劍問蒼天 - 第149章 劇毒 - 翰墨軒

In the space of moments, that hair-raising sound—"pop, pop, pop"—rang out without cease. Duan Rushan, his body afflicted by the two most venomous poisons under heaven, burst apart at the flesh, black blood splattering in all directions; he collapsed to the ground, struggled a moment, and then moved no more.

Fan Xiong stared blankly at this junior brother who had been so wildly arrogant a moment before and was now dead. Suddenly he turned his head and bellowed, "Qin Wujiu, you treacherous beast, get out here!"

Everyone came to their senses at once. "Corpse-Rotting Moss" was fierce and malignant in its toxicity, one of the most vicious substances under heaven; even within the Ten-Thousand Venoms Sect, only the Venom God himself had ever been able to use it. Fan Xiong, Cheng Wuya, and Duan Rushan—all three, limited by their cultivation, could not employ it.

And the Seven-tailed Centipede was an even rarer and more deadly creature, always kept close upon the Venom God's person. That two such deadly poisons should appear at once, and within this little box of the Ten-Thousand Venoms Divine Seal—there was no need to ask; it must be that Qin Wujiu had deceived them all and secretly administered the poison.

For a time, everyone in the mourning hall felt himself in danger, and all cast furtive glances around them, fearful that Qin Wujiu's figure might suddenly rise up at their side. Duan Rushan's manner of death had been too horrifying; none were unmoved by it, none unafraid.

At this moment no one in the mourning hall dared even breathe. Only by Duan Rushan's corpse did those drops of black blood fall slowly; when they struck the ground they gave a faint hiss and burned tiny holes clean through it. In an instant the ground around the corpse was covered in little holes—proof enough of how fierce the poison was.

"Heh heh, what's this? My two senior brothers, and all you elders and retainers—it's been only a few days since we last met, and I'm touched that you should all miss me so!" A calm, even voice suddenly came in from outside the mourning hall. The crowd was startled and looked out, and there was Qin Wujiu, changed out of his hemp mourning garb and into his everyday clothes, a smile on his face, walking slowly in. And the sharp-eyed among them had already seen that on his shoulder perched a tiny monstrous insect—the Seven-tailed Centipede itself.

Fan Xiong said venomously, "You're the one who poisoned them?"

Qin Wujiu now seemed to regard everyone present as nothing at all. He strode forward with great swagger, came to the side of Duan Rushan's corpse, and before all their eyes reached out and picked up that exceedingly poisonous Ten-Thousand Venoms Divine Seal.

Fan Xiong and Cheng Wuya's eyes narrowed. Cheng Wuya said with a cold smile, "Well, well! Little junior brother, the three of us have indeed underestimated you far too much."

Qin Wujiu smiled faintly. "Second Brother jests. In truth, with the strength of my three senior brothers, taking my life would have been as easy as turning over a hand; I never dared resist. It was only that before Master passed, he exhorted me again and again, saying that with the Nether King Sect and the Soul-Luring School both watching like tigers even now, and with the three of you lacking in great capacity, I must take up the position of sect master, lest the Ten-Thousand Venoms Sect's centuries of foundation be destroyed in a single day. I was raised by Master from childhood; his kindness to me is deep, and I dared not disobey. So I could only resort to a small stratagem—and I fear it has put my three senior brothers to some hardship."

Fan Xiong raged, "Bah! You think you've surely won now? I tell you, the first man I kill will be you!" With that, he turned his head and shouted to Cheng Wuya, "Second Brother, this whelp is too vicious—let us join forces and kill him first, then divide the world between us!"

Cheng Wuya said at once, "Good—let's go!"