Chapter 78. The Meaning of Reaching the Three Evils (2)

Still, the Sky Palace wasn't completely devoid of people.

Though the younger generation had fallen, the seasoned middle-aged and elderly were still standing strong.

The Golden Red, the Three Anti-Demon Collaborators, and the Wu Mountain Duo.

Not only did they hold their ground, but they even engaged in a battle of nerves with each other.

"Tsk, Mr. Golden Red and the Three Collaborators look quite strained. Why don't you give up now?"

The Wu Mountain Duo's provocation was met with a sneer from the Golden Red.

"Hmph, it's laughable to see you shivering while talking."

"Mr. Golden Red, you don't look much better, trembling yourself."

"Judging by how much you talk, you must be lagging behind. If so, the ultimate winner will be us, the Three Collaborators!"

Despite trembling, they all managed to chatter away, truly living up to the Sky Palace's reputation.

Soon, they took action.

As if on cue, they all began to chew the Lingyao Grass. The combination of their martial arts experience, reputation, and competitive spirit made them all tremble while they chewed and swallowed.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! It's nothing! Ha ha ha ha ha!"

The Golden Red burst into hearty laughter first.

The Anti-Demon and Wu Mountain Duo followed, forcing out their laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha ha, that's right. Heh heh heh heh!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha..."

The leaders of the Medicine King Sect could only stare in shock.

"..."

"..."

They knew.

It was too early to praise them.

This was just the beginning.

The real tragedy or comedy would unfold from now on. Swallowing the Lingyao Grass was indeed a remarkable feat, but the Medicine King Sect had many experienced individuals who could do the same.

Thus,

they slowly took a step back.

"Ha ha, why are you moving away?"

The Golden Red tilted his head in confusion, but they continued to back away.

Slowly.

The leaders of the Medicine King Sect quickly increased the distance, retreating to the back.

"Ha ha, where are you going?"

"Ha ha, you must be scared of us."

The Golden Red and the others looked at each other, their faces filled with disbelief and ridicule.

But Huayun swallowed hard.

'It's about to happen.'

As it always did.

As everyone always did.

And as expected, it didn't go wrong.

"Ugh!"

The Wu Mountain Duo staggered and simultaneously clamped their mouths shut. Their cheeks swelled instantly, making the meaning clear.

Just before it burst.

The Anti-Demon Trio, standing nearby, was startled and looked at them with concern.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

The Wu Mountain Duo soon replied.

"Kweeeeee!"

"Uweeeeee!"

Their response came in the form of a sound.

It didn't end there. Simultaneously, a torrent of vomit erupted.

Kwaah!

The vomit shot directly at the Anti-Demon Trio's faces. They were close, and it splattered tremendously.

But who were the Anti-Demon Trio? They were masters of evasive techniques, capable of dodging even flying needles and lightning-fast hidden weapons. There was no way they couldn't avoid it.

But in reality,

"Kweeeeee!"

"Uweeeeee!"

"Kweeeeee!"

The Anti-Demon Trio also felt the urge surge up.

Unable to avoid it, they countered with the same method. As a result, the Anti-Demon Trio writhed on the spot, using their vomit to counter the vomit coming from the Wu Mountain Duo.

Kwaah!

Kwaah!

A fierce battle of two and three streams.

It was a monstrous scene, as if they were shooting red beams. The amount of vomit was staggering, and it seemed to have no end, leaving the onlookers in awe. Even Miaobingbing, who was rolling on the ground, momentarily forgot her nausea and stench, her eyes widening in shock.

3 vs 2.

A massive exchange of vomit.

In this spectacle, there was no clear winner. It was a mutual destruction, a complete mess. The intensity of the situation was such that they couldn't stop, and they all ended up drenched from head to toe.

"He he he, what a sight."

The Golden Red chuckled, maintaining his composure.

Huayun, standing at a distance, asked,

"Are you alright, sir?"

"Me? Ha ha, who can match my level? I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"He he, what do you take me for..."

The Golden Red couldn't finish his sentence.

Thud!

He collapsed.

The Golden Red, mid-sentence, fell forward like a log, then began to convulse and vomit. The sight was utterly grotesque.

Huayun nodded, as if it was expected.

'Of course...'

The Golden Red's appearance was a reflection of his own past. He had endured the nauseating stench and swallowed it, thinking he would be fine. But he fell into an uncontrollable state due to the reverse reaction, ending up in a mess. The terrifying memory from that time still haunted him in nightmares.

The Lingyao Grass, once ingested, amplified the stench several times and caused it to rise through the throat. Vomiting was inevitable in such a situation.

However, the problem didn't end there. The remaining energy of the Lingyao Grass in the body reversed the flow of qi, making it impossible to control.

This was the reverse reaction.

The Anti-Demon Trio and the Wu Mountain Duo were drenching each other in vomit not because they wanted to, but because they couldn't control their bodies and couldn't change direction.

To control the reverse reaction, one needed to be proficient in the circulation of qi and simultaneously harmonize the internal state with a high level of consciousness. Of course, this was theoretically possible, but the level required was hard to imagine.

This was the level of one of the Three Evils.

And they had only consumed one-ninth of it.

To fully overcome the Three Evils, one had to endure such hardships three times, making it almost impossible.

Thus, Huayun couldn't help but admire the Great Prince.

'Indeed, it's uncertain if there is anyone among the new generation of the martial world who can match the Great Prince.'

No, Huayun soon shook his head.

With this momentum, the new generation wasn't the problem. The Great Prince would likely stand at the pinnacle of the martial world someday.

Huayun's thoughts stopped there.

The Golden Red, the Anti-Demon, and the Wu Mountain Duo, having vomited enough, were now shouting and charging towards them.

"Ugh, you bastards of the Medicine King Sect~~~."

"Ugh, I'll kill all of you~~~."

"Damn, prepare for your sect's destruction. Uweeeeee!"

They had anticipated this and kept their distance.

Reflecting on it, retreating was a wise choice.

The speed at which the Golden Red and the others approached wasn't fast. But the sight of them staggering, falling, and then getting up to run like rabid dogs was terrifying.

Huayun, Huqing, and the elders of the Medicine King Sect slowly backed away and then fled.

"Ugh, where are you going~~~!"

"You bastards, why aren't you standing there~~~!"

"Ugh, you'll be destroyed~~~."

***

Hou Gong took a deep breath.

"Phew..."

The lava waves had calmed down after a day.

Hou Gong regulated his internal energy through his breathing. The fused energy of the Three Evils, which had once stormed through his body like a storm, now settled into every meridian.

The Intangible Heaven and Earth Heart Sutra, which was at the initial stage of the third level, had now reached the fourth level.

It was a satisfying result.

Considering he had just reached the third level before leaving for the Medicine King Sect, this was an abundant achievement.

The progression of realms varies with time.

The initial stages advance rapidly, but the middle stages slow down.

Reaching the fourth level from the third is more challenging than reaching the third from the first.

Yet, he had achieved it in one go.

The claim that the Three Evils combined could rival the Ten Great Herbs was not an exaggeration. Reflecting on it, he had reached the fourth level in less than half a year. Given that ordinary people would take ten years to reach the twelfth level, at this rate, he could achieve it in four to five years.

His satisfaction wasn't limited to the progression of realms.

'Senses are returning.'

Hou Gong could feel his lost senses of smell and taste returning.

As expected.

The senses were merely dormant.

They had been in a brief darkness, but it was truly brief.

And he realized.

His senses were about to become far more powerful than before. It wasn't just a recovery; it was the beginning of a new, transcendent level of sensory perception.

Soon,

"Sniff!"

A strong fragrance suddenly stimulated his sense of smell.

However,

'...?'

Unexpectedly, the fragrance Hou Gong smelled was not the stench of the Toxic Sheep Bug's skin, but a sweet, honey-like scent.

This was a fragrance that did not exist in the stone chamber.

It wasn't flowing in from the outside.

Yet, it seemed to penetrate his nose as if it were real. Simultaneously, a sweet taste lingered in his mouth. It was a scent and taste he had never experienced before.

But the fragrance and taste didn't last long.

Rather, it was instantaneous.

The honey-like fragrance was replaced by another scent and taste.

A fresh, floral scent.

This, too, quickly disappeared, replaced by a pungent stench.

The scents continued to change.

From the scent of pine to a foul odor, from a sour taste that made his mouth water to a bitter taste, and then to the smell of the sea, the scents and tastes kept changing.

Hundreds of scents and tastes passed by in the blink of an eye, yet they continued without stopping.

'Interesting.'

Hou Gong focused his consciousness on the scents and tastes that appeared and disappeared, continuously stimulating his senses.

He realized this was one of the effects of the Three Evils. As thousands of scents and tastes flashed through his senses, Hou Gong had an idea for an interesting application.

'This could be useful as a technique.'

In the flood of scents, Hou Gong separated a thread of consciousness and began to create a new technique based on the principles of the martial arts he possessed.

...How long had he been immersed in it?

Hou Gong completed the formulation of the technique.

The utilization of scents.

He pondered for a moment on what to name it and decided to call it "Thousand Fragrances, Five Circles" (千香五周).

He also classified the technique into five stages.

He considered dividing it into seven stages for more detail but decided to simplify it. Given his complete mastery of the Three Evils and the fact that he wouldn't be passing it on to anyone, the stages were merely a way to confirm his own progress.

The key points of the first stage are "attainment (得)," "harmony (和)," and "binding (結)."

Basically, one can neutralize scents. Whether it's a pleasant fragrance or a foul odor, it doesn't affect the senses. Further, one can absorb surrounding scents and neutralize them.

Additionally, one can create droplets of over a hundred different fragrances and adjust their concentration. One can also spread scents over a range of about ten feet, which can travel further with the wind.

The key points of the second stage are the deepening of the first stage's effects.

Additionally, "vaporization (蒸)," "dispersion (播)," and "toxicity (毒)."

One can release scents in a vapor form, covering a range of about a hundred feet. If applied to a village, it could cover the entire center. The toxic aspect can induce side effects similar to those of the Lingyao Grass in the target.

The utility increases significantly from the third stage.

One can use scents over long distances, and the range and intensity of the scents increase. Ultimately, at the highest level, one could make someone beg for death with just a scent.

Hou Gong stopped at the third stage of Thousand Fragrances.

Excessive ambition can lead to disaster.

Even if one knows the path, every path requires a process and time. A child must crawl first, and after falling a thousand times, they can walk.

'Besides, it's just a technique.'

Still, Hou Gong was satisfied.

It could be used as a torture method and for tracking, making it highly versatile and valuable.

Of course, if Huayun and Huqing had heard that he had created a scent technique and called it a technique, they would have been amazed. But for someone who was once the leader of the martial world and the best in the land, it was just a technique.