Eternal Saber-Chapter 316 - 40: The Poison Hand’s Final Gambit

Once the person died, the thick smoke gradually dispersed.

Chen Tang had been feeling his way forward along the street in the smoke, and now he looked around to find that he had hardly changed position and was actually circling in place.

On the ground around him were some strange stones, occupying specific positions, forming a simple formation.

Such a formation would be useless under normal circumstances.

But combined with the thick smoke, obstructing vision, it would trap a person for a long time, unable to escape the fog.

Chen Tang casually kicked a few times and scattered the stones.

Then, without any warning, he swung his sword at a nearby doorpost!

The blade flashed!

The doorpost broke with a sound.

At the same time, a shadow separated from the pillar, leaving behind a cloud of blood mist, fleeing towards the distance with astonishing speed!

The shadow that made the first move hadn’t hit its mark and, hopeful of luck, hadn’t retreated far, instead lying in ambush nearby waiting for an opportunity.

Unexpectedly, it was seen through by Chen Tang, who made it reveal itself with one strike.

The shadow darted into the nearby alley, suddenly dug into the ground, and rapidly disappeared.

Chen Tang pursued a couple of steps, but seemed to think of something, paused for a moment, then gave up.

He carried the long sword, gaze cold, and headed toward the roast goose shop.

The crowd trapped in the smoke scattered.

The roast goose shop owner, seeing the murderous look on Chen Tang’s face, turned pale with fright, his legs feeling as heavy as lead, frozen in place.

"Could the owner be Poison Hand?"

"Impossible, if Poison Hand were so easily exposed, it would have been discovered long ago."

"I estimate Poison Hand has slipped away amidst the chaos."

Many nearby were watching and whispering.

As Chen Tang approached the shop, he passed by the woman who had just been poisoned to death and, without any warning, suddenly raised his hand and swung his blade toward the woman’s throat!

This action by Chen Tang left everyone puzzled and bewildered.

What deep grudge could he have not to spare a corpse?

Immediately after, the corpse with a bluish-black face rolled on the ground, dodging Chen Tang’s blade, and escaped towards the distance!

The crowd was taken aback.

The woman actually came back to life!

"Still trying to escape!"

Chen Tang’s eyes lit up, he stepped forward quickly and entered the Divine Illumination State.

The blade flashed.

No one saw how Chen Tang made his move.

Nor did anyone see where the blade struck, or what Sword Skill it was.

All they knew was that the blade flashed, and Chen Tang stopped.

He stood in place, with a calm expression, watching as the fleeing woman ran a few more steps before realizing, staggering to a halt.

The woman slowly turned around, the bluish-black toxic air on her face still present, but looking at Chen Tang in disbelief.

"How did you find out?"

The woman opened her mouth to ask.

Chen Tang said calmly, "I just tried."

The woman laughed.

The next moment, the crowd saw a spot of crimson spreading from her chest.

Poof!

The woman spat out fresh blood, and a jet of blood spurted from her chest!

Chen Tang’s earlier strike seemed to have crossed space, piercing the woman’s heart and then returning.

The woman fell backward.

Onlookers still wore faces of puzzlement, not understanding what had happened, when suddenly, countless poisonous insects crawled out from the woman’s clothing: spiders, scorpions, venomous snakes... forming a dark mass that made one’s scalp tingle!

The crowd scattered away, avoiding the poisonous insects.

It was unimaginable that so many poisonous insects could be hidden on a person!

Soon, recalling the earlier conversation between Chen Tang and the woman, people exchanged glances as they seemed to reach an understanding.

"Poison Hand."

"She was Poison Hand..."

"Who would have thought Poison Hand was just an ordinary middle-aged woman."

"Maybe not, perhaps this appearance isn’t Poison Hand’s true face."

Among the crowd, whispered discussions could be heard.

It wasn’t long before the poisonous insects around dispersed, quickly disappearing.

The crowd gathered once more.

In fact, Chen Tang became aware of something unusual about the woman after the Lion’s Roar.

Under the shockwave of the Lion’s Roar, a seemingly dead body on the ground had a slight heartbeat, which then quickly stabilized!

Even amid the intense battle, Chen Tang hadn’t ignored this detail.

He quickly considered a possibility.

Apart from the roast goose shop owner who had come into contact with the lotus leaf, the only other person was this woman who had supposedly been ’poisoned’ to death.

Normally, the person administering poison had to be alive, not a dead person.

This was a blind spot in thinking.

Of course, this was not enough to prove Chen Tang’s suspicion.

His initial strike was also a test.

If the woman really were a corpse, to chop off the corpse’s head wouldn’t matter.

If she wasn’t a corpse, then she was Poison Hand.

Chen Tang fished out a dozen Hidden Coins from the Smoke Demon’s body, maintaining a calm expression, he approached the roast goose shop, awakened the still-stunned owner, and bought two more roast geese to take away.

Everything just now seemed as if it never happened.

It didn’t affect Chen Tang’s mood to buy roast goose at all.

Carrying the roast goose, Chen Tang headed home.

He hadn’t walked far when he saw the fortune-telling blind man.

Chen Tang couldn’t help but feel a tug at his heart.

When he set out today, he, as usual, gave the fortune-telling blind man a Hidden Coin.

The fortune-telling blind man replied with the word ’Danger’.

This back-and-forth had become a routine over the past few days.

Chen Tang didn’t make much of it, just a customary greeting upon encounter.

At this moment, seeing the fortune-telling blind man, Chen Tang couldn’t help but recall his words.

Danger was indeed one of the three ominous warnings, but not of the highest threat.

Actually, the fortune-telling blind man had already given him a warning.

The blind man lifted his head, facing Chen Tang, and asked, "Aren’t you curious about Poison Hand’s true appearance?"

Among the disorganized steps of passersby, the blind man always managed to find Chen Tang swiftly.

"Curious."

Chen Tang glanced back, casually remarking, "But it’s unnecessary."

He didn’t even touch Poison Hand’s body, unwilling to take that risk.

Around Poison Hand’s body gathered many people.

"Poison Hand surely wore a Human Skin Mask."

"Naturally, as Hermits, they all understand the Disguise Technique."

The crowd observed nearby, but no one stepped closer.

"I’ll see whether Poison Hand is male or female."

Someone sneered, stepping forward boldly.

This person was rather cautious, extending a Hidden Saber, carefully lifting the edge of the Poison Hand’s cheek, slowly raising a Human Skin Mask!

Underneath the woman’s mask revealed the face of a middle-aged man.

"No, this is another Human Skin Mask," someone said with a frown.

As the person approached to unveil the second layer of mask, the face of the middle-aged man suddenly bubbled upon exposure to the air.

The entire face of Poison Hand caught fire out of thin air, billowing with thick blue smoke!

The surrounding faces changed abruptly at the smell of the smoke!

"Not good!"

"Poison!"

The crowd scattered frantically.

A quick-reacting Hermit swallowed an Antidote Pill and fled towards a pharmacy at the port.

Some only made a few steps before collapsing, vomiting black blood, and dying from the poison!

Soon, the street was strewn with bodies, lying in disarray.

None of those who had come to watch survived!

Within a few meters around Poison Hand’s corpse, there wasn’t a single living soul, some fled, some died.

Only Poison Hand’s burning face remained, charred beyond recognition.

The flames spread to the entire body, forming a large fireball.

Until death, no one saw Poison Hand’s true face.

This was Poison Hand’s final trump card.