OUTSIDE OF TIME

514 Poison Demon Takes Action

This poison was colorless and odorless and extremely difficult to detect. Even if one had some understanding of medicine, they wouldn’t be able to sense it immediately.

Only those who specialized in the Dao of Poison would instinctively sense the existence of poison.

Just like Xu Qing.

He instantly sensed this poison and frowned imperceptibly.

This was a poison he had never seen before. He couldn’t smell the composition of the medicinal herbs inside and could only sense that it contained biological poison sacs. Moreover, it should be a mix of poison. Just one of them wasn’t of much use.

‘They still need the cooperation of other poisons to activate.’

Xu Qing’s expression was as calm as ever but he was vigilant inwardly. Although he wasn’t afraid of poison and his body contained even more potent poison, his cautious personality still made him flick his fingers slightly and poison spread out in the surroundings.

It was to protect himself.

If the other party’s poison contained something unexpected, Xu Qing would have a way to deal with it.

After doing this, Xu Qing was expressionless as he listened attentively to the lesson.

When everyone in the surroundings saw Sick Ghost coughing up blood, they all looked at each other in dismay. However, Kong Xianglong was sitting upright. Respect could be seen in his eyes. Clearly, he knew Sick Ghost. At the same time, the qi and blood in his body instinctively circulated, vaguely forming a protective barrier.

There were some who did the same, but not everyone.

At that moment, Sick Ghost coughed violently a few more times. A weakened expression appeared on his face as he wiped the corners of his mouth.

“It’s fine. Back then, when I was a spy in the Holy Wave Race, I was injured by those bastards.”

“As for the secret art of the Sword Holder to hide things, this is very useful. In the future, you will face all kinds of missions and battles. It will definitely involve information and the transfer of items.”

“In that case, if you are in the enemy’s camp or are about to be killed, how to ensure that the things you hide won’t be leaked? This secret art will teach you how to form a small space that belongs to you.”

Sick Ghost slowly spoke. Although his voice was weak, it still clearly entered everyone’s ears.

“Moreover, this space has a secret key. Everyone’s secret key is different, just like a true spirit incantation. However, since you set it up yourself, you naturally have to remember to turn in a backup of the secret key. Don’t worry, in the entire Sword Holding Palace, only the Palace Master has the right to know everyone’s secret key. Others will only be told when the missions require it.”

Xu Qing fell into deep thought. This method of hiding items was novel to him.

The captain’s eyes lit up.

‘Only the Palace Master knows everyone’s secret key. In that case, if I change the secret key to a sentence, such as protecting the human race, won’t it indirectly increase his good impression of me? When others find out, they will also feel deep veneration.’

While the captain was thinking about the feasibility of this matter, Sick Ghost continued to speak.

“The purpose of this backup is to ensure that the other Sword Holders can find that storage space on your body and take out your last words and items when you are dead.”

The captain blinked and felt that his thoughts were a little inauspicious, so he dismissed them.

After Sick Ghost finished introducing the art, he began to impart relevant cultivation art.

Although he didn’t allow others to speak, Sick Ghost’s teaching was very detailed. However, during this period, he spat out blood many times and his body seemed to be on the verge of collapse. He only finished the lesson after the morning passed.

Very soon, the Sword Holders began to try using the secret art.

“You guys can cultivate on your own after you return.” After Sick Ghost finished speaking, he stood up. As though he had stood up too quickly, blood flowed out of the corner of his mouth. After wiping it away with an indifferent expression, he walked to the entrance of the Knowledge Hall.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly turned his head and looked at everyone in the hall with a smile.

“By the way, I’m actually not only talking about the secret art to hide things in this lesson. I’m also using my actions to tell you that as a Sword Holder, you have to be vigilant at all times.”

“Didn’t you notice that I’m not wearing the Sword Holder’s Daoist robe?

“Have you seen anyone in the Sword Holding Palace who doesn’t wear the Sword Holder’s Daoist robe?”

“Must the people who entered the class be Sword Holders? Where’s your vigilance? Have you forgotten three rules, seven principles, and sixty-nine articles?”

“Even if there are really plainclothes, the normal process would require the Sword Holders to introduce their identities. This is a very simple test. The results of the test… Some of you are too inexperienced.” As Sick Ghost spoke, he waved his right hand.

Immediately, more than ten of the 51 Sword Holders fell to the ground and fainted. The remaining ones looked at Sick Ghost.

The captain, Qing Qiu, Kong Xianglong, and the others were among them.

“If I was really an enemy, then these people would be dead.”

Sick Ghost glanced at the ones who didn’t collapse and smiled.

“This batch of Sword Holders is indeed different from the past. However, from the start to the end, not many people noticed the abnormality of my uniform, so you still failed.”

“Being unconscious is bad, but you guys are not much better. This will be recorded in the assessment.” After Sick Ghost finished speaking, he flicked his sleeve and his clothes changed, becoming the Daoist robe of the Sword Holder.

After that, he took out some pills and threw them at the unconscious Sword Holders. He then looked at Xu Qing and the others with a spurious smile.

“However, there were a few who passed the test. Whose eye is this?” As Sick Ghost spoke, he grabbed an eye from behind him.

The captain coughed.

“And this melon seed.”

“There’s also this trace of evil ghost intent.”

“And this hair that suddenly appeared.”

“And this wisp of fog, could it be that you enslaved a member of the Smoke Race?” Sick Ghost’s gaze swept past the captain, Night Spirit, Qing Qiu, Shan He, and Wang Chen.

“The five of you pass!”

As soon as he finished speaking, footsteps rang out from outside the hall. Four figures that emitted a murderous aura suddenly appeared. The Sword Holder Daoist robes on their bodies were a little different. There was a black sword embroidered on their collars.

“Sick Ghost, someone saw through your test. Someone sent a voice transmission to our Law Enforcement Department and asked us to capture you.” Among the four of them, a middle-aged law enforcer calmly spoke.

“Oh? Who is it?” Sick Ghost smiled. When he looked at everyone in the hall, Kong Xianglong stood up and cupped his fists at him.

“Kid, you’re good. You clearly know me but you can still look past the barrier formed by cognition and see the essence. This is much more amazing. Your results are excellent!” Sick Ghost’s eyes lit up and he nodded in admiration. He was about to leave.

The captain coughed again and spoke somewhat embarrassedly.

“Sir, there’s another eye…”

Sick Ghost was stunned and looked at the captain.

“It’s in your storage bag.” The captain blinked.

After Sick Ghost lowered his head and checked, he waved his hand and took out an eye from his storage bag. He held it in his hand and looked at it. His eyes revealed a strange glint as he carefully sized up the captain a few times.

“Not bad, to be able to make me not notice it. Although there are tricks, it’s also extremely good. Your results are also excellent. Oh right, what’s your name?”

“Chen Erniu…” The captain replied carefully.

Sick Ghost fell silent and cast a deep glance at the captain.

He had heard of this name before. At this moment, he shook his head and turned to leave.

Xu Qing hesitated for a moment and looked at the other party’s weakened body that was filled with his poison.

He could tell that the other party wasn’t someone who was proficient in the Dao of Poison. It should be poison formed naturally from the injuries in his body and he used it as a weapon.

Previously, this person had spat out blood many times, so Xu Qing couldn’t help but release more poison as he was on guard. He wasn’t sure if this poison would cause a drastic change when mixed with Sick Ghost’s injuries.

However, just in case, Xu Qing still stood up.

“Lord.”

Sick Ghost stopped in his tracks again and turned to look at Xu Qing. In reality, he had been paying attention to Xu Qing previously and knew that the other party had 100,00 feet of light. However, in the end, he was still a little disappointed.

In his opinion, although Xu Qing didn’t fall for his move, he didn’t hide any tricks on him. Also, he didn’t see the problem with his robe. This made him look slightly mediocre and stiff.

However, now that he was stopped, he still felt some anticipation.

“Xu Qing, did you secretly hide anything on me?”

Xu Qing nodded.

“What is it?” Sick Ghost was curious. He couldn’t sense anything else.

“Poison…” Xu Qing said apologetically.

Sick Ghost was stunned.

“There are many poisons mixed together. I wonder if it will affect Lord’s injuries. It’s very easy for the poison to undergo drastic changes when they are mixed.”

The expression of Sick Ghost changed.

“Lord, you… should hurry up and go back to find someone to detoxify the poison.”

“Also, fellow colleagues, the same goes for you. I’m sorry about this but you don’t have any hidden injuries, so the poison is on the surface. I haven’t activated it yet, so it can be neutralized.”

Xu Qing finished speaking in one breath and took out a large number of antidotes, distributing them to the dumbfounded crowd. After that, he apologetically looked at Sick Ghost who was standing there in a daze with a rapidly changing expression.

“Lord, your body has been stimulated by your poison. I don’t have an antidote. Hurry up and find an alchemy expert…”

The surroundings were completely silent. Everyone looked at Xu Qing with shock in their eyes. Regardless of whether it was Shan He, Wang Chen, or Kong Xianglong, they were all the same.

Only the captain looked like he knew this would happen and calmly swallowed a large number of antidotes.

Just as Sick Ghost was about to say something, he spat out a mouthful of black blood and his face instantly turned greenish-black. He was quickly supported by the four law enforcers beside him to look for the alchemy masters of the Sword Holding Palace.

The hall fell silent again.

Immediately after, the sound of gulping rang out. Everyone was swallowing antidotes. After those unconscious people woke up and were informed of the situation, their expressions changed drastically and they quickly swallowed the pills.

There were also whooshing sounds. All the tables around Xu Qing were moved away. Kong Xianglong also instinctively moved away. Qing Qiu was even faster.

Xu Qing sat down silently. He was already used to this loneliness. At least he still had Eldest Senior Brother.

The captain was still as calm as ever. Ever since he got to know Xu Qing, the number of antidotes in his storage bag hadn’t decreased. At this moment, he took out another handful and ate them like they were candies. At the same time, he looked proudly at Kong Xianglong and thought to himself.

‘What’s the big deal? One look and I can tell that you don’t have enough foresight.’

Being swept by the captain’s gaze, Kong Xianglong smiled bitterly. He braced himself and moved the table over again. He then laughed at Xu Qing and took out a few antidote pills to eat.

Xu Qing fell silent.

At that moment, the atmosphere in the hall revealed a strangeness amidst the relative silence. Many Sword Holders secretly glanced at Xu Qing.

One could imagine that this matter would soon spread throughout the Sword Holding Palace…

Not long later, footsteps rang out from the hall and another Sword Holder walked over.

This person was an old man. Different from Sick Ghost, the sense of dignity he emitted was very strong and even more gloomy. When he walked over, his footsteps landed on the ground and popping sounds rang out. His qi and blood were violent.

When he reached the front, the old man turned and coldly swept his gaze across everyone. Finally, his gaze landed on Xu Qing.

“You’re the one who intensified Sick Ghost’s poison?”