The Regressor of Mount Hua-Chapter 293. Human-faced Spider (2)

It was the higher realm version of the Hundred Poisons Immunity and the Thousand Poisons Immunity.

It was said that with it, not even ten thousand poisons could harm the user.

While it wasn’t true immunity to ten thousand poisons, it was still a legendary level of immunity that practically no poison could penetrate.

About a thousand years ago, the Absolute Master who created the Green Eyes Ten Thousand Poisons Art, the Poison Demon, had also attained the Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity.

In theory, Zhou Xuchuan should have also reached this level upon mastering the Green Eyes Ten Thousand Poisons Art.

However, he had been blocked on that path due to the limitations of the Ten Thousand Convergence Art.

As a Coruscant Realm Absolute Master with the Thousand Poisons Immunity, he was effectively immune to most poisons. However, he was still concerned about the Formless Poison.

He had searched relentlessly for an antidote, even consulting the Poison King, but ultimately gave up as none existed. As a last resort, he planned to eliminate the poison at its source, ensuring that Avaricious Wolf could never obtain the Human-faced Spider’s webs.

However, the moment he saw the Human-faced Spider, a brilliant idea struck him.

Convert all of the Human-faced Spider's neidan qi into poison.

Poison resistance was ultimately built through exposure.

Just as a person’s alcohol tolerance increased the more they drank, poison resistance also increased when built up gradually.

That was how poison arts were trained.

From a young age, children trained in poison arts would be fed weak poisons, allowing their bodies to adapt and develop a tolerance.

It could be life-threatening, but it was also extremely effective.

Zhou Xuchuan had decided to use this method.

His plan was to assimilate the Human-faced Spider’s neidan, then stimulate its Spirit Qi with the Human-faced Spider’s venom, converting all of it into poison qi.

It wasn't difficult for him, as he had the Green Eyes Ten Thousand Poisons Art, which was considered a divine art among poison arts.

Of course, if someone trained in poison arts heard this, they would be shocked and call him crazy.

While it was theoretically plausible, it was still madness—no different from suicide.

The Human-faced Spider was the most venomous spiritual beast, perhaps even the most venomous of all poison beasts. While its poison may not have been as potent as the Thousand Blood Poison, it wasn't far off.

However, he not only accepted such an extreme poison without concern, but also fused it with its Spirit Qi and amplified it.

Even though he had only absorbed a portion of the neidan, if all of the Human-faced Spider’s Spirit Qi within his body was converted into poison, he wouldn’t survive.

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No matter how strong a person’s immunity was, it had limits. The same went for martial artists. No matter how good of a poison art he had, that, too, had its limits.

Green Eyes Ten Thousand Poisons Art, Thousand Poisons Immunity, Ten Thousand Convergence Art.

However, his various conditions made it possible.

With the Green Eyes Ten Thousand Poisons Art, he had no problem controlling the poison. While it wasn't easy, the poison could still be handled freely.

Then, as the Spirit Qi melted into the Human-faced Spider’s venom and was completely converted into poison qi, even the world's strongest Zhou Xuchuan felt a little overwhelmed. Had it not been for Thousand Poisons Immunity, the situation might have been fatal.

Finally, the Ten Thousand Convergence Art played the biggest role.

The Ten Thousand Convergence Art allowed multiple martial arts to coexist regardless of the inherent nature of the martial arts’ foundational qi cultivation method.

Not only did it harmonize yin and yang, it even allowed the user to assimilate and harmonize the demonic qi of the Demonic Path.

Using this principle, Zhou Xuchuan was able to minimize the sense of rejection, allowing the flooding poison qi to settle into his body.

As a result, he was able to successfully reach the Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity.

"I. Knew. That. The. Potentials. Of. Humans. Were. Endless. But. To. Think. It. Was. To. This. Degree."

The Human-faced Spider, the only one aware of Zhou Xuchuan’s thoughts, showed a surprised expression, as if she couldn’t believe it.

"Senior Brother!"

Luo Xiaoyue rushed toward him, gliding gracefully like a bird.

Now that she had broken through and reached the Harmony Realm, even her movements had changed.

To onlookers, it seemed as if she had vanished completely.

“Are you okay?”

Luo Xiaoyue looked up at Zhou Xuchuan, her eyes filled with worry.

Seeing her worried gaze, he felt an unexpected wave of protectiveness.

No.

His heart didn't feel okay. It felt like his chest was going to burst.

The faint scent of her hair, swaying as she moved, stimulated not only his sense of smell but also his mind.

“Are you still feeling unwell?”

When she heard no answer from her senior brother, Luo Xiaoyue stamped her feet, not knowing what to do.

"Ahem. Don't worry, I'm fine."

"Really? You’re not lying to reassure me, are you? I’ll be angry if you’re hiding something from me."

Even the way her expression hardened, her eyes flickering beneath her double eyelids, was beautiful.

"Look. Even my skin color is fine."

Zhou Xuchuan rolled up his sleeves to show his arms.

Luo Xiaoyue carefully examined not only his arms but also his neck and face before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

Then, she furrowed her brows and started scolding him.

"Seriously, the more time I spend with you, Senior Brother, the more my heart can't take it.[1] Do you know how many times this has happened?"

She had good reason to worry.

Zhou Xuchuan had a habit of running off into danger.

When he disappeared for long periods, she couldn't even contact him.

While, yes, no news was good news, looking at what Zhou Xuchuan had done so far, she couldn't feel at ease.

She knew that he was capable, but he had fallen into danger more than once, which worried her.

“Hahaha.”

"This isn't something to laugh about."

Luo Xiaoyue puffed her cheeks in frustration.

My heart really can't calm down, it seems.

Even though he may have seemed like a lovestruck fool, the truth was the truth. Even her pouring face was cute.

Just as he struggled to find a way to calm her, a voice interrupted them.

"Agh!"

"A-a monster!"

"I-it's the Human-faced Spider!”

The group’s eyes turned to the source of the voice. Emerging from the bushes was the expedition team that had been split in half.

"This really is quite a surprise."

A beautiful voice flowed from the Wave Sword Phoenix, Duan Lihua. She had freed herself from the acupoint suppression with help from the expedition team that had rescued her along the way.

“Why is the Bear Fist Hero like that?”

Sun Yishan’s eyes turned to Li Chu. The man was unconscious and tied to a tree trunk like a criminal.

“I guess we have a lot to talk about?”

Duan Lihua smiled, pressing her index finger into her cherry-like lips. There was a hint of interest in her eyes beneath her long lashes.

"It seems there's only one person here who knows what truly happened on both sides, right?"

Everyone’s attention naturally turned to a single person—Zhou Xuchuan.

Zhou Xuchuan shook his head as he explained.

He summarized the key events that had unfolded in Xiling Gorge.

When Li Chu’s name was mentioned, most people couldn’t help but feel angry. Their bloodlust was so strong that it made the cluster of spiders flinch.

"While I expected it, I didn’t think we would fall into a trap this easily. How embarrassing."

Meng Ge clicked his tongue and blamed himself.

He had realized something was wrong after Old Man Blood Poison appeared, but by then, it was already too late.

“Bear Fist Hero.”

Sun Yishan looked at Li Chu, who had finally regained consciousness.

“How could someone like you betray the Righteous Faction?”

The Bear Fist Hero was renowned for his righteousness and for helping the weak, even before earning his place among the One Hundred Experts Under Heaven.

Since childhood, Li Chu had been known for his strong sense of justice, using his strength to protect others and punish evil.

Although he wasn't strong enough to be remembered throughout history, he was still respected both by the people and the Righteous Faction.

It wasn't for nothing that he had been recommended as the Vice Squadron Captain on this expedition.

Yes, his cultivation was high, but he had been chosen because he was the most trustworthy of heroes.

Even now, despite his betrayal, many warriors from the Martial Alliance still looked incredulous and their gazes were complicated.

"Did you just ask how I could betray the Righteous Faction?"

His hostile gaze turned to Sun Yishan.

"What do you mean, ‘someone like me’? A warrior who got lucky somehow with some shit technique?" Li Chu asked sarcastically and snorted.

“Bear Fist Hero..."

“Don’t act hypocritical, Temperance Staff Beggar. It’s disgusting.”

Li Chu’s expression hardened. He looked like an angry bear.

"You who were born into or adopted as disciples of prestigious sects will never be able to understand my feelings even if you were to die and come back to life."

As expected of an orphan, Li Chu also had an unfortunate childhood. He had lived in a quiet village and was attacked by a group of bandits, losing all his relatives.

He had almost been sold into slavery, but luckily managed to escape and ended up wandering around the Central Plains.

Not long after, he caught the eye of the gate master of a small sect and became his disciple, a student of the Bear Fist Gate.

The Bear Fist Gate wasn't that impressive. There were only six disciples, including Lu Chu, and the gate was also a second-tier sect.

Still, in order to repay the kindness of his teacher and Gate Master of the Bear Fist Gate, he diligently practiced the techniques based on the image of a bear.

Li Chu had some talent for martial arts and became stronger as time went by. However, he didn't have any of the luxury of a talented martial artist.

The Bear Fist Gate Master, who had gone out into the gangho for a short trip, suddenly died in an unexpected accident. After that, Li Chu followed the path of the Righteous Hero that the Bear Fist Gate Master had embodied and went out into the gangho to help people.

He actively participated and fought in many battles, and was able to reach ascension, even earning himself a title to be proud of.

And soon after, the Martial Alliance made an offer.

Good. If it's the Martial Alliance, I should have more opportunities to carry out my master's will.

His master had always valued chivalry over rebuilding the Gate.

So, after much thought, he accepted the Martial Alliance’s offer.

He had a strong desire to help someone, just like how the child who had lost his home and didn’t know where to go had been helped.

However...

“The Martial Alliance is rotten.”

The Martial Alliance wasn't a group that was swayed by the five desires and seven emotions, but there was still something within it that veered against the norm.

That thing was discrimination.

"Even if one works hard for decades and becomes a hero by their own strength, if they're not from a great sect, they're nothing but a joke. That's the very nature of the Martial Alliance now."

Even the Tang Family, one of the Five Great Ancient Families, was secretly looked down upon by the Martial Alliance. It went without saying how those from a small or medium-sized sect were treated.

Although Bear Fist Hero was a well-respected warrior, his treatment within the Martial Alliance was extremely depressing.

Of course, it wasn't unexpected.

Even while wandering the gangho, he had seen countless fools of the Righteous Faction relying on their connections and their prestigious sects to make a fuss.

Some never came to their senses, even as they grew older. There were many cases where they did all sorts of ugly things due to their ridiculous pride.

However, he never could have expected that the Martial Alliance, the center of the Righteous Faction, would have also been like that. That he would be ignored just because he was from a small sect.

“The Righteous Faction's Coalition? Nonsense!” Li Chu shouted, his voice full of resentment.

“Martial Alliance is not the Righteous Faction's Coalition! It’s just a pompous group of sects made up solely of the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Ancient Families!”

Some time ago, something along these lines had happened.

A new unit had been created in the Martial Alliance.

Two candidates were recommended to be the Vice Squadron Captain of this new unit.

The first candidate was a junior that Li Chu cherished.

Although he may have been from a third-rate sect, he was a Peak Realm expert who had made brilliant achievements on the battlefield. He was also popular with his subordinates.

The second candidate was a warrior from the Nine Sects and One Gang.

While he wasn’t lacking in cultivation, he wasn’t that great. He was just a young boy who had just barely reached the Peak Realm.

He wasn’t bad-natured, but he lacked both skill and experience compared to Li Chu’s junior.

Thus, it was natural who would become the next Vice Squadron Captain.

However, the result was different. The Vice Squadron Captain position went to the warrior from Nine Sects and One Gang.

“Listen here, Bear Fist Hero. It seems as though you don't understand it, but..."

"What, the 'There was no other choice' excuse?!" Li Chu let out a furious rebuke.

“The ones who established the Martial Alliance may have been the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Ancient Families, but why can’t you understand that the other Righteous Faction members also participated?!”

Li Chu wasn't a child who was ignorant of reality.

“It's because if we slighted the one from the pillar that is the Nine Sects and One Gang, it'll definitely create discord!”

He was too old to maintain his innocence.

"I understand what you mean! I understand very well that there's no other choice! It's not that I don't understand reality!"

Martial artists, especially those in the Righteous Faction, valued honor more than anyone else. They valued it more than their own lives.

If one asked those of the Righteous Faction if pride was enough to feed them, the answer would be yes.[2]

"Still! That's why this definitely can't happen!"

If a disciple from the Nine Sects and One Gang lost to a mere warrior from the Martial Alliance or even from a third-rate sect, their honor would fall.

The problem was that Righteous Faction members such as those of the famous sects would specifically point out the loss and mock the disciple, saying that their sect couldn't live up to the old days.

While it was so ridiculous that it was funny, that alone would lead to the sect losing their voice within the Martial Alliance and eventually get ignored.

"Aren't we still people who walk the right path?"

Then the number of official and lay disciples would decrease, and their livelihood would inevitably be cut off. Then, the number of requests would also decrease.

Thus, the economy of the Righteous Faction murim was pride and honor.

"You hypocritical bastards!"

That was why a hero of the gangho had joined the Avaricious Wolf Star.

1. Literally, the more my liver shrinks to the size of a soybean. ☜

2. There's a phrase in Korean (and a similar one in English), that roughly translates to "Swallow your pride, as that's the only way your pride will feed you." This is a mockery of it because these people would literally rather starve then get slighted. ☜