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Chapter 482 – The Decayed One

As soon as Nahi regained her senses, the first thing I did was, of course, place the Golden Binding on her.

Nahi seemed to have difficulty grasping the situation. However, after feeling the condition unfolding around her and realizing the Golden Binding was placed on her, she quickly understood what had happened.

‘So her head’s at least somewhat working, huh.’

She had questions about why Tang Deok betrayed her and what happened to her transformed body. The expression on Nahi’s face as she discovered those secrets was quite entertaining.

Was it despair? Or was it just before despair?

The look of someone on the brink of everything collapsing was deeply intriguing.

‘Not that it really matters.’

Of course, I didn’t feel any sympathy for her seeing that.

If sympathy had been in order, it should have come much sooner.

I approached Nahi, who was barely holding onto her sanity. I lifted her hair to meet her gaze and asked, “I have something I need to do.”

“…”

Maybe it was because it was right after her Demonization, but Nahi’s eyes were filled only with fear.

There was a flicker of reverence, but I wasn’t interested in those trifling emotions.

“It’s you.”

I simply smiled at Nahi and said, “Do you have the desire for revenge?”

Nahi’s expression changed drastically with my words.

I had something to ask her, and I had immediate use for her as well.

After leading Nahi, the first place we headed to was, of course, the Head House of the Poison King.

Considering there had been an incident regarding the Poison Lake, there were aspects that needed verification in advance.

Whoooosh-!

The process became somewhat intense.

In the not-so-spacious room, an overwhelming air pressure spread.

A wild and fierce energy began to fill the room, reflecting the inner turmoil of the Poison King.

“What did you just say?”

The distorted expression on his face indicated he was fuming.

The air pressure was enough to make one’s skin tingle.

Even though the Poison King’s level might be somewhat lesser compared to the leaders of the Four Great Clans, that didn’t mean he was to be trifled with.

The strange thing was, if it were the old me, I would have quickly scrambled to smooth things over.

“That’s the third time you’ve mentioned it. Are you going to keep listening?”

Strangely, I didn’t feel that way at all.

My calm response seemed to only intensify the Poison King’s fury.

“You’ve really crossed the line. So Yeomra, I understood that you had exceptional talent, but I never believed you’d be this lacking.”

Clang-!

The teacup that had been placed before us shattered.

Since he couldn’t destroy my cup as well, I grabbed it to protect it.

After all, I still hadn’t finished my tea.

Taking a sip from the cup I held, I spoke to the agitated Poison King. “How about you calm down and hear me out?”

“Calm down? Did you just say calm down?”

Well, I guess it makes sense that he wouldn’t be calm.

An outsider, especially a child, suddenly appeared, declaring they needed to kill one of his elders.

What clan leader would understand that?

While I understood the Poison King’s anger, I was also trying to ascertain what I sensed from him.

‘There’s a smell of blood.’

The Poison King appeared fine on the surface, but I felt something was amiss.

A fishy scent brushing the tip of my nose and an unknown sharp fragrance.

This was something I had directly experienced before.

‘Had he just come from torturing someone?’

It seemed the Poison King had just been torturing someone before coming here.

Based on speculation, that person was likely—

‘The Black Dragon Sword?’

They must have been the criminals he transported here.

The implication was that he had been torturing them right up until he arrived here.

‘Hmm.’

As I pondered, a question came to mind.

Someone of the Poison King’s caliber, regardless of how unexpectedly he came, wouldn’t have shown up without erasing the smell of blood and the traces of torture.

Yet, me sensing such energy now meant—

‘My senses have evolved.’

It indicated that my various senses, including my Qi Perception, had sharpened significantly.

‘What a pity.’

I wished I could have understood the changes in my body better before coming.

It was unfortunate that I had to rush and couldn’t fully grasp the state I was in.

But it couldn’t be helped.

“I heard you’ve damaged the item in question; what you ought to do now isn’t to act rudely but to apologize for it. Am I mistaken?”

I was here because I had vaporized the Poison Lake, after all.

‘This feels a bit unjust.’

Damaging the item meant that I hadn’t just harmed it but completely eradicated it.

The vaporization of the Poison Lake wasn’t strictly my fault.

It should be considered the doing of Tang Je-mun. By that reasoning, it was indeed his ancestor who had made a mess.

‘Suspicions are falling on me though.’

That was particularly vexing.

“What do you mean by damaged? You must have heard the information. If you come out here, it will also be troublesome for me.”

I squinted my eyes slightly as I faced the Poison King.

The reason I did this was straightforward.

“I didn’t do anything.”

Through Nahi’s testimony, the Poison King must have heard it.

That I had done nothing, yet when I arrived at the lake, all the water suddenly evaporated.

“Ha.”

Oh, of course.

“You expect me to believe that?”

The Poison King wouldn’t buy that.

Watching him, I smiled and asked, “Then, by contrast, if I outright claimed I got rid of all the water in the lake, would that be believable?”

“…”

“Are you saying I drank all the water and got rid of it?”

When I brought it up with a hint of annoyance, the pressure from the Poison King slightly wavered.

Surely he wouldn’t really believe I drank it all and got rid of it.

No one would even think that such a vast volume of water could disappear all at once.

‘Even I don’t understand where all that lake water went when it entered my body.’

Where did all that poisonous energy go?

Questions floated around, but first, I needed to address the Poison King.

“What do you plan to do by first bringing in people who deny it and then suspecting me?”

Crack!

The sound of the Poison King clenching his fist echoed.

Surely he was regretting sending only Nahi and me.

I had wondered why he did that at the time, but seeing the poise he held now, I had somewhat figured it out.

‘No wonder he looked busy.’

After bringing the members of the Black Dragon Squad, including the Black Dragon Sword, to the Tang Clan, it seemed he had locked them away and started torturing them directly.

Though he wouldn’t do it alone, with a large number of people, perhaps he felt pressed for time.

‘Or perhaps.’

Was he trying to use them for something?

Hearing vague stories from the Tang Clan made me think this place was not as clean as it seemed.

Oh, perhaps I already knew that fact.

I was aware that nearly no clan claiming to be righteous had a perfectly clean history.

“If you’re so suspicious, why not just come and see for yourself? That would have solved everything.”

I poked at this matter to the Poison King.

Of course, even aside from his busyness, I felt there might have been a bit of disdain for me.

If it reached this point, it was decisively the Poison King’s fault.

‘There’s no evidence or witnesses; it’s not my fault.’

Even if he suspected me, all he could do was act on a hunch.

Knowing that, I could brazenly face him.

“From the start…”

Looking at me, the Poison King asked, “Why exactly did you go to see the lake?”

This was his reason for suspicion.

After going out of my way to ask about seeing the lake.

The Poison King was recalling this event, questioning me.

“I was just curious.”

“That’s a really flimsy reason,” he countered, knowing full well that was insufficient.

“Then, should I just make up some excuse? What do you think about that?” I quipped.

“If you’re able, go ahead and try.”

Creek.

The Poison King lowered his posture, locking eyes with me.

“Though both circumstantial evidence and material evidence may be lacking, this is the Tang Clan, So Yeomra.”

The pressure embedded within his gaze was dangerously sharp.

If I didn’t speak correctly, even without evidence, he could take me down.

The implication was clear; the Poison King was using the Tang Clan’s societal standing to pressurize me.

However.

Clank!

I, too, maintained my composure and kept smiling at the Poison King.

“Indeed, this is the Tang Clan.”

It was one of the Four Great Clans and the pinnacle of Poison Techniques.

Moreover.

“A clan that doesn’t even realize how it’s decaying.”

The moment those words left my mouth, the Poison King’s fingertips shot out fast as lightning.

Bam.

“!”

I grabbed his hand to block it.

The Poison King’s eyes widened in shock.

It seemed like he hadn’t expected me to stop him.

I hadn’t either.

‘Oh… I actually reacted to this.’

Not only did I react, but I blocked it.

Was it thanks to having ascended to the Transformation Realm?

‘While it feels somewhat sluggish because I’m in a state of using the Body Transformation Technique…’

I had forcibly reduced my physical form and altered my state, so I was in a restrained state.

If I released this and fought seriously, what would happen?

Could I potentially defeat the Poison King?

There was a nagging sense of competitiveness creeping in.

‘Not yet.’

Though I wanted to understand how strong I had become, this wasn’t the moment for that.

I slightly released the arm I was grabbing and reiterated to the Poison King, “I apologize for the rudeness earlier. My words were a bit too harsh.”

“… So Yeomra.”

Even with my apology, the Poison King still displayed rage.

Naturally, he should be angry; after all, I had outright called his clan decaying.

However, I felt there was no better expression than that.

The Tang Clan was decayed.

Perhaps it was because they had focused all their energy on becoming the best in Poison Techniques; it felt as if the roots were rotting and the stench was overwhelming.

It was quite the contrast to the sweet aroma once sensed from their ancestors.

Perhaps he hadn’t anticipated being caught off guard, but the look of confusion on the Poison King’s face was pronounced.

I wanted to ask him, “Do you know about the Heavenly Martial Body Birth Plan?”

“…!”

At my words, the Poison King’s pupils shook.

Seeing that, I was certain he was aware of it.

“… How do you know about that?”

The rare sight of the Poison King shaking was quite refreshing, but this wasn’t the end.

“Then, further, does the Poison King know if this matter is still secretly ongoing?”

“Nonsense…!!”

Clang!

The Poison King sprang to his feet, the table toppled, and cups shattered.

Not to mention, “Not only did you disgrace my clan, but now you spew nonsensical rumors. What are you trying to achieve?”

I could feel the killing intent emanating from the Poison King now.

In observation, I questioned, Was he genuine in his fury?

Was he really unaware and thus reacting in such a way?

‘Not yet.’

For now, it was too early to judge that.

I needed to focus solely on what Tang Je-mun had mentioned.

“Clan Leader.”

Under the Poison King’s piercing gaze, where he looked ready to kill if I didn’t provide a proper explanation, along with a suffocating pressure shrouding the room, I slowly raised my own body.

“You can be angry whether my claims are true or not. The meaning behind what I said at the beginning remains unchanged.”

A question of whether I could kill the elders of the Tang Clan.

While this could sound like asking for their permission, in reality, it was far from it.

“This is also the reason why I came to Sichuan, to the Tang Clan.”

That wasn’t quite right.

From the start, my intention was to sneak out after acquiring the Biwaegun; I had no plans to kill the elders of the Tang Clan.

In truth, it was merely a blatant lie, but when wrapped up nicely, it seemed somewhat substantial.

‘It’s also what Tang Je-mun wanted.’

Before Tang Je-mun went out, that was the request she made to me.

In declaring that I would kill the elders of the Tang Clan to the Poison King, it was a declaration.

Right, a declaration.

“This is not a request for permission.”

“… What did you say?”

“It’s a type of transaction and an intention to offer help.”

“So Yeomra, you clearly don’t grasp how much patience it takes for me to not kill you right now. Do you truly wish to die?”

“Why should you be angry at someone who offers to cut out the decayed parts and help clean up?”

“You…!”

Just as the Poison King was about to lash out at me again,

Thud.

I pulled something out from my pocket and presented it before the Poison King.

At first glance, it looked like a pretty jade-green dumpling.

“…!”

The moment the Poison King recognized it, he froze.

Fortunately, he seemed to comprehend what it was immediately.

It was quite remarkable that, even hundreds of years after its disappearance, the Spirit Pill could still elicit recognition from him as a descendant of the Tang Clan.

The item in question was none other than—

“This… is….”

“The Poison Heavenly Pill.”

It was the Poison Heavenly Pill.

Upon hearing its identity, the Poison King’s eyes began to swirl wildly.

If one were to ask what the most lamentable loss from the Tang Clan was, surely ninety out of a hundred would mention this.

An overwhelmingly powerful Spirit Pill compared to the Daehwan Pill of the Shaolin.

It creates resistance in those without a tolerance to poison and provides unparalleled opportunities for those wielding Poison Techniques.

The long-lost Spirit Pill of the Tang Clan from hundreds of years ago stood before the Poison King.

Forgetting his previous wrath, the Poison King gazed at me with mesmerized eyes.

“This… how did you…?”

“Now, please, have a seat again.”

Gently pushing the Poison Heavenly Pill toward the Poison King, I smiled at him and said, “At this point, can’t you at least lend me your ear?”

“…”

“Along with the story about the Poison Heavenly Pill.”

I wasn’t worried about the Poison King’s reaction.

Regardless of the rudeness of my clan or my demeanor, once he recognized the Poison Heavenly Pill, he would have no other choice.

And, just as I expected.

Swoosh.

The Poison King took his seat before me.

I could then exhale a sigh of relief internally, seeing that everything was falling into place.

 

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