I Can Devour Spirits

Chapter 199: Ultimate Poison Dao

Shen Ping completely ignored Duan Rong’s tongue-clicking expression and spoke calmly, "This Wild Boar Mountain Range stretches for hundreds of miles, filled with dense old forests and crisscrossed with streams. It’s a natural treasure trove of medicinal herbs. Not only does it have various rare herbs, but the forest is teeming with poisonous insects, snakes, and ants of all kinds, in an inexhaustible supply."

"It is because I stayed in this treasure land and studied hard for over twenty years that I finally reached the end of this Poison Dao..."

As Shen Ping spoke, he sighed heavily, suddenly turning his glance, sharp as a knife, toward Duan Rong, his tone seemed both to ask Duan Rong and to ask himself, "Do you know what lies at the end of the Poison Dao?"

At this moment, Shen Ping’s expression was somewhat eerie. Duan Rong felt uncomfortable being stared at and mumbled in agreement, "What is it?"

"It’s a wasteland!"

"A wasteland?" Duan Rong looked puzzled; he clearly couldn’t grasp what Shen Ping meant.

Shen Ping said angrily, "A wasteland means it’s a dead end, an absolutely impassable road!"

Duan Rong noticed Shen Ping’s agitation but couldn’t comprehend the meaning behind his words and remained silent.

After a few moments, it seemed Shen Ping gradually calmed down, and the two continued to walk forward.

After crossing another peak, they finally stopped at a cliff.

Shen Ping looked at Duan Rong and said, "Jump down!"

Duan Rong twitched his nose, exclaiming, "Jump down?"

He felt extremely frustrated; this was a cliff, wasn’t it?

Shen Ping said, "Aren’t you good at Lightweight Skill? There’s a cave under this cliff. My Dantian is ruined, and I’ve lost all my Inner Strength. You take me down there."

"Can you stop being so dramatic?" Duan Rong gave Shen Ping a sidelong glance.

Shen Ping’s figure was thin, so Duan Rong tucked him under his arm, and his body suddenly leaped off the cliff like a great bird.

Just as Duan Rong jumped off the cliff, holding Shen Ping’s waist with one hand, he swiftly drew his Cow Tail Saber with the other, stabbing it into the hard cliff wall.

Duan Rong infused his Inner Breath, and the Cow Tail Saber pierced into the rock like cutting through tofu.

The two hung by the saber’s hilt, and Duan Rong steadied himself by pushing off the sheer wall with his toes.

Duan Rong’s eyes scanned around and indeed saw a small cave not far from his side, with a stone platform worn smooth at the entrance, clearly showing signs of frequent comings and goings over the years.

Duan Rong suddenly spun his body upside down, his feet moving quickly on the cliff face as if walking on flat ground. Holding Shen Ping with one hand and the saber in the other, he flickered towards the cave entrance.

Duan Rong’s feet switched quickly, sending rock fragments flying from the cliff face.

But after all, a cliff was not flat terrain, and Duan Rong was exerting all his strength just to maintain balance, especially with Shen Ping weighing him down.

Just as they were about to reach the cave entrance, Duan Rong couldn’t land gracefully, so he rolled into the cave, holding onto Shen Ping.

Caught off guard, Shen Ping hit his head on the ground, resulting in a big lump, and he jumped up angrily, cursing, "Can’t you go slower? Are you trying to kill me?"

Duan Rong looked at the big lump on Shen Ping’s forehead. His forehead was naturally a bit more prominent than others, and now with the lump, it looked absurd and comical. Duan Rong couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

After venting with a few more curses, Shen Ping was no longer angry and didn’t want to waste energy arguing with Duan Rong. He stomped off, walking into the shadows of the pitch-black cave.

Shen Ping had lived in this cave for more than a decade. Even in total darkness, he knew exactly where all his belongings were placed.

He reached into a corner, found a flint, lit it, and illuminated an oil lamp.

A dim, bean-sized yellow light immediately illuminated the dark cave.

Duan Rong stood at the cave entrance, amazed at how deep the cave extended. Along both sides were various assorted items arranged messily.

Shen Ping was holding the oil lamp and rummaging through a pile of miscellaneous items deep inside the cave.

After searching in several places, Shen Ping finally put down the lamp and walked back toward the entrance, looking at Duan Rong, he said, "Let’s go, take me back up."

Duan Rong touched his nose, thinking to himself: So that’s it, the old man just came here to pick something up and made me tag along like a little sidekick.

Even though Duan Rong felt annoyed, he could only pick up Shen Ping again and take him back up the cliff.

Standing atop the cliff, the mountain wind blew, filling their sleeves.

Suddenly, Shen Ping placed a black porcelain bottle into Duan Rong’s hand.

Duan Rong was stunned and asked, "What is this?"

"A kind of poison."

"Poison? What kind of poison?" Duan Rong almost asked if it was Corpse Rot Poison.

Shen Ping didn’t answer Duan Rong’s question. Instead, he stood at the edge of the cliff, looking distantly at the vast sea of forest below, speaking as if to himself, "I was born into a family of the Medical Dao and have a natural gift for the Martial Dao, so calling myself a genius in Medical and Martial Arts Cultivation is not an exaggeration."

Duan Rong felt indignant. Who calls themselves a genius? However, he saw Shen Ping’s face reveal a look of pain.

Shen Ping continued, "Unfortunately, halfway through my cultivation, I suddenly became obsessed with the Poison Dao."

"I’ve dedicated decades to mastering this path and recently felt like I’ve finally reached its peak."

"Reached the peak?" Duan Rong looked puzzled at Shen Ping, trying to understand what "reaching the peak" meant.

Shen Ping suddenly turned his head toward Duan Rong, "Yes. Reached the peak, and the poison in your hand is the ultimate Poison Dao poison, which I call First Grade Red!"

"First Grade Red? Ultimate Poison Dao?" Duan Rong felt a chill running through him, his face full of shock.

Though he didn’t know how potent this First Grade Red was, he had seen the terrifying effects of the Corpse Rot Poison, which also came from Shen Ping.

The virulence of the Corpse Rot Poison left a very frightening impression on him.

Yet Shen Ping was telling him that the poison he now held, named First Grade Red, was the ultimate Poison Dao poison.

Doesn’t that mean this poison is far more potent than the Corpse Rot Poison?

Ultimate Poison Dao! First Grade Red!

Its potency must be unimaginable, Duan Rong couldn’t fathom it.

He couldn’t help but grip the porcelain bottle tighter, fearing it might accidentally fall...

Looking at Shen Ping, Duan Rong suddenly asked, "Old Shen, you said earlier that the end of the Poison Dao is a wasteland? Having refined the ultimate Poison Dao poison, how can it be a wasteland?"

Hearing Duan Rong’s words, Shen Ping looked at him with admiration, "Young Duan, you indeed have some insight. But unfortunately..."

A trace of gloom crossed Shen Ping’s eyes, and with a change in tone, he continued, "The Poison Dao, compared to the Martial Dao, is just a minor path. This conclusion was drawn by our predecessors long ago. However, I was young and obsessed with the Poison Dao and full of hubris, refusing to believe it, thinking I could break the mold."

"After decades of painstaking research, I finally confirmed that the Poison Dao is indeed a dead end. I’ve spent a lifetime pursuing an impossible goal, merely trapping myself in vain."

"The reason the Poison Dao is a minor path compared to the Martial Dao lies in that poison only affects martial artists in the Inner Breath Realm."

"But for Martial Artists who reach the True Qi Realm, poison hardly harms them anymore. This is because True Qi is far more intricate than Inner Breath, penetrating where Inner Breath cannot, including minute blood vessels and meridians where Inner Breath can’t enter, but True Qi can, making it possible to expel poison!"

"As long as your True Qi is strong enough, you can block the poison from spreading in your body and even expel it along the meridians."

Duan Rong listened, feeling cold all over, his heart shaken!

So in this world, the expulsion of poison by True Qi is indeed a reality!