Chapter 228
“Wait, you’re not seriously trying to challenge the Heavenly Poison Imperviousness, are you?”
“No way, I swear I’m not. You’re just in the way now, so go.”
“You—if you lie—!”
“Shut up.”
With a swift motion, Chris cast a dark spell, shoving Marisa out of the sealed room and locking the door behind her.
“You!!”
“It’s going to take a while, so don’t worry about it. I’ll come out just in time for the Holy Grail duel. You go develop that potion I asked for—the one that makes the alcohol stronger.”
Chris layered spell after spell, locking the door with multiple seals.
But he didn’t stop there—he overlaid the entire chamber with all kinds of security enchantments.
No one would be able to get in.
“If I get interrupted halfway through, it could be disastrous. Even I can’t guarantee my life then.”
Despite what he told Marisa, Chris was about to attempt something dangerous.
But it wasn’t the Heavenly Poison Imperviousness he was after.
“That’s not what I want.”
He spoke of the legendary Heavenly Poison Imperviousness dismissively—as if it were nothing.
What was it that Chris truly desired?
“I have to achieve the Heavenly Poisoned Body.”
Heavenly Poison.
A legendary concept among the Venomous Demon Clan, it was the ultimate poison they sought like a utopia.
The Heavenly Poisoned Body was a vessel capable of containing the poison of the heavens.
But it was a strange concept—one no one in the Venomous Demon Clan had ever heard of.
“That’s because it’s a secret technique from the Medical Sage family.”
An unexpected revelation.
Why would the Medical Sage family have a secret related to Heavenly Poison?
There was a reason.
Long ago, a Medical Saint from the Venomous Demon Clan created this secret technique.
It might seem odd that the Medical Sage family’s greatest saint was originally from the Venomous Demon Clan, but the Medical Sage family accepted disciples regardless of origin, as long as they had a heart to heal.
“Most people in the Medical Sage family don’t even know about this secret.”
In his past life, Chris had witnessed the death of the 26th head of the Medical Sage family and inherited the position of the 27th head.
At that time, the previous head passed down a secret manual only given to the family heads, and it contained information about the Heavenly Poisoned Body.
“From what I know of medicine, it’s theoretically a perfect secret art. The problem is, it’s impossible to actually realize.”
The legendary Heavenly Poison Imperviousness Marisa mentioned?
It couldn’t compare.
Even just completing the basics of the Heavenly Poisoned Body would produce effects similar to the Heavenly Poison Imperviousness.
The catch was that it was impossible to achieve.
“Because of the nature of the Heavenly Poison.”
What exactly was the Heavenly Poison?
According to the Venomous Demon Clan’s legend, it was poison imbued with the will of heaven.
More precisely, it was poison that carried the heavenly will to judge the world’s corruption.
Therefore, though it was poison, it also had the nature of light.
In other words, the vessel meant to contain the Heavenly Poison had to possess both demonic and light qualities.
“…Such a person can’t exist. At least, not originally.”
And that wasn’t all.
The process to complete the Heavenly Poisoned Body was divided into several stages, and even the basic stage was brutally difficult.
Like completing the Heavenly Poison Imperviousness, one had to accept a thousand different poisons into their body—but it wasn’t just about absorbing them.
While accepting those thousand poisons, one had to establish a certain ‘conception’ worthy of containing the Heavenly Poison.
This ‘conception’ referred to the enlightenment gained upon reaching the sixth star level.
It wasn’t just about reaching the sixth star—it was about gaining an enlightenment capable of holding the Heavenly Poison.
It was an impossible feat without extraordinary talent.
“Also, an unyielding will to save lives was necessary.”
No one in the world could meet these conditions.
…Except for Chris.
“I can do it.”
The coexistence of demon and light.
The unparalleled talent.
The will to save countless patients.
Chris had them all.
“Of course, it’s not something I can achieve easily.”
Even Chris had to be prepared to face death to complete the Heavenly Poisoned Body.
After all, he had to accept a thousand poisons into his body.
But he had to succeed.
“Only by completing the Heavenly Poisoned Body can I have a chance to stop the Jade Green Rebellion.”
Soon, the Demon King of the Azure Stream would bring a terrible disaster upon the Venomous Demon Clan.
To prevent that catastrophe, completing the Heavenly Poisoned Body was essential.
“Besides that, gaining the Heavenly Poisoned Body would grant me countless advantages.”
First, mastery of poison arts.
To win the upcoming Holy Grail duel, Chris had to reach the sixth star level in poison arts.
To bring a sixth-star poison master to their knees, at least a sixth-star poison technique was necessary.
But even for Chris, reaching the sixth star within a month was impossible.
To gain the enlightenment of the sixth star, one needed the accumulated experience and concepts about poison.
Training the Heavenly Poisoned Body would drastically shorten that process.
“By forcibly accepting a thousand poisons as attributes, I have to gain the enlightenment.”
In other words, if he completed the basics of the Heavenly Poisoned Body now, he would naturally reach the sixth star in poison arts.
And not just any sixth star—the sixth star with the conception to contain the Heavenly Poison.
It was the most perfect enlightenment a poison master could achieve.
“It’s also essential for completing my primary goal, the Painted Realm.”
In truth, Chris could have reached the sixth star in dark magic by now.
He had the vessel and the conception to gain enlightenment.
But he deliberately stayed at the fifth star because what he wanted wasn’t just any sixth-star achievement.
The Painted Realm—the world drawn by darkness.
A legendary conception once attained by the Demon King of Annihilation, it was what Chris truly sought.
“No, I have to obtain a Painted Realm even more perfect than his. Simply following in his footsteps isn’t enough.”
The Heavenly Poisoned Body would be the foundation.
Chris sat down in the center of the room.
He adorned himself with artifacts and relics that enhanced vitality.
Even for Chris, he couldn’t withstand a thousand poisons on his own, so he sought all the help he could get.
“There will still be limits, though.”
He drew a magic circle around him.
A sealed circle that wouldn’t let a single speck of dust escape.
Then, with a flick of his finger, a poison vial hanging on the wall flew toward him and shattered, releasing its contents.
Because of the sealed circle, not a single wisp of poison smoke escaped—it swirled tightly around Chris.
He absorbed the poison through his skin, breath, mouth, and entire body, thinking:
“This is just the beginning.”
For the next fifteen days,
Chris would have to accept all one thousand poisons and complete the conception worthy of containing the Heavenly Poison.
It was an extremely dangerous challenge.
His body would continue to deteriorate as he absorbed the poisons.
Though aided by artifacts and relics, there were limits.
Just enduring until the end would be a miracle.
But if he could endure the entire process and complete the vessel, Chris would grow immensely once again.
He kept absorbing the poisons.
Demon and poison, light and the will to save lives.
The will of heaven.
Darkness of domination, poison of death, light of justice, vitality of life.
Countless concepts swirled chaotically as Chris’s eyes slowly closed.
His consciousness sank into deep imagery as time passed.
Fifteen days later.
“!!”
Chris snapped his eyes open.
“How much time has passed?”
The 700th poison? The 800th?
He had completely lost consciousness.
But he hadn’t collapsed—he had continued the secret technique in a state of unconsciousness.
“Did I succeed?”
It seemed so.
His body felt light.
“My body was completely destroyed by the poisons.”
After absorbing the 300th poison, the artifacts and relics had completely lost function.
But he didn’t stop.
He continued absorbing poisons while practicing Medical Sage energy techniques.
After the 500th poison, his energy to perform Medical Sage techniques was completely depleted.
After the 600th, he realized his body was irreversibly damaged.
After the 700th, he sensed his body had crossed the threshold of death.
But he didn’t stop.
He manifested his willpower to postpone death.
It was as if he had used a life-extension technique on himself, pushing his body’s limits.
Only Chris could do something so unbelievable.
At some point, he lost consciousness and slipped into a selfless state, continuing the secret technique.
When he came to, he had succeeded.
“My body is actually stronger than before.”
Chris had never been physically strong.
A chronic weakness due to lack of training.
Though he had supplemented his stamina with Medical Sage secret arts before, his physical ability was still weak compared to others of similar achievement.
But now, everything had changed.
“Did my body rebuild and refine itself after breaking down? It feels like I’ve undergone another transformation. How many times have I transformed now?”
Chris looked at his reflection in a broken glass bottle and whistled.
Thanks to the transformation, he looked even more handsome.
“…Though, somehow, my face looks even more unpleasant now. I have a kind personality, so why does my appearance keep looking meaner?”
Well, appearance didn’t really matter.
There was something more important.
“I’ve reached the sixth star in poison arts.”
A faint memory surfaced.
When he absorbed the thousandth poison and was about to die, he suddenly gained an enlightenment.
The dark will that sought to dominate even the Heavenly Poison.
However, this was somewhat different from the pure conception of the Heavenly Poisoned Body.
It wasn’t just about accepting the Heavenly Poison—it was about dominating it.
“I’m not just a poison master—I’m a demon of dark magic.”
In truth, the conception to accept the Heavenly Poison could have been obtained more easily.
He had enough will to save lives, the core of the Heavenly Poisoned Body.
But if he obtained the pure Heavenly Poisoned Body, it might suppress the vessel of dark magic.
Chris didn’t want that reversal.
He wanted the Heavenly Poisoned Body to be the foundation, not the master—he wanted it to be the stepping stone for his dark magic.
The reason he sought the poison magic was ultimately to serve as the foundation for his dark magic.
So, despite the risks, he obtained the thoughts needed to control the Thousand Poisons.
“Thanks to that, the control over the dark magic seems even stronger now.”
But that wasn’t all.
“By completing the basic vessel of the Thousand Poisons and achieving the Thousand Poisons’ Invincibility, maybe the poison magic itself has grown stronger?”
Chris found himself thinking about the poison magic quietly.
It made sense that if the Thousand Poisons’ Invincibility was achieved, the poison magic should logically be more powerful!
Still, a nagging unease crept in.
“…No way it’s like before—invincible to the poisons but weak when it comes to the magic itself, right? No way something that ridiculous would happen to me again.”
Chris shook his head firmly.
“Don’t worry. The magic’s definitely stronger now. It’s all dead. I’ll drink every poison in the world if I have to!”
Just then, loud banging echoed from above.
“Christian! Christian! What are you doing?! You’re not dead, are you? Answer me, you idiot!!”
It was Marisa.
When there was no response from inside, she must have been worried something serious had happened to Chris.
“Ah, what kind of security spell did you put on this door that it won’t open no matter what? Damn it! Hey, open the door right now!”
Chris shrugged.
His clothes had all melted from the poison, so he put on a spare set he’d prepared earlier and creaked the door open.
“Hey, open the door! If you’re dead, I swear I’ll really kill you! Uh…?”
Marisa’s expression went blank.
She blinked and looked at Chris.
“…You’re alive?”
“Perfectly fine. What’s all the fuss about?”
“No, Alos, that idiot was on the brink of death, and you just kept quiet without saying if he was dead or alive, so…”
Marisa trailed off.