Only moments ago, the dough had been perfectly fine, yet now it had all rotted away and become completely unusable.
“As you can see, this is the situation.”
“…Yes, I can see that.”
With things like this, forget about a Spiritual Pill—I couldn’t do anything at all.
Moreover, just looking at the amount of failed dough in the room gave me a sense of how many failures there had been.
‘How much does it cost to make a single batch like this?’
It wasn’t as if only one or two expensive medicinal herbs went into it.
‘At this rate, you might as well have just kneaded it all together and eaten it beforehand.’
I didn’t know much about Spiritual Pills, but the intact dough I had just seen was of a considerable level.
If compared, needless to say, it couldn’t match Shaolin’s Greater Restoration Pill, and it was at a level not even as good as the Lesser Restoration Pill.
But even that alone would be an incredible Spiritual Pill.
‘Naturally, the Poison King wouldn’t be satisfied.’
The Poison King had already laid eyes on the Poison Heaven Pill, which had long since vanished.
How could he forget that absurd, brilliant luster?
A Spiritual Pill of a level comparable to the Greater Restoration Pill.
Having seen that right before his eyes, he couldn’t possibly be satisfied with merely this level.
Especially since he was right on the verge of the final process.
From that standpoint.
“You truly believe you can resolve this?”
I had declared that it seemed I could resolve the matter.
He was in a state where he couldn’t help but have expectations. The problem here was….
‘Hiss….’
The issue was that even I couldn’t speak with absolute confidence.
‘…Now that I’ve seen it myself, I understand better.’
The problem had been identified.
‘It’s just as I expected.’
The demonic qi contained in the demon stone powder. The moment it entered the dough, it caused a rejection.
It instantly rotted the fresh ingredients and scattered all the painstakingly refined spiritual energy.
As if it refused to acknowledge any energy other than itself.
‘No matter how many times I see it, it’s truly a brutish energy.’
With something like that mixed in, how could a Spiritual Pill be completed? Even as I thought the so-called recipe made no sense.
‘There must be a reason it has to be added.’
I didn’t dismiss it entirely. After all, the one who had taught me the recipe was none other than Senior Tang.
The recipe was absolutely not wrong. Those who had attempted it were the ones in the wrong.
Firm in that conviction, it was time to try the method I had in mind.
“I can’t say I’m certain… but several methods have come to mind, so I intend to try them.”
“I have already exhausted countless possibilities, yet failed each time… Finding a remaining method now will not be an easy task.”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
They likely had no other way left. But.
‘I can do what others cannot.’
No matter how many countless approaches they had attempted, there was surely a method they couldn’t employ because it simply didn’t work for them. And that was exactly what I possessed.
I might not know about other things, but this was about demon stones. When it came to this, I was confident.
‘How many demon stones have I devoured?’
Including my previous life and my current one, I couldn’t even count them. I had absorbed that many.
So, if the final problem lay with the demon stone, one never knew, but it would certainly be worth trying.
“Do you have more demon stones?”
When I asked the Poison King, he pointed to one side. It was a cart in the room, and several demon stones were piled inside.
The number wasn’t great. Perhaps three, at most? It was fewer than expected, but I wasn’t disappointed.
Demon stones that retained their original color were not easily obtained.
Because their color naturally faded with time. And these were even red demon stones.
No matter how much the frequency of red demonic beasts increased, it wasn’t to the extent that one would hunt them for their stones.
Rather, it was remarkable that the Tang Clan possessed and was experimenting with this many demon stones.
‘Still, it looks like I can try everything possible.’
I nodded and took one demon stone. As I was taking it over to the dough prepared for verification.
“Lord Tang.”
I spoke cautiously to the Poison King.
“Please promise me just one thing.”
“What is it?”
“That you will speak of what you are about to see to no one.”
“…”
An uneasy look flashed across the Poison King’s face. Being told not to speak to anyone about it—it was precisely because those words sounded dangerous.
Under normal circumstances, it was something he would never have agreed to.
“…Very well. I. Shall swear upon my name and my clan.”
The Poison King accepted these words, as if to say that the present moment was more important. But.
“That is not enough. Please swear upon your daughter as well.”
To me, even those words were insufficient. I needed something greater.
“…!”
Hearing my words, the Poison King’s face contorted. It seemed he was quite angry both at the implication that he couldn’t be trusted and at the mention of Tang Soyeol.
“Please do it.”
I had no intention of backing down, so I pressed on. In any case, the Poison King had only one option.
“…Very well.”
“I accept. Ah, and one more thing.”
Holding the demon stone, I added to the Poison King.
“Please stop with the formal speech.”
I distinctly remembered we had dropped honorifics before. Perhaps he was still sulking over the previous ‘incident,’ as he was showing it so childishly.
“…That is.”
The moment the Poison King tried to say something in response.
Oooooom---!!!
“…Huh?”
He couldn’t finish his sentence. Because I had started before I could say more.
The Poison King gaped at the sight.
The demon stone clutched in my hand was gradually losing its light.
Thanks to the activation of the Demonic Heavenly Absorption Technique.
Demonic qi was stacking up in my heart.
Though the amount of demonic qi contained was rather large, it didn’t take long to absorb it all.
An instant passed and the color drained completely. The demon stone soon became transparent. I exerted force on the hand holding it.
Crack-!
The demon stone shattered immediately. Transparent demon stones had significantly low durability.
I stirred the dough into which I had added the powder several times with my hand.
“Hm.”
I touched it as before, but there was no particular reaction.
Checking its state, I spoke to the Poison King.
“For now, the first attempt has failed… my lord?”
I spoke calmly, but the Poison King’s expression was a sight to behold. His eyes and mouth were agape, as if he had witnessed something impossible.
The Poison King was looking at me with an expression he had never worn before in his life. I had expected it, but his reaction was greater than I had thought.
After all, being able to instantly drain the color from a demon stone was absurd.
“Wh-what did you just do?”
“It’s nothing. Don’t forget the promise you made earlier.”
“It can’t be nothing….”
“Next.”
Ignoring the Poison King’s reaction, I continued. I didn’t have time to respond to each and every one of those.
‘The first one was a bust.’
The Poison King had said he had already tried using colorless ones, but I had tested it just in case. As expected, the result was failure.
The only difference was that the dough didn’t rot… but if it remained the same as at the start, it was still a failure.
‘Then now….’
I moved on to the next method.
In truth, this was the real thing from now on. I had to do something I had never tried before.
Swoosh-!
I exerted force on my heart and recalled.
‘When demonic qi enters, it causes rejection.’
It completely ruined the ingredients so they could no longer be used.
‘However, the demon stone must be added as an ingredient….’
Yet if I added one without energy, there was no reaction.
‘If that’s the case, it means the demon stone plays some important role.’
Amidst that incomprehensible situation, I recalled the sense of disparity.
‘Why of all things a red demon stone?’
Why had Senior Tang mentioned a red demon stone?
Green and blue ones existed as well, so why red of all things?
Just what position did the demon stone occupy in the making of the Poison Heaven Pill?
Questions arose incessantly. Even so, I didn’t stop moving.
Saaah!
The energy of the demon stone entered my body. Same as before. It was the process of extracting the stone’s color.
It was the same method as before. Doubt sprouted in the Poison King’s eyes as he watched. He must have found it strange that I was doing again what had failed.
However.
What I was attempting began the moment the energy completely drained from the demon stone.
After confirming that the energy had vanished and the interior of the demon stone was completely empty.
Now.
“…Swoosh.”
I exhaled and changed my approach.
Instead of pulling demonic qi out, this time I did the opposite.
“Hup.”
I channeled energy into it. Energy seeped into the demon stone through my heart.
My energy was entering the empty demon stone.
The difference was that instead of demonic qi, I was inserting the energy of the Nine Flames Wheel Technique.
Energy filled the transparent stone once more, and the stone that regained its color was quite different from its original appearance.
The stone that had been red, as befitting a red demon stone, now bore a light azure-blue hue. At a glance, one might have mistaken it for a blue demon stone.
Had the color of my energy entered it? My eyes lingered for a moment, but I didn’t stare for long.
‘What’s important right now isn’t something like color.’
Whatever the color of the demon stone became, it didn’t matter.
I could look into that later; right now, the Poison Heaven Pill came first.
Having decided thus, I stretched my hand toward the Poison King.
The Poison King was still dumbfounded, perhaps unable to comprehend the situation. I spoke while looking at what he held.
“Please give me what you’re holding right now.”
“Ah….”
As if entranced, the Poison King handed over the tool. It was the implement he had used to grind the demon stone earlier.
I grasped it and ground the demon stone without hesitation.
Screeeeeech---!!!
With force applied, it ground faster than before. The shape wasn’t any different.
Powder fell from the demon stone and mixed into the dough.
When a certain amount had entered, I set down the tool and the stone. It was to mix the dough.
But.
Crack-!!
“Hm?”
When I turned my eyes, the stone I had just imbued with color was shattering to pieces.
“What is that now… ah, forget it.”
I was slightly flustered, but the dough came first.
I exerted force and kneaded the dough. I carefully worked it so the powder mixed in well.
Then, a change was immediately felt in the dough.
Swoooosh--!!
‘The energy is moving.’
The energy within the dough churned. However, since this was a change that had also occurred when the ingredients rotted earlier, I didn’t let my guard down.
Concentrating slowly. I kneaded the dough further, checking its state.
Saaah--!!
The energy continued to move. The moment I confirmed that, unlike during the failures, there was no foul stench.
Hwoooooosh---!!!
“Oh?”
The dough suddenly erupted with light.
And a familiar light azure-blue light at that.
“Huh…!! C-could it be!”
The Poison King also started in surprise and drew closer upon seeing it. I, too, smiled as I looked at the light.
“It worked.”
The light grew increasingly brighter the more I stirred. Anyone could see this was no failure.
If it wasn’t failure, there was only one answer.
‘It’s a success.’
Right now, in this moment.
The greatest treasure the Tang Clan had lost in the past.
The legendary Spiritual Pill said to rival the Greater Restoration Pill. I had succeeded in reviving the Poison Heaven Pill.
“How can this be….”
The Poison King approached as if he couldn’t believe it. I spoke to him.
“See here, Lord Tang. Didn’t I tell you I had a way?”
Surely this much warranted at least some praise. As I caught my breath and spoke to the Poison King.
“Son-in-law… did you truly accomplish this?”
“Can’t you tell by looking… wait, what?”
Something quite strange had reached my ears.