The Regressor of Mount Hua-Chapter 284. To Give Birth to but Not to Own (1)

"Good morning, Sword God."

Tang Youqi smiled pleasantly.

"How was your night?"

"I saw a big, stray rat in the bushes while I was out walking. Other than that, it was fine."

"Gasp, really? That's strange. There definitely wasn't one when we were cleaning... it must have snuck in from somewhere," Tang Youqi replied, his expression unchanging.

Zhou Xuchuan clicked his tongue and inwardly marveled.

As expected of the head of the Tang Family.

Tang Youqi was a member of the Black Shadow Division's previous generation and a head of the Five Great Ancient Families.

Not only was he skilled in martial arts, but he was also good at speaking and acting.

"Ahem, I got some good tea leaves this morning. Would you like to have a cup of tea while we talk?"

"I'm okay. Let's just get to the point."

"Since you only just came in, I'm not..."

"Thank you for the offer."

Zhou Xuchuan furrowed his eyebrows.

It was clear that he was using tea as a metaphor for Tang Hui.

Tang Youqi nodded with regret.

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"Have you heard about the Formless Poison?" he then asked.

"I know that it's a poison that has no color, no scent, no taste, and even no specific form."

"Yes. It's a poison that is only spoken about in legends."

A poison that was undetectable—truly a supreme weapon. Some even claimed it had no antidote.

"Does it really exist?" Zhou Xuchuan asked.

Tang Youqi hadn’t shown surprise when the Martial Alliance inquired about the Formless Poison, meaning he likely knew something.

"Of course."

Tang Youqi spread his index and middle fingers.

"There are two poisons that can be called the Formless Poison."

"Two?"

"The first is the Heart Poison. It will be easier for you to understand if you compare it to the Heart Sword, the pinnacle of swordsmanship."

"Ah!"

The Heart Sword referred to the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

It was a higher manifestation of the Sword Dao than Sword Control, which was the Exalted Sword Immortal You Riwen's Manifestation of One's Path. The Heart Sword allowed one to freely handle the sword with will alone.

If the pinnacle of martial artists was the Harmony Realm, and the Coruscant Realm was the next step to divinity, then the Heart Sword was the state of ascension beyond humanity, the realm of immortals.

Throughout history, only a handful of masters were rumored to have achieved it, though none could verify the truth.

"That may as well not exist," Zhou Xuchuan muttered.

Even if the Heart Poison were real, there would be no way to combat it.

"And the other?"

"When it's tangible and only seems intangible."

"Please explain that in detail."

"Have you heard of the Human-faced Spider?"

"If you're talking about the spirit beast, the spider with a human face, then yes, somewhat. I mean, that's something everyone has heard of."[1]

"The Human-faced Spider's web is what's used to make the Formless Poison."

"The Human-faced Spider..."

It was a spirit beast on the same level as the Millennia Fire Carp and the Seven Horned Serpent, if not higher. At the same time, they were also poisonous beasts.

"The Human-faced Spider spins colorless, odorless, and tasteless webs. If you mix this with various poisons and release it using the Poison Manipulation Art, it's essentially complete as a Formless Poison. Most likely, that was what you were attacked with."

"This is the first I’ve heard of it."

"That’s understandable. This is a secret technique passed down within the Tang Family. In fact, I would have been suspicious if you had known about it, Sword God."

Tang Youqi's reasoning made sense.

Did something like this really exist?

In the Era of War and Chaos, he had never encountered nor even heard of such a poison.

"It's not an easy poison to handle. If one makes even the slightest mistake, you won't be able to protect yourself or the lives of those around you. Moreover, there's no antidote, so often, it's used as a last resort to take down your enemy with you. It’s so dangerous that it has been designated a forbidden technique."

It was so difficult to handle that only a few people among the past heads of the clan were able to handle it. Creating it was also extremely dangerous.

"Above all, the main ingredient, the web of the Human-faced Spider, is so precious that even ten million gold taels might not be enough to procure it."

Spiritual beasts possessed intelligence comparable to that of humans. Among them, the Human-faced Spider ranked among the top five, possessing true intelligence.

Because they were quick-witted, they were also good at hiding and avoiding detection. Most importantly, they possessed extraordinary strength.

Even if someone managed to locate and attempt to harvest their webs, the silk of the Human-Faced Spider was as strong as Heavenly Silkworm Silk. Its adhesiveness defied common sense, ensnaring many who tried to collect it—only for them to end up trapped and devoured.

"So there's no need to worry, Sword God."

Zhou Xuchuan glanced at Tang Youqi, wondering what the old man was getting at.

"The Formless Poison that injured you was stolen from the Family by that traitor, Tang Mingren."

As their ultimate weapon and the strongest poison in existence, the Tang Family had made a single dose of Formless Poison as a last resort.

However, after refining it, they realized there was no practical situation where they could use it. Thus, they sealed it away, leaving it untouched.

"Even if he knew the method to make more, he won't be able to get the materials, so he shouldn't be able to reproduce it.

No. He can definitely get the webs.

Zhou Xuchuan's face hardened.

The Archive.

While the Head Archivist of the Archive was gone, the mechanisms it had in place hadn't disappeared. They still existed thanks to the power of the Dark Heavens Association.

Was there ever any mention of the Human-faced Spider?

Zhou Xuchuan scoured through his memories from his previous life, but he couldn't remember any mention of it.

However, just because he had information from his previous life didn't mean that he knew everything about that era.

...No. Even if they had existed, there was no way any records about them would have been left behind.

This was information regarding the Righteous Faction's worst traitor, Avaricious Wolf.

More than that, it involved the Tang Family’s secret technique. It would have been far stranger if details about it had been made public.

The Human-faced Spider is under the management of the Dark Heavens Association.

Just like the Millennia Fire Carp and the Seven-Horned Serpent, there was no reason the Human-faced Spider wouldn't exist. In fact, the probability of its existence was well over ninety percent.

"While caution is important, anything in excess isn't good." Tang Youqi advised.

How annoying.

Despite his efforts to coax Zhou Xuchuan into joining the Tang Family, finding an opening to bring up the topic was proving more difficult than expected.

Most would have been flattered if a head of the Five Great Ancient Families, of all people, were praising them like this.

He had even tried to leverage the beauty of Tang Hui, the most beautiful woman in Sichuan, and treated him with the utmost care.

He had assumed the young man would relax a little, but Zhou Xuchuan didn't show him any openings. His vigilance was like an iron wall.

You idiotic fool. I told you to at least take your clothes off right in front of him.

Yang Youqi had even wanted to give him an aphrodisiac, but was too afraid to try it since the target was one of the Seven Empyrean Overlords, an Absolute Master.

Suppressing his growing frustration, he turned to Zhou Xuchuan and spoke.

"If you truly are worried, I can tell you where the Human-faced Spider is rumored to reside."

"You know where it is?"

"Well, it's been such a long time that I'm not sure if they're still there."

The web of the Human-faced Spider was essential to make the Formless Poison. Thus, identifying its habitat had been a crucial task.

However, once the poison was sealed away, the Tang Family abandoned the search. It had been a long time since anyone had looked into it.

"I would like to request your cooperation."

So you insist on wasting your time. Well, that doesn't matter. It's a good opportunity.

Tang Youqi's eyes gleamed with an unpleasant light.

"In return for the information, there is a condition."

"Weren't you going to cooperate for the sake of the peace and safety of the murim?"

"Even so, I can't just give out the secrets of the Tang Family."

Tang Youqi deftly parried Zhou Xuchuan's attack.

"Although I said it's a condition, it's not something that burdensome. I just wanted to ask you to allow some of our children to accompany you on your journey. Of course, it might be a little noisy, as there would only be girls going, Tang Hui included."

You really are shameless.

His intentions were so obvious that it was embarrassing.

"Poison King."

Zhou Xuchuan's eyes narrowed.

"Children are not tools for their parents."

There was a saying that children should repay their parent's kindness when they grew up.

Filial piety.

However, there was a limit to how they would repay.

"Have you heard of the saying Fù Cí Zǐ Xiào, 'Kindness on the part of the father, and filial piety on the part of the son?'"

It meant that parents should be kind to their children, and children should be filial to their parents.

"While I don't intend to lecture you on things going on in other people's homes, please don't cross the line."

The smile on Tang Youqi's lips disappeared.

"Shēng Zhī Chù Zhī, Shēng Ér Bù Yǒu (生之畜之, 生而不有). Gives birth to them, but does not control them. Remember this."

Zhou Xuchuan spoke in a commanding tone, as if warning the Poison King.

"I have no intention of saying anything regarding the fact that the Tang Family took over the Righteous Faction's corrupt force, the Black Shadow Division, to consolidate their power. Moreover, while I don't support the Black Shadow Division, I don't intend to deny what they've done so far."

Zhou Xuchuan was not someone blindly driven by blood ties and passion. He was far too old for that.

Nor was he foolish enough to deny the reality that, at times, wrongdoing had to be tolerated when it was inevitable.

"Thanks to the efforts of the Black Shadow Division, the Righteous Faction has been able to overcome countless crises and casualties without much trouble. I don’t intend to ignore that fact—I’m grateful."

Although he hadn’t known about their activities in his previous life due to his limited access to such information, Zhou Xuchuan understood that, whether he had realized it or not, he must have benefited from their help.

He had no intention of rewarding them, but he was still grateful for their sacrifice for the necessary evil.

"Sacrifice is a noble act of burning oneself for the sake of others or for a certain purpose. However, if that sacrifice is forced upon someone, then remember, it is nothing more than exploitation."

"You truly are a hero. I'm impressed. I agree with your words."

Tang Youqi's expression was extremely cold, unlike his words.

"That's what your daughter said to me."

"..."

"Remember, choosing the Black Shadow Division to maintain the Tang Family’s power is just one possible choice. It is not the only one. I’ll be taking my leave now."

Zhou Xuchuan rose to his feet, turning his back to the Poison King.

“I plan to have Young Lady Tang accompany us in the search for the Human-faced Spider, so you need not worry unnecessarily. However, I will not bring along anyone else who does not contribute to our collective strength. Keep that in mind."

Without waiting for a response, Zhou Xuchuan left.

For a long while, silence filled the room. Then, after nearly an hour, a slow, weary sigh escaped from between Tang Youqi’s chapped lips.

"Empyrean Overlords truly live up to their name."

He was the Poison King, a powerful figure among the One Hundred Experts Under Heaven.

However, he hadn't been able to move because of the intimidation that Zhou Xuchuan had exuded.

His entire body was damp with cold sweat, and the icy chill that had crawled down his spine made him feel as if he were standing in the heart of the North Sea.

"The Black Shadow Division isn't the only choice..."

Tang Youqi's face returned to its usual tired and empty appearance.

"Unfortunately, anything else is impossible, Sword God," the head of the Tang family muttered weakly.

"If the Black Shadow Division isn't passed down to future generations, what are we supposed to do if we lose what we've built up and become nothing..."

***

The search for the Human-faced Spider was declared.

Since the subject was so serious, the mission was kept secret even within the Tang Family, and only a small number of experts were allowed to join them.

Including Tang Hui, there were only ten people from the Tang Family, all either at the Peak or Transcendent Realms.

Meanwhile, Zhou Xuchuan sent letters to the Martial Alliance headquarters, Mount Hua Sect, and Gold Will Merchants, respectively, to report what he had discovered.

"Human-faced Spider?"

"How absurd."

The leaders of the Martial Alliance reacted with skepticism.

"Could it truly exist?"

The Human-faced Spider was a legendary spiritual beast.

There were records and even alleged eyewitness accounts, but they were so ancient and inconsistent that their authenticity remained uncertain. Their existence could very well be nothing more than superstition.

"While we can't be sure, considering the case of the Seven-Horned Serpent, I think it's quite possible."

The King of Poisonblood Valley, the spiritual beast Seven-Horned Serpent.

It had been the target of Duan Hecheng, who had returned alive from that hell and gained recognition by collecting its horn.

"Even though this is the Sword God, isn't it a bit much to invest our manpower on something so useles... ahem, something that isn't even certain?"

"If it was the Sword God who decided, then there must be something. I don't think it's good to make hasty judgments."

The Emei Sect's Jingren Shitai supported Zhou Xuchuan, and most of the other elders followed suit.

The Martial Alliance had been on the verge of a crushing defeat in the last war, and it was only thanks to the Sword God that they had been able to minimize their losses and achieve victory.

It wasn't only the forces who continuously clashed with the Demonic Path like the Shaolin Temple or the Emei Sect, but most of the Righteous Faction that showed favor to Zhou Xuchuan and supported his actions.

Even if they didn't owe him a debt, they couldn't ignore the request of the Hero of the Righteous Faction and one of the Seven Empyrean Overlords.

"Gather the men."

Nangong Weiwu confirmed the elders' intentions and gave the order.

1. While human-faced spiders exist in real life, those are spiders with drawn faces on their abdomen. This is literally a spider with a human's face. ☜