Chapter 70: Deadly Poison

Fang Qingyun’s expression changed drastically. He pushed off with his feet and retreated in a sudden burst. Only after he had backed away more than ten meters did he nervously scan his surroundings.

The miasma of the Poisonous Marsh was known for its sharp, acidic stench, not this sickly-sweet fragrance. Something was wrong.

Sure enough, as soon as Fang Qingyun steadied himself, he felt a wave of dizziness. What a potent toxin!

His face grew even more grave. With his physique now at 27 points, even most warriors of the general rank couldn’t match him. Yet merely inhaling a few breaths was enough to affect him. If he wasn’t careful, he’d end up dying right here.

No wonder even generals hesitated to step into the Poisonous Marsh.

“What is that?” Fang Qingyun focused his gaze forward. After a long moment, he finally spotted a small section of tail peeking out from beneath a withered tree—a hooked appendage blending perfectly with the earth.

He glanced around, picked up a rock, and hurled it with force.

With his strength at 24 points, the stone shattered the moment it struck its target, but it also pained whatever lurked there.

With a thud, a swath of earth was upturned as a massive creature emerged before Fang Qingyun—three meters tall, armored in chitinous plates, and sporting ten legs. Its long tail ended in a sharp, blue-glowing venomous stinger.

A demon from the Scorpion Clan!

Six pairs of lateral eyes glared at Fang Qingyun in fury as it flicked its tail and charged.

The rock had struck the joint of the tail—a lucky blow.

“Such luck!” Fang Qingyun was secretly pleased. He had been lamenting that he had not encountered any truly venomous demon in the Poisonous Marsh, making this expedition feel incomplete.

Now, that regret was gone. Everything was perfect.

“Go!” he commanded.

The Eye of the Demon in his palm glowed as a massive, jet-black lion was summoned forth with a roar, leaping straight at the scorpion.

The scorpion was stunned. How could a tiny human suddenly conjure such a fearsome beast—one whose size rivaled its own?

But there was no turning back now. The scorpion’s eyes flashed with savagery, its speed surged, and it gathered even more power.

The two colossal demons collided with a deafening crash.

The black lion was knocked back repeatedly.

Fang Qingyun’s expression shifted slightly.

Since he had advanced as a martial artist, the black lion had changed as well—while not quite matching the one he had slain before, it was close. Yet, though the scorpion was clearly not built for raw strength, the black lion was still at a disadvantage.

This was no ordinary demon—this was a high-ranked Scorpion Demon!

“The stronger the better! The deadlier the poison, the more marvelous!” Fang Qingyun shouted, raising his sniper rifle and taking aim at the scorpion’s eyes.

A psionic bullet flew out, striking one of the scorpion’s eyes with a crisp crack—it shattered instantly.

The scorpion shrieked in pain and lunged at Fang Qingyun.

“Again!” Fang Qingyun waved his hand, and the black lion charged forward once more, even as another psionic bullet pierced the air.

A second eye exploded under the shot.

Now both enraged and alarmed, the scorpion charged even faster, but the black lion intercepted it.

The scorpion lashed its tail, aiming its poisonous stinger at the lion. Here, the lion’s flaw became apparent: fearless in battle, but lacking true thought—acting purely on instinct. Having never faced a scorpion demon, it was oblivious to the danger of that tail, and was pierced straight through.

The lion let out a mournful roar, and under Fang Qingyun’s command, used its last ounce of strength to slam its paw onto the scorpion’s back.

A heavy thud—a pained cry from the scorpion as its body was nearly driven into the earth, the carapace on its back splitting open.

Thank goodness, that damned lion was finally dead; the scorpion could now deal with the human.

It struggled free from the ground—only to see another identical black lion materialize before it.

The scorpion was utterly bewildered. Two lions? Where were they coming from?

With an angry roar, the new lion charged.

The scorpion tried the same trick, its tail swinging at the lion—only this time, the lion dodged.

“The same move only works on the black lion once!” Fang Qingyun sneered, lifting his gun again.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Now only a dozen meters separated them, and with the scorpion’s size, evasion was impossible. In a blink, all six of its lateral eyes were destroyed, leaving only the central pair on its back.

The scorpion howled in agony and charged madly at Fang Qingyun, but the black lion clung tenaciously to it, raking its carapace again and again, finally smashing the last pair of eyes.

Beside itself with pain and fury, the scorpion seized the lion in its grasp. The lion struggled wildly, but the scorpion seized the chance to drive its venomous stinger deep into the lion’s body.

The lion went rigid, then slowly collapsed.

The scorpion tossed aside the corpse and lunged for Fang Qingyun.

But another black lion instantly appeared, blocking his path. The blinded, wounded scorpion could not perceive it, and was sent flying by a heavy paw.

Now the scorpion realized the truth: another had come! It turned and fled.

No hope of victory—had it stumbled into a lion’s den?

But the black lion roared, chasing after it in a few strides, and the two titans locked together once more.

Blinded and gravely injured, the scorpion was no match for the lion, especially with Fang Qingyun aiding from the side. After a fierce struggle, the scorpion collapsed to the ground, unwilling and defeated.

Fang Qingyun panted heavily, rubbing his throbbing forehead. He was dizzy, even nauseated. After summoning the black lion three times in a row, his energy was nearly spent. The greatest danger, though, was the poison—not only from the marsh, but from the scorpion’s own body, which continued to exude toxic fumes. He distanced himself as much as possible, but could not escape completely.

“I can’t take much more,” Fang Qingyun muttered, shaking his head to stay alert. Using the last of his psionic energy, he summoned another black lion and issued a command: “Black lion, take me out of here—quickly!”

With a mighty roar, Fang Qingyun mounted the lion, indicating the direction. The lion dragged the scorpion’s corpse and bounded away at full speed.

The black lion was far swifter than Fang Qingyun could ever hope to be; even hauling the massive scorpion did not slow it down. As a summoned beast, it was immune to the poison, and its colossal size allowed it to charge forward without hindrance.

Most importantly, perched on its back, Fang Qingyun could finally focus on resisting the toxins.

He let out a bitter chuckle. “I’ve been drinking poison for so long, yet I never thought one day I’d really die from it. Black lion, run faster—otherwise, I’ll be the laughingstock of the world.”