Chap 17: Unexpected guests
The force of his swing split the poison apart, scattering droplets in different directions. Some drops landed on his claw, but it held in place. However, some directly hit his legs.
Intense pain surged as they came in contact. He could feel it,his skin burning. Silvan gritted his teeth. This was nothing. He had faced worse.
Silvan surged forward, Qi and fire essence flooded through his veins.
"Demonic Claw!"
His left hand lashed out. The knots on his left hand flared up as his Demonic Claw activated.
Multiple arcs of Qi slashed forward, tearing through the air toward the viper.
SHHK!
The Qi slashes ripped into the viper's body, carving deep wounds across its scales. The serpent let out a piercing shriek, writhing in pain. But Silvan didn't hesitate.
Silvan flashed downward in a brutal strike.
CRACK!
The blade pierced through the viper's skull, pinning it to the ground. Its tail lashed violently before going silent.
But the danger wasn't over.
HSSSSSS!
The big one had already reacted and was just about to reach him.
The massive black-scaled serpent lunged, its fangs bared, aiming straight for Silvan's throat.
At that split second, however…
DING!
[You have slain a Blackfang Viper – 5th Stage of Body Tempering]
[You have obtained 800 Dungeon points]
DING!
[You have slain a Blackfang Viper – 5th Stage of Body Tempering]
[You have obtained 800 Dungeon points]
[Breakthrough initiated. 5th stage of body tempering (130/2500) > (1730/2500)]
Silvan's veins burned as white nodes of energy burst from the fallen vipers and shot into his core. His body froze for half a heartbeat as raw Qi flooded his meridians. He didn't break through, but the Qi that flowed in him was enough.
Silvan moved.
His body reacted on instinct, powered by the sudden burst of Qi.
He spun on his heels, his sword swung in a blinding vertical slash.
SHRRRKK!
His blade carved through scales and flesh, splitting the beast's head down the middle in a single, devastating strike. It would be killed!
But unfortunately for him, not everything went according to plan.
CRACK!
His sword tore through something deep inside the serpent's head.
A heartbeat later, Silvan realized what he had just done.
The poison gland!.
BOOM!
The gland ruptured, bursting apart.
Silvan barely had time to shield his face with his left arm, the Demonic Claw flaring with Qi to block.
But his right hand and sword weren't as lucky.
The venom splattered onto his forearm. Completely exposed.
A searing pain coursed throughout his body.
SZZZZT!
The black poison sizzled, eating through his flesh like acid, turning his whole arm black.
This poison wasn't normal!
Silvan didn't hesitate.
BANG!
He retreated in an instant. His Infernal Claw flared, blazing with Qi as he swiped his left hand across his right arm, sending waves of burning energy to push the poison away before it could spread further.
[You have killed Blackfanged Serpent of 7th Stage of Body Tempering]
[Progress initiated, 5th Stage of Body Tempering (1730/2500) > (2500/2500)]
[You have broken through to the 6th Stage of Body Tempering! (730/4000)]
He had broken through. His Qi recovered completely.
But there was a problem.
His body didn't recover. He had hoped but reality wasn't that kind. The pain and the wound were still right there.
"Fool! Why did you charge in like that? Quick, take the blue pills before the poison spreads!" YunYun spoke up, flying over to him.
Silvan gritted his teeth as his skin sizzled, melting away. The poison was terrifying far beyond anything he had ever encountered.
Silvan did what YunYun told him and took out a small blue bottle. Opening its cap, he gulped down two pills.
"Now circulate your Qi before the poison spreads toward your core!"
Silvan took a sharp breath and did as YunYun instructed. Closing his eyes, he forced his Qi to circulate at maximum speed.
He could feel it slithering through his veins, like a parasite burrowing deeper toward his core.
But he stopped it.
BOOM!
A powerful pulse of Qi erupted from his body, forcefully sealing off the poisoned veins before they could spread further. That sudden burst had cost him more than half of his Qi.
His breath was ragged, but he did it. The pill's effect kicked in, numbing the pain as the wound slowly sealed.
And then…
Clap. Clap. Clap.
A round of applause echoed.
Silvan's eyes snapped open, narrowing as he looked at the uninvited guests.
Emerging from the shadows of the trees were three figures—one familiar, two new.
The first was none other than the Wind Palace disciple he had met a while ago.
Beside him stood two unfamiliar cultivators, their robes embroidered with the symbol of the Wind Palace, exuding an aura of confidence and disdain. One was a tall, broad-shouldered man with sharp eyes. The other was a shorter figure with a smile.
The Wind Palace disciple spoke. "Allow me to introduce myself properly this time. I'm Jin Mu."
"That was a splendid battle. Truly." He smiled before gazing at the entrance of the Qi Pool and the corpses of the monsters.
"But unfortunately, this is where you die… Dark Hall trash."
Silvan exhaled sharply, steadying himself as he pushed through the pain. His right arm shook involuntarily, his fingers barely able to grip his sword. It was still usable. Barely. If not for the sheer, agonizing pain that flared with every movement.
But pain wasn't new to him.
"Senior Brother, that's the one! That's the bastard who robbed me!"
Silvan looked at Jin Mu. Obviously, that wasn't the case. But he knew saying the truth out loud wouldn't change anything.
"No need to worry," the broad-shouldered man spoke.
Then his eyes shifted toward the glowing entrance of the Qi Pool, a greedy glint appearing.
"And once he's gone, we'll be using that Qi Pool ourselves."
"No need to waste time. Kill him."
The shorter man moved first, vanishing in a blur. His sword flashed toward Silvan's ribs.
Fast!
Silvan barely raised his sword in time.
CLANG!
The impact sent him skidding backward, pain surging through his injured arm. He gritted his teeth and steadied himself.
Some of his wounds reopened, blood seeping out continuously. Silvan narrowed his eyes as the trio continued walking toward him with mocking smiles.
He sighed, gazing up. "Portal, open."
Right beside Silvan, reality distorted for a second before a swirling blue portal appeared.
The trio halted their steps, on full guard, unsure what that thing was.
Silvan didn't care. He threw his sword and pouch into the portal.
"What kind of trick is this?"
"Stop him! It must be some kind of forbidden technique!"
Silvan looked up at YunYun. "Enter the portal. Right now."
YunYun had no idea what that portal was for, but he chose to trust him. With a swift motion, he entered the portal, disappearing from sight.
And finally, they understood.
He was trying to escape!
"Quick! Kill him!"
The short swordsman lunged, his blade flashing toward Silvan's chest. At the same time, the broad-shouldered spearman thrust forward, aiming to pierce him through the heart.
Silvan stood motionless. "Switch to main body."
His eyes closed.
The swords plunged through.
SHUNK!
The weapons drove deep into Silvan's body, piercing straight through his chest and stomach, coming out the other side.
Yet something was wrong.
The moment their blades struck, there was no resistance. No struggle.
Jin Mu's eyes widened. "What the—?"
Meanwhile…
At the dungeon, YunYun stared at Silvan's main body, whose eyes were still closed. He was nervous. What if Silvan died? He would die with him too if that happened!
Silvan slowly opened his eyes, making YunYun sigh in relief.
[Double body has been destroyed by Human Cultivator – 5th Stage of Body Tempering]
[Three-hour penalty imposed for being killed by a cultivator]
[Recreation of Double Body prohibited for three hours]
"Three hours, huh… so something like that happens too," Silvan muttered.
He glanced around. The pouch and the sword were there, along with his Sunflare sword.
"When will the Gate be fully open?" Silvan asked.
YunYun thought for a second. "Won't be long. An hour at best."
Silvan nodded. With the penalty in place, he wouldn't be able to go out.
"I have to prepare."