Chapter 230
‘First is Heavenly Poison Body. Second is Healing Spirit Energy Technique. Third is the Vampiric Ring.'
Chris continued thinking to himself.
‘Heavenly Poison Body blocks the toxicity itself, while the Healing Spirit Energy Technique, with its life-preserving will, neutralizes the willpower infused into the poison.'
If those poisons had been launched at him externally, neutralizing their will would’ve been far more difficult.
But this time, the poisons were acting within his body.
And the Healing Spirit Energy Technique exerts its greatest power inside the body, making it easy to suppress and deceive others.
‘Of course, that alone wouldn’t be enough.’
The most decisive cheat was the Vampiric Ring.
A legendary relic that absorbs external energy and converts it into demonic energy.
‘I upgraded the Vampiric Ring in preparation for something like this.’
Depending on its level of activation, the Vampiric Ring could absorb different types of energy with varying efficiency.
When he first obtained it, it was at Unlock Level 1, allowing him to only convert the energy within his own body, such as his light mana.
But once it was upgraded to Unlock Level 2, the types of energy it could absorb greatly expanded.
‘Now it can absorb any energy inside the body.’
In other words, it could now absorb even another person's demonic energy.
‘And whether it’s true-core poison or will-infused poison....ultimately, they’re all made from demonic energy.’
Of course, he couldn’t just absorb the poison directly.
Since each poison carried its own poison energy and infused will, those first had to be neutralized.
But that’s where Heavenly Poison Body and the Healing Spirit Energy Technique came in....once those cleared away the harmful components, he absorbed the remaining demonic energy and immediately converted it into his own usable energy.
In other words, with each cup of poison he drank, he was recycling it into his own power.
‘Since I’m constantly replenishing new energy, I never run out of the Healing Spirit Energy either.’
Rather than losing power by drinking the poisons, he was actually stockpiling it.
‘Wait… not only am I gathering disposable energy....my core capacity is increasing too?’
Normally, the energy absorbed through the Vampiric Ring was volatile and temporary.
But Chris could clearly feel that both his mana and demonic energy capacity were steadily growing.
‘It’s because of the medicinal essence left in the poison!’
Realizing this, Chris cheered internally.
‘If it's a true-core or will-infused poison, they must have used some extremely rare ingredients to make it. This is practically a surprise elixir feast!’
Excited, Chris began gulping down the poison with renewed vigor.
Eventually, he was drinking three to four cups at a time.
‘Let’s just finish this disgusting stuff quickly!’
The only real hardship....was the taste.
So vile it could probably be used as a torture method on someone's tongue.
‘Ugh… I need a glass of champagne after this to cleanse my palate. I’ve got Heavenly Poison Body now, so I’ve probably got a higher alcohol tolerance too. Definitely.’
With such hopeful thoughts in mind, he forced down the rest of the poison.
Finally....
Thud.
He set down the final cup.
“……”
A deathly silence descended upon the arena.
Everyone stared at Chris, their eyes filled with shock, disbelief, and utter astonishment.
“Th-That’s impossible…”
“How… how could he…?”
Chris, who had been sitting for quite a while, casually stretched his stiff back and spoke nonchalantly.
He couldn’t reveal the truth, of course.
“It wasn’t anything special.”
“!!”
“To think this is all you had to offer. It was far more disappointing than I expected. Truly underwhelming.”
The faces of Marquis Goras’s faction flushed with embarrassment.
But unlike before, not a single one of them could say a word.
And yet, Chris didn’t stop there....he caused another uproar.
“Ending things like this feels a bit… bland.”
With a crooked smile tugging at his lips, he turned his gaze.
“Elder, would you care to show me something spicier?”
“!!”
Everyone inhaled sharply.
The person Chris had just called out was none other than Yohen....the second-in-command of Marquis Goras’s faction, the Poison Lord, and a 7-star top-tier poison master.
“You want to drink my poison?”
“I had high hopes… but I’m rather disappointed now.”
Yohen’s face turned cold and expressionless.
“My poison carries death. The moment you drink even a single drop… you’ll die.”
And he wasn’t speaking metaphorically.
Yohen’s 7-star transcendent poison literally embodied Death....it defied the laws of the world.
The moment one consumed it, they died....regardless of resistance, immunity, or cultivation level.
But Chris replied....
“Well, I doubt it’s anything special. Let me have a taste.”
Everyone gulped.
Marisa, Melin, and Alros, who had only just begun to feel relieved, felt their hearts drop all over again.
‘You idiot!! A 7-star transcendent poison isn’t even in the same realm as a will-infused poison! Why are you trying to kill yourself again?!’
But it was already too late.
Yohen poured a single drop of his poison into a grail.
“My transcendent poison is called Death. Let’s see how long you last.”
Chris stared at the poison in the cup for a moment....and then drank it.
And the moment it entered his body....
An overwhelming, dizzying sensation engulfed his entire being.
It was the sensation of Death closing in.
‘As expected, a 7-star transcendent poison is no joke.’
In truth, despite all his earlier bravado, even Chris couldn’t resist the effects of a transcendent poison.
Because it wasn’t just a matter of toxicity....it transcended the laws and forcibly claimed life itself.
And yet, Chris had intentionally provoked this reckless situation for a reason.
‘By accepting this transcendent poison… I can gain something far greater.’
A surprising thought.
It meant he was planning to use this poison inside his body to achieve something.
‘Let’s do this.’
Chris focused his mind.
This time, unlike before, he summoned his demonic energy.
‘I have to resist the transcendence first.’
Just because one is struck by a transcendent force doesn't mean they die instantly.
It was possible to endure it....for a time.
Pouring his full strength into resisting it, Chris now called forth the dominating force of his Dark Demonic Energy.
‘I need to draw this transcendent poison into my core.’
It sounded insane.
But there was a reason for it.
‘This is the process for stepping onto the second stage of the Heavenly Poison Body.'
Ultimately, the vessel of the Heavenly Poison Body is the core itself.
It must become capable of containing the poison of the heavens.
To reach that state, one must first absorb unrefined or impure energy into the core....and purify it there.
‘And a 7-star transcendent poison is the very embodiment of unlawful energy.’
At last, the transcendent poison settled into his core, and Chris concentrated with unwavering focus.
‘I can do this.’
He had already completed the foundation of the Heavenly Poison Body.
His vessel carried the potential to purify corruption.
The issue wasn’t whether that potential existed....but how to actually realize that purification.
‘Think back… to Andril’s Perfection.’
Chris slowly closed his eyes.
The perfection that Andril had shown....one that rejected all forms of impurity....was strikingly similar to the Purification ability of the Heavenly Poison Body.
He recalled the moment Andril had cleaved through Marquis Langham’s transcendent technique and imprinted that sensation vividly in his consciousness. He then directed that same intent into his core....
And a miracle occurred.
The transcendent poison was purified!
And then, something even more incredible followed.
Fwaaaash!!
The vessel of the Heavenly Poison Body strengthened.
But it didn’t stop there. Chris also became acutely aware of a shift in his spiritual will.
‘My intent as a poison master has grown stronger.’
The spiritual will he had previously formed was now infused with a new sense of righteousness....a purifying intent that corrected distortion.
As a result, the potency of his Will-Infused Poison techniques had grown even more powerful.
‘And that’s not all. My core’s total capacity increased again.’
As the Heavenly Poison Body evolved, so too did his core.
‘I shouldn’t forget to absorb the remaining energy using the Vampiric Ring.'
Now that the poison’s transcendental force had been stripped, what remained was just a replenishing energy supplement for him.
Of course, the energy he absorbed in this way was still single-use....but at a moment like this, it was incredibly useful.
“He… he withstood a transcendent poison?”
The poison masters of the Venomous Demonic House gulped audibly.
“Th-That’s not all. What… what is that energy?”
Fwoooom....
Alongside the previously absorbed true-core and will-infused poisons....now combined with the transcendent poison....Chris’s entire body was enveloped in a surging storm of energy.
Although the power from the Vampiric Ring was technically temporary, in this moment, Chris wielded energy of such scale and intensity…
That he looked no different from a monster.
He stared at Marquis Goras’s faction with a chilling gleam in his eyes.
“…Now it’s my turn, isn’t it?”
“!!”
“This time, you lot will drink my poison.”
Drip. Drip.
Thick, black demonic energy rose around him....shifting and condensing into poison.
It was Chris’s Will-Infused Poison.
A dense, dark energy writhed ominously.
Shwaaak!
It spread into the neatly lined cups before him. With a snap of his fingers, the cups lifted into the air and hovered forward....flying straight toward the members of Marquis Goras’s faction.
“Drink.”
They gulped audibly.
Just the sight of it reeked of malice.
It felt like drinking straight from the abyss.
‘Don’t be afraid. I don’t know what kind of poison this is, but I’m a 6-star poison master. I won’t go down that easily.’
Forcing themselves to shake off the ominous feeling, they raised their cups.
But the moment the cups touched their lips, their instincts as poison masters screamed in warning.
....You must never drink this poison.
But this was a Holy Grail Duel.
They couldn’t back down.
“What’s wrong? Still haven’t drunk it? Are you all afraid?”
“!!”
With Chris’s mocking sneer, the group grit their teeth and downed the poison.
And immediately....they froze.
“…What is this?”
“Why isn’t anything happening?”
A wave of confusion swept through them.
There wasn’t the slightest trace of toxicity. No burning, no pressure, no sense of threat.
It was as if they’d just drunk pure, clear water.
“What? There’s no poison in this?”
Some even chuckled awkwardly, as if they’d overreacted.
But then....it happened.
“What....why is the poison moving toward our cores?”
Their expressions hardened in horror.
The poison was flowing....naturally, smoothly....as if water were trickling toward their cores.
‘I… I can’t push it out?!’
They tried desperately to muster energy, to force Chris’s poison out....
But there was no response. Nothing worked.
Chris’s lips curled into a smirk.
‘That’s the nature of Heavenly Poison. Poison imbued with the will of the heavens....it cannot be resisted.’
Of course, Chris hadn’t actually acquired true Heavenly Poison.
Rather, upon reaching the 6-star level, he had embedded a fragment of its essence into his Will-Infused Poison through the spiritual will he had formed.
‘The real show starts now.’
The members of Marquis Goras’s faction staggered, staring at Chris in growing dread.
The poison had indeed settled in their cores....yet no reaction occurred.
Everyone still looked perfectly fine.
“What kind of poison is this?”
“Oh, you’ll understand soon enough,” Chris replied.
He glanced at them, then suddenly flashed a twisted smile.
“Your gazes are awfully arrogant. Why don’t you all kneel first?”
“!!”
The hall froze at the absurd, downright insane command.
Everyone stared as if wondering, Has he lost his mind?
And then....the unthinkable happened.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
One by one, the members of Marquis Goras’s faction....those who had drunk the poison....began to drop to their knees!
“!!”
Gasps ripped through the chamber as everyone’s eyes went wide with disbelief.
“W-What… why?!”
What shocked them even more were the expressions of those kneeling.
Each face was red, veins bulging, their eyes bloodshot.
Their trembling pupils screamed: This isn’t of my own will.
“Hngh!!”
“What… what have you done to us?!”
They trembled violently, straining desperately to resist, trying to rise again....
But it was futile.
As if their bodies were no longer their own, they collapsed back to their knees, completely subdued.
“What have I done?”
Chris looked down at the kneeling members of Marquis Goras’s faction, his lips curling into a sinister smirk.
“It means… from this moment forward, you belong to me.”
“!!”
“The poison you drank is my Will-Infused Poison....Dark Dominion. It amplifies the domination power of Dark Demonic Energy through poison. From now on, none of you will be able to defy my commands.”