Chapter 636
The valley was narrow and dark. Massive ancient trees, so old their age was impossible to guess, grew thickly and blocked out the moonlight. Strange plants and creatures I had never seen before filled the surroundings.
And among them were some with considerable aggression.
Swoosh. While using the Phantom Ghost Killing Steps, I suddenly reached out. Something shot up from the bushes like lightning and ended up thrashing in my grip.
Chirit. Chiririt!
‘What the hell? A snake?’
Looking closer, it was half right, half wrong.
It was a snake, but not an ordinary one. The horns sprouting from both sides of its triangular head proved that.
Wait. I’ve seen this somewhere before.
Staring intently at the snake, I muttered under my breath.
“Mimi… no, is this the Thousand-Year Venomous Horned Serpent?”
Chirit.
No way. What’s it doing here? Wasn’t the Thousand-Year Venomous Horned Serpent one of the rarest venomous beasts in the entire world?
‘Then again, it looks a little different.’ Guess that’s how it is in pseudo-China. Full of knock-offs.
Compared to Mimi, this one’s body was bigger, but the gloss of its scales and the size of its horns were inferior.
I stared blankly at the snake in my hand before tossing it far away and quickening my pace.
Whether it was truly a Thousand-Year Venomous Horned Serpent or not, one thing was certain—the valley was far from safe.
‘So it really is a trap?’
Because I had been delayed before entering, the Black Tiger and Beast Miao King were already far ahead.
Fortunately, unlike the Black Tiger, who left no trace as if he were truly a wraith, the Beast Miao King’s footprints remained here and there.
Swish, swish!
After running about half a kkeok, I spotted a wide swamp ahead and a familiar back at its center. I shouted.
“Yal Mok! Stop! Don’t charge blindly!”
“…I was already stopped.”
He wasn’t lying.
Though his face was still clouded with rage, the Beast Miao King stood rooted in place, surrounded by the corpses of poisonous creatures and wild beasts.
“What is this?”
“They suddenly rushed at me from all directions like mad. Because of that, I lost him.”
Whether man or beast, neither would rashly attack the strong. In fact, beasts with sharp instincts would be even more cautious.
And yet, they dared block the path of the Beast Miao King…
“Was it perhaps for his sake?”
“Who knows. But no reason would be strange. This land has always been like this. A hundred years ago, two hundred years ago, it was the same.”
A peculiar answer. As if he had known from the start.
When I gave him a questioning look, he continued with a hardened expression.
“In the past, unlike other tribes, the Wudu Clan focused not on beasts but on raising poisonous creatures.”
Poison is despised everywhere, but in truth, it is the most efficient weapon.
For the Wudu Clan, that was even truer. They had made enemies of the entire Southern Barbarian Region, and they had to face enemies numbering tens of times their own.
“They created a place called the Poison-Blooded Land. A site filled with the fiercest and most vicious beasts and venomous creatures in the world, not just the South. It was the deadliest and most secretive legacy the Wudu Clan left behind.”
“Are you saying this place is…?”
The Beast Miao King gave a small nod.
“This is the Poison-Blooded Land.”
“Hoo. No wonder there’s not even a path. But it doesn’t seem as dangerous as you say. I can still breathe.”
Sure, I’d run into a knock-off Thousand-Year Venomous Horned Serpent, and the air was laced with a faint carbonation-like poison, but so far it was tolerable.
Of course, that changed after hearing his next words.
“Of course. We’re only at the outskirts. This is just the entrance.”
“The entrance?”
“According to records, over a hundred years ago, the strongest elites of the Southern tribes entered this place. They carried hundreds of jars filled with lamp oil and held Poison-Avoiding Beads in their mouths. Do you know how it ended?”
“Doesn’t sound like they all lived happily ever after.”
“Not a single one returned. That was the end of it all. And that is why Mount Aino is still known as a forbidden land.”
Following his gaze, I saw an enormous swamp stretching hundreds of jang.
As I blankly stared at the mist above it, I cautiously spoke.
“But… is the mist here usually green?”
“Of course not. Mist is white.”
“That’s green.”
“Ah. That’s because it’s Poison Fog.”
The casual way he said it, as if announcing what’s for dinner, left me dumbfounded. I forced myself to stay calm and asked,
“…Where exactly did you bring me?”
“The Poison-Blooded Land.”
Damn it, is that even an answer?
At my incredulous stare, the Beast Miao King clicked his tongue.
“I only realized it after coming in. The exact location was never recorded.”
What a screwed-up situation. I wondered if the White Tiger could bring the others this far while I asked,
“So what lies further inside?”
“How would I know? They all died.”
“That’s very reassuring.”
“The former Palace Master of the Southern Beast Palace, Baek Sang’s grandfather, perished there as well. He was said to be the strongest warrior in the history of the White Tribe.”
The Southern Beast Palace wasn’t passed down purely by bloodline. Even Yal Mok was only a nominal successor. If the Palace Master’s seat became vacant, a tribal assembly would be held, and the chiefs of the four great tribes would vote for the next Palace Master.
“Stronger than you?”
“Hard to say. Standards of strength always change. But had he lived in my time, it wouldn’t be strange if there was not a Beast Miao King, but a Beast White King.”
For him to speak this way, the man must have been at least peak Transcendent Realm, having opened his middle Dantian.
‘The problem is, such a master perished along with the South’s elites in this Poison-Blooded Land.’
And the bigger problem was—I had to go in.
Still…
“Now that I’ve come this far, I can’t turn back. Let’s go.”
The Beast Miao King looked at me in surprise.
“Unexpected. I thought you’d want to retreat.”
“Who said that? Once a man draws his sword, even the Poison-Blooded Land won’t stop him.”
“…Who said that?”
“Me.”
He looked at me sourly, then chuckled.
“Hah. Fire King raised you well.”
“Well, it was a time of endless violence and oppression… but what’s the point of whining? Even if I say something, you won’t listen anyway.”
“Is that what you call talking?”
Crack.
His tightly clenched fist popped loudly as he spoke in a chilling tone.
“I am not only the Great Chief of the Miao Tribe but also the Palace Master of the Southern Beast Palace. I must exact their blood price.”
Maybe that’s why he could become Palace Master.
While I looked at him anew, he suddenly spoke.
“Thank you. For helping.”
“What else could I do? People died. I can’t just leave you alone.”
“Even if Dark Heaven isn’t inside, you’d still go?”
“I’m not that much of a coward.”
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
“In the Central Plains, they call men like you chivalrous warriors.”
“Those who hate me usually call me a crazy bastard. Or just a lunatic.”
It was true, so it didn’t hurt.
And most of the people who said that had ended up dead by my hand. People should always watch their mouths.
‘Chivalrous warrior, huh.’ I still wasn’t sure. I had just gone along, and somehow earned the name. In the Central Plains, they call me that. In the modern world, a hero.
But what does it matter? I’ve always done what I wanted. And Dark Heaven was one of the things I couldn’t stand.
‘Yeah. Let’s see what’s inside. Whatever waits, as long as I’m with the Beast Miao King, even if the Southern Demon Empress herself is waiting, we have a chance.’
Step.
With that thought, I followed him into the swamp wrapped in green Poison Fog.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
* Quest requirement, [Investigate Mount Aino within the time limit], has been completed!
* Emergency quest, [Unknown Omen], has been successfully completed!
* Quest rewards granted!
* You have gained a small amount of experience and fame!
* [Acquired High-Grade Antidote x2]!
The sudden system notification echoed. But that wasn’t all.
Ding.
* You have entered the hidden location, [Poison-Blooded Land]!
* [Poison-Blooded Land] was created by the long-lost Wudu Clan, where they raised countless venomous creatures and crafted incurable poisons.
* Rare achievement, [How Did You Even Find This?], has been attained!
* Achievement reward: [High-Grade Poison-Avoiding Bead]!
* A follow-up quest has been generated!
* Quest: [Don’t Cross That Swamp, Dude]. Accept? Y / N
‘What the hell kind of title is that?’
The more I looked, the less I wanted to answer. But in the end, I nodded.
* Quest [Don’t Cross That Swamp, Dude] has been accepted!
Then, as I sighed in the Poison Fog, I realized something.
Beep.
* [Poison Fog] penalty has been triggered!
Something was seriously wrong.
Beep! Beep! Beep-beep-beep!
* The poison in the air seeps into your body through respiration and skin contact!
* Thanks to your traits, [Immune to All Poisons] and [Scorching Yang Energy], the [Poisoned] penalty has been reduced!
* Status abnormality: [Mild Poisoning] inflicted!
* All stats reduced by 10!
* If [Mild Poisoning] persists, penalties will worsen and may result in death!
‘Just from one breath?’
Even if I didn’t breathe, poison seeped in through the skin.
‘What kind of bullshit is this?’
It was ridiculous, but I endured. Fortunately, I had just the thing for this situation.
‘Inventory open. Summon.’
I pulled out a ring embedded with a dark jewel—
the Myriad Poisons Ring, the treasured relic of the Sichuan Tang Clan.
The moment I slipped it onto my finger, a system notification confirmed my status ailments had been removed, and my heavy body felt light again.
“Heh.”
Smiling as I stroked the ring, I froze when I noticed someone’s cold gaze.
“Whoa, what is it now?”
“…Huff. Poison. Huff. Don’t… talk.”
Ah, right. I’d forgotten about him.
Looking at the Beast Miao King with a cold stare, I tossed him the High-Grade Poison-Avoiding Bead I’d gotten as an achievement reward.