Chapter 209: The Cult Leader Has No Intention of Losing That Bet

TL: FoodieMonster007

The person Father wanted was the Poison King.

The Demon Supremes' expressions hardened at the mention of the Poison King. They glanced at each other. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon sighed, a sound only I could hear, which told me this task would not be easy.

Father seemed confident the Poison King would never step forward, just as the Demon Supremes' reactions suggested.

"Can you do it?"

"I will try."

Father looked at me with a provocative gaze.

Can you really pull this off? If you truly accomplish this, I will acknowledge you.

Father's gaze turned to the Demon Supremes.

His eyes held no emotion, yet I sensed subtle differences in that impassive gaze.

The way Father looked at the Fist Demon was different from how he looked at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, and different still from how he looked at the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

If only Father knew how much the Flower Sword Supreme respected him. It would be nice if he gave her even a slightly warmer look.

His final gaze rested on the Drunken Demon. With a calmer gaze than ever before, the Drunken Demon met Father's eyes.

After this silent exchange with the Demon Supremes, Father turned and walked toward the Heavenly Demon Hall.

The Demon Supremes and I bowed our heads in respect.

What is Father thinking right now? Will a day ever come when I can sit across from him and hear him openly share the feelings and thoughts he had at this moment?

Once Father left, I bowed my head to the Demon Supremes.

"Thank you so much."

The Flower Sword Supreme said, embarrassed.

"There's no need to thank me. I was dragged here by the Drunken Demon."

"Even that was a great help."

"What do you mean?"

"If all five of you had pushed him, Father, being only human, might have gotten very angry. However, since the Drunken Demon and the Sword Supreme Senior acted as a buffer, his heart must have softened."

The Drunken Demon fussed needlessly.

"I'm ruined. Acting like a drunk in front of the Cult Leader!"

At that, the Flower Sword Supreme snatched the liquor bottle from his waist and gulped down some alcohol.

"I'm the one who said too many useless things in front of the Cult Leader."

The Drunken Demon took the bottle back and drank.

"It's because of this worthless friend."

"As long as you know."

I cut into their conversation.

"No, you all gathered because of me, so it's my fault."

I bowed respectfully to the Demon Supremes once more.

"I'll repay you for today's events for a long time to come. You can't imagine how reassured I feel having the five of you here. Thank you so much. Since we're all gathered today, let me just say one thing… Ah, wait! I'll make it short. I'm not that talkative. Let's all get together and plan a strategy to recruit the Poison King…."

The five Demon Supremes had already departed in five different directions without a single glance back.

"You're all too much!"

Since I did not have five bodies, I launched myself after one of them.

I chased after the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.

He seemed pleased I had followed him, yet he acted needlessly grumpy.

"Why didn't you follow the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon?"

"To me, Elder is always the best."

"I thought extreme evil was the best for you?"

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon recounted what had happened.

"Earlier, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon risked everything. The Cult Leader, myself, and the Fist Demon… none of us knew he would go that far."

I didn't know the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon had come on so strong. Lord Smiling Demon, I have received your response loud and clear.

"I should have been there."

"That's what made it even more amazing. The fact that he did it even without you there. You can't do something like that unless you genuinely care for someone."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon was amazing in that moment. He had every right to be jealous of my relationship with the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, yet he relayed everything exactly as it happened, even calling it amazing. How could I not like this man?

"When on earth did you two get so close?"

"I'm not sure myself. We just sort of became friends."

"Friends? What's the age difference between you two?"

That is what I am saying. I am so much older. I have lived even longer than you, Elder.

"Isn't there such a thing as a friendship that transcends age?"

"This great friendship is making me thirsty. Go get some tea."

I brought the teapot from the bedside table and poured a cup for the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. The sight of his still-gaunt arm pained my heart.

"Have you been eating well lately?"

"Why the sudden talk about meals?"

"To me, Elder's health is the most important thing. What does the Poison King matter, and what does some silly permission matter?"

"Such insincere words."

Still, he seemed pleased. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon drank his tea with a faint smile.

"You were the first one to go to Father today, weren't you?"

"That's just because I'm impatient. Don't read any meaning into me going first."

"I will read meaning into it. The Elder who rushed to Father first for my sake!"

"Alright, honestly, I was planning to boast a little about being the first one there, but today, I was completely defeated by that masked fellow."

It seemed that masked fellow had moved the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's heart today.

"Even so, it seems like everyone's efforts were in vain."

He sighed when he brought up the Poison King. The other Demon Supremes' expressions had reflected a similar sentiment.

"Is it that difficult to bring him in?"

"It would've been easier if he had said to bring all of the Eight Demon Supremes instead. We could have held a Demon Supreme assembly and pushed for it politically. However, by specifically naming the Poison King, he prevented that from happening. The Cult Leader… he's surprisingly clever."

"Do you know anything about the Poison King?"

"I have no personal connection with him. From what I've seen, he's a man with a firm world of his own, and he's very prideful. He's crazy about poison. That's all I know."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon's worry was not about those personality traits. It was about this.

"In the face of the Poison King's poison, can you still be yourself?"

Can I be myself in the face of the Poison King's poison?

I understood his worry. Poison instills a fundamental fear, the fear of dying without a proper fight. For that reason, martial artists were most reluctant to face the Poison King, along with the deceased Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme.

"No matter how silver-tongued you are, or how good you are at flattery, can you really be so bold in front of the Poison King, a poison user? He's someone who could poison you without a trace and make you die of illness years later."

In fact, I could be the boldest. Since poison did not work on me, he was, to me at least, the weakest of the Eight Demon Supremes.

That was actually why I was worried.

The moment I wrongly wounded his pride, bringing him before Father would become impossible forever.

Before my regression, the Poison King was already dead when I returned to our Cult for materials for the Great Art. The next Poison King was in the Demon Supreme's seat.

I know how he died, and I know how many people he took with him when he died.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon stared at me as I was lost in thought.

"Do you have a method in mind?"

"Of course. I must somehow learn the secret to making the Poison King my ally from you, Elder."

"If you use the methods I have, you'll become estranged even from those you're close to."

As he said this, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon stared intently at me.

"If I had to give you advice, I'd say do what you do best."

"What's that?"

"The Cult Leader called it a cheap sentimentality that's perfect for getting yourself killed."

I burst out laughing. It was surprising that Father and the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had such a conversation. The fact that Father used that expression with someone else was proof that we had grown one step closer.

"Unleash it, just as you did with me and the other Demon Supremes."

Look the other person straight in the eye, and if you have something to say, say it without delay.

I dealt with people based on those two beliefs. Whether they would work on the Poison King was another matter.

"I understand, Elder."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon took something from his robes and held it out to me. It was the highest-grade Antitoxin Bead I had given him as a birthday present.

"Take this with you. I've washed it clean, so don't say it's dirty."

I looked down at the Antitoxin Bead in silence. This was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's heart, and lately, that heart kept shaking my own.

I took out two Antitoxin Beads from my robes and held them in my cheeks.

"I'll go with my cheeks full like a squirrel! You keep this one, and if I fall to the Poison King, bring it and save me."

"No way! I'm never going to that filthy pit of poison."

I knew he would be the first to come running, so I would not let that happen.

"Please rest. I'll be on my way now."

"Don't overdo it. It might seem like a grand affair your destiny hangs on right now… but when you look back, it's all nothing."

"Yes, I'll keep that in mind."

The day had already grown dark by the time I left the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's residence.

The pressure to do well sometimes weighs me down when everyone is watching me, observing what path I will take.

At times like these, there is always someone who comes to mind. Forgetting the Poison King and Father's permission, I followed the pull of my instincts, seeking solace as I slowly made my way.

Lee Ahn was once again dedicating herself to tireless training.

A maturity born from painstaking effort showed in the nine forms of the Soaring Sky Sword Art she performed.

CHWARAK.

Her sword qi split into two in front of her chest. Her inner arts were still insufficient to divide it further, but she had succeeded in accurately executing the Ominous Sky Strike.

SHWIIIIK. SHWIIK!

The two streams of sword qi shot through the air like arrows and embedded themselves to the left and right of my face. Her sword was on my left, and the sword-shaped sword qi was on my right.

The girl who used to be too engrossed in training to notice my arrival now launched the Ominous Sky Strike at me.

"I can finally send you out to the Central Plains with peace of mind. It's time for you to descend the mountain, Lee Ahn. Try not to kill too many people."

"I refuse, Young Lord. I'm going to stick right by your side and live comfortably like this forever. Ah! Although that comfort is about to end."

"Congratulations."

"You heard, right? Green Mask Senior has finally joined as the First Division Leader of the Ghost Shadow Squad."

Her voice trembled. This was a major event in her life, aside from matters related to me. The successor to the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon had become a Division Leader in the organization she led.

"How do you feel?"

"Nervous."

"The most important thing is to believe in yourself. People know these things instinctively. 'Ah, that person has no confidence to lead us. We're screwed. We're all going to die like dogs in the end.'"

Lee Ahn sighed.

"I believe in myself, of course. I'm just worried if my abilities will be up to the task."

"If you can't trust yourself, trust your backer."

At that, Lee Ahn lifted her head and grinned.

"That's something I can trust."

"Consult with Green Mask and start building the organization in earnest. There's one principle. Create the most elite organization in our Cult. Look at their skills, and look at their character. You're not creating a group of butchers who are merely skilled, but a trustworthy elite force. Fill it with people like Jang Ho or Detective Seo. Got it?"

"……"

"From now on, your eye for people is more important than your technique. That's what will save you."

Lee Ahn's life as the head of an organization was just beginning.

I talked with her about various things, and being with her put my mind at ease. The moon, which had looked forlorn when I arrived, now warmly illuminated the world outside the window.

As I left, I did not forget one last joke. She had endured all those side effects to become beautiful, yet all she did was train. I had to say something.

"I thought you were the world's number one beauty, but I guess not."

For a moment, Lee Ahn tensed up, wondering what I meant.

"You've gotten even prettier than before you left the Cult. If you're the world's number one beauty, you're not supposed to get any prettier, right?"

I left her there, her face turning red. Lee Ahn was not getting any sleep tonight.

The next day, on my way to meet the Poison King, I stopped by to see the Insect Physician.

He happened to be free of patients and looked surprised to see me.

"Second Young Lord, I've been seeing you often lately."

"Watching you save people, Physician, just makes me feel good for some reason."

How could the Insect Physician not know I had come with a purpose?

"I don't know when another patient might rush in, so state your business quickly."

"There's something I'd like to ask you, Physician."

"Speak."

"Do you happen to have any dealings with the Poison King?"

I asked as if I did not know, though I was aware the Insect Physician was the only person the Poison King interacted with. It was one of the few pieces of information I had about the Poison King.

"One of you is a person who saves lives, and the other is a person who kills with poison, are you not? They say opposites attract, so I thought perhaps you two might share a friendship."

"Why the Poison King?"

"There is something I want from Father, and he has set a condition that I must persuade the Poison King to come with me."

The Insect Physician shook his head.

"In that case, the Cult Leader has no intention of losing that bet."

The Insect Physician also believed I could not persuade the Poison King.

"I know you are a remarkable person, Second Young Lord. However, the Poison King will not be easy."

"Do you have any words for me?"

The Insect Physician hesitated for a moment. He was likely contemplating how much he should say, caught between his friendship with the Poison King and his relationship with me.

"In all my life, I have met many poison users, but I have never seen someone as sincere about poison as the Poison King. His pride is just as strong. He's a man who believes the only person he cannot kill with his poison is the Cult Leader."

This was also why I could not carelessly reveal my Myriad Poison Immunity. The moment I wrongly wounded his pride and self-esteem, I would ruin everything.

"Wait a moment."

The Insect Physician left for a moment and returned with a small medicine bottle.

"This is the best antidote I have. I can't guarantee it will neutralize all of the Poison King's poisons, but it should be helpful."

I returned the antidote to him.

"Please use this medicine for something more important."

"Why is that?"

"For the Poison King to poison me would only be possible if he were plotting a rebellion at the risk of his own life. At that point, he would use a poison that no antidote could cure."

"You are right."

The Insect Physician nodded.

"Then I will see you again."

I visited the Insect Physician because he would be the most helpful person in persuading the Poison King in the future.

There will be something you can help me with in the future, and that task will not just be for my sake, but for yours as well, Physician.

As I got up to leave, the Insect Physician said one last thing.

"Do you know what the Poison King's dream is? It's to achieve complete mastery of all the poisons in this world and leave them behind in a book. Even now, he is silently researching poisons all by himself. The key will be getting him to come out of his laboratory. He's a man with no interest in the world."

The Poison King had lied even to the only person he interacted with. His dream was not to achieve complete mastery of the world's poisons.

He was a man who dreamed of becoming the World's Best Poison Master, one who would bring the murim to its knees with his poison.

Leaving the infirmary, I headed toward the southwest of the Cult's territory. There lay the Thousand Poisons Forest, where the Poison King lived.