Chapter 35 : Chapter 35
Chapter 35: Resist and Be Killed on the Spot
After Hongyao expelled all its venom, it died completely.
The moment Lu Zhan was bitten by Hongyao, he felt his entire arm gradually going numb.
However, although the talent [Immunity to All Poisons] could not neutralize this toxin, it could slow the poison’s spread.
If it had been any other third-layer Aperture Opening Realm Martial Artist, they likely would not have lasted even a single breath before melting into a pool of blood.
This poison truly was tyrannical.
Suddenly, a system notification window popped up before his eyes.
[ Ding! Detected that the host has killed a sixth-layer Aperture Opening Realm Martial Artist above his own level. Reward: 3520 Slaughter Points. Additional rewards obtained: Talent Fragment +3, Aperture Opening Pill x1, Fei Lingyu’s Poison-Making Experience Card x1, Limited-Time Talent Trial Card — Never-Extinguishing Soulfire ]
Lu Zhan could not help feeling a little emotional. As expected of a mini-boss. The loot she dropped was abundant.
As for the poison?
“System, use Fei Lingyu’s Poison-Making Experience Card.”
In the next instant, an enormous flood of knowledge poured into Lu Zhan’s mind.
A moment later, he came back to himself.
“There’s actually no relevant antidote knowledge. Is it because even she didn’t know how to cure this poison, or because the experience card the system gave me is incomplete?”
He did not dwell on it any further.
The system task panel popped up again.
[ Ding! Congratulations, host. Mission completed. ]
[ Reward distribution in progress... ]
[ Congratulations, host has obtained Four Symbols Mountain-Guarding Array x1, Talent Advancement Card x1 ]
“System, use the Talent Advancement Card to upgrade the talent Immunity to All Poisons.”
[ Use Talent Advancement Card? ]
“Yes!”
[ Talent upgrading... Congratulations, host. The talent Immunity to All Poisons has advanced to Absolute Poison Spirit Body ]
Fixed Talent: Absolute Poison Spirit Body
Talent Grade: Elite
Growth Potential: ★☆☆☆☆
Duration: Permanent
Status: Fixed
[ Effect 1: Absolute Immunity ]
Absolute immunity to all poisons in the world. When facing a poison capable of killing someone more than one major realm above the host, the toxin absorption ability will activate, and there is a chance a temporary toxic crystal armor will form on the body’s surface. (Reduces physical damage by 30% for 10 minutes.)
[ Effect 2: Toxin Tracking ]
When toxins or strong pathogens are nearby, the host can clearly see the aura emitted by the poison and, for a period of time, can trace the source of the poison through it.
[ Effect 3: Spirit Body Purification ]
The host’s blood, saliva, and other bodily fluids contain powerful purifying and catalytic properties. A single drop of essence blood can cure the vast majority of strange poisons in the world, and can also instantly catalyze and amplify any poison it comes into contact with.
[ Effect 4: Poison Spirit Blessing ]
During the blessing period, whenever the target takes poison damage, the host receives spiritual-energy feedback equal to 15% of that damage.
Without question, this upgrade to Immunity to All Poisons was enormous.
Not only did it grant immunity to toxins, it also added a blessing effect and armor.
It seemed that higher growth potential did not necessarily mean a better talent. For example, although the talent [Strength of Nine Oxen and Two Tigers] had three-star growth potential,
in terms of practical usefulness, Lu Zhan felt it was still inferior to Immunity to All Poisons.
Lu Zhan carefully felt the poison inside his body. The toxin that had originally begun spreading toward his internal organs now melted away like snow under the spring sun.
“Heh, Hongyao’s poison is only this much after all. What a pity, though, that it didn’t trigger the armor or the blessing.”
Still, it was not as though he had gained nothing.
Lu Zhan raised his index finger and lightly rubbed it. A streak of green light appeared at his fingertip.
“So Hongyao’s poison is actually green. Interesting...”
From now on, Lu Zhan’s saber would carry not only Saber Energy, but also a layer of poisonous aura. Still, that was merely icing on the cake.
Because his saber was already sharp enough.
Not long after Lu Zhan finished dealing with the enemy here, Tao Xiao’an came in through the front entrance, while Zhou Hong entered through the rear.
Their speed was so fast that even Lu Zhan found it somewhat surprising.
After all, while he had been occupied fighting Fei Lingyu, ten people had escaped from Blackwater Hall, one of them even an Aperture Opening Realm Martial Artist.
But the battle had been too intense at the time, and he had had no chance to deal with them.
“How did things go outside?”
Zhou Hong was grinning so broadly it was almost dazzling. Sure enough, following Brother Lu meant benefits everywhere.
At the very least, the people they had captured today could be exchanged at the Demon Extermination Bureau for a considerable sum of Contribution Points or Merit Points.
“Don’t worry, Brother Lu. Not one escaped. We caught them all.”
Zhou Hong gave him a reassuring look.
Then he added, still beaming, “To be honest, at first I was worried they’d be driven into a corner and come at us desperately.”
“After all, there were more of them. If they had all rushed out at once, and one of them was even at the Aperture Opening Realm like me, there would’ve been no way I could stop them all.”
“But the strange thing was, they weren’t scared at all when they saw us. They just kept shouting nonsense like ‘I surrender, don’t kill me,’ so it was easy for me to capture them.”
“Heh, really now. I’ve been working in the Demon Extermination Bureau for nearly half a year, and I’ve never seen evil cultists this cowardly.”
As he spoke, he looked around, somewhat puzzled. Why was Blackwater Hall so quiet?
And not a single living person was in sight.
“Brother Lu, what about your side? Why isn’t there a single survivor here?”
He frowned slightly. That should not have been the case. Brother Lu had charged in first, so how could he have failed to capture even one person alive?
“Capture them alive?”
Only then did Lu Zhan react. Normally, when the Demon Extermination Bureau faced this sort of situation, they generally chose to take people alive.
“They all resisted stubbornly, so I killed them on the spot.”
“Hmph. I gave them a chance to surrender too, but they didn’t cherish it. They even dared threaten me... so they deserved to die.”
Huh?
Resisted stubbornly?
These people did not seem all that hard-boned. Would they really choose stubborn resistance?
“Stop standing around. Wang Botao, go bring Chen Hong here,” Lu Zhan ordered in a deep voice. “Fei Lingyu has occupied this place for a long time. There’s no way she was honestly doing shipping business here.”
“I’d like to see exactly what she’s been hiding in this place.”
Then he turned to Tao Xiao’an and said, “Tao Xiao’an, call the Demon Extermination Bureau and have them send people to clean up the mess.”
All five jurisdiction heads of Jade Bottle Bay had been crippled.
A place as large as Jade Bottle Bay naturally could not be left without anyone to hold things together. By the time the Bureau’s people arrived, Lu Zhan and the others would have more or less finished stripping Blackwater Hall clean.
Before long, Chen Hong was brought over.
But Wang Botao looked pale and kept dry-heaving.
“Urgh!”
“What’s wrong?”
Zhou Hong asked, and Wang Botao waved a hand.
“It’s nothing.”
When he had passed by the main entrance just now, that hellish, blood-soaked sight had sent a chill through him.
By his estimate, there had been five or six people there, and all of them had been reduced to pieces.
No wonder the people who had rushed out of Blackwater Hall earlier had all looked mentally unstable.
Zhou Hong did not pay it much mind.
“Brother Lu, why does he look like he’s so scared of you?”
Looking at how cowardly Chen Hong appeared, Zhou Hong mocked him.
“Oh? You’re afraid of me?”
Chen Hong nodded. But when he saw Lu Zhan frown, he hurriedly shook his head again.
Lu Zhan’s brows knit even tighter. Had the man been frightened stupid?
He still wanted to see whether he could pry some information out of him.
When Chen Hong saw that Lu Zhan had fallen silent, he was so frightened that he dropped to his knees and kowtowed.
“Lord Lu, please... please don’t kill me. I’ve already surrendered. I’ll turn over a new leaf.
Truthfully, I never wanted to join the Five Poisons Sect. They took a liking to my status as vice chairman, so they threatened me with my family...”
He would never forget what he had just seen.
The six security guards had been killed without hesitation, and even Master Mo had not been spared.
Their deaths had been terrifyingly bloody.
He was terrified that the man in front of him might suddenly cut him down with a single stroke.
Zhou Hong was rather shocked, and could not help wondering just what Brother Lu had done inside a moment ago.