Divine Convenience Store-Chapter 221: Poison Demon Cult on the Verge of Change

The Venomous Conclave of the Poison Demon Cult consists of seven branches led by Venom Masters. The Arachnid, Scorpion, Serpent, Toad, Centipede, Wasp, and Leech. Each branch operated semi-independently, bound by the cult's shared devotion to the Great Poison Demon but divided by ambition and methodology.

The High Priest's abandonment of their planned conquest at the other side of the Abyssal Forest in favor of spreading the influence of the Divine Convenience Store had sent ripples through their ranks, particularly among those who clung to tradition over adaptation.

Among the seven branches, five branches – Scorpion, Serpent, Toad, Centipede and Leech – stood up to oppose his return and replace him with the accusation of failing to do his duty as the High Priest of the cult, while the remaining two – Arachnid and Wasp – remained neutral.

At the heart of the cult's main temple, Venom Master Xun of the Arachnid Branch stood before a boiling pot that exhumed purple toxic gas. Her long, dark gray hair cascaded like a waterfall as it shone slightly – the effect of the [Spirit Tress Comb]. Her eyes, sharp as spun silk, flickered with calculation. She wore a flowing robe of deep indigo, embroidered with silver threads that mimicked a spider's web.

Venom Master Xun stirred the bubbling cauldron, her movements were almost meditative.

The purple gas curling upward carried a faint sweetness that masked its lethality, a signature of her Arachnid Branch's craft. The Spider's Kiss.

Her Viewing Jade rested on a nearby obsidian table, its screen still open to the Bulletin Board thread proclaiming Lin Mo the "Convenience Saint." She hadn't closed it since reading the High Priest's post, her mind turning over the implications like a spider weaving its web.

Behind her, the Venom Master of the Wasp Branch stood uneasily. He shifted his weight, his gaunt frame barely filling out his mustard-yellow robes. His large, unblinking eyes darted between Xun and the cauldron,

Not counting Gao and Kang of Serpent and Scorpion Branch, who were originally stationed at the main temple with Venom Xun, this short, lanky man with pale skin and large eyes was the only Venom Master who didn't follow the others with their plan of ambushing the returning High Priest.

"Venom Master Xun," He called out with his voice sounding like a low buzz of flapping insect wings, "I heeded your warning not to stand on old tradition. But can you guarantee the High Priest will be merciful? The others are already gathering at the Melting Meadow. Gao, Kang, and the rest… they're serious about stopping the High Priest from returning and reforming the cult to spread that whatever store's convenience. Shouldn't we contribute to not fall from his favor?"

"Contribute? I already did." Xun stopped her stirring and twisted her lithe body slightly, pointing at her Viewing Jade set upon the table. "I informed him where they are waiting. You, however… need not worry about contributing. Simply set your Hunting Wasps to cut off their retreat. Against the store's wares, those old fools will either bend their knee or get replaced by someone new."

Venom Master Xun's words hung in the air like the delicate threads of her signature webbing. The Wasp Master, whose name was Huangfeng, hesitated, his fingers twitching as he sent orders to his Priests and Acolytes waiting outside the main temple.

"As you say, Venom Master Xun. Our wasps will ensure no one escapes the Melting Meadow. But… the High Priest's newfound obsession with this Divine Convenience Store. It unsettles me. What power does a mere shop hold over him? Over us? I'm trusting your judgment for saving my hide decades ago, but can it truly turn the tide? Can we truly expand from this forsaken region?"

Xun's lips curled into an enigmatic smile, her gaze drifting back to the cauldron.

She dipped a slender finger into the purple mist, letting it coil around her hand like a living thing before dissipating. "It can, Huangfeng. Power, you see, is not always in techniques, spells or poisons. Sometimes it's in our desire. The store offers what people crave but could never truly get; convenience, strength, hope. Even the High Priest, for all his cunning, is not immune. Nor are we. And with the guidance of the Great Poison Demon, we are now following a new path."

Huangfeng's brow furrowed, but he didn't press further. Instead, he bowed stiffly and retreated, his mustard-yellow robes swishing as he hurried out to oversee the deployment of their Hunting Wasps.

Xun glanced at his retreating back and smiled. She then turned her attention back to the Viewing Jade, her fingers brushing its surface.

She scrolled down the opened thread as comments multiplied by the minute. The "Convenience Saint" moniker had already taken root, spreading like wildfire across the Eastern Abyssal Domain through every user of the Viewing Jade. It has only been a few hours but many stories had already been made up about the mysterious Shopkeeper whose origin was marred with mystery.

After putting down the ladle, she swiftly tapped a reply, her words carefully chosen:

[ArachnidMistress]: The Convenience Saint's reach is almost upon us. Today, we may witness the fall of Venomous Branches. Here, even the shadows of the Inner Circle are about to bow to his wares. Let us see how far this tide carries.

She hummed contentedly upon sending the message and waited for other users to flood her with replies.

For the past day, it had become her pastime activity. To see how much she could stoke the curiosity of those naive cultivators of Righteous and Neutral Factions.

The High Priest's gambit was naturally bold and something no one would believe if told a year ago but it played into her hands.

By aligning herself with his campaign, however subtly, she positioned the Arachnid Branch as indispensable, a spider at the center of a growing web. Whether the High Priest succeeded or failed, she would emerge stronger.

As the cauldron bubbled softly, Xun resumed her stirring, her thoughts weaving plans within plans.

She chuckled softly as she poured a pack of Infernal Ghost Pepper Flavored Spirit-Infused Potato Chips into the cauldron, "Mhm. Convenience Saint, indeed. Let's see how long you dance before my threads entangle you, Shopkeeper Lin."

—

After trudging the almost treacherous road of their territory, the main bulk of the Poison Demon Cult's procession stopped before the area where the toxic fog thickened just enough to keep the surrounding terrain dangerous. If one were to pass through it, the longer they stayed in the area, the higher the risk of their skin heating up and melting from the natural toxins in the air.

It was the place that Xun hinted at where the ambush from the Venomous Conclave awaited.

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The Melting Meadow was like a festering wound in the earth. The ground shimmered with a sickly green sheen, the air heavy with a miasma that clung to the skin and stung the lungs. Twisted, leafless trees jutted from the cracked soil, their branches curling like skeletal fingers reaching for a sky choked with gray haze.

It was the Poison Demon Cult's natural defense against any would-be invaders. But today, it was about to become the battlefield that would spell a new age for the cult.

The High Priest stood at the forefront, his moss-green robes untouched by the corrosive air. His cultivation was high enough to deflect its effect.

His skeletal frame radiated an eerie calm as he scanned the horizon.

Behind him, the cultists and new recruits who were pushed to the forefront fanned out, their movements cautious against the oppressive atmosphere.

Poison-bearers clutched [Card Talismans] and [Spirit Embodiment Sticker Seals], their fingers twitching with anticipation. The corrupted Abyssal Hounds growled softly, their pitch-black fur bristling as they sensed the tension in the air. The remaining corrupted Nightmare Ogres also stood like a wall, ready to crush any enemies in front.

Luo Ming stepped forward, his Viewing Jade clutched tightly in one hand. "High Priest, Venom Master Xun's message was clear. The Conclave's forces are entrenched ahead. Scorpion, Serpent, Toad, Centipede, and Leech Branches. They've fortified the Meadow's choke points with their signature toxins. Gao and Kang lead the vanguard, likely with their elite Priests."

The High Priest's bony fingers clutched his staff tightly and tapped the ground. The resulting thud was a sharp disturbance against the meadow's unnatural silence.

"Not surprised. They're also ambitious yet short-sighted. They cling to the old ways, blind to the tide that's coming. Continue the march. Pretend we are unaware of their machinations."

He turned to the cultists, his gaze sweeping over their ranks as his voice spread through a transmission, "Hear me! The Conclave thinks to bar our path, to chain us to tradition while the world shifts beneath their feet. But we carry the Divine Convenience Store's gifts. Tools that turn the outdated venom to useless toys. Today, we show them the price of defiance. For the Great Poison Demon! For convenience!"

"For the Great Poison Demon! For convenience!" The chant silently spread through the ranks, bolstered by the fervor of their recent conquests. The cultists' eyes burned with purpose, their hands tightening around the store products.

With a promise of riches to buy more convenience, even the new recruits are hungry for blood.