Chapter 100: Nether Poison Emperor

Netherworld Poison Emperor! The most notorious fiend of three hundred years ago.

He was once a member of the Black Demon Sect, but for reasons unknown, he later turned against it.

The Netherworld Poison Emperor was a master of poison and a formidable Martial Emperor realm powerhouse—utterly terrifying, his name alone enough to strike fear into hearts, one who no one dared to provoke.

His most glorious achievement, however, was single-handedly poisoning an entire nation to death.

That nation was no weaker than the Great Qian Empire, with a population of over a hundred million and countless cities and towns.

Yet beneath his deadly venom, not a single soul survived, leaving the land a domain of death.

That battle spread his fearsome name throughout the Eastern Domain, shaking the world in every direction.

Why would Jiang Hongru suddenly bring up such a man out of nowhere?

Moreover, the Netherworld Poison Emperor had long since perished, without even a single descendant to his name.

"I won't keep it from you—I have discovered his tomb!"

Jiang Hongru revealed this secret.

"Four months ago, through a stroke of luck, I chanced upon his burial site, but at first I couldn't confirm it. So I went alone, hoping to investigate, only to be invaded by yin-poison death energy, nearly losing my life on the spot!"

"Had I not encountered Mr. Jun by fortune, I would be nothing but a corpse right now."

One of Jun Wushuang's questions was thus answered.

He had wondered why Jiang Hongru, the Southern Prince, would appear in the remote city of Jiangning.

So it was for the Netherworld Poison Emperor's tomb.

This was not good news, however.

Because it meant the tomb was located somewhere near Jiangning City.

"This time, I reported the matter to His Majesty and received his decree to lead the four family heads on another expedition."

Jiang Hongru spoke again. As the Southern Prince of the Great Qian Empire, naturally he had to relay such a momentous event to the Qian Emperor.

At this point, the second question in Jun Wushuang's mind was also resolved.

During the life-and-death martial contest.

He had seen neither Jiang Hongru nor the four family heads.

The commotion back then had been enormous, even stirring the Qian Emperor himself. Had the four family heads been in the imperial capital, they could not possibly have failed to appear.

It turned out they had all gone to the Netherworld Poison Emperor's tomb.

"This expedition confirmed that the tomb indeed belongs to the Netherworld Poison Emperor."

"We came well-prepared this time, venturing deep into the burial site and unearthing a great many treasures."

"What we failed to anticipate was that we would also encounter members of the Black Demon Sect—clearly, they too were after the Netherworld Poison Emperor's tomb."

"I fought a great battle with them and ultimately returned gravely wounded."

Jiang Hongru sighed and revealed the truth of the matter.

The Netherworld Poison Emperor had originally hailed from the Black Demon Sect.

Naturally, the sect's disciples were also eager to claim their former brother's lifelong collection.

"I may have been poisoned and severely injured this time, but the Yüsha King of the Black Demon Sect fared no better. Moreover, the Black Demon Sect has no branch within our Great Qian Empire."

"And so His Majesty stepped forward and reached an agreement with the Black Demon Sect."

"In one month's time, each side will dispatch fifty men to enter the tomb and explore together."

"For the sake of fairness, neither side may send any Heavenly King realm experts. In other words, only martial artists below the Heavenly King realm may enter."

"Those fifty will be selected primarily from the imperial household, the four great families, and the two martial academies."

Jiang Hongru said in a grave tone.

Below the Heavenly King realm.

That meant the main participants would be of the Heavenly Man realm and the Marquis realm.

The tomb of a Martial Emperor realm powerhouse was certain to contain countless treasures.

This was a monumental opportunity!

Though Jun Wushuang possessed the memories of the Demon Emperor, he lacked cultivation resources.

If he could obtain treasures from the Netherworld Poison Emperor's tomb, perhaps his strength would surge by leaps and bounds.

As for securing a spot, Jun Wushuang had no worries on that front.

The Azure Cloud Martial Academy had just emerged victorious, and with Jiang Hongru's support, one slot was all but assured.

His current strength, however, left something to be desired.

He was only at the seventh level of the Sea of Spirits realm, never even having reached the Heavenly Man realm.

And most of those heading in would be Marquis realm, with only a minority at the Heavenly Man realm. As for the Sea of Spirits realm—there would likely not be a single one.

After all, though this tomb offered boundless fortune, it also held tremendous danger.

Even Jiang Hongru had been poisoned to the brink of death, to say nothing of others.

Moreover, beyond the perils of the tomb itself, the Black Demon Sect disciples were enemies as well.

With strength too weak, going would only mean courting death.

"There is one more matter!"

Jiang Hongru spoke again.

"The Netherworld Poison Emperor possessed a renowned treasure of great fame called the Ten-Thousand Poison Demon Orb. It is a semi-saint artifact containing a vast sea of lethal venom."

"In his day, the Netherworld Poison Emperor was able to poison an entire nation single-handedly precisely because of this artifact."

The Ten-Thousand Poison Demon Orb?

A semi-saint artifact!

Everyone's eyes lit up.

Above Dao artifacts lay Saint artifacts.

Only a saint-realm artifact forger could craft a Saint artifact.

And the power of a Saint artifact was far beyond that of a Dao artifact.

Though a semi-saint artifact was not a true Saint artifact, its very name carried the word "saint," placing it far above ordinary Dao artifacts.

The current national treasure of the Great Qian Empire was a semi-saint artifact.

This alone illustrated how precious the Ten-Thousand Poison Demon Orb truly was.

"During this expedition, we not only confirmed that the tomb belonged to the Netherworld Poison Emperor, but also sensed the aura of the Ten-Thousand Poison Demon Orb."

"So this time, the prize at stake is not merely the fortune within the tomb, but this semi-saint artifact itself!"

A semi-saint artifact was enough to spark contention even among Martial Emperor realm experts.

It was only thanks to the early discovery, before the news had spread, that more powerhouses had not yet been drawn to the scene.

"Where exactly is this tomb located?"

Jun Wushuang suddenly asked.

Jiang Hongru glanced at him, guessing his thoughts.

"Mr. Jun, I am truly sorry—this tomb lies directly beneath Jiangning City!"

Jiang Hongru hesitated for a moment, then spoke the truth.

Just as I suspected!

Jun Wushuang's gaze sharpened.

This was the worst news imaginable for him.

Jiangning City was his hometown.

Within it lived not only his fellow townsfolk, but also his father and the Jun family.

Now that the tomb had been discovered, a great battle for it was inevitable.

When gods clash, mortals suffer.

Jiangning City and the Jun family were sure to be caught in the maelstrom—there could even be a risk of death.

Jun Wushuang held no deep affection for Jiangning City itself, but he could not rest easy about the Jun family, about his father.

"How is my father?"

Jiang Hongru had already clashed once with the Black Demon Sect, and Jun Wushuang was deeply worried for his father's safety.

"Please be at ease, sir. The battle this time took place within the tomb itself, and its impact on Jiangning City was minimal, with no great casualties."

"Furthermore, His Majesty has issued a decree ordering all inhabitants of Jiangning City to evacuate, so as to avoid harming the innocent!"

Jiang Hongru knew exactly what was troubling Jun Wushuang and offered these words of reassurance.

Hearing this, Jun Wushuang finally let out a breath.

That his father was unharmed—that was the best news of all.

"Whether for my father's sake or for the Ten-Thousand Poison Demon Orb, I must enter that tomb."

"I have one month left. At the very least, I must break through to the Heavenly Man realm before I can hope to compete."

"Then I'll have to cultivate to the ninth level of the Sea of Spirits realm as quickly as possible, and seize the chance of the Spiritual Pool baptism to break through to the Heavenly Man realm in one fell swoop!"

Jun Wushuang's eyes blazed with determination, his plans already set.

The tomb expedition—I will claim my place in it, no matter what!