I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel-Chapter 262

Not all poisons are the same.

The venom of a venomous insect is strong, but a snake's venom is stronger. And beyond that, the venom of a beast of calamity is even more potent.

And then there’s the kind of poison that makes even a beast of calamity’s venom look like nothing—the poison of Gomodo.

Of course, I wasn’t referring to my own poison. Rather, the poison arts of the previous Gomodo had surpassed even the venom of such monstrous creatures.

Gomodo was a truly legendary venomous lizard.

I wasn’t even sure if calling the previous Gomodo a lizard was appropriate, but since we were technically the same species, I figured it was fine.

Tang Mu-yeong had once told me that the poisons used by the Tang Clan were mere attempts to recreate the power of Gomodo.

Even a mere imitation of Gomodo’s poison was enough to make them the strongest poison-wielding family in the central plains—so that should give an idea of just how terrifying the original source was.

But classifying poison wasn't just about strength.

Whether it was a scorpion’s venom, a viper’s bite, or the poison of a beast of calamity, the end result was the same—the enemy died.

Once a poison reached a certain level of lethality, the differences between them became negligible.

Even the strongest poison was useless if you couldn’t utilize it properly.

That was why, when categorizing poisons, form was just as important as potency.

How did it look? How did it smell?

In other words, could it be identified?

Even a poison capable of killing someone instantly was useless if the victim could tell it was poison.

That was why poison techniques focused more on concealment rather than sheer potency.

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And among all types of poison, the most feared was Formless Poison.

A toxin without color, scent, or shape.

A poison so insidious that even a grandmaster wouldn’t be able to resist it.

Of course, I couldn’t use such a thing.

But I didn’t need to.

Why did I use poison in the first place?

To kill my enemies?

That was a bit of a brutish approach. If that was all I wanted, I could simply enlarge myself and stomp them all to death.

Honestly, poisoning them to death was far more troublesome.

The reason I used poison arts was to instill fear.

So, I didn’t need something as subtle as Formless Poison.

While the Tang Clan had evolved their poisons to be undetectable, mine had developed in the opposite direction.

Since my understanding of poison wasn’t particularly deep, my venom appeared even more menacing as a result.

If a member of the Tang Clan saw my poison, they’d probably click their tongue in disapproval.

"Tch, you call that poison?"

But once they realized who the poison belonged to—Gomodo—they’d quickly change their tune.

"Ah! It is indeed the poison of a great master!"

Either way, my poison wasn’t particularly powerful or refined, but unless someone was an expert, they wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

Tssss...

It grew thicker.

More potent.

More savage.

“Ghhk...”

For an average martial artist, reacting with sheer terror was the natural response.

In reality, the effects were mild—hair loss, stomach pain, and difficulty breathing.

But that was more than enough to strike fear into them.

And in the midst of that fear, a tiny lizard suddenly appeared.

Their eyes filled with pure horror.

“Gekek.”

Relax. I’m not doing anything too dangerous.

I’m just making sure you don’t reinforce Seolhwa.

And even if you try, you won’t be in any condition to fight.

If anyone needs an antidote, raise your hand now.

Hand over some useful information, and I might even let you keep your hair.

*

Meanwhile, Seolhwa...

Baek Seolhwa remained seated.

In the distance, she could hear chaotic commotion.

Even some screams.

It wasn’t hard to guess what was happening.

That lizard was up to something again.

A simple stealth approach would have sufficed, but instead, he was using that tiny body to cause as much trouble as possible to ease his own burden.

That made her smile.

As the leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult, and as someone willing to take risks for her elder sister, his actions made her proud.

Though, she still found it infuriating that he kept stealing her rice cakes.

Still, she supposed it wasn’t unreasonable.

If he was willing to risk his life like this, then it was no surprise that he was constantly hungry in that tiny body.

Just as she was listening to the lizard’s antics, an unwelcome voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Lady of the Ice Palace. Are you comfortable in your seat?”

It was the Lord of Black Cloud Hall.

Though his tone was slightly different from when he thought she was the Ice Palace Lord.

"Since when did you speak like that, Lord of Black Cloud Hall?"

"Heh... Doesn’t it depend on the situation?"

"So it changes based on the situation?"

"Of course. If you were truly the North Sea Ice Palace Lord, I would have shown proper respect..."

BANG!

The door shattered as the Lord’s subordinates rushed in behind him.

"But now that I know you're nothing but a vile spy, the situation has changed!"

Seolhwa remained seated, watching the martial artists who had stormed in.

"A vile spy?"

"How dare you impersonate the Ice Palace Lord! Do you not fear the Ice Palace’s wrath?!"

"Fear the Ice Palace? But I have Lin’s permission."

At that, the Hall Lord momentarily hesitated.

After all, the name of the North Sea Ice Palace Lord was Arin.

"Hmph, still trying to deceive me?! Do you think I’ll be fooled by your honeyed words?!"

"You’re accusing me of impersonating the Ice Palace Lord? Fine, I’ll let that slide. But you claim I destroyed Black Cloud Hall’s property?"

"You dare play innocent?! You ordered that lizard to consume our precious elixirs!"

Seolhwa smirked.

"You’re telling me that I ordered the lizard that was meant to be offered to him? Do you even realize what you're saying?"

If this were a moment ago, the Hall Lord would have fallen silent, struck dumb.

But now, he had reached his limit.

"Gal! You filthy spy, so you’re going to keep this up until the end?!"

As far as he was concerned, he had done nothing wrong.

Why?

Because everything was this woman’s fault.

No matter what had happened, no matter what had been lost—he bore no responsibility.

He could simply blame it all on her.

"I, Changmu, the Black Cloud Hall Lord, will deliver judgment upon you with my sword."

Shiiing.

A cold, sharp blade was drawn.

At his movement, his subordinates behind him also drew their swords.

Their expressions twisted into something bizarre.

They were well aware that the woman standing before them was a Hwagyeong master.

The Hall Lord had reminded them of it several times before they launched this attack.

But despite that, they weren't afraid.

After all, the Hall Lord himself was also a Hwagyeong master.

They had a formation of several Peak Realm masters, two Transcendent Realm masters, and their Hwagyeong-level Hall Lord.

Even if she was Hwagyeong, there was no way she could withstand their combined assault.

They were confident that they could take her down without suffering a single injury.

With that confidence, their true desires became more apparent.

How many times had their gazes drifted to the grand prize the lizard had been protecting?

Though they hadn’t been able to get a good look—since the lizard kept snapping at them whenever they tried.

"...Hall Lord, the spirit beast entrusted to us by Docheol is missing."

Now that he mentioned it—the lizard was gone.

That smug little thing that always curled up happily near this woman’s chest was nowhere to be seen.

The Hall Lord’s expression twisted as he realized it as well.

"...You. Where did you put that lizard?"

It was undeniable that this woman was a spy, and he fully intended to kill her.

But the lizard was another matter.

It was true that it had been deceived by the spy and had consumed their precious elixirs.

However, punishing the lizard was out of the question.

It was a spirit beast entrusted by Docheol, meant to be offered to the True Dragon.

If they were forced to kill it, they at least had to present its corpse as an offering. Otherwise, their own heads would roll.

"Why are you asking me about the lizard?"

"So you’re going to play dumb now?"

Did she steal the lizard?

No, if she had absorbed a spirit beast of that caliber, her internal energy would have increased dramatically—there was no way the Hall Lord wouldn’t have noticed.

The lizard was somewhere else.

He didn’t know where, but this spy must have anticipated this situation and hidden it beforehand.

"Red Gale Squad, Blue Gale Squad—split up and find the lizard."

Even if they killed her, losing the lizard would be catastrophic.

Dividing his forces was a risk, but recovering the lizard took priority.

"But, Hall Lord—"

"It’s fine. I’ll handle her myself."

Baek Seolhwa quietly observed them.

There were two Transcendent Realm masters among them.

The lizard was roughly at the Transcendent Realm as well, so if those two went after him, things could get dangerous.

Of course, Ko Hui had already surpassed the Transcendent Realm by a wide margin—but since she had never seen his true form, Seolhwa was making the most reasonable assumption she could.

"Strange."

Her calm voice rang through the hall.

"You realized I wasn’t the Ice Palace Lord... but why are you still trying to fight me?"

"Are you stalling for time?! It’s too late for that! Red Gale! Blue Gale! Find that lizard—NOW!"

"Understood!"

The two martial artists bearing the Red Gale and Blue Gale titles responded instantly.

That was when Seolhwa spoke again.

"Doesn’t something seem... strange to you?"

Her voice suddenly chilled the air.

Gone was the clear, serene tone.

It was now cold and detached.

"Even with my exceptional disguise technique, how could I perfectly impersonate the Ice Palace Lord?"

The Black Cloud Hall was not an ordinary sect.

Many had tried to infiltrate it.

None had succeeded.

Yet Baek Seolhwa had done exactly that.

Because she hadn’t just copied a face.

She had made them believe she was the Ice Palace Lord.

CRACK—CRACK—CRACK!

The entryway that the Hall Lord had smashed through was now completely frozen over.

A vicious frost and biting chill filled the entire chamber.

CRACKLE!

Two serpent-like dragons of ice coiled around her hands, twisting into existence.

Every martial artist in the room murmured the same words in horror.

"Th-That’s... Ice White Divine Art!"

A technique that had earned the title of a Divine Art—the supreme skill of the Ice Palace.

"Y-You—How could you possibly—?!"

Unlike the restrained display she had shown the lizard, Seolhwa was no longer holding back.

She was no longer concealing her strength.

The reason she had been able to fool the Black Cloud Hall was simple.

Because she shared the same constitution as the Ice Palace Lord.

Baek Seolhwa.

The coldest flower of the Heavenly Demon Cult—born with the Nine Yin Constitution.

"For a while, my body has felt too cold... so I really didn’t want to do this."

Her gaze shifted past the frozen entrance, beyond the sealed doorway.

"When this is over, I should go to the hot springs with that lizard."

A small smile formed on her lips.

Then, she began walking slowly toward the terrified warriors.