Chương 352: The Poison Anomaly

Jian's triumphant echoing chants of "PRAISE THE GOD CRAB!" were still faintly audible from afar as Grand Elder Theron stood on the blood-scoured spire, staring at the pulped remains of what was once a man.

"Vespertine," Theron said, his voice a low growl of disbelief as he nudged the tattered remains of the man's robes with his boot.

"The Shadow-Hand Venom Lord. We have been hunting this thing for years." He looked up at Li Yu.

"Li Yu, you may not understand the magnitude of what you have just done. This 'old man' was not just another Soul Formation expert. He was a plague. He was responsible for the silent, agonizing deaths of entire outposts. He would slip in, release his poisons and be gone, leaving hundreds of our soldiers and disciples to die, choking on their own lungs, their spiritual seas dissolved." Theron's face was grim.

"He has killed more of our Core Formation captains and Foundation Establishment disciples than any of the enemy's generals. His poisons were his true weapon; his cultivation was just for escaping. He was easily one of our top five kill targets on the entire continent." To have such a slippery, high-value target not just killed but obliterated in a head-on-fight by a Core Formation disciple who wasn't even aware he was being poisoned... it was absurd.

Theron crouched, his spiritual sense carefully scanning the gory remains.

"His storage ring..." He levitated the ring from the muck but he didn't immediately take it. He looked at Li Yu.

"This is your spoil of war, by all rights. But the contents of this ring... the antidotes, the poison formulas, the research... it could be invaluable. It could save thousands of lives of those already afflicted."

"Take it," Li Yu said without hesitation. He had no use for poisons.

"I will," Theron said, "but not as a thief." He activated his own merit token.

"I am officially requisitioning this ring for the war effort. The merit points for the kill—which will be staggering—are all yours. As for the other, non-poison-related contents, such as spirit stones or artifacts... I will have our poison masters clear them and return them to you. You have my word as the Grand Elder of the Forest."

"I trust you, Grand Elder," Li Yu said simply.

"Good." Theron then waved his hand, and the pulped, messy remains of Vespertine were drawn into his own, separate storage ring.

"This... husk... is also a library of his poisons. Our masters will need to dissect it." Just as he finished, Jian Xuan landed beside them in a flash of white and gold, his face flushed with the joy of his "victory lap."

"Grand Elder! Brother Li! You missed it! I think I saw a whole squad of Beast Faction cowards actually flee when they heard my chant! Of course I had to send them to meet our lord. We are truly—" He paused, looking at the bloodstains and Theron's grim face.

"Ah. Did I miss something?"

"Disciple Li just killed Vespertine, the Venom Lord," Theron said flatly. Jian's eyes widened.

"Vespertine? The poison guy? Excellent work, Brother Li! A great victory for the Crab God! His impenetrable skin... or... shell... repels all toxins!" Li Yu looked over at Jian Xuan in surprise.

"You know the name?"

"Of course I know! I studied the list of top names through the merit token. All so I can be sure to announce their deaths as I killed them in honor of our crab god!" he said cheekily. Li Yu then realized that Jian Xuan was having his fun with the cult but he was also doing his tasks beautifully, even having intel that Li Yu wasn't aware of. Li Yu just sighed.

"Let's just go back to the Fort. We're done here."

"Indeed," Theron said, his good mood excellent from having gotten rid of this massive thorn in their side.

"I need to get this to my alchemists immediately. Let's go." Theron and Li Yu took to the air, flying back toward Fort Torrent. Jian, declaring he would "patrol the perimeter one last time," flew off in a different direction, his chants once again echoing over the hills. As they flew, a comfortable silence settled between the old general and the young disciple. The roaring wind was the only sound for several minutes, until Theron spoke, his voice thoughtful.

"Your 'cult'..." he began, his tone neutral.

"Its name is spreading faster than a wildfire. Not just in the ravine. My patrols from Aethelgard report that the name 'Abyssal Crab Cult' is being whispered in every enemy camp. They are genuinely terrified of you." Li Yu smiled.

"Good. That was Jian's plan. If they weren't, all of this nonsense would have been for nothing."

"It's not just our enemies," Theron continued, glancing at Li Yu.

"Our own disciples are whispering it. In awe. They see your pristine white robes, they see Commander Jian's insane power and they see the results. I have gotten some reports that after what you did in the ravine, some young disciples were found 'offering a prayer to the Crab God' for their good fortune." He paused, getting to the heart of the matter.

"Sect Leader Lyra is worried. I am... curious. Are you planning to recruit members from this continent? From our sects?" Li Yu finally understood. Theron wasn't just making small talk. He was worried about a powerful, charismatic new faith poaching his best and brightest. Li Yu couldn't help but let out a short laugh.

"Grand Elder, the Abyssal Crab Cult is not a common street performer looking for a crowd. The Crab God chooses his prophets. He is not a beggar asking for followers." He kept his tone light, a perfect mimicry of Jian's fanaticism but the message was clear. Theron let out a single, sharp chuckle, his worry visibly evaporating.

"Chosen. Not recruited. I see. That is a relief to an old man's heart. We are desperate for allies, not for new religions to splinter our forces."

"We are allies, Grand Elder," Li Yu said.

"Nothing more."

"That is all I ask." They arrived back at Fort Torrent and proceeded immediately to the Alchemist's Ward, a heavily fortified section of the city built near a deep ventilation shaft that plunged into the earth. It wasn't a typical alchemist's workshop of wood and herbs; it was a hardened bunker of stone and steel, with containment arrays etched into every wall and heavy, iron-sealed doors. This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Theron entered and the masters within—a half-dozen grim-looking men and women in heavy, reinforced leather aprons—snapped to attention.

"Master Elix," Theron said to the man at their head, "We have a prize." He carefully placed Vespertine's storage ring on a lead-lined tray.

"This is the Venom Lord's personal ring. And," he added, pulling out the second ring, "this is his body. I want them both analyzed. He used 'Void-Wraith's Kiss,' but also a secondary cloud-poison. Be. Careful. Everything is to be considered trapped." Master Elix, a man with a wild shock of white hair and eyes that burned with a manic, intellectual fire, looked at the ring as if it were a holy relic.

"Vespertine himself... Grand Elder, this is... this is a breakthrough! The antidotes... the samples... we can finally counter the 'Creeping Blight' that's been plaguing the 3rd regiment!" The alchemists immediately set to work, their movements precise and paranoid. They used long, mechanical arms to submerge the ring in a cleansing solution. They then placed it in a shielded array to scan for spiritual traps. Li Yu watched, fascinated but his thoughts kept returning to the battle.

'No poison.' He had felt nothing. He needed to know if he was immune or not.

"Master Elix," Li Yu said, stepping forward. The alchemist looked up from his work, annoyed at the interruption.

"What is it, young man? Can't you see we are busy with—" He cut himself off, his eyes widening as he recognized the white robe with the black claw. He had heard the rumors of the new "Cult" commanders.

"Ah. Commander. My apologies. What can I do for you?"

"When I fought this old man," Li Yu said, his voice low and direct, "Grand Elder Theron said he used an undetectable poison. It had no effect on me. I believe I may have a high immunity to poisons. I would like to test this theory." Master Elix's annoyance vanished, replaced by a scalpel-sharp curiosity.

"No effect? At all? Not even a slight dizziness? A locking of your spiritual sea?"

"Nothing," Li Yu confirmed.

"I'd like to try some of your poisons. The ones you have known antidotes for, just in case." Elix's eyes lit up with the manic glee of a researcher who had just been handed a subject that defied normal convention.

"Yes. Yes, of course! A rare immunity! Fascinating! What's your cultivation? 7th Core? And you resisted a Soul Formation-grade toxin? Astounding! Theron, are you watching this? We must document this!" Grand Elder Theron, who had been observing, simply nodded.

"Proceed, Master Elix. I am just as curious as you are." The lab, which had been focused on the dead man's ring, now refocused entirely on Li Yu. The other alchemists and poison masters gathered around, their expressions a mix of skepticism and academic hunger. They were about to watch a live experiment.

"Very well!" Elix said, rubbing his hands together.

"We will start slow." He bustled over to a reinforced cabinet and pulled out a small, green-labeled vial. Blackfang Serpent Venom: "A common but potent neurotoxin. In a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it causes full-body paralysis within ten seconds. Death by asphyxiation in one minute. We have the antidote right here." He handed the vial to Li Yu. Li Yu uncorked it, sniffed it—it smelled like bitter almonds—and drank the entire vial in one go. The alchemists stared. They waited. Ten seconds passed. A minute.

5 minutes later.

"... Well?" Elix asked, his head tilted.

"It tastes bitter," Li Yu said, shrugging.

"I feel nothing." Elix's eyes twitched.

"Incredible. Strong innate resistance. Let's try something... different." He retrieved a gray-labeled jar. Cinder-Lichen Powder: "This one is an inhalant. It doesn't paralyze. It burns. It feels like breathing in hot coals. It will sear the lungs and stop respiration." Li Yu took the jar, opened it and took a deep deliberate sniff of the gray powder. It smelled like ash.

"Well?"

"My nose itches a little," Li Yu said.

"Nothing else." The masters were now whispering.

"His constitution is remarkable."

"He must have a fire-elemental physique."

"Let's try a blood-agent," another master suggested. Elix grinned and pulled out a deep red vial. Stone-Blood Toxin: "This one is nasty. It's a coagulant. It makes the blood thicken to sludge. Causes catastrophic heart failure in thirty seconds. Even if you survive, the flesh on your extremities dies. We call it 'The Sloth.' Li Yu drank it. It tasted like rust. Thirty seconds. A minute. Two minutes. Theron watched, unblinking.

"I feel," Li Yu said, thinking hard, "absolutely nothing." Master Elix was now sweating, his excitement palpable.

"Not nerve, not respiratory, not blood... let's try a spiritual agent!" Ghost-Veil Toxin: "Not a true poison, but a potent hallucinogen that attacks the spiritual sea. It severs the link between your mind and your senses. You would be blind, deaf, and trapped in a waking nightmare." Li Yu drank the shimmering, oily liquid. It had no taste at all. He blinked.

"I am still here. You are all still here. No effect."

"This is impossible!" one of the younger alchemists burst out.

"Silence!" Elix snapped.

"We are witnessing science! We go stronger!" He pulled out five vials at once. Iron-Rot Brew: "This one attacks the meridians themselves. It degrades spiritual energy, turning it inert. It's like rust for your Qi." Li Yu drank it.

"Nothing." Palsy-Cap Spore Solution: "A powerful convulsant. You would be on the floor, spasming so hard your bones would break." Li Yu drank it.

"I feel perfectly fine." Scorpion-Tail Kiss: "A hyper-potent neurotoxin. One drop can kill a Core Formation expert. A full vial... it should be instant." Li Yu drank the entire vial.

"A bit... tingly on the tongue. But it's gone now." Wraith-Grief Tincture: "A true soul-poison. It doesn't induce hallucinations, it induces crippling, suicidal despair. It makes the soul try to tear itself apart." Li Yu drank the black, cold liquid. He paused.

"Are you... feeling it?" Elix asked, leaning in.

"... I was just thinking," Li Yu said, "that I'm a little disappointed. I was hoping all this poison might increase my cultivation, that I can absorb it like some kind of exilir. But it's not. It's just... disappearing." The alchemists looked at each other, their life's work and understanding of toxicology crumbling before their very eyes.

"One more," Elix said, his voice trembling.

"A non-lethal one." Shrieker's Bane: "This one paralyzes the vocal cords and constricts the lungs. It's an incapacitant. You shouldn't be able to speak or breathe." Li Yu drank it.

"It tastes a bit like mint. Are you sure you're giving me the right vials?"

"He's mocking us!" one alchemist hissed.

"He is not!" Elix roared.

"He is perfect!" He turned, his eyes wild. He ran to the containment unit where his assistants were still analyzing Vespertine's ring.

"Give me the sample! The diluted one!" They had managed to extract a small, safe-to-handle sample of the 'Void-Wraith's Kiss,' the very poison that should have incapacitated Li Yu in the first place. Diluted Void-Wraith's Kiss: "This is it," Elix said, his hands shaking as he held the black, oily substance.

"This is what he used on you. A soul-paralyzing agent. It should lock your spiritual sea solid." Li Yu took the vial and drank it. He closed his eyes, focusing inward. He felt... a cold wisp enter his spiritual sea. The wisp of cold, poisonous energy just... dissolved. It was like a single snowflake landing in a vast, churning ocean. It didn't have time to be a threat. It just... ceased to be. Li Yu opened his eyes.

The room was silent, every alchemist and poison master and even Grand Elder Theron, was staring at him, waiting.

"Nothing," Li Yu said, his voice flat. He was, however, disappointed as well. His theory was confirmed. He was for all intents and purposes immune to all poisons, at least the ones here. But his other, more hopeful theory was disproven. His body didn't absorb the poison's power; it simply negated it. It was a shield but not a weapon or a resource. He couldn't just drink poison to increase his cultivation.

"Well," Li Yu said, handing the last empty vial back to the stunned Master Elix.

"That's a pity but thank you for letting me test myself."