Twelve valleys, twenty-three peaks.

Ten days after the Nangong family's martial artists covered the entire Guhua Mountain, they finally discovered traces of the Manggongbaek.

Undispersed poison.

Traces of the creature he had been searching for.

"Got you."

The fact that the poison remained undispersed meant the creature was nearby.

"Elder."

"Speak."

At Cheonyeong's call, Nangong Hyeok's face filled with anticipation.

"The creature is nearby. If we deploy many search teams, it will sense us and move again. From now on, I will organize a small search team and personally track the poison."

"You?"

"Yes. The moment we find it, I will sound the horn pipe. Please have the Nangong family martial artists form an encirclement while maintaining maximum distance."

"Understood, I will follow your plan."

"Then."

Having informed Nangong Hyeok of the plan, Cheonyeong immediately called several names and organized a small search team to accompany him.

The Hyeon Gal clan had taught him how to track the creature.

Agile spiritual creatures are skilled at erasing traces.

Thus they are as difficult to pursue as assassins using concealment techniques.

However, if one tracks the traces of poison carried in the creature's breath, pursuit becomes possible.

Cheonyeong immediately rushed forward before the poison dispersed.

* * * 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Crash crash crash!

On the mountainside near a waterfall that fell refreshingly.

The poison was vivid.

The creature must surely be nearby. To find its exact location, Cheonyeong carefully examined the surroundings.

Toward the waterfall?

No, if that were the case, the water's color would have changed.

Then...

"Screeeech!"

Just as he was gauging the location, a martial artist's scream echoed from the mountainside he was examining, and a thick green mist spread densely around the area.

And the cave revealed as the vegetation withered and died.

"Damn it!"

It was identical to the snake cave he had seen before.

Having been chased continuously, the creature, irritated, had hidden in a cave concealed by vegetation and sprayed its poison.

It was the first casualty of the search.

A martial artist directly exposed to the poison writhed in agony as his flesh melted, vomiting black blood before collapsing.

"Damn it, everyone retreat!"

Having given the order to the martial artists, Cheonyeong urgently shouted toward Beakta who had come with him.

"Myeongson! The horn pipe!"

Puu~!

As the horn pipe sounded, Cheonyeong activated the Samyang Divine Skill and rushed toward the poisoned mist where the injured martial artist lay.

"Wait! Family Head!"

"No! Stop!"

"...?"

Byeon Gil-tae, startled and instinctively trying to follow, was stopped by Cheonyeong, who then cautiously picked up the injured martial artist and walked cleanly out of the poisoned mist.

"Phew, just approaching it causes dizziness, yet..."

Byeon Gil-tae clicked his tongue at Cheonyeong's unaffected appearance after traversing the poisoned mist.

"Senior brother can do this too."

"Huh?"

"The Samyang Divine Skill is the force of extreme yang. Since it opposes poison, if one's realm rises slightly, it's entirely possible to endure using the Samyang Divine Skill."

"Ah..."

Byeon Gil-tae nodded at Cheonyeong's words.

Though they learned the same martial art, he was discovering for the first time that it could be applied this way.

"First, the injured martial artist. If you're nearby, you'll also need to draw out all your Samyang. The poison is quite potent."

"Yes."

Having instructed Byeon Gil-tae, Cheonyeong shouted toward the nearby martial artists.

"Everyone, retreat from my vicinity. The poison is strong."

"Yes!"

At Cheonyeong's shout, Beakta and Yu Seong-yeon, as well as the Nangong family's search team, retreated backward.

"But what should we do?"

"There is a way."

Cheonyeong drew a needle from his chest.

Though he hadn't learned medicine, he had experience controlling poison.

When the Successor Beggar had been poisoned, he couldn't cure it, but he could prevent the poison from spreading.

However, he needed to know the mental cultivation method the martial artist was practicing.

If he had to block the flow of internal energy using the heat contained in the needle, a single mistake could result in irreversible damage from his own power, far worse than the poison itself.

"To block the poison, I need to know the mental cultivation method this person is practicing. Is there someone who can tell me?"

"Huh?"

At Cheonyeong's question, the Nangong family's martial artists made troubled expressions.

The secrets of mental cultivation?

To them, that was a secret more precious than life itself, something that should never be revealed to outsiders.

How could he not understand that feeling?

But Cheonyeong, unable to ignore the martial artist dying before his eyes, pleaded again.

"If we leave it like this, there's nothing we can do. We must take measures immediately."

"But the mental cultivation secrets..."

The lives of their injured comrades were important, but they couldn't carelessly reveal the mental cultivation secrets, so the Nangong family's martial artists grimaced in agony.

"Damn it! Do you plan to let him die like this?"

"..."

"If we don't stop the poison from spreading, he'll really die!"

Just as Cheonyeong shouted in frustration, someone urgently cried out.

"Zheng Jing! Lei Hui! Shang Sheng! Shen Jing...!"

Realizing that referred to the acupoints for circulation, Cheonyeong infused Samyang Divine Skill into his needle and inserted it into the martial artist's body.

There was no time to verify anything.

Wasn't the martial artist's skin already turning black and festering?

As all the needles were inserted according to the secrets heard, the martial artist's darkening skin began to stabilize.

"Phew..."

Having barely blocked the poison before it reached the heart, Cheonyeong sighed with cold sweat.

"You foolish fellows! Is the mental cultivation secret more important than your comrade's life!"

"F-Family Head! We..."

"Silence! Your hesitation nearly cost your comrade his life."

It was none other than Nangong Seong-lim, the Nangong family head, who had shouted out the mental cultivation secrets.

He had rushed over upon hearing the horn pipe.

"Stop. What fault do they have? They simply acted as they were taught and followed the regulations they must uphold."

"But..."

"Enough, enough. How can a family head blame martial artists for following regulations?"

"Understood."

Nangong Hyeok, who had stopped the family head from scolding the martial artists, approached Cheonyeong.

"Tang Family Head, thank you. You saved the lives of the Nangong family."

"No, it's because I didn't observe carefully enough that this happened."

"Don't be modest. That only one casualty occurred despite such potent poison spreading is thanks to you. And forgive them—these young ones are experiencing this for the first time and couldn't judge easily."

"I understand."

"It seems I will only receive favors from you."

"Please don't say such things."

"By the way, did you study medicine?"

"No. This isn't treatment, but merely a method of controlling poison. Therefore, we must hurry to show the injured to a physician for treatment."

"I see."

Nangong Hyeok nodded and commanded the family head.

"Family Head, have him taken down the mountain quickly. Place him on a stretcher, but be careful—the needles are in place, so there must be no shock."

"Yes, Father."

After Nangong Hyeok gave his order, he watched Cheonyeong walk toward the cave where the poisoned mist had spread, speaking quietly.

"Family Head."

"Yes, Father."

"Remember that sight clearly."

"Yes."

"He came from Sichuan and is a young dragon just beginning to soar, yet the debt our family owes him is as vast as the sea."

"I understand."

"Even if this matter goes wrong, you must never blame him."

"I heard from Hui. Father, you even gave him your personal seal to the Beggar Gang."

"Hmm..."

"Success or failure is irrelevant. Is he not a man who walks into such thick poisoned mist without hesitation for the sake of the Nangong family? How could I blame him? This will surely become a good connection."

"Yes."

"I too believe so. If the young dragon from Sichuan achieves ascension, who knows how great he will become? I believe. This connection now will surely bring great benefit to our Nangong family as well."

"Yes."

As the father and son conversed, Cheonyeong reached the cave entrance.

"Hmm."

His eyes naturally narrowed at the intensifying poison.

Shiiiii...

The sound of wind?

No.

Looking at how the poisoned mist was sucked into the cave and then expelled outward, the Manggongbaek's breathing was unmistakable.

The poison was... stronger than expected.

Even while protecting himself with the Samyang Divine Skill, he felt dizzy.

Anfa, Huang An.

As Cheonyeong gathered his sight to examine the cave's interior, his pupils began to glow with golden light.

Shiiiiik!

The wind sound grew louder.

The creature was wary of his approach.

The poison grew increasingly stronger.

This creature doesn't yield.

Cheonyeong gritted his teeth and drew the Samyang Divine Skill to its limit.

As the blooming heat shimmered like heat waves and pushed back the poison, the suffocation cleared, and the interior of the dark cave began to become visible.

And revealed along with a pale glow was a massive eye.

The legendary spiritual creature, the Manggongbaek.

...Welcome, little snake.

(End of Chapter)