Cheon Ryu Yeong turned his head again and looked at Tang Cheolhyeon.
Their eyes met in midair, his gaze carrying both a smile and heat. Tang Cheolhyeon gave a firm nod.
Tang Cheolhyeon then shifted his gaze away from Cheon Ryu Yeong and bellowed to the subordinates at his sides.
"Members of the Tang Clan, hear me!"
The Tang Clan disciples, who had been standing in a daze no different from the Dark Path warriors, startled awake and bowed their heads.
"Give us your command!"
"Everyone, take the antidote for the Formless Deadly Poison!"
"...!"
"Hurry!"
"Y-Yes, sir!"
The Tang Clan members quickly pulled the antidotes from their robes and placed them in their mouths. Yet, their eyes were filled with doubt.
The Formless Deadly Poison had already vanished…
They knew well that distributing the antidote was nothing more than a desperate act to cling to fading hope…
But amidst the disbelief, a faint spark of "what if" began to glow.
In contrast, the Dark Path warriors grew restless.
Impossible. It couldn't be true! And it must not be true!
Even so, the fact that the Martial Scholar had appeared so calmly just now—could it be because there really was a reason behind it? Uneasy flames of doubt began to flare, and cracks quickly widened, threatening to shatter everything.
The Blood Priest's body trembled. His complexion grew visibly pale.
"N-No way…"
Nok Akcheon suddenly roared.
"Lies! Trickery! The Tang Clan's Formless Deadly Poison was destroyed. The fire broke out, and we saw the Tang Clan disciples running in chaos. The Stone Pagoda operation succeeded!"
Mabul picked up the argument.
"The Young Lord speaks truth. Those bastards are just fabricating nonsense to escape this predicament. If the Formless Deadly Poison still existed, why would they have been pushed this far?"
But the instant Mabul finished speaking, a thought struck him—ah! He remembered the Martial Scholar's earlier explanation.
That it had all been a trap to lure them here.
As faces twisted with unease—including Mabul's own—Cheon Ryu Yeong laughed.
"Hahaha. You've underestimated me and the Tang Clan far too much. Do you truly believe we wouldn't anticipate your desire for the Formless Deadly Poison?"
The Dark Path warriors' expressions turned grave beyond words. Even the mere thought that Cheon Ryu Yeong might be telling the truth brought forth terrifying implications.
With a relaxed expression, Cheon Ryu Yeong nudged his horse's stirrup.
Clip, clop.
The white horse gave a low whinny and stepped slowly to the side. All eyes followed him.
Cheon Ryu Yeong continued.
"Did you know that Elder Doksoo and I secretly agreed to hide the Formless Deadly Poison elsewhere, beyond your reach? Oh, of course you didn't. That's why you came swarming here like fools."
The entire Dark Path host swallowed hard, almost in unison.
Their minds grew muddled.
What was the truth?
What was real, and what was deception?
Was that brazen composure born from true confidence backed by fact?
Or was it a bluff born of desperation?
No easy answer came. Instinct warned them that a single misjudgment would bring irreversible catastrophe.
They had to tread carefully.
From the highest commander to the lowest soldier, each Dark Path warrior strained his mind, rapidly reviewing every detail of the situation so far.
Yet the truth remained hidden, refusing to reveal itself. Nothing was certain.
Everything seemed both plausible and implausible at once.
In such tangled moments, people instinctively reached backward into the past—for the present was but the shape carved out by what came before.
And one truth surfaced clearly:
Martial Scholar Cheon Ryu Yeong—whether they liked him or not—was the genius even the Celestial Demon Sword, Baek Unhoe, had acknowledged.
He was also the man who had toyed with the Black Wolf Lord, the battlefield spear feared as the second fiercest under the Celestial Demon Sect. And he had slain the likes of Black Ghost Demon Elder Mashinrang and many other masters.
With that memory, a creeping fear crawled up their spines, invading their very minds.
For the King of Poisons—the dreaded White Demon Poison, the Formless Deadly Poison—was a terror beyond imagination.
Cheon Ryu Yeong still sat relaxed, leisurely guiding his horse left and right, almost as though enjoying himself. Not a trace of fear could be seen.
And yet, nearly fourteen hundred elite enemies stood waiting right before him!
Nok Akcheon, seeing his subordinates succumbing to unease, shouted furiously.
"Lies! All lies! If what you said were true, why would the Tang Clan disciples' faces look like that? Even they don't seem to believe you!"
At his words, the Dark Path warriors tore their gaze from Cheon Ryu Yeong and looked toward the Tang Clan disciples.
Cheon Ryu Yeong clicked his tongue and sneered.
"Tsk, tsk. And who might this fool be?"
A vein popped on Nok Akcheon's forehead.
"What? I am Nok Akcheon, Young Lord of the Great Celestial Demon Sect!"
"Pitiful. For the so-called Young Lord not to know the most basic principles of war… your subordinates, who must entrust their lives to you, are truly unfortunate."
"You dare insult me—!"
Cheon Ryu Yeong cut him off.
"And yet you still don't see it? That I even deceived the Tang Clan disciples to lure you here? To deceive the enemy, one must first deceive his own allies. That is the most basic stratagem. If by some miracle you survive today, you should crawl to the Celestial Demon Sword and beg him for lessons."
By mentioning the Celestial Demon Sword—his rival for succession—Cheon Ryu Yeong pierced Nok Akcheon's sorest wound.
Strike a wound, and emotion will always overtake reason.
Meanwhile, the Tang Clan disciples' faces brightened, then blossomed with relief.
"Ah! Then the Formless Deadly Poison really does still exist!"
"No, what it means is the poison the traitor destroyed was fake!"
Voices of joy erupted. Shoulders that had slumped now straightened. Their battle spirit flared once more.
On the other hand, the Dark Path warriors found their very marrow steeped in dread.
At last they understood why the Martial Scholar had stood so boldly. Without such assurance, he wouldn't have dared to intervene in this battle at all. That was only natural.
Nok Akcheon shook his head violently.
"No! No, it's lies!"
Mabul joined in.
"Nonsense. If it were true, why hide the Formless Deadly Poison still?"
Elder Mong Hyolbi also spoke.
"He's bluffing. Just words, no proof. Attack now and end this!"
Then Sa Hyeolgang of the Four Desolate Palace broke his silence to add,
"I agree. Still, we must admit the Martial Scholar's boldness—and his clever tongue. But that's as far as it goes. Because his intentions are obvious."
All eyes turned to him. Sa Hyeolgang smiled coldly.
"He's trying to seize psychological advantage before the fight. To make us battle under the anxiety that the Formless Deadly Poison might appear at any time. And to give false hope to the Tang Clan, squeezing from them their last ounce of willpower."
Elder Hwang Magak chuckled and clapped his hands.
"Hahaha, a fair point. In the end, victory belongs to the side with higher morale, and the foundation of morale is psychology."
He turned his gaze to Cheon Ryu Yeong and went on.
"Martial Scholar! Your psychological ploy was impressive indeed, enough to shake our hearts. But in truth, you were only toying with illusions. Know this: against our overwhelming strength, even your psychological games are worthless!"
The Dark Path warriors' faces, once blackened with doubt, brightened slightly. But now the Tang Clan disciples again wavered with unease.
Cheon Ryu Yeong, still as if on a carefree outing, gently guided his horse side to side and smiled.
"That must be what you want to believe. People in crisis cling only to what they wish were true."
The Blood Priest glared at him like a predator and demanded,
"Then why haven't you shown it yet? That Formless Deadly Poison."
"There is a reason."
At his answer, the Blood Priest's face twisted.
"A reason?"
"Creating the Formless Deadly Poison is no easy task. Ah, but you already know that, don't you? That's why you sent traitors to steal it in the first place."
He spoke the truth—for a lie shines brightest when mingled with truth.
Unfolding his closed fan, Cheon Ryu Yeong continued.
"And did you know, the antidote for the Formless Deadly Poison is just as difficult to make?"
They didn't know. There was no way they could know! And so, another lie became yet another truth. And another lie prepared itself to be turned into truth as well.
From atop his white horse, Ryu Yeong fanned himself lightly with a golden fan as he continued speaking.
"So, if the Formless Deadly Poison were released, most of you would die. Because there isn't enough antidote to go around."
"..."
"I don't want to kill you. What I want is to take you hostage."
The Blood Priest ground his teeth at Ryu Yeong's outrageous words and asked,
"You want to take us hostage? For what purpose?"
Ryu Yeong's smile faded. His expression hardened as he locked eyes one by one with the Blood Priest and the other high-ranking figures.
"What I want is… peace."
"...?"
"If I take the Young Lord, the Elders, and even the key figures of the Black Heaven Lotus as hostages… wouldn't that allow me to bargain with the Demon Sect Master? In exchange for sparing your lives, the Demon Sect and the Black Heaven Lotus would promise to stay out of the Central Plains for fifty years. Or thirty, if fifty is too long."
As he laid out such detailed terms, the hearts of the Dark Path warriors wavered once again—"Perhaps there really is something to this…"—while the Tang Clan disciples' faces brightened anew.
Thus, with only Ryu Yeong's words, the battlefield became a scene where men laughed and cried in turn.
All of it over the Formless Deadly Poison, which had yet to even be revealed.
Dukgo seol, stealing glances at Ryu Yeong, found herself smiling without realizing it.
Just entering this place had made her heart pound so hard she thought it would burst.
If Ryu Yeong had shown even the slightest sign of nervousness, if his voice had quavered, or if he had slipped up in his words… the enemy, with their savage wolf-like eyes, would never have let it go. They were predators who would pounce immediately to tear out his throat.
And yet, here stood Ryu Yeong—the weakest of them all—projecting such unshakable ease. If she herself had been the one trembling, she would have deserved to be cursed at.
No, even aside from that, Ryu Yeong's clear and melodious voice itself brought a strange comfort.
His relaxed gestures and easy laughter made her forget, again and again, that this was a battlefield.
It wasn't only Dukgo seol who felt this way.
The seven people closest to the white horse all shared nearly the same feelings.
Centered around Ryu Yeong, everything he did seemed to ease their stiffened muscles. Some even exchanged smiles with those beside them.
Their eyes and expressions said it all:
"This man is extraordinary."
"How is such composure possible?"
"Just who are you? The more I see, the more curious I grow, my first true friend."
"Brother Ryu Yeong, stay strong."
"Sob… Young Master Cheon! Stay strong. When this fight is over, I'll carry you on my back the whole day."
"Elder Brother Cheon. Thank you—for enduring the pain for the sake of our sect…"
Inside, they laughed, cried, marveled, and worried. But outwardly, their expressions showed not tension, but calm smiles.
To the Dark Path warriors, that looked like confidence. And so, bit by bit, even such subtle details carved widening cracks into the bedrock of their belief.
The Blood Priest swept his gaze over Ryu Yeong and his companions' expressions, then sneered.
"Do you expect us to thank you for such 'consideration'? Unfortunately for you, boy, your transparent tricks won't work on us."
Nok Akcheon nodded and added,
"Yes, Grand Elder. Enough with this war of words. This is a battlefield. Let blades decide—"
But Ryu Yeong cut him off mid-sentence.
"Ilwol (First Moon)!"
At his shout, a man rose from the roof of the Dokwang Pavilion behind the Tang Clan forces and responded loudly.
"Ilwol awaits your command!"
All eyes turned toward the roof. A man had suddenly appeared there, a large sack slung over his shoulder. Those with sharp eyesight could tell it was made of deer hide soaked with poisonous essence.
"Aaah!"
Cries of joy burst from the Tang Clan disciples, while the Dark Path warriors' faces turned pale.
Ryu Yeong's voice rang out again.
"Iwol (Second Moon)!"
This time, another man revealed himself on the southern pavilion roof.
"Iwol awaits your command!"
"Samwol! Sawol! Owol!"
At each call, one more figure appeared on the rooftops encircling the Grand Martial Arena—each carrying a sack of the same deer hide.
In truth, they were members of the Dugose family, brought to guard Ryu Yeong.
By the time he called out to Siwol (Tenth Moon), ten men had appeared. Then, turning back to Nok Akcheon, Ryu Yeong grinned.
"If you don't believe me, then I'll just have to show you. Tell me—what do you think they're carrying?"
Nok Akcheon's face went ashen. He couldn't even form a reply. Cold sweat ran down his back as his heart pounded violently.
"Among all poisons, it is hailed as the greatest. Known as the King of Poisons. Called the White Demon's Poison—the Formless Deadly Poison."
"..."
"As you know, its fumes alone are fatal. It seeps in through the skin as well. Meaning, you would have to fight us without even being able to breathe. Could you win like that? Oh, and surely you know—if one fails to regulate their energy circulation within a moment or two, their heart stops dead. You'd be too busy fleeing to even think of fighting. Remember I told you this was my first reason?"
"..."
"And if by misfortune it enters the eyes or mouth, you'll vomit blood and die instantly. Horrible, isn't it? Must there truly be bloodshed?"
The Dark Path warriors felt their very souls drowned in terror. To be surrounded by such a ghastly poison!
At that moment, the Blood Priest shook his head and shouted,
"No! Impossible! That isn't the Formless Deadly Poison!"
Mabul added,
"A cheap trick. If it really were the Formless Deadly Poison, why not release it at once? Why not prove it?"
Nok Akcheon's hands had been trembling, but emboldened by the Grand Elder and Mabul's words, he forced himself to speak firmly.
"That's right. They're just ordinary sacks, nothing more."
At that moment, Elder Doksoo Tang Cheolhyeon intervened.
"Young Master Cheon! Release the Formless Deadly Poison!"
It had become a contest of nerve.
Ryu Yeong furrowed his brow.
"Elder Doksoo, didn't you promise to entrust command authority to me? I am the commander here."
Tang Cheolhyeon frowned as well, snapping back.
"Those bastards will never surrender willingly! And do you really think taking them hostage will make the Demon Sect Master so much as blink?"
"Still, we must try. Until recently, I was just an ordinary man. I'd prefer to avoid this bloody battle if I can."
"With such weakness, how can you call yourself a commander? This is a battlefield!"
An unexpected quarrel broke out between Elder Doksoo and the Martial Scholar.
Absurd as it seemed, it also revealed just how much room for ease they had. To the Dark Path warriors, that only deepened their unease. Their fear piled higher and higher.
Meanwhile, Nok Akcheon whispered to the Blood Priest,
"We can't just sit here arguing over truth and lies. Our subordinates' unease is growing."
"But if battle breaks out and the Formless Deadly Poison is truly released in the chaos… we'll face disaster beyond control."
"I believe the poison doesn't exist. His words sound convincing, but he still hasn't shown us the real thing. I wavered before, but now I'm convinced again—it isn't real."
The Blood Priest nodded slowly.
"I agree. Still, a bit more caution won't hurt. We rushed before and lost two hundred men in vain."
"Yes, that's why I've held back until now."
The Blood Priest noticed the gleam in Nok Akcheon's eyes. Though overshadowed by the Celestial Demon Sword, Nok Akcheon was still counted among the Sect's most talented. He bore the title of Demonic Dragon Jade for good reason.
"Have you thought of something?"
Nok Akcheon smirked.
"I've found a clever way to break this deadlock."