In the Mansion of the Venom Clan, the Poison King sat in his chamber. He was doing nothing; he was simply sitting. Suddenly, he felt a presence in the room. He rose instantly, gripping his staff.
Jin emerged from the shadows with his habitual calm.
Jin: "Steady, Poison King. I will not fight on clan grounds. I have no desire to destroy anything; I have even come unarmed."
Shin Yuan-zi stared at Jin for several moments. He found him indeed weaponless, with no killing intent in his words.
Poison King: "Do you trust that I won't kill you to that extent? Or do you trust your ability to kill me?"
Jin: "Neither. I already know that you have earned the right to fight me. There is no need to destroy anything or spread rumors that the Poison King himself is fighting a youth who doesn't even hold a rank in the Sect."
Poison King: "Rumors spread regardless of what I do."
Jin: (Sighs) "And are there ever rumors where the facts are told exactly as they are? You know that news is spread with intent. I won't prolong my words; neither I nor you wish to drag out this conversation."
Poison King: "Then what is it you want?"
Jin: "The Blade Demon. I cannot reach his location. Bring him out so we can meet and settle our debts."
Poison King: "You know... though I loathe you deeply, I must admit this: you deserve special treatment."
Jin: "Thank you. It seems you aren't the madman the rumors claim. Regardless, I will return in two days. You choose the battlefield—preferably one of the deserted peaks. And do not worry about the Blade Demon; he is quite childish. A simple provocation like this will be enough to bring him."
Poison King: "Where do you get such confidence, boy? Why are you convinced you are dangerous enough for me to listen to your demands? We are Superior Demons, as you well know."
Jin: "It isn't a matter of confidence. But if it weren't so, we wouldn't have reached this stage. Furthermore, I do not want a place centuries old to be destroyed, or a simple servant to be killed in a fight between us. Though you justify the killing of humans for your venom experiments, I don't think you are indifferent to the dignity of your clan or its members. Or am I wrong?"
The Poison King gazed at him for a moment, unable to believe that a youth who hadn't even reached twenty years of age could speak to him this way.
Poison King: "Fine. Return in two days. And do not worry, I won't tell the Blade Demon of our upcoming meeting; he would likely betray the plan and attack early."
Jin smiled.
Jin: "Very well, Superior Demon. Let us meet again."
One week later, in a deserted region
Yuan: "Will they truly come?"
Jin: "Certainly. But that isn't what truly occupies my mind."
Yuan: "Then what is?"
Jin: "It has been more than a year since I came to the Murim. Rumors about important things are news more than they are mere whispers. And also... I feel that things are orchestrated toward specific results. A person like the Blade Demon cannot be left alive like this, as if he were left to be a test for someone."
Yuan did not reply. After reflecting on Jin's words and the events, he realized that things were indeed strange.
The Poison King arrived. He was truly alone.
Jin: "You actually came alone. Despite everything, you deserve respect in the end."
Moments hadn't passed before the atmosphere shifted. They all felt an overwhelming presence.
Poison King: "It was in your power to abandon the fight and flee the continent. You are not of the People of Jianghu; you are not even a Chinese from Earth."
Jin: "There is no use in running. If things are to end, they must end quickly."
No one spoke again. The Blade Demon appeared and attacked instantly, without a single word.
Jin and Yuan evaded the strike—a clean cut that split the earth for over ten meters. They engaged rapidly. No one spoke; the battle was pure malice, leaving no room for discussion.
Jin: Lesser Heavenly Demon Art – Fourth Movement.
Poison King: Storm of a Hundred Venoms.
A single wave of the King's staff unleashed a torrent of energy coated in poison. Jin could not face it with a sword.
Jin: Magic Shield – Fourth Circle.
On the other side, Yuan was struggling to hold his ground against the Blade Demon.
Yuan: Lesser Demon Art – Fifth Movement.
Blade Demon: Soaring Blade Art – Third Movement.
The clash alone was enough to completely shatter the ground beneath them. Yuan was desperately trying to survive the monster before him.
Blade Demon: "Are you enjoying yourself after choosing to rebel against me? You are exactly like me—just a killer who enjoys the sounds of pain and agony."
Yuan (Enraged): "You sick man, do not compare us!"
Waves of strikes and clashes followed. Dozens of craters scarred the earth. The sound of battle reached hundreds of meters away.
Jin, on the other side, was suffering.
Jin: Flame Vortex – Fourth Circle.
Poison King: Waterfall of Venom.
One hundred venoms...
Two hundred...
Three hundred...
Each attack contained more toxin and greater energy. Jin could no longer block them with a magic shield; the toxins began to dissolve magic itself. Trees, plants, the earth—everything the poison touched began to melt. Even Jin's clothes began to dissolve, and his barely healed wounds were reopened by poisonous lacerations.
The Great Guardian was watching from afar, his focus intense. Even he did not expect the boy to fight this way instead of taking them on one by one.
Great Guardian: "Is he insane or what? Why did he make it this way? And why did he hurry? He could have fought the Poison King alone and then fought the Blade Demon. Why did he and his friend choose to take on such a miraculous challenge?"
The Right and Left Guardians arrived.
Right Guardian: "What is this madness? Stop them!"
Left Guardian: "Are these two truly the same children who entered the Academy?"
Great Guardian: "There is no use in stopping them now. Either they transcend their limits, or I intervene before they die."
Right Guardian: "An informant from the Elders' Council has arrived. In a short time, the council members and the Superior Demons will be here."
Great Guardian: "Do not worry. Once I announce this matter, no one will be able to do anything."
Right Guardian: "Don't tell me... has he truly decided to do it?"
Yuan was reaching his absolute limit. Less than half an hour had passed since the start of the fight, but the end was near. He had performed almost every technique he knew, even mimicking the Blade Demon's arts, but to no avail. His wounds increased; he could no longer keep pace with the fight.
Near Jin, the Poison King had become deadly serious.
Poison King: Sea of Poison – Final Formation.
A complete vortex of venom erupted before Jin. There was no time to evade. Jin reinforced his body with every ounce of energy he possessed and plunged into the vortex. His skin was damaged and began to erode. Most of his clothes dissolved. Even his golden sword began to melt.
He endured miraculously in the center of it. Had he not specifically reinforced his face, he would have been disfigured long ago.
Jin (In his mind): Damn it, there is no hope in this fight. I must use that!
He spoke to Yuan telepathically: "Yuan, lure the Blade Demon to me. Get him close to the Poison King. Quickly!"
Yuan executed the order immediately, drawing the Blade Demon toward their position. The Elders and the Superior Demons reached the site rapidly.
Right Guardian: "End this quickly, Great Guardian! They have spiraled out of control!"
Great Guardian: "Wait just a little longer. The Sect Leader would not place all that trust in this youth for nothing."
Jung Seo-rin and Bai Seol-yun arrived before the others.
Seol-yun: "What is this madness!! Do not get involved, Seo-rin. The two youths will surely die."
Seo-rin: "I won't intervene. My father wants that child alive."
The Elders arrived.
"What is this nonsense? Are these truly teenagers?"
"This is illogical. We all came believing it was an enemy from the Alliance!"
Words flew quickly among the crowd. But in the battle, Yuan succeeded in luring the Blade Demon. He became no more than two meters away from the Poison King.
Great Guardian: "That is enough. I will stop this now."
The Guardian leapt, intending to stand in the middle of the fray, but...
The presence changed completely.
Jin threw his sword away and looked at the two monsters pouncing on him. His aura shifted entirely, and dark energy surged around him. He moved his hand as if forming a projectile of energy; his left eye turned the color of the abyss.
The Great Guardian's stance changed mid-air as he redirected his momentum.
Great Guardian (Trembling): "What in heaven's name is this? Am I actually... afraid?"
Darkness condensed between Jin's hands. Behind him, a dragon of pure aura took shape. It was dark, heavy, and breathtaking—it did not match the level of power Jin should have possessed.
Jin extended his hands. The expression of the dragon behind him changed. It opened its mouth as if to unleash a dragon's breath. Everyone recoiled—the Elders, the Superior Demons, the Guardians. Everyone was about to intervene at once to end the fight, but...
Everyone felt the same irrational sensation.
Fear.
The aura dragon opened its maw wide. All this occurred in seconds, yet it felt like long minutes. The Poison King and the Blade Demon were too close to each other. They did not feel the pressure in time due to the peak of the battle; their instincts warned them, but there was no time.
Jin unleashed his attack.
Jin: Void Sphere – The Rift.
It launched.
A few seconds were enough to silence everything. The path in front of Jin was completely erased. Where the rift struck, several hills had existed; they vanished. A massive circle of the landscape was utterly deleted.
And the two Superior Demons?
The lower half of the Blade Demon had disappeared.
The upper half and head of the Poison King had disappeared.
Complete silence. The Great Guardian landed in the center of the clearing and looked on in shock.
Jin fell to his knees. He spat blood as if vomiting; his eyes turned blood-red and bled. Even his ears and nose bled. His body was covered in wounds and disfigurement from the venom. He fell onto his face, unconscious. Yuan, too, had reached his limit and collapsed.
The Great Guardian finally spoke: "So... this was the reason for everything that happened this past year."
He raised his hand and spoke in a loud voice: "No one had better think of doing anything. These are the orders of the Demon Lord."
And that was the first miracle performed by the youth in the Murim, and the strangest event in the entire history of the Sect.
END OF CHAPTER