Chapter 245: Heaven-Destroying Poison (3)

The martial artists were left speechless at So Cheon’s self-introduction.

“D-Demonic Cult?!”

“That’s right!”

However, So Cheon’s claim was immediately dismissed.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Why would someone from the Beggars’ Sect disguise themselves as a Demonic Cultist to stir up trouble?!”

“You think we’re fools? Catch that Beggars’ Sect bastard!”

Crack!

“…I’m really not from the Beggars’ Sect.”

So Cheon ground his teeth as he glared at the warriors from the Namcheon Hundred Clan surrounding him.

His clothes were a bit tattered and stained, sure, but this was just too much!

“Subdue him!”

The warriors from the Inner Hall unleashed their sword qi, striking at So Cheon’s vital points in an instant.

All of them were First-rate Martial Artists or higher, and the crowd gasped in awe at the overwhelming display.

“Ooh!”

“As expected from Namcheon’s warriors!”

Just before their sword qi could touch So Cheon’s body—

He clicked his tongue and shouted.

“You guys don’t know how lucky you are!”

Whoosh!

“……!!”

The moment their blades touched, So Cheon’s figure scattered like a mirage in the air.

“Gasp!”

The Inner Hall warriors were horrified.

They had enough skill to realize that the movement technique So Cheon had just used was bordering on the divine.

“W-Was he a rejuvenated master?!”

So impressive was So Cheon’s technique that someone even uttered such a thought.

At that moment, one of the more perceptive Inner Hall warriors murmured vacantly.

“W-Wait? Just now… I think he slipped inside, not outside….”

“……?!”

That statement snapped everyone out of their daze.

“Find him, nowwwww!”

Amidst the chaos that So Cheon’s appearance had caused outside—

I was still fighting against the damnable poison that was eating away at my entire body.

Heaven-Destroying Poison.

A poison that had its name etched in the history of the martial world as one of the deadliest, holding the top rank with pride.

And yet, hardly anyone knew the real reason why it was ranked number one.

That was because it appeared in martial world history at long, erratic intervals.

‘I can feel it.’

The moment I faced this poison head-on, I was overwhelmed by a sense of someone’s malice.

Most poisons focus solely on lethality.

But this one was different. It clearly conveyed an intent not just to kill, but to torment and mock its victim.

‘It was made to torment and ridicule an Absolute Being.’

It was different from ordinary hatred.

It felt more like something above trying to crush those who dared to climb up.

While I was having these thoughts—

—Another human this time? Your soul’s rank and your body’s age are different. Interesting.

Something like a pure white hallucination appeared before me.

My eyes were closed as I circulated my qi, but the presence was too clear to be mistaken for mere illusion.

—Well, it doesn’t matter. I exist only to fulfill my purpose…

‘……What?’

The moment I felt the vision touch my body—

The poison that had been retreating quietly suddenly went berserk!

‘Aaaaargh!’

The venom rampaged, as if it had a will of its own, completely ignoring my control.

It felt like hundreds—no, thousands—of insects were crawling through my veins. Disgusting and horrifying.

I hurriedly unleashed the vitality I had stored and suppressed the raging poison.

—Fascinating creature. You’re the first to resist this far against your master’s power…

I spoke to the vision in front of me.

‘Who… are you?’

The poison briefly recoiled, surprised that I was even speaking to it.

—Hmm? You can perceive me?

‘Would I be talking to you if I couldn’t?’

The vision tilted its head briefly before introducing itself.

—I am a creation of my master.

‘And who’s your master?’

—The master is the master.

‘…Goddamn it.’

It was a shocking revelation that the Heaven-Destroying Poison had a consciousness, but what made it worse was how unwavering that consciousness was.

I decided to try negotiation.

‘Hey, how about you stop tormenting me and just leave?’

—I cannot. I must fulfill the purpose I was born for.

‘And what’s that purpose?’

I didn’t expect much from the question.

But unexpectedly, I received an answer.

—To prevent the birth of the one who kills the heavens.

‘The one who kills the heavens? Who’s that?’

I doubted it would actually respond to that.

But the will of Heaven-Destroying Poison began to relay an ancient secret from a faraway era.

—Before the age of humans, there was a time when the earth and sky vied for supremacy. But in the end, both stabbed each other in the heart and fell.

Its tone was flat, as if reading a fairytale.

—As time passed, the greatest fragment of the sky awakened and sought to recreate the past. But then came the one who killed the heavens and blocked its path.

“……”

—My master said that being must never be allowed to appear again. I was created to prevent their birth.

A poison created specifically to target one individual.

That was the true origin of Heaven-Destroying Poison.

I clenched my teeth.

‘One thing is certain.’

This poison was laced with an advanced sorcery.

Otherwise, a situation this absurd would’ve never occurred.

‘It’s just a theory, but this thing is probably a lower-grade version of Heaven-Destroying Poison. If it has a will of its own, then the quality might be determined by the strength of that will.’

At any rate, that was at least some relief.

If I experienced how it operated even once, I could figure out a countermeasure somehow.

Woom! Wooooom!

The golden power coursed through my entire body.

This wasn’t a force belonging to this world—rather, it came from a different dimension governed by another set of laws.

‘Normally, drawing this out would be suicide, but I don’t have a choice right now.’

It was a form of fighting poison with poison.

The power of different laws surged through my body, pinning down the invading Heaven-Destroying Poison.

Immediately, the will of the poison let out a pained groan.

—Stop… let me go…

‘Stop what? What a funny bastard you are.’

Seated in the lotus position, I thoroughly purged the poison from my body.

The poison flailed in desperation, trying to cling to the invisible mental energy spreading around me.

—Why… why aren’t you dispersing…?

Drip! Drip drip!

In exchange, blood trickled out from my seven orifices.

Even so, I didn’t stop circulating this power.

—Stop at once!

The pale white hallucination grabbed my throat and pressed down hard.

But despite its outburst, I calmly drew a sword from the imagery within my heart and pointed it at the hallucination.

‘Get out of my body.’

Without hesitation, I slashed at the white apparition.

—Aaaaaaagh!

The figure convulsed in agony from the blow.

My instincts told me that if I struck it just a few more times, I could completely purge Heaven-Destroying Poison.

But then—

Zzzt zzzt zzzt!

‘What… what is this?’

Through the rift torn in the apparition, the space in front of me suddenly twisted into a circular distortion.

And beyond that warped space—

I saw someone sitting upon an old jade throne.

“……!!”

From the nose up, their features were hidden in darkness, but one thing was certain—they weren’t old.

The figure clearly perceived me and began to speak.

—How amusing. To think you actually managed to detect the malice I implanted within the Heaven-Destroying Poison. I considered it nearly impossible for anyone to notice it…

I asked him:

‘Who are you?’

He was clearly the creator of Heaven-Destroying Poison.

But that was all I knew. I had no clue about his social status or appearance.

—Don’t be impatient. You and I are now bound by karma.

Shff!

The figure stood up from the throne and said:

—We will meet again soon.

…If possible, I’d rather we didn’t.

The moment I recognized his presence, I truly thought that.

There was an instinctive discomfort.

He felt fundamentally different from any of the powerful people I’d met until now.

However—

‘Yeah, you bastard. Let’s get a good look at that face of yours.’

—……

He didn’t expect me to talk back like that, and his response disappeared entirely.

Heaven-Destroying Poison.

The very poison that had sentenced her to death in a previous life. Its creator—

I had to see what kind of bastard he was.

And the moment I laid eyes on him, I would blast that smug face to pieces with everything I had.

Zzzt zzzt zzzt!

The briefly distorted space closed once more.

I was dying to know who he was, but I no longer had the luxury to dwell on it.

Even if I’d just cut down the malicious will called Heaven-Destroying Poison, there was still residual venom eating away at my body that I needed to neutralize.

‘I’ll see you again, no matter what.’

As I turned the Grand Celestial Cycle, my consciousness gradually calmed.

“…How much time has passed?”

The moment all the Heaven-Destroying Poison was cleansed—

I slowly withdrew my energy and half-opened my eyes.

“It’s been seven days and nights, Young Master Jin.”

“…Hm?”

I expected to hear Cheon Yura’s voice, but instead—

“Lady Baek?”

“…Yes.”

Why was Baek Sang-ah standing before me right now?

No, before that—

I jolted awake and hastily looked around.

“You’re saying seven days and nights have passed?!”

There was no longer any trace of the Heavenly Demon Cult’s envoy group that had surrounded us so tightly before.

“Lady Baek, what happened…?”

I couldn’t finish my sentence.

For some reason, tears were streaming down her face despite her being dressed in extravagant clothes.

“I’m sorry, Young Master Jin. If I had made up my mind just a little faster…”

“What are you talking about…?”

Shff!

Suddenly, she bowed deeply before me.

“Lady Cheon and the envoy left Namchang two days ago.”

“……!”

“And right now, a joint righteous-demonic pursuit squad is chasing after them.”

The moment I heard that, I shot up to my feet.

“Damn it…”

I’d wasted seven whole days detoxifying this damn poison?

“Did anyone die during the escape from Namchang?”

“Thanks to Young Master Jin’s preparations, there were no casualties. But outside Namchang…”

Of course.

Every major orthodox sect and prestigious clan must be lying in wait like vultures.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Young Master Jin…”

She continued apologizing over and over again.

“……”

What in the world had happened over these seven days and nights?

As I quietly thought over the causal links behind everything—

I relaxed the hardened expression on my face for a moment and gently patted Baek Sang-ah’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Lady Baek.”

“…!”

Her shoulders trembled visibly.

“That the situation was so dire they had no choice but to escape without me. That you made arrangements so I could remain here safely. And lastly…”

I looked her in the eyes as tears welled up in hers, and continued.

“That you defied your grandfather’s will. Those three things, I understand clearly now.”

“I-I just…”

“But I still need a clear explanation of what happened. Can you tell me?”

“Y-yes, of course.”

She nodded and began her account.

“It started after Young Master Jin drank the poison…”

Poisoning.

That was the first thought that struck the minds of many upon seeing Jin Yeomyung stumble.

At first, Jin Yeomyung had feigned composure and left the banquet to avoid ruining the celebratory mood…

But the people gathered here were all senior members of the major sects that ruled the Central Plains.

Not a single one of them was slow-witted.

“Ahem! Well then, I too shall take my leave…”

“The mood has soured quite a bit. I’ll attend the next banquet instead.”

Many began to leave, silently condemning Namcheon’s disgraceful conduct.

“Elder Baek! What is the meaning of this reckless action?”

“Explain yourself!”

The comrades of the Heaven-Defying Society, who had aligned themselves with Baek Mun-jeol, glared at him in anger and questioned him one after another.

“I, I…”

Clearly, Baek Mun-jeol had not expected his scheme to be thwarted in such a way. At a loss, he trailed off helplessly.

Just as the banquet descended into chaos and disorder—

Click!

With a sound like a lock being undone—

The masked Lord of the Black Lotus Union, Demonic Sword Flower, who had remained quiet until now, removed her mask.

“Hahaha…”

The Sword King was clearly taken aback by his granddaughter’s sudden action.

“Huh?”

“That woman is…”

Even the few remaining Heaven-Defying Society affiliates in the hall widened their eyes at her unexpected move.

“T-That’s?!”

Those who recognized her face began to open their eyes wide as if they might tear apart.

Unfazed by the attention around her, Baek Sang-ah slowly stood up and approached the Sword King, seated in the highest position.

“Grandfather.”

“Sang-ah, what are you doing…?”

“Were you really planning to assassinate Lady Cheon?”

“…!”

“Is that truly something befitting the head of proud Namcheon, who’s carried on a thousand years of history?”

“Sang-ah.”

The Sword King had opened his mouth to speak but fell silent when he saw the tears brimming in his granddaughter’s eyes.

“You really thought Young Master Jin would choose me just because you eliminated Lady Cheon? That if you removed all the other options around him, he’d obediently become your puppet?”

“……”

“I’m deeply disappointed in you today, Grandfather.”

Baek Sang-ah turned and stormed out.

The Ten Thousand Demon Blade Emperor—Saber King, her escort, could not hide his troubled expression either. He sighed and followed her out with a shake of his head.

“Sigh…”

The Sword King pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed deeply.

It was true that Baek Mun-jeol had acted rashly, but even he hadn’t anticipated that Jin Yeomyung would catch on and intervene so quickly.

The plan had been too blatant.

In such a situation, people naturally develop resistance, thinking, “Surely he wouldn’t go so far as to poison someone…”

“So much has gone awry…”

The Sword King closed his eyes, trying to organize his thoughts on how to handle the fallout—

“This is unfortunate. I didn’t mean to witness such a disgraceful scene.”

A voice spoke from the far end of the banquet hall, the lowest seat in the room.

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