Chapter 145

-Fssst! Crack! Crunch!

As cracks formed, his skin peeled off like a shell, and his muscles twisted and contorted.

Upon witnessing his transformation, Cheong-ryeong clicked her tongue and remarked:

-Why did you give him a clue to enlightenment?

Her desire was for the current Heaven and Earth Society to crumble.

However, thanks to the words Mok Gyeong-un had spoken, the Poison King Baek Sa-ha had gained some sort of enlightenment.

As a result, he was now able to break through his bottleneck.

This also meant that he would become significantly stronger than he was now.

-You did something unnecessary. Tsk, tsk.

Cheong-ryeong was not pleased with this.

Yet, there was no response from Mok Gyeong-un.

He was someone who had mastered telepathy and would always provide answers unless it was a special case. Why wasn’t he responding now?

Puzzled, she looked at Mok Gyeong-un’s face.

“……”

‘This guy?’

Mok Gyeong-un was intently staring at Baek Sa-ha, who was undergoing a complete metamorphosis.

It wasn’t an expression of amazement or awe.

He was observing as if studying him.

Cheong-ryeong grew curious about what thoughts were going through his mind as he watched this.

‘What are you so deeply pondering?’

And those thoughts held quite an unexpected aspect.

Rather than focusing on the external process of Baek Sa-ha’s body being reconstructed, Mok Gyeong-un was keenly observing how the internal energy was transforming.

‘Was it like this?’

After staring for a while, the corners of Mok Gyeong-un’s lips twitched.

***

For martial artists, a complete metamorphosis^[1] was a realm that existed only in dreams.

It was a phenomenon where, upon breaking through a bottleneck, one’s body would be reconstructed according to their increased cultivation level, resulting in a physique that could be considered the most ideal form for oneself.

“Ha……”

A gasp escaped from Baek Sa-ha’s mouth.

Unlike a typical transformation, his clothes had almost entirely melted away, leaving him nearly naked, as he had become a complete Poison Master.

The corners of Baek Sa-ha’s lips curled upward.

The reason was simple.

‘I thought I might never be able to stand again.’

He stood up on his own two feet.

How long had it been since he last experienced this sensation?

He was so excited and moved that his heart pounded.

Amidst his emotions, Mok Gyeong-un’s voice reached his ears.

“Congratulations.”

At this, Baek Sa-ha turned his head to look at Mok Gyeong-un.

“You…”

“I was worried you might go back to drinking my blood, but instead, you even underwent a complete metamorphosis.”

Upon hearing Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Baek Sa-ha once again realized the significance of what had happened to him.

He himself was aware that he had undergone a metamorphosis.

However, hearing it from someone else felt quite different.

“Kekeke.”

“That laughter doesn’t suit you right now.”

“It doesn’t suit me?”

“Yes. At a glance, you appear to be in your late forties? No, mid-forties. You’ve rejuvenated.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s remark, a glint appeared in Baek Sa-ha’s eyes.

Rejuvenated?

Baek Sa-ha unconsciously touched his face.

The wrinkles that had felt dense on his face had nearly disappeared, and his skin was elastic.

“Oh my……”

There was no mirror in the meditation room to confirm in detail, but judging from the significantly reduced wrinkles on his hands, he truly felt as if he had become much younger.

Come to think of it, the two individuals among the Five Kings who had received the title of “Eight Stars” also appeared much younger than their actual age.

‘I merely wished to walk again.’

Not only had he become a Poison Master, but he had also broken through his bottleneck.

Now, he could genuinely say that he had reached the realm of the Eight Stars.

Unable to contain his emotions, Mok Gyeong-un spoke to him.

“It seems you have achieved the results you desired. With this, the proposal I made earlier is practically nullified.”

“Proposal?”

“Yes. You have already become a Poison Master, haven’t you?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, the corners of Baek Sa-ha’s mouth rose.

“Kekeke. Are you disappointed?”

“I thought I might be able to hear that story from you more easily, but it appears you have obtained what you wanted through your own efforts.”

“Through my own efforts…… Do you think I am someone with such little shame?”

“What do you mean by that?”

Baek Sa-ha placed his hands behind his back, an old habit, and said:

“If it weren’t for you, young man, I would have either lost my life today or spent the rest of my days as a paraplegic, unable to even open my eyes.”

“Thank you for saying it directly.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s response, one of Baek Sa-ha’s eyebrows arched upward.

As expected, this fellow was saying things he didn’t truly mean.

He believed that thanks to him, Baek Sa-ha had gained enlightenment and undergone a complete metamorphosis.

Of course, those words weren’t entirely wrong.

“You’re quite an impudent fellow.”

“If that’s how you feel, I apologize.”

“Don’t say things you don’t mean. I am well aware that I owe you a debt I could never repay in my lifetime.”

“Then you should be able to grant my request.”

“Of course.”

Baek Sa-ha readily agreed.

This young man had allowed him to walk on his own two feet again and had helped him reach the 8th level of the Wave Demon Poison Scripture, becoming a Poison Master, something he had longed for.

He was no different from a benefactor to Baek Sa-ha, so what couldn’t he do for him?

“What are you curious about?”

“First, promise me that you will answer unconditionally.”

“A promise? I have already said with my own mouth that I will agree, do you think I would go back on my word?”

“I’m just saying this as a precaution.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Baek Sa-ha shook his head and said:

“I promise. I will answer any question you have.”

“Thank you.”

“What are you curious about?”

“The Ghost Blade.”

‘!?’

At Mok Gyeong-un’s unexpected words, Baek Sa-ha momentarily furrowed his brows.

He wondered what the young man wanted to ask that required a promise, but an unexpected question had emerged.

“…Why are you asking about that?”

“I can’t tell you the reason, but let’s just say I’m curious about who the Ghost Blade is.”

“You’re curious?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my……”

“To cut to the chase, I heard you had crossed blades with the Ghost Blade. Is that true?”

“…It is.”

It was a well-known anecdote that everyone was aware of.

However, while many had asked about this matter, Baek Sa-ha had never given a proper answer.

There were two reasons for this.

The first was,

‘It couldn’t even be called a duel.’

Using his vast experience and the unique methods of his poison-based martial arts, he had merely endured for a short while. If the duel had been prolonged, he would have eventually been the one to lose.

Baek Sa-ha opened his mouth.

“Why are you curious about the Ghost Blade?”

“I already told you.”

“Are you saying you can’t reveal the reason?”

“Yes.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s answer, Baek Sa-ha’s eyes narrowed.

He was conflicted.

He was concerned about what intentions this child had for being curious about the Ghost Blade.

If that intention stemmed from pure curiosity, it would be fine, but he worried if it might be driven by negative emotions.

However, a promise was a promise.

“…Since I said I would tell you, I will do so regardless of the reason. However, I also have a request for you.”

“A request?”

“Yes. It’s not a difficult one.”

“May I ask what it is?”

“Do not reveal what you hear from me in this place.”

“Do not reveal it?”

“Yes. As a member of the Heaven and Earth Society, you will soon understand why I am saying this.”

“…I understand.”

After Mok Gyeong-un agreed, Baek Sa-ha answered the question.

“First, regarding the question of whether I know who the Ghost Blade is, I cannot answer because I don’t know either.”

“What?”

What did he mean by that?

Since they had fought directly, wouldn’t he know the Ghost Blade’s face?

Puzzled, Mok Gyeong-un listened as Baek Sa-ha continued.

“It is true that I crossed blades with the Ghost Blade, but his face was covered with a black mask, so there was no way to confirm his identity.”

“His face was covered? Then what about the story of the Ghost Blade stopping the fight midway?”

“That is true.”

“So, are you saying that during the fight, the Ghost Blade suggested stopping, and you agreed?”

If that was all there was to it, it would be quite a waste of effort.

Just as he was about to feel let down, Baek Sa-ha shook his head and said:

“Does that make sense? Even if I was clearly losing against him, I am still a martial artist. I wouldn’t accept such a proposal to save my life in the middle of a fight.”

‘Losing…… Was he being overpowered?’

Baek Sa-ha casually revealed the fact that he had been at a disadvantage.

Considering he had never disclosed this until now, it seemed he had a strong sense of pride. Had he become more composed after gaining enlightenment?

Although curious, that wasn’t the main question.

“…Then is that rumor also true?”

“Rumor?”

“The rumor that the Ghost Blade might be one of the Society Leader’s personal guards.”

“Haa.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Baek Sa-ha clicked his tongue.

A considerable amount of time had passed since this incident, and it was slowly fading from many people’s memories. Younger disciples might not even be aware of it, so where had he heard this story from?

No. Since he was a disciple of the Shadow Clan, had he heard it from the Shadow Clan Master?

“You know quite a bit.”

“Is it true?”

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

“I also don’t know whether he is one of the personal guards or not.”

“What do you mean by that?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s question, Baek Sa-ha recalled the events from 17 years ago.

***

The Ghost Blade, who had displayed an astonishing supreme technique that drained away all of his poison techniques, suddenly distanced himself and requested to stop the duel.

[What are you doing? Don’t tell me you’re going to show mercy in a life-or-death duel?]

On the contrary, it was a humiliation for a martial artist.

They were engaged in a duel where their lives were at stake, yet even though he had the upper hand, what kind of nonsense was this?

However,

[Poison King. Do you want to fight against an injured person?]

[Injured?]

As Baek Sa-ha asked in return, the Ghost Blade opened his upper garment and revealed his chest.

Surprisingly, there was a palm-sized mark on his chest that appeared to be a scar. The affected area had turned black and sunken in.

Moreover, judging from the black veins protruding from the wound, it looked as if,

‘Poison scar?’

It seemed as if he had been struck by a poisonous hand technique.

Could it be that he had fought against a master from the Four Heavens Tang Clan or the Guyang Clan?

However, what was even more absurd was,

‘…He fought against me in this condition?’

Baek Sa-ha found it utterly ridiculous.

The Ghost Blade’s condition was truly severe, to the point where it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a serious injury.

Yet, he had displayed martial prowess that almost overwhelmed him, draining away all of his poison techniques, while in such a state?

It was even more humiliating.

His desire to settle things with the Ghost Blade had vanished.

At this, Baek Sa-ha asked:

[…Who did you fight against to end up like this? The Guyang Clan? The Sichuan Tang Clan?]

He didn’t expect an answer when he asked.

However, unexpected words escaped from the Ghost Blade’s mouth.

[Hae Yeong, the Medicine Immortal.]

‘!?’

What did he just say?

Hae Yeong, the Medicine Immortal, was known as one of the greatest pharmacists of the era, alongside Wailing Doctor Hoe Ta.

He was a pharmacist, not a martial artist.

[What are you saying…]

As he asked in confusion, the Ghost Blade threw something to him.

It was none other than,

[This is?]

[Now you should understand that we have no reason to fight anymore.]

[…How did you get this?]

[Deliver that to him. Inform him of my injury and tell him I was interrupted.]

[What do you mean by that?]

[Just tell him that much.]

With those words, the Ghost Blade swiftly moved and disappeared from sight.

Baek Sa-ha tried to chase after him, but he vanished with such incredible lightness skill that it was hard to believe he was seriously injured, making it impossible to catch up to him.

***

“…So you really don’t know who he is.”

“Yes. What I learned from fighting against him is…”

“That he was seriously injured by the individual known as the greatest pharmacist of the era, Medicine Immortal Hae Yeong. That’s all you know?”

“…At first, I couldn’t believe it. No one had ever heard of Medicine Immortal Hae Yeong cultivating martial arts until then. He was a pharmacist, after all.”

“Well, he could have kept it hidden.”

“Yes. That could be possible. However, one thing is certain: if Medicine Immortal Hae Yeong truly inflicted serious injuries on the Ghost Blade, then his poison techniques far surpass mine.”

That made the duel even more humiliating for Baek Sa-ha.

It meant that an old pharmacist, who was renowned for his medical skills, had overwhelmed the Ghost Blade, one of the Eight Stars, with superior poison techniques compared to him, who had devoted his entire life to refining poison arts.

‘I see.’

Now Mok Gyeong-un understood why Baek Sa-ha had glossed over the matter and kept it hidden from everyone back then.

Perhaps it was also a matter of pride as a master of poison techniques.

Mok Gyeong-un asked him:

“But what exactly was the item the Ghost Blade gave you?”

He had mentioned that by giving that item, there was no longer a reason for them to fight.

What did he give him?