The World’s Greatest Martial Arts Instructor - Chapter 354
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 354. I Am Frightening…
Yeo Hong-gi looked at Yeon Ja-gyeong for a moment, then looked down at the plate before him.
The meaning was clear.
He was telling him to test it himself.
It wasn’t a difficult task.
Hadn’t he personally tested the incomplete product last time as well?
Last time he had inhaled it through his nose, but now there was no need for that.
This was a perfect finished product.
He slightly raised his right index finger and touched the white powder on the plate.
At that moment.
‘Ugh.’
Though it was a test he had performed on his own body several times already.
Following the rough sensation of weakness that instantly traveled from his fingertips to his dantian.
All the internal energy in his body disappeared.
Yeon Ja-gyeong watched the entire scene from beginning to end.
And after grasping Yeo Hong-gi’s pulse point to check his internal condition, he nodded.
It was an incomparably more satisfactory result than before.
“You said one day, correct?”
The time for internal energy to disappear due to the Internal Energy Scattering Poison.
“Yes.”
When Yeo Hong-gi answered.
“Then you shall remain here for eleven shichen.”
Yeon Ja-gyeong picked up the Internal Energy Scattering Poison and antidote and rose from his seat.
It was an attitude of thorough verification and confirmation.
‘I won’t be able to prepare to leave until tomorrow…’
Due to Yeon Ja-gyeong’s meticulous attitude, Yeo Hong-gi had no choice but to change his plans.
Thus, in Yeon Ja-gyeong’s reception room, Yeo Hong-gi spent eleven shichen without moving, absorbed in meditation.
The next day.
Exactly eleven shichen later, Yeon Ja-gyeong returned.
Yeon Ja-gyeong grasped Yeo Hong-gi’s pulse point, checked his internal condition again, and nodded greatly.
A deep smile was spread across his face.
He placed the antidote, a black powder, on a plate and handed it to Yeo Hong-gi.
Yeo Hong-gi lifted the plate and inhaled it through his nose.
“Unlike the Internal Energy Scattering Poison, the antidote must be inhaled or consumed. If inhaled in advance, it can block the Internal Energy Scattering Poison for one day.”
Yeon Ja-gyeong listened attentively to Yeo Hong-gi’s words explaining the use of the antidote.
Immediately after inhaling the antidote, Yeo Hong-gi extended his wrist toward Yeon Ja-gyeong.
Yeon Ja-gyeong confirmed the internal condition of him whose internal energy had returned.
“Please return safely.”
With those words, he left the reception room.
Yeo Hong-gi also rose from his seat and headed to his research laboratory.
“We leave for the valley tomorrow. Know this and prepare.”
Geuk In-cheong was startled by his master’s words.
“Pardon?”
Yeo Hong-gi looked at Geuk In-cheong quietly.
‘Right. He’s a fool, but rather this one.’
Geuk In-cheong’s talent wasn’t lacking.
He only seemed inferior when compared to Gong Dok-haeng.
“You shall remain at the Jeongcheon Alliance. Cheondok Valley is also a sect of the Jeongcheon Alliance, it won’t do to have no one there.”
Geuk In-cheong, who forcibly suppressed the laughter that was about to flow out, bowed his head to answer.
Luoyang, which was no different from the center of the Central Plains.
Since Geuk In-cheong loved life here so much, he disliked returning to that valley in Sichuan Province where their sect Cheondok Valley was located.
Just then, to remain at the Jeongcheon Alliance alone made him feel good.
However.
He suddenly realized from the part about remaining alone.
Perhaps that junior brother of his might become the valley lord instead of himself.
Even if it was difficult and inconvenient.
He had to be the one to return to the valley.
“Under… No, that’s not right. Master. As the eldest disciple, I shall serve you. It would be better for junior brother to remain at the Jeongcheon Alliance.”
He hastily changed the answer that was about to burst from his mouth.
Yeo Hong-gi couldn’t help but chuckle at his disciple’s behavior.
Then.
It was the first smile he had shown since discovering traces of the Deadly Poison Arts in the poison that Gong Dok-haeng had brought, having been serious all along.
To think he could smile at his disciple’s petty schemes.
“No. You shall remain at the Jeongcheon Alliance. And the next valley lord is you.”
To keep this one at the Jeongcheon Alliance, he would need to make such a firm declaration.
“M-M-Master…”
Geuk In-cheong couldn’t control his trembling voice at his master’s sudden words.
“In the Jeongcheon Alliance without me, think of yourself as the valley lord of Bongok, always maintain proper conduct, and devote yourself to cultivation.”
“Y-Yes. I understand.”
His voice still trembling.
Though his master seemed strange somehow.
He didn’t have enough presence of mind to notice it.
“Take this.”
What Yeo Hong-gi took from his bosom and handed over.
It was a Poison Immunity Bead.
A rare treasure under heaven.
As far as Yeo Hong-gi knew, the places that possessed Poison Immunity Beads of this caliber were the Tang Family, Cheondok Valley, the Four Seas Alliance Leader, and the Jeongcheon Alliance Leader.
‘Perhaps the Yeon Family Head might also possess one.’
Geuk In-cheong was greatly startled upon seeing the Poison Immunity Bead.
It was partly because it was an ancient treasure, but more than that.
This Poison Immunity Bead was the sacred object of the Cheondok Valley lord.
“Your level is still insufficient, so return it when you reach the realm of Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity.”
Though it was words meaning he was temporarily entrusting it.
Such things didn’t matter.
It meant his master had officially recognized him as the next valley lord.
“I-I understand.”
Geuk In-cheong placed his hands on the ground and bowed.
The prostration ritual.
He was performing once again today what he had done on the day he took his master as his teacher.
At his disciple’s behavior, which could be called excessive, Yeo Hong-gi chuckled once more.
“Prepare Dok-haeng for departure.”
“Yes, Master.”
Yeo Hong-gi headed not to the research laboratory but to his own room.
The eleven hours spent in Yeon Ja-gyeong’s reception room was quite taxing on one’s mental strength, even for a master like Yeo Hong-gi.
He needed to rest first.
If he returned to the valley now, he wouldn’t even be able to rest like this.
This would probably be his last rest.
Yeo Hong-gi lay down on the bed, closed his eyes, and tried to sleep.
He had already settled his personal affairs before seeking out Yeon Ja-gyeong, so he could leave as soon as he woke up.
The next day.
Not long after waking up.
Yeo Hong-gi left the Jeongcheon Alliance with his valley subordinates.
Moving quickly, they left Henan Province where Luoyang was located and reached Shaanxi Province.
Looking back at his subordinates, he said.
“Each of you leave for somewhere other than Sichuan Province. And after one year. Return to the Jeongcheon Alliance.”
The subordinates were confused by this incomprehensible order.
But Yeo Hong-gi’s eyes were resolute.
In the end, knowing nothing, all the subordinates who had been dispatched to the Jeongcheon Alliance had no choice but to leave.
Now only Yeo Hong-gi and Gong Dok-haeng remained.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, Master.”
Gong Dok-haeng quietly followed behind Yeo Hong-gi who was slowly driving his horse.
“You’re not asking anything.”
How far had they gone?
Yeo Hong-gi asked Gong Dok-haeng.
“I have a rough idea.”
Yeo Hong-gi showed no particular change at Gong Dok-haeng’s answer.
“That’s why I’m going with you.”
“I thought so. I gave Senior Brother a subtle hint last night.”
“So that’s why.”
When leaving the Jeongcheon Alliance.
He muttered, recalling Geuk In-cheong’s unusual appearance.
It had been a resolute and desperate look.
“What did you say?”
“I said that Master was going personally because there might be trouble in the valley. That Master entrusted the aftermath to Senior Brother, whom he trusts most, to prepare for any contingency.”
“That should be enough for him to guess the circumstances.”
Yeo Hong-gi nodded.
“Don’t you resent me?”
He asked Gong Dok-haeng again.
“I was born and raised in Cheondok Valley anyway. If Cheondok Valley disappears, I too will be nothing.”
At his disciple’s answer, Yeo Hong-gi said with a calm face.
“I’m scared…”
“…Actually, I’m scared too…”
A moment of silence fell between master and disciple.
“Who is it?”
It was Gong Dok-haeng who broke the silence.
A master with poison arts that even Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity couldn’t handle was targeting Cheondok Valley.
If they defended the valley, they would probably die at the hands of that master.
So Gong Dok-haeng asked what he was curious about.
“My master’s elder brother.”
Yeo Hong-gi calmly told Gong Dok-haeng about the ugly past he had witnessed.
“…”
After hearing the entire story, Gong Dok-haeng said nothing.
“Poison God Poison Saint Body. I thought it was nonsense, but it seems my master’s elder brother achieved it. I do have one countermeasure… but I’m not sure.”
With those words from Yeo Hong-gi, their conversation stopped.
They simply drove their horses diligently toward Sichuan Province.
***
A day had passed.
All the heat from the ground had disappeared.
And most of the poison had disappeared as well.
Only the poison from the poison well remained faintly and weakly.
“Let’s go.”
Early morning.
Dang Ja-cheong was the first to move.
The three people moved straight forward.
Since it was a wide canyon, the path they needed to take was clear.
Forward.
The end they reached was blocked.
But there was a cave with its entrance blocked by a huge rock.
Ha Mu-baek was the first to discover it.
A cave so tightly blocked that even air couldn’t pass through.
“Hmm.”
Dang Ja-cheong looked at the rock crevice with a serious face.
“Someone artificially blocked it, right?”
There were no such traces.
Yesterday.
Any traces would have disappeared in the flames Ha Mu-baek had caused.
“Probably. It seems they blocked the back to prevent something in the cave.”
Perhaps it was the poison from the poison well.
Ha Mu-baek and Dang Ja-cheong had such thoughts.
Dang Ji-yeon was watching from a step behind.
“What we’re chasing is behind this, right?”
At Ha Mu-baek’s confirmation, Dang Ja-cheong nodded.
“Probably what we’re chasing is inside there, or was there.”
The two looked at the rock blocking the entrance.
Breaking or moving it wouldn’t be difficult.
What came after would be the problem.
“Let’s try moving it a little first.”
At Ha Mu-baek’s words, Dang Ja-cheong stepped back. Dang Ji-yeon stepped back even further.
Ha Mu-baek gently pushed the rock.
Then a gap opened and part of the cave was revealed.
Poison began flowing out as if it had been waiting.
“Th-this is…”
Dang Ja-cheong hastily drew up his internal energy to resist the poison.
Ha Mu-baek did the same.
It was indeed terrible.
“This is a problem whether it’s here, and an even bigger problem if it’s not.”
“Still, we have to go to the end first.”
At Ha Mu-baek’s words, Dang Ja-cheong looked back.
“You retreat to where we were staying. And if the poison seems to get worse, go back immediately.”
“Yes….”
She wanted to say she would go with them too.
But from just the poison qi she had encountered, she knew she shouldn’t.
So she obediently answered and stepped back.
After Dang Ji-yeon left.
Ha Mu-baek turned to look at Dang Ja-cheong.
He was already drawing his internal energy to its limits.
Ten Thousand Streams Return Origin Poison Technique.
The Tang Family’s strongest poison arts.
The poison technique that allowed Dang Ja-cheong to achieve Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity.
Dang Ja-cheong was operating the Ten Thousand Streams Return to Origin Technique, preparing for the poison qi that would assault him.
Ha Mu-baek also operated the Mugeuk Yeoui Heart Method.
Having directly encountered it, the poison qi was far from ordinary.
Grrrrrrrr.
Ha Mu-baek pushed the rock further.
About half of the cave entrance was revealed.
And an enormous amount of poison qi flowed out.
“Urgh.”
Dang Ja-cheong gritted his teeth and operated the Ten Thousand Streams Return Origin Poison Technique.
Ha Mu-baek also operated his internal energy.
It was bearable.
The two men looked at each other and nodded.
Step.
Step.
The two men entered the cave.
A winding path leading downward.
Just how far underground would they have to go.
The two men silently descended.
The poison qi grew increasingly dense.
But still.
It was still bearable.
The limit point where the two could descend was.
The moment they allowed the poison qi to invade.
So they moved their steps slowly but continuously.
How far had they descended.
Finally, flat ground appeared.
The poison qi covering the ground had a different density.
Since the more deadly it was, the heavier it became, the poison qi that had flowed up along the small path had been relatively weaker.
The moment they set foot on the flat ground.
“Kugh.”
Dang Ja-cheong’s face turned pitch black for an instant before recovering.
His body was completely soaked with sweat.
Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
It showed how much effort he was putting forth to resist the poison qi and prevent invasion.
Since Ha Mu-baek was incomparable to Dang Ja-cheong in the depth and amount of internal energy.
He had more leeway, but it wasn’t exactly a comfortable situation.
The end of the cave wasn’t very wide.
So the scene was visible at a glance.
The thick darkness without a single point of light was no obstacle to the two men.
[There’s no poison essence….]
Since he wasn’t confident he could block the poison qi that would invade if he opened his mouth to speak, Dang Ja-cheong sent a sound transmission.
[That’s right. It was probably there.]
Having seen ice crystals before.
Ha Mu-baek pointed to a spot where the poison essence would likely have been, recalling that scene.
Dang Ja-cheong’s eyes turned in that direction.
He nodded.
It seemed likely to him as well.
The poison qi in that spot was the most deadly.
If they went to that place now.
Perhaps.
Dang Ja-cheong might be poisoned and lose his life.
Even without the poison essence.
The remaining poison qi was tremendous.
[With this level of poison qi, it must have been Ten Thousand Year Poison Essence.]
[But the poison essence has disappeared. What could have happened?]
At Ha Mu-baek’s question, Dang Ja-cheong’s expression hardened.
While coming to this place, they hadn’t found the poison essence.
They had found the spot in this final location where the poison essence would have been.
But there was no poison essence.
That meant.
Someone had taken the poison essence, or absorbed it.
It was an absurd thing.
An impossible thing.
But the scene where the poison essence had disappeared existed right before their eyes.
Dang Ja-cheong searched through his mind.
The years past.
He searched and searched through the knowledge of poisons he had accumulated while earning the title Poison Emperor.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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