Chapter 1094: Spare Me, Founder (2)
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
While the constitution of the young lady on the stage did resemble the Innate Poison Body, no one present there had actually seen the true Innate Poison Body in person, so it was difficult for them to verify the matter on the spot.
Furthermore, for Lin Jianghai to proclaim that he had found the founder shortly after Shen Jue had found the Tome of Poison Legacy... No matter how one looked at it, it appeared that Lin Jianghai was making it up to willfully go against Shen Jue.
"The Innate Poison Body is also known as the Constitution of Disaster. Once unrestrained, the individual will begin releasing lethal poison from her body uncontrollably. I believe that all of you should have been well aware of this matter even before I spoke. Even though this young lady is unconscious, she has been passively releasing lethal poison from her body and soul. If Guardian Shen does not trust me, you can try to gather the poison aura together and see if you are able to withstand it or not! If even a 9-star poison master like you is unable to withstand it, that should be enough to prove whether she truly possesses the Innate Poison Body or not!" Lin Jianghai chuckled.
There were not any more of the all-cure antidotes to prove that the young lady was the founder, but the poison aura that she emanated was the best proof in itself.
While it might not cause much damage in the short-term, it would be lethal even to a 9-star poison master if he were to take in too much of it.
Not even 9-star poison masters could fake such an ability.
"This..." Shen Jue was taken aback.
With his eye of discernment, he was definitely more than capable of seeing whether the young lady before him possessed the Innate Poison Body or not. However, it was just moments before his inauguration, and he was just a single step away from becoming the hall master. If he were to acknowledge that the young lady before him was indeed the founder, this opportunity would slip right through his fingers.
And this was not a conclusion that he was willing to accept.
"Eminence Lin, do you take us for fools? Since you have prepared an Innate Poison Body, it's only a given that you see through the act and prepare a sufficiently lethal poison beforehand. Guardian Shen would only be falling into your trap if he really attempted to take in the poison aura. I will have to earnestly ask you not to bring such unseemly schemes into this solemn ceremony!" Eminence Wang shouted.
"Indeed. Others might not know much about you, but as fellow Eminences, I know you quite well. If you are reluctant to die, just say so. It's really laughable how you can come up with such nonsense when it's time for you to play your part. The Poison Hall has truly misjudged you..." Eminence He sneered coldly.
"There's no need for you to change the subject over here and attempt to sway public opinion against me. If it's that easy to feign the Innate Poison Body, our Poison Hall also wouldn't have been in tatters for so many years!" Lin Jianghai waved his hand. "Whether this young lady is truly the founder or not, we can easily invite the wills of the predecessors and have them judge for us!"
Just like the Master Teacher Pavilion, the Poison Hall also retained the wills of their predecessors. If there was any matter that the Poison Hall had trouble confirming, they could invite the predecessors over to make a judgement for them.
The wills of the predecessors would not lie, and they would not be swayed by their sentiments either. This would allow them to make a fair judgement.
"There's no need to bother the predecessors over something as minor as this. All we want to know is whether she possesses the Innate Poison Body or not, right? That's simple. I will just have to check that no one has planted poison on her, and if the poison aura she is emanating truly comes from her body and soul, we will be able to confirm that she does possess the Innate Poison Body," Shen Jue said with a frown.
He had already confirmed that the young lady before him did possess the Innate Poison Body, and that convinced him that he could not allow Lin Jianghai to invite the predecessors to judge the matter. Once it was publicly affirmed by the predecessors that the young lady did indeed possess the Innate Poison Body, there would be no way he could become the hall master anymore. The trouble he had gone through to obtain the Tome of Poison Legacy would have been in vain.
As formidable as he was, there was still no way he could match up to an individual who possessed the Innate Poison Body. It was clear whom the poison masters would eventually side with.
Hong long!
Right after saying those words, Shen Jue raised his hand and grasped at Wei Ruyan.
Hula!
Propped up by his zhenqi, the young lady floated silently in midair. Her eyes were tightly shut, reminiscent of a sleeping beauty.
"Let me take a look..."
While slowly making his way toward Wei Ruyan, a hint of killing intent flashed across Shen Jue's eyes as he slipped a sliver of his will from his Primordial Spirit discreetly into the young lady's body.
He was going to kill the young lady under the pretext of checking on her.
Once the young lady was dead, there would be nothing that Lin Jianghai could use against him anymore. What founder or Innate Poison Body, none of that was useful to a dead person!
After the deed was done, he could push everything onto Lin Jianghai. He could claim that in his attempts to feign the Innate Poison Body, he used excessively lethal poison and ended up killing the young lady.
In any case, the young lady had been in an unconscious state right from the start, so no one would be able to tell for sure when the young lady truly died anyway.
His movements were extremely discreet. Lin Jianghai had not thought that the great Right Guardian of the Poison Hall would actually be so despicable as to attempt to claim the life of the founder before everyone's eyes, so he was also oblivious to Shen Jue's movements too.
Hu!
As soon as the sliver of will entered the young lady's body, it immediately dived straight for her consciousness.
As a 9-star poison master, his strength had already reached an unfathomable level. Even though it was only a sliver of his will, it was so powerful that even Saint 6-dan experts would not be able to withstand it.
Huala!
Upon reaching the depths of her consciousness, he saw a young lady floating quietly in midair. Her eyes were tightly shut, but a faint poisonous aura could be seen constantly emanating from her.
As expected, she does possess the Poison Soul Constitution as well! Shen Jue's complexion turned even more awful.
It was already sufficiently difficult to find an individual who possessed the Innate Poison Body, but to think that she would have the Poison Soul Constitution as well! If this young lady were to survive, even if he managed to become the hall master today, it would not be long before he would be forced to abdicate for her inauguration!
Individuals who possessed both of the constitutions were simply too fearsome. If they were to study the Way of Poison, their fighting prowess would surely surge through the ranks. It wouldn't take long for even a 9-star poison master like him to be outdone!
I have prepared for several centuries for this position. No matter who you are, I won't let you get in my way...
With a cold glint in his eyes, Shen Jue roared frenziedly. He warped his hand into a deadly sword and slashed it toward the unconscious young lady.
The sword possessed such overwhelming force that it would kill the young lady even if she was conscious, let alone while she was in a dormant state.
Tzzla!
Just as the sword was about to cut through the young lady, a powerful aura abruptly burst forth from Wei Ruyan's consciousness. Following which, an immense might gushed out and stopped the sword in its path.
What? Shen Jue narrowed his eyes in alarm.
In the next moment, a figure appeared before his eyes.
He was a will as well. He was not a Primordial Spirit, but he carried the inviolable authority of one who had been acknowledged by the heavens. Shen Jue could not help but feel an incredible pressure weighing down on him.
"Celestial Master Teacher? You are... Kong shi?" Shen Jue's face paled in fright.
He had not thought that he would encounter another will in the consciousness of the young lady, much less a Celestial Master Teacher!
In all of history, there had only been a single known Celestial Master Teacher, and he was none other than the World's Teacher. Could the man before him truly be that legendary figure?
"Trying to lay your hands on my student? I'll have you pay for this with your life!" The figure narrowed his eyes before raising his palm.
Tzzzzzz!
Several surges of zhenqi immediately gushed into the young lady's consciousness. Unlike ordinary zhenqi, these surges of zhenqi seemed to command the very might of the world itself, as if the heavens themselves were passing judgement upon an evildoer.
"No, that isn't..." Horrified, Shen Jue tried to explain himself, but it was already too late.
Like hot oil encountering the sparks, his will immediately burst into flames. Before he could even cry in agony, his will had been reduced to ashes.
Pu!
With the elimination of his will, the real Shen Jue, who was in the midst of checking Wei Ruyan's condition outside, reeled in shock, and blood spewed from his mouth.
That will had originated from his Primordial Spirit, and its destruction had been so abrupt that his main body ended up suffering light injuries as well.
"Guardian Shen..." Not expecting the 'new hall master' whom they had embraced to abruptly spurt blood while checking on the condition of a young lady, Eminence Wang and Eminence He hurriedly rushed forward to check on his condition out of worry. However, what they met with instead was a pair of eyes filled with fear and horror, as if they had encountered a monster.
"Quick, we need to go now..." With a pale face, Shen Jue quickly turned around to leave. However, before he could even take the first step away, he suddenly felt an indomitable aura rising from the young lady behind him. The aura was, in every sense of the word, overwhelming. It felt as if the world was collapsing around him, and no matter where he ran or hid, he would never be able to get away.
Hong long long!
The young lady slowly rose into the air, and despite the lack of any wind, her pitch-black hair was fluttering. Her tightly-shut eyes paired with the poisonous aura that was flowing ceaselessly from her body created a truly sinister sight.
"Do you think that you will be able to escape after attempting to crush my soul with your Primordial Spirit?" A cold, androgynous voice that induced panic and despair in the hearts of the listeners sounded from the depths of the young lady's body.
"Crush her soul?"
"Guardian Shen attempted to kill the young lady?"
Everyone was stunned for a moment before directing furious gazes toward Shen Jue.
They had thought that he was truly intending to check if the young lady possessed the Innate Poison Body, but who would have thought that his true intention was to eliminate her!
"Shen Jue, you..." Lin Jianghai was so furious that he almost erupted on the spot. Cold sweat drenched his entire body.
To think that he was completely oblivious to it when Shen Jue attempted something right before his eyes... If something had really happened to the founder, how could he ever have faced the predecessors?
"I..." Shen Jue's face paled. Turning to look at the young lady, he forcefully suppressed his fear and replied, "I am just testing you. It was not my intention to kill you."
"Testing me? Humph! I was the one who singlehandedly created the Poison Hall many years ago, do you think that a brat like you is qualified to test me? Who do you think you are?"
The young lady's eyes were still shut, but her body was slowly drifting down from the air. Every single inch she moved downward, the pressure that Shen Jue felt increased twofold. It did not take long for Shen Jue to be completely drenched in sweat, and he felt like he was swiftly approaching his limit.
He was a 9-star poison master, and his strength had already reached a frightening level. Yet, he found himself completely powerless before the other party, as if he was a mere puppet!
"I..." Under the immense pressure, Shen Jue found himself incapable of uttering a single word.
Considering how the other party was able to wipe away his will in just an instant, it was apparent that the other party's strength far surpassed his!
More importantly, he was convinced that the person before him was Kong shi, and this realization sapped his entire body of its strength.
"Back when I dominated the continent, there was not a person who dared challenge me. As a junior who has inherited my legacy, how dare you raise your hand against me? Has your arrogance made you forget your own position?" The young lady's voice erupted once more. Every single word of hers seemed like thunder within the ears, leaving one not daring to respond.
"Elder, I really didn't intend to make a move against you. I just wanted to see who you are," Shen Jue replied anxiously.
"Do you know who I am now?" the young lady sneered coldly.
Before Shen Jue could respond, Eminence Wang stood forward and bellowed furiously, "Who in the world are you? Where did you get the guts to cause trouble in the inauguration ceremony of our new hall master?"
He had not experienced what Shen Jue had undergone within Wei Ruyan's body, so he was unaware of what kind of terrifying monster he was standing before. Even though the young lady was emanating a powerful aura, he had made a mental gauge and determined that he would be able to defeat her with his strength. This was also why he dared to step forward and question her.
"Who am I?"
A chilling laughter burst from the mouth of the young lady.
Huala!
A book appeared from the glabella of the young lady, and in the blink of an eye, it grew to several hundred meters wide. The book emanated the divine aura of the heavens, sealing the movements of those within the area.
Peng!
Everything happened in a flash. Before the Eminence Wang could even comprehend what was going on, he had already been reduced to a lump of meat.
After crushing Eminence Wang, the young lady placed her hands behind her back as she stood loftily in the air, reminiscent of a demon or a deity.
"Do you know who I am now?"
Witnessing the horrific sight before them, Shen Jue and Eminence He quickly kneeled to the ground.
"Founder, spare me..."