The Youngest Member of the Martial Alliance Chapter 157

It was when the Poisonous Hand had taken a few steps, dragging the simpleton fifth valley lord. A figure dropped from the sky and blocked his path.

The Poisonous Hand was startled, but after quickly identifying the opponent, he pretended not to be surprised and said.

"You've co, Woojin. You're a guy who's everywhere."

"I found him on my way back from killing the Beast Palace Lord. But what's that?"

Cheon Woojin said nonchalantly and pointed at the fifth valley lord.

The Poisonous Hand doubted his ears for a mont.

Who did he just say he killed?

The Poisonous Hand wanted to make a fuss and ask in detail. But he had now decided to live as a person of the Orthodox Path. In other words, since he was directly becoming Cheon Woojin's senior uncle, he needed to be a little more dignified in the future.

"The Beast Palace Lord... I was planning to take care of that guy myself soday, but my work has been reduced. Well done. Ah, this guy is the fifth valley lord of the Poison Valley. I improvised the technique I used to treat that Poison King guy and created a powerful martial art."

"Is that so?"

Cheon Woojin listened casually. Originally, more than half of what the Poisonous Hand said was useless talk.

By the way, to think that the Poison Valley had stepped forward after the Beast Palace.

"It must be the Demonic Cult's doing, right?"

"It probably is. They can't step forward directly because their internal situation is chaotic, but if they just stand by and watch, their pride and face will fall. Originally, most of the forces outside the country are no different from the Demonic Cult's minions... Perhaps the Ice Palace might step forward."

The Poisonous Hand thought about the Northern Sea Ice Palace for a mont. Although he had traveled all over the world when he was young, the only place he had not been to was the Northern Sea Ice Palace.

That's how far, cold, and mysterious the Northern Sea was. Perhaps because of that unique atmosphere, all sorts of tales and folklores about the Northern Sea were widely spread throughout the Central Plains.

"As it has always been in history, if the Ice Palace breaks through the thick glaciers and heads for the Central Plains, from then on, there will be a real atmosphere of war. It is known that their martial arts are by no ans weaker than those of the Central Plains."

Although there were many forces outside the country, their leader was undoubtedly the Northern Sea Ice Palace Lord. It was because the Ice Palace Lord was famous for being a being who was not treated lightly even by the Demonic Cult Leader.

"I'm really looking forward to the war."

"Do you like it when people die?"

"Would that be a good thing? When a war breaks out, the value of a master of poison arts becos very high. Since I will be able to show off my martial arts to my heart's content where others are watching, how can my blood not boil as a martial artist?"

"Hmm, poison arts..."

Cheon Woojin stood for a mont and thought.

In any case, it was true that poison arts had a huge influence in a war. Then, wouldn't it be better to take care of the Poison Valley in advance?

Above all, he recalled the words his masters had shared when they were alive.

- Black Master, how old are you, and you still believe in such things? When on earth are you going to grow up?

- I'm going crazy with frustration. I'm telling you, there's a five-hundred-year-old imugi living in the Poison Valley!

- Yes, you're right. Let's say there's an imugi or a dragon there. It's truly scary, so we should never go to the Poison Valley in our lives. Woojin, you must not beco such an adult when you grow up.

According to the Black Master's words, the scales of the imugi were harder than teoric iron, and its inner core, right before becoming a wish-granting jewel, had a greater efficacy than any spiritual dicine in the world.

As always, the contemplation was short, and the action was fast.

"Are you going straight to the Tang family, uncle?"

"No, I'm thinking of going to the Martial Alliance. Thanks to my subduing the fifth valley lord, I saved quite a few Alliance mbers. I'm going to make a big deal out of it and ask them to lift my status as a public enemy of the martial world."

"That's a good idea. In any case, it's inconvenient if my uncle is a public enemy of the martial world."

Cheon Woojin often called the Poisonous Hand 'uncle' like this. It was because if the Black Master had been alive, he would have eventually accepted the Poisonous Hand as a friend without killing him.

"Heh, that 'uncle' sound feels good every ti I hear it. Then let's go to the Alliance together."

"I have a place to stop by for a mont."

"Where?"

Cheon Woojin was about to answer 'the Poison Valley' but stopped. For so reason, if he said so, it seed the Poisonous Hand would say he would follow. He had felt it again when he had gone on a mission with the Wudang Sword Immortal. He was more comfortable doing any work alone.

"There's a place."

"I'm disappointed. You can tell your uncle, can't you?"

The Poisonous Hand said in a deliberately stern tone. At the sa ti, Cheon Woojin raised his hand. The Poisonous Hand, who had decided to be a little more dignified, was startled and covered his head with both hands.

Cheon Woojin caught the flying insect that was on his shoulder.

The Poisonous Hand, who had realized his mistake, hurriedly pretended to brush his head.

"Anyway, since it's a forest, there are many insects."

"Yes, there are."

Cheon Woojin, who had said so, showed his palm.

The Poisonous Hand had a serious expression. It was because what had been crushed on Cheon Woojin's palm was not a flying insect, but a hornet that the fifth valley lord had handled.

"D-don't tell you were stung?"

"I was."

"You, you...!"

The Poisonous Hand started to make a fuss.

To think that the hornet that the fifth valley lord had controlled was still around!

"No, how can a master of your level get stung by a bee! Antidote, you have to take an antidote right away. How do I get it? The poison of the hornet is definitely..."

The Poisonous Hand's head was spinning. He had to combine the poisons he had and the surrounding dicinal herbs to make at least a temporary antidote.

"It's okay. Why would I need an antidote for just a bee sting?"

"It's not okay, you'll die! Do you know how strong a deadly poison that hornet has? It's much stronger than a seven-step snake. Even a master who has reached the peak would die without being able to take a step after being stung once..."

It was then.

The Poisonous Hand sensed sothing strange.

By this point, the poison should have spread enough. No matter how much he operated his internal energy to detoxify, there should be so outward sign. But he was perfectly fine. As if the poison itself had no effect on his body.

In an instant, the Poisonous Hand's eyes narrowed.

A sense of anxiety crept in.

"You, you... you're not, are you?"

"What am I not?"

"You're not. It's not what I'm thinking right now! Hurry up and say it's not!"

"Are you perhaps talking about being immune to all poisons?"

"Ugh!"

As the words 'immune to all poisons' ca out of Cheon Woojin's mouth, the Poisonous Hand was greatly alard. To those who had learned poison arts, the realm of being immune to all poisons was such a realm. It was a realm that existed only in legends, no, a realm that should not exist in reality.

"A-are you really immune to all poisons?"

"Yes."

The Poisonous Hand had a half-dazed expression.

The realm of being immune to all poisons was famous. Everyone would say 'immune to all poisons, immune to all poisons' whenever they could.

But the Poisonous Hand could guarantee that among those who said so, there was not a single person who had truly achieved immunity. It was an unrealistic realm in the first place. There were over ten thousand kinds of poisons in the world, so how could one develop an immunity to all those poisons?

In fact, the figures who were known to have achieved immunity to all poisons were also figures from the very early martial world, so far back that it was called the ancient martial world.

For example, the first Heavenly Demon, the founding masters of the Nine Sects, the first emperor, the woodcutter chosen by an immortal...

In any case, they were all figures in whom illusion and legend were intertwined.

But.

The Poisonous Hand's common sense was shaken. No matter how he thought about it, Cheon Woojin was not a person who would lie.

Yes, let's say, just in case, that he had achieved immunity to all poisons.

"How on earth? What is the principle?"

How on earth does a body that is immune to tens of thousands of different poisons exist!

Cheon Woojin answered calmly.

"Sothing like this flows in my body."

He spread his palm and created a dark ki on it.

The Poisonous Hand looked at the dark ki, which had been shaped into a sphere, as if he were possessed by sothing. It was a strange energy, gloomy and dark as if it had been drawn from the deepest well in the world, and it aroused a primal fear in the viewer.

"Around the ti I turned fifteen, I broke through a certain wall of a realm. At the sa ti, this energy beca even thicker, and since then, poison has not worked on . Since the Black Master had also entered that realm a little before , he would have naturally been immune to all poisons."

Cheon Woojin did not understand why the Poisonous Hand was making such a fuss. Just himself and the Black Master were two people who had achieved immunity to all poisons in that era. There might be more among the disciples of the Dark Heavenly Son.

"Hoho..."

The Poisonous Hand let out a hollow laugh as if he had lost his mind.

He then took out a bottle from his bosom and dropped poison on the dark sphere that was on Cheon Woojin's palm.

At that, the poison disappeared. It did not burn and evaporate, but literally lost its strength in that energy and was completely disintegrated.

It was the sa even when he spread the extre yang poison, the strongest poison art he could perform. Even the extre yang poison was no different from plain water in front of the dark sphere.

"You're saying that such an unbelievable energy is flowing in your body?"

"Yes."

"Are you even human?"

"Then what do I look like to you?"

Cheon Woojin answered as if he were displeased. He was just a young man of twenty, but he didn't feel very good because people around him kept saying he was not a human or a monster.

Regardless, the Poisonous Hand answered with a still half-dazed face.

"If you're really a human, then I'm an insect."

"I understand."

Cheon Woojin nodded. Seeing his current state, it seed he would not co to his senses no matter what he said.

"Anyway, if you go to the Alliance first, I will go soon too. If you happen to find a person from the Poison Valley on your way, please take care of them."

"Why should I? I'm an insect."

"Who in the world would stop the Poison Valley if not you, uncle?"

In an instant, the Poisonous Hand's lifeless eyes regained their color. Among all the middle-aged n in the world, the one who was weakest to praise was none other than the Poisonous Hand.

* * *

Cheon Woojin, who had sent the Poisonous Hand away, began to run.

His steps were full of confidence. Most directionally challenged people were originally like that. They thought they were quite good at finding their way, and unfortunately, Cheon Woojin was also the sa.

Since the Martial Alliance was in the north, if he ran in the opposite direction of where the Poisonous Hand had gone, it would be the south. So if he ran straight like this, the Southern Barbarians would appear, and he would be able to find the Poison Valley all of a sudden.

Thinking so, how long had he run?

Cheon Woojin felt sothing strange.

The Southern Barbarians were definitely a region made of lush vegetation, but the trees were gradually decreasing, and the land was turning into a desert.

Soon, what drove a wedge into that doubt were the hundred or so monks who were running towards this place from a distance. Since their attire and appearance were so unique, he could recognize their identity at once.

'The monks of the Small Leiyin Temple...'

What was more shocking than the fact that he had t them was that the path he had been heading was not the south, but the west.

No, he didn't know yet.

Thinking so, Cheon Woojin blocked the path of the monks who were running busily. His masters had said that the martial artists of the Small Leiyin Temple were Demonic Cult mbers wearing the skin of monks. They were known to be as quick-tempered and as cruel in battle as any demonic or unorthodox path.

Nevertheless, Cheon Woojin tried not to have any prejudice and asked in a polite tone.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your busy run. Is the direction you ca from by any chance not the south, but the west? I an, I'm asking if you were running east."

At that, the monks said sothing to each other. But, since it was similar to the language of the Central Plains but also different, it was difficult to understand.

- What? This guy is wearing Martial Alliance clothes? Should we kill him?

- Since we were on our way to fight a war with the Martial Alliance anyway, it's not bad. If we let him live, this guy might send a ssage to the Martial Alliance and have them prepare in advance. If we fail in this matter, the Demonic Cult will not stand by

- That's why we've deployed all the forces of the Small Leiyin Temple, isn't it? I have a good idea. Let's cut off this guy's head and show it to the Martial Alliance guys.

- You crazy bastard, why would you do such a cruel thing? There's no need to damage it, even if we just show the body, those guys will be enraged.

Of course, Cheon Woojin did not understand a single thing. However, he thought that they were kind people, unlike the rumors.

'They could have just said they didn't know and passed by, but they're trying to answer with all their heart.'

Soon, the martial artists of the Small Leiyin Temple said sothing to Cheon Woojin. Although it was difficult to understand, he pretended to have roughly understood, thinking of their hearts, and put his palms together, recalling the gestures of the monks of Shaolin and Ei.

"Thank you. It was a great help."

At that, the monks of the Small Leiyin Temple were enraged.

Their rituals were different from those of the Buddhist sects of the Central Plains. But, to think that he would dare to provoke them by showing the etiquette of the Central Plains in front of them.

- How dare you insult us!

- That's what the Central Plains guys are like. Let's kill him right away!

Cheon Woojin let out a sigh.

Although he didn't know the reason, it seed they were angry about sothing, but since he couldn't understand them...

"What are they saying?"

It was then.

A man suddenly rushed in from among the hundred or so monks. The palm he had extended towards Cheon Woojin's face had the unique lightning ki of the Leiyin Temple.

Cheon Woojin tilted his head back and avoided it. The palm, imbued with lightning ki, grazed his chin and the tip of his nose. Since their arms were much longer than those of the Central Plains people, even the sa strike felt half a breath faster.

"I think we have a misunderstanding."

Before the words were even finished, the monk attacked again. This ti, along with an even greater lightning ki, a faint strong ki was also present.

Cheon Woojin really had no choice but to take out his Crescent Moon Staff and swing it.

The monk who had unleashed the palm died with his head smashed.

Blood splattered and stained the sandy ground red.

"..."

In that silence, Cheon Woojin looked at the monks with a dry gaze. Although they could not communicate with words, there were things that martial artists could know instinctively.

"You were on your way to attack the Martial Alliance."

Soon, the hundred or so monks rushed in at once, creating a sandstorm.

.

.

.

About half a shichen later.

Around Cheon Woojin, the bodies of a hundred or so were scattered.

One of the forces outside the country, which had been ordered by the Demonic Cult to attack the Martial Alliance, had been annihilated out of nowhere in the middle of a sandy desert.

It was neither a misfortune nor a good fortune for them. Even if they had not t now, it was only a matter of ti, and they would have eventually t Cheon Woojin at the Martial Alliance and suffered the sa fate.

The wild animals that had gathered in the anti were waiting, drooling. For now, they could not approach due to Cheon Woojin's presence, but as soon as he left, they would rush in and take care of the bodies.

Cheon Woojin let out a sigh.

"In the end, I couldn't find out where the south is. The Poison Valley is truly a far place."

Since there was no one to ask, he could only deduce.

The place they had been running from was the west, and the place they were heading was the east.

Then that must be the south.

It was sothing like that.

"...It must be right?"

Soon, Cheon Woojin moved his steps. His steps were sowhat less confident than when he had first started.

* * *

Cheon Woojin, who had been running for a long ti, stood blankly in one place and lifted his head.

"..."

At the end of his gaze was a red wall and a huge gate. On the signboard hanging above it, golden characters were written in a single stroke, but unfortunately, they were not the characters for 'Poison Valley'.

Cheon Woojin slowly read the characters out loud.

"...Demonic Cult."

It was the place where Cheon Woojin, who had been heading for the Poison Valley, had ended up after annihilating the Small Leiyin Temple on the way. It was also a mont when the Chief Strategist, who would receive the news in succession, beca pitiful.

(End of Chapter)