After hearing the details about the Azure Cold Serpent from Bing Yerin, Seorin and I focused on training suitable for facing it.

Seorin studied how to land effective punches on such a massive serpent, while I, with Seol Lihyang’s help, practiced cutting through cold energy itself.

About ten days passed like that. Then, just around the time when we’d gotten used to only seeing her at meals or before bed, Tang Sowol appeared—carrying a wooden barrel as large as her body.

Though she must’ve been eating and sleeping well, her face had become noticeably haggard. I approached, worried, but Tang Sowol simply stood tall with a proud smile, completely unaware of my concern.

“Please, praise me now, Brother Cheon!”

“You gathered all the poison? You’ve worked hard. Then today… No, take two full days to rest. You don’t look well.”

“Fufu. I didn’t just gather it. Since we only have one shot, I condensed it as much as possible to make sure it’ll inflict a proper poisoning.”

Before she could finish her confident statement, Tang Sowol collapsed on the spot.

“Oops.”

I quickly stepped in to catch her before she hit the ground.

Her eyes were gently closed, her breathing was steady, and she instinctively nestled into my chest.

“So she’s just asleep.”

This was practically unconsciousness, but still—after a good sleep, she’d be fine.

I let out a sigh of relief… but it didn’t last long. A sudden, unpleasant sensation made my eyes widen.

“This is…!”

The poison pouch in Tang Sowol’s body felt significantly weaker than usual.

***

Thankfully, it turned out she was merely exhausted. After sleeping through the entire day, Tang Sowol woke up feeling much better.

As soon as she came to her senses, she grabbed the barrel full of poison and went straight to the Ice Palace Lord.

Having heard that she’d collapsed for a day, the Ice Palace Lord wore a concerned expression as he greeted her—though he also glanced at me, subtly checking my reaction.

“Is your body alright now?”

“Yes. It’s my first time extracting this much poison, so I may have overdone it a little. But I’m fine now.”

“That’s good to hear. I did hear, however, that the poison is a bit different than before…”

“Hm. The poison itself hasn’t changed. I just concentrated it.”

“You mean this much is the concentrated amount?”

The Ice Palace Lord looked at the large wooden barrel beside us with a somewhat daunted expression.

Tang Sowol nodded with a soft sigh.

“It was far larger and held far more energy than I had anticipated. So I prepared a proportionate amount of poison… but it ended up being too much.”

“How much did you extract at first?”

“Enough to fill two and a half of these barrels. I may be confident in my poison arts, but I can’t freely handle that much poison all at once.”

So, she had repeatedly condensed the poison until it was an amount she could manage.

“I didn’t expect you to go that far. I sincerely thank you.”

“Fufu. If I weren’t going to do it, I wouldn’t have started in the first place. But since I did, I had to do it right. And more than anything, this is about poison. Even if I’m in the North Sea and not the Central Plains, I can’t be careless as a member of the Tang Clan.”

Her lips curled into a confident smile, her face full of pride.

She may have overexerted herself, but since she seemed satisfied, I figured it was fine.

Judging by the steadier energy I felt from her, she had made some personal progress as well.

Even repetitive effort can become a new experience when pushed to the limit.

As I nodded silently to myself, the Ice Palace Lord asked with a tone of admiration.

“The Tang Clan’s reputation is clearly no exaggeration. A poison of this caliber must have a name. Would you be willing to share it?”

“Hm. I was so focused on creating it, I never got around to naming it.”

Tang Sowol tapped her chin thoughtfully, then looked at me with a slightly troubled expression.

“Brother Cheon, do you have any good name ideas?”

“Well, when in doubt, go with something that reflects its purpose. This poison wasn’t made to kill people, but a snake…”

After organizing my thoughts, I spoke.

“How about Python Poison?”

“You chose python instead of snake? Makes sense. That thing is big enough to be called a python, after all.”

Tang Sowol nodded, satisfied. The Ice Palace Lord, on the other hand, gave a wry smile, clearly realizing from my response that I had heard about the Azure Cold Serpent from Bing Yerin.

It wasn’t as if they’d tried to keep it from me—more likely, it was simply something they couldn’t mention in front of other North Sea Ice Palace warriors. This was enough.

They had even shown me the location of the Azure Cold Serpent and didn’t stop Bing Yerin from explaining things, either.

Once the poison was named, Seorin, who had been quiet the entire time, suddenly spoke with an unusually serious expression.

“That means all preparations are complete. Then, when do we carry out the plan?”

“I just have to release the poison and retreat, so I’m ready any time. What about you, Brother Cheon and Sister Seorin?”

“I was the one who brought this up, so I’m ready as well.”

“Same here.”

Thanks to Seol Lihyang’s help, I’d trained to cut through cold energy and had a decent feel for it now.

Spending a few more days practicing wouldn’t make much of a difference. What I need now is focused effort, not more time.

“In that case, how about going tomorrow instead of dragging this out?”

Just as Seorin and I were about to agree with Tang Sowol, the Ice Palace Lord cut in a step faster.

“We’d be relieved to act sooner, of course. But how about waiting one more day and going the day after tomorrow?”

“Is there a reason to wait?”

“As you saw for yourself, the area around the Azure-White Cold Serpent’s nest is prone to sudden snowstorms, regardless of the weather. Based on our observations, it should continue snowing until tomorrow, but it’ll likely clear up the day after.”

“Hmm. If that’s the case, waiting a day seems wise.”

No matter how good one’s senses are, eyesight is still useful. It shouldn’t be overly relied on, but it can’t be ignored either.

Especially for us, who are still unfamiliar with the terrain and climate of the North Sea, clear weather is far better than storms.

“Then it’s settled. Two days from now.”

Tang Sowol and Seorin nodded silently at my words. The date was set.

After this mission, I’m locking myself away for a while. Thanks to completing Heat-and-Cold Resistance Art, the cold no longer affects me—but still, I’m starting to miss Sichuan’s warm weather.

***

Two days later.

We returned to the scene of the massive battle we had visited before.

The only differences this time: Tang Sowol carried a large barrel on her back, and Seol Lihyang had stayed behind at the Ice Palace.

“Just as the Ice Palace Lord said, the weather’s clear.”

“It is. Are you ready?”

“Of course. Now I just need Brother Cheon to carry me.”

Tang Sowol spread her arms playfully with a grin—but the slight stiffness around her eyes betrayed her tension.

I shrugged, trying to sound lighthearted.

“If we follow the plan, nothing will go wrong. Seorin, I’m counting on you.”

“Leave it to me.”

She patted her flat chest with pride—a strangely reassuring gesture.

After a small nod, I crouched down, and Tang Sowol climbed onto my back. The barrel of poison was also strapped on, making it quite heavy.

With her on my back, I began moving using footwork—this time not focused on speed but on concealing our presence.

Beasts, by nature, have keener senses than humans and are especially sensitive to intrusions into their territory.

Whether the same holds for spirit beasts or not, being cautious can’t hurt.

Even from afar, the site of the battle had seemed massive. Up close, it was overwhelming.

With some exaggeration, the width of the cracks rivaled the size of an average manor hall.

I arrived with a mix of awe and dread. Peering down, I saw the ground split open like a deep canyon. At the center, oddly enough, was a pit shaped like the mouth of a pouch.

I couldn’t tell whether the terrain had formed like that by coincidence or whether the Azure Cold Serpent had dug it itself.

One thing was certain: beyond that deep darkness, I occasionally glimpsed massive movements slithering within.

The Azure Cold Serpent and its offspring—the Azure-White Cold Serpents—must be gathered inside.

Some snake species are known to live entangled in groups… Could spirit beasts be the same?

I pushed down the curiosity and whispered to Tang Sowol.

“Let’s begin.”

“Yes. Please wait just a moment.”

Tang Sowol fidgeted as she untied the barrel on her back and hurled it over the edge of the chasm. Then—

“Huup!”

Her eyes sharpened as she stretched her hand toward the falling barrel. It suddenly stopped midair.

Thanks to the Poison Spirit Constitution, Tang Sowol could freely control poison she had extracted from her own body. She used this ability to hold the Python Poison in place.

Controlling this much poison from such a distance wasn’t easy. A bead of sweat ran down her forehead.

Naturally, her focus wavered, and her energy spread outward in all directions.

Maybe it was the poison-infused energy mixed in. Or maybe the beast’s instincts sensed danger.

The faint movement we had seen earlier grew violent—energy from the Azure Cold Serpent surged rapidly.

Just moments ago, it had been one with the surrounding nature, completely undetectable. But not anymore.

A bone-chilling sensation. Unfamiliar, but the threat it exuded struck me on a primal level—equal to or beyond my own. So this is what a Flowering Stage spirit beast feels like.

In the darkness of the crevice, a pair of bright yellow eyes suddenly glinted. But before the beast could fully rise, Tang Sowol was faster.

Puuk!

The poison burst out, shattering the barrel as it spread in every direction.

But it didn’t scatter randomly—it spread with precise range, shape, and control.

Drip, drip.

Like rainfall, poison dripped from Tang Sowol’s fingertips.

A rainstorm that fell only into the pit below.

The Azure Cold Serpent, just about to lift its head to emerge, was struck by the poison rain.

—Shhhiiiiiik!

With a sharp, whistling shriek like wind escaping through cracks, it began thrashing in pain.

Boom! Kkwaaang!

Just its twisting body shook the earth. Part of the crevice collapsed, spilling out boulders.

It was truly a spectacle—but unfortunately, we didn’t have time to enjoy it.

“Hold tight!”

“I already am!”

Tang Sowol, having pushed herself to the limit to control the poison, had entered a brief state of exhaustion. This was exactly why I carried her in advance.

I felt her weakened arms wrap around my neck—and only then did I release the restrained flow of my internal energy all at once.

I stomped the ground toward the direction we came from. The full-force deployment of Thunderclap Steps created a thunderous boom as it accelerated explosively.

Kuuung!

—Shaaahhh!

From beyond the crevice, the massive jaws of the serpent burst forth.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep