the gravity, Gong Dok-hae entrusted the valley to his disciples and hurriedly headed toward Wu-chang.
He had to inform his master of this fact.
The Sichuan Tang Clan or Poison Fang Cave would never figure it out.
Even if they separated the poison energies, they'd only find ones they didn't recognize.
This was an energy known only in Heavenly Poison Valley.
And only to him, the Vice Valley Lord, and his master, the Valley Lord.
***
"Excellent. As expected."
Myo Gu-eung had arrived in Ningnan, Sichuan Province.
It was close to the southernmost part of Sichuan Province.
He had crossed Yunnan Province in between.
Thanks to the wealth gained from massacring the Southern Frontier villages, he had enjoyed a fairly luxurious journey starting from Yunnan.
His attire had changed too.
Typical Central Plains garb.
Made from high-quality fabric, the kind that looked expensive at a glance.
Now, he was in the best room of the finest inn in Ningnan.
He still had plenty of money.
There had been plenty of precious metals in the villages, but also the spirit herbs they had gathered.
Though they had been tainted by Myo Gu-eung's poison aura, he could reclaim that poison, so it ended there.
He had gotten a decent price in Yunnan.
His pockets were bulging.
A feast of rare delicacies from land and sea covered the table before him.
The inn room's table wasn't enough; the waiter had brought in another.
"Delicious. So delicious."
He was truly savoring the food.
During his time in the Southern Frontier, all he'd eaten were venomous snakes, spiders, scorpions, frogs, toads, and countless toxic herbs.
Nothing but those.
Starting from Yunnan Province, Myo Gu-eung's taste buds had awakened to a new world.
Or rather, rediscovered it.
He hadn't been able to eat proper food in the Southern Frontier, having wiped out every village in sight.
"Hmm. Those guys must be tearing their hair out by now. Heh heh."
Myo Gu-eung let out a pleased chuckle with a contented expression.
"Righteous Heaven Alliance, Saha Union. What will you do?"
He muttered while tearing into a chicken leg.
Myo Gu-eung had reasons for erasing every village in the Southern Frontier that crossed his path.
Revenge against humanity.
Verification of his own realm.
Acquisition of wealth.
And a warning to the Central Plains martial world—a groundwork to sow chaos among them.
Thus.
Since entering Yunnan Province, he had reined in his poison aura and traveled disguised as an ordinary wealthy wanderer.
"I wonder who in the Central Plains dabbles in poison these days... Still the Tang Clan or Poison Fang Cave guys?"
Even back when he was Vice Valley Lord, they had vied with Heavenly Poison Valley for the title of world's top poison sect.
"Or... Blood Cult?"
The Blood Cult had used poison to some extent.
Myo Gu-eung was still unaware of the Great Martial War.
It had already ended, and peace had returned.
No one spoke of those horrific times anymore.
"Whatever. It doesn't matter. No one will ever figure it out."
He who had absorbed the Myriad Years Poison Crystal and reached a new realm.
How could those fools even imagine such an absolute realm?
The only place that might suspect even a little.
"Heavenly Poison Sect. Have you noticed?"
The lineage of the Valley Lord's signature art, Myriad Desolate Escape From Hundred Myriad Poison Art, had been severed.
He, the Vice Valley Lord, had been expelled from Heavenly Poison Sect due to his disciple's betrayal.
It was an oral transmission from Valley Lord to Vice Valley Lord.
No, there had been another before the investigation, but that too was oral.
Only Myo Gu-eung knew of its existence.
However.
There were more arts that only the Valley Lord and Vice could cultivate.
Not the elusive Myriad Desolate Escape From Hundred Myriad Poison Art.
A true supreme poison art, worthy of being called the world's best.
Escape From Soul Escape From Hundred Myriad Poison Art.
This was the Valley Lord's signature art, transmitted via manual.
Heavenly Poison Art's Scripture Pavilion.
The deepest chamber.
Accessible only to the Valley Lord, housing the secret manual.
That too was a Myriad Poison Art.
Different yet similar.
They might detect the trace of that Myriad Poison Art mingled in the poison aura he had spread.
"I wonder how the current Valley Lord and Vice will fare. Heh heh."
This time, it was roast duck.
He tore off a duck wing, chewed it thoroughly, and thought.
He hoped they would notice.
And tremble in fear.
***
"I have a question."
As training was wrapping up.
Someone raised a hand and shouted in a booming voice.
It was Cho Mu-ha.
Naturally, the cadets' gazes, including Ha Mu-baek's, turned to him.
"What is it?"
"I-I heard there are poison-spewing jiangshi in the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest too... What do we do then?"
At Cho Mu-ha's question.
Tension suddenly settled over them.
And for good reason.
Most of the Fierce Dragon Corps cadets knew little about the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest.
Just that you'd die if you went there.
That's why they had diligently followed Ha Mu-baek's training.
Because mastering sword and shield diligently might let them survive.
But poison all of a sudden?
What then?
Cho Mu-ha stared at Ha Mu-baek with shining eyes.
"What's your name, kid?"
"Cho Mu-ha, sir!"
He answered Ha Mu-baek's question thunderously.
"I don't know how you found out, but... whatever. Yeah, there are poison-spewing jiangshi. Poison Jiangshi, they're called. But you don't need to worry about them."
Ha Mu-baek answered as if it were no big deal.
Doubt appeared on the cadets' faces.
"Just don't go there. And the Demon-Sealing Corps aren't crazy enough to go either."
Incomprehensible words.
The doubt on the cadets' faces deepened.
"Poison Jiangshi stay only near places with toxic herbs or creatures to maintain their poison aura. There's a fixed spot like that in the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest. Avoid it, and you're fine."
"Ah..."
Only then did the cadets sigh in relief.
"But what if you encounter one by chance..."
"Tch."
Ha Mu-baek clicked his tongue at Cho Mu-ha's persistent question.
"There's this thing called Poison-Avoiding Pill. Made by the Tang Clan or Heavenly Poison Valley. Pop one in your mouth, and it'll hold off a Poison Jiangshi's poison for about an hour. Satisfied?"
Relief spread even wider.
"What about after an hour?"
Ha Mu-baek stared steadily at Cho Mu-ha.
This guy kept nitpicking.
He didn't know what answer he wanted.
But Ha Mu-baek had only one to give.
"Then you get poisoned and die."
The spreading relief vanished in an instant.
"So if you don't want to die, take down the Poison Jiangshi within the hour or get the hell away from it."
"Isn't there a martial art for it? Like Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity or Heavenly Poison Immunity..."
Cho Mu-ha asked again.
That was what he was really curious about.
"Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity would handle an ordinary Poison Jiangshi's poison. But you're Fierce Dragon Corps. You won't be learning arts that grant that. And you hardly ever encounter Poison Jiangshi anyway. So focus on shield and sword training."
With that, Ha Mu-baek turned and left the training ground.
Today's training was over.
The cadets dispersed.
"Come to think of it, I've never actually seen a Poison Jiangshi..."
Dan Mok Un-roe muttered.
Last year.
When they went to the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest.
He'd seen Evil Jiangshi and Blood Jiangshi, but not Poison ones.
They definitely had fixed haunt areas.
"Do Poison-Avoiding Pills really exist?"
Nak Woo-jin asked Dang Jin-san curiously.
"Of course. The instructor played it down, but they're valuable. They grant Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity for an hour. Way more effective if you practice poison arts."
Dang Jin-san said proudly.
"You think they'll give those to us?"
Dan Mok Un-roe suddenly said skeptically.
Ha Mu-baek had said it like it was obvious.
But they knew how the Fierce Dragon Corps was treated.
Before Ha Mu-baek flipped everything upside down, they hadn't even eaten in the same place.
"They won't."
Han Seol-bing answered.
She had approached the seven of them lingering on the training ground and overheard the conversation.
Squad Seven's Squad Leader, Squad Twenty's Squad Leader, and the seven cadets weren't particularly surprised.
Just the expected reaction.
"Sigh. The guy had no idea what Fierce Dragon Corps even was before being assigned here... No wonder he doesn't know. They won't give it. How could they waste something that precious on Fierce Dragon Corps? They don't even have enough for Demon-Sealing Corps kids."
"Then why did the instructor..."
Baek Ri-pyeong asked cautiously.