Chapter 200: The Ultimate Poison Path

Shen Ping completely ignored the expression of astonishment on Duan Rong's face, and went on in a light and breezy manner, "This Wild Boar Mountain range stretches for hundreds of miles, covered in dense old forests and crisscrossed by streams; it is a natural treasure trove of medicinal herbs. Not only are there all kinds of rare herbs, but the forest is also teeming with an inexhaustible supply of poisonous insects, snakes, and ants."

"It is only by living in this treasure land and studying bitterly for over twenty years that I have finally been able to reach the end of this Poison Path..."

As Shen Ping spoke, he let out a deep, heavy sigh. He suddenly turned his head and looked at Duan Rong with a gaze like a blade. His tone was as if he were asking Duan Rong, yet also as if he were asking himself, "Do you know what lies at the end of the Poison Path?"

Shen Ping's expression at this moment was somewhat chilling. Duan Rong felt uneasy under his gaze and mumbled in agreement, "What is it?"

"It is a vast wasteland!"

"A vast wasteland?" Duan Rong's eyes were filled with confusion; he clearly could not yet grasp Shen Ping's meaning.

Shen Ping said indignantly, "A vast wasteland means a dead end, a path to nowhere!"

Duan Rong saw that Shen Ping was emotionally agitated, but he could not understand the meaning behind Shen Ping's words at all, so he could only remain silent.

After a few breaths, Shen Ping seemed to gradually calm his emotions, and the two then continued to walk forward.

After crossing another mountain peak, they finally stopped at the edge of a cliff.

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

Duan Rong's nose twitched, and he cried out, "Jump down?"

He felt extremely depressed in his heart; this was a damn cliff, wasn't it?

Shen Ping said, "Don't you know Lightness Skill? There is a cave below this cliff. My dantian has been destroyed and my internal energy is all gone; you take me down."

"Can you not pause so long when you speak?" Duan Rong shot Shen Ping a glare.

Shen Ping's build was lean; 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, with one hand still clutching Shen Ping's waist, his right hand whipped out the Ox-Tail Saber with a *shing* sound and stabbed it into the hard stone wall of the cliff.

Duan Rong channeled his Internal Breath, and the Ox-Tail Saber pierced the stone wall as if it were cutting through tofu.

With the weight of two people hanging on the hilt, Duan Rong tapped his toes against the cliff face and steadied his body.

Duan Rong swept his gaze and sure enough saw a small cave not far to his side. The stone platform at the entrance was worn smooth, clearly from years of people coming and going.

Duan Rong's body suddenly flipped, his feet tapping rapidly against the cliff wall as if walking on flat ground. With one hand clamping Shen Ping and the other holding the saber, he flashed toward the cave entrance.

Duan Rong's feet shifted rapidly, and stone chips flew across the cliff face.

But a cliff is not flat ground after all; Duan Rong had already used all his strength to balance his body, and he was still carrying Shen Ping, this dead weight.

Seeing they were about to reach the entrance, Duan Rong could not land gracefully, so he could only roll into the cave while still clutching Shen Ping.

Shen Ping was caught off guard and hit his head on the ground, raising a large bump. Furious, Shen Ping jumped up and cursed, "Can you be slower? Are you trying to kill me?"

Duan Rong looked at the large bump on Shen Ping's forehead. It was already more prominent than others, and now with a new bump, it looked indescribably funny and ugly. Duan Rong really couldn't help it and burst out laughing.

After cursing a few times, Shen Ping vented his anger. Not wanting to waste time with Duan Rong, he huffed, put his hands behind his back, and walked into the pitch-black shadows of the cave.

Shen Ping had lived in this cave for over ten years, so even in pitch darkness, he knew exactly where all his belongings were placed.

He felt around in a corner, pulled out a Fire Folder, blew it to life, and lit an oil lamp.

The dim, yellowish light, no larger than a bean, immediately illuminated the pitch-black cave.

Duan Rong stood at the entrance, his heart filled with surprise. The cave was actually quite deep, and along both sides, it was filled with all sorts of cluttered items.

Shen Ping was holding the oil lamp, rummaging through a pile of debris deep in the cave.

Shen Ping searched several places in succession before putting down the oil lamp, walking to the entrance, looking at Duan Rong, and saying, "Let's go, take me up."

Duan Rong rubbed his nose and thought to himself: So that's it? This old guy just came here to fetch some things, yet he made me run all the way here like a little lackey.

Although Duan Rong felt depressed, he could only pick up Shen Ping again and carry him back to the top of the cliff.

The two stood on the cliff, and the mountain wind blew past, filling their sleeves.

Shen Ping suddenly shoved a black Porcelain Bottle into Duan Rong's hand.

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

"A type of poison."

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

Shen Ping did not answer Duan Rong's question. He suddenly stood on the cliff, looking out at the vast sea of forest below with a distant gaze, and said as if to himself, "I was born into a family of the Medical Path, and I was born with excellent talent for the Martial Path. It would not be an exaggeration to say I was a genius of Medicine and Martial Arts Dual Cultivation."

Duan Rong felt depressed hearing this. Who calls themselves a genius? However, he saw a look of pain appear on Shen Ping's face.

He only heard him continue, "It's just a pity that halfway through my cultivation, I suddenly became obsessed with the Poison Path."

"I have studied this path bitterly for decades, wanting to reach the ultimate end of it. Recently, I feel I have finally reached it."

"Reached it?" Duan Rong looked at Shen Ping with confused eyes, savoring what "reached it" meant.

Shen Ping suddenly turned his head to look at Duan Rong and said, "Yes. Reached it. The poison in your hand is the poison of the ultimate Poison Path; I call it First-Grade Red!"

"First-Grade Red? The ultimate Poison Path?" Duan Rong felt a chill all over his body, his eyes filled with horror.

Although he did not know how powerful this First-Grade Red was, he had seen the Corpse Rot Poison, which also came from Shen Ping's hands.

The ferocity of the Corpse Rot Poison's toxicity had left a terrifying impression on him.

But Shen Ping told him that the poison he held in his hand right now, called First-Grade Red, was the true poison of the ultimate Poison Path.

Did that not mean this poison was far more formidable than the Corpse Rot Poison?

The ultimate Poison Path! First-Grade Red!

Duan Rong truly could not imagine just how fierce its toxicity must be.

Duan Rong could not help but grip the Porcelain Bottle in his hand a little tighter, fearing that it might accidentally slip and fall...

Duan Rong looked at Shen Ping and suddenly asked, "Old Shen, you said earlier that the end of the Poison Path is a vast wasteland? Since you have refined this poison of the ultimate Poison Path, how can you say it is a vast wasteland?"

Hearing Duan Rong's words, Shen Ping looked at him with an appreciative gaze and said, "Kid Duan, you truly have some wisdom. It's a pity..."

A flicker of dimness flashed across Shen Ping's eyes, and then he changed the subject, saying, "Compared to the Martial Path, the Poison Path is merely a minor path. This is a conclusion that predecessors reached long ago. However, when I was young, I was obsessed with the Poison Path and quite arrogant; I refused to believe this and thought I could break through the mold."

"And after decades of bitter study, I finally confirmed that the Poison Path is indeed a dead end. I spent my whole life going down a blind alley, only to trap myself in vain."

"The reason the Poison Path is merely a minor path compared to the Martial Path lies in the fact that poison can only be effective against Martial Artists of the Inner Breath Realm."

"But for Martial Artists who have achieved the True Qi Realm, poison can hardly harm them anymore. Because True Qi is far denser and more refined than Internal Breath; Internal Breath cannot enter many tiny blood vessels and meridians, but True Qi can penetrate everywhere. Therefore, circulating True Qi can force out poison!"

"As long as your True Qi is powerful enough, you can seal off all paths for the poison to spread within your body, and you can even force it out of your body along your meridians."

Duan Rong felt a chill run through his entire body, his heart shaken to the core!

So, in this world, forcing out poison with True Qi was actually a real thing!

(End of chapter)