Open Sesame!
The seer's ego had significantly subsided since the previous night, although he had no sense of day and night within the cave. It was the cultivators who could discern the passing of time by sensing the changes in the sun's position through their ki.
As they sat down for breakfast, the group engaged in conversations about various aspects of their lives. The seer, summing up what he had gathered from their discussions, asked, "So, you guys are the guardians of this forest, preventing people from freely entering and exiting due to some secret matters?"
"Yes, that's correct. However, if someone accidentally finds their way in, they are free to leave if they possess the ability to do so," affirmed Mr. Gu, confirming the seer's conclusion.
Curious about their means of departure, their employer, whose name was still unknown to Neon due to his indifference, asked, "And how exactly can we leave?"
"There are various ways, but the quickest is through this cave. A Taoist cultivator can lift the seal on the hidden gate. Fortunately, I happen to be one," replied Gu's wife.
Neon pondered that perhaps they would make it to the tournament on time after all. Typically, people would have to travel around the forest and ascend the mountain, but Neon and his group had taken a direct path, significantly reducing travel time. However, he still had one nagging concern: the modernized way of living.
No matter how much he probed, he couldn't extract any information. All the Gu family knew was that their modernization was a legacy passed down by their ancestors. Just as he was ready to give up on his inquiries, a familiar blue screen appeared before him.
<System message>
"It is I, the great and strongest supreme system that blessed their ancestors with those gadgets. You can have them too if you cooperate."
<end>
"We meet again sooner than expected, system," Neon remarked.
<system message>
I'll take that as a no. I await the day I kill you.
<end>
"Well, That was abrupt and obvious. Why does he still try?"
***
"Open sesame!" exclaimed the female head of the Gu family as she stood before a massive rock wall.
After a few flashes of yellow, a path emerged. The group bid their final farewells and continued on their way. Within minutes, they were out of the forest, greeted by the refreshing nighttime air and a clear sky.
From atop a small hill, they observed bright yellow lights shimmering like stars, multiple white tents set up, and armed individuals on duty.
In the far corner of the encampment, they spotted a group of bound captives alongside their tied-up belongings and carriages—everything that once belonged to the caravan they initially traveled with, now in the possession of the Golden Toad Bandits.
It was the Golden Toad Bandits who had attacked their caravan, causing them to fall into the dreaded forest. Now, they were doomed. Not only did they need to retrieve the "package," but Liu and her girlfriend also held a grudge against them. Unfortunately, they weren't powerful enough to engage in open combat and kill all the bandits.
Their only option was to infiltrate and steal the package discreetly. However, only the seer understood the situation; his allies were oblivious. Preventing them from charging headlong into their deaths would prove to be a challenge. Normally, prove to be a challenge.
The use of poison was heavily frowned upon in the world of Murim, where fair fights were demanded, and "underhanded tactics" were banned. Poisons outside of battle are completely useless in Murim.
Did you know that cultivators are immune to shit like cancer? The only place the poison arts shine is in the midst of battle where they make their opponent use up precious ki and time to detoxify themselves.
Outside of that very few poisons out there against which cultivators are actually helpless. And those poisons are extremely difficult to obtain like the fang of Hydra. or 1000-year violet demon flower.
Poison was among the prohibited methods, while powerful artifacts remained legal. This was the peculiar way in which Murim operated.
Yet, banning something created a void in countermeasures against the unexpected. The seer, being a master of poisons, found solace in this isolation. It suited his otherworldly intellect and twisted personality.
"Hey, smell this perfume. It feels strange, but you might know more about it," the seer said to Li Hua, his employer, handing her a cloth infused with chloroform.
"Hmm, why don't you tell me how it is?" The seer now pushed it up Liu's face, unsuspecting of the true nature of the cloth. The chemical took effect as intended.
The seer didn't need to render Tang unconscious, as he already knew what the seer had in mind. He was surprisingly cooperative and went along with the seer's entire plan.
Poisoning the stream of water from which the bandits drew their supply was a relatively simple task. Furthermore, locating the whereabouts of the package proved to be equally effortless—all he needed to do was get caught.
***
"Hahaha! I don't know how a mortal such as you survived, but you went ahead and got caught," taunted the bandit leader, oblivious to the imminent danger he faced.
The seer was now inside the largest tent in the encampment. While he could wait for all to die the seer is just too lazy. This was a much faster route. After all, they needed the package quickly and safely.
While this deal with the package was never officially discussed. The seer already knew of it and it was already part of the deal whether he liked it or not. It was pretty smart of her and the same time pretty dumb.
It was obvious that she would not be safe if the package goes missing and I am supposed to escort her safely. She really needed to keep that thing a secret huh?
"I have poisoned all of you. If you want to live, give me the package," the seer calmly warned, reveling in the chaos that slowly started unfolding before him.
"Ha! No poison can kill—" The bandit leader's words were abruptly cut short as his energy drained, leaving him dizzy and with a throbbing headache.
As I said poison outside batlle is useless. and that makes everyone complacent. Modern Metallic poisons are diffrent.They not only work but will kill even the cultivator who is at the supreme peak stage.
These inorganic metal-based poisons are fundamentally different. While organic poisons interfere with enzymes, block neurotransmitters, disrupt cellular function, or damage organs.
The inorganic ones destroy organs, Disrupt basic cellular functions and Damage a person's DNA strands. Ki circulation would only help speed the process. There is nothing these cultivators can do to fight off modern poisons.
The cultivators can control blood flow and other things in their body to fight off organic poisons by means of isolating them or breaking down their compounds or even concentrating them in one part of the body.
All these techniques won't work on those metalloids. The only way they go out is generally by antidotes that bond with the metals and get excreted. Isolating and concentrating them in a corner of the body will only lead to chronic toxicity.
"It's cyanide. I suggest you act quickly, brother, as it won't take more than a few minutes considering the amount you have consumed," the seer remarked, watching the chaos escalate.
"He's been poisoned!"
"It's a poison user!"
Seizing the opportunity amidst the turmoil, the seer stealthily infiltrated the bandit encampment. In the realm of martial arts, there were limited options when it came to dealing with poisons and diseases. While they possessed the ability to detoxify themselves and heal their wounds, this held true only for organic poisons. The seer, with his profound knowledge of inorganic poisons—specifically, metal-based poisons—could be considered the strongest poison user in Murim's history.
"Arsenic, mercury, lead, and antimony—such beautiful elements, aren't they? I can't believe they teach this 'stuff' in schools. Schools are foolish; look at me now, ending hundreds of lives. They should update the syllabus or something," the seer murmured to himself in his cocky usual attitude.
He freed the prisoners and their cargo. While behind him cao tang bathe himself in blood and looted the shit out of these bandits. Not all were poisoned after all.
li hua and liu were also up by this point as expected the effects are very reduced on cultivators. Nevertheless, they didn't seem as mad as the seer expected them to be.
"GWWaaAAAAAAH"
There was a loud battle cry.
And from the corner of the seer's eye, he saw Tang flying off thru the burning encampment. He needed assistance and was quick.
Liu was still hazy so he stayed back and prepared for departure. The seer went to assist Tang and kill the bandit he faced. But to their despair, it was no longer a bandit. It had been demonized.
A demonization technique all in the Murim were familiar with. It was the technique used by none other than the blood moon demonic cult.
A very strong cult.The strongest there is. This cult was single-handedly worst than all the evil sects combined. And they were somehow related to the golden toad..most likely via a orthodox sect that too in the end all for a package.