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The night passed and dawn arrived.

I hadn’t slept at all. There were just too many things to organize in the meantime.

After all, not sleeping for a few days wouldn’t be a strain on my body, so I spent the night working.

Cheol Jiseon was probably already on the move. Others would be behaving the same way.

How Il Cheonggeom would react was still uncertain, but since I expedited my plans, I had to keep an eye on variables.

With everyone set in motion, I couldn’t just sit still either.

So, before the sun fully rose, I took my first step.

The destination was Tang Clan.

“Hello.”

“…Welcome.”

The expression of the Poison King, who unexpectedly found me visiting, was ambiguous.

Given the situation, it seemed he was just having breakfast.

“Prince…?”

And there was Tang Soyeol with him. A small smile escaped me at this sight. It seemed my worries were unwarranted.

“I’m sorry to disturb your meal, but I have an urgent matter.”

“Cough…”

At my words, the Poison King glanced discontentedly somewhere—maybe at the gatekeeper or the martial artists of the Tang Clan.

The reason was probably because he was wondering why nobody stopped me from coming in.

I understood why the Poison King was unhappy, as I interrupted his time with his beloved daughter.

‘Well, what can I do about it?’

Even so, the Poison King couldn’t really stop me.

After all, how much he had helped me, it would be foolish to obstruct me. Knowing this, the Poison King only frowned.

“…So, what brings you here at this early and busy hour?”

His tone made me chuckle.

This guy’s got a sarcastic streak, doesn’t he?

“Yes, I apologize for arriving at such an early and busy hour. It’s a genuinely urgent matter, though.”

I wasn’t going to let it slide that easily. This was quite urgent on my end too.

“It’s quite awkward to say, but…”

“Then just don’t say it…”

“Since we’re already on this basis, I’ll just tell you.”

I looked at the Poison King and said, “Please give me the Poison Heavenly Pill I created.”

“…”

“Oh, while it’s urgent, I can wait for you to finish your meal.”

“You’re really a lunatic…”

“I can hear you.”

“I said that for you to hear.”

“Oh, I see.”

I nodded my head.

Well, with a voice like that, it was meant to be heard. Nodding as if it made sense, the Poison King let out a deep sigh and said.

“…Would one suffice?”

Seeing that, I smiled slyly and replied.

“For now, yes.”

Though I thought I might need more, one would be enough for the time being.

After waiting outside briefly, the Poison King appeared with a face that seemed unchanged after finishing his meal.

“How was your meal?”

“I hardly had any thanks to you.”

“That’s a relief.”

“What?”

“Just kidding.”

It was a true joke, but perhaps it didn’t sit well with him, as the Poison King frowned.

Seeing this, I said, “I didn’t eat either, so don’t glare at me like that.”

“That has nothing to do with me.”

“Haha. That’s a bit hurtful, don’t you think? I even arranged a seat for you.”

“…”

His response momentarily silenced the Poison King. Then he awkwardly looked away and said.

“…I appreciate that. It’s thanks to you.”

As always, the Poison King was the type to acknowledge when due. Knowing this made me view him favorably.

“Not a problem.”

I replied while gazing straight ahead. I glimpsed Tang Soyeol—was everything settled with her? But now wasn’t the time to worry about that. I had my own urgent matters.

Walking together, we soon arrived at the building I had reached last time.

It was the place where I had sweated for hours to manufacture the Poison Heavenly Pill. I entered the room and headed straight underground.

A cool energy brushed my cheeks. Though it was autumn outside, making the temperature relatively low, it felt even colder down here.

‘No, it’s not because it’s underground.’

It was because the atmosphere was artificially adjusted to keep the spirit pills stored. That was the proper way to see it.

How they did it, I had no knowledge of.

‘After all, I have almost no knowledge in that area.’

I was completely clueless about spirit pills. I had never even looked into them in my previous life.

There hadn’t been a need to in the first place.

‘With the Demonic Absorption Technique, what significance does a spirit pill have?’

Daehwan Pill of Shaolin, Hwasan’s Purple Layout Pill, and many strong spirit pills existed, but they were meaningless to me.

Of course, they were beneficial, but it was better to hunt and devour the Red Demon Beasts in that time.

‘But if I had known it would come to this, I should have looked into it more.’

Who would have thought I would not only eat spirit pills but even create them someday?

Even I find it strange now; there’s no way the me back then could have known.

It was a meaningless concern.

With the lantern as my guide, I descended further. I could see the end.

The Poison King reached the bottom of the stairs and grasped the doorknob at the entrance.

Creeeeak.

As the door opened, a breeze faintly blew from the crack.

‘Oh.’

The winds brushed past like earlier, but this time it was different.

A fragrance enveloped the air. A wonderfully deep scent.

It felt like well-prepared medicinal herbs, mixed with the unique freshness and bitterness of the spirit herbs.

Following the Poison King, I stepped inside.

Only then did I realize the source of the fragrance.

The cold air of the room and the infused scent.

Everything pointed to the spirit pills stacked ahead. It was the aroma from the Poison Heavenly Pill.

“Are these stored here?”

“Not stored per se, but aged. They say they need to age for at least four months.”

“But why in a place like this…?”

“In a place like what!”

My choice of words seemed to upset the Poison King, who exploded in frustration.

“This is a sacred place for the Tang Clan’s bloodline. Only direct descendants can come here.”

“…We’re going here?”

From my perspective, it just seemed like a rather cold and narrow room.

At that moment.

“Yes, supposedly this space was created by the Poison Heavenly River long ago.”

“Oh….”

With that explanation, the place looked strangely different. If it was a place made by the great and beautiful Tang Je-mun, it must have noble significance.

“…This is an amazing place. It does feel sacred, especially now that you mention it.”

“Indeed. It seems you are also discerning.”

“Of course. If the Poison Heavenly River made it, there must be a meaning behind it… but. Is it okay to bring me to such a grand place? You said it’s only for direct descendants.”

Thinking about it, it struck me as odd. I merely wanted the Poison Heavenly Pill, so why was I brought here?

Even if I was a benefactor, it wouldn’t be fair for me to come to a place meant only for direct descendants.

To my question, the Poison King replied nonchalantly.

“It’s fine.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s basically the same if scrutinized. It’ll be even more so later.”

“…What do you mean by ‘basically the same’? Let’s not just throw ‘basically’ around; it should be evaluated correctly.”

That was indeed a strange statement. Why do so without proper scrutiny?

What does later even mean?

Confused, I asked, but the Poison King ignored me and walked ahead.

That guy?

“Clan Leader—”

“I’ll ask first. What do you need?”

“…”

He didn’t seem willing to answer at all. With a sigh, I gave up.

“I need what I created.”

The spirit pill that feels awkwardly called the Poison Heavenly Pill. That which contained my power and infused the Fire Technique.

“Just so happens, I have one left.”

The Poison King flipped a cloth.

On the other side were three Poison Heavenly Pills I made last time, and next to them was one placed separately. That must be the spirit pill I created.

The Poison King pointed to it and said.

“Take it.”

In such a light tone, I asked in surprise.

“Really? You’re just giving this to me?”

“…Why are you surprised?”

“I mean, it’s a spirit pill.”

“The one who made it is you, and you asked for it. If I didn’t give it, would you still want it?”

“No, I might think about it for a moment, but in the end, I’d just steal it.”

“Then why ask… sigh.”

At my bold declaration, the Poison King let out a sigh. It seemed even he had given up on this.

“Fine, if you don’t want to take it, you could marry into the Tang Clan or something—”

“I’ll gladly take it.”

Without listening to the rest, I grabbed the spirit pill. I didn’t need to hear any more pointless talk.

The sensation in my hand as I held the spirit pill felt familiar. It was the same as last time. Similar, yet something was different.

“Gu Gongja.”

“Yes?”

“I would like to ask, even if it’s late, what do you intend to use that for?”

Upon hearing the Poison King’s words, I realized my mistake. I had asked for it without explaining my reason.

But in this situation, the Poison King just handed it over to me without a care?

Reflecting on it, it was intriguing. That guy wasn’t the type to just hand things out so loosely.

‘Could it be he trusts that I made it?’

Then the justification stands, but it still left an uncomfortable feeling.

As I mentioned, the Poison King is not an easy man. No matter how much of a benefactor I am, he wouldn’t act like this unless he wanted something in return.

‘…It’s a bit scary.’

What did he want from me that made him act this way? Doubts flashed through my mind, but for now, the spirit pill took precedence.

“What I’ll use it for? Naturally, I’ll eat it.”

“…Huh?”

My response made the Poison King tilt his head.

“Didn’t you eat one just yesterday?”

“Yes.”

“So, you plan on eating another…?”

“Yes.”

“…”

“Don’t worry. I’m not insane.”

I understood why the Poison King was looking at me that way. A martial artist would know the implications of consuming spirit pills consecutively.

Anything taken in excess could be toxic, and spirit pills were no exception.

The contents of one spirit pill were significant, and the amount of energy an average martial artist could absorb was limited. This varied by realm, of course. If a top-tier martial artist tried to absorb the energy from a single Poison Heavenly Pill, they would likely struggle to properly digest even 30%.

Right now, even the Poison King couldn’t fully digest one Poison Heavenly Pill without it lingering in his body.

He was likely taking his time to process the energy gradually.

At his pace, it could take at least a month or even two.

In such a scenario, if the Poison King were to consume another Poison Heavenly Pill?

If that happened, the energy would flow and overflow, making it impossible to absorb even half of it.

Moreover, due to the massive energy, he could end up straining his body, which wasn’t unreasonable for the Poison King to view me as a madman.

Of course.

‘That doesn’t concern me.’

Regardless of any side effects, it had nothing to do with me.

I could absorb and store as much energy as I wished.

That was the reason I could grow rapidly in my previous life.

“I have a plan, so you don’t need to worry.”

I said, trying to reassure the Poison King. However, his response was somewhat different.

“I’m not too worried.”

“Excuse me?”

“If Gu Gongja is fine, then there must be some reasoning behind it. It seems to me you are someone who would never take a loss, even capriciously.”

“…”

It sounded like a compliment, but the latter part felt a bit off. Everything’s fine until the ‘capriciously’ part is added.

“Then why are you looking at me like that?”

“I was wondering what your aim was since you would consider eating two in a row. I was just baffled. To eat such a precious item consecutively… It’s just….”

“…Ah, yeah. I think we can stop there.”

If I let it go on, he might say something more, so I cut him off.

“In any case… I really need to eat this for some reason.”

“Understood. Go ahead and devour it all.”

“Really?”

“Just kidding. Hahaha.”

“…”

I wasn’t sure if he was joking, but it didn’t seem like a simple prank. No, it appeared to be revenge.

Revenge for disrupting his meal with Tang Soyeol.

These old folks just can’t help but be petty.

‘Tsk….’

Clicking my tongue, I slowly sent the spirit pill into my mouth. At the same time, I said to the Poison King.

“Tang Clan Leader.”

“Why? Have you changed your mind about eating it? Then I’ll go back to….”

“Once I eat it, please don’t meddle if anything strange happens.”

“…”

The Poison King, who was about to speak, suddenly stopped and changed his expression. His face became serious in an instant.

“I understand.”

“Thank you.”

Not questioning my reasoning, he accepted it. It was a difficult choice, so I expressed my gratitude.

Seeing his reaction, I placed the spirit pill in my mouth and chewed, swallowing it down.

Just like yesterday, the flavor. The fragrance. And the aura was the same.

Gulp.

As soon as I swallowed, energy began to spread in all directions.

The deep and rich energy quickly began to occupy my body.

But.

‘Was I wrong?’

I felt that something was off, but not in any specific troubling way.

If my expectations were correct, I thought the spirit pill had some sort of precondition, but lacking any changes implied my assumptions were incorrect.

‘That’s disappointing… was this not it?’

Half of me felt regret, and the other half felt a unknown relief.

Feeling this strange mix of emotions, I looked back.

“Tang Clan Leader, I’m sorry but….”

And then my eyes widened.

“Ah.”

The emotions clouded within shifted dramatically. Just a moment ago, I thought I was wrong, but regrettably, that wasn’t the case.

“This is unexpected.”

Turning back, I found the world had changed.

The sky, along with everything visible in my sight, turned blackened. It was that place I had seen previously.

The difference being…

Unlike last time, I was on the inside of the door this time, not the outside.

This meant.

“…I was a bit annoyed by the searching, but this works out well.”

It indicated that the being I was searching for was right in front of me.

The throne, black as the world itself.

The throne looked on the verge of collapse with cracks and damages all over.

And atop it…

There he sat.

“Hey.”

Calling out to him, the creature slowly lifted its head and stared at me.

The white of its eyes was stained black, and its pupils were soaked in purple, accompanied by a pervasive killing intent.

Our gazes locked.

A vomit-inducing sensation instantly surged within me. I held it back. I barely steadied my breath and said.

“Good to see you, you piece of trash.”

I addressed him directly, “Shall we have a little chat, brother?”

The earth trembled as if in response.

 

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